Rick's Daily Tips

Why you should use a ‘burner’ phone on your next vacation

Posted on September 11, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Everyone deserves a nice vacation every now and then, but if you’re like me you’d rather not have to deal with some of the headaches that can arise while you’re enjoying a short break from everyday life.

These days one of the most common vacation headaches is having an expensive smart phone get stolen, lost or damaged while you’re splashing around in the surf or checking out the shops in your favorite resort town.

Replacing a damaged smart phone is a big enough hassle in itself, but even worse is having to deal with the aftermath of losing one altogether or having it get stolen. [Read more…]

How to use your iPad as a laptop

Posted on September 11, 2023

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

It’s no secret that Apple’s iPad line of tablets have amazing touch screens and quite functional virtual onscreen keyboards.

However, it’s also no secret that most people find it much easier to type using a full screen physical keyboard and “tapping” doesn’t give you the same level of control you can get with a mouse.

For most typical “tablet” tasks the iPad’s virtual keyboard and touch screen work just fine, but if you do a lot of typing and/or image manipulation you might be better off attaching a physical keyboard and mouse to your iPad so you can use it like a laptop. [Read more…]

Yes, it’s now safe to update your PC to Windows 11

Posted on September 10, 2023

After insisting for years that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows ever, Microsoft changed their mind and released Windows 11 back in October 2021.

As with all new major Windows version releases, I recommended holding off on updating from Windows 10 until Microsoft had a chance to get all the major bugs worked out of the new version.

Well, that time has come. In fact, that time came a good while ago. While Windows will never be completely bug-free, I believe all the most serious bugs have now been squashed. [Read more…]

Student tips for efficient document creation and collaboration using Microsoft Office

Posted on September 10, 2023

In today’s fast-paced technological world, where information flows like a river, mastering the art of creating and collaborating on documents is a game-changer.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just dipping your toes into the world of Microsoft Office, this article is your trusty guide to boosting your efficiency, conquering the virtual paper trail, and becoming a document dynamo. [Read more…]

How to block political posts from your Facebook Newsfeed

Posted on September 9, 2023

Important update: The Social Fixer browser extension can no longer be used to filter political posts from your Facebook Newsfeed for the reasons stated here. Please disregard the original post below.

If you enjoy following politics you probably don’t mind the political posts that pop up in your Facebook Newsfeed at times.

And as you’ve probably noticed, they tend to pop up fairly often.

Many Americans have strong beliefs and ideals when it comes to politics, and that means regardless of where a particular post might happen to fall on the political spectrum it’s sure to evoke strong emotions – both for and against. [Read more…]