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Dyson vacuum cleaner repair/rebuild

Dave Farquhar DIY July 18, 2017June 13, 2022

Our Dyson DC-14 pet vacuum started making a terrible loud, high-pitched noise one day. It still worked, mostly, but the noise was obnoxious enough that you wanted hearing protection while using it. And when I investigated further, I found the vacuum brush was not spinning either. I finally got around to fixing it.

A Dyson vacuum cleaner making a loud noise, a high pitched squealing noise, and the vacuum brush not spinning are all symptoms of the same 1-2 problems. The clutch is engaged and possibly damaged. It’s also possible the filters are clogged.

The meaning of superseded patches

Dave Farquhar security July 17, 2017July 4, 2018nessus, vulnerability

One of my clients asked me to explain superseded patches and how they relate to vulnerability management and patch management. This is a common question about a common complaint. Knowing the meaning of superseded patches and how to handle them is absolutely critical for running a successful security program.

Using Adsense with WordPress

Dave Farquhar Wordpress July 14, 2017January 28, 2018computer security, journalism, SEO

I first started using Google Adsense sometime in 2003 or 2004. But using Adsense with WordPress isn’t completely straightforward. So here’s an easy, concise guide to using Adsense with WordPress, including within your content.

I’m not a full-time blogger. I’m a computer security analyst by day, and blog part time. I went to journalism school in the ’90s in hopes of landing a job that doesn’t exist anymore. Some of what I learned about printing magazines applies to modern blogging. Some of it is subtly different. I don’t need to make a ton of money blogging, but I don’t blog to lose money either. There are an awful lot of bad people with bad motives making a lot of money online off sketchy or downright dishonest content. I’m writing this so the good guys can learn what the bad guys know, and make a little money too.

A Lionel e-unit wiring diagram

Dave Farquhar Toy trains July 13, 2017July 8, 2017e-unit, lionel

Lionel’s e-unit is the most common cause of trouble in vintage Lionel trains. Sometimes people bypass them or remove them entirely to avoid dealing with the problem. Or maybe someone attempted a repair in the past and you just bought the remnants. If someone did that and now you want to replace or rewire it, you need a Lionel e-unit wiring diagram.

You found one.

Is it worth it to buy a house?

Dave Farquhar Saving money July 12, 2017August 1, 2017estate sales, mortgage, real estate

A lot of people will say if you are asking is it worth it to buy a house, the answer is automatically no. As a homeowner and landlord, I think the answer is more complicated than that, so I’m not going to be quite that cynical.

Is it worth it to buy a house? Frankly, it depends.

Disadvantages of the 8086 microprocessor

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Retro Computing July 11, 2017August 11, 20176502, amd, apple, Apple Lisa, DEC, IBM, intel, MOS, motorola, x86

An 8086-series microprocessor, the 8088, powered the original IBM PC. Its direct descendants power PCs to this day. Not only that, they power modern Macs too. This was always controversial, especially running Mac OS on Intel chips. Why? What are the disadvantages of the 8086 microprocessor?

Most valuable baseball cards of the 1980s

Dave Farquhar Baseball July 10, 2017March 13, 20211980s, 1990s, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, baseball cards, billboard, Cal Ripken, cardstock, Fleer, Jose Canseco, New York, Star Wars, Topps

In the 1980s, almost everyone I knew collected baseball cards, at least briefly. When we think of the 1980s today, baseball cards aren’t what comes to mind but they probably deserve to be up there with video games, Rubik’s cubes, G.I. Joe, and Star Wars. With so many of us buying and preserving cards during that decade’s baseball card bubble, there aren’t a lot of super-valuable cards from the 1980s. But that doesn’t mean all 1980s baseball cards are worthless. So let’s take a look at the most valuable baseball cards of the 1980s.

If you’re like me and thought you’d fund your retirement with baseball cards someday, this could be depressing. More depressing than 1970s baseball card values. Possibly more depressing than 1990s baseball card values, even. But there’s a flip side too. If you didn’t have all of these cards back then, you probably can afford all of them now. None of the most valuable baseball cards of the 1980s are worth what we thought they’d someday be worth.

Who still uses Wordperfect?

Dave Farquhar Software July 7, 2017January 23, 2022excel, keyboard shortcuts, Microsoft Office, microsoft word, office 2007, troubleshooting

I had an odd question come up the other day: Who still uses Wordperfect? It’s a fair question. Wordperfect, as you may know, is still very much in production. Corel releases new versions every year or two. It’s the #2 word processor in the market, still. Someone is still using it, then.

Wordperfect is a software classic, especially the old version 5.1 that ran under DOS. For a time, Wordperfect 5.1 was one of the two most famous programs for IBM compatible PCs. The other was Lotus 1-2-3.

What happened to Compuserve?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing July 6, 2017February 14, 2026

Compuserve was an online service for dialup modems from the 1970s to the 1990s. It was a way of getting online and communicating with others before the Internet was generally available to individuals. Later, it became a primary way for individuals to connect to the Internet, turning itself into an Internet Service Provider. But over time, it faded away into history. Here’s what happened to Compuserve.

Using compact flash as a hard drive

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing July 5, 2017August 1, 20171990s, pentium ii

Old IDE hard drives are slow and unreliable, due to their age. What if I could tell you there’s a cheap, readily available substitute that’s both solid state and faster? There is. Let’s talk about using compact flash as a hard drive.