Author: Dave Farquhar

Is debt a sin against God?

Dave Farquhar Saving money
Is debt a sin against God?

I had lunch with a new friend one recent weekend. We talked about a lot of different things, but one of those things was debt. Is debt a sin against God? I know where that idea comes from. It’s something we struggled through together a bit. Here’s why I push back against that argument.

The Bible talks about money a lot, but not nearly as much about debt specifically. The Bible speaks more about the sin of pride than it talks about debt, and I see lots of pride on both sides of the debt argument.

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Is condensation on light bulbs dangerous?

Dave Farquhar DIY
Is condensation on light bulbs dangerous?

Someone asked me last week if condensation on light bulbs is dangerous. While it’s not an electrocution risk, it is a sign of other problems, and I recommend dealing with it.

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Repair Marx switches

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Repair Marx switches

Sometimes, after 70-plus years of use, you find you need to rebuild or repair Marx switches. Although Marx didn’t design them with repairs in mind, you can fix them. It’s not hard.

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First 486 computer: The Apricot VX FT

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
First 486 computer: The Apricot VX FT

It’s fairly common knowledge that Compaq made the first 386-based computer, but what about the 486? What was the first 486 computer? When did the first 486 computer come out? And why have you never heard of it?

The first 486 computer was the Apricot VX FT, a line of servers announced in June 1989, with general availability later that year. They were expensive and they were only marketed as servers, so that’s why they aren’t as well known as the Compaq Deskpro 386.

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VGA connector doesn’t fit? Here’s why.

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Retro Computing
VGA connector doesn’t fit? Here’s why.

I dusted off my 486 the other weekend because I had some 90s nostalgia. And just like the 90s, I immediately ran into some trouble. The VGA connector didn’t fit on the 15-inch 4:3 LCD monitor I wanted to use. If your VGA connector doesn’t fit, you probably have the same problem I had.

VGA connectors used to leave out pin 9 as a key pin, to keep you from plugging the wrong kind of cable into the connector and damaging the connector. Modern VGA cables use pin 9, so if your cable doesn’t fit, check to see if the port has 14 pins or 15. A 14-pin VGA cable is almost a must-have if you travel and give presentations a lot, or are into retro computers.

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Deliberate security threats

Dave Farquhar security
Deliberate security threats

A friend of a friend suggested to me that I should carefully preserve my Commodores and other vintage computer gear, because it’s the only secure computer equipment available. I said I don’t complain too loudly since security is my job. He then said I’ll always have a job, because so many security threats are deliberate. While he’s not wrong, saying all security threats are deliberate is unhealthy. Here’s why.

Deliberate security threats certainly exist, because planting backdoors in the supply chain is the best way to get into certain highly sensitive networks. But I’ll argue that more security threats are honest mistakes than intentional sabotage.

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IBM PC vs XT

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
IBM PC vs XT

The difference between an original IBM PC and a PC/XT seems subtle today. The XT wasn’t a huge upgrade over the PC, but the improvements were enough to be significant. The changes IBM made greatly extended the lifespan of the XT, and that’s one reason XTs are so much more common than PCs today. Let’s take a look at the IBM PC vs XT.

The PC/XT had the same CPU running at the same speed and couldn’t take any additional memory over the PC. But the XT was more expandable, and in the late 1980s, that was everything.

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Lionel’s American Flyer “buyout”

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Lionel’s American Flyer “buyout”

Lionel and American Flyer competed with one another in the 1950s. Most Lionel and Flyer enthusiasts know that Lionel now owns American Flyer. Here’s how Lionel’s American Flyer “buyout” happened.

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How long should you let spray paint dry?

Dave Farquhar DIY
How long should you let spray paint dry?

How long should you let spray paint dry? It varies depending on the paint, and you should always read the can to get specific advice for the paint you’re using, since my favorite brand might be different from yours. But generally speaking, an hour is the absolute minimum.

A more realistic minimum safe drying time for spray paint is about 8 hours. Some hobbyists let their paint sit and cure for a full week before they assemble the item and put it into service, and they’ve had excellent results with this practice. Your can is your guide, because dry times can and do vary between brand and type of spray paint. So always, always check the manufacturer’s instructions on your can. But here are some general guidelines.

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How do emulators work?

Dave Farquhar Hardware
How do emulators work?

Emulation is the black art of running software designed for one computer or game system on another system that normally wouldn’t be compatible. Emulation has existed since the 1970s, but is much more practical today. Here’s how emulators work.

Strictly speaking, emulators work like a translator, sitting between hardware and software and translating between the two so the software doesn’t realize it’s running on something else. Just like a human translator, there’s overhead involved in this, but modern computers are fast enough that emulation is more practical today than it was in the 1980s, even though plenty of emulators existed even then.

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