Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: MotoPower MP69040 Car OBD2 Scanner / Check Engine Fault Code Reader

Posted on July 7, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is this fantastic MotoPower MP69040 Car OBD2 Scanner / Check Engine Fault Code Reader.

When your car’s “Check Engine” light comes on can you figure out what’s causing it? Me neither!

This inexpensive little gem will tell you what’s causing that worrisome light to come on (or at least point you in the right direction). It pays to have a general idea what’s wrong with your car BEFORE you take it to a garage for repairs.

Click here to check out the MotoPower MP69040 Car OBD2 Scanner / Check Engine Fault Code Reader at Amazon.

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

Picture of the Day: “Smoky Mountain Sunset”

Posted on July 7, 2026

Today’s POTD features a very colorful sunset over Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 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 – July 2026

Posted on June 30, 2026

Note: The links on this page are affiliate links.

July’s winner will receive a fantastic Euhomy 59QT 12 Volt Refrigerator/Cooler/Freezer.

This portable refrigerator/cooler/freezer will run off your vehicle’s cigarette lighter port. No more buying ice that’s just going to melt overnight!

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 July 31 and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will be selected at random.

Good luck!

Scam alert: Beware fake update notices for the Chrome browser

Posted on July 7, 2026

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If you’ve been using the Internet for any length of time you probably know how important it is to keep your web browser(s) updated with the latest security updates.

Security holes that can allow hackers and scammers to cause all kinds of grief for innocent users are “patched” via security updates on a regular basis, so we’re all used to installing those updates as they are released.

Unfortunately, hackers are once again taking advantage of our familiarity with security updates to trick us into downloading dangerous malware onto our systems.

[Read more…]

Prevent hackers from spying on you via your PC’s microphone

Posted on July 6, 2026

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A while back I wrote a post explaining how hackers are using rogue apps and other forms of malware to spy on folks via their computers’ webcams.

That post also explains how to prevent it from happening.

As it turns out, some miscreants have been spying on us via our machines’ microphones as well. And in some ways that’s just as bad as having them spy on us via webcam. [Read more…]

5 tips for fixing a misbehaving smartphone

Posted on July 5, 2026

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It’s no secret that smart phones have literally changed the way most of us live our lives.

They allow us to make phone calls and use the Internet from most anywhere, and the list of devices they can replace by simply installing an app boggles the mind.

Truth be told, smartphones are actually just really small computers that can run programs (apps) to perform countless types of tasks.

Unfortunately, like other computers a smartphone can get bloated and inefficient over time as you add more and more apps (some of which can conflict with one another) and its internal storage gets clogged up with digital clutter.

[Read more…]