Author: Dave Farquhar

Are Blu phones good? Are Blu phones safe?

Dave Farquhar Android
Are Blu phones good? Are Blu phones safe?

If you need a cheap smartphone, you’ve probably seen Blu. And the price probably makes you wonder. Are Blu phones good? And are Blu phones safe? Those are good questions to be asking. Here’s my family’s experience with Blu phones.

Blu phones had a spotty security track record but haven’t had a major security issue since 2017. As far as quality, they’re fine for the money, as long as you don’t expect them to perform with a phone that costs twice as much.

Read more

Refurbish a toilet with vinegar

Dave Farquhar DIY
Refurbish a toilet with vinegar

Some nasty mineral deposits can build up in toilets over time, which leads some people to replace them. But you don’t have to. Here’s how to refurbish a toilet with vinegar.

Ugly mineral deposits in a toilet can be a turnoff. Fortunately you can fix them with less than $2 worth of vinegar and a little time, by pouring a cup of vinegar into the toilet and letting it sit.

Read more

Dinky 1:48 vehicles for O scale

Dave Farquhar model railroading
Dinky 1:48 vehicles for O scale

There’s a bit of myth around Dinky vehicles. 1:43 vehicles are the standard size, the story goes, because Meccano made Dinky-brand 1:43 vehicles to go with its Hornby-brand trains. But that’s part of the story. Dinky models of American vehicles were 1:48, to go with American O scale trains.

Dinky produced 1:48 diecast models of American cars from the late 1940s well into the 1960s. While they can be expensive, they hold their value well. Model railroaders who don’t want to pay collector prices can buy beat-up Dinky models and paint and detail them as they like.

Read more

Atari ST vs Amiga

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Atari ST vs Amiga

When it comes to Atari ST vs Amiga, there are more similarities than differences from today’s perspective. But the two machines had significant differences that led them to be incompatible even though the hardware differences look minor today. Here’s a look at the two machines and why they were such fierce rivals in the late 1980s.

Read more

How accurate Stranger Things is to the 80s

Dave Farquhar net.culture
How accurate Stranger Things is to the 80s

Stranger Things is a pop culture phenomenon, partly due to its portrayal of life in small-town America in the 1980s. But how accurate is Stranger Things to the 80s? Here’s my perspective as a kid who grew up in a small midwestern town in the 80s.

Everyone’s perspective on the 80s will be a little different, depending on on how or where they lived at the time, among other factors. As someone who grew up in a small town in Missouri, I find Stranger Things’ portrayal fairly accurate, though imperfect. Even though its portrayal is imperfect, I still enjoy the show.

Read more

How to collect vintage computers

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
How to collect vintage computers

I see a lot of people asking how to collect vintage computers, perhaps frustrated they aren’t able to replicate other people’s results. Collecting retro computers isn’t dead, but it’s changing. As hobbyists adapt, collecting will continue.

Read more

Making an example of Equifax

Dave Farquhar security
Making an example of Equifax

Slate’s Josephine Wolff argues that you have a moral imperative to claim $125 from Equifax as part of their breach settlement. Preventing the kinds of things that happened to Equifax is what I’ve done for a living for the bulk of my career. So here’s why I agree with her argument in favor of making an example of Equifax.

Most companies, in my experience, do patch management and vulnerability management on the cheap and write off the consequences as a cost of doing business. The cost of not doing it right needs to be high enough to get them to spend enough on tools and personnel to get the job done. And as the guy who pushed the patches for 9 years and then shifted in 2014 to being the guy who coaches the patch-pushers, I have a pretty good idea what it takes to do the job right.

Read more

Windup toy trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Windup toy trains

Windup toy trains were popular at the dawn of the 20th century, when electricity was a luxury. But they remained on the market well into the 1960s as a cheaper and simpler option for young kids who liked trains. They retain a small but devoted following today because of their inherent challenges compared to electric-powered toy trains.

Read more

What is the common wire in electrical wiring?

Dave Farquhar DIY
What is the common wire in electrical wiring?

Sometimes you’ll hear someone refer to the common wire when discussing electrical wiring. Not everyone is born knowing this stuff, but no one wants to sound uninformed, either. So what is the common wire in electrical wiring, which wire is the common wire, and what does it mean?

The common wire is normally the white wire, at least in the United States, and is often called the neutral wire. It’s also called common because all circuits in the house typically have the white wires tied together, which means every circuit has that wire in common.

Read more

Sega Genesis power supply specs

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Sega Genesis power supply specs

When it comes to the Sega Genesis power supply, there’s one important thing to remember. You can use a Genesis power supply in a Nintendo NES, but the reverse is not true. The NES isn’t picky about its power, but the Genesis needs 9 volts DC and the right polarity.

The original Genesis power supply connector is the same size as a Nintendo NES, but the Genesis requires 9 volts DC, center negative, and 1 amp, though 1.2 amps is better. A non-Sega adapter is fine to use as long as it meets these specs, but using AC or the wrong polarity will damage the game console.

Read more