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This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to other readers. * If you submitted a question to me recently, please do not repost it here, as it may be in my queue to answer. View the full article

Bodies representing big funds unleash lobbying offensive against global regulators’ plansView the full article

Last Energy, a nuclear upstart backed by an Elon Musk-linked venture capital fund, says it plans to construct 30 microreactors on a site in Texas to supply electricity to data centers across the state. The initiative, which it says could provide about 600 megawatts of electricity, would be the company’s largest project to date and help it develop a commercial pipeline in the U.S. Set on a 200-acre site Last Energy has obtained in Haskell County, in northwest Texas, the project still faces likely years of regulatory and public scrutiny. The Washington, D.C.-based company hasn’t yet disclosed customers or the details of its financing, or announced a timeline for the effort. But once construction starts, the firm says it could deliver the plants within 24 months, using its modular, factory-built design. “Texas is America’s undisputed energy leader, but skyrocketing population growth and data center development is forcing policymakers, customers, and energy providers to embrace new technologies,” said Bret Kugelmass, founder and CEO of Last Energy. Nuclear energy is “the most effective way to meet Texas’ demand, but our solution—plug-and-play microreactors, designed for scalability and siting flexibility—is the best way to meet it quickly.” The plans are a response to overwhelming demand from data center developers in the state and elsewhere. U.S. tech giants are increasingly turning to nuclear to meet the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence and the data center boom, investing billions in traditional nuclear projects and an array of new ones, including fusion. Of Last Energy’s existing commercial agreements, which entail deploying over 80 microreactors across Europe, half are set to serve data centers. By powering data centers on-site, “behind the meter,” in addition to linking to the electrical utility, the plants could help sidestep the restraints and price volatility of a grid that’s already stretched thin. They could also be a proving ground for an unprecedented legal gambit: in December, the company joined Texas and Utah in filing suit against the U.S. government over its nuclear regulations. The outcome of that case could speed up this and future projects in the US. Until now, Last Energy’s focus has been on signing up customers in Europe, where lighter regulations and an aversion to Russian natural gas have helped accelerate a push toward nuclear power. The company says it has development agreements for more than 50 nuclear reactor facilities in Europe, including a $400 million project at a former coal power plant in Wales that could come online in 2027. In December, the firm received a tentative offer of $103.7 million in debt financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) to build the first of those four SMRs. The Texas project would be the company’s first in the U.S. In Texas, surging energy demand has prompted officials to step up efforts to court the nuclear industry. Already the nation’s leader in fossil fuel production, as well as renewables and battery storage, the Lone Star State currently gets only 10% of its electricity form nuclear power. But a November study by the public utility commission, done at the behest of Gov. Greg Abbott, urged the state to deploy “a coordinated nuclear power strategy to enhance energy security and grid reliability,” and identified 61 sites suitable for small modular reactors. “Texas is the energy capital of America, and we are working to be No. 1 in advanced nuclear power,” said Abbott in a statement. “Last Energy’s microreactor project in Haskell County will help fulfill the state’s growing data center demand. Texas must become a national leader in advanced nuclear energy. By working together with industry leaders like Last Energy, we will usher in a nuclear power renaissance in the United States.” With 30 of the company’s shipping-container-sized microreactors each producing 20 megawatts, the site would generate about 600 megawatts, enough electricity for about 150,000 homes on the hottest summer days. A Last Energy spokesperson said the company had initiated the process of grid connection with the state utility, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), and begun pre-application engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to obtain an Early Site Permit for the site. The first reactor is estimated to cost approximately $100 million, the company says, with costs expected to drop as it iterates. Last has already built two full-scale prototypes in Texas with local manufacturing partners, and says it has secured its first full core load of low-enriched uranium fuel, scheduled to arrive in September 2026. In January it became a founding member of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, which aims to make “Texas the nuclear capital of the world.” the company says it’s also exploring projects in Utah. With the deal, the microreactor firm joins a number of companies that have announced plans to fuel their data centers’ voracious electricity demands with nuclear power. Earlier last year, Amazon said it would build a hyperscale data center next to a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. In September, Microsoft said it would pay Constellation Energy to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island that was closed in 2019. And in October, Google and Kairos Power inked a deal for 500 megawatts of nuclear power. Meta is also going nuclear. In December, the Facebook parent said it was asking developers to submit proposals to deliver 1 gigawatt to 4 gigawatts of reactor capacity, starting in the early 2030s, as it looks for a reliable energy source for its data centers. In January, Meta also signed four purchase agreements with Spanish renewable energy developer Zelestra to build four solar projects that can help power Meta’s data centers in the region, currently located in Temple and Fort Worth. The projects, with a combined capacity of 595 megawatts, will deliver electricity to the ERCOT grid, which will then power the data centers. In Texas, even four years after a deadly, storm-linked blackout, the state utility has continued to struggle to add enough capacity and flexibility to meet a surge in demand. That already includes over 340 data centers which consume nearly 8 GW of power and make up about 9% of all Texas electricity demand; those in the Dallas area alone are expected to need an additional 43 gigawatts of power in the coming years. As with much of the state’s energy consumption, much of the electricity in those data centers is needed just to keep all those hot chips and servers cool. Smaller, ‘less scary’ reactors Last is one of a new class of nuclear firms building small-modular reactors (SMR) in ways intended to lower the cost and speed of constructing new plants while enhancing simplicity and safety features. Traditional nuclear plants are hulking installations, providing 1,000 megawatts or more but often beset by cost overruns and construction delays that can stretch to many years. The U.S.’s newest fission reactors, commissioned in 2023 and 2024 in Georgia, were seven years late and more than $17 billion over budget. SMR startups like Last are attempting to use mass production techniques to bring down costs and speed construction, with reactors that are small enough to be transported by truck. Last tries to advance the technology of the conventional pressurized water reactor with a modular design, factory-built parts, and tools and expertise borrowed from the oil-and-gas industry. The company also hopes to overcome nuclear skepticism with a number of passive safety features, an underground containment system, and a futuristic design meant to look “less scary.” By using the pre-arranged price contracts typical to renewable projects, Last Energy also seeks to reduce financial risk and unlock private financing, avoiding the uncertainties that come with typical utility-scale nuclear plants. Under its model, the company owns and operates the reactors and sells the power to the customer under long-term contracts. “Technology from the nuclear industry, the business model from renewables, and the constructability from oil and gas—that was the founding idea behind Last Energy,” Kugelmass told Fast Company in 2023. The company has raised a total of $64 million since its 2019 founding, including a $40 million Series B round last year led by the Austin-based VC Gigafund. The heavyweight fund was the first investor in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its founder, Luke Nosek, now sits on both companies’ boards. Venture capital has shown interest in other microreactor designs, too. Last year, Aalo Atomics raised $27 million to scale up a 85-kilowatt design from a Department of Energy program, and Deep Fission, which aims to bury microreactors a mile underground, raised $4 million led by 8VC, a venture firm founded by Joe Lonsdale. Why Last Energy, Texas, and Utah sued the U.S. Before Texas, Last Energy had avoided the NRC’s pre-application process, which the agency says can help expedite NRC review. But the pre-application process itself can last years, ahead of a formal application process that can take two years or longer. More than a dozen next-gen nuclear developers have begun pre-application work for NRC review, but since December 2023, the agency has approved only three reactors: two low-power, grid-connected test reactor facilities in Tennessee, built by Kairos, and a 1-megawatt research microreactor built by Natura Resources at Abilene Christian University. The regulator approved its first SMR design in January 2023, from NuScale Power, but determined further review was needed, a process it expects to complete in June. Last Energy is also working on accelerating its regulatory journey. In December. it joined the states of Utah and Texas in suing the NRC over the 69-year-old rule that underpins nuclear reactor licensing in the U.S. The rule, the suit argues, exceeds the agency’s statutory authority and creates an unreasonable burden for microreactor developers. The plaintiffs asked the Eastern District of Texas court to exempt Last Energy’s 20-megawatt reactor design and research reactors located in the plaintiff states from the agency’s definition of nuclear “utilization facilities.” That designation subjects all U.S. commercial and research reactors to strict regulatory scrutiny. The suit asks the court to order NRC to develop a more flexible definition for use in future licensing. Until now, Last Energy has focused on projects abroad, “in order to access alternative regulatory frameworks that incorporate a de minimis standard for nuclear power permitting,” the company said in its lawsuit. Patrick White, research director at the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, told Utility Dive last month that, regardless of its merits, the lawsuit underscores the need for “continued discussion around proportional regulatory requirements . . . that align with the hazards of the reactor and correspond to a safety case.” View the full article

When we see organic traffic growing, it’s a good sign that customer interest is building and brand strategy is hitting the mark. If you’re looking for a source of alternative data to inform your investing decisions, our list of the…Read more ›View the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ As a freelance writer, you’ll have to write or jot something down during the working day. Whether you’re a team leader, project manager, freelance writer, or freelance SEO expert, you’ll need to write a range of notes, such as emails or a simple to-do list. If you want to avoid memorizing pieces of information, you have a choice in terms of how you want to write down the information. You could write things manually with good old-fashioned pen and paper. But for speed and efficiency, there are also quality note-taking apps that can ensure you stay productive and organized. Trying to find out which ones are the best? Let’s explore the best note-taking apps for Mac and learn how to take notes with them. How to take notes quickly and accuratelyWe’ll get to the apps in just a minute, but it’s worth considering how to take notes quickly and accurately before you use them. Recommendations for this include writing phrases as opposed to full sentences and structuring the notes with headings and numbered lists. It also involves using abbreviations when you need to write very quickly and keeping them well-spaced. These approaches are ideal when writing notes manually, but keep in mind that they’re top tips for using note-taking apps and can really optimize the note-taking process. 5 note-taking apps for Mac to jot down crucial informationA bunch of note-taking apps for Mac are available and worth checking out if you’re looking for an effective helping hand. The top recommended options are listed below, as well as their features and the benefits they provide. All plans in one placeThe NotePlan app offers a range of benefits for the note-taking process. A key feature it offers is the calendar and deadline automation process; when you jot down tasks and their deadlines, the app will automatically add them to your calendar. It’s a process that saves you time and manual effort, helping you handle two tasks at once. Since you can also use the tags, checkboxes, and filters while taking notes, you can sort through the pages instantly and transform a selection of notes into a to-do list. This is beneficial for staying organized. So, if you’re a freelance writer, you’ll be able to make structured notes, such as the steps required to complete a blog article and tick off each step as you complete them. This app will also automate the iCloud backup process for your notes. The main benefit this feature offers is that even if the hardware fails, you’ll easily be able to recover the notes you’ve made. Quick notes on the side of your screenThe SideNotes app is beneficial for fast and effective note-taking. It’s a notes app that slides into the right-hand side of the Mac screen and is accessible with a simple two-finger swipe, so you can instantly take notes when required. When you check out this app, you’ll see that it can organize the notes into folders and add new folders by pressing the + (Plus) button. This is ideal for freelancers who work with multiple clients and have several projects on the go. For example, if you’re an SEO manager and need to complete multiple content calendars, you can make notes related to each content calendar for each project and add them to separate folders, which will keep you organized. If you need to, you’ll also be able to color coordinate the notes and change style aspects. So if you need to turn some text into a quote, add a bold format, or change text so that it has the strikethrough format, you can do this by selecting the markdown feature. It comes with code blocks, too, which is ideal for software development work or code-reviewing duties. Flexible annotations for your filesThere are several advantages of the MarginNote app. Not only does this notes app let you import documents in various formats, such as PDFs or from a URL, but you can annotate them using the pencil icon. You’ll also be able to add comments and excerpts that move from the document to a notebook. Comments work by highlighting the text; they’re ideal for freelance editors who need to glance through an article submitted in PDF form and highlight portions that require adjustments. You’ll also be able to share the excerpts you accumulate by using the export button. The advantage of this export feature is that you can export the excerpts contained in common files such as PDFs and Word documents. In terms of note-taking, the app offers a mind-mapping feature. The advantage of this feature is that you can add excerpts from multiple document sources. It’ll allow you to access the documents and the mind map so you can organize your ideas, perhaps for a presentation or to produce a coherent written document based on the research you’ve completed. Better structure for your docsThe Craft app is ideal for taking notes and annotating documents. It offers the benefit of an easy-to-use markdown feature, which allows for clean formatting processes and the ability to add images or links effortlessly. Features such as these make the content look better. So, if you’re a freelance copywriter creating a plan for ad copy, you can use the markdown feature to format the plan or even a draft and incorporate the right images accordingly. You’ll also benefit from offline mode. This ensures you can work offline and synchronize any note updates when you reconnect, so you’ll always have the most up-to-date notes whenever you need them, even when you’ve made changes. When looking at Craft's other advantages, you’ll notice that it comes with 50GB of storage and extensive customization for each document. This ensures you can store plenty of notes after adding them to a document and customize each document using the new interface for styles. This can work for several drafts of a webpage, a blog, an author bio page, a landing page, and more. Distraction-free spaceUlysses offers plenty of advantages for freelancers. Its handy and intuitive markdown editor makes formatting notes and documents simple. You can use hashtags to format each header in your notes into H1 and H2 tags. This gives the notes you make in Ulysses the right structure and makes them easy to navigate. The app also offers annotations for PDFs and other documents. Navigate to the notes section on the right-hand panel to add a note, or use markdown to add an annotation to a live document. Your annotations are viewable from the sidebar, and any notes added to the live document through markdown processes will not appear in the published version. These features are ideal for freelance writing projects where you might want to remind yourself to add an image to the published version of a blog post. You’ll be able to export a wide range of documents from this app. No matter if you need to export PDFs, HTML docs, or documents in a Microsoft Word format, this is a smooth process. So, to export multiple blog posts, you can select all the sheets and click the Preview button. You’ll be able to change the format from the dropdown list before you share it with an editor. Note-taking apps for freelancers: Searching for the right one?Note-taking is a fundamental duty when handling freelance work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a writer or a web developer. You’ll want to jot down a reminder or plan ahead with the right notes. That’s where all the note-taking apps for freelancers in this article will help. Now, if you’re unsure where to get these apps, they’re all available on Setapp. Here, you can get a seven-day free trial to get a feel for how these apps work. So, it’s worth checking them out more closely and then incorporating them into your note-taking process. Make sure you download these apps and try them out to begin taking notes quickly and accurately. Go to Setapp to find the best note-taking apps for freelancers! View the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ As a freelance writer, you’ll have to write or jot something down during the working day. Whether you’re a team leader, project manager, freelance writer, or freelance SEO expert, you’ll need to write a range of notes, such as emails or a simple to-do list. If you want to avoid memorizing pieces of information, you have a choice in terms of how you want to write down the information. You could write things manually with good old-fashioned pen and paper. But for speed and efficiency, there are also quality note-taking apps that can ensure you stay productive and organized. Trying to find out which ones are the best? Let’s explore the best note-taking apps for Mac and learn how to take notes with them. How to take notes quickly and accuratelyWe’ll get to the apps in just a minute, but it’s worth considering how to take notes quickly and accurately before you use them. Recommendations for this include writing phrases as opposed to full sentences and structuring the notes with headings and numbered lists. It also involves using abbreviations when you need to write very quickly and keeping them well-spaced. These approaches are ideal when writing notes manually, but keep in mind that they’re top tips for using note-taking apps and can really optimize the note-taking process. 5 note-taking apps for Mac to jot down crucial informationA bunch of note-taking apps for Mac are available and worth checking out if you’re looking for an effective helping hand. The top recommended options are listed below, as well as their features and the benefits they provide. All plans in one placeThe NotePlan app offers a range of benefits for the note-taking process. A key feature it offers is the calendar and deadline automation process; when you jot down tasks and their deadlines, the app will automatically add them to your calendar. It’s a process that saves you time and manual effort, helping you handle two tasks at once. Since you can also use the tags, checkboxes, and filters while taking notes, you can sort through the pages instantly and transform a selection of notes into a to-do list. This is beneficial for staying organized. So, if you’re a freelance writer, you’ll be able to make structured notes, such as the steps required to complete a blog article and tick off each step as you complete them. This app will also automate the iCloud backup process for your notes. The main benefit this feature offers is that even if the hardware fails, you’ll easily be able to recover the notes you’ve made. Quick notes on the side of your screenThe SideNotes app is beneficial for fast and effective note-taking. It’s a notes app that slides into the right-hand side of the Mac screen and is accessible with a simple two-finger swipe, so you can instantly take notes when required. When you check out this app, you’ll see that it can organize the notes into folders and add new folders by pressing the + (Plus) button. This is ideal for freelancers who work with multiple clients and have several projects on the go. For example, if you’re an SEO manager and need to complete multiple content calendars, you can make notes related to each content calendar for each project and add them to separate folders, which will keep you organized. If you need to, you’ll also be able to color coordinate the notes and change style aspects. So if you need to turn some text into a quote, add a bold format, or change text so that it has the strikethrough format, you can do this by selecting the markdown feature. It comes with code blocks, too, which is ideal for software development work or code-reviewing duties. Flexible annotations for your filesThere are several advantages of the MarginNote app. Not only does this notes app let you import documents in various formats, such as PDFs or from a URL, but you can annotate them using the pencil icon. You’ll also be able to add comments and excerpts that move from the document to a notebook. Comments work by highlighting the text; they’re ideal for freelance editors who need to glance through an article submitted in PDF form and highlight portions that require adjustments. You’ll also be able to share the excerpts you accumulate by using the export button. The advantage of this export feature is that you can export the excerpts contained in common files such as PDFs and Word documents. In terms of note-taking, the app offers a mind-mapping feature. The advantage of this feature is that you can add excerpts from multiple document sources. It’ll allow you to access the documents and the mind map so you can organize your ideas, perhaps for a presentation or to produce a coherent written document based on the research you’ve completed. Better structure for your docsThe Craft app is ideal for taking notes and annotating documents. It offers the benefit of an easy-to-use markdown feature, which allows for clean formatting processes and the ability to add images or links effortlessly. Features such as these make the content look better. So, if you’re a freelance copywriter creating a plan for ad copy, you can use the markdown feature to format the plan or even a draft and incorporate the right images accordingly. You’ll also benefit from offline mode. This ensures you can work offline and synchronize any note updates when you reconnect, so you’ll always have the most up-to-date notes whenever you need them, even when you’ve made changes. When looking at Craft's other advantages, you’ll notice that it comes with 50GB of storage and extensive customization for each document. This ensures you can store plenty of notes after adding them to a document and customize each document using the new interface for styles. This can work for several drafts of a webpage, a blog, an author bio page, a landing page, and more. Distraction-free spaceUlysses offers plenty of advantages for freelancers. Its handy and intuitive markdown editor makes formatting notes and documents simple. You can use hashtags to format each header in your notes into H1 and H2 tags. This gives the notes you make in Ulysses the right structure and makes them easy to navigate. The app also offers annotations for PDFs and other documents. Navigate to the notes section on the right-hand panel to add a note, or use markdown to add an annotation to a live document. Your annotations are viewable from the sidebar, and any notes added to the live document through markdown processes will not appear in the published version. These features are ideal for freelance writing projects where you might want to remind yourself to add an image to the published version of a blog post. You’ll be able to export a wide range of documents from this app. No matter if you need to export PDFs, HTML docs, or documents in a Microsoft Word format, this is a smooth process. So, to export multiple blog posts, you can select all the sheets and click the Preview button. You’ll be able to change the format from the dropdown list before you share it with an editor. Note-taking apps for freelancers: Searching for the right one?Note-taking is a fundamental duty when handling freelance work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a writer or a web developer. You’ll want to jot down a reminder or plan ahead with the right notes. That’s where all the note-taking apps for freelancers in this article will help. Now, if you’re unsure where to get these apps, they’re all available on Setapp. Here, you can get a seven-day free trial to get a feel for how these apps work. So, it’s worth checking them out more closely and then incorporating them into your note-taking process. Make sure you download these apps and try them out to begin taking notes quickly and accurately. Go to Setapp to find the best note-taking apps for freelancers! View the full article

What are you doing this weekend? Don't know? Now you do: You're going to organize and declutter your home with the "out in the open" method. This technique is helpful whether you have a cluttered space, live in a relatively tidy home, or even are hyper-organized. Here's what you need to do. What is the "out in the open" method?This decluttering and organizing technique, like a lot of others, comes from tidy-home gurus The Minimalists. Essentially, you pull everything out of the space you're trying to organize, whether it's your closet, a cupboard, or a junk drawer. Truly, pull it all out and pile it up. The Minimalists say this approach is the opposite of one of their other methods, the "packing party," which involves putting everything from a certain room or location into categorized boxes, as if you were moving, then live out of those boxes for three weeks, pulling out only what you actually need. Three weeks after your packing party, you get rid of what you didn't use and put the rest away. With "out in the open," you don't have the luxury of living normally for three weeks, though; all your stuff is in a big pile, and cleaning and organizing it becomes an immediate necessity if you'd like to move freely around your space again. So, that's what you do. Once everything is pulled out of its usual spot, you get a real sense of the volume of what you have. You have to organize it, because it's in your way. This creates some urgency while helping you get a handle on all that clutter that has been stored away. From there, you just have to follow your preferred decluttering technique, sorting, as usual, into piles of keep, throw, donate, and sell, before putting away what you're keeping and getting rid of the rest as you see fit. Why the "out in the open" rule works so wellThis is actually one of the best techniques out there because it works well for everyone, even—hell, especially—people who are already pretty organized. I often recommend following the rules of the Organizational Triangle to keep your home in order, particularly the rules that say to store similar items together and that everything needs a designated space. All of my favorite organizing techniques require you to use containers, smell shelves, boxes, and other specific storage tools to keep everything in order while it's stashed away in cupboards or closets. That's why I'm always going on about the best storage boxes and divided shelving units. The goal here is to keep everything organized and out of sight—but that can become its own kind of problem. Even if you adhere to all the storage and organizing rules strictly, once everything is out of sight and mind and your home looks presentable, you can still be accumulating way too much unnecessary stuff in those closets, cupboards, and boxes. You may not even think it's an issue since, hey, at least it's all organized. By periodically pulling it all out and creating the very kind of mess you usually try to avoid, you have to confront all that stuff. I do this with my closets and dressers pretty regularly, every two or three months, so I can pare down clothes I no longer wear, need, or fit. It's also a great idea for junk drawers, spice and medicine cabinets (or anything full of products that might expire), garages or sheds, shoe storage, and even your living room shelving. As annoying as it is to temporarily have a giant mess on your hands, it will be worth it to only hold onto what is still serving you and let go of the things that were taking up too much organizational space. View the full article

White House meeting comes after US and Ukraine agreed terms of deal on jointly exploring resourcesView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Google Pixel Watch, in either champagne gold with a hazel band or polished silver with a charcoal band, is down to $109.99, $170 off its usual price of $279.99. Google Pixel Watch $109.99 at Walmart $279.99 Save $170.00 Get Deal Get Deal $109.99 at Walmart $279.99 Save $170.00 Launched in 2022 as Google's first smartwatch (the stainless steel build is 80% recycled, so Google gets some sustainability points here), the Pixel Watch blends Wear OS with Fitbit’s health-tracking expertise, and does everything you’d expect from a premium smartwatch—texts, calls, contactless payments, smart home controls, fitness tracking, among others. Plus, it works with any Android 8.0+ device, not just Pixels, so you’re not locked into Google’s ecosystem. Here's everything you need to know about the Google Pixel Watch. The Pixel Watch comes with a 5ATM water resistance rating, allowing for shallow water submersion. However, Google doesn’t provide an official IP rating for dust resistance, which might be something to consider if you plan on taking it into rough environments. Additionally, its AMOLED display is covered by a domed layer of Corning Gorilla Glass for better durability, but there's no raised bezel for extra protection against accidental bumps. That said, the display is smooth and highly responsive, with no noticeable lag, and its visibility is strong both indoors and outdoors. Internally, it runs on an Exynos 9110 chip paired with a Cortex M33 co-processor and 2GB of RAM. Google claims this setup helps improve heart rate tracking without draining the battery too quickly, and in practice, it does last a full day—about 25 hours with the always-on display enabled, notes this PCMag review. On the fitness side, the Pixel Watch leans heavily into Fitbit’s ecosystem, tracking heart rate, sleep, and daily activity while supporting 40 workout modes—CrossFit, HIIT, Pilates, yoga, etc. It also includes an ECG app for detecting atrial fibrillation and Fitbit’s Active Zone Minutes to help you hit recommended activity goals. If you’re into data, the included six-month Fitbit Premium trial unlocks extra insights, guided workouts, and mindfulness sessions. After that, it’s $9.99 a month, so you’ll need to decide if it’s worth the subscription. The latest iteration of Google's wearable, the Pixel Watch 3, will introduce pulse loss detection by March. If that is something you care about, it might be worth waiting for the upgrade. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today...View the full article

After filing for bankruptcy protection and being nearly obliterated in the process, discount retail chain Big Lots is getting closer to determining the timeline for its path forward, the brand’s new owner has confirmed with Fast Company. Variety Wholesalers, the North Carolina-based retail company that is seeking to take control of hundreds of Big Lots locations—mostly in the South and Midwest—now has a tentative plan in place for the “soft openings” of many of those stores, according to a spokesperson. Although a bankruptcy filing earlier this month identified 200 locations that are expected to be transferred to Variety, not all of the stores have been assigned yet by the courts. The locations that do ultimately move forward are likely to be dark for a period of weeks or even months following the transfer of their leases as Variety determines what preparations or alterations are needed for each location. Big Lots, which had more than 800 locations before it filed for bankruptcy, has been in the process of closing stores and holding going-out-of-business sales for months. Openings expected from early April through early June Soft opening dates for the Big Lots stores that go forward under Variety Wholesalers are expected to begin in early April and go through early June, according to Jeff King, Variety’s vice president of sales and marketing, although the timeline could still change. The openings are expected to be completed in four separate “waves,” but Variety is still determining which wave will be assigned to certain stores as the bankruptcy process continues. The company said it will share the full list when it becomes available. The states with the most Big Lots locations that are expected to move forward include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Privately held Variety Wholesalers is the parent company of Roses, Maxway, Super 10, and other discount retail chains. Late last year, it announced plans to take over at least 200 Big Lots locations as part of a last-minute deal with Gordon Brothers, the liquidation firm that has been managing store closures. Big Lots had previously said that it would close every location. View the full article

Some people have fully stocked bars—the rest of us make do with a rotating cast of liquors and ingredients. If that's you, Drinkable is a totally free app that tells you which cocktails you can make with the ingredients you have on hand. Even better: it works offline, perfect if you're stranded in a cabin with a well-stocked bar but no wireless signal (it happens, believe me). This application, available for iOS and Android with no ads or in-app-payments, includes a catalogue of over 150 drinks. This means you could use it to quickly look up the recipe for all of the common cocktails. To get started, install the app from Google Play or the App Store. You can start searching for recipes right away. Honestly, the application is perfectly useful just as a pocket recipe book for all the classic cocktails. To me, though, the real fun happens when you head to the Ingredients tab and start entering which things you have on hand. While browsing recipes, you'll see checkmarks next to the ingredients you have on hand. Or, if you prefer, you can filter the recipes to only see drinks you can make with your current ingredients. Tap any of them and you'll see the recipe. Credit: Justin Pot Scroll down past the list of drinks you can make with current ingredients and you'll see a list of drinks that you're one ingredient away from making. Basically, this app is built around showing you what drinks you can make with what you have on hand while also pointing out things you could make with just a few more things. I like this because it can help inform your next shopping trip without totally overwhelming you. Even if you don't want to bother with inventory management, this app is a handy reference—and it's completely free (with no in app purchases). Whether you're making a quick drink for yourself or a batch of bottled cocktails for a party, you'll have the knowledge you need. View the full article

Even with the resources to chase after all our stolen handsets, let’s not kid ourselves it would solve the problem View the full article

Matt Ries has lived in Florida only three years, but everyone told him last summer was unusually hot. That was followed by three hurricanes in close succession. Then temperatures dropped below freezing for days this winter, and snow blanketed part of the state. To Ries, 29, an Ohio native now in Tampa, the extreme weather—including the bitter cold—bore all the hallmarks of climate change. “To me it’s just kind of obvious,” said Ries, a project manager for an environmental company and self-described conservative-leaning independent. “Things are changing pretty drastically; just extreme weather all across the country and the world. . . . I do think humans are speeding up that process.” About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say they have experienced some kind of extreme weather in recent years, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, with about half saying they’ve been personally affected by severe cold weather or severe winter storms. Among those saying severe cold was among the types of extreme weather they experienced, about three-quarters say climate change is at least a partial cause of those events—suggesting that many understand global warming can create an unstable atmosphere that allows cold air from the Arctic to escape farther south more often. Midwesterners are most likely to feel the brunt of the cold weather, with about 7 in 10 adults who live in the Midwest experiencing severe cold in the past five years, compared with about half of residents of the South and the Northeast and about one-third of those in the West, the survey found. “It’s counterintuitive to think, ‘Oh, gee, it’s really cold. That probably has something to do with global warming,'” said Liane Golightly-Kissner, of Delaware, Ohio, north of Columbus, who believes climate change is influencing many weather extremes. Golightly-Kissner, 38, said it was so cold this winter that schools were closed and her family let faucets drip to prevent burst pipes. She remembers one extremely cold day when she was a child in Michigan, but she says now it seems to happen more often and over multiple days. The poll also found that, while only about one-quarter of U.S. adults feel climate change has had a major impact on their lives so far, about 4 in 10 think it will in their lifetimes—including on their health, local air quality, and water availability. About half of adults under age 30 believe climate change will impact them personally. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults believe climate change is occurring, and they are much more likely to think it has had or will have a major impact on them than those who say climate change isn’t happening. Americans are catching on, said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, who credits a combination of media coverage, political leaders speaking up, and public concerns that creates a “symbiotic relationship.” “We have seen growing awareness among the American people that climate change is affecting them here and now,” though many still see it as a distant problem that their grandchildren will have to worry about, he said. Rosiland Lathan, 60, of Minden, Louisiana, said she’s a believer because it seems that summers are getting hotter and winters colder—including a couple years ago, when snow and ice kept her car stuck at work for several days. This winter, she said, there was a stretch of temperatures in the teens and 20s, while a couple of summers ago, it got “real, real hot” with highs in the 100s. “It’s normally hot in Louisiana, but not that hot,” Lathan said. Hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters, like the devastating Southern California fires, also have many concerned that climate change could lead to higher property insurance premiums and household energy costs. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about increasing property insurance premiums, and just over half are similarly concerned about climate change’s impact on energy costs, the AP-NORC survey found. About half are “extremely” or “very” concerned that climate change will increase costs for local emergency responders and infrastructure costs for government. Republicans are less worried than Democrats and independents. The survey also found broad support for a range of measures to help people who live in areas becoming more susceptible to extreme weather and natural disasters, with the exception of restricting new construction in these communities. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults said they “somewhat” or “strongly” favor providing money to local residents to help them rebuild in the same community after disasters strike, while similar shares support providing money to make residents’ property more resistant to natural disasters and providing homeowners’ insurance to people who cannot get private insurance. About one-quarter of Americans neither favor nor oppose each of these proposals, while around 1 in 10 are “somewhat” or “strongly” opposed. When it comes to restricting new construction, opinion is more divided. About 4 in 10 “somewhat” or “strongly” favor restricting new construction in areas that are especially vulnerable to natural disasters, about 4 in 10 have a neutral view and about 2 in 10 are “somewhat” or “strongly” opposed. Golightly-Kissner said she believes there should be rebuilding restrictions or tougher building standards in disaster-prone areas. “These extreme weather conditions, they’re not going anywhere, and it would be hubris for us to continue in the same way,” she said. “I think we we have to change. We have to look toward the future and what’s the best way to keep our lives together when this happens again. Because it’s really not a question of if, it’s when.” Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. _ The AP-NORC poll of 1,112 adults was conducted Feb. 6-10, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. _ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Tammy Webber and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, Associated Press View the full article

When it comes to managing your finances and taxes, consider advice from TikTok with a hefty grain of salt. Certain tax "loopholes" may go viral, but that doesn't mean they're good for your specific tax situation. TikTok's bite-sized videos have a habit of distilling nuanced tax strategies into just a few sentences—a recipe for misinformation. This advice is lightly misleading at best, and totally inaccurate at worst. Blindly following this advice could cost you in penalties, back taxes owed, and a tremendous hassle. Let's take a look at the questionable TikTok tax advice I've seen and how you can make sure it doesn't lead you and your money astray. Hiring your kids Some videos suggest that business owners should hire and pay their children as employees. The claim is that this allows the child to contribute to a Roth IRA using their "earned income." While it's true that only earned income can be contributed to a Roth IRA, hiring your kids has very specific requirements. The work they do must be legitimate and age-appropriate, and the pay must be reasonable for the job performed. Simply putting your children on payroll as a tax workaround could be considered fraud. Hiring your dogI've seen videos like this one garner hundreds of thousands of likes for the claim that you can write off your pet as a guard dog who protects your business. It's true that guard dog expenses are deductible if the dog is trained and of a breed fit for the job. Unfortunately, trying to deduct your corgi for occasionally barking at the door isn't going to get your very far with the IRS. Writing off your Range RoverAnother viral claim about a legal "tax loophole" advises people to write off the cost of a luxury vehicle like a Range Rover or Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon on their taxes. The truth is, according to the IRS Section 179 tax code, businesses may be able to write off a G-Wagon if it’s used for business purposes at least half of the time. Section 179 does allow businesses to deduct the full cost of certain assets like vehicles in the year they are placed into service, rather than depreciating the expense over several years. But there are very strict requirements. Additionally, there are limits on the deductible amount for luxury vehicles that exceed $19,800 for cars and $20,500 for trucks and vans in 2023. Forming an LLC to deduct personal expensesLuckily, this faulty advice seems to falling out of fashion, but sometimes old videos like this one make the rounds. Creators claim you can form a limited liability company (LLC) to deduct personal expenses like your mortgage, car payments, and even grocery bills as business expenses to reduce your taxes. While LLCs can provide some tax benefits, simply forming one doesn't magically allow you to write off all your personal costs. There are strict rules about what qualifies as a legitimate business expense. Deducting personal expenses improperly could land you in hot water with the IRS. The bottom lineWhen it comes to complex topics like these (and really all things tax-related), don't rely on brief videos from non-professionals. Improper tax strategies could inadvertently cost you much more in penalties, interest, and fees down the road. Unless a TikTok video is from a credentialed tax expert giving a general overview of tax concepts, take it with a hefty scoop of skepticism. It's best to consult a qualified tax professional who can look at your specific situation and give you legitimate, tailored advice. What makes for a good viral video rarely translates to good tax planning. View the full article

Pop culture subreddit r/Fauxmoi is facing accusations of defamation from YouTuber and podcaster Ethan Klein. Klein first rose to internet fame through his YouTube channel, h3h3Productions, which he co-created with his wife, Hila Klein. The channel now boasts 5.71 million subscribers. The Kleins caught the attention of r/Fauxmoi—a subreddit inspired by the popular Instagram story page Deuxmoi—after Hila shared an Instagram story claiming that a potential collaboration fell apart due to antisemitism. In response, the subreddit was flooded with posts resurfacing alleged problematic behavior and controversial language used by the Kleins on camera. Ethan fired back at r/Fauxmoi, sharing the subreddit post with his two million Instagram followers, comparing the subreddit to a “neo-Nazi” forum. According to a follow-up post on r/Fauxmoi, Klein then escalated the situation further by going live on YouTube, where he launched into a tirade against multiple subreddits—including r/Fauxmoi—claiming he was being “mass gaslighted” and declaring, “I’ve never seen anyone in the history of the internet be harassed like this.” Klein went on to say that the criticism against him was so extreme that “Russian propagandists would blush at the hate campaign going against us.” During the livestream, Klein also issued veiled threats, saying, “A lot of these people think they’re safe, but they will soon find out they’re not,” while hinting that he’s “preparing stuff and working behind the scenes.” He urged his followers to “stand back and stand by because there’s something in the works that I just can’t wait for.” In an interview with Kate Lindsay, who writes the Embedded Substack and co-hosts Slate’s podcast ICYMI, one of the lead moderators of r/Fauxmoi, an anonymous college student from Canada, describes how the situation has escalated to the point where two moderators were forced to delete their accounts due to the harassment and doxxing threats they were receiving. “Most people discussed on the subreddit have meaningful public reputations to maintain, and this means that pursuing petty claims against social media users and engaging in conspiracy theories is perceived as being beneath their station,” the mod told Lindsay. “When it comes to influencers (particularly those whose content is based largely on engagement and feuds rather than substance), they are often more sensitive regarding their reputations, and have less PR and business savvy.” (Neither Klein nor Reddit responded to Fast Company‘s request for comment.) But can a subreddit even be sued for defamation? Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 states that online service providers cannot be held liable for content posted by users. This means that platforms like Reddit are not considered publishers of user-generated content. However, it’s still possible to sue for unfair content moderation. What this saga means for free speech on the internet, and the right to gossip and share information online, remains to be seen. View the full article

Back in the day, philosophers weren’t just deep thinkers—they were the ones shaping society, questioning the status quo, and pushing humanity forward. They didn’t just sit around pondering big ideas; they were the architects of real change. Fast forward to today, and while we celebrate speed, innovation, and getting things done, we often forget to pause and ask the bigger questions: Why? What if? In a world that’s more complex than ever—where technology is evolving at breakneck speed, society feels increasingly divided, and global challenges loom large—we need to bring back deep thinking. The future depends on bold, unconventional minds willing to challenge the norm, embrace nuance, and seek real transformation instead of just quick fixes. The case for a renaissance of thought In 2023, a World Economic Forum survey found that 50% of global leaders felt “overwhelmed” by the pace of change, while only 23% believed their organizations were prepared to handle future challenges. Simultaneously, a Gallup study revealed that only 33% of employees feel engaged at work, signaling a lack of meaningful connection in professional environments. These statistics underline a truth that feels almost countercultural in an age of immediate gratification: we are collectively running fast, but toward what? We have more data than ever before, yet we struggle to interpret it meaningfully. We are more connected digitally, yet we feel increasingly isolated. It’s not just technology we need to master but the thinking required to shape its purpose and impact. Reflection on my own experience I learned the power of reflection the hard way. Early in my career, I was driven by achievement—always focused on the next milestone, the next goal, the next thing that needed to be done. I equated movement with progress. But at one point, despite all the success, I felt unfulfilled. It wasn’t burnout exactly—it was a realization that I was optimizing for speed rather than impact. I decided to do something radical: I deliberately slowed down. I took time to step back from the work itself and deeply reflect on what truly mattered to me. What kind of leader did I want to be? What legacy was I building? What problems was I solving, and were they the ones that really needed solving? The insights that emerged from that reflective period didn’t just change the trajectory of my work—they changed how I approached everything. I started asking better questions. Instead of just striving for efficiency, I focused on significance. Instead of merely executing, I became intentional about impact. That shift unlocked a level of innovation I hadn’t accessed before—not because I was doing more, but because I was thinking differently. What happens when deep thinking is lost Think about how social media started out. It was supposed to bring people together, connect the world, and make communication easier. And in many ways, it did. But along the way, it’s also fueled polarization, spread misinformation, and taken a toll on mental health. The focus was all about growing fast and scaling up—without much time spent questioning the bigger picture. What if, from the start, we had asked tougher questions about how these platforms might shape society? What if deep thinkers and contrarians had been part of the conversation—not to slow things down, but to make sure innovation actually worked for the greater good? Outlier thinkers in action Big shifts in history have often come from people willing to challenge the norm. Consider Rachel Carson—when she wrote Silent Spring in 1962, she wasn’t just questioning pesticides; she was sparking an entire environmental movement. Or Bertrand Russell, who didn’t just study philosophy and math—his ideas shaped everything from education to politics to science. More recently, there’s Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist who started calling out the addictive nature of tech platforms long before most people realized the impact. These kinds of thinkers remind us that progress isn’t just about what we build—it’s about how and why we build it. A framework for outlier thinking To foster a culture of deep thinking and contrarian innovation, individuals and organizations can adopt the following framework: Question the Obvious: Encourage an environment where it’s not only acceptable but expected to challenge assumptions. For example, instead of asking, “How do we grow faster?” ask, “Should we be growing in this direction at all?” Shift the focus from optimization to purpose. Embrace Intellectual Humility: Outlier thinkers are not afraid to admit what they don’t know. This humility creates space for exploration and allows leaders to approach problems with curiosity rather than preconceptions. Studies from Harvard Business School show that intellectual humility is correlated with better decision-making and more collaborative teams. Slow Down to Think Deeply: Allocate time for what philosopher Blaise Pascal called “sitting quietly in a room.” This doesn’t mean abandoning productivity but recognizing that reflection is an investment in clearer, more impactful actions. Diversify Perspectives: Surround yourself with people who challenge your thinking rather than reinforce it. Philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that encountering opposing views sharpens understanding and fosters better solutions. Create opportunities for debate and collaboration with diverse thinkers. Focus on Long-Term Impact: Resist the allure of short-term wins. Ask questions about legacy and unintended consequences, such as “What ripple effects could this decision have in 10 years?” This lens can help avoid the pitfalls of reactive thinking and promote sustainable innovation. Bringing back deep thinking doesn’t mean hitting pause on action—it just means making sure that action actually matters. It’s not about making more decisions; it’s about making better ones. It’s not about getting answers faster; it’s about asking the right questions. For leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to create real change, thinking differently isn’t just a personal challenge—it’s a shared responsibility. We need the courage to ask the questions others avoid, to look beyond the obvious, and to inspire others to do the same. As Nietzsche put it, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” In a world full of complexity, finding our collective why might be the most important thing we do. View the full article

I’ve been auditing Google Ads accounts for over 10 years. I can confidently say that the same issues appear in most accounts. The good news? These issues are easy to fix and can quickly improve performance. The five key areas where I consistently find missed opportunities include: Location targeting: A default Google Ads setting can cause your ads to reach users outside your intended area. This is easy to fix and can save you measurable amounts of money. Auto-applied recommendations: Allowing Google to auto-apply changes can lead to costly mistakes. It’s better to review and apply these manually, except in specific cases. Campaign structure: Different structures work best in different situations. Campaign experiments: This underused feature allows you to test and apply changes with minimal risk – yet 90% of accounts overlook it. Performance Max for lead gen: While PMax can drive lead volume, the quality is often low. It works best for ecommerce and is rarely ideal for lead generation. We’ll explore each of these areas in more detail to show you how to unlock better results from your Google Ads campaigns. 1. Optimizing location targeting settings This is the first item I check when auditing an account, and it’s usually set up incorrectly. Under the campaign settings, you can enter the target location, but it’s important not to overlook the details. Beneath the target location, there are two additional options: Presence or interest. Presence. By default, Presence or interest is selected. This means your ads will reach people located in your target area and people who have shown interest in it – even if they’re far away. In most cases, it’s better to choose Presence to limit targeting to users physically in your specified location. To check how much you’ve spent on users outside your target location, build a custom dashboard: Navigate to Campaigns > Dashboards. Add Country/Territory (User location) as a row. Include metrics like Cost, Clicks, or Impressions. Be sure to select User location rather than Matched location. This shows where users were actually located when they saw your ads. For example, a client targeting people in Australia discovered that, while most ad spend was correctly allocated, a significant amount still went to users outside Australia. This happened because the default Presence or interest setting was left unchanged – benefiting Google but wasting the advertiser’s budget. This simple report helps you identify how much money you can save by adjusting your location settings. Dig deeper: Improve your Google Ads performance: 3 simple setting changes 2. Taking control of auto-applied recommendations Google serves millions of advertisers with varying experience levels. While Google Ads provides useful tools for low-touch advertisers, they are not always ideal for active managers focused on optimizing performance. If you want to manage your ad account effectively – which I highly recommend – this is another area where you can save money and improve results. Some Google Ads recommendations are valuable, while others are not. Leaving decisions to the system is poor practice for active managers. Auto-applied recommendations should be turned off. Instead, review and apply them manually weekly. You can find auto-applied recommendations in the Recommendations tab: Some auto-applied recommendations can be harmful if left unchecked: “Add responsive search ads”: This allows the system to create new ad headlines and descriptions using content from your website. I recommend reviewing all ads before deployment. Leaving it to Google can result in awkward ad copy that may harm your brand and create compliance or legal risks. “Add new keywords”: This applies new keyword targeting, which may include irrelevant or broad match keywords. While some suggestions are useful, it’s best to review them manually. However, some auto-applied recommendations are generally harmless and can be enabled without manual oversight: “Use optimized ad rotation”: This shows higher-performing ads more frequently instead of splitting impressions evenly. If you’re comfortable letting Google decide which ads to prioritize, this can be useful. “Remove non-serving keywords”: This helps reduce account clutter by removing keywords that do not receive impressions, which is usually beneficial. Each account is unique, so evaluate these options based on your specific needs. Dig deeper: Top Google Ads recommendations you should always ignore, use, or evaluate Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. 3. Simplifying and aligning your campaign structure There are many ways to structure Google Ads campaigns. While no single approach fits every business, some structures are less effective today. Common campaign structures include: Keyword match types: Separate campaigns for exact match and broad match keywords, where the same keyword appears in different campaigns with different match types. SKAGs (single keyword ad groups): Each ad group targets a single keyword, allowing highly specific ad experiences. This approach requires many campaigns and ad groups. Locations: One campaign per geographic region, such as a city, state, or suburb. The best structure depends on your business context. For instance, a hyper-local service like a locksmith or dentist benefits from location-based campaigns. Why automated bidding changed campaign structure Campaigns built around keyword match types are becoming less relevant due to automated bidding. This system lets Google’s AI adjust bids across keywords, reducing the need for manual bidding. Automated bidding works best when keywords are grouped together, giving the system more data to optimize performance. Manual bidding is still useful in specific cases, like new service launches or managing high-performing (hero) keywords. Focus on customer search intent The most effective campaign structures mirror how customers search and engage with your product. Start by understanding their search behavior and align your campaigns accordingly. For example: A dentist may offer emergency, general, and root canal services. However, customers often search for “cheap dentist,” “dentist near me,” or “best-reviewed dentist.” Campaigns should reflect these search patterns, not just the business’s internal service categories. A mortgage restructuring company might label its service technically, but people are more likely to search for terms like “change my loan” or “update mortgage rate.” Targeting these common phrases improves results. Capture sub-niches for better performance Successful campaigns target sub-niches with enough search volume to drive results. For instance: A bank offering multiple products – loans, bank accounts, and credit cards – can improve performance by drilling down into specific categories like rewards cards or low annual fee cards. Users searching for “rewards cards” show a clearer intent than those searching for “credit cards.” By matching your campaign structure to user intent, you create a seamless path from search keyword → ad copy → landing page – improving both relevance and performance. It’s critical to avoid key mistakes when building your Google Ads account structure. Do build campaigns that reflect customer search intent and are as simple as possible. Don’t rely on outdated, complex structures that hinder automated bidding. Dig deeper: PPC keyword strategy: How to align search intent with funnel stages 4. Leveraging Google Ads Experiments If your Google Ads account is running smoothly, the next step is to unlock additional performance – this is where Google Ads Experiments come in. Surprisingly, many account managers overlook this powerful tool, which allows you to test changes with minimal risk and confidently improve your campaigns. Here’s how to effectively use them: Define your test: Identify a specific change you want to evaluate – such as increasing bids by a percentage, adding new keywords, or adjusting keyword match types. Apply the change: Implement the change to a portion of the traffic (50% is a common starting point) while keeping the other half as a control group. Measure the results: Monitor key metrics (CTR, CPA, ROAS) in real time. The platform provides statistical significance to help you evaluate performance. Act on the outcome: If the change improves performance, apply it to the entire campaign with a single click. If results decline, you can easily revert the campaign to its previous state. Without experiments, you’re either making changes blindly or hesitating to implement major updates due to uncertainty. Google Ads Experiments offer a safe and reliable way to test, refine, and optimize your account – helping you stay agile while minimizing risk. Dig deeper: What 54 Google Ads experiments taught me about lead gen 5. Refining Perfomance Max for lead generation Performance Max was originally designed for ecommerce and tends to deliver solid results in that context. However, for non-ecommerce businesses – such as lead generation or SaaS signups – its performance is often underwhelming. Here’s why PMax may fall short for lead generation and what to do instead: Lead quality issues While PMax can generate a high volume of leads, these leads often lack quality. Many lead generation businesses initially see promising results but are disappointed upon closer inspection. Why it works for ecommerce PMax performs better when paired with a product feed, allowing for more precise targeting. You can further refine performance by segmenting your product feed by categories or by top and bottom performers. Challenges for lead generation Without a product feed, Google heavily favors Google Display Network (GDN) inventory. This often results in a flood of low-cost but low-quality leads – many of which may be spam. A better approach for lead generation is to separate Search and Display campaigns: Create dedicated Search and Display campaigns to control your budget and targeting on each network. Use a dedicated GDN campaign for remarketing and custom search intent to maintain better oversight. While setting up separate campaigns requires more effort than using a PMax campaign, it usually yields higher-quality leads and better long-term results. For lead generation businesses, relying on PMax without close monitoring and segmentation is unlikely to produce sustainable success. Dig deeper: How to use Performance Max for any type of business Fine-tune your Google Ads campaigns with these optimizations Small changes can make a big difference in Google Ads. By refining targeting, controlling automation, structuring campaigns effectively, testing with experiments, and using PMax wisely, you’ll drive better results and reduce wasted spend. View the full article

The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation index showed little progress toward its target of 2%, increasing the likelihood of a prolonged rate pause. View the full article

Autodesk forecast annual revenue and profit above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, boosted by strong demand for its design and engineering software across industries such as construction and manufacturing. The company also said it would reduce its workforce by about 9%, representing roughly 1,350 employees, and laid out plans to invest more heavily in cloud and artificial intelligence, adding that it would reallocate resources towards those areas. Companies across sectors such as architecture, engineering, construction, and product design are making extensive use of Autodesk’s 3D design solutions, with the software maker’s artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities further driving spending on its products. Autodesk saw a 23% jump in total billings to $2.11 billion in the fourth quarter ended January 31. The company’s international operations have particularly shown strength, while analysts have also noted that the company was outpacing peers in the manufacturing sector, driven by the performance of its “Fusion” design software. Shares of the San Francisco, California-based company were up about 2% in extended trading. Autodesk expects full-year revenue between $6.90 billion and $6.97 billion, largely above analysts’ average estimate of $6.90 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. It projected an adjusted profit between $9.34 and $9.67 per share for its fiscal year 2026, also above the $9.24 per share estimated by analysts. The company reported total revenue of $1.64 billion in the fourth quarter, up 12% from last year and above analysts’ average estimate of $1.63 billion. It posted an adjusted profit of $2.29 per share, beating estimates of $2.14 per share. —Deborah Sophia, Reuters View the full article

Resignation of Anneliese Dodds shows challenges for prime minister as he pursues tough choices View the full article

Transform your approach with customer-centric SEO. Learn how to prioritize user needs for greater engagement and satisfaction. The post Customer-Centric SEO: How To Enhance Customer Experiences appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Another week and more Google search ranking volatility hit mid-week, did you notice? Google's crawler might be causing issues on your site this week. Google still is making its crawling more efficient and better. Google Search Console's API had delayed this week. Google was sued over AI Overviews...View the full article

It’s no longer groundbreaking to say that the SEO landscape is evolving. But this time, the shift is fundamental. We’re entering an era where search is no longer just about keywords but understanding. At the core of this shift is vector-based SEO. Optimizing for vectors gives websites a major advantage in search engines and overall web presence. As AI and large language models (LLMs) continue to shape digital experiences, websites that adapt early will stay ahead of the competition. What are vectors? Vectors are a mathematical way for AI to understand and organize information beyond just text. Instead of relying on exact keyword matches, search engines now use vector embeddings – a technique that maps words, phrases, and even images into multi-dimensional space based on their meaning and relationships. Think of it this way: If a picture is worth a thousand words, vectors are how AI translates those words into patterns it can analyze. For SEOs, a helpful analogy is that vectors are to AI what structured data is to search engines – a way to provide deeper context and meaning. How vectors change search By leveraging semantic relationships, embeddings, and neural networks, vector-based search allows AI to interpret intent rather than just keywords. This means search engines can surface relevant results even when a query doesn’t contain the exact words from a webpage. For example, a search for “Which laptop is best for gaming?” may return results optimized for “high-performance laptops” because AI understands the conceptual link. More importantly, vectors help AI interpret content that isn’t purely text-based, which includes: Colloquial phrases (e.g., “bite the bullet” vs. “make a tough decision”) Images and visual content. Short-form videos and webinars. Voice search queries and conversational language. Source: Airbyte This shift has been years in the making. Google has been moving toward vector-based search for over a decade, starting with the Hummingbird update in 2013, which prioritized understanding content over simple keyword matching. You might recall RankBrain, Google’s first AI-powered algorithm from 2015, which paved the way for BERT, MUM, and Microsoft’s enhanced Bing Search – all of which rely on vectorized data to interpret user intent with greater accuracy. At its core, vector-based search represents a fundamental change: SEO is no longer about optimizing for exact words but for meaning, relationships, and relevance. As AI continues to evolve, websites that adapt to this approach will have a significant advantage. Dig deeper: AI optimization: How to optimize your content for AI search and agents How vectors impact your SEO strategy So, what does this mean for SEO? If “content is king” has been the mantra for the past decade, then “content is emperor” might be the new reality. A king rules over one kingdom, but an emperor governs many. Similarly, making your content readable to AI doesn’t just improve search engine visibility. It makes your website discoverable across a broader range of AI-driven tools that generate answers to user queries. Practically speaking, there are a few key ways SEOs should adjust their approach to keep websites future-ready. Here are three strategies to start with. From content strategy and keyword research to semantic topic modeling Search volume and keyword difficulty will remain key metrics for now. However, AI tools can provide deeper insights – such as identifying the entities and topics Google associates with your competitors’ content. Instead of just checking keyword volume, analyze the top-ranking pages using NLP tools to see how they structure their topics. Adjust your content briefs to cover semantically related topics, not just one keyword/variations of that keyword. From content optimization to intent matching and semantic SEO Traditional SEO prioritizes exact match keywords and their variations, while AI-driven optimization focuses on aligning with search intent. This means you’ll want to: Run your content through Google’s NLP API to see which topics/entities it detects and compare with competitors that may be ranking better than you. Optimize existing content not only to add keywords, but to add missing context and answer related user queries, by using AlsoAsked and AnswerThePublic. Source: “How to use 12 micro intents for SEO and content journey mapping,” Olaf Kopp From SERP and ranking predictions to AI-based performance forecasting Traditionally, site changes required weeks or months to assess ranking impact. Now, AI can predict performance using vector analysis, giving you another data point for smarter decision-making. Before publishing, paid AI tools like Clearscope or MarketMuse can score your content against high-performing pages. (For smaller projects, free tools like Google Cloud NLP demo offer similar insights.) Use a paid tool like SurferSEO’s SERP Analysis or Outranking.io’s free plan to prioritize content updates based on their likelihood to rank. How vectors don’t change SEO strategy We’re not reinventing the wheel. AI still relies on many of the same principles as traditional SEO. Even if you’re not ready to fully integrate vector-based strategies, you can still optimize your site with them in mind. Great content matters above all else Comprehensive, intent-focused content remains essential for both users and AI, and its importance will only grow. If you haven’t already structured your pages around user intent, now is the time. Write in natural language, focusing on fully answering user queries. Ensure your pages pass the blank sheet of paper test (i.e., they provide unique value on their own). Include synonyms, related phrases, and different ways users might phrase questions. Technical SEO gives AI the roadmap it needs Search engines – and the AI models behind them – still rely on clear signals to understand and rank content effectively. It stands to reason that the use of many of these signals will remain consistent, at least for now. Use structured data to give search engines and AIs more context about the content they’re analyzing. Craft an internal link strategy that makes sense to the average person and demonstrates strong semantic connections between your pages. Dig deeper: Optimizing for AI search: Why classic SEO principles still apply What’s next? As search engines increasingly rely on AI and LLMs, SEO is shifting away from a sole focus on keywords and toward the broader, more intricate concept of meaning. AI systems interpret meaning through vectors, leveraging semantic relationships, embeddings, and neural networks. You can prepare for this shift by optimizing for vector-based search focusing on user intent, content depth, and semantic connections. AI may be the new frontier, but those who embrace change early have the greatest opportunity to drive innovation and shape the future. View the full article

Microsoft Bing Search's Copilot Answers now can show maps and local results, including local ads. The AI answer has a map on the left side and then on the right side it has local organic and paid listings with the company name, address, phone, website and directions - plus a photo. View the full article