Last week, John C Dvorak wrote about technical duds. And it’s unfortunate about what happened to Word macros, because at times they can be extremely useful, and not terribly difficult to use, either. Here’s my favorite macro–a method to join single lines. You’ll wonder why it never became a standard feature in Word. You won’t [...]
All posts for the month January, 2012
An ode to Word macros
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 31, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/an-ode-to-word-macros/
Don’t write 3D printing’s obit yet
Christopher Mims argues that 3D printing is the next Virtual Reality. I think he misses the point. I see 3D printing as having a bright future, but not because I see it as necessarily the future of mass production. I see 3D printing taking over the fringes, because it makes small-scale manufacturing practical.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 30, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/dont-write-3d-printings-obit-yet/
CISSP melted my brain
Five and a half hours ago, I turned in my test and departed the CISSP test site. It took me four hours to answer the nastiest 250 test questions I’ve ever seen in my life. I felt better about it than the other guys milling around the lobby, but….
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 28, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/cissp-melted-my-brain/
Micro Center’s 18-minute pickup works spectacularly
It was like ordering Chinese takeout. I wrote yesterday about how I needed a motherboard to try to solve my ongoing webserver issue. I don’t live or work anywhere near Micro Center. The computer store near my house closed, and I don’t like the one near my workplace anymore since they jerked my friend around. [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 28, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/micro-centers-18-minute-pickup-works-spectacularly/
My Socket 775 adventures, Chapter 1
So I bought an Intel Socket 775 board to support a crash webserver rebuild project. I present the story in hopes that it might be useful, or entertaining, or both. I don’t know the ultimate outcome of it yet, but all of the decisions made sense at the time.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 27, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/my-socket-775-adventures-chapter-1/
Know someone who needs computer skills? Send ‘em to the library
One of my coworkers asked me a good question this week. He said one of his neighbors just bought a new computer from a big-box consumer electronics store whose name doesn’t really matter all that much (but it’s one I pick on frequently) and didn’t really know a lot about computers. He asked what someone [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 26, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/know-someone-who-needs-computer-skills-send-em-to-the-library/
I got my new webserver motherboard
I got my new webserver motherboard. There’s a story there. I’m saving it for later in the week. The board doesn’t work. I power it on, and it shuts itself off after 2-3 seconds. The power supply works with a different board. So for the first time in my life, I’m contacting Asus technical support, [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 25, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/i-got-my-new-webserver-motherboard/
How to replace cash envelopes, and when not to
This morning as I was trying to dodge commercials and morning-show call-in games, I heard a couple of DJs talking about personal finance, and how their finances are a mess, and they heard that in the old days, people budgeted by putting money in envelopes, paid expenses out of those envelopes. They asked if anyone [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 25, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/how-to-replace-cash-envelopes-and-when-not-to/
Why do European trains look so much better than U.S. trains?
I guess there’s something floating around Facebook right now comparing sleek, elegant European trains against clunker, junky trains that roam the rails in the United States. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve already had some questions about it. There was a time when U.S. trains were pretty bleak to look at, but that time [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 24, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/why-do-european-trains-look-so-much-better-than-u-s-trains/
I knew I should have bought that motherboard…
My webserver seems to be having a hard time keeping up with demand. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I could have had my preferred low-end motherboard for about $33, but I was able to come up with about 10 reasons not to buy it at that time and tackle the project. [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 23, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/01/i-knew-i-should-have-bought-that-motherboard/