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Why did Marx Toys close?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 16, 2018March 10, 2022

On Dec 12, 1955, Louis Marx was on the cover of Time magazine, the subject of a story that called him the Toy King. Twenty seven short years later, Louis Marx died in his home, aged 86. The same day, a bankruptcy court ruled that his factory in Glen Dale, West Virginia, had to close for good. Marx and his company died on the same day. Why did Marx Toys close? And why so suddenly?

There were several reasons. I don’t think it was any one thing, but rather, several things that led to another, and the cascade brought Louis Marx’s empire down.

Why did Compaq fail?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing March 15, 2018September 6, 2024

Compaq was a high-flying PC brand in the 1980s and 1990s. It created the first successful and fully legal IBM PC clone, set records as a startup, usurped IBM as the standard bearer in the PC market, and made sturdy, highly regarded desktop PCs and servers. But today it’s just a trademark that HP owns and doesn’t use. Why did Compaq fail?

There were several reasons why Compaq failed, but one stands taller than the others.

How a vulnerability scanner works

Dave Farquhar security March 14, 2018March 10, 2018

Vulnerability scanning is an essential part of any information security program. Unfortunately it’s also pretty widely misunderstood. In that light, let’s take a look at what a vulnerability scanner is, and how a vulnerability scanner works.

Do I need a managed switch at home?

Dave Farquhar Careers, Servers and Networking March 13, 2018January 19, 2026

Like most people, I used consumer-grade switches on my home network for years and years, like TP-Link switches. They’re fine, but my older Linksys switch started acting flaky the other night. My oldest son’s computer kept dropping off the network. So that got me thinking. Do I need a managed switch at home?

Whether I need a managed switch for my home network or not, I bought a Dell Powerconnect 2824 smart managed switch, and I got it for less than a Linksys. This is a great opportunity to learn wired networking at home, the way businesses do it. Sure, it’s overkill, but here’s why I think it’s a good idea.

How to remove crayon from plastic

Dave Farquhar DIY March 12, 2018November 19, 2020

If you have kids, it’s inevitable. At some point you’ll need to know how to remove crayon from plastic. And while there are any number of ways to do it, I haven’t found anyone else mentioning the easiest way to clean up stray crayon marks. So I’ll share my secret.

What is a vulnerability management program?

Dave Farquhar security March 9, 2018March 18, 2020

What is a vulnerability management program? Well, it’s not a computer program, although you will need some software to run a successful vulnerability management program. But vulnerability management is a discipline. A vulnerability management program is an ongoing continuous operation to ensure the discipline is working in your organization.

That may raise as many questions as it answers, so let’s dig in.

What self-etching primer is

Dave Farquhar DIY March 8, 2018June 3, 2023

Whether you’re talking cars, computer modification, or restoring old toys, the subject of self-etching primer is bound to come up. You’ve probably seen it in the paint aisles with other spray paints and noticed it costs a little more than regular primer. But what is self-etching primer, and when should you use it? And where’s the best place to buy it?

Reboot Windows from a command line

Dave Farquhar Windows March 7, 2018February 3, 2022

A good trick for the busy system administrator is knowing how to reboot Windows from a command line. For example, I used to push patches on Thursday and Friday, suppress the reboots, then reboot my servers from a batch file starting on Monday. Rebooting from a command line rather than using the Start menu and selecting shutdown or restart saved me countless hours.

As a security professional, I know when systems need to reboot based on seeing Tenable plugin 34543 or Qualys QID 90126 in my scan results.

Qualys asset tracking: All you need to know

Dave Farquhar security March 6, 2018January 23, 2019

I probably get more questions about Qualys asset tracking than I get about anything else in regards to Qualys. Many people misunderstand Qualys asset tracking. It’s really easy to mess it up, and things can go horribly wrong if you do.

By default, Qualys tracks assets by IP address. It can also track by NetBIOS name or DNS name. If your authentication is really solid and you enable Agentless Tracking, the Dissolvable Agent, and Unified View, you can also in effect force Qualys to track by a system-generated UUID as well.

Bootleg ground: What it is and why it’s dangerous

Dave Farquhar DIY March 6, 2018May 17, 2023

In the course of fixing up houses, I’ve seen a lot of wiring mistakes. Common mistakes like reverse polarity or a missing ground will cause the house to not pass inspection, but a bootleg ground is a bigger problem. It’s dangerous, and many building inspectors won’t catch it.

Here’s what a bootleg ground is, why it’s dangerous and you shouldn’t do it, and what you should do instead.