Author: Dave Farquhar

Where I was when I first heard about the end of the world

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized

Since all the cool kids (or at least some of them) are writing about the end of the world, I thought I’d write about where I first heard about this.

I’m such a notorious cheapskate, the Mayans had a folk song about me. I was at a library sale, scooping up cheap books, in the summer of 2007. You meet some interesting people at these places, and one of the more colorful is a guy named Jim. Read more

How to schedule scans with Avast (even the free version)

Dave Farquhar security , , ,

Scheduling scans with Avast is easy, as it turns out, if non-obvious. Launch Avast, then, non-intuitively, click Scan Now. Click Settings, then, buried on the left is an option called Scheduling.

I recommend doing a quick scan at least once a day and a full scan at least once a week. If you’re using Avast as a secondary scanner, be sure to have your primary scanner scheduled to perform scans too. Read more

Review: Insignia NS20EM50A13 monitor

Dave Farquhar Hardware , , , , , , , ,

My 15-inch Dell LCD died this weekend. Its date of manufacture was October 2001, so I can’t complain. I bought it used a number of years ago and paid a pittance for it. It had been acting up for more than a year, and at least it had the decency to wait until a potential replacement was on sale before dying completely.

Best Buy had its house-brand 20″ LED monitor on sale for $90, and I had a gift card with a few dollars on it, so I braved Best Buy again, and found a good low-end monitor for the money. Read more

If you’re wondering where those anti-Google ads came from

Dave Farquhar Software , , , , , , , , ,

If you’re wondering why political-style anti-Google ads are suddenly running everywhere, it’s no coincidence. Microsoft has hired one of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s advertising masterminds to try his hand at campaigning against Google.

While it seems to be having some effect on public opinion, its effect on market share and Microsoft’s bottom line will take more time to gauge. But I think in the long term, talking to customers and figuring out why they are walking out of Microsoft stores empty-handed will prove more effective. Read more

A shortcut for wiring your house with Ethernet

Dave Farquhar Servers and Networking , ,
A shortcut for wiring your house with Ethernet

As convenient as wireless is, wireless will never match the security, speed, and reliability of wired Ethernet. I ran some wired Ethernet jacks in mid-2009 and have no regrets, but on my last trip to Lowe’s, I spied a nifty shortcut for wiring: an Ethernet coupler that plugs into a standard keystone jack. They were expensive, but looked like a good way to cut out the most consuming part of wiring a house. I looked online, and they cost less than $2 from Amazon. Read more

Miniature buildings find at Michael’s

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , , ,

I found a few plaster buildings at Michael’s (the crafts chain) this week. The size would work for O27, S scale (1:64), or 28mm scale. They included a diner, a pet store, a post office, and a church. They come unpainted, but would paint easily with acrylic paints. They were priced at $4.99.

What to do when a Lionel train suddenly can’t pull as many cars as it could before

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , , , , , ,

Last night, the Lionel train under our Christmas tree–a low-budget special, of course–started struggling. It had been able to pull five cars before, but suddenly could only pull four. Here’s how I fixed it.

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Get defense in depth with antivirus by installing Avast as a secondary scanner

Dave Farquhar security , , ,

Two antivirus programs on one system? Heresy, right?

Well, not if one is designed to play second fiddle. As it turns out, Avast, one of the best free antivirus programs, can do just that. Just download it, run the installer, and pick the second option–“Compatible install – install as the second line of defense.” Be sure to de-select the option to install Google Chrome and make it your default browser, unless you want that. Free programs often come with ridealongs.

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The greatest European tinplate train collection in the United States is on display

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , , , , , , , , ,

Two years ago, Jerry Greene made a splash when he attempted to put his huge, one-of-a-kind train collection up for auction. He had quietly amassed 35,000 train items, and only a handful of people knew about it.

Transporting the collection to Sotheby’s let that cat out of the bag. It became the subject of a short feature in the October 2012 issue of Classic Toy Trains, and relentless speculation on all of the major online toy train forums.

The collection, now known as the “Jerni collection,” didn’t sell–it was a one-buyer-take-all affair–so now portions of it are on display at the New York Historical Society. Read more

8-character passwords are obsolete

Dave Farquhar security , ,

In case you missed it, a researcher has built a system that can crack every possible 8-character password in less than six hours. 8-character passwords are obsolete.

If he’s got it, so do the bad guys. Read more