David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more
I saw this lament in my referrer logs, of all places. Perhaps someone read it, then wondered if I had an answer? I’m not the only one searching for inexpensive flash storage for older PCs after all.
The exact solution the author sought, a USB-IDE converter to attach a thumb drive as an IDE device, doesn’t exist as far as I know. But I can think of two things that are almost as good.
This week I’ve had multiple people send me warnings they saw on Facebook about a new privacy threat, which, after I read about it, really appears just to be something that aggregates information already available about you.
Perhaps not coincidentally, PC Magazine has a piece telling you what you need to do if you’re really concerned about privacy and really want to disappear. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2376023,00.asp
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I was out buying toilet parts today (more on that in a minute–I’m sure you’re thrilled), and while I was there, I looked at light bulbs. I needed a few. And I noticed something. The 40W equivalent CFLs use 9 watts today. The same as LEDs. So I bought a package of (4) CFLs for $1.85. The local utility subsidizes CFLs, since it’s cheaper to buy all its customers CFLs than it is to build new power plants.
I got home and checked one of my 40W equivalents that I’ve had for a while. 13 watts.
I received a contract today from Classic Toy Trains, a sister publication of Model Railroader and Discover. If you haven’t heard of CTT, there’s a chance you’ve heard of one of the others. It’s an article about the venerable Lionel gateman accessory, and some tricks for improving its operation.
I don’t know yet when they plan to publish it, but when I find out, I’ll make an announcement.
Kalmbach, the owner of CTT, has a long tradition of excellence dating to the 1930s. I’m thrilled to write for them.
I see the ‘net is overrun today with complaints about Apple switching to oddball Pentalobular screws (sometimes called “pentagram” screws–is that an accident, or people being snarky?) and the occasional person claiming to know where to get a Pentalobular driver for a few dollars, but few people actually being, you know, helpful.
So here’s where you can get one for $2.35, plus shipping. http://www.sw-box.com/Professional-Screw-Driver-Opening-Tool-For-Iphone-4.html
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Today the Consumerist linked to a report that CFLs burn out faster than expected.
That’s probably right. But not all CFLs are created equal, so if you have a bad string of luck with one brand, try changing brands.
I also think that CFLs are more sensitive to bad power than conventional bulbs are. Or maybe we just care more when a CFL burns out.
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Yesterday’s post was hastily done. A longtime reader pointed out one mistake, and a questionable one–a tricky was/were instance, which, since I wasn’t actually there to see the event, means I can’t actually tell you which one would be proper… Although in the rest of the English-speaking world, “were” would be correct. Except Canada, perhaps.
I have some, er, distractions going on lately.
Computerworld published a scare piece on rogue IT people.
Linuxplanet countered with a piece that was about equal parts substance and hand-waving. I found myself mostly agreeing with the Linuxplanet piece, but was disappointed it didn’t go deeper into the counter-arguments.
I’ve been on both sides of this.
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Since registry editing is uncomfortable for some people, here’s a follow-on to last week’s trick that forces MSSE to update more frequently. Read more
When the PS3 was released, one of its advertised features was that you could install Linux on it and use it as a Linux computer. I doubt many people did it, but it was a useful feature for those who did.
Sony later took that ability away in a firmware update. You could choose not to install that later firmware, but then you gave up other capabilities.
Now, some enthusiasts have figured out various ways to get that capability back, and Sony is so thrilled about that, they’re suing.
Sony is in the wrong.
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