Google is kind of a big deal, to say the least. The tech giant has blossomed over the course of the past decade, quickly becoming part of the global lexicon, and establishing itself as an official verb in the dictionary. Although the company wears many hats, its most valuable asset has always been its phenomenal search engine.
Unfortunately, Google isn’t one to automatically recognize punctuation and grammar within search queries. However, the symbols and punctuation listed below are exceptions to the rules, ones that allow you to better refine your search results when used in conjunction with your desired search terms. Just don’t add any spaces between the symbol and your search phrases. Otherwise, Google will ignore your commands.
Punctuation and symbols really only get you so far with Google. Search operators, which are additionally available within the Google Advanced Search page, allow you to greatly narrow your search results based on a variety of individual factors when you pair them with your desired search terms.
Also, omit the spaces as you would with symbols.
There are a handful of other useful Google search functions that don’t fall under either of the above categories. Google built the engine with several useful tools that allow you to look up information without have to navigate to other sites. For instance, you can instantly check the weather for a city, or look up the definition of “miasma,” among a bevy of other actions. You can even utilize the microphone on your desktop or mobile device to search Google using your own voice, or find the Bacon Number of your favorite celebrity (we’re betting it’s two).
Speech-to-text apps have flooded the App Store, making it easier than ever to type on our Macs with just our voice. I have previously covered one such app called TypeWhisper. However, there has been a dearth of good text-to-speech models, and most of the good ones are locked behind a subscription.
Ollama, an open-source app that lets you run local AI models on your computer, wants to change that. It works on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and your prompts are never stored or used for training.
Did you think hitting delete on your AI chatbot conversation actually makes it disappear? Georgia Tech researchers just proved that's not entirely true. They have built a forensic tool called ORISA that can dig deleted conversations from your phone and even rebuild them into a working chatbot session you can keep talking to.
How can ORISA bring deleted AI conversations back?
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).