How to: An interesting LED lightbulb hack #video
The next time the LED chip malfunctions or “burns out,” I may try this hack … although instead of taping on a piece of foil … I think I’ll use solder.
The next time the LED chip malfunctions or “burns out,” I may try this hack … although instead of taping on a piece of foil … I think I’ll use solder.
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success." –Ernest Shackleton Seeing a colorized version of a photo on Twitter the other day from the British National Antarctic Expedition at the turn of the century triggered memories of […]
Is there a better way to “dice” and onion? The Lifehacker “Hack or Wack” crew gave the UK tipster’s method a try … and I’ll probably do the same even though they concluded it was “wack.” Still, there might be a couple modifications that could keep the onion flat on the cutting board and still […]
Bits and pieces are still arriving from my Christmas shopping. Sometimes I forget that not every company/individual doing business online is shipping with the efficiency we become accustom to with Amazon and other big online retail sites. In any case, one of the gifts I assembled was an emergency kit that included survival items we […]
Although using a leaf blower may be more fun in cleaning the gutters, it can make a mess of everything below. I generally use rubber gloves, but in the end always slice them up and end up with a bare hand anyway. Here’s a great idea: Cut an anti-freeze or similar shaped plastic gallon jug […]
A few of these screwdriver hacks are not necessarily new, but could be helpful if you are ever caught shorthanded for the right tool. I’m particularly fond of using the wrench and screwdriver together (above left) as even with a full set of wrenched and sockets, there are a few oddities preventing wrenches from […]
Soft shackles made from Dyneema are lighter and stronger than stainless steel, they are also kinder to your boat and your hands. Yachting Monthly demonstra Source: VIDEO: How to Make a Soft Shackle >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News
A leftover weekend project was to see if I could get my dad’s old Triplett 630PL meter back to working shape. As a boy, I remember "carefully" using "his" meter when I was in junior high school and attempting to build Heathkit projects … like my shortwave radio. Thankfully I never has to depend o […]
Fing is a great little network scanner app available on iOS and Android devices that helped when diagnosing a network printer problem this week. It not really necessary, but is so convenient that I wanted to share it with others. If you are overwhelm with devices, ip and mac addresses and odd names showing up […]
"Mix bulk creamer and your preferred sweetener in a bowl and then freeze as ice cubes." If you take creamer and like your coffee to be warm and not boiling-magma-hot you should consider freezing non-dairy creamer—you'll cool down your coffee while adding your preferred amount of creamer. Reddit user wadel posted this tip. Most readers […]
EDIT: Adding insurance photos over the weekend. All is well with Brenda after she was rearended tonight, but unfortunately her much loved Rav4 didn’t fare as well. As if the damage wasn’t enough, the age and 240,000 miles has me wondering how the repair will be handled. Besides the rear window, the rear door, spare […]
Reposting something that might be helpful for those looking to gain a bit of speed back from their aging Windows based computer. The aging problem seems to happen to computers just as it does to people. — You just hit the power button your PC, and now you’ve got enough time to brew a fresh […]
Often times those who are ‘somewhat’ computer literate dread the holidays with family for reason other than “they are family.” How many receive the annual (or semi-annual) questions a post over at Lifehacker offers assistance about? “It takes forever to start up.” “I keep getting a pop-up saying I need to pay for my antivirus […]
Those ‘sexy’ iPhones are a pretty attractive (and expensive) toys/tools to be hacking, but according to users around the world they have been modified with software to operate with ‘unauthorized carriers’ around the world. (link) In the U.S., AT&T is the only network authorized by Apple … but hacks and other unsupported programs are being […]
First, I suspect most of you will need a definition? Hapaxes, (pl. hapax legomena) is a word that occurs only once in the written record of a language, in the works of an author, or in a single text. Is related to a geekish pasttime referred to as “Googlewhacking” — A Googlewhack is a Google […]
Paul Hackett created a firestorm for both the Republicans and Democrats in Southwestern Ohio last year, and went on to suffer the wrath of his fellow Democrats, most likely because his outspoken ways and inability to tote the party line. (ie. waiting his turn) I’ve discussed him before here, as well as on other forums, […]
Update Feb 14: Paul Hackett has changed his plans to run for Senate with some arm twisting from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and New York Senator Charles Schumer. Hackett indicated his frustration saying “For me, this is a second betrayal,” Hackett said. “First, my government misused and mismanaged the military in Iraq, and […]
Political ideology has always interesting me. I was aware of different philosophies early on since an intellectual best friend from high school was way to the left and interested in Socialism and Marxism. Charlie Matthews (Kamikaze) seemed like a leftover from the 1960s and even back in the 1970s and 80s supported the Marxist […]
Decades ago when I was in graduate school, I taught classes at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio as a GT, I continued to stay connected to the university. As a student I was given an alumni email address (an alias at the time forwarded to another email address) and as part time faculty was granted […]
An automotive journalist friend of mine regularly promotes his radio appearances on Chicago’s talk radio, which often leads to discussions regarding radio in general. Often the thoughts are to broadcast radio, both AM and FM, verses streaming via an Internet signal (or perhaps satellite)? One thing lead to another and I reflect on my amateur […]
The WSJ reading list caught my eye this week … most likely due to "The Ship Beneath The Ice" book talking more about the story of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to the Antarctic. I’ll be watching for it as a library ebook, but probably after I finished my current history read, "Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy […]
Hearing that Christine McVie passed away earlier this month is just another reminder that we are all getting older. I still think of her as “the emotional glue in a band that has spent the past 50 years breaking up over and over, the most stable, sensible, down-to-earth member of rock’s most unstable, senseless, lost-in-space […]
The longer I live, the more I ask the question: “What is wrong with people?” While reading “The Coddling of the American Mind” last week, just before chatting with my son Taylor, the synopsis of the book came to mind. We were discussing a variety of current issues and ties to history (behavior, greed, crime, […]
Let me start off with the positives. I really like my original Fitbit Versa watch. I wear it everyday and it offers me nearly everything I want in a fitness tracking smart watch. That said, I have always been hard on watches … to the point I stopped wearing watches for years – for decades […]
Although I’m not an all-in cryptocurrency buyer, trader or investor (pick your poison), I do own and am accumulating small amounts of different crypto. After a fair amount of reading this past year, my conclusion is to use a reputable cryptocurrency exchange like Coinbase Pro, Coinbase (disclosure: I own $COIN stock), Uphold or Interactive Brokers […]
It is probably inevitable that we will all be using cryptocurrency someday. The early adopters are already immersed and getting comfortable investing and trading it … perhaps too comfortable??? Risks of Leaving Cryptocurrency in Exchange A brief look at the history of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies reveals why it is dangerous to leave your crypto funds […]
Once again, it is time to try to thwart hacking attempts, hot links, spam and tighten up security. While the current goal is to improve WordPress and server hacking, the change will also separate less personal public blog posts (for users who have not logged in) from the more personal posts of interest to friends […]
When it comes to investing, I’m primarily a “value investor” who relies on fundamentals, but as for “trading,” which I have tinkered with for 30 years now, I’m an advocate self imposed rules and focusing on channel trading. Of course there are zillions of gurus boasting how they have perfected buy and sell signals, I […]
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In February 2021, I mentioned The Hustings news website which highlighted how much I appreciated that in America we can hold different political views and civilly debate issues without fear of government retribution (First Amendment). Unfortunately in the past decade or so our differences have become so divisive and derisive, that I’m not sure that […]
Although I’ve owned a small amount of Bitcoin in a cryptocurrency account for a while now, I’ve been wanting to attend a primer on the subject. Thankfully Barron’s offered a free webinar hosted by Beverly Goodman and explained by Grayscale’s Michael Sonnenshein. It was great fill in some of my knowledge gaps, but my question […]
A technology friend of mine, Scott Bilik (who was considered my Twitter “Godfather in 2007), has recently wiped some of the mud from his hypothetical digital footprints and is systematically freeing himself from Big Tech’s shackles. This current Silicon Valley monopoly has increased its political clout and has enticed or entrapped most of us in […]
On one of my sailing groups, a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 user complained that the speed controller pedal was hard to regulate. I’ve found that to be true as well. Another person made the comment that they used a piece of flexible tubing/hose that gives the pedal a little more tactile feel … so I tried […]
After a long time in a repair shop, I brought the 1958 Packard Hawk back from some transmission repair work. It came back very dusty, but I didn’t notice any damage to the paint or body (yet). The entire process from initial quote to final bill and slowness was a bit disconcerting. It was not […]
Every once in a while an idea triggers me into thinking … “I’m going to try this!” Last week I stumbled across a Lifehacker post that was worth archiving. Using biodegradable eggshells to start seedlings … and after losing half the $60 in flower flats we purchased this year, I may give this one a […]
The workshop runs smother when there is “a place for everything and everything is in its place” … to quote the printer and publisher Benjamin Franklin. On the other hand, perhaps the British are not fond of a “revolutionary” like Ben and prefer to credit Samuel Smiles, Mrs Isabella Beeton or John Hacket, Bishop of […]
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So … you’ve survived pretty much unscathed after a couple decades of identity theft, credit card fraud and everything moving online … but at some point, you realize that you’ve been lucky. Most of us are pretty lax when it comes to locking down our data, securing our digital access points and devices. So perhaps […]
It is proving a challenge to stay ahead of the growing family of chipmunks and to keep them from burrowing under our patios and sidewalks … not to mention a digging holes in ever bed and mulched mound. So far this year I’ve removed about a dozen,l but lately one of these little guys has […]
Some excellent and “do-able” ways to maintain reasonable password security in this Lifehacker article: One of the best things about having a solid password is that you don’t have to change it. If it’s strong, unique, and hasn’t been compromised by an attacker, you gain no security benefits by modifying it according to some arbitrary timetable. […]
The race for quantum computing superiority has been on my mind and in my discussions lately. State actors like China, North Korea and Russia are all running projects sponsored by their governments to be the first to harness such computing power that will make today’s encryption nearly worthless. Here in the US, our biggest tech […]
VP Joe Biden, Sen Bernie Sanders and Sen Kamala Harris – DemDebate2 6/27/2019 After watching the two night Democratic Debate last week, I couldn’t help, but notice that the socialist wing of the party has moved every candidate WAY left. All of the current 20+ candidates running to be the DEM’s nominee have made previous […]
My good friend Jeff Pitts, a network and IT expert, and most recently IT cybersecurity expert, constantly update me with the latest threats to computer servers. He manages the computers and networks for a Cincinnati-based international company that is constantly under bombardment from hackers. Most of the attacks are directly from China and according to […]
Intel chips are presenting a huge problem for nearly every computer user with chips since 2011. These Intel chips have vulnerabilities that if exploited can be used to steal sensitive information directly from the processor. According to published articles from security experts, "the bugs are reminiscent of Meltdown and Spectre, which exploited a weakness in […]
Just an ominous filler photo that you probably don’t want to be looking at before going for a swim in the ocean. The Great White Shark can definitely give you nightmares. EDIT 2/22/2019 with an image from a Twitter friend: Let’s just hope sharks don’t like the crunchy texture of surfboards?
In my workshop there is a spot on the wall behind dad’s small drill press and my router table for old tools. As mentioned before, I use Brenda’s dads’ dental tools regularly and have put a few of DadH’s woodworking tools on the wall – it is too bad I passed on the dental chair. […]
Those of us who manage our own computers likely do our share of “desktop” cleaning and are regularly warned by our anti-virus software that we need to do more than prevent viruses and hackers from accessing our computers. The current “free” anti-virus companies all push to sell their paid software … and regularly highlight registry […]
On the political front, special council Robert Mueller has been digging into President Donald Trump’s campaign and practices since May of 2017 (officially: coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign) . His department has unlimited resources and likely can turn over rocks that are not flattering to anyone associated with […]
"Hey Rich, should I wait for a 5G phone … and by the way, what is 5G?" One of these days I’m just going to say, "I don’t know," but until then, I bump along pretending I know more than I do … that is until I get in too deep to walk away. This […]
This really should have been yesterday’s Tech Friday post, but between the holiday with turkey, family and football watching on Thursday and another market drop and oil plunge of another 7.7% to $50.42 on Friday my focus was elsewhere. As for a tech tip, a viral tweet last week caught hold when it really shouldn’t […]
Facebook Inc. discovered a security flaw affecting almost 50 million accounts, the company said Friday. Attackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook’s code for its “view as” feature, which lets users see what their profile looks like to someone else. Facebook discovered the problem Tuesday, the company said in a blog post.A problem in the code […]
While doing a bit of server housekeeping on the CPP servers and preparing for the eventual push to make all websites secure for users, I ran across a helpful Qualys SSL Labs site to check on certificates, etc. If you are working to get websites updated and compliant for the day ALL site will need […]
Apple has been updating their iOS iPhone and iPad mobile operating system regularly and they seem to take far longer than in the old days (a couple years ago – HAHA). This latest update will not be appreciated by law enforcement who often want to gain access to data on a suspects phone. This recent […]
In preparation for an upcoming project that I would usually rent a wet saw for tile cutting (Home Depot’s price is $26/day), but this time I decided to buy a cheap one on sale for $49 at Harbor Freight. I’ve never been impressed with the well used ones I’ve rented in the past, nor am […]
The long time investigative correspondent for CBS, Sharyl Attkisson did an excellent job of “fairly” building a timeline in the “Collusion against Trump” details on her website. If you really want to understand what we know so far regarding the Russian connections, it is worth at least skimming the points below. On a separate note, […]
In order to improve efficiency on WordPress sites (my customer installs) I often experiment with updates on my personal MyDesultoryBlog first since very little on this site really matters for paying customers. So over the Christmas and New Years holidays I fiddled with a few highly recommended updates to the LAMP server and WordPress installs. […]
Just seeing Windows Defender "alerting" me to a backdoor threat on my Lenovo Yoga notebook computer is enough to make me move to a more expensive Apple MacBook Pro the next upgrade cycle. I knew about the Crap Cleaner (aka: CCleaner) vulnerability but had hoped a removal and upgrade by the software maker/distributor would have […]
Hagerty (the classic car company) posted an article talking about essential tools to keep in your car that I wanted to archive. I’ve always kept tools in my car along with odds and ends and even fluids like antifreeze, oil and brake fluid. The problem I face is keeping the correct tool in the right […]
We all struggle with ease of use and security when using a computer and online services … what’s the best way? That’s likely a debatable question since we want easy access, but don’t want our data compromised – "how easy is too easy?" What we do know is that a simple or "no" password is […]
While contemplating complexity vs simplicity in life and on sailboats, I once again stumbled on a precious morsel by Lin Pardey who has been land-based in New Zealand. Taleisin was sold to a young couple who now enjoys Lin and Larry’s “home” for over 30 years (mentioned before). Lin continues to write, appear at boatshows […]
There are much better places to save articles than a publicly available blog like Evernote, GetPocket, Google apps as well as locally archived HTML, Docs and PDFs, but I still occasionally enjoy having them on MyDesultoryBlog. So as with a few other archived articles on reefing (1 & 2), I’m saving this Cruising World Seamanship 101: […]
While I suspect a Thursday post to be about game 7 of the World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs (let’s just call them the comeback kids now that they have won the last 2 games and have tied the series up), I’ll post an election observation and get my bias media post […]
Twitter status above illustrating second attack shutting down services. The cyber threat continues … as a second wave cripples some of the biggest domain names through Dyn (Manchester, NH), a company that provide DNS services for connecting domain names to IP addresses. Dyn said it had resolved one attack, which disrupted operations for about two […]
Rumors are swirling that something or someone has started triggering the Wikileaks "Deadman’s Switch," which has been put in place if something should happen to founder Julian Assange. Some suspect that a "state party" intentionally severing of his Internet link was more than just someone attempting to silence the release of more incriminating emails, which […]
Mail fraud and phone scams are ongoing problems if you live in the U.S. unless you are lucky enough to exist under a rock. Throughout the years I’ve been targeted by shady hoodlums looking to make a quick buck using fraud and deceit as a way to access money or more information. Likely these criminals […]
The Raspberry Pi’s main operating system, Raspbian, just got a brand new look from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Dubbed PIXEL, it’s a skin for Raspbian that modernises the interface, adds some new programs and makes it much more pleasant to use. Click for a full review from Lifehacker Australia: The New Raspberry Pi OS Is […]
Every public official who has spent decades under the bright lights of public scrutiny are in one way of the other connected to the political machinery, but few are protected as much as the Clintons. The deep Arkansas doo-doo surrounding Hillary and Bill Clinton never goes away and whether you support their political philosophies or […]
Unknown to many sailors, the halyard knot is nonetheless an elegant compact knot that is particularly handy to know about if you need to bend a line on to some sort of shackle or clip (a halyard shackle being the eponymous example) on a more-or-less permanent basis, but are too lazy (or ignorant) to be […]
Although Fatty Goodlander’s book "Creative Anchoring: Everything About Anchors and Anchoring" is a more in-depth guide to anchoring your small boat, a 2014 AllAtSea.net article by the same author is shorter and very good advice. I’ve read it before, but it is worth archiving on my personal blog just in case the link disappears. Anchoring […]
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I’m always looking for better ways to store things on the boat … Kelley Gudahl shared a few things they do on her Sailing Chance blog … so figured I would archive them. First the flip-flop storage idea really caught my eye since we always have them sliding around the cockpit floor. There’s not that […]
It has been an annual tradition to look at the overused terms, words and slang at the end of a year … this years Lake Superior State University’s list wasn’t that impressive in my opinion, but tradition continues: BAE One of the top nominees. “Meaning ‘before anyone else.’ How stupid! Stop calling your boyfriend ‘bae’.” […]
After an enjoyable polictical conversation with a client this week in Akron, I'm unsure where to come down on the long political practice of gerrymandering verses risking changing it. On the surface, there must be a better way, but with change can come an unbalanced and equally questionable re-alignment. Here is an article forwarded from […]
Archiving anchoring advice from a September 9, 2015 article in Bluewater Cruising‘s online Currents web publication. Anchor Marker Floats by Fran and Jean-Guy Nadeau Arriving in a crowded anchorage can be a daunting challenge. The degree of apprehension skyrockets while you bumble about trying to find that perfect spot while the skippers of the surrounding […]
The photo above is not mine (thankfully) but from a sailing aquaintance anchoring in SE Asia. He has been noticing fairly rapid chain corrosion in only 3 years and in particular on his anchor shackle. It spends a significant amount of time under the saltwater and we suspect that the shackle of inferior grade — […]
While doing a little garage work this past weekend (removed snowblower from the John Deere) I crawled under Brenda’s dented and bruised 270,000 mile 1998 Toyota Rav 4 (Links 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). Besides repairing an exhaust hanger and heat shield, I spotted a leak in the power steering and inspected a […]
Give this Native American story some thought … A Native American grandfather tells his grandson that there are two wolves inside of him, fighting for control. One wolf, is the wolf of love, peace, and kindness. The other wolf is a wolf of greed, hatred, and corruption. The grandson asks "Which wolf will win?" The […]