Author: Dave Farquhar

Never buy a house – good idea or bad?

Dave Farquhar Saving money
Never buy a house – good idea or bad?

Never buy a house. Some people say that’s the best advice they’ve ever received. Depending on your personality type, or where you are in life, I get that. So let’s take a look at the pros and cons of not owning your own home.

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Stan Musial and Biggie’s, St. Louis

Dave Farquhar Baseball, St. Louis
Stan Musial and Biggie’s, St. Louis

For St. Louisans of a certain age, Stan Musial was almost as famous for his restaurant as he was for what he could do with a baseball bat. Musial and his business partner, Julius “Biggie” Garagnani operated a steakhouse near Musial’s residence. In 1949 Musial bought a half share of Biggie’s Steak House and they changed the name to Stan Musial and Biggie’s.

Stan Musial had a storied career in St. Louis. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, and spent his whole career with the Cardinals. In 1947 he even played with a failing appendix. He lived a very public life both during and after his baseball career. His various businesses contributed to that public life, but they also made him wealthy.

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How far can you run an Ethernet cable?

Dave Farquhar Servers and Networking
How far can you run an Ethernet cable?

How far can you run an Ethernet cable? The limit is around 90-100 meters. You can generally push that limit harder with CAT6 than with CAT5e, and there are ways you can cheat. Here’s how.

You may be able to buy an Ethernet cable longer than 100 meters, but don’t assume that just because you can buy one that it will work.

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O scale vs O gauge

Dave Farquhar model railroading
O scale vs O gauge

The distinction of O scale vs O gauge can be confusing for some people, especially newcomers to model railroading. Some people can get uptight about the difference, so here’s how to distinguish the two so you can avoid offending someone.

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Peel and stick tile over ceramic tile

Dave Farquhar DIY
Peel and stick tile over ceramic tile

Can you put peel and stick tile over ceramic tile? You certainly can, but there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. Do it without prep time, and you’ll end up with a floor that looks bad and doesn’t last as long as it could. Prep carefully though, and no one will ever know.

Here’s how to put peel and stick tile over ceramic tile and not regret the results. I’ve seen it done the wrong way, and I’ve done it both the right way and the wrong way myself.

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What qualifies as media mail? What is considered media mail by the USPS?

Dave Farquhar Saving money
What qualifies as media mail? What is considered media mail by the USPS?

Media mail is just about the least expensive shipping method the US Postal Service offers. But many people abuse it, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally. So how do you get media mail rates, and more importantly, what qualifies as media mail? What is considered media mail by the USPS?

Generally speaking, for things to qualify as media mail, remember two rules. If you wouldn’t find it in a public library or university library, it probably doesn’t qualify. And if it contains advertising, even very old ads that are no longer valid, it almost certainly doesn’t qualify. If it’s a book or a sound recording with only incidental announcements, it’s OK. Anything beyond that is only OK if it meets very specific criteria.

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Does oven cleaner damage car paint?

Dave Farquhar DIY
Does oven cleaner damage car paint?

If you poke around a bit, you’ll frequently find people mentioning oven cleaner as a cheap and easy way to remove unwanted logos, pinstripes, stickers, or other things from car paint. But does oven cleaner damage car paint? And what can you do to make it safe to use to remove unwanted paint and decals?

The answer is yes it can, and to minimize the damage, work slowly and maintain your patience. Here are some tricks for that.

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O and O27 track dimensions

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
O and O27 track dimensions

I never can seem to find O gauge track dimensions and other key information about O and O27 track when I need to find them. So I’m finding them one last time and collecting them here. Maybe someone else can use the information.

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How to remove rivets with a drill

Dave Farquhar DIY
How to remove rivets with a drill

Sometimes in the course of making a modification or a repair, you have to remove a rivet or eyelet so you can disassemble it. By far the easiest way is to drill out the rivet. So here’s how to remove rivets with a drill.

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How big is a G scale train?

Dave Farquhar model railroading
How big is a G scale train?

How big is a G scale train? It depends, and it also depends on whether you’re asking about the size of the train itself or the track. Let’s tackle both questions.

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