Regal Beagle Online

🦄 The myths that got all of us

Closing background apps saves battery. Nope. Completely backward. Apple confirmed it directly: Force-closing apps and reopening them uses more battery than leaving them alone. Your phone manages its own memory just fine. You swiping everything away actually works against it. Put the phone down.

Incognito mode makes you private. I want to grab people by the shoulders on this one. Incognito only hides your history from other people on your device. That’s it. Your internet provider still sees every site you visit. Websites still log your IP address. Google knows it’s you. Incognito is a privacy curtain inside your own house. It does nothing about the people outside.

Deleting a photo means it’s gone. It isn’t. On iPhone, deleted photos sit in your Recently Deleted album for 30 days, fully visible to anyone who picks up your phone. On Android, same story. And if you have iCloud or Google Photos backup turned on? You have to delete them in at least three separate places to get anywhere close to actually gone. People have discovered this the hard way during breakups, job interviews and phone repairs.

🔋 The one quietly killing your battery tonight

Charging to 100% every night feels responsible. It isn’t. Lithium batteries degrade fastest at the extremes. Apple, Samsung and Google all recommend keeping your charge between 20% and 80%.

On Android: Go to Settings > Battery > Charging Optimization.  On iPhone: Settings > Battery > Charging. Turn on optimized charging right now. Your battery will last years longer.

That “unsubscribe” button isn’t helping you. It’s confirming you’re real. Every time you click it, you’re telling spammers your address is live, and someone reads it.

What’s the single most important thing you can do to keep crooks from getting your personal information?”

The most important thing you can do is to stop clicking links in emails and texts. Most scams succeed because they trick us into clicking something that looks urgent and giving away our passwords and credit card numbers. If you go directly to websites and apps to check instead of clicking on the link in the email or text, you shut down the biggest way crooks steal personal information.

You downloaded a flashlight app. A game. A weather widget. Something useful, free and completely harmless-looking.

But “free app” and “surveillance tool with a useful feature stapled on top” are often the same thing. The app works. It also happens to be reporting your location, your contacts and your browsing habits to companies you’ve never heard of.

The scariest thing isn’t hiding under your bed. It’s on your phone.

📍 Delete these first

1. Third-party flashlight apps. The FTC went after one popular flashlight app after it quietly sent users’ precise GPS coordinates to advertisers. Your phone has a built-in flashlight. 

2. Free QR scanner apps. Your phone’s camera scans QR codes. Many third-party apps exist for one reason: ads and data collection. You don’t need them.

3. Third-party weather apps. The Weather Channel app settled a lawsuit over selling location data to advertisers. Your phone’s built-in weather app works fine.

4. Free VPN apps. You download a VPN to protect your privacy, and it turns around and sells your browsing history. Pay for ExpressVPN.*

5. AI photo apps. That fun app that makes you look younger asked for full access to your camera roll. And in some cases, your facial biometric data.

🔓 The ones you forgot about

6. Life360. Sold to parents as a family safety app. Sold to data brokers as a precise location feed, including your kids’ locations. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Life360 and set it to While Using. 

7. Truecaller. Truecaller builds its database by uploading the entire contact list of every person who installs the app. If your friend has it, your name and number are in the database.

8. Words With Friends. A breach exposed data of over 200 million accounts. Names, emails, login credentials, phone numbers. If you play, use a throwaway email.

9. Flo Health. The popular fertility app settled with the FTC after sharing users’ reproductive health data with Facebook and Google. Deeply private information. Go to Settings > Privacy Mode inside the app and enable Anonymous Mode. Or switch to Apple Health’s on-device tracking, which never leaves your phone.

10. Facebook. If you granted “Always” location access, Facebook tracks your movements even when the app is closed. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Facebook and change it to While Using or Never. I’ll wait.

11. TikTok. Researchers caught TikTok reading iPhone users’ clipboard data every few seconds. That means passwords, banking confirmations, medical notes. Anything you copied, TikTok potentially saw. The company says it fixed it. Check anyway: Settings > Privacy > Clipboard on your iPhone to see which apps have recently accessed it.

12. DoorDash. A breach hit nearly 5 million customers, drivers and merchants. Driver’s license numbers, bank account info, all of it. Go to Settings > Account > Privacy in the app and kill every marketing permission. You ordered a burrito. Not a data relationship.

13. Any app you haven’t opened in 30 days. Open your phone and scroll. Count the ones collecting dust. Those are your starting point. Delete them. If you genuinely miss one, re-download it. You won’t miss any of them.

Studies show that 40% to 80% of medical information given during appointments is forgotten by the time patients get home. And follow-up visits cost $250 to $350 on average. A lot of those visits are needed because someone didn’t understand their instructions or left without asking the one question that mattered.

Here’s your fix. Before your next appointment, open ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok and paste this:

Think of an upcoming appointment, even a dental cleaning or a specialist visit. Paste the prep prompt below with your details into your AI of choice

“Be my patient advocate. I have a doctor’s appointment on [date] for [reason]. My main symptoms are [list them]. I’ve been on [medications] for [conditions]. I’m [age] years old. Build me a one-page appointment prep document that includes: my top 5 questions ranked by priority, a symptom timeline, what tests or referrals I should ask about and the one question most patients forget to ask their doctor about this condition.”

Print the Document or pull it up on your phone while in the waiting room and then after the appointment, paste your notes or lab results and ask AI:

Explain what these results mean in plain English. What should I be watching for? What follow-up questions should I ask at my next visit?

You’re not replacing your doctor. You’re showing up like someone who respects both their time and yours. Big difference.

Makes 1 burger

• 1/3 pound ground chuck (80/20)
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• Tallow, lard, butter or plant-based fat for frying onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 toasted hamburger bun
• Condiments as desired, but definitely pickles

Heat a stainless-steel or cast-iron grill or a large cast-iron pan to medium-high. Place the onions in a tangled pile on one side of the grill, and add a couple tablespoons of water to steam them up a bit. Then add about a tablespoon of tallow or another fat to them and leave them to sauté while you prepare the burger.

Roll the burger into a ball, then with a piece of parchment paper over it, use a burger press or a stiff metal spatula to smash the burger to about a quarter-inch thickness. Season it with salt and pepper.

Put the two halves of the bun on the grill or a separate pan to toast them.

When the onions have caramelized a bit, scoop them onto the burger patty and press them firmly into the meat. When the burger has developed a crust on the grill side, flip the onion side down and allow it to brown a bit. If adding cheese, this is the moment to do so.

As humans, our default setting isn’t exactly selflessness. We often judge ourselves by our intentions, but judge others by their actions. We can be quick to accuse without first looking in the mirror.

But Jesus calls us to live differently:

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Matthew 7:12 NLT

Often referred to as the “golden rule,” it’s a brilliant litmus test for discerning how to respond to people in the face of hardship, uncertainty, and pain.

Here are some ways we can apply this verse to our daily lives:

WHEN SOMEONE HURTS YOU…

Think: Have you ever hurt someone, either accidentally or intentionally? And when the mistake was made or realized, did you want to be screamed at and given a harsh consequence, or did you long for grace and a second chance?

To the extent that we forgive, we are forgiven. So what if, today, we give others the same grace, compassion, and mercy that we’d like to receive?

WHEN SOMEONE IS STRUGGLING...

When you personally experience hardships, you might seek counsel from a pastor or mentor, but you probably also want a friend who will listen and help you process. You want someone to come alongside you who can handle your honest thoughts, and help you navigate the hurt in this world.

Just as we need people to encourage us, we are also called to be that source of support to others. So today, consider what you can do to point people to God’s love and truth.

WHEN SOMEONE HAS ANNOYED YOU…

People can be irritating at times. But if you’re ever considered an annoyance by somebody else, would you rather that person talk bad about you, or have patience with you? We are all works in progress and are all called to show mercy and grace.

So this week, when you’re tempted to lash out at someone requiring a little “extra” of you, or dismiss someone who’s getting on your last nerve, consider asking yourself: If I were them, what would I want?

If we want to live like Jesus, we need to do what He asks of us. And Jesus explained a key mindset in following Him—to treat others how you want to be treated.

Storage Almost Full. If you’ve seen that warning, you’re not alone.

Nearly half of all phone users hit that wall every single year. And one in 10? They see it every day. Before you delete your favorite memories or hand Apple or Google another $3 a month…

Your phone is stuffed with junk you never asked for.

Now, let me walk you through five steps to take back your space.

📸 Delete duplicate photos (10-20 GB)

Your phone saves multiple copies of every photo you edit. Burst mode photos stack up. Screenshots linger.

iPhone: Open Photos > Collections > scroll down to Utilities and tap Duplicates. Your phone already found them for you. Tap Merge, then Merge items. Most people find thousands of duplicates hiding in there. That’s 10-20 GB back, easy.

Android: Use Files by Google. Tap the Menu (three lines) > Clean > Duplicate files. Select what you want to delete, then Move to Trash. Done.

🗑️ Clear app caches (5-15 GB)

Apps store temporary files that clog your phone. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok can each free 500 MB to 3 GB.

iPhone: Delete and reinstall apps you use daily. Your login stays saved, cache is gone.

Android: Go to Settings > Apps > [App name] > Storage > Clear cache.

💬 Delete old messages (3-10 GB)

Your text messages store years of photos and videos.

iPhone: Settings > Apps > Messages > Keep Messages > Change to 1 Year. Also: Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages > Review Large Attachments. Delete old videos.

Android: Google Messages doesn’t have an auto-delete setting. But if your phone uses the Samsung Messages app, tap the three dots for Settings > More settings > toggle on Delete old messages.

📂 Clear downloads (5-10 GB)

iPhone: Files app > Browse > Downloads folder. Delete everything you don’t need. Then Settings > Apps > Safari > scroll down to Clear History and Website Data.

Android: Open Files by Google > Menu (three lines) > Clean > Select files. Delete old PDFs and videos.

📱 Offload unused apps (10-20 GB)

iPhone: Settings > Apps > App Store > toggle on Offload Unused Apps. Your phone auto-deletes apps you don’t use but keeps the data.

Android: Settings > Apps > three dots or filter/sort icon > sort by Last used. Uninstall anything you haven’t opened in months.

Total recovered: 30-75 GB in 30 minutes. Your phone will feel brand new. Do this every three months, and you’ll never run out of space.

Phew, that was a lot. But give yourself a pat on the back. You did it!

• Anyone can find your home address on a free people search site in seconds. Then Zillow hands them a blueprint of every room, entry point and camera angle.
• Home invasions targeting everyday people are surging. Physical attacks on homeowners nearly doubled last year.

The 10-minute lockdown: Remove your photos from Zillow, Redfin and Realtor. Blur your house on Google Street View.

🔒 Take it down in 10 minutes

These steps can look a little different depending on your device, app version or browser. If it’s not exact, poke around. The option is there.

Zillow: Sign in at zillow.com. Click your profile icon > Your Home. Search your address, claim it, then go to Edit Facts and hide or delete the photos. Hit Save. Redfin: Sign in at redfin.com. Go to Owner Dashboard. Select your home > Edit Photos > Hide listing photos > Save. Realtor: Go to realtor.com/myhome. Claim your home, then select it under My Home > Remove Photos > Yes, Remove All Photos. Google Street View: Open Google Maps on a computer. Search your address, drop into Street View, then click “Report a problem” (bottom right). Position the red box over your home. Under Request blurring, select “My home.” Submit. FYI, once it’s blurred, it’s permanent.

Pro tip: Ask your old listing agent to pull photos from the MLS. Once they’re gone from MLS, the feeder sites eventually follow.

If you’re not selling, there’s zero reason for the internet to have a virtual tour of your home. Take it down today.

I guess you could say Zillow gives everyone an open house. Problem is, you never sent the invitations.