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New Marx/Ameritrains trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 17, 2019October 30, 2021

Marx Trains, also variously known as New Marx, Modern Marx, and Ameritrains, was originally the brainchild of Jim and Debby Flynn, a husband and wife who collected Marx trains, especially the tin variants. They produced a line of tinplate trains in the same style of vintage Louis Marx tin trains. Marx stopped making trains out of tinplate in 1972. But what happened to Marx Trains, or New Marx?

Marx Trains had a run of about 15 years, from 1992 to around 2007, with a brief resumption in 2012. The trains had a small, dedicated following but did not achieve the market penetration of larger rivals like MTH.

Security+ vs Security+ce

Dave Farquhar security May 16, 2019March 26, 2024

When you’re hunting through job postings, sometimes you may see Security+ as a requirement. Sometimes you might see Security+ce instead. Theoretically, I’m out of luck if they really want Security+ce. Let’s talk about Security+ vs Security+ce and whether the difference means anything for you.

Security+ vs Security+ce really comes down to when you took the exam. If you took the exam after 2010, and certainly after 2011, you have both. If, like me, you took the exam before 2010 and didn’t convert it, you just have Security+. And some jobs require ce.

Erector set screw size

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized May 15, 2019June 13, 2022

Erector sets frequently are missing screws, or they have screws but they’ve suffered the ravages of time. Fortunately the Erector set screw size was a standard 8-32, so you can substitute modern screws and/or nuts to replace damaged or missing originals, or if you just find them easier to work with.

What to look for in a Commodore 64

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 14, 2019May 10, 2019

If you’re into retro computing, the Commodore 64 is hard to escape. It was the most popular computer model of all time, so it was everywhere in the 1980s. But the machine does have its quirks, which can be either endearing or maddening. Here’s what to look for in a Commodore 64.

Certain models and eras of Commodore 64 are more dependable than others. Early models will appeal to people who want something slightly challenging to repair, while a newer model is definitely better for someone who wants a retro machine that works without putting up a fuss.

The decline of toy stores

Dave Farquhar Retail May 13, 2019April 27, 2019

The retail market is certainly changing and there’s a lot of consolidation in the market. But some retail categories have pretty much dried up on a national level, like toy stores. It ought to be a safe market, because new kids are born every year to replace kids who become adults. What’s behind the decline of toy stores?

While there’s been a degree of mismanagement involved in the decline of the two most recent toy store chains to go belly-up, both Toys R Us and Kay-Bee Toys had something else in common, and it wasn’t Amazon. They didn’t need to survive for their owners to make money, and that’s why they ultimately didn’t.

Fastening American Flyer track

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 10, 2019April 29, 2019

The holes in the ties on American Flyer S gauge track are absurdly small, so fastening American Flyer track has been a mystery for ages. What size fasteners can you use?

American Flyer veterans recommend using #17 wire brad nails, 1 inch long. Drilling pilot holes helps if you have a small enough bit, a #56 or smaller.

Authenticated scans across multiple domains

Dave Farquhar security May 9, 2019November 11, 2023

I helped a company troubleshoot its vulnerability scans recently. They had multiple Windows domains because of their line of business. This made scans difficult, but we found some solutions. Here are some tips for authenticated scans across multiple domains.

Scanning multiple domains in a single scan can cause account lockouts if the usernames and passwords don’t all match. Possible solutions include separating each domain into its own scan, using completely unique accounts to scan, syncing up the accounts so they have the same username and password, or using Cyber-Ark to match up credentials to machines.

How to clean vintage computers

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 8, 2019March 14, 2022

To paraphrase an old commercial, you can’t keep your vintage computer from getting old. But you can keep it from looking old. Clean vintage computers in good condition are more enjoyable, or at least easier to admire for the era they represent. And usually, no matter how neglected the computer is, you can clean it up and make it look nearly new as long as there’s little to no physical damage.

There are many inexpensive household cleaners that work well on vintage computers. That means without spending a lot of money, you can get your vintage computers looking much better.

Youtube says click to enable video converter? Here’s the fix.

Dave Farquhar security May 7, 2019April 24, 2019

My son had problems with his computer. Any time he went to Youtube, instead of getting video, he got a prompt that said “Click to enable video converter.” Virus is a strong word, but video converter is software you don’t want. Here’s how to fix it.

Run Malwarebytes, let it scan your system, quarantine everything it doesn’t like, then reboot. That’s all it takes to remove Video Converter. Don’t waste your time with those other websites that give generic information that doesn’t work.

Start menu keeps scrolling down? A simple fix

Dave Farquhar Windows May 6, 2019September 5, 2022

One morning I went to use my Windows 10 PC and brought up the start menu only to get an unpleasant surprise. The contents of the menu scrolled to the end uncontrollably, rendering it unusable. If your start menu keeps scrolling down, here’s how to fix it.

Generally speaking, a scrolling start menu or other menu is due to a fault on some USB-attached peripheral, such as a game controller or keyboard. Unplugging USB devices should allow you to isolate the problem.