Justin Pot
@justinpot.com
I am a freelance journalist and a person. I believe that tech is a tool, not a way of life, and that we should use it to connect with each other. I currently write for Lifehacker, WIRED, The Atlantic, PopSci, PCMag, and The Wall Street Journal.
Red sky in the morning (but only at certain latitudes) and other weather myths I wrote about for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/environment/3-myths-about-the-weather/
September 14, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Red sky in the morning (but only at certain latitudes) and other weather myths I wrote about for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/environment/3-myths-about-the-weather/
pro tip: tell your boss the AI said you’ll be more efficient at home and see which one of their irrational beliefs wins out
September 10, 2026 at 4:23 PM
pro tip: tell your boss the AI said you’ll be more efficient at home and see which one of their irrational beliefs wins out
I didn’t exactly enjoy writing this for PopSci, but I did learn a lot: https://www.popsci.com/health/how-gross-is-biting-your-fingernails-bacteria-fungus-saliva-gums-teeth-damage/
September 8, 2026 at 4:02 PM
I didn’t exactly enjoy writing this for PopSci, but I did learn a lot: https://www.popsci.com/health/how-gross-is-biting-your-fingernails-bacteria-fungus-saliva-gums-teeth-damage/
It's like a Temu listing for a lake.
Layers of stupidity
Calling Lake Ontario "Lake America" is stupid for the obvious reasons, yes, but also for historical ones.
justinpot.com
September 4, 2026 at 5:13 PM
It's like a Temu listing for a lake.
What’s the most complex “app” you’ve replaced with a text document?
September 3, 2026 at 5:58 PM
What’s the most complex “app” you’ve replaced with a text document?
My Canadian heart feels strongly about this, my latest piece for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/health/how-gross-is-wearing-your-shoes-inside-poop-germs-lead-poisons-allergies/
August 31, 2026 at 8:10 PM
My Canadian heart feels strongly about this, my latest piece for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/health/how-gross-is-wearing-your-shoes-inside-poop-germs-lead-poisons-allergies/
Get your timeline back.
How to actually see posts from your friends and family on Instagram
Instagram is a hostage situation. It has photos and videos from the people in your life, but it will only show them to you occasionally—most of the time you get algorithmically-chosen slop. This means you can scroll for hours on this so-called social network and learn very little about the people you care about. Maybe...
justinpot.com
August 27, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Get your timeline back.
Reposted by Justin Pot
“It might sound like I’m demeaning the executive class, and I am.”
😂
😂
What I learned from the most depressing conversation of my life.
The one thing no CEO will ever understand
What I learned from the most depressing conversation of my life.
justinpot.com
August 25, 2026 at 11:11 PM
“It might sound like I’m demeaning the executive class, and I am.”
😂
😂
One thing I do not miss about Twitter is the brands. I hope they never find us here.
August 26, 2026 at 4:21 PM
One thing I do not miss about Twitter is the brands. I hope they never find us here.
What I learned from the most depressing conversation of my life.
The one thing no CEO will ever understand
What I learned from the most depressing conversation of my life.
justinpot.com
August 24, 2026 at 6:27 PM
What I learned from the most depressing conversation of my life.
Worried about toilet germs on your toothbrush? You can relax (mostly). https://www.popsci.com/health/how-gross-is-it-to-leave-a-toothbrush-exposed-bathroom-toilet/
August 24, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Worried about toilet germs on your toothbrush? You can relax (mostly). https://www.popsci.com/health/how-gross-is-it-to-leave-a-toothbrush-exposed-bathroom-toilet/
Most of the internet is bad, yes, but some of it is Actually Good™.
Free graph paper, an online drum machine, and a few other Actually Good Websites™
Stop doom scrolling and start creeping on the location of every boat on earth.
justinpot.com
August 20, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Most of the internet is bad, yes, but some of it is Actually Good™.
Lately I’ve been drifting in the morning instead of finding joy in my writing. What helps you find yourself at the beginning of the day?
August 19, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Lately I’ve been drifting in the morning instead of finding joy in my writing. What helps you find yourself at the beginning of the day?
I’m never dragging an icon to /Applications again. Ever. https://www.wired.com/story/easydmg-finally-fixed-installing-apps-on-a-mac/
August 17, 2026 at 6:36 PM
I’m never dragging an icon to /Applications again. Ever. https://www.wired.com/story/easydmg-finally-fixed-installing-apps-on-a-mac/
Transcription, the best tool the AI age has brought us, doesn’t need to cost anything. https://www.wired.com/story/meetily-lets-you-transcribe-and-summarize-meetings-without-a-subscription-heres-how/
August 13, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Transcription, the best tool the AI age has brought us, doesn’t need to cost anything. https://www.wired.com/story/meetily-lets-you-transcribe-and-summarize-meetings-without-a-subscription-heres-how/
Google doesn’t make it easy to ditch Gemini in Googel Docs, but you can do it. I outlined how for WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-disable-the-gemini-ai-features-in-gmail-and-google-docs/
August 11, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Google doesn’t make it easy to ditch Gemini in Googel Docs, but you can do it. I outlined how for WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-disable-the-gemini-ai-features-in-gmail-and-google-docs/
My latest newsletter is out! Subscribe to get all my posts here delivered to your inbox, if you like that sort of thing. https://buttondown.com/justinpot
August 10, 2026 at 4:23 PM
My latest newsletter is out! Subscribe to get all my posts here delivered to your inbox, if you like that sort of thing. https://buttondown.com/justinpot
Enough is enough.
Why I left Mastodon
It’s not click bait: I left Mastodon last month. But it’s also kind of clickbait, because you can still follow me there. Is that confusing? A friend of mine, also a tech journalist, recently told me it is, so I thought I’d try to explain. One of the nice things about Mastodon, and social networks...
justinpot.com
August 7, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Enough is enough.
Share with with anyone who wants to spend less time on YouTube.
How to turn YouTube into a tool (instead of a giant time sink)
Don't passively consume—take control over what you see.
justinpot.com
August 5, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Share with with anyone who wants to spend less time on YouTube.
It turns out sirens have a pretty interesting history, as I wrote for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/technology/history-of-police-sirens/
August 3, 2026 at 5:16 PM
It turns out sirens have a pretty interesting history, as I wrote for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/technology/history-of-police-sirens/
You don't have to put up with it.
How to get the old Google back
A lot of people ask me how to get rid of the AI suggestion box at the top of Google's search results. And I personally have my own beef with the feature, even while understanding it can occasionally be useful. There's a lot of bad advice for removing the feature out there. Some people recommend...
justinpot.com
July 31, 2026 at 2:03 PM
You don't have to put up with it.
Friction is fun, actually.
Tech is better when it kinda sucks
On the joy of tinkering and figuring things out.
justinpot.com
July 30, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Friction is fun, actually.
Humans are very bad at knowing what they want. A dive into the science of happiness, for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/health/ways-science-can-help-you-feel-happier/
July 25, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Humans are very bad at knowing what they want. A dive into the science of happiness, for PopSci: https://www.popsci.com/health/ways-science-can-help-you-feel-happier/
Finally, a meditation app that doesn’t bombard you with pop-ups and upsells: https://theintelligence.com/43688/meditation-app/
July 24, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Finally, a meditation app that doesn’t bombard you with pop-ups and upsells: https://theintelligence.com/43688/meditation-app/
Annoyed by all the animations and music videos in Spotify? I explain how to turn them all off over at WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-disable-all-the-music-videos-in-spotify/
July 20, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Annoyed by all the animations and music videos in Spotify? I explain how to turn them all off over at WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-disable-all-the-music-videos-in-spotify/