Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: Malwarebytes Standard, Premium Security – 1 Year / 5 Devices

Posted on August 23, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is Malwarebytes Standard, Premium Security – 1 Year / 5 Devices.

I’m often asked which antivirus app is the best you can get and my answer is always the same…

Malwarebytes Premium provides excellent real-time protection against viruses plus several other forms of malware that other antivirus apps don’t even check for. And you can install it on up to 5 devices.

Click here to check out Malwarebytes Standard, Premium Security – 1 Year / 5 Devices at Amazon.

Did you miss (or want to revisit) one of my earlier picks? You might find it right here.

Picture of the Day: “Chesapeake Sunrise”

Posted on August 23, 2026

Today’s POTD features the orange glow of the rising sun reflecting off the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. I hope you like it.

Have lots of treasured photos of your own that you’d love to display in your home but you have limited wall space? A digital picture frame (#ad) is an excellent solution. Check them out!

Enjoy these Pictures of the Day? Sign up for my free Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter and you’ll never miss one (or any of my tech tips either)!

Monthly Tech Giveaway – August 2026

Posted on July 31, 2026

Note: The links on this page are affiliate links.

August’s winner will receive a fantastic Ambient Weather WS-2000 Smart Weather Station with Wi-Fi Remote Monitoring and Alerts.

If you’re a weather buff like I am you’ll love this personal weather station. It’ll keep you up-to-date on what’s happening outside your own home in real time.

All subscribers to the Standard edition of my Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter have an equal chance to win.

Premium subscribers have two chances to win (their email addresses are added to the “pot” twice).

Not a subscriber? Just enter your email address in the sign-up form on this page.

Once subscribed you’ll be eligible to win each month’s drawing – starting with this month. Better yet, opt for a Premium subscription for double the chance to win!

The drawing for this month’s prize will be held on August 31 and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will be selected at random.

Good luck!

Q&A: How long can used solar panels be expected to last?

Posted on August 23, 2026

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Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Blaine: I was reading through some of the past “Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletters” and noticed one was sponsored by a company selling used solar panels.

I’ve actually been pricing solar panels for a while with an eye towards taking a small hunting cabin that I own off-grid.

I checked out the used panels offered by your advertiser SanTan Solar and their prices are only a fraction of the cheapest prices that I’ve been able to find for new solar panels.

I have a couple of questions for you if you don’t mind: [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it legal to spoof someone else’s phone number?

Posted on August 22, 2026

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Question from Brenda: I’m so frustrated with all the calls I’m receiving from scammers who have spoofed someone else’s phone number!

I’ve always heard that’s illegal so why are so many people doing it?

So tell me, is spoofing illegal or not? [Read more…]

How to display a complete list of Gmail’s handy keyboard shortcuts

Posted on August 21, 2026

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As you probably know, Gmail is the most popular email service on the planet.

In fact, almost 2 billion people worldwide use Gmail every month to send and receive gazillions of emails.

There are several reasons for Gmail’s popularity, one of which is its dizzying array of features and integrated tools which includes dozens of handy keyboard shortcuts for working with messages, using the editor and a whole lot more. [Read more…]