Rick's Daily Tips

How to make KidzSearch the default search engine on your child’s computer

Posted on March 23, 2019

Do you have a young child who uses a computer of his/her own?

If so, you probably know that the major search engines make it very easy for your child to stumble upon web pages, photos and other content that are more suitable for teenagers and adults while searching for “kid” topics.

There are a number of great child-safe search engines out there, and I’ve tried a bunch of them over the years. After all my testing, I must say the one I like best is KidzSearch.

KidSearch is powered by Google, regarded by many to be the best search engine on the planet.

That means your child will get the best search results possible for most any query without having to be subjected to all the nasties that lurk about on the Internet. [Read more…]

If you have a Smart TV, get ready to see targeted ads like the ones that follow you around the web.

Posted on March 20, 2019

Have you ever looked at an item on an online shopping site and then seen an ad for the very same item show up on the next website you visited?

Or perhaps you’ve done a web search on a topic only to see ads for items related to that topic follow you around the web from site to site?

Those creepy “follow me around” ads are officially called “targeted ads”, and they’re extremely effective at getting people to buy the products they’re hawking.

[Read more…]

If you own an HP laptop its battery might have been recalled due to a fire hazard.

Posted on March 19, 2019

In January 2018 HP issued a recall notice for 150,000 defective laptop batteries that were at risk of over-heating and catching fire.

Now, just as that particular recall was winding down the company has been forced to add 78,500 additional batteries to the recall list.

Here’s a complete list of the laptops what were sold with defective batteries: [Read more…]

Review: Dell G5587-7866BLK-PUS G5 15 5587 Gaming Laptop

Posted on March 18, 2019

If you’ve been looking around for a great deal on a gaming laptop, you probably know how expensive they can be.

In fact, You could easily spend upwards of $2,000 for a top of the line model! But that being said, there are plenty of less expensive options out there.

I recently had a chance to check out the Dell G5587-7866BLK-PUS G5 15 5587 Gaming Laptop (#ad), and I believe it’s a great machine that won’t break your budget.

Although it’s moderately priced, this laptop is quite capable of playing most any modern computer game without a hitch. Just check out these specs: [Read more…]

Q&A: Does my camera have a bad memory card?

Posted on March 18, 2019

Question from Kelsey W.: I bought my wife a brand new Pentax K-50 camera back in 2014 and now she’s having a problem with it.

After she first got the camera she used it almost every day for a couple of months, then she had a stroke and was unable to use it for quite some time.

Her recovery from the stroke was long and difficult, but she is now finally able to resume some of her most loved activities, including taking pictures.

The problem is the camera doesn’t work now. When she turns it on it says there’s no memory card. But there is one and it’s inside the camera.

I read the manual and it said to format the SD card, but every time I try to format it the “no memory card” error pops up.

It’s hard to believe this is happening because she was only able to use the camera for a couple of months before she had the stroke.

Do you think the problem is a bad camera or a bad memory card?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]