Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: Bluetooth Audio Adapter for Music Streaming to your Home Stereo

Posted on July 28, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is this outstanding Bluetooth Audio Adapter for Music Streaming to your Home Stereo.

Would you like to stream music on your smartphone or tablet and listen to it through your awesome-sounding home stereo system that doesn’t have Bluetooth capability? With this little gem you can!

Click here to check out the Bluetooth Audio Adapter for Music Streaming to your Home Stereo at Amazon.

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

Picture of the Day: “A Touch of Holland”

Posted on July 28, 2026

Today’s POTD features a pair of Holland’s iconic windmills and an adjacent farm. 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 – July 2026

Posted on June 30, 2026

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July’s winner will receive a fantastic Euhomy 59QT 12 Volt Refrigerator/Cooler/Freezer.

This portable refrigerator/cooler/freezer will run off your vehicle’s cigarette lighter port. No more buying ice that’s just going to melt overnight!

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 July 31 and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will be selected at random.

Good luck!

Q&A: Do you really have to fully charge a new laptop or phone before using it?

Posted on July 28, 2026

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Question from Brenda: I just ordered this new laptop for my son for his birthday. A friend of mine told me I need to charge the battery to 100% before I give him the laptop and let him start using use it.

In the past I have always just unboxed my new laptops and plugged them in and started using them immediately, and as far as I know there was never any problem. The same way with every new phone I have ever bought. [Read more…]

How to tell if someone unfollowed you on Instagram

Posted on July 28, 2026

Your Instagram follower count drops by one. Someone unfollowed you, but Instagram will never tell you who. The platform shows your current follower list and a number, and when someone leaves they simply vanish from the list with no notification and no record.

For a lot of people that quiet drop is more annoying than it should be, because the obvious question, who was it, has no built-in answer. Here is why, and what actually works.

[Read more…]

Q&A: If I replace Windows with Linux will I need to replace the hard drive too?

Posted on July 27, 2026

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Question from Marla: I have an older HP desktop PC that got really slow over the years so I bought a new laptop and put the old desktop in a closet. Well, the laptop’s screen just went bad and I don’t have the money to buy a new computer right now.

I took the old desktop out of the closet and hooked it up, and to my great surprise it still works. The problem is it has Windows 7 on it and I know it’s unsafe to use now. [Read more…]