Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: Westinghouse 14500 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator

Posted on October 21, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is this very powerful and super-handy Westinghouse 14500 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator.

Are you prepared for the next time your power goes out for several days? With one of these high-power dual-fuel generators you can be.

This generator will supply 11,500 watts of continuous power for as long as you need it to. That’s enough power to keep all of your essential appliances up and running for as long as it takes for your grid power to be restored.

It runs on either gasoline or propane, your choice. That gives you plenty of flexibility for storing and/or acquiring the fuel you’ll need in order to keep it running.

Click here to check out the Westinghouse 14500 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator at Amazon.

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

Picture of the Day: “Forest Light”

Posted on October 21, 2026

Today’s POTD features some pretty powerful sunbeams illuminating the forest in rural Widener Valley, Virginia. I hope you like it.

Are you interested in trying your hand at landscape photography? Well, this is a great camera to get hit the ground running with! (#ad)

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 – October 2026

Posted on September 30, 2026

Note: The links on this page are affiliate links.

October’s winner will receive a fantastic DZVW Laptop Triple Screen Extender 15.6″.

This gem will literally triple your laptop’s screen space by adding an extra 15.6″ monitor on either side of your laptop’s existing screen.

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

Good luck!

Q&A: Why do ranges and dryers run on 240 volts instead of 120?

Posted on October 21, 2026

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Question from Brenda: I’m having my house renovated and I’m in the process of ordering all new appliances.

The man at Home Depot said I’d have to pay extra for a special cord for both the electric range and the clothes dryer because they run on 240 volts instead of 120.

When I asked him why he said he didn’t know, but that’s just the way it is.

My question is, why do ranges and dryers use 240 volts when all the other appliances use 120 volts? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I create a desktop shortcut to the Bluetooth settings?

Posted on October 20, 2026

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Question from Mike: I have a set of Bluetooth “over the ear” headphones and a pair of Bluetooth earbuds that are both paired to my Windows 11 laptop.

I frequently switch back and forth between them, depending on what I’m using them for.

What I’d like to do is create a desktop shortcut to the Bluetooth settings so I can quickly open them when I need to switch from the headphones to the earbuds (or vice versa).

I can’t find a way to create that shortcut. Do you know of a way to do it? [Read more…]

How to block websites from tracking your location with Chrome

Posted on October 19, 2026

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Did you know many of the websites you visit are tracking (and logging) your physical location?

Personally, I don’t like having my location tracked and recorded by countless websites, many of which I will never even visit again.

As luck would have it, it’s very easy to prevent sites from tracking your location when using the Chrome browser. Just follow the steps below for the device you’re using. [Read more…]