Author: Dave Farquhar

What happened to Charter Communications?

Dave Farquhar ISPs
What happened to Charter Communications?

The name Charter Communications has largely disappeared, after years of being one of the largest cable companies in the country. So what happened to Charter Communications? When did Spectrum buy Charter? The answer probably isn’t what you think.

Charter Communications still exists as a legal entity. It just transitioned to using the Spectrum brand name starting in 2014.

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Jose Uribe baseball card value: Not what you’re hoping

Dave Farquhar Baseball
Jose Uribe baseball card value: Not what you’re hoping

There are a number of Youtube videos talking up the value of Jose Uribe’s baseball cards. The 1990 Fleer Jose Uribe, to be precise. So here’s some straight talk about what’s going on with regard to Jose Uribe baseball card value, and why some people think it’s absurdly valuable.

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Pinginfoview: A free Windows ping sweep tool

Dave Farquhar Windows
Pinginfoview: A free Windows ping sweep tool

Sometimes you need to ping sweep a network. I have a batch file for that, but what if your list isn’t continuous? In that case, there’s a better tool for you. Pinginfoview is my favorite free Windows ping sweep tool. It’s easy to use, small, and standalone, requiring no installation. In this blog post, I’ll explain why it’s so great.

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Who makes Masterforce power tools for Menards?

Dave Farquhar DIY
Who makes Masterforce power tools for Menards?

Masterforce is Menards’ house brand for power tools and hand tools. As a house brand, they are less expensive than the big name brands. But are Masterforce power tools good? And who makes Masterforce power tools for Menards? I did some digging to find out.

Masterforce power tools are made by Chervon, one of the 10 largest OEMs of power tools in the world. Contrary to rumor, they are not rebadged Maktec tools made by Makita.

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ZIP vs RAR

Dave Farquhar Software
ZIP vs RAR

ZIP and RAR are two popular file formats in the Windows world. They have similarities, since both of them provide lossless file compression. But they have some fairly significant technical and philosophical differences too. Here’s a look at ZIP vs RAR and why the two file formats have coexisted side by side for decades.

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Xxcopy vs Xcopy file copy utilities

Dave Farquhar Windows
Xxcopy vs Xcopy file copy utilities

XXCOPY vs XCOPY: Which file copy utility do you like? Both of them are extensions of the DOS command COPY. Think eXtended Copy and eXtended eXtended Copy. Two extendeds are better, right? Yep.

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Can’t plug into outlet? How to open tamper resistant outlets

Dave Farquhar DIY
Can’t plug into outlet? How to open tamper resistant outlets

Modern tamper resistant outlets are a good safety feature, but they also present a challenge. They can be much harder to plug into. Here’s how to open tamper resistant outlets if you can’t plug into an outlet.

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json.loads vs json.dumps in Python

Dave Farquhar Software
json.loads vs json.dumps in Python

Dealing with JSON is a common task when you’re coding in Python. Two functions you may use a lot without fully understanding them are json.loads and json.dumps. Let’s take a look at json.loads vs json.dumps in Python, what they do, and how they can help you, especially when wrangling complex JSON data from APIs.

json.loads and json.dumps are two functions in Python for converting JSON to and from simple strings. Sometimes one is better than the other, and being able to convert between them reduces the trade-offs you have to make.

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Payless Cashways remembered

Dave Farquhar Retail
Payless Cashways remembered

Payless Cashways, not to be confused with the shoe store with the similar name, was a regional hardware store, based out of Kansas City. Much like its cross-state neighbor, Central Hardware, it pioneered the big box home improvement store format, featuring a real lumberyard. It, too, was in a poor position to capitalize on the booming home improvement market. It went out of business September 10, 2001, after 71 years of existence.

Payless Cashways was born out of the Great Depression and grew as a result of the post-World War II boom in DIY home improvement. But the threat of takeover by a corporate raider in the 1980s ultimately proved its undoing.

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Are electric mowers worth the money?

Dave Farquhar DIY
Are electric mowers worth the money?

Retailers started pushing electric mowers hard in 2021. When I walked into Home Depot at the beginning of March, I saw more electrics on display than gas-powered mowers. Even Harbor Freight, of all places, has two electric mowers on prominent display. But are electric mowers worth the money? Let’s look at whether a gas or electric mower makes more sense.

If you’re in the market for a mower anyway, an electric mower makes a ton of sense because it’s cheaper to operate than a gas mower. If you have a working gas mower, the numbers are murkier but electric may still make sense.

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