Author: Dave Farquhar

ZIP vs RAR

Dave Farquhar Software
ZIP vs RAR

ZIP and RAR are two popular file formats in the Windows world. They have similarities, since both of them provide lossless file compression. But they have some fairly significant technical and philosophical differences too. Here’s a look at ZIP vs RAR and why the two file formats have coexisted side by side for decades.

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Xxcopy vs Xcopy file copy utilities

Dave Farquhar Windows
Xxcopy vs Xcopy file copy utilities

XXCOPY vs XCOPY: Which file copy utility do you like? Both of them are extensions of the DOS command COPY. Think eXtended Copy and eXtended eXtended Copy. Two extendeds are better, right? Yep.

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Can’t plug into outlet? How to open tamper resistant outlets

Dave Farquhar DIY
Can’t plug into outlet? How to open tamper resistant outlets

Modern tamper resistant outlets are a good safety feature, but they also present a challenge. They can be much harder to plug into. Here’s how to open tamper resistant outlets if you can’t plug into an outlet.

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json.loads vs json.dumps in Python

Dave Farquhar Software
json.loads vs json.dumps in Python

Dealing with JSON is a common task when you’re coding in Python. Two functions you may use a lot without fully understanding them are json.loads and json.dumps. Let’s take a look at json.loads vs json.dumps in Python, what they do, and how they can help you, especially when wrangling complex JSON data from APIs.

json.loads and json.dumps are two functions in Python for converting JSON to and from simple strings. Sometimes one is better than the other, and being able to convert between them reduces the trade-offs you have to make.

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Payless Cashways remembered

Dave Farquhar Retail
Payless Cashways remembered

Payless Cashways, not to be confused with the shoe store with the similar name, was a regional hardware store, based out of Kansas City. Much like its cross-state neighbor, Central Hardware, it pioneered the big box home improvement store format, featuring a real lumberyard. It, too, was in a poor position to capitalize on the booming home improvement market. It went out of business September 10, 2001, after 71 years of existence.

Payless Cashways was born out of the Great Depression and grew as a result of the post-World War II boom in DIY home improvement. But the threat of takeover by a corporate raider in the 1980s ultimately proved its undoing.

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Are electric mowers worth the money?

Dave Farquhar DIY
Are electric mowers worth the money?

Retailers started pushing electric mowers hard in 2021. When I walked into Home Depot at the beginning of March, I saw more electrics on display than gas-powered mowers. Even Harbor Freight, of all places, has two electric mowers on prominent display. But are electric mowers worth the money? Let’s look at whether a gas or electric mower makes more sense.

If you’re in the market for a mower anyway, an electric mower makes a ton of sense because it’s cheaper to operate than a gas mower. If you have a working gas mower, the numbers are murkier but electric may still make sense.

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Are hybrid cars worth it?

Dave Farquhar Saving money
Are hybrid cars worth it?

I’ve been driving a hybrid car for almost five years. If I’d had my way, I would have bought one much earlier, back in 2003, but I just couldn’t afford one then. Are hybrid cars worth it?

Driving a hybrid saves you around $400 a year in fuel costs. That makes it difficult to recoup the higher cost of a hybrid when buying new, but it makes used hybrids a bargain, since the resale value of a hybrid is comparable to an equivalent conventional car.

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Can a neutral wire shock you? It shouldn’t but it can

Dave Farquhar DIY
Can a neutral wire shock you? It shouldn’t but it can

I got shocked by a neutral wire on an outlet that was shut off at the panel once. That doesn’t make any sense. It’s a rare condition, but it can happen. It shouldn’t happen, but here’s why a neutral wire can shock you.

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Do solar panels work during a power outage?

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money
Do solar panels work during a power outage?

The huge power outage in Texas in February 2021 got a lot of people thinking about solar. But a question quickly came up in all the conversations I had with people around the country. Do solar panels work during a power outage? That sounds like an absurd question. But under some circumstances, they don’t.

Solar doesn’t always work during a power outage, and that’s something that naysayers used to try to pin the blame on solar power. On-grid solar panels will shut down to protect electrical workers during an outage, but there are ways for you to compensate for that.

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What is styrene?

Dave Farquhar DIY, Model Building
What is styrene?

Styrene is a chemical derived from petroleum. We most commonly encounter it as a type of plastic. It’s an inexpensive and versatile type of plastic, so it’s been very popular for many decades.

Styrene’s cost effectiveness and relative strength make it a common material in construction and also in the manufacture of consumer goods. With the right prep work and materials, it is easy to glue and paint and repair as well.

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