Month: March 2012

I have a server… and about four years’ worth of content

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized , ,

My new server is up and running, and let me tell you, it’s spectacular.

And if you’re reading this on 6 March 2012, you’re probably wondering what I’m talking about, because everything looks just as slow as usual. That’s because the new server is still behind my firewall because I’m struggling to get my content all moved to it.

Read more

Customize Firefox before it hits the ground on a new PC

Dave Farquhar Software , , , , ,

Here’s a nifty-looking program: Firefox Addon Maker, which allows you to create customized Firefox installer packages.

This is helpful if you install Firefox a lot, whether in corporate or home settings.
Read more

How to start over with MySQL in Debian

Dave Farquhar Linux , , , , , ,

I got my new 64-bit web server up and running today. Now the main task that remains is to get my data moved over to it. I talked myself into going with an Apache setup, since one program I want to run (Webtrees) is designed for Apache and its search engine optimization seems to work better under Apache than Nginx. It’s fast anyway; displaying the 17-person family of Andrew Davis McQueen of Leesville, Mo., briefly consumes 2% of the available CPU time in Webtrees with the APC PHP cache installed and enabled. And that should get better, seeing as newer, faster, better versions of both Apache and PHP were released in the last month.

As I built my new 64-bit web server, I messed up MySQL a couple of times. When you break MySQL beyond repair, here’s how to start over with a fresh MySQL install and a fresh /var/lib/mysql without doing a Windows-like reformat and reinstall of the entire operating system:
Read more

How computer and energy technology don’t relate

Dave Farquhar Saving money , , , , , , ,

Bill Gates says the rapid advance of computers created unreasonable expectations for the advancement of energy technology. The argument makes sense. And while desktop computers did advance very quickly, I think people have a misconception of even how quickly computers developed–which makes it worse, of course. Some people seem to believe the computer was invented by IBM and Microsoft in 1981. Far be it from Gates to lead people to believe otherwise, but the direct ancestors of modern desktop computing date to the early 1970s, and the groundwork for even that dates to the 1940s, at the very latest.
Read more

Tips for connecting traditional tubular track

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , , , ,

Last Updated on November 29, 2015 by Dave Farquhar

I saw a question earlier this week about working with Lionel tubular track. It doesn’t snap together quite as easily as modern Fastrack does, but it’s a lot cheaper, especially if you already have a bunch of it on hand.

I probably have 100 linear feet of tubular O27 track (Lionel, Marx, and K-Line) on my layout, so I’ll give some tips for working with it.

Read more

Viewtron and Videotex: Internet-like technology, circa 1983

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Viewtron and Videotex: Internet-like technology, circa 1983

Last Updated on September 23, 2022 by Dave Farquhar

IT World profiled Viewtron, AT&T’s implementation of Videotex, as an interesting what-if. Think of it as 1983’s version of WebTV. What if it had caught on? Why didn’t it?
Read more

Don’t use Password1 as your password

Dave Farquhar security ,

CNN reported yesterday that Password1 is the most common password in business environments. It’s the simplest password that meets common “complexity” requirements. It illustrates the problem with complexity requirements–a password can meet those requirements while still being extremely predictable.

As such, those passwords can be easy to guess, and they cast doubt on the entire idea of complexity.

Read more

Yesterday was Windows 8 day, but I found this e-reader hack more interesting

Dave Farquhar Hardware , , , ,

Yesterday, the consumer preview of Windows 8 hit the streets. I haven’t downloaded it. I’m mildly curious, but have a number of things higher on my priority list. Being a late adopter of Windows versions serves me well more often than not anyway.

I found something else yesterday that I find a lot more interesting: An e-ink Android tablet. Humor me.

Read more