Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: Joaxswe Farmhouse Fireplace TV Stand with Electric Fireplace & LED Lights

Posted on September 6, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is this beautiful Joaxswe Farmhouse Fireplace TV Stand with Electric Fireplace & LED Lights.

This will turn your living room or den into a warm and inviting place. And it isn’t just beautiful, it’s functional as well, providing a secondary heat source that you can control completely independent from your TV. I have one and I love it!

Click here to check out the Joaxswe Farmhouse Fireplace TV Stand with Electric Fireplace & LED Lights at Amazon.

Did you miss (or want to revisit) one of my earlier picks? You might find it right here.

Picture of the Day: “A Day at the Lake”

Posted on September 6, 2026

Today’s POTD features a scene from beautiful Lake Chiemsee, one of the most popular destinations in the German state of Bavaria. I hope you like it.

Have lots of treasured photos of your own that you’d love to display in your home but you have limited wall space? A digital picture frame (#ad) is an excellent solution. Check them out!

Enjoy these Pictures of the Day? Sign up for my free Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter and you’ll never miss one (or any of my tech tips either)!

Monthly Tech Giveaway – September 2026

Posted on July 31, 2026

Note: The links on this page are affiliate links.

September’s winner will receive a fantastic CyberPower 1500VA/1000W Sinewave UPS Battery Backup / Surge Protector.

This will keep your computer, modem and router online for a full hour after your power goes out, preventing a dangerous instant shutdown that could damage your computer gear and cause you to lose any unsaved data that’s currently in the machine’s RAM.

All subscribers to the Standard edition of my Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter have an equal chance to win.

Premium subscribers have two chances to win (their email addresses are added to the “pot” twice).

Not a subscriber? Just enter your email address in the sign-up form on this page.

Once subscribed you’ll be eligible to win each month’s drawing – starting with this month. Better yet, opt for a Premium subscription for double the chance to win!

The drawing for this month’s prize will be held on September 30 and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will be selected at random.

Good luck!

Q&A: Is it safe to plug a 300W inverter into my car’s cigarette lighter socket?

Posted on September 6, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Carl: I bought this 300 watt 12VDC to 120VAC power inverter to run my coffee pot and a couple of other items while I’m camping.

While I was researching a related topic online I found a couple of articles that said not to plug an inverter larger than 200 watts into a car’s cigarette lighter because it’ll burn the inverter up.

That’s a problem because the inverter I bought only came with a cigarette lighter plug. You can’t remove it and there’s no place to plug in cables that can connect it directly to the battery.

What I need to know is will my 300W inverter really burn up if I plug it into my car’s cigarette lighter socket? [Read more…]

How to instantly silence any ringing smartphone

Posted on September 5, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Have you ever been in a setting where complete silence was expected only to have your smart phone start ringing?

Whether it was during a church service, an important business meeting or in a packed movie theater, it was probably quite an embarrassing event.

In all likelihood you panicked and started fumbling around trying to get the phone out of your pocket so you could tap “Decline” as quickly as possible to make the ringing stop.

[Read more…]

Q&A: What’s the difference between Bluetooth and WiFi?

Posted on September 4, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Marvin: After using a flip phone for years, I finally decided it was time to upgrade to a smart phone.

I found a good deal on a new iPhone so I bought one. I like the phone ok, but some things about it are really confusing.

For example, my phone’s user manual says it supports both Bluetooth and WiFi wireless connectivity.

What is Bluetooth and how is it different from WiFi? [Read more…]