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Google is now rolling out access to AI Mode to its second batch of users. Google first allowed Google One AI Premium subscribers access to AI mode, when it first launched on March 5th. If you opted into AI Mode and are based in the United States, you may now have access. How to access AI Mode. Once you again access then you should be able to access AI Mode – here is how: Go to www.google.com, enter a question in the Search bar, and tap the “AI Mode” tab below the Search bar. Go directly to the AI Mode tab on Google Search at: google.com/aimode. In the Google app, tap the AI Mode icon below the Search bar on the home screen. The initial bug. When Google emailed me and hundreds of other searchers with their invites to try AI Mode at around 5:20pm ET today, many were unable to access it. When you clicked the “Try now” button, it told you to opt in and wait to get access. I covered these details on the Search Engine Roundtable. What is AI Mode. AI Mode is a new tab within Google Search, right now only for those accepted into the Google Search Labs experiment, that brings you into a more AI-like interface. Google said AI Mode “is particularly helpful for queries where further exploration, reasoning, or comparisons are needed.” AI Mode lets you explore a topic and get comprehensive AI-based answers without you needing to do those comparisons and analyses yourself. We saw rumors of this news and it is finally officially here, for some of you. I have a detailed write up on AI Mode over here. Why we care. AI Mode may reveal the future of Google Search and search futures that may be incorporated into Google Search in the days ahead. So see if you have access and play around with it so you can understand how this new Google Search feature works. View the full article

About 30 minutes ago, Google sent out a batch of invites to its new AI Mode. I was one who got that email but when I click on the "try now" button, it still tells me I am on the waitlist and I can't access it just yet.View the full article

Nuuk makes clear it did not extend an invitation to American officials travelling there later in the weekView the full article

Acting Comptroller Rodney Hood discussed using fintech to evaluate self-employed borrowers' creditworthiness, saying alternative credit models could promote financial inclusion. View the full article

Small business owners know that their success doesn’t just happen by chance. It takes years of hard work, dedication, and the know-how to make it prosper. Growing a business takes a strategic approach. In an ideal world, business owners would throw money at every possible idea and see what sticks. But the reality is they don’t have unlimited resources. Instead, they should determine where and how to invest in their business to see the reap the greatest reward. I’ve been a business owner for more than three decades. During that time, I’ve tried different approaches to scaling my business. What’s emerged are some clear patterns of what does and doesn’t drive long-term growth. Following are my top tips for investing in your business, whether you’re a brand-new entrepreneur or an established business owner hoping to take your business to the next level. Customer Experience (CX) Your customers are essential to your business, so it makes sense to invest in the customer experience. A positive customer experience increases retention and builds brand loyalty, so you can be sure your customers will return again and again. It also increases the likelihood that they will share their great experience with others. Understanding your customers and providing personalized service is one of the best ways to improve their experience. Investing in quality customer service training is a good first step, as it ensures every team member is dedicated to a customer-centric workflow. Offering customer loyalty programs is another tried-and-true method. Employee Retention Customer service is only as great as the people providing it, so it’s important to start with a strong team. Investing in your employees is key to growing your business, so consider ongoing professional learning for your team members. Not only does this keep them on top of their game, but it can also improve motivation and build camaraderie. Employee incentive programs, mentorships, and, of course, competitive compensation are also crucial. Great employees are those who truly feel connected to their workplace. It’s important to foster a positive culture, one in which each employee feels valued and heard. Open communication, collaboration, and allowing (and responding to) employee feedback can help build this culture. Technology Infrastructure Sometimes it seems as though technology is changing a mile a minute. The hesitation to invest huge amounts of money to keep up is certainly understandable, but both employees and customers expect (and deserve) modern systems and infrastructure. Plus, they can save you money in the long run. For example, automated processes and cloud-based solutions improve productivity while reducing costs down the road. Depending on the type of industry you’re in, investing in technology can give you a competitive edge. It shows potential customers that you’re a leader in your field, which fosters trust. Old, outdated systems send the message that you don’t take your business seriously. Marketing Strategies Marketing is a key facet to building any business. But successful marketing takes a targeted approach. Investing in marketing that is tailored to your industry and your audience can result in significant rewards. Business owners should view marketing as a necessary cost of owning (and growing) a business. With the advent of digital marketing, there are many affordable options. Connecting with customers on social media is a beneficial, low-cost way to start building a brand, as is content marketing and email marketing. Paid ads on social media or Google are also good choices. And don’t overlook traditional marketing such as print ads or direct mail — they still see great ROI in many markets. Invest in Yourself As the leader of your business, it’s just as critical to invest in yourself as it is to invest in your team. Sure, things get hectic, and it can seem impossible to keep up sometimes. But becoming a better leader naturally leads to becoming a better business owner. Investing in workshops, attending conferences, and participating in networking events can give you new insight into how to approach your business. Other options to consider are coaching or mentorships. Having an experienced professional to help you navigate the ins and outs of business ownership can be a boon to both your personal growth and your business’s growth. They can also help you sharpen your skills in communication, decision-making, time management, goal setting and other skills needed to run a successful business. Invest in Your Business Investing in your business is essential for it to grow. But it takes a strategic approach, one that may not be the same for every business. Focusing on your customers, your team, and yourself are some of the few ways that I’ve found that are most likely to lead to long-term success. CorpNet offers business formations, filings, state tax registrations, and corporate compliance services in all 50 states. Express and 24 hour rush filing services available upon request. Click here to learn more. Image: Envato This article, "The Best Ways to Invest in Your Business Growth" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Small business owners know that their success doesn’t just happen by chance. It takes years of hard work, dedication, and the know-how to make it prosper. Growing a business takes a strategic approach. In an ideal world, business owners would throw money at every possible idea and see what sticks. But the reality is they don’t have unlimited resources. Instead, they should determine where and how to invest in their business to see the reap the greatest reward. I’ve been a business owner for more than three decades. During that time, I’ve tried different approaches to scaling my business. What’s emerged are some clear patterns of what does and doesn’t drive long-term growth. Following are my top tips for investing in your business, whether you’re a brand-new entrepreneur or an established business owner hoping to take your business to the next level. Customer Experience (CX) Your customers are essential to your business, so it makes sense to invest in the customer experience. A positive customer experience increases retention and builds brand loyalty, so you can be sure your customers will return again and again. It also increases the likelihood that they will share their great experience with others. Understanding your customers and providing personalized service is one of the best ways to improve their experience. Investing in quality customer service training is a good first step, as it ensures every team member is dedicated to a customer-centric workflow. Offering customer loyalty programs is another tried-and-true method. Employee Retention Customer service is only as great as the people providing it, so it’s important to start with a strong team. Investing in your employees is key to growing your business, so consider ongoing professional learning for your team members. Not only does this keep them on top of their game, but it can also improve motivation and build camaraderie. Employee incentive programs, mentorships, and, of course, competitive compensation are also crucial. Great employees are those who truly feel connected to their workplace. It’s important to foster a positive culture, one in which each employee feels valued and heard. Open communication, collaboration, and allowing (and responding to) employee feedback can help build this culture. Technology Infrastructure Sometimes it seems as though technology is changing a mile a minute. The hesitation to invest huge amounts of money to keep up is certainly understandable, but both employees and customers expect (and deserve) modern systems and infrastructure. Plus, they can save you money in the long run. For example, automated processes and cloud-based solutions improve productivity while reducing costs down the road. Depending on the type of industry you’re in, investing in technology can give you a competitive edge. It shows potential customers that you’re a leader in your field, which fosters trust. Old, outdated systems send the message that you don’t take your business seriously. Marketing Strategies Marketing is a key facet to building any business. But successful marketing takes a targeted approach. Investing in marketing that is tailored to your industry and your audience can result in significant rewards. Business owners should view marketing as a necessary cost of owning (and growing) a business. With the advent of digital marketing, there are many affordable options. Connecting with customers on social media is a beneficial, low-cost way to start building a brand, as is content marketing and email marketing. Paid ads on social media or Google are also good choices. And don’t overlook traditional marketing such as print ads or direct mail — they still see great ROI in many markets. Invest in Yourself As the leader of your business, it’s just as critical to invest in yourself as it is to invest in your team. Sure, things get hectic, and it can seem impossible to keep up sometimes. But becoming a better leader naturally leads to becoming a better business owner. Investing in workshops, attending conferences, and participating in networking events can give you new insight into how to approach your business. Other options to consider are coaching or mentorships. Having an experienced professional to help you navigate the ins and outs of business ownership can be a boon to both your personal growth and your business’s growth. They can also help you sharpen your skills in communication, decision-making, time management, goal setting and other skills needed to run a successful business. Invest in Your Business Investing in your business is essential for it to grow. But it takes a strategic approach, one that may not be the same for every business. Focusing on your customers, your team, and yourself are some of the few ways that I’ve found that are most likely to lead to long-term success. CorpNet offers business formations, filings, state tax registrations, and corporate compliance services in all 50 states. Express and 24 hour rush filing services available upon request. Click here to learn more. Image: Envato This article, "The Best Ways to Invest in Your Business Growth" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A good VPN works like a bouncer for your internet traffic, keeping snoops out while letting you move freely. AdGuard VPN is one of those solid, no-nonsense choices that does exactly what it promises. Right now, StackSocial is offering a five-year AdGuard VPN subscription for just $39.97, a steep drop from its regular price. That’s five years of private browsing, streaming, and secure connections across most major platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and up to 10 simultaneous connections (making it great for multi-device users without juggling logins). If you like the idea of browsing without trackers and being able to access geo-restricted content without hassle, this deal makes sense. Just a heads-up, though—this offer is only for new users, and you’ll need to redeem it within 30 days of buying. Performance-wise, AdGuard VPN uses AES-256 and its proprietary protocol, which is supposed to be faster and harder to detect than the usual VPN options. That means fewer annoying speed drops, which is a win if you stream a lot or hate buffering. It also offers over 60 server locations, covering key regions without overwhelming you with choices, so finding a decent connection shouldn’t be an issue. More importantly, AdGuard sticks to a strict no-logs policy, meaning it won’t track your browsing or sell your data to advertisers, unlike some other VPNs. AdGuard VPN is best suited for anyone looking for a low-maintenance, long-term privacy solution without monthly bills. It’s easy to set up, has a clean interface, and works well for everyday browsing and security. Five years of coverage for under forty bucks is hard to beat, and if you don’t like it, at least you won’t be locked into another high-priced subscription. View the full article

Support for travel, tourism and sports comes as Beijing doubles funding for goods trade-in scheme to $41bnView the full article

Bostic now sees price growth returning to the Fed's 2% goal at some point in early 2027. View the full article

Tech equities lead rebound as Tesla gains almost 12% View the full article

There are about 85 million single-family homes in the United States, which is a lot of houses. If you own one of them, then you already know what you don’t know—from real estate terms to the actual cost of owning the place. Buying and maintaining a house is a life-long learning process. But no matter how long you’ve owned your home, there are probably aspects of it that you have no clue about. This can be a problem because you’re relying on this structure to protect you and your family from the elements, to be a valuable asset in your financial portfolio, and to be an attractive place you can be proud to show off to friends and family. In order for that to happen, you need to know some fundamental details about your house. If you don’t know these things, find them out ASAP. ShutoffsYour house runs on a few basic resources—water, electricity, and possibly natural gas. Unless you’re totally off the grid with solar power and localized supplies like propane tanks, these resources are piped into your home from outside under consistent pressure. If something goes wrong (e.g., a water pipe bursts, or a pilot light goes out and gas leaks) you need to know how to shut things off—which means you need to know the location of the following: The water shutoff: The main valve that controls the flow of water into your house. It will usually be located outside, but if it’s inside (mine is), it’ll be near the perimeter, and possibly in your basement. Know where it is and how to turn it off. Localized valves. Your sinks, outdoor spigots, and toilets will also have shutoff valves. Knowing where your toilet shutoff is located can be a real lifesaver when it starts to overflow. The gas shut off. Similarly, if you have natural gas piped into your home, know where the shutoff valve is. If you ever smell gas and can’t figure out its source, this could literally save your house—and your life. Appliance shutoffs. Your gas-powered appliances like an oven or a dryer will also have specific shutoffs, usually located in the rear where the hookups are. Know how to access them in case you need to turn them off. Electric panel. Know where your home’s electric panel is located, and familiarize yourself with the circuits and the main in case you need to cut the power to an area of the home—or the whole house. If you smell gas, you should exit your home and call the authorities even if you turn off the main supply. And never touch an electrical panel that’s sparking or smoking. CircuitsSpeaking of your electrical panel, you should know more than just it’s location. Map out which circuits control what in your house by turning them off one by one and checking to see what they’re connected to. Don’t just trust any labeling that’s already in there—these are often not updated properly after renovations and repairs. Having each breaker labeled clearly will save you time and trouble if you need to kill the juice to something that’s malfunctioning. Location of metersYou should know where your water, gas, and electric meters are—and how to read them. If you still have in-person meter readers from your utility company, it’s helpful to know how to guide them to the meters, and being able to read and interpret them will let you audit your utility bills. Doing this once a year will spot any discrepancies that could indicate a billing error, utility theft, or a slow leak. An evacuation routeIf something terrible were to happen unexpectedly, how would you get out of the house? If the front door was blocked somehow, is there an alternate route out? If you’re trapped on an upper floor, how would you escape? Those kinds of emergencies don’t happen often, thank goodness, but now is the time to plan for them. Think about what you would do in a variety of scenarios, so you have a way out even if the obvious exits are blocked. Dryer typeIf your home had a washer and dryer when you moved in, find out what kind of dryer you have. This might sound obvious, but many people don’t realize that there are gas- and electric-powered dryers. If your gas-powered dryer dies and you order an electric one to replace it, you’ve got a huge headache instead of a solution. Type of insulationA good question to ask the builder, previous owners, or home inspector is the type of insulation in the walls and attic space. In older homes that haven’t been significantly renovated, this could be asbestos-based insulation, which isn’t a problem unless you try to remove it. But even if your insulation is more modern, knowing the kind and how long it’s been in there is a good thing. First, it might not be the best insulation in the world, so you might want to upgrade it. And second, insulation doesn’t last forever, so knowing how old it is will be helpful as you plan future maintenance and budgets. Property linesYou (probably) didn’t just buy a structure, you bought property. That probably includes some outdoor space around your home—your lot. The problem with property lots is that they look very clear and obvious on a map, but aren’t so easy to figure out when you’re literally standing on them. This can lead to incursions from neighbors when their fencing strays onto your property, or assumptions about who owns what or whether your neighbors have an easement or a right of access that includes your property. Finding out your exact property lines is, in other words, a very good idea. Water qualityClean, potable water being piped into our homes is an incredible luxury by historical standards—but not all local water supplies are the same. Your local water utility probably has testing results available, but it’s not a bad idea to test your tap water yourself to see what you’re dealing with—and whether you’re comfortable drinking it, or if you need to look into filters. It’s also useful to find out if you have hard water—water with a high mineral content—as it can be damaging to your appliances and other aspects of your house (and isn’t the best water for showering and cleaning, either). You can soften your hard water pretty effectively—but only if you know about it in the first place. Lead pipesIf your house was built some time before 1988, it might still have lead water pipes—which means lead might be leeching into your drinking water, potentially making you sick. You should check to see if your pipes are lead, and if you get a positive result, you should contact your local government and water utility to arrange a replacement. UnderneathDo you know what’s under your house? If you have a full basement, the answer is probably yes. Crawl spaces—especially very shallow ones—can be overlooked, however. They usually contain a lot of vital stuff like water lines, gas lines, and electrical wiring, and can be a source of pest infiltration, air pollution, and bad vibes in general. It’s not unheard of for homeowners to eliminate crawl space access panels in their homes, or for crawl spaces to simply have no convenient access point—but it’s vital that you be able to access your crawl space for a variety of reasons. You will someday need to access those pipes and wires, after all, and you need to be able to monitor the foundation, humidity levels (and potential mold growth), rodent and pest populations, and potential water issues. When it comes to what’s under your house, ignorance is definitely not bliss. Sewer or septicWhen you flush your toilet or wash your dishes, where does that grey and black water go? The answer will inform your maintenance decisions, as plumbing that hooks into a municipal sewer line needs different maintenance than pipes that lead to a septic tank on your property. If you’re on a sewer line, having it inspected for clogs or infiltrating roots every year can save you a lot of trouble, while septic tanks need to be pumped out regularly, and chemical drain cleaners need to be avoided. Your filter schedulesA lot of things in your house have filters (including, possibly, the house itself). These filters all need to be replaced periodically, but each appliance or piece of infrastructure will have its own schedule and specific type of filter. Make sure you know what filters you need and how often it’s recommended they be replaced. Just because something appears to be running just fine doesn’t mean the filter doesn’t need replacing. MaterialsDo you know what kind of flooring you’re walking on? What kind of countertop you’re cooking on? Different materials have different maintenance and cleaning needs. Using the wrong cleaning products—like bleach when you’re cleaning natural stone—can do real damage to the materials, and leave you with ruined stuff and a looming renovation bill. It can be challenging for non-experts to tell the difference between stuff like laminate and hardwood flooring, after all, so you can’t just assume you know what you’re dealing with. If at all possible, it’s best to find out exactly what’s there and what the manufacturer recommends in terms of maintenance, cleaning, and repair. AccessYou own the house—all of it. You should be able to access every bit of it. You might not want to go into the crawl space or up onto the roof, but you should be able to get into those places. If there is any place you can’t get to, it might also be a place a contractor can’t get to, which could be disastrous in case of an emergency repair. And you should be able to inspect your house regularly as a proactive practice to anticipate problems before they become emergencies. Taking some time to make sure you at least know how you can access each part of your home is an essential piece of maintenance planning for what’s probably the largest asset you own. View the full article

Vice-president and defence secretary among those who debate charging Europe for American attack on HouthisView the full article

Google Maps' Timeline feature is a great way to look back on your past travels—if you have the data to look back on. Timeline users over the past couple of weeks have noticed that their data is missing, with no warning or explanation. Redditor srj737 posted on the r/GooglePixel subreddit earlier this month, reporting they lost over a decade of Timeline data, seemingly out of nowhere. Before, they could browse each location they visited with Google Maps over the past ten years; now, they had to start from scratch. What makes the situation especially confusing is the fact that Google had previously warned users they might lose Timeline data. The company announced late last year that it would be transferring Timeline functionality away from the web, and onto individual mobile devices. If you didn't move your Timeline data in time, Google warned you could lose it forever. However, that deadline appears to be June of this year, not March, so it wouldn't have made much sense for that to be the reason behind this deletion. Google did accidentally delete the dataGoogle has since responded to these concerns, however. The company confirmed to The Verge that they had accidentally erased Timeline data for some users: We briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people. Nearly everyone with encrypted Timeline backups will be able to restore their data; unfortunately those who did not have backups enabled will not be able to recover lost data. Google appears to be actively reaching out to affected users, so keep an eye out for an email from the company with instructions on retrieving your data—if you can. Redditor srj737 was able to retrieve their data, once Google acknowledged the situation. They had tried restoring from their backup before to no avail, but following Google's email, the backup worked. It's possible Google made some changes on their end to fix the feature in general, which includes both saved data as well as backup restoring, but that can't be confirmed at this time. It's a crummy situation, but it's a good reminder of the trust we put in tech companies to manage our data. Google is so huge, it makes it seem like anything you share with them will be preserved forever. However, all it takes is a technical issue on the company's end to lose your data forever. Today, it's Timeline data; tomorrow, it could be your photos. It's tricky with dedicated cloud-based features, but whenever you have the option, backing up to a source other than the cloud is the most secure way to preserve your data. How to recover your lost Timeline dataUnfortunately, the only way to restore this deleted Timeline data is if you had previously made a backup of that data through Google Maps. If so, Google's instructions say to update to the latest version of Google Maps, open your Timeline, then tap the cloud icon that appears at the top of the screen. From here, you should be able to select a backup to restore your Timeline data from. If you don't see a backup option here, it likely means you never made a Timeline backup, and, sadly, your data is lost forever. How to export your Google Maps Timeline data If you do still have your Timeline data, or you start building it back up again, and you want to make a more secure backup than relying on Google's services, you can manually export your data, as shared by Redditor saharaci. To do so on Pixel, then go to Settings > Location > Location Services > Timeline > Export timeline data. On iPhone, go through the Google Maps app. Tap your profile, head to Your timeline, then tap the three dots in the top right. Here, tap Location & privacy settings, choose Export Timeline data, then pick a destination for your data. View the full article

Trade groups representing banks and utilities urged lawmakers to reauthorize the CISA law before it expires in September. View the full article

Washington has told London it must change the levy to win carve-out from reciprocal tariffsView the full article

New military leadership, with far-right’s support, draws up drastically harsher proposal to destroy HamasView the full article

As Google prepares Android 16 for launch, users are discovering interesting new features in its various betas. The latest one, discovered by Android Authority, allows you to unlock your Google Pixel phone even when its screen is turned off. This is possible on Pixel phones that have an in-display fingerprint sensor and are running Android 16 beta 3. How to unlock your Pixel phone with the screen offHere's how the new feature works. First, get an eligible Pixel phone and then update it to Android 16 beta 3 (I'll go over how in a little bit). Next, go to Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Face & Fingerprint Unlock > Fingerprint Unlock, and enable Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock. Now lock your phone and place your finger where the in-display fingerprint sensor is located. This should unlock your smartphone. The devices that support Android 16's screen off fingerprint unlocksMany Android phones actually already support unlocking via the in-display fingerprint sensor even while the screen is off, but Google Pixel phones have not supported this feature until now. You can use this feature with every Google Pixel phone that has an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is to say that if you have a Pixel 6 or newer, you'll have access to it. You will need Google's newest OS, but because Android 16 can be installed on Pixel 6 and newer devices, that's not a problem. Installing Android 16 on your Pixel phoneBefore downloading and installing the Android 16 beta, you should make a full back up of your device. Beta software is unstable and can cause critical apps such as the Phone app to stop working. If this happens to you, you may be out of luck, as Google warns that reverting to a stable version of Android requires you to erase all data on your phone and that restoring from a backup may not be successful at times. Once you've prepped, and if you're okay with the risks, visit Google's Android beta website and select View your eligible devices. After that, follow the on-screen prompts to enroll in the Android beta program. With that, just go through the steps above to start unlocking your phone without turning on the screen first. View the full article

The new name Cotality, along with its latest tag line, reflects its role in serving and uniting the entire property ecosystem, company executives said. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. Last week we talked about weird hills to die on — people who became so strongly committed to a minor fight that they lost all sight of logic and decorum — and here are 10 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The newsletter Our Fortune 500 company hosted a weekend company-wide softball tourney, which was won by a team led by a guy known around the office as Hothead. Monday morning arrives and the company-wide daily email goes out with important company announcements. One of the items included was the results of the previous weekend’s softball tourney. Hothead was livid about the fact that it included only the team name (not individual team members) and that it also included the team name of the runners-up. He sent a scathing email to the comms person responsible for the newsletter about their “failure to recognize exceptional individual achievements” in the newsletter and demanded they send out a second email identifying each team member of the winning team. The comms person said no, so he made a nasty post on the company’s internal bulletin board; the posting was so snarky that it got removed within a couple of hours of posting it. That made Hothead even more incensed so he skipped several levels of management and brought “the glaring omission” to the attention of the VP of Comms, head of HR, and a couple of C-level execs via email. He got a call from HR and ripped them a new one. He was brought in immediately for an in-person meeting with HR — with security present — and ordered to undergo anger management therapy. He refused, escalated his behavior, and was escorted from the building. Security cleaned out his desk for him. 2. The pinstripe suits Many years ago, I worked for a very conservative smaller bank. The CEO was very old school, with a rigorous dress code. For decades (literally), the bank bought all staff four nicely tailored suits every two years. For the men, two were navy pinstripe, two were navy solid, and there were five company-supplied approved ties. For women, they were the same navy, and women could choose skirts or pants. This was described in the employee handbook. The solid suits were to be worn on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the pinstripe suits on Tuesday and Thursday. I’m not kidding. Toward the end of my tenure there, they decided to stop buying pinstripe suits. All four suits were the same dark navy. One older gentleman in our mortgage department was livid that they got rid of the pinstripe suits, and threatened to quit unless the decision was changed. He literally sent a resignation letter to the CEO (who he had known for decades). Eventually a compromise was reached. It was added to the company handbook specifically that while we were not buying new pinstripe suits, if an employee had a pinstripe suit brought by the company, that as long as it was in good shape and looked professional, the employee was allowed to wear it on Tuesday or Thursday. 3. The supplies When everyone was sent home for Covid, there was a lot of discussion about reimbursement for things like printer ink and other supplies. But one group got all up in arms about three specific items: paper towels, hand soap, and, of course, toilet paper. On the argument that they got these items for free while working at work, so their at home usage went up for all of these things. They were livid that they were not going to be reimbursed for the toilet paper they had to use while working from home. And since we use the giant industrial rolls, they couldn’t just take some home. There are a couple of them who still sneak extra office supplies home to “make up” for the injustice of having to provide their own essentials during that time. 4. The walking track I run a senior center. Our building is laid out in such a way that our internal hallways can be used as an indoor walking track, which many people do utilize. Since we opened the facility, everyone seemed to all walk in one direction: counterclockwise. This went on for about a year, when we had some requests from patrons to switch directions. Not only to shake things up, but also so walkers could better enjoy some large murals we had had installed. We announced the change at the start of the new year, and you wouldn’t believe the backlash. I had people telling me and my team that they were “never going to come back again!” I had folks telling us, “You can’t make me walk that way! I won’t do it!” and I had one person crying about how this change was too big and too dramatic and he would find somewhere else to walk. After a week of this, we decided to hang up mirrors at the corners and tell people to walk whichever way they want and just not bump into each other. My colleagues and I still laugh about how we ruined everyone’s lives by changing the direction of the walking track; it still comes up years later in department head meetings. 5. The fancy espresso machine My office was making plans for renovations, and the director got it into his head that we should have a big lounge area with couches where we could all bring our laptops and work together socially whenever we wanted.* My department head suggested we should get some sort of fancy espresso machine for this space, which the director roundly shut down as an unforgiveable extravagence. Department head was not to be deterred. He brought the espresso machine up at every meeting – department meetings where none of us could do anything about it, all-staff meetings, department head meetings where he reportedly got into arguments with the director each time. Finally he retired (possibly in part because of the espresso machine). We have an annual party where we invite our recent retirees back to make nice speeches about them and hear them make a speech too. He used his speech to bring up the espresso machine. * This is its own issue but let’s just say not many people were enthused at the prospect of leaving their private offices with dual monitor setups to balance a laptop on their knees on a couch. In the end, the renovation was mych more mundane and mostly involved expanding the boardroom so all the staff could fit in it at once. 6. The microwaved fish I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s seen office drama over fish in the microwave, but a few years back it got to a ridiculous level. We had two microwaves in our cafeteria and someone (don’t know who, we were a decent amount of people in the office at the time) would microwave fish regularly. One day HR put up signs on the microwave doors saying “please don’t microwave foods with strong smells.” Well, the fish cooker must have taken it personally because they lost it. They first wrote a note in red on the sign to protest, then stuck up printouts from websites explaining the benefits of eating fish, all the while continuing to heat up their fish. 7. The pages I have worked as a graphic designer for various nonprofits (often the only designer on staff). One department head at a library where I worked was adamant about maintaining her own preferred formatting/layout in design pieces that included work from a lot of other departments too (think annual report). So while everyone else was satisfied for me to take their images and text and use everything to make a nice cohesive design, this woman had to have “her pages” just the way she wanted — meaning multiple exclamation points (in a row, like “!!!!!”) and tiny pictures often arranged in an arc with WordArt titles. I did push back, my boss pushed back, but because she was a department head it didn’t go anywhere. Eventually I just ended up exporting her original submitted Word docs as a PDF and plonking the whole thing into the annual report rather than trying to recreate her bananas layout ideas in InDesign. So if you were perusing our annual report, you’d get through about 20 pages of nicely-designed content, then suddenly a couple pages that looked like a 12-year-old made a flyer in Microsoft Word. She was happy. I was not, but I was tired. 8. The title Between college and law school, I took an unpaid internship with a local district attorney’s office. I was hired on full time at the conclusion of the internship as a research and writing assistant for the attorneys, which made the office manager who supervised me lose all her marbles in spectacular fashion. She pulled me out of meetings with the attorneys to do things like move boxes, rearrange files, and sweep floors. When one of the supervising attorneys told her off for it, she retaliated by ordering me office-branded notepads with my name and the title “temporary assistant district attorney intern.” You better believe I still have a few of those notepads hanging around and still laugh at them some 20 years later! 9. The start-up software Someone in my company’s IT has decided the hill they are dying on is that Adobe Creative Cloud must automatically load every time we log into our workstation. On our already slow work computers that’s connected to an even slower virtual desktop using firewall software known to lag, it means a 15-minute start-up sequence on a good day. There have been many complaints and we’ve begged them to just change the startup settings so CC isn’t a startup app but they refuse to budge. No one knows why. Every time someone requests this be changed, IT sends an email reply with the subject line “Why Adobe Creative Cloud Will Remain A Startup App” that is a long manifesto over the importance of Adobe CC in computing history without actually explaining why it needs to be in startup. There is not one single CC app we need for our jobs and we’re not even allowed to use Acrobat for PDFs. 10. The dress code This isn’t mine, but my father’s. I am still proud of him for it, actually. He was a high school history teacher from the 60s into the 90s. Very well-respected, wrote many textbooks, loved by his students. What he hated – and I mean hated – was having to wear formal clothes while he was teaching. The students could wear jeans, why couldn’t he? He actually organized a rebellion among his fellow teachers who were also sick of having to get dressed up every day – suits, dress shirts, ties, pantyhose, dresses, heels for the female teachers, dress shoes for the men, etc. – so they were quite willing to follow my dad’s lead. He fought with the assistant principal. He fought with his department head. He fought loudly with the principal. He went up against the school board. He declared he would quit over this if they would not relent. Finally, he organized a day of resistance. He got as many teachers as possible to come to work dressed in jeans. I think about 60 teachers did. The principal couldn’t send them all home, so he acquiesced. From that day forward, teachers could wear jeans. There was much rejoicing. And I think, cake. View the full article

3:52 a.m.: Wake up. 3:54 a.m.: Pour out a cup of Saratoga Water. 4:04 a.m.: Work out next to a bottle of Saratoga Water. 5:49 a.m.: Dunk face in ice-cold bowl of Saratoga Water. These are just a few of the steps of fitness influencer Ashton Hall’s extremely specific morning routine, which grabbed the internet’s attention over the weekend for its oddly regimented timing and near-comical flaunting of wealth. One particular video of Hall’s schedule has amassed 98.4 million views on TikTok and 674.5 million views on X, spawning countless reactions and copycats, as well as shout-outs from Mr. Beast and Sweetgreen. And there’s one brand that’s clearly the winner amidst all of this publicity: Saratoga Spring Water. Viewers were quick to notice that Hall’s routine—which also includes rubbing a banana peel on his face, doing dead sprints on a treadmill, and eating breakfast seemingly prepared by an in-home chef—featured a disproportionate amount of product placement shots for Saratoga-branded water. In his most viral TikTok alone, the eye-catchingly blue bottle appears in around 25 different shots. Apparently as a result of this discourse, Saratoga Water’s parent company, Primo Brands, saw its stock rise by as much as 16% in premarket trading this morning, according to MarketWatch, although it was essentially flat by midday. Meanwhile, according to Google Trends data, search queries for the brand have spiked more than 1,000% to an all-time high since Sunday. Saratoga’s big brand moment? Now, dozens of TikTok and X users are putting their own spin on Hall’s ultra-privileged routine. Several influencers have attempted to capitalize on the moment by mimicking Hall’s routine shot-for-shot, including by purchasing their own bottles of Saratoga. Brands including the Detroit Lions and Sweetgreen have both posted tweets referencing Hall’s video. Even Jimmy Donaldson (aka MrBeast), the most popular creator on YouTube, took to X with his own joke about participating in the trend. Some have been more overtly critical. Makeup artist Matt Bernstein said in an Instagram story that the Hall’s video had an “extreme undercurrent of misogyny,” noting the presence of a woman who appears out of frame to present him with food and water. Others are taking a more satirical route. One X user posted a photo of their grocery cart, filled with only bananas and Saratoga water, and asked, “am I forgetting anything?” Another user captioned a GIF of rapper Lil Baby counting stacks of money, “Saratoga water CEO for the next three weeks.” One tweet with 4.3 million views simply shows a man standing in front of a fridge full of Saratoga with the caption “Locked in.” Saratoga finally responded to the trend with an Instagram post on Sunday telling users, “Plunge. If you must,” and crediting Hall for his video. Still, the brand has yet to truly capitalize on this moment with its own content—a move that seems like the natural next step, given its sudden visibility in the cultural zeitgeist. While Hall’s original viral video doesn’t specifically list Saratoga as a brand partner, it seems probable that the content is sponsored, given that the brand invariably appears in almost all of Hall’s TikToks. We’ve reached out to Hall for comment. In a presentation for investors last month, Primo Brand executives shared that the brand has grown significantly since it was acquired in 2021, going from $13 million in sales that year to $71 million in 2024. Saratoga did not immediately respond to Fast Company’s request for more information on how the recent trend has influenced sales. View the full article

LinkedIn partners with Calendly, enabling Premium users to schedule meetings directly through profile buttons. The post LinkedIn Integrates Calendly Scheduling Into Profile Buttons appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Last year, I advised readers that the "second-generation" AirPods Max were actually a worse deal than the original pair. Apple was charging $549 for headphones that were virtually identical to the pair that launched in 2020, only with USB-C instead of Lightning. What's more, Apple actually took away a feature with the USB-C pair: Unlike the Lightning AirPods Max, the USB-C model was not compatible with 3.5mm adapter, meaning you couldn't use them for wired playback. Seeing as the Lightning AirPods Max are frequently on sale by around $150, it seemed silly to recommend the newer, more expensive AirPods Max—unless you really couldn't live without USB-C. That is, until today, when Apple made an excellent AirPods Max announcement. When Apple releases iOS 18.4 next month (as well as macOS Sequoia 15.4), the company will issue a rare AirPods Max update: These headphones will support both lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio, as Apple will now allow for a wired connection over USB-C. AirPods Max (USB-C) $479.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $549.00 Save $69.01 Shop Now Shop Now $479.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $549.00 Save $69.01 Lossless audio vs. BluetoothLet's start with lossless audio. While AirPods' wireless quality is excellent, it isn't perfect. In order to beam music from a device like your iPhone or Mac to your AirPods over Bluetooth, those files need to be compressed. While compression has come a long way since the days of MP3 files, you do lose information in the process. You might not notice, especially with a good pair of wireless headphones, but if you're directly comparing a lossy codec like AAC (what Apple uses for Bluetooth streaming) and ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) over high quality headphones, you may hear a difference. AirPods Max will support ALAC streaming and downloads via a USB-C connection. You can plug your AirPods into your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and listen to music without data loss. That said, be warned: These files will be much larger than the compressed music you might be used to, so keep that in mind before downloading or streaming large amounts of lossless music. Apple wants professionals making music with AirPods MaxThe other big update here is ultra-low latency audio. Traditionally, wireless headphones have been impossible to use for anything that requires real-time audio feedback. That's because Bluetooth audio comes with "latency," or a delay between the audio source and the target output. This isn't an issue when streaming music or audiobooks, or even when watching shows and movies, because the delay is minute enough to be inconsequential. However, if you're a professional musician, this delay is unworkable. Try recording a track when listening to real-time feedback on a pair of wireless headphones, and you'll have a bad time. Now that AirPods Max with USB-C can be used with a wired connection, that's changing. With iOS 18.4, you can plug your AirPods Max directly into a source, like your Mac, via USB-C, and take advantage of ultra-low latency audio. Apple even says that this AirPods Max model is the only headphone to offer musicians the ability to create and mix music with Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking in mind. I've never been a big fan of this feature, but perhaps once artists can design tracks with head tracking while using AirPods Max, it may improve. The company also touts the benefits of this reduced latency for gaming and livestreaming. Apple says there is zero response delay here, and the experience is "on par" with the built-in speakers on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. OG AirPods Max are left behindIf you're an original AirPods Max owner (like me), none of this news applies to you. Unfortunately, both lossless wired playback and ultra-low latency audio are exclusive to the USB-C AirPods Max—even though the original AirPods Max supports wired playback over a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter. Apple didn't specify why this was the case—perhaps there's a technical limitation between Lightning and USB-C—but I imagine it also helps that the company now has two new perks to highlight with its "new" AirPods Max. Remember, these headphones were basically the same, minus the port and some new colors, so now Apple can point to these features as exclusives, and reasons to buy the AirPods Max over the, well, older AirPods Max. If you're an audiophile entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, then, yeah: It's a reason to buy the new model. Lossless audio support is awesome, especially if you have the lossless audio files to play. And if you have interest or need for a pair of headphones for music creation, all the better. However, barring these needs, I'd still recommend comparing prices between the Lightning and USB-C AirPods Max. Stores are cutting the price of the new model more than they used to, but if you find a significantly good deal on the Lightning headphones, consider them. If you don't care about USB-C, lossless audio, or ultra-low latency, and you just want a pair of high-quality wireless headphones that work well with your Apple devices, you'll be well-served by the original pair—especially if you can shred some digits off the price tag. View the full article

Google Merchant Center click reporting is changing on April 21, 2025, where clicks will be reported in the same manner Google Ads reports clicks. Google said this will align click reporting with Google Ads and thus may impact some current and historical data reported in Merchant Center. What is changing. Google wrote in this email, “As of April 21, 2025, we’re updating Google Merchant Center to align click reporting with Google Ads.” The email goes on to say: “This change reflects new advertising formats that have different types of interactions. While Google Ads reports clicks separately from other interactions, Merchant Center currently reports all interactions as product clicks. With this update, the definition of product clicks will be the same across both platforms. As a result, you’ll notice some changes to your current and historical data reported in Merchant Center. There will be no change to your reporting experience in Google Ads, where you’ll continue to see clicks and interactions for your ad campaigns.” More details. Arpan Banerjee who notified me of this, said the email has a hyperlink to the Google Ads definition of interactions, which reads: “The main user action associated with an ad format—clicks and swipes for text and Shopping ads, views for video ads, calls for call assets, and so on.” Why we care. If you run Google Merchant Center and notice a change in click reporting around April 21st (in about a month), then this is why. This is just a reporting change and the changes you see in the clicks in your reports are not related to any changes in performance of those listings within Google Search. View the full article

Sales of so-called social bonds, which direct proceeds to areas like health, housing and education, jumped about 130% to $657 billion globally last year, and continued at a similar pace in the first quarter. View the full article

Projects are made up of a large number of tasks, and keeping track of those tasks is a primary role of a project manager. Sometimes, the tasks in a project all run smoothly and independently of each other, and there are no complexities. Other times, however, there will be a large chain of dependent tasks that make things more complicated. What happens if a task needs to be completed today, but the person responsible for it is waiting on another task that hasn’t been completed yet? Delay happens. If you want to avoid delays in your projects, then it’s time to familiarize yourself with float or slack in project management. /wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1.jpgCalculate float automatically and in real time with ProjectManager’s Gantt charts. Get started for free! What Is Float or Slack in Project Management? In project management, float, sometimes also referred to as “slack,” is a number that indicates the amount of time a task can be delayed without impacting subsequent tasks or the project’s overall completion. It’s important to track when you are maintaining your project schedule. There are two types of float in project management, free float (FF) and total float (TF). Free float is the amount of time that a task can be delayed without impacting the subsequent task. Total float is the amount of time a task or a project can be delayed without impacting the overall project completion time. Float is a key piece of the critical path method (CPM), a system used by project managers to efficiently schedule project activities. /wp-content/uploads/2024/05/critical-path-method-screenshot-600x205.pngCritical path template Free download What Is the Critical Path? The critical path is a sequence of dependent tasks that determines the duration of a project. Tasks on the critical path need to happen for the project to finish, and they need to be done in a specific order. Tasks on the critical path will have a float of zero, meaning there are no delays in the sequence. There is no extra time to spare on these tasks, and if one is delayed, then the project is delayed too. When a task has a positive float number, it is considered part of the non-critical path, meaning that it has some flexibility to be moved or delayed from its planned start date without impacting the project’s completion. /wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image.png Get your free Gantt Chart Template Use this free Gantt Chart Template for Excel to manage your projects better. Download Excel File Difference Between Slack and Float in Project Management To be clear, “slack” and “float” refer to the same concept in project management; the amount of time a task can be delayed without impacting other tasks or the project’s overall completion date. Both represent flexibility within a project schedule. As we mentioned, there are two types of float; total float (or total slack) and free float. This distinction between “total float” and “free float” is important for precise project scheduling. How to Calculate Float There are several different ways to calculate float. The technical calculations that are part of the critical path method will be confusing if you aren’t up to speed on CPM and network diagrams, so we’ll explain how to do these calculations in layman’s terms. It’s important to note that most project managers don’t even do float calculations by hand because it would be extremely time-consuming, not to mention the project plan is always changing. Therefore, the best way to get float numbers and other valuable calculations in real-time is to use professional project management software that automatically does the number crunching for you. ProjectManager’s Gantt charts, dashboards and project reports will automatically calculate and provide you with the data you need to track float, slippage, critical paths and more. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1.pngFilter for the critical path automatically with online Gantt charts. Learn more However, if you want to do the calculations manually, just follow the steps below. Total Float Calculation Total float can apply to the project as a whole, or to an individual task. A project’s total float is the difference between the finish date of the last task on the critical path and the project completion date. This will tell you how much total time the critical tasks can be delayed before the entire project misses its completion target. To calculate a task’s total float, simply take the difference between the finish date of the last task on the critical path and the planned finish date of the task you are calculating for. Free Float Calculation As you recall, free float is a number that shows how long a particular task can be delayed before it impacts the next sequential task. Therefore, to calculate the free float of a task, simply take the difference between the next task’s planned start date, and the current task’s end date. An Example of Float in Project Management So far, we’ve defined what float is, but it will be much easier to understand what it is and why it’s important once we look at an example. Let’s assume you’re building your new kitchen, and you have 90 days to complete the process because you have a big party planned in three months. To complete the kitchen renovation project, the following things must happen in order: Drywall installation Cabinet installation Plumbing/Electric Floor installation These activities make up the critical path and have zero float. Then there are additional tasks like painting and decorating that need to happen, but they have much more flexibility as to when they can be done. These tasks make up the non-critical path. Painting can be done any time after the drywall is installed, so it has a high float. Decorating can be done any time after the painting is done, so decorating has some float too. Types of Float in Project Management In addition to using a hypothetical project scenario to illustrate an example of float, let’s explore how float might appear in different industries. Float for IT Projects: IT projects are often complex and have numerous dependencies. If an IT team is rolling out a new employee onboarding system, setting up the database and core system infrastructure is a critical task that can’t be delayed. User training videos aren’t as pressing and there is more flexibility in when they are finalized. Float in Manufacturing Projects: If a manufacturer is building a toy car assembly line, a critical task without float is getting the wheels delivered on time. If the wheels are late, the whole line stops. However, a task within this project with float may include painting the car bodies; there are a few days to paint them without delaying the product’s final assembly and shipping. Float for Construction Projects: When building a house in a construction project, an example of a task without float is pouring the foundation. If bad weather delays this task, all other tasks will be delayed. A task such as installing the interior trim, on the other hand, has float. If it takes a few extra days, the final inspection and handover won’t be delayed. Float for Professional Services Projects: Let’s say a consulting firm is implementing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system for a client. If the data isn’t transferred accurately or on time, the go-live will be delayed. A task such as creating user training documentation has slack as the consultants have a few extra days to complete the manuals without pushing the project deadline. Float in Event Planning: If an event planning company is planning a large corporate event, a critical task may be securing the keynote speaker. If the speaker suddenly backs out, the whole schedule will be thrown off. In terms of designing the conference brochures, there are likely a few days of slack or float that allow for unexpected changes. Why Float Matters for Projects It might seem that float is just a technical number used in network diagrams, but it is actually a very powerful tool that can help teams learn more about their work and help improve the productivity of projects. Float Keeps Projects on Track To start, monitoring a project’s total float (TF) is crucial to ensuring that the overall project is going to be delivered on time. If you notice that a project’s TF is getting close to zero, it’s now crunch time to make sure the final remaining tasks are finished efficiently. You may even need to add extra resources to help the project team finish the final tasks faster than originally planned. If the project isn’t going to finish on time, then it’s time to have a chat with your client or stakeholders to let them know that they should expect a delay. Float Improves Prioritization Free float (FF) is also a helpful number to monitor because it gives you a way to decide which tasks need to be prioritized and which can be pushed back to a later date. If a task has zero float or a low float number, then it should go to the top of the priority list so the project team can knock it out. Conversely, any tasks with high FF numbers can be pushed to the bottom of the priority list, because there is no rush to get them finished. Managing Float can Boost Team Morale Finally, free float can be used to help you keep different project teams happy and efficient. Let’s say that task A is moving towards a very low free float number, meaning it is at risk of delaying task B. In this case, you can give the team working on Task A some extra resources to help them finish their work. You could also let the team who will be working on task B know that they should prepare for a delay in their work. By monitoring FF, you can catch problems early and make sure that teams don’t get frustrated by sudden delays. If team B knows to expect delays, then they can fill their time by working on something else. Templates to Help You Manage Project Slack There are several free project management templates for Excel and Word available on our website. Below are a handful that can improve how teams manage project float. Critical Path Template Use this free critical path template for Excel to calculate the critical path of any project. This makes it easy to see which tasks must be completed on time and which have more float. PERT Chart Template Download this free PERT chart template for Excel to build a schedule and track its progress to ensure all activities are completed by the deadline. It helps schedule, organize and coordinate project tasks. Gantt Chart Template This free Gantt chart template for Excel is the ideal way to visualize the tasks that make up a project schedule. It helps project managers organize which tasks are essential to finish on time and which have more float. Project Management Tools for Monitoring Work Calculating float on your tasks and projects can be extremely valuable, but doing the calculations by hand is out of the question for most people. If you would rather have a project management tool do all of the complex calculations for you, then ProjectManager has a suite of PM tools perfect for the job. Gantt Charts For Critical Path ProjectManager’s Gantt chart is one of the most powerful tools on the market for scheduling work. Here, you can add tasks, create project milestones and automatically calculate the critical path of your project. Save hours of drawing network diagrams and making calculations, and instead let the Gantt chart software do all of the work for you. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet.jpg Real-Time Project Dashboards ProjectManager’s real-time project dashboard is a helpful way to stay on top of your projects at all times. Once you’ve assigned tasks to your team, the project dashboard will begin to collect data automatically. When team members update their progress on tasks, the data is reflected in the dashboard’s charts. All of the calculations are done automatically, so you can see progress in real-time. On the dashboard you will see the project’s planned vs. actual progress as a percentage—this is our own way of showing you the total project float. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150.jpg You can also, at-a-glance, see how many tasks are done and how many are still needing to be executed. The dashboard is the central command center for any project, giving you the information you need to keep all of your projects on track. Take a free 30-day trial of ProjectManager today to see how easy it is to calculate float and plan, monitor and report on your projects. ProjectManager offers powerful PM tools, but it’s easy to get you and your team up and running quickly with no training required. The software stores all of your work in the cloud, so your team can stay synced no matter where they are. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. The post A Guide to Float or Slack in Project Management: Sheduling Templates Included appeared first on ProjectManager. 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