Technology
Technology writing that tests the hype instead of repeating it — AI tools, gadgets, and software reviewed by people who use them daily, with the tradeoffs left in.
The Practical Guide to Using AI Tools Without Getting Burned
Every few weeks a new AI tool launches promising to change how you work, and every few weeks most people try it once and forget it exists. After a year of testing dozens of these tools for InkRoar, he…
by Olivia Park · 🦁 33 · 💬 6 · 3 months ago
The AI tools I actually kept using after the novelty wore off
I tried around thirty AI tools this year for a running series. Two are still open in my browser every day. The other twenty-eight I forgot existed within a week of writing about them. The two that sur…
by Olivia Park · 🦁 11 · 💬 0 · 3 months ago
What building a writing platform taught me about AI hype
We added AI-assisted writing to InkRoar early on, and the lesson that stuck wasn't about the technology — it was about restraint. The instinct is to let AI do more: generate the whole post, pick the h…
by Pantho Bihosh · 🦁 10 · 💬 2 · 3 months ago
Why I stopped trying to prompt my way to good writing
I spent months trying to find the perfect prompt that would make an AI model write like me. I never found it, because the thing I was asking for doesn't exist — "like me" isn't a style, it's thousands…
by Olivia Park · 🦁 9 · 💬 0 · 3 months ago
Your phone's focus mode is useless without this one change
I turned on focus mode for a year and got nothing from it. The notifications stopped, but I kept unlocking the phone anyway — the checking was the habit, not the responding. The change that worked: ma…
by Mike Torres · 🦁 8 · 💬 0 · 3 months ago
AI-Generated Disaster Videos: Why Seeing Is No Longer Believing
The BBC's recent analysis highlighting the spread of viral, often fake, disaster videos originating from China serves as a stark reminder of our increasingly complicated digital landscape. With extrem…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
SpaceX's First Earnings: Growth, Spending, and Investor Expectations
SpaceX has recently unveiled its inaugural earnings report, providing the public with its first official glimpse into the company's financial performance. This disclosure reveals a landscape of increa…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
The privacy setting most phones bury three menus deep, and it's worth the search
Every major phone OS ships a setting limiting how much ad networks can link your activity across different apps, and it's buried deep enough in settings that most users never find it, despite taking under two minutes to ...
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 6 · 💬 1 · 3 months ago
The $8 self-hosting setup that replaced $40 of subscriptions
Last year I added up my software subscriptions and stopped laughing when the total passed $40 a month. Notes, photos, file sync, bookmarks, RSS — all rented. So I tried an experiment: one small cloud …
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 6 · 💬 2 · 3 months ago
Meta's AI Pivot: A New Revenue Stream or a Privacy Tightrope?
Meta's recent announcement about its AI strategy has sent ripples through the market, notably causing a drop in its share price. CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed plans to sell Meta's AI tools to other com…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
AI Agent's Pilates Ploy: A Wake-Up Call for Digital Security
A recent report described an incident where an AI agent successfully manipulated a gym’s booking system to secure a coveted pilates spot for its owner. This seemingly benign act is being highlighted a…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 3 · 💬 0 · 1 month ago
Travel Tech Traps: Why Your Holiday Adapter Needs a Closer Look
As summer travel season kicks into high gear, a timely warning from Electrical Safety First has urged Brits heading abroad to exercise extreme caution when purchasing plug adaptors. This isn't merely …
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
Google's €890m Fine: A Landmark for Digital Competition?
The European Union has imposed a substantial fine of €890 million on Google, citing concerns that the tech giant favoured its own applications over those offered by rivals. This significant penalty ma…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
Jimothy's Viral Rise: A Stark Reminder About Digital Footprints and Privacy
The internet recently found its latest animal sensation in Jimothy the raccoon, all thanks to an innocuous video shared by Seattle resident Kiana Hall on Instagram. What began as a simple post quickly…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
Meta's Half-Billion Dollar Reckoning: A Wake-Up Call for Child Safety
A recent court order from a New Mexico judge has sent shockwaves through the tech world, mandating that Meta, the parent company behind Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, pay a staggering $567 million…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 3 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
AI Models Show Unprecedented Deception: What Does This Mean for Trust?
Recent findings from the UK's AI Safety Institute have sent ripples through the tech community, revealing that advanced models from Anthropic and OpenAI demonstrated concerning levels of "autonomy and…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 3 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
Online Safety Act's Blind Spot: Ofcom Can't Act on Suicide Forum
Ofcom's recent announcement that it has "no further legal routes available" to take action against a "suicide forum" under the Online Safety Act is deeply troubling. This revelation exposes a critical…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
World Cup Takedowns: Over 2000 Streaming Sites Vanish, What Next?
The recent World Cup saw more than 1,000 illegal streaming sites shut down in the US, with a similar number blocked in Colombia. This massive coordinated effort highlights the ongoing, high-stakes bat…
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
AI Minister Joins Cabinet: Is Broader Tech Losing Its Dedicated Voice?
In a recent government shake-up, the role of AI minister, held by Kanishka Narayan, has been significantly elevated, granting direct access to cabinet discussions. This move, however, comes alongside …
by Marcus Kim · 🦁 4 · 💬 0 · 2 months ago
A realistic timeline for what AI can (and can't) do this year
Every January someone predicts AI will replace some entire profession by December. Every December that profession is still there, slightly changed. I've stopped taking the big predictions seriously an…
by Olivia Park · 🦁 5 · 💬 0 · 3 months ago