Author: Dave Farquhar

Why to change forum passwords right now

Dave Farquhar security

If you regularly visit forums online, particularly forums powered by the forum software Vbulletin, you ought to change your forum passwords right now. The longer and more random you make them, the better.

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407 error in Java with Forcepoint

Dave Farquhar security

I had a Java app pointing at a Forcepoint (formerly known as Websense) proxy server. The proxy server wasn’t working, at least not consistently, and the app was giving me a 407 error. Here’s a workaround for this weird intermittent error. Intermittent problems are always the toughest ones to solve.

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Dealing with long lists of complaints from tenants

Dave Farquhar Landlording

I talked last week about setting boundaries with tenants. Today I’ll talk about a different problem: long lists of complaints from tenants.

This problem certainly can get under your skin, but when you dig into the problem, the solution can be surprisingly simple.

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Adjust Lionel CW-80 fixed voltage

Dave Farquhar Toy trains

The CW-80, unlike postwar transformers, only has two accessory posts. To adjust the Lionel CW-80 fixed voltage, the posts are programmable. If you lost your manual, here’s how to do it.

The accessory voltage was set to 12 volts at the factory, which is usually a good setting, but sometimes they get adjusted, or sometimes you need something different. Here’s how to set it to what you want, in five steps.

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Lionel train won’t slow down? Here’s the fix.

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , ,

Someone asked me recently why their Lionel train won’t slow down, and when I asked for elaboration, I learned the train wasn’t responding to the throttle on the transformer.

Usually I see the opposite problem, but this one is an easy mistake to make. Fortunately the fix for it is also easy.

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How to fix diecast toys

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
How to fix diecast toys

I’ve told you about the best way to fix plastic toys, but it dawned on me the other day I’ve never mentioned how to fix diecast toys. Diecast toys don’t break as often as plastic, but it can happen. The good news is that you can fix them too.

In my example I will be fixing a Lionel 671 train from 1946, but the same technique works with anything made of diecast metal of any age.

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Setting boundaries with difficult tenants

Dave Farquhar Landlording ,

As a landlord, I’ve dealt with some difficult tenants, and I’ve noticed they all tend to use very similar tactics. Setting boundaries is a necessity to keep things under control, and in the end keep all of your tenants happy while keeping yourself sane.

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Marx 999 repair and service

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Marx 999 repair and service

I had a Marx 999 that didn’t run well when I pulled it out of storage. When pushing it along the track a few times didn’t yield any measurable improvement, I decided I’d better take it apart and give it a thorough cleaning.

In this case, I worked on a Marx 999, but everything I did applies to any other O gauge train Marx made except for the very late 490 locomotives, whose motors don’t seem to have been designed to let you do any more than replace the brushes.

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Use guest networks to secure IoT “smart” devices

Dave Farquhar security , ,
Use guest networks to secure IoT “smart” devices

A neighbor asked me about a recommendation Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte made a couple of weeks ago about securing your IoT household “smart” devices, like doorbells, thermostats, televisions, and anything else that wasn’t traditionally computerized, by putting it on a guest network.

The short answer is yes, it’s something you should do. It doesn’t make them perfectly safe, but it’s the best you can do, so you should. But I would do it a bit differently from Gibson–I think the ideal setup has two guest networks.

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Lionel 2034 locomotive repair

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , , , , , ,
Lionel 2034 locomotive repair

I have a Lionel 2034 that had a bent cab I fixed, but it ran poorly too. It would run, but only in super slow-mo, and that was when it would run at all. If I was really patient, sometimes I could get it to run a little after a few minutes, but it had minimal pulling power even then. So I took a shot at Lionel 2034 locomotive repair. It was successful.

The motor needed some maintenance, but it didn’t need any parts. Here’s how I fixed it in less than an hour.

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