Rick's Daily Tips

How to force Outlook.com to check for new mail on a POP3 account

Posted on September 4, 2016

Microsoft’s Outlook.com web mail service is a sleek alternative to Gmail, and I really like it.

That being said, it does come with one major annoyance: It insists on waiting a while between checks for new messages on POP3 email accounts.

But what if you’re expecting an important email that really needs to hit your inbox as soon as possible?

Outlook.com doesn’t come with a Send/Receive button and you can’t alter its built-in schedule for checking POP3 email accounts, but if you really need to check for a new email RIGHT NOW you can force it to check a specific POP3 account any time you wish with this workaround: [Read more…]

Dreamhost now has super-fast SSDs on their Shared Web Hosting Plans

Posted on September 3, 2016

If you’ve been looking for a faster server to host your blog or website but you can only afford a shared hosting plan, I have some news that just might interest you.

Dreamhost, one of the world’s most popular web hosting companies, now has super-fast SSDs on all of their shared servers!

Why is this a huge deal? Because the access speed of the server’s hard drive is a serious bottleneck that limits the speed at which web pages can load and database queries can be completed. In short, the fantastic speed of an SSD ensures that you’ll have a much faster and vastly more responsive website. [Read more…]

WiFi Guard – Find out if someone is piggybacking on your Wi-Fi network

Posted on September 2, 2016

wifi Most people assume that their Wi-Fi connection is safe from hackers if it is secured with encryption and a password, but the sad truth is even a “protected” Wi-Fi connection can be broken into by a determined hacker using the right software.

If you suspect that someone might be piggybacking on your wireless network (and even if you don’t), I suggest downloading and running a free tool called WiFi Guard.

WiFi Guard is a small and lightweight utility that will scan your entire network and list all the devices connected to it including computers, tablets, smart phones, wireless printers and more. If it’s logged into your network, it’ll show up!

Using WiFi Guard is easy. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Samsung has recalled all Galaxy Note 7 smart phones worldwide

Posted on September 2, 2016

galaxy-note-7 Have you taken the plunge and purchased one of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smart phones that recently hit the market?

If so, it has just been recalled due to what has been described as a very serious battery issue.

Apparently the defective batteries are subject to overheating, and some of them have actually exploded and caught on fire. Not a good thing to say the least!

Here is Samsung’s official statement concerning the recall: [Read more…]

Q&A: Is there a way to make a sticky post in WordPress stop being sticky on a certain date?

Posted on August 29, 2016

Question from Brandon H.: I make some of my WordPress posts sticky, but sometimes I forget to go back and “unstick” them when they no longer need to be stuck to the home page.

I find it irritating to see a sticky post hang around after it no longer deserves to be sticky, and I’m sure my readers do as well.

Do you know of a way to make the “sticky” status of a post expire after a certain length of time or on a certain date? If you can tell me how to do this, my life will become a lot easier lol.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]