THE PATRIOT KID

A small firm keeps paying for a scheduling tool that everyone quietly stopped using. Nobody canceled it because nobody was sure who owned it. The Kid asks the awkward question at the worst possible moment: renewal week.

Somebody reads a number off one screen and types it into another, twice a day. The Patriot Kid does the sum nobody does — eighty hours a year — and the three ways out, cheapest first.

One login, shared by everyone — including the lad who left in March. The Patriot Kid on why shared accounts cost you names rather than security, and the leaver's list that takes an hour to write once.

One workbook, one person who understands it, and eleven jobs today. The Patriot Kid on the spreadsheet that quietly became your most important software — the four warning signs, and the two hours that buy you time.

Everything is “AI-powered” now and half of it is a sticker on last year's software. The Patriot Kid on what AI is genuinely good at, where it falls down, and the one question that tells a real tool from a price rise.

One's $40 a month forever, one's $900 once. The Patriot Kid on renting vs owning your software, where your data really lives, and the question nobody asks until renewal day.

Slow in Seattle, bots hammering the login page. The Patriot Kid explains the middleman that fixes both — the phonebook, the copy shop and the bouncer — and what it can't do.

A website isn't enough. The Patriot Kid's step-by-step playbook for landing in Google's local “near me” map pack — Business Profile, categories, reviews, and consistent info.

Best BBQ in town, invisible online. No Google Business Profile, no reviews, no local keywords. The Patriot Kid on winning the “near me” map pack — where the calls are.

“Remind me tomorrow” — clicked for two years. 217 pending updates, antivirus expired in 2021. The Patriot Kid on why skipping updates leaves the door wide open.

A red pop-up screams “infected — call now!” It's a scam. The Patriot Kid on the tech-support con that talks you into remote access and gift cards — and how to hang up.

20 years in business and the phone stopped ringing. The Patriot Kid opens the site on a phone — tiny text, sideways scroll, an untappable number — and finds where the customers went.

YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED. Pay 3 Bitcoin. “We have backups, right?” The backup was plugged into the same PC. The Patriot Kid on ransomware and the 3-2-1 rule.

An urgent email says the account is locked — verify your login in 30 minutes. The domain was three days old. The Patriot Kid breaks down phishing, spoofing, and DMARC.

Cowboys2021! — used on 14 sites, sold on the dark web for $2.50. The Patriot Kid explains credential stuffing, password managers, and why MFA is non-negotiable.

Netflix won't load. Video calls keep dropping. The Patriot Kid investigates — and finds 14 routers fighting over the same Wi-Fi channel (and a microwave touching the router).

AI confidently gave someone the wrong answer and crashed their server. The Patriot Kid explains why ChatGPT doesn't actually know anything.

47 people can't work. The server is down. The boss is calling. The Patriot Kid has one question — and it fixes everything.