You’ve probably heard by now about Vanity Fair publishing an excerpt from Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s autobiography, which doesn’t give the most flattering portrayal of Bill Gates, his former business partner. I’ve heard most of these stories before, though I’m trying to figure out where. What surprises me is the people who are acting like [...]
All posts for the month March, 2011
Paul Allen’s tearing into Gates seems familiar
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 31, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/paul-allens-tearing-into-gates-seems-familiar/
Can you set an HP slimline computer on its side?
And in yet another question brought to you by a Google search…. Can you set an HP slimline computer on its side? Yes. How anticlimactic of me.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 30, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/can-you-set-an-hp-slimline-computer-on-its-side/
Replacing old Lionel DC transformers
For a while in the 1970s and 1980s, Lionel used DC power in its least expensive O27 train sets. They stopped this practice a good 25 years ago, but there are still plenty of those sets kicking around. Here’s how to figure out what you have, and track down a suitable replacement. AC and DC [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 29, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/replacing-old-lionel-dc-transformers/
SSDs and built-in encryption–and how to enable it
Update: This entry was based on preliminary information that turned out to be incorrect. Please see the following update. One of the last knocks on SSD performance is that they don’t perform well with full-drive encryption. But on Sandforce 1200- and 2200-based drives, and the next-generation Intel 320 drives introduced today, that’s not an issue [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 28, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/ssds-and-built-in-encryption-and-how-to-enable-it/
So why didn’t Commodore make the Commodore 128 differently?
I grew up on the Commodore 128. We got one for Christmas 1985 (an upgrade from a Commodore 64). It was a bit of a quirky machine, but I liked it. On the retro computing forums, it might be the most controversial thing Commodore ever did. Which says something, seeing as some computer historians have [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 27, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/so-why-didnt-commodore-make-the-commodore-128-differently/
My connection to the new center of the U.S. population
The new population center of the United States is a town I’m sure you’ve never heard of before, though I have. It’s Plato, Mo., a town 22 winding miles southwest of Fort Leonard Wood. The population is 109, up from 74 in 2000. As you approach Plato from the east on Missouri 32, you pass [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 25, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/my-connection-to-the-new-center-of-the-u-s-population/
Is it OK to paint an AC adapter?
Another question from the Great Google: Is it OK to paint an AC adapter? I wouldn’t. For a couple of reasons.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 23, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/is-it-ok-to-paint-an-ac-adapter/
I have a job.
I have a job. That’s a good thing, because for about three hours today, that was in doubt. It was nothing personal. My whole office was out of work for that three hours. It turned out to be an administrative error. I’m not quite sure how an administrative error leads to an entire office being [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 22, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/i-have-a-job/
Firefox 4 is out
And although Firefox 4 isn’t officially released until tomorrow, copies have leaked out via FTP staging servers. I grabbed a copy from betanews to do my upgrade early. I’ve played with pre-release versions, so no real surprises. It’s quick. The look changed quite a bit, but you can easily configure it to look like older [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 21, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/firefox-4-is-out/
AT&T buying T-Mobile isn’t good for anyone but AT&T
I suspect AT&T is going to be allowed to swallow up T-Mobile, but there’s nothing good about this. T-Mobile survived solely on customer service and low prices. Let me tell you a story about T-Mobile.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 21, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/03/att-buying-t-mobile-isnt-good-for-anyone-but-att/