Author: Dave Farquhar

Early majority in marketing

Dave Farquhar Investing
Early majority in marketing

The early majority is an important concept in marketing and business. I’ll provide you the definition, an example and how to recognize it, and what comes after it. I’ll also share a cautionary tale of why not recognizing an early majority can be a costly mistake.

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How to hook up a Sega Genesis to a TV

Dave Farquhar Retro Gaming
How to hook up a Sega Genesis to a TV

The Sega Genesis connects to a TV in much the same way as other consoles of similar vintage. But there are some dangers unique to the Genesis that give you an opportunity to damage either the console or your TV. We certainly don’t want that. Here’s how to hook up a Sega Genesis to a modern TV without damaging either.

Some Sega Genesis parts are interchangeable with other systems, but not universally. That means it’s very important to verify the AC adapter you plan to use, as well as the AV cable you want to use, to avoid damage to your console, your TV, or both.

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Homer G. Phillips Hospital, St. Louis

Dave Farquhar St. Louis
Homer G. Phillips Hospital, St. Louis

Homer G. Phillips hospital in St. Louis was a public hospital owned and operated by the city of St. Louis from 1937 to 1979. Between 1937 and 1955, when its hospitals were segregated, it was the only hospital for Blacks in St. Louis. It holds the distinction of being the first teaching hospital to serve Blacks west of the Mississippi River.

Homer G. Phillips hospital was named for a prominent lawyer who recognized the inadequacy of the existing Black hospital in St. Louis and led a campaign for a larger facility. It had 685 beds, stands at 2601 N. Whittier Street, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was largely vacant for 23 years but reopened as senior living apartments in 2003.

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Dell Optiplex case swap: A How-to guide

Dave Farquhar Hardware
Dell Optiplex case swap: A How-to guide

Rebuilding old Dell Optiplexes for home use is common, because Dell Optiplexes are so easy to get and cheap. But there’s a problem if you want to put an Optiplex board in a standard ATX case, whether it’s to make the computer look less corporate, or because you got the board really inexpensively without a Dell case. Dell uses proprietary connectors. Not only that, the connectors aren’t even consistent across different models, even in the same generation. Here’s how to deal with that so you can do a Dell Optiplex case swap, and put a Dell motherboard in a new ATX case.

While Dell uses the standard ATX mounting holes in its minitowers and even its desktops, the front panel connectors are completely nonstandard, and sometimes the power supply connectors are too. Fortunately you can get adapters.

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Qualys vs Rapid7

Dave Farquhar security
Qualys vs Rapid7

Where they rank any given year may vary, but there’s no doubt Qualys and Rapid7 are two of the big three in vulnerability scanning tools. Both tools have their pros and cons. Let’s look at Qualys vs Rapid7 so you can figure out which one is right for you.

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Is the Commodore 128 power supply safe to use?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Is the Commodore 128 power supply safe to use?

Commodore 64 power supplies are notoriously unsafe to use. As a result, all Commodore power supplies have a bad reputation. I won’t say it’s unfair. But it means questions about the Commodore 128 power supply come up frequently on vintage computer discussion groups. Is the Commodore 128 power supply safe to use? The short answer is yes. Here’s why.

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Drywall outlet hole too big? Let’s fix it.

Dave Farquhar DIY
Drywall outlet hole too big? Let’s fix it.

If you cut a drywall outlet hole too big, don’t fret. It’s easier to fix than it seems. You even have a couple of different options.

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301 keyboard error

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
301 keyboard error

Ah, the 301 keyboard error. The POST error you might be able to fix with your bare hands, or could require a soldering iron. Hopefully that doesn’t scare you off. It’s more frequently a pretty easy fix, especially if the PC isn’t terribly old.

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The secret history of the F-14’s flight computer

Dave Farquhar Hardware

If you’re Gen X, you know the F-14. You may have even known about it before the movie Top Gun. The story of its flight computer, and the man who designed the hardware, Ray Holt, is intense. I don’t share a ton of links, but this is one you’ve gotta read. It’s the best piece of tech journalism I’ve read in years. Every possible box they taught me to check in journalism school, this story checks. I’m trying to remember the last time I saw a technology piece do that.

I’ve heard of Ray Holt before. He’s almost the Gary Kildall of computer chips. This story tells the story of his triumph, tragedy, and how he carried on, reinvented himself, and is still helping people today. It makes him human.

How to connect a Lionel transformer to track

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
How to connect a Lionel transformer to track

If you’ve lost the original instructions, it’s certainly not obvious how to connect a Lionel transformer to track. Especially if someone else always set it up. But don’t be intimidated. It’s low voltage wiring. And it’s usually only four connections. Here’s how.

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