3 cool things I thought you might like - #3
Another week, another things I've gathered here and thought you might like.
I’ve been a bit obsessed with smart home stuff - well, more “regular” home tech upgrades you can do on a budget. Picture this: you’re on the couch watching a movie and want to turn off all the lights without getting up. Here are a few gadgets that make daily life easier, help save energy, and don’t cost a fortune.
Smart Home Devices
Smart plug for lights – For any stand lamp or device that plugs directly into an outlet, try this smart plug. Works easily with both iPhone and Android.
Smart switch – This one’s straightforward: you attach it with adhesive to your existing light switch to make it “smart” without any rewiring.
Smart AC – Sensibo (an Israeli company) lets you control your AC remotely using your phone, by copying the signal from your existing remote.
Think of these gadgets as the endpoints, but you’ll still need some kind of “brain” to manage everything—like a hub. If you’re on iPhone, I recommend the Apple HomePod Mini; for Android, go with Alexa or Google Nest. Just set one up and connect all your smart devices to it.
I also use the smart plug for my coffee machine - it's set to turn on automatically in the morning so it’s ready when I wake up, and to switch off around 5pm after my last cup. Simple, but it makes the routine a bit smoother.
AI Browsers – Comet, and an Actually Useful Use Case
Been trying out Comet browser lately. It’s a browser with some built-in AI features that are actually…useful. For example, I was ordering a fragrance online and didn’t feel like hunting for promo codes. I asked Comet to look for me, and it went through a pile of coupon sites, automatically tested what worked, and just applied a real discount in the cart. Saved me typing in six expired codes. Pretty efficient.
There’s also a shortcut that lets you click any address or business online and open it straight in Google Maps - one click, which just saves time versus copying and pasting between tabs. Simple, but cuts out an annoying step.
Not a life-changer, but it does make a few online errands less tedious. Feels like the kind of browser early adopters might want to check out, especially if you’re into streamlining the little stuff.
Thank you Jonathan Schwartz for the invitation to use it (I'm out of invites, but it will probably be opened to the public audience).
Flights – “Track, Book, Rebook” For Cheaper Travel
This is something I’ve been using for flights the last year, and it’s actually paid off a couple of times.
Set up price alerts: I use Google Flights – you just add any route and date range, even if you’re only roughly set on dates, and it’ll ping you if prices drop.
Book something flexible: If you see a good price, go ahead and book, but use airlines or booking sites with free changes or 24-hour cancellation (most have this now, especially if you book direct).
Keep watching: Don’t turn off your price alerts after you’ve booked! If the same flight drops, a bunch of airlines will let you cancel and rebook at the lower price or get airline credit. For US flights at least, I’ve gotten partial refunds doing this – just takes a quick check on the airline’s website or app.
If you want to go deeper, there’s a tool called Hopper that predicts price drops and lets you freeze a price for a while. Or stick with Google Flights for a quick, no-app-needed workflow.
Bonus: If your travel dates are super flexible, try Google Flights Explore – plug in your starting city and browse to see which days/months are cheapest for your destination. Helps spot those random days where prices are 30% lower for no reason.
Nothing groundbreaking, but if you’re the sort of person who likes “set and forget” hacks for travel, this one has saved me real money.
Prompt of the week
It’s technically not a prompt - but it makes your prompts way better. And, let’s be honest: sharper prompts almost always mean better results.
The extension called Teleprompt AI.
How to use it:
Teleprompt AI plugs right into your browser and suggests better ways to ask whatever you’re trying to get from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini (or whoever your favorite robot happens to be). I’ve used it for everything from rewording complex questions to quickly getting the right format for code explanations or travel plans. Worth it just to see some “prompt templates” you wouldn’t have thought of.I like to keep it pinned so when I get stuck (or just want faster answers), two clicks and I can try their version of my query. Sometimes the difference between “summarize this” and “give me a short, bulleted action list” is the difference between “huh?” and “oh, that makes sense.”
Meme of the week
