Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
If you have an Android device you probably already know about the countless apps and games that you can download for free from the Google Play Store.
The thing is, many of those “free” apps and games aren’t really free at all since they come with ads and/or require in-app purchases to unlock some of the best features. [Read more…]
Over time your computer’s fans will almost certainly draw enough dust inside the case to partially or completely cover the components and block air from flowing around the various parts.
This is not good as it allows heat to build up inside the components, and heat leads to both intermittent program errors and eventual hardware failure.
It’s important to remove any built-up dust from the inside of your computer on a regular basis, and the best way to do it is to blow it out with forced air.
Simply remove the side panel, carry the PC outdoors and have at it. Some folks use an air compressor to blow out the dust, but I think that is very bad idea for two very important reasons: [Read more…]
If you’re like me you probably hate calling someone who doesn’t answer, especially if you need to leave a message.
Before you get to that magic beep, you first have to wait while the voice mail system plays the recipient’s personal greeting, and then you have to listen for another eternity while it tells you how to leave a message.
If you’re wondering why all the major cell carriers require us to listen to the same boring voice mail instructions over and over again before allowing us to leave a simple message, it’s because it makes them a ton of money! [Read more…]
Question from Chuck F.: Rick, I followed the instructions in your guide to creating a self-hosted WordPress blog and created my very first blog over the weekend. Everything went well with no problems whatsoever.
I was wondering though if there is a way to change the blog’s URL to include the www part? Right now my blog is at http://example.com and I want it to be http://www.example.com.
Rick’s answer: Hi Chuck! By default the WordPress installation script creates the blog URL without the www, but most bloggers prefer to have it included. Here’s how to add the www to your blog’s URL: [Read more…]
The most recent iPhones are notorious for taking outstanding photos that rival those taken by expensive point-and-shoot cameras. And I must say that I have seen some pretty spectacular images that were captured with them.
But as most any professional photographer will tell you, it’s difficult to take professional quality photos in low-light situations using just the camera’s built-in flash unit. To get a truly magnificent image under those conditions, one must use an off-camera flash.
Photographers have been using off-camera flash units with their expensive DSLR and high-end point and shoot cameras for years, and now iPhone users have that option as well.
The awesome Nova Off-Camera Wireless Flash for iPhone will provide that all-important flash of supplemental light to give your iPhone photos a crisp and bright professional look. [Read more…]