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Do You Still Use a Mousepad?
Using a mousepad was once a necessity, back when rubber ball mice needed traction under them. But today's laser mice work on a much wider variety of surfaces, making mousepades unnecessary in many cases. Do you still use a mousepad, and if so, what kind? Is it a standard size one, or a large full-desk gaming mousepad? I've always used a mousepad, which is partially because I had a few cool ones with designs I liked. For the last few years, I've had a large mousepad that provides enough room for my keyboard, mouse, and a few items on the other side.
If Your Computer Could Talk, What Would It Complain About Most?
Our computers could speak a lot of things about us from everything they see, and the way we treat them. If your desktop or laptop were like a person and could speak about you, what would be its biggest complaint, and why? My computer would probably be upset that I play music all the time while working, and would be upset at hearing the same songs repeated when I get into a groove with them. It would probably ask for a break from me typing on the keys, too.
Do You Trust Google’s AI Overviews?
Google is pushing its AI overviews on more searches, so you might get your query answered before you even click on one of the results (which Google sucks up to produce the overview). While these can be helpful for quick answers, they're also not always reliable. Just today, I saw an overview make a claim that cited a 2-month-old YouTube video with under 500 views and zero proof as a source. What do you think of Google's AI overviews? Personally, I hate them because they take the hard work of people like my team and repackage them in a way that results in fewer people coming to our sites.
Do You Use Any News Aggregation Services?
There are so many places online to read news that it can be overwhelming. This is where news aggregation apps and websites come in: they let you find the stories that matter to you without having to hunt through dozens of sources manually. Do you use news aggregation tools like Google News, Flipboard, or Feedly? Why or why not? I don't actively seek news most of the time; I usually hear about what's happening through X or word of mouth. But I do use Feedly for tech news at the site.
What’s the Longest Cable You Have?
While a lot of common cables for charging, power, or video are 3 or 6 feet, sometimes the situation calls for a longer cable. Wireless is great, but for long-term setups, it's often worth the effort to run a long cable. What's the longest computer cable you have, and what do you use it for? I have a 50-foot Ethernet cable running from my office desktop down to my router. I don't use all of the 50 feet, so I have it wrapped up, but a 25-foot cable was too short. I got a thin, flat cable that's easy to keep out of sight.
What Do You Think of Windows Recall?
Few Windows features have been as controversial as Windows Recall, which constantly takes screenshots of what you're doing to allow you to return to a prior moment and pick up where you left off. While a cool idea in theory, many people rightly balked at its announcement due to its terrible privacy implications. Microsoft has since addressed some of these, but it's not a perfect feature. What do you think of Windows Recall—do you use it, or would you if you had a compatible PC? I think I would benefit from the feature as I often forget what I was doing when jumping between tasks, but I wouldn't want to turn this on for privacy reasons.
Which Subscriptions Are Actually Worth Paying For?
We're all sick of subscriptions, and while the model gets annoying when applied at scale, not all subscriptions are bad. Some truly provide a ton of value, especially when compared to spending a bunch of money on a tool upfront. What subscriptions do you think are really worth their value, and why? Spotify (or whichever music streaming service) is always my #1—having on-demand access to the world's recorded music is more than worth what I pay for it. Cloud backup tools are too, as they pay for themselves in an instant if something goes wrong.
What’s Your Most-Used Emoji?
Even though there are hundreds of emoji to pick from, you probably stick with a few favorites to express yourself. Some are more suitable to a wide range of situations, while many are much more niche. What's your most-used emoji, and what do you use it for most often? I use 💯 a lot to express excitement or appreciation for something. ✅ is also extremely useful on Slack to show that you've seen a message without sending a ping back just to say "OK".
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