Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Will light bulbs make solar panels work at night?

Posted on April 8, 2025

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Question from Mark: I have a small solar power setup (about 400 watts) that’s powering the lights and the TV in the small off-grid cabin I built for weekend getaways.

I tried running a portable refrigerator and a couple of other small appliances off the solar and they work fine during the day, but my 12V/100Ah battery is dead by morning when I leave everything running overnight.

My question is will solar panels work with artificial light? [Read more…]

Unique ways to ensure originality in content

Posted on April 8, 2025

Content is king in the marketing world. However, for you to capture people’s attention, your content must be original and unique. AI technology is here with us, and despite its many positives, it has some challenges, especially when it comes to content creation.

There have been instances where creators and journalists have been caught passing off AI-generated articles as their own personal work. So, with millions of creators, blogs, and websites churning out content, how do you make yours stand out? [Read more…]

The rise of hybrid electric aircraft: What does the future have in store?

Posted on April 8, 2025

Engineers, airline firms, and aircraft manufacturers always strive to improve air travel. Their goal is to make flying more economical, reliable, comfortable, and safe. They also want to make aircraft more efficient to improve earnings.

The advent of hybrid electric aircraft is one of the recent developments in aviation. These aircraft employ batteries and special engines to save energy and operate more efficiently than conventional aircraft, which run solely on jet fuel.

As more companies invest in these planes and more airlines adopt them, the future of air travel will change. But what can passengers, businesses, and the aviation industry expect? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it safe to completely disable Windows updates?

Posted on April 6, 2025

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Question from Michael: I recently bought a new desktop computer to replace the one I’ve been using for the past six years.

It seems like the updates I’ve been installing on this new machine have all been filled with bugs because almost every time I install them something goes wrong.

The last time it happened my nephew had to completely reinstall Windows for me.

I’d like to completely disable the installation of updates on the new PC. Is it safe to do that? [Read more…]

Clear out junk with Windows 11’s Cleanup Recommendations tool

Posted on April 5, 2025

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As you probably know, Windows PCs tend to accumulate tons of “junk” that takes up valuable storage space on your machine’s hard drive or SSD.

There are numerous “system cleanup” apps that will clear this junk out for you, but Windows 11 now has it’s own native tool for this. It’s called “Cleanup Recommendations” and it’s very easy to use. [Read more…]