Rick's Daily Tips

Should you completely drain your laptop’s battery before recharging it?

Posted on August 4, 2026

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I’m often asked whether laptop batteries need to be drained completely before recharging them. My answer? Not anymore!

Early laptops used nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries which were subject to a “memory effect”.

If NiCad batteries weren’t allowed to discharge all the way before being recharged they would eventually “remember” the level of charge they fell to before recharging and act as if they were completely drained every time their charge decreased to that level. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you recommend a good online photo editor?

Posted on August 3, 2026

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Question from Roger: Hi, Rick. I’d love to have your advice on a good online photo editor.

I bought Photoshop Elements and installed it on my desktop computer several years ago. That computer got destroyed by lightning so I bought a new desktop PC and installed Photoshop Elements on it from that same disc, and it worked fine.

Well, that replacement PC is getting pretty long in the tooth now so I bought a computer to replace it. When I went to install Photoshop Elements on the new computer it told me I had already installed it on two machines and it wouldn’t let me install it on the new one. [Read more…]

Smart Glasses vs Regular Sunglasses: Costly novelty or the wearable tech worth having?

Posted on August 3, 2026

If you have been seeing smart glasses pop up more often and wondering whether they are actually worth the extra money over a regular pair of sunglasses, you are not alone. The honest answer is that it depends entirely on how you use sunglasses in the first place, and what problems you are actually trying to solve.

Smart glasses have come a long way from the clunky, self-conscious tech eyewear that appeared a decade ago and disappeared just as quickly. The current generation looks like regular eyewear, fits like regular eyewear, and in most social situations reads as exactly that. [Read more…]

Q&A: Should the lights on my modem blink all the time?

Posted on August 2, 2026

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Question from Tina: I’ve noticed the lights on my modem are blinking more or less constantly.

In fact, they even blink when I’m not using a web browser, checking my email or doing anything else on the Internet.

Is it normal for all those lights to be constantly blinking or should I be worried? [Read more…]

Q&A: Are today’s encryption methods so strong they’ll never be broken?

Posted on August 1, 2026

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Question from Carl: I was listening to talk radio the other day and I heard a guy say that the strongest encryption methods in use today are so strong that they will never, ever be broken.

The host didn’t challenge him on that. In fact, he seemed to agree with him. I have my doubts though.

What do you think? Is current encryption technology so good that no one will ever be able to break it? [Read more…]