Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: Geekom A8 Max Mini PC

Posted on September 11, 2025

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is this super-fast and powerful, but tiny Geekom A8 Max Mini PC.

I’m a huge fan of the mini-PCs that are quickly taking over the computer market.

These little gems are somewhere between the size of a brick and a hardback book, but they are just as fast and powerful as a full-size desktop PC.

This one is loaded with 32GB DDR5 RAM, a blazing-fast 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, a powerful Ryzen 9 8945HS processor and more USB and other ports than you’ll find on most tower PCs.

Click here to check out the Geekom A8 Max Mini PC at Amazon.

Picture of the Day: “Ducks in a Row”

Posted on September 11, 2025

Today’s POTD features several very colorful mandarin ducks, all lined up as if they’re about to compete in a race. 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 – September 2025

Posted on August 31, 2025

Note: The links on this page are affiliate links.

September’s winner will receive a 15.6″ Lenovo IdeaPad 1 Student Laptop.

This laptop is perfect for junior high and high school students. It’s plenty capable of doing most anything that might be required for class, yet it’s very affordable.

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 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 September 30 and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will be selected at random.

Good luck!

Q&A: Do the tiny nano USB WiFi adapters work as well as larger ones?

Posted on September 10, 2025

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Question from Alexis: Hi, Rick. I need to buy a USB WiFi adapter for my computer and I’d really like to use one of the small “nano” adapters like this one.

I really like those because they don’t stick out from the computer very much. I’m always afraid I’ll catch it on something and break it.

The thing is, I’ve heard that the small size might keep it from working as well as a full size adapter. This is important because I often use my computer in my basement rec room where the WiFi signal isn’t all that strong. Is that something I need to worry about? If so, can you recommend one? [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I see which websites can see my location with Chrome?

Posted on September 9, 2025

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Question from Marcus: I know that some websites can see my location when I visit them with Chrome.

I know there are some sites that need to see my location (like Google Maps, for instance) but I’d rather keep my location hidden from the ones that don’t.

Is there a way to see which sites can see my location?

Also, is there a way to stop the ones that don’t need access to my location from seeing it? [Read more…]

Warning: Your smartphone photos can put your security at risk

Posted on September 8, 2025

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Did you know that by default, every photo you take with your smartphone has the location where the photo was taken added to the photo’s metadata?

That means anyone who manages to view one of your photos can easily find out exactly where that photo was taken.

For most people this isn’t a concern because they only share their personal photos with family members and friends. After all, most of those folks will likely know where you live and work anyway, right?

The above being said, here are some things to consider… [Read more…]