Author: Dave Farquhar

I don’t think this basement layout abandoned since 1967 is necessarily a tragedy

Dave Farquhar model railroading, Toy trains , , , , , , , ,

A query appeared on one of the train forums and has slowly spread through several discussion groups I’m aware of, regarding a 2-rail O scale train layout, built by a hobbyist in the 1950s and 1960s, who died in 1967. The layout sat for 45 years, and now someone has approached a couple of hobbyists about possibly liquidating it.

Of course, lots of armchair pundits have their own ideas about what should have happened to that layout in 1967, when the builder died.

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Why Intel can’t quit x86

Dave Farquhar Hardware , , , , , , , , , ,
Why Intel can’t quit x86

Here’s a nice perspective on Intel’s non-x86 efforts, and why they failed and x86 marched on, despite its weak points, and why Intel can’t quit x86.

Kudos for remembering that Intel made ARM chips.

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So, would I rather be a full-time author?

Dave Farquhar Writing , ,

When I wrote my take on used-book sales, I originally included a question, then took it out because it turned into a sidebar. But it’s a valid question.

Would I rather be a full-time author? Read more

A penny-book author’s take on secondhand sales, physical and digital

Dave Farquhar Copyright , ,

There was talk on Slashdot on Friday about reselling digital media, and typical sky-is-falling predictions saying that secondhand sales will drive down prices and drive artists out of business. “Look!” some say. “There are used books on Amazon that sell for a penny!”

Yes there are. My book was one of those, until Windows 95 became old enough that retro computing enthusiasts became interested in it. Now when I want to buy a copy, I have to compete with those hipsters. But you know what? Copies of my book selling for a penny never bothered me. I’ll tell you why.

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A not-quite-heir to the Model M

Dave Farquhar Hardware , , , , ,

So today I came across the story of a new Cooler Master keyboard, which claims to be very IBM Model M-like, but with modern styling and conveniences.

The verdict is that this keyboard is even stiffer than the Model M, which raises a question that not many are asking. Maybe I’m showing my age and everyone else is too young. But to me, the obvious question is how the Cooler Master CM Storm and its Cherry MX green key switches compare to the Model M’s predecessor, the IBM Model F? Read more

Remember: Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized

Remember, in most parts of the United States this weekend marks spring-forward time, which means Monday will be the worst Monday of the year since you’ll still be adjusting to a new sleep schedule.

Due to my oddball work schedule, I have Friday off, so I’m actually going to start trying to adjust a couple of days early.

Personally, I wish we would just pick one clock or the other and observe it year-round, but since nobody asked me, I’m going to see what I can do to make the adjustment easier on myself, besides drinking twice as much coffee until I’m used to it.

My Zinio adventures

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

My Classic Toy Trains subscription lapsed. I decided I wanted to subscribe to the digital edition and see if I liked the paper reduction enough to live with the DRM restrictions. I can always switch back to paper next year, right?

So I went to Zinio.com and tried to subscribe, and had nothing but problems getting them to take my money.

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How to pick a decent password

Dave Farquhar security , , , ,

Although I write about passwords about 8 times a week, it seems, it occurs to me that I haven’t–at least not recently, that I can find–written about how to make up a halfway decent password.

So, here’s how to make a decent–I won’t say great–password.

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My youngest son learns the word “blankie”

Dave Farquhar Parenting

I have two sons. My youngest has been talking for a few months now, and learns a few new words every day. One day this past week, he learned the word “blankie.” It’s probably the most innocent word in the whole English language, but it’s the end of an era to me.

Let me explain.

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Java’s been updated again. For the fifth time this year.

Dave Farquhar security

Seriously, Java and Flash and Acrobat have been updated so many times this year, you could almost make a drinking game out of it. Java is on update number five for the year, and it’s only the first week of March.

Of course, if you uninstalled Java, you don’t have to worry about 0-day vulnerabilities or the patches that come afterward to prevent them. If you installed Secunia PST, you don’t have to worry about the updates; they come down automatically. The ideal thing is to do both.