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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
Featured Post
Transcript: Episode 10 - SMS Blasters: The Text Scam That Doesn't Just Steal From You, It Can Get People Killed
I'm going to be honest with you today, I'm a little angry talking about this one. Not frustrated, not mildly concerned, I'm actually angry. Because what I'm about to describe isn't just another scam designed to steal your money or your identity. It's something that can get people killed. And the people doing it are smart enough to know that. Let's talk about SMS blasters. An SMS blaster is a portable device. In some cases, it's not much larger than a backpack. And it mimics a
Michael Routhier
Apr 296 min read
Transcript: Episode 9 - How to Help Your Aging Parents Stay Safe Online - Without It Turning Into a Fight
Hey, welcome back to Tech 4 Grown-Ups. I'm Michael. Today, I want to talk about something a little different. Most of the time on this show, I'm talking directly to you, the person who wants to feel more confident, more safe, more in control of their digital life, and we're going to keep doing that. But today, I want to talk to the other half of this community. That's the adult children, the sons and daughters and grandchildren who are watching a parent or a grandparent navig
Michael Routhier
Apr 287 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
AI Claims It Has Taste Now. Here's Why That's Telling.
Decades of failure, refinement, and devotion; all held in one hand. No algorithm has ever known what this feels like. That's the whole argument. Last week, one of the most powerful AI companies in the world made an announcement that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI model, released their newest version and claimed it had developed something called taste . Not intelligence. Not speed. Not accuracy. Taste. The ability to loo
Michael Routhier
Apr 206 min read
AI and Older Adults: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Truth
Someone has to say it out loud. Might as well be us. I want to talk about something that almost nobody is talking about honestly. Not because the information isn't out there. Because saying it clearly, to people who need to hear it, feels inconvenient for the people with the most to gain from your confusion. So let's fix that. Not the breathless headlines about AI changing everything. Not the doom-and-gloom predictions about robots taking over. Not the corporate press release
Michael Routhier
Apr 168 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
The Apple iPhone Scam Targeting Millions; Protect Yourself.
I got a message this week from a woman in our community ; sharp, careful, not the type to fall for anything obvious. She forwarded me a text she had received that looked exactly like it came from Apple. Professional logo. Proper formatting. Polite but urgent tone. It said there was suspicious activity on her Apple Pay account and she needed to verify her identity immediately. She almost clicked it. She didn't, because something felt slightly off. But she told me she genuinely
Michael Routhier
Apr 105 min read
How to Report a Scam: Canada, USA, UK and Europe Guide
Been targeted by a scammer? Here are the official fraud reporting resources for Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, all in one place.
Michael Routhier
Apr 96 min read
Apple's New MacBook Neo - Should You Actually Buy It?
Let's talk about the brand new MacBook Neo, what it is, who it's for, and whether you should spend your hard-earned money on one.
Michael Routhier
Apr 74 min read
Oracle Just Laid Off 30,000 Workers. Older Adults Pay the Price.
Oracle cut up to 30,000 jobs to fund its AI push — and older, experienced workers are bearing the brunt. Here's what this means for adults 55+ and what comes next
Michael Routhier
Apr 37 min read
The Algorithm Knows You're Lonely — And It's Using That
Have you ever picked up your phone just to check something quickly, and then looked up to find an hour had passed? Maybe two hours. And you're not even sure what you were looking at. If that has happened to you, you are not losing your mind. You are not weak. You are not bad with technology. You were targeted. And today we are going to talk about exactly how it works, and what you can do about it. What an Algorithm Actually Is The word "algorithm" sounds technical and cold, s
Michael Routhier
Mar 255 min read
What the Nancy Guthrie Case Teaches Us About Safety Tech
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was abducted from her Tucson home on January 31. Her case reveals critical gaps in how older adults use technology to stay safe. Here's what to do.
Michael Routhier
Mar 247 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
Fake Debt Collector Calls Are Stealing Your Identity
The phone rings. Someone on the other end says they are calling from a collections agency about an outstanding debt. They already know your name. They may even know your address. They ask you to simply "verify" a few pieces of information to confirm your identity before they can proceed. It sounds routine. It sounds official. But it is one of the most sophisticated identity theft scams targeting adults 55 and older right now — and what they are really after is far more danger
Michael Routhier
Mar 234 min read
CRA and IRS Phone Scams Are Targeting Seniors Right Now
Your phone rings. The caller says they are from the Canada Revenue Agency, or the IRS if you are in the United States. They tell you that you owe back taxes and that if you do not pay immediately, you will be arrested. They sound official. They sound urgent. They sound terrifying. And it is completely, 100% fake. Here is everything you need to know. What This Scam Looks Like The CRA and IRS imposter scam is one of the most reported and most financially damaging scams targetin
Michael Routhier
Mar 233 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
Social Media Is Designed to Manipulate You. Here's the 2,000-Year-Old Advice That Fights Back.
Marcus Aurelius never owned a smartphone. He never scrolled through a Facebook feed at midnight or watched strangers argue in the comments of a YouTube video. And yet, nearly 2,000 years ago, he wrote the exact wisdom you need to navigate the digital world with your peace of mind fully intact. Welcome to Stoic Tech. Who Was Marcus Aurelius — And Why Does He Matter Now? Marcus Aurelius was Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 AD; arguably the most powerful person on earth at the ti
Michael Routhier
Mar 234 min read
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