daily story pitches
Click here for scripts You can also get scripts from a “scripts” folder on Dropbox
NOTE: The procedure I had Wednesday left me with a few stitches on my face through next week. I shot enough fresh standups to get me through next Tuesday. I’ll have to sprinkle in a few stories previously recorded unless there’s something I can do with no standups.
Tuesday, January 21st
I still have a few days with these stitches on my face. I did this story a good while back and it’s one of the most viewed on my YouTube page. How to get Siri to answer the phone. Most people don’t know that Siri will answer the phone if you can’t put your hands on it. Just say “Hey Siri, answer the phone on speaker”. You can also have Siri hang up a phone call by asking. I’m showing how to set it up.
I have standups shot for fresh stories tomorrow and Friday.
Monday, January 20th
New inventions to protect your home. Have you ever had trouble finding someone’s home address because they don’t have a visible house number? A new invention is available now to make it easy and it turns on automatically if you ever dial 911. Also, a barrier to keep water out of your home or garage, and a new lock box to prevent porch pirates.
Friday, January 16th
The App of the Day: RedNote. I won’t be on camera for this one and there will be no on-camera tease (stitches) but I feel it’s a good idea to do something on Red Note. It seems to be the TikTok alternative of choice (according to my daughter). As TikTok is expected to shut down Sunday, RedNote is the #1 app in the app stores. What’s it all about?
Thursday, January 16th
I’m doing the story on the device and software that turns most any new(ish) car into a self-driving one. It’s called Comma.ai and Open Pilot. It’s fascinating. For $1,000 you can have a self-driving car that does everything a Tesla can do.
Wednesday, January 15th
Have you ever tried looking at your phone without glasses or readers? It’s soooo frustrating when you get a text or message and you don’t have your glasses. A lot of people adjust the font size to the point it covers too much of the screen. I’m looking at another option that most people don’t know exists. Make all text “bold”. This story ran last September. My apologies for needing to rerun it. (See above)
turn any car into a Tesla. Sort of. I’m looking at a device and some software that adds self-driving automation to most any car after 2015. It’s called Comma, and for $1,000 you’ll never have to drive again.
Tuesday, January 14th
What happens when the TikTok ban goes into effect. It’s more and more likely that the TikTok ban in the U.S. will take effect on January 19th. I’m answering some of the questions TikTok users have right now. Will the app disappear from their phones? How long will it still work? What are the best alternatives?
Monday, January 13th
The very best of CES. I saw about 75 booths and did about 40 interviews and demos last week. I’m going to show some of the gadgets that impressed me the most. And a few I can’t wait to be released.
Friday, January 10th
CES Day 5. The big show ends today but the work for some smaller companies is only beginning. I’m looking at one of the reasons startups invest in the show and the story behind the story. They come to Vegas to find investors. Some of those products and one huge success story of an inventor getting $4 million in investments to keep going.
Thursday, January 9th
CES Day 4. How tech has advanced in recent years to change how we interact, play, hear, and drive.
Wednesday, January 8th
CES Day 3. I’m looking at some gadgets for the home. An all-in-one automated beer brewing system that eliminates most of the work of home brewing craft beer, an indoor garden to grow just about anything, and modular gardens to attract and nurture nature.
Tuesday, January 7th
CES Day Two: gadgets that might make you think “how the tech did they think of that?”. A smart BBQ grill that you can control remotely and a smart fork that adds a salty taste by using an electrode. It’s designed to help people who are supposed to be on a low-sodium diet.
Monday, January 6th
CES Day One. I’m looking at how everything at CES this year has some sort of AI built-in. I’m looking at several tech gadgets you might not think would need it.
Friday, January 3rd
CES Preview. I’ll be in Las Vegas all next week for the biggest tech show in the world. I’ll be doing packages from the show floor for your newscasts. Today, I’m forgoing the usual App of the Day story to look at what to expect this year and some of the coolest things to come out of CES that never made it to the stores.
Thursday, January 2nd
help with those resolutions. I’m looking at several apps that can track and help you keep any resolutions you’ve set for the new year. Apps to help with money, exercise, and lifestyle choices.
Wednesday, January 1st
Happy New Year! I’m looking at resolutions. Tech resolutions. Never before in history has technology been more ingrained in our lives. You might make resolutions to get in better physical or financial shape in 2025 but I’m proposing a few ‘tech resolutions’ to make the new year more healthy, happy, and safe.
Tuesday, December 31st
Happy New Year’s Eve. I’m wrapping up a look at my favorite apps of 2024 with Death Clock. It got a lot of buzz this year by claiming to predict the day you are going to die. Enter in some information and it uses AI to compare your health risks with hundreds of thousands of death records to determine the most likely date you’ll meet your demise. But it isn’t entirely a novelty app. It motivates you to live better to extend your lifespan.
Monday, December 30th
the App of the year: SketchAR. If you’ve ever wished you were a little more artistic, or could draw more than a stick man, this is the app for you. SketchAR uses augmented reality to draw all sorts of things. It’s perfect to entertain children or give you some artistic ability.
Friday, December 27th
The App of the Year: Perplexity. It isn’t only ChatGPT anymore. There are now dozens of generative AI engines and platforms that do everything Chat GPT can do. The best of them all? It just might be Perplexity. And it’s so good, people are using it rather than Google.
Thursday, December 26th
The App of the Year: Trip Tunes. I reviewed 50 smartphone apps in 2024. For the next several days I’m looking at the best of the year. My favorite new(ish) apps of 2024 that made a splash. Today’s App of the Year is “Trip Tunes”, my favorite music app of 2024. This app is a throwback to the old “mix tapes” and “Mix CDs” people made for road trips. It takes where you’re going, what the trip is for, and your “road vibe” to create a mix of songs you may never have heard before.
Wednesday, December 25th
Merry Christmas! Now that the holiday is wrapping up a lot of people will be turning to putting decorations away for next year. Most of us just toss things into storage bins which makes it more difficult when we drag it all back out next season. QR codes are a solution. I’m looking at an inexpensive pack of QR code stickers to better label all of your decorations before putting them away.
Tuesday, December 24th
Recycling Christmas. Now that you’ve got a new iPhone, smartphone, TV, computer, or gaming system, what do you do with the old one? I’m looking at a few options to give your old devices a new life or at least recycle and keep them out of landfills. I’m looking at your best options to recycle Christmas.
Monday, December 23rd
Tech gifts you really need to open before Christmas. “Do Not Open Before Christmas” is generally a good idea. No one wants a ruined surprise. But some tech gifts really should be opened before the 25th to avoid a rush of people activating and downloading devices and software. Giving someone a phone? Activate it first. Video game systems or games? Absolutely open that gift now or they’ll spend most of Christmas Day just trying to get it to work.
Friday, December 20th
The App of the Day FlightRadar24. This is an app that’s been in the news the past couple of weeks. Authorities investigating the mysterious drones flying over the east coast are using this app to determine if one is a drone or a plane. The app has shot up to the top 10 in both App Stores. What is it? And is it something you might find interesting?
Thursday, December 19th
There are several reasons you might scramble for a last minute gift. What about a last second gift? For when someone gives you a present and you have nothing for them, or if you realize you didn’t give someone enough for what they gave you. I’m looking at gifts you can give if you only have a few seconds alone.
Wednesday, December 18th
Since most everyone spends at least sometime on a computer every day, the most practical and helpful gadgets make great gift ideas. Whether you are looking for a gift for someone else or if you want to upgrade your own computer, I’m looking at computer accessories to improve the time you spend at your desk.
Tuesday, December 17th
Tech gift ideas don’t always come in big boxes. Some of the coolest tech fit in Christmas stockings. I’ve rounded up some small tech gift ideas that are just unusual enough to intrigue them. You may want some of these too.
Monday, December 16th
Practical gift ideas for around the home. If you’ve not stepped into the “smart home” trend, this holiday is a good time to start. I’m rounding up a few practical gifts (or things for yourself) to make your home safer and more efficient (and maybe a little more fun)
Friday, December 13th
The App of the Day: Portable North Pole. Children of the 80s, 90s, and the early 2000’s went to the mall to visit Santa. Most kids today don’t have that option. Portable North Pole delivers videos, messages, and live video calls to children from Santa. There are a lot of Santa apps in the app stores but this one is downloaded more than all the others.
Thursday, December 12th
There are millions of tech gadgets introduced every year at CES and through the year. The majority of those gadgets never make it. And many that wind up on store shelves never sell. And many that do wind up in closets and drawers never to be used again. Today, I’ve rounded up some tech gift ideas of the best gadgets I’ve tried through the years. These are gadgets I use almost every day.
Wednesday, December 11th
Tech gift ideas for dads. Dads are historically more geeky than moms when it comes to tech gadgets. I’m digging up some tech gift ideas for dads who have “almost” have everything. A gadget for dads who use their phone to record video of the kids, for dads who grill in the backyard and tailgates, and dads who love music and want to relive their childhood.
Tuesday, December 10th
Tech gift ideas for moms. You might think mom doesn’t like tech gadgets but she may not know about these things. A look at several gadgets for the mom, grandma, and aunt in your life. You may just want to get them for yourself.
Monday, December 9th
Gifts (or things to buy for yourself) to improve Zoom video conferences. We all do our best to look good in a work setting but you’d never believe that about some people. We’ve all seen Zoom meetings where someone looks like they just rolled out of bed or are sitting just feet from the sun. I’m looking at some new devices to up your Zoom or video conferencing game and look like you’re ready for prime time.
Friday, December 6th
The App of the Day “Pestle”. If you’ve ever run across a recipe on TikTok that you want to try, you may have tried to save it for later. “Pestle” is a smartphone app that allows you to save, not only the video, but a text version of any recipe from TikTok and add the ingredients and shopping list to your phone. Great to have during the holidays when you’re looking for something new.
Thursday, December 5th
UPDATE!:
I’m changing today’s story after the FBI issued a warning urging people to stop sending text messages due to a cybersecurity threat. I’m sure you’ll have something on this from the networks with more information. I’m putting together a story about encrypted texting apps and which ones are the best to use. You’ll be able to use this story as a follow to any national package you have on the warning. It’ll also be good to use tomorrow.
Gifts for zoomers. It seems everyone has to be on Zoom or another live streaming video and more times than not, they appear terrible. Dim lighting, blurry background, or a messy room behind them. I’m looking at a few tech gift ideas for the person on your list who frequently “goes live” for work.
Wednesday, December 4th
Tech gifts their friends will talk about. I’m going to be sprinkling some tech gift ideas over the next couple of weeks and I’m starting by looking at some gifts to make them go…”ooooh”. Some of these may be the ONLY gift you need to give them this year.
Tuesday, December 3rd
Christmas tree tech. Lots of folks are still climbing under the tree to plug in the lights. A $15 gadget allows Alexa or Google to do the work for you. And what do you do if your tree is up and you notice a strand of lights stop working? I’m looking at two gadgets that make it easier to keep the tree shining bright.
Monday, December 2nd
Everyone’s shopping and in the next few days everyone will be getting deliveries. Boxes. Hundreds of boxes maybe. Each year, in the U.S. alone, more than 100 billion corrugated boxes will be used and about 800 million tons of them wind up in landfills. A charity wants not only your boxes but they’re asking you to pack some of the stuff you don’t use and donate them. I’m looking at Give Back Box, an easy way to recycle carboard boxes and give help to people in need.
Friday, November 29th
The App of the Day: Gifster. There are several gift-giving apps in the app stores and this one is the best I’ve tried. Gifster helps families and friends find the exact gifts people want. Make your own wishlist in the app and everyone in the group can see what the items are and even links to the products. Not only that, but once someone purchases a gift for someone, it no longer appears on their list. It’s free but how?
Thursday, November 28th
Check this Alexa setting to keep it from giving away what gifts you’re buying. Amazon made changes to Alexa/Echo devices where they won’t automatically announce what is being delivered. This change was made after families complained Alexa would kill Christmas morning surprises. But there are still a couple of settings and things you can change to keep someone from finding out what you’ve purchased.
Wednesday, November 27th
Billions of dollars will be spent this holiday season by people placing orders on their phones. (remember when people were scared of online shopping? ). There are some common mistakes shoppers make that could cost them a lot more than the price of the items. I’m looking at some things every shopper needs to know before they leave the house to shop.
Tuesday, November 26th
Kids on TikTok search for how to get around screentime restrictions. Parents search for how are kids getting around parental controls. If you are using those screen control tools to keep your kids from staying on an app, game, or websites it may not be working. I’ll look at how kids can get around the limits and what parents can do instead.
Monday, November 25th
Holiday shopping and package theft. Crooks stealing Christmas packages off porches is not only still a problem, it’s a bigger problem. Over 97 billion packages will be vulnerable to theft this holiday season. The first step in protecting your packages is before you place the order. I’m looking at a few things you should do if you want to keep the packages you order.
Friday, November 22nd
The app of the day: Recipe Keeper. If you’re looking for a recipe app to plan holiday meals look no further than this app. I featured it last year and it’s worth looking at again. Not only can you find recipes, you can digitize your favorite family recipes. Got an old index card from your grandmother for a dessert? This app allows you to save it, in her handwriting, and create your own family recipe book you can share.
Thursday, November 21st
Tech for road trips. More than 70 million people will travel by car over the Thanksgiving holiday week and if you’re traveling with kids. you better keep them entertained. I’m looking at a few ideas to keep them off TikTok and enjoy the family road trip.
Wednesday, November 20th
Millions of people use Venmo to quickly pay someone or send cash to a friend or family member. It’s convenient but it also is guilty of oversharing. Why would anyone want someone they don’t know or someone they’re only familiar with, know what they’re spending money on or who they’re paying? President Biden’s Venmo friends and payments were made public. So was incoming VP JD Vance. There are some Venmo settings you may want to change.
Tuesday, November 19th
Roblox and new parental controls. If you don’t have kids you don’t know what a big deal Roblox is with kids. But it has been the vehicle of choice of cyber criminals and sextortionists to reach their targets. It’s also a place where a kid who just wants to play a game overhears or even sees, explicit language and even sexual acts. Roblox just announced new parental controls. What are they and how do they work?
Monday, November 18th
social media shopping. Advertisements, discounts, and deals jump right into your face on social media. It’s hard to avoid them. But if you decide to buy something from one of those ads, be aware that it could be a fake company run by a scammer. Can you tell the difference between a fake shopping website and the real thing? It’s harder than you think.
Friday, November 15th
The app of the day: Bluesky. It’s the #1 app in the app stores. Many people are jumping to this Twitter/X alternative after the election. Alternatives have popped up before but is this one different? I’m looking at the social media app nearly everyone is talking about.
Thursday, November 14th
Meta’s new account recovery tools. When you get locked out of a Facebook or Instagram account it has been nearly impossible to get it back. Every week I hear from viewers asking how to recover their Facebook account. It might be a hacker or simply because you forget your password. Now Meta is rolling out some help by re-launching facial recognition. I’m looking at Meta’s new tools and how it protects your account.
Wednesday, November 13th
This year’s hottest electronics gifts. Google releases its annual “hot 100” list of the most searched-for gifts. This means these gadgets could sell out before Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I’m rounding up a list of tech gifts you may want to buy now if they’re on your list.
Tuesday, November 12th
Times are tough, prices are high, and with Christmas right around the corner you might be looking to pick up some extra money for gifts. I’m looking at legitimate ways to earn some fast money in time for Black Friday to earn gift cards to give your friends and family. I’m looking at if taking surveys for cash really work.
Monday, November 11th
Tech to take care of aging parents and grandparents. Today being Veterans Day I thought I should look at some ways to stay in touch with elderly family members. I won’t mention Veterans Day in the package but it will be in the intro. I’ll look primarily at a device your family members may already have. Amazon Alexa devices and all the things you may not know they can do.
Friday, November 8th
The App of the Day: Elfster. As families get together for Thanksgiving many of them will draw names for Christmas gifts. It can be a little difficult just to make sure people don’t draw their spouses, or kids names. Or someone drawing their own name. Elfster makes it easy to do gifts, Dirty Santa, Secret Santa, or whatever else you call it.
Thursday, November 7th
Most smart TVs ARE spying on you. I get this question from time to time: “is my TV watching me?”. It is in a way. I’m looking at how to spot a camera in your TV and the other way smart TVs spy on you. But there’s something good out of TVs spying on you: it makes them cheaper.
Wednesday, November 6th
I’ll get this story done early today (by 3 ET) if you want to include it in your post-election coverage.
The election is over and there’s one thing every American can agree on: we’re happy those darned campaign robo-texts will finally end. Many of us got 5 or more each day from the Trump and the Harris campaigns. What happens if you respond “stop” to a robo text? What the law says about robo texts?
Tuesday, November 5th
I refreshed this story from earlier this year. What are internet cookies? We’ve all noticed the popups when visiting a website for the first time, asking us to accept or reject cookies begore going forward. What are they and what should we do? What happens if you click no, or yes? I’m looking closer at cookies and what difference does your decision make?
Monday, November 4th
What Facebook knows about you. We all upload and post TMI. Not just to Facebook but on other social media platforms. But most of our viewers use Facebook. I’m looking at how to see everything Facebook knows (and stores) about you.
Friday, November 1st
The App of the Day, Headspace. I mentioned briefly the benefits of using relaxation apps to deal with stress and anxiety. With the upcoming election affecting the mental state of over half of Americans I thought I’d highlight one of the more popular meditation relaxation apps, Headspace. And this app has added practices specifically to reduce stress from the election.
Thursday, October 31st
More than half of Americans say next week’s election is causing them stress and anxiety. Tech can help. So can the elimination of tech. I’m looking at a few things to download or ignore between now and next Tuesday to maintain sanity and avoid stress.
Wednesday, October 30th
Apple Intelligence and Photos. While Apple’s huge update brings AI to many of the tools we use everyday, how it works with photos and videos may be the best features. I’m looking at how to let Apple Intelligence to create music videos of your favorite moments, how to erase unwanted things in the background of photos, and searching for a very specific image.
Tuesday October 29th
Apple Intelligence. It’s available now for some iPhones, Macs, and iPads. You’ve seen the commercials but what does it do and how can you do it? Today and tomorrow I’m looking at some of the coolest features of Apple Intelligence. Today its writing tools , email, how to record a phone call, and why you might want to.
Monday, October 28th
Since it’s almost Halloween, I thought I’d look at a creepy app that claims to be able to predict the date you will die. It isn’t some stupid morbid gimmick. “Death Clock” asks basic questions about your health and lifestyle and compares it to studies of over 53 million people. Once you get your Date of Death, the app shows you how to add sand to your hourglass and push back the date several years. It’s as if the grim reaper is your life coach.
Friday, October 25th
How well do you know all of the people in the neighborhoods your kids will be trick-or-treating? The app of the day is a valuable resource for parents, real estate agents, house seekers, and others. The National Sex Offender Public Website app is a database from federal, state, and tribal lands where sex offenders are required to register. Search for your address and this app maps all of the sex offenders within a 3 mile radius.
Thursday, October 24th
A terrifying scam. Just in time for Halloween and the spooky season scammers are sending a threatening email that includes photos of your house! The emails are similar to what they’ve been doing for the several years. The email claims they’ve recorded you watching porn and demands $2,000 or else they’ll send the videos to your friends. Now those emails include photos of your house and they say they know where you live and can pay you a visit.
Wednesday, October 23rd
Canceling services is getting easier. If you’ve ever tried canceling a subscription you know it can be confusing. Online services (like Amazon) make it difficult to find the ‘cancel’ button. Some services even require you to email or call them on the phone to cancel. The FCC’s new order that goes into effect this week, requires alll online platforms to make it easy for people to unsubscribe or cancel. What you need to know.
Tuesday, October 22nd
Instagram announced several new safety measures to protect kids from sextortion. as I reported a couple of weeks ago, sextortion remains one of the biggest social media threats for you boys. I’m looking at instagrams latest update and what this means for parents.
Monday, October 21st
Getting news from social media. More than half of Americans say they get some of their news from social media. It might be from reputable news organizations but more often than not, the “news” they see comes from someone sharing something they saw on someone else’s page or from non-fact websites. A few weeks out from the next election, I’m looking at why you shouldn’t trust news from social media and how to block it from appearing in your feeds.
Friday, October 18th
How much do you want to wake up on time? This app of the day has a unique way to make sure you get out of bed in the morning. Nuj will keep ringing until you get up and scan a barcode before shutting off the alarm. And if you don’t do it? It’ll cost you money. By the way, I won’t mention the time change in the package for those of you who won’t be adjusting the clocks.
Thursday, October 17th
Goodbye Meta AI. Everyone seems to be sharing a hoax on Facebook and Instagram. It says you should share a very specific post and wording to prevent Meta from sharing your information to help it train the Meta AI engine. It’s even being shared by celebrities. What you should know about the posts and what you can do instead to prevent Meta from using your data.