Blog
The apps I'd recommend aren't the ones I use most
My most-used apps are mostly work, not what I'd recommend. This is the short list for a normal person's phone, and the ones worth deleting.
Joel Folgner
IT Manager, consultant, and tech curator based in Molalla, Oregon. I’m Joel Folgner, and I created Fresh From Cache to distill the noise of the tech industry into clear, practical insights.
News
You can finally hide your phone number on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is finally letting you hide your phone number behind a username. Here's what that actually protects, and what it doesn't.
Learn
Your computer feels slow. Here's what to do.
Most "slow computer" problems aren't the computer at all. This is how to find what's really slowing it down, and fix it for free or close to it, on a Windows PC.
newsletter
The pop-up scam just got raided
Police seized the servers behind it. Plus encrypted texts between iPhone and Android, and a five-minute phone setup worth doing before the long weekend.
News
Microsoft pulls Edge extensions due to malware
Microsoft pulled 119 Edge add-ons that worked for years, then turned on their users. Time to clean out the extensions you forgot you had.
Blog
How Much Water Does AI Really Use?
A single AI prompt uses far less water than the headlines suggest, somewhere between five drops and a few tablespoons. The fight worth having is about where these data centers get built, often in the driest places in the country.
News
Police take down major pop-up scams
An international police operation seized the servers behind the fake 'update your browser' pop-up. A rare win, and what it actually changes for you.
News
iPhone to Android texting finally encrypted.
A text between an iPhone and an Android phone can now be locked end to end for the first time. The tell is a small padlock, and it doesn't cover everything.
5-Minute Tech Tip
Set up your phone to share your medical info in an emergency
Your phone can show your medical info and call your contacts without anyone unlocking it. Five minutes of setup, and you can confirm it works.
Learn
How to capture fireworks with your phone
You have been following DSLR instructions your phone can't run. Here is the phone-native way to actually catch fireworks, plus the one manual button that finally nails the trail.
Learn
Are those smart glasses recording you? How to tell
Smart glasses look like ordinary sunglasses, but they record video and audio, and the tiny warning light is easy to miss or defeat. What they capture, where it goes, and how to tell if the pair across the table is on.
newsletter
The scam that gets you to do the hacking yourself
Plus a router that senses you walk by, iPhones too locked to steal, and a five-minute Wi-Fi trick.