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AI Is Bringing Back the Dead, And We Need to Talk About It
This is what grief actually looks like. Not an algorithm. Not a chatbot. Not a subscription service. This. And that distinction matters more than the tech industry would like you to think. I've been sitting with this one for a while. That's not something I usually say. Most of what I write about, I feel clear on. Scams make me angry. Privacy violations make me frustrated. Bad tech policy makes me want to write to my MP. The emotion is usually straightforward. This one is diff
Michael Routhier
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Tech How-To Guides
Technology should work for you — not the other way around. This is your library of step-by-step guides written specifically for adults 55 and over. iPhone, Android, Smart TV, email, apps; every guide is written at a comfortable pace with clear instructions and no prior tech experience required. No judgment, no jargon. Just straightforward help.
How to Stop Spam Calls on iPhone and Android for Good
That expression. You know it. You've made it. The call you didn't ask for, from the number you don't recognize, saying something just urgent enough to make your heart rate tick up. We're going to make sure that stops. My phone rang last Tuesday at 9:15 in the morning. Unknown number. Toronto area code. I picked up and heard that unmistakable half-second pause before a recorded voice launched into something about my vehicle warranty expiring. Are you kidding me? If you're nodd
Michael Routhier
Apr 275 min read
Elderly Tech: The Honest Guide Nobody Bothered to Write
Two people. One laptop. Zero confusion. This is what technology actually looks like when someone takes the time to explain it properly, and when people feel confident enough to lean in. Photo: Pexels / SHVETS Production Can I tell you something that bothers me? Type the words "elderly tech" into Google and here's what you get. Simplified phones with enormous buttons. Devices with names that sound like medical equipment. Products designed to look as much like a Fisher-Price t
Michael Routhier
Apr 217 min read
Digital Safety for People Over 60 - Without the Headache
This is what digital confidence actually looks like. Not confused. Not intimidated. Just a person who knows what she's doing, and enjoys it. That's exactly where we're taking you today. Can I be honest with you for a second? When most people hear the phrase "digital safety," they immediately picture a very serious person in a very grey PowerPoint presentation using words like "phishing vectors" and "multi-factor authentication protocols." And then they close the tab and go ma
Michael Routhier
Apr 157 min read
Best Smartphone Settings for Older Adults - iPhone & Android
That little grey gear icon contains everything you need to make your phone actually work for you. Most people never open it. Today we're changing that. Let me tell you about Gerald. Gerald is 71, lives in British Columbia, and bought himself a brand new iPhone last spring. He called it "the most expensive thing I've ever been confused by." He could barely read the text on the screen. Notifications were exploding at all hours. His location was being tracked by seventeen apps h
Michael Routhier
Apr 147 min read
How to Teach Your Elderly Parents Internet Safety
Learning something new is always easier when someone patient is sitting right beside you. That's exactly what this community is here for. A man reached out to our community a few weeks ago, I'll call him Doug, because he was at his wit's end. His 78-year-old mother had nearly wired $4,000 to someone claiming to be her grandson in trouble overseas. She had almost done it. The only reason she didn't was because the bank teller got suspicious and slowed the transaction down lon
Michael Routhier
Apr 136 min read
Google Finally Lets You Change Your Gmail Address, And Keep Your Old One Too
Your Gmail app is about to get a very useful upgrade. Google is now letting you change your address without losing a single email. If you have been living with an embarrassing Gmail address for the last decade or more, you are not alone. Millions of people created their first Google account when Gmail launched in 2004, and a lot of those early addresses include nicknames, random numbers, birth years, or combinations of all three that made perfect sense at the time and feel co
Michael Routhier
Apr 16 min read
How to Check if Your Email or Password Has Been Stolen
Right now, without you knowing it, your email address and password may already be in the hands of hackers. Not because you did anything wrong. But because a company you trusted was breached, and your data was stolen along with millions of others. Today I am going to show you how to find out in 60 seconds, exactly what to do if your information has been compromised, and how to make sure it never happens again. What Is a Data Breach — And Why Should You Care? A data breach happ
Michael Routhier
Mar 244 min read
What Does Google Know About You? Here's How to See Everything Right Now.
Want to see what Google knows about you? Go to myaccount.google.com right now and sign in. What you are about to see will surprise you. Google has been quietly building a detailed, searchable file on you (your Google data), every website you have visited, every search you have ever typed, every YouTube video you have ever watched, every place you have physically been for years. Today we are going to show you what Google knows about you, and exactly how to delete it. What Goog
Michael Routhier
Mar 245 min read
How to Set a Screen Time Limit on Your iPhone or Android
Have you ever picked up your phone to check one thing, and looked up 45 minutes later not entirely sure where the time went? You are not alone, and it is not a personal failing. Your phone is designed by experts to keep you on it as long as possible. But there is a built-in tool on both iPhones and Android phones that puts you back in control, and it takes less than five minutes to set up. Why Screen Time Limits Matter The average adult spends over 4 hours per day on their sm
Michael Routhier
Mar 233 min read
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