Rick's Daily Tips

Charge your USB devices by plugging them directly into a wall outlet

Posted on November 12, 2026

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Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Do you ever wish you could charge your cell phone, tablet or other USB device simply by plugging it directly into a wall outlet without having to mess with a bulky wall charger?

Well, you can. All you have to do is replace one or more of your standard electrical outlets with a nifty USB Wall Charging Outlet.

You can purchase one of these inexpensive charging outlets, then hire an electrician or handy neighbor to install them for you. Actually, you can simply install them yourself if you possess basic electrical skills. [Read more…]

Windows users: Save time by skipping the clicking

Posted on November 11, 2026

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Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m impatient. Well, at least when it comes to getting things done on my computer.

After all, there are only so many hours in the day, right?

With that in mind, one of the best tips I’ve learned over the years is that the keyboard is often a lot faster and more efficient than the mouse.

I used to get frustrated at having to click through multiple layers of menus, click on the program I want to run and then scroll through a couple hundred filenames until I find the specific file I need to work with.

But these days in most cases I can just skip the mouse altogether except for one final click and be working with my file in mere seconds. Here’s how it’s done: [Read more…]

4 incredibly handy mouse tricks

Posted on November 10, 2026

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Virtually every computer user knows that clicking on a link or icon will open whatever item that object is pointing to.

But did you know there’s a lot more to using your mouse than just visiting links and opening programs?

Truth be told, the mouse is actually one of the most versatile parts of your computer system.

Want proof? Well, check out these four extremely useful mouse tricks: [Read more…]

How to stop ads from following you around the Internet

Posted on November 9, 2026

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Have you ever noticed how ads for products or services you recently checked out online start following you from website to website as you browse the Internet?

If so, you know how Interest Based Advertising works even if you weren’t aware that it exists.

In a nutshell, Interest Based Advertising is a technology that allows advertisers to keep showing you ads for products and services you’ve shown an interest in even after you’ve moved on to a different website.

[Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware the dangerous ‘Hacked Account’ email scam

Posted on November 8, 2026

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Well, it’s another day, and that means yet another dangerous scam from times past is making the rounds yet again.

This scam is called the “This Account Has Been Hacked” scam, and it’s back to spreading like crazy via regular email.

Although there are very slight variations in the wording and the types of claims being made in the emails, the scam typically works like this: [Read more…]