Author: Dave Farquhar

Low cost computers

Dave Farquhar Hardware
Low cost computers

Many people don’t realize it, but we are living in a golden age of low cost computers right now. A veritable flood of off-lease computers is driving down prices for quality, good-performance equipment. These are ideal for low income individuals or others on tight budgets. They’re PCs for people–ordinary people.

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Why is Wikipedia not a reliable source?

Dave Farquhar Writing
Why is Wikipedia not a reliable source?

I have mixed feelings about Wikipedia. Maybe that makes me unique, as it seems most people think either too highly of it, or give it zero respect. In its early days, I was a top-1,000 contributor. But I have serious problems with the site. So why is Wikipedia not a reliable source? Let’s dig into the problems.

The problems are serious enough that you’ll never see it cited directly in an academic journal, or in most good research papers. But it can still be useful. You just need to know how to use it with caution.

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Commodore 1541 disk drive: Slow. Unreliable. Cheap enough.

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Commodore 1541 disk drive: Slow. Unreliable. Cheap enough.

The Commodore 1541 disk drive was the most common Commodore 64 floppy drive. Commodore fans from the 1980s loved to hate it. It was the first disk drive to retail for under $300, a price low enough to gain mainstream acceptance. But it was slow and loud and unreliable.

We put up with it anyway. A home computer was a luxury in those days and most of us had some idea how lucky we were to live through that time and experience it firsthand.

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Watch home movies on Roku

Dave Farquhar Video
Watch home movies on Roku

Streaming content is great for watching movies and TV shows. It almost makes it unnecessary to keep a DVD player around, except for home movies. What’s the modern solution for those? Actually there is one, and it’s likely to have better longevity than recorded DVDs or VHS tapes as long as you’re careful. Here’s how to watch home movies on Roku.

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Original Atari 2600 heavy sixer

Dave Farquhar Retro Gaming
Original Atari 2600 heavy sixer

The Atari heavy sixer, also sometimes called the Atari 2600 heavy sixer, is the earliest version of the popular 1970s and 1980s game console. While not super rare or valuable, it is more valuable than most of the later versions of the Atari Video Computer System. You can think of it as the original original Atari 2600.

The earliest Atari 2600, released September 11, 1977 and nicknamed the heavy sixer, has six switches on the top, distinct from later units that had four. It weighs 1.2 pounds more than later six-switch models.

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What does an information technology (IT) professional do?

Dave Farquhar Careers
What does an information technology (IT) professional do?

What is an information technology professional? What does an IT professional do? It seems like a lot of people don’t understand that. For that matter, I have close friends and relatives who have no idea what I do for a living. So let’s explore it a bit.

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Dead electrical outlet

Dave Farquhar DIY
Dead electrical outlet

Sometimes a dead electrical outlet means you need to call an electrician–but not always. Here’s how to troubleshoot a dead electrical outlet and solve the problem yourself, ranging from easiest to hardest, so you can decide when to stop and hire an electrician.

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PIF file type meaning

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing, security

When it comes to file types you should never trust, PIF belongs high on the list. PIF used to be an important file type, but it’s largely obsolete today. But if you’re curious, here’s the PIF file type meaning.

Get ready for a trip down computing history lane. But this once-important file format is risky today. In all honesty, it’s largely outlived its usefulness in most instances.

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Roku overheating fixes

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Video
Roku overheating fixes

I have a Roku 2720X. I’ve had it since 2014, so it’s a few years old now, but I like it. Lately it’s been having some problems though. It works fabulously with Hulu and Netflix, but streaming local media and streaming baseball give me trouble. I traced it to overheating. So let’s look at some Roku overheating fixes.

Some people replace their devices with newer models with faster dual- or quad-core processors. This works; a more powerful chip will handle the load of newer, more demanding apps better without heating up as much. But you can extend the useful life of your venerable single-core 600 MHz Roku devices too, at least until Roku stops releasing updates for them.

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Lionel 92 circuit breaker instructions

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Lionel 92 circuit breaker instructions

The Lionel 92 circuit breaker provides an important safety feature. Additionally, if you use a low-end transformer that lacks a direction button, it provides a handy direction button. Unfortunately the original Lionel 92 circuit breaker instructions have one mistake in them.

Here’s how to use this critical accessory to maximize your personal safety. Depending on your setup, you may need more than one of them.

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