Author: Dave Farquhar

The first successful home computer: Commodore VIC-20

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing , , , , ,
The first successful home computer: Commodore VIC-20

What was the first successful home computer? Some people would argue it was the Apple II, the TRS-80 Model I, or perhaps even the Apple I. But I argue it was Commodore’s VIC-20.

Maybe I’m biased. I was a Commodore fan growing up and my first experience with a computer was probably on a VIC-20. But I think I can make a case.

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Types of Lionel knuckle couplers

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , , , , , , , ,
Types of Lionel knuckle couplers

There have been three major types of Lionel knuckle couplers produced since resuming train production in 1946. Lionel knew it would have to make a splash when it brought its trains back after the end of the War, and the knuckle coupler was one of the keys.

Two of these coupler types are compatible with one another, but one has a gotcha.

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I read Microsoft’s site to a “Microsoft” scammer

Dave Farquhar scams , ,

“Daniel” from “Microsoft” called me the other day. The number looked halfway legit so I picked up. He out and out claimed to be from Microsoft and said he was getting alerts from my computer. His voice sounded familiar–I think I’d talked to him before.

“Which computer?” I asked.

“Your Microsoft computer,” he said.

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Required wattage for Marx accessories

Dave Farquhar Toy trains ,

Someone asked me how to estimate the required wattage for Marx accessories. Although I don’t recall Marx ever issuing any specific guidance, it’s easy to do yourself. Their physical size is a completely different consideration.

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Pros and cons of RightTrack or SnapShot devices

Dave Farquhar security , , , , , ,

Insurance companies are starting to offer discounts if you plug one of their devices, often called a RightTrack or SnapShot, into your car’s ODB2 port.

One of my college buddies asked me about them when his insurance company offered his family a 5% discount to plug these into their cars, and then make them eligible for up to another 25%. Those are compelling numbers. So what are the potential drawbacks?

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Putting a 3-prong grounded plug on a transformer

Dave Farquhar Toy trains

I’ve talked before about replacing a power cord on a transformer, but for whatever reason, I forgot to mention a cheap source of replacement power cords that also provide a safety improvement.

Use a 3-prong computer power cord.

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Pay off investment property

Dave Farquhar Landlording , , , , ,

Paying off debt involves some nasty math, and when you go to pay off investment property, it’s no exception. That’s why it’s so controversial. When I was in college, my university used this kind of math to weed students out, so it should come as no surprise that the lending industry booms, and so many hucksters make a fortune hawking questionable ways to get out of debt.

I have a better way, and you won’t pay me anything for the advice. Read on.

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Do I have enough CISSP work experience?

Dave Farquhar security , , , , ,

It seems like about once a month an aspiring coworker asks me how to get enough CISSP work experience. I think this shows a misunderstanding of the requirement, so I’m going to try to clear it up.

You don’t have to get your five years of work experience in one big lump. And that’s a good thing, because that would be hard to do. Sometimes you can get a security job without a cert and work your way toward it, but a lot of employers want you to come in with the certification already.

But that’s OK. As long as you’re doing something more than selling computers at retail, odds are you have some security experience that can count toward the requirement.

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The silver label Commodore 64

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
The silver label Commodore 64

The most valuable examples of the Commodore 64, generally speaking, are the early variants that have silver labels across the top. The silver label Commodore 64 is the earliest, most expensive example of the venerable machine.

In all, Commodore produced about 80,000 of these machines. That compares to several million of the most common variants. That alone makes early models relatively rare. When you do find one, there’s a fairly good chance it’s not 100% original. The silver label Commodore 64 is the equivalent of the Atari 2600 heavy sixer, but more rare.

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Solve the NSIS error

Dave Farquhar Windows , ,
Solve the NSIS error

I was trying to install some software last week and I got an NSIS error. The message certainly suggests corrupt downloads, but corrupt downloads are relatively rare, and when they happen, redownloading it ought to clear that up. Getting two of these failures in a row with different programs is really a freak occurrence, so I started looking for another problem.

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