I’m not sure where I read this first, but I love this trick for making instant repairs. If you’re putting together something made of paper, wood, or a combination of the two, join it together with a bit of Aileene’s Tacky Glue (this also works with ordinary Elmer’s white glue or Elmer’s wood glue), then zap it in a microwave for 20 seconds. That 20 seconds is enough to instantly cure the glue for a strong bond.
How to check SSD alignment
If you didn’t align your partitions when you upgraded to an SSD, there’s a pretty good chance you’re giving up performance and life expectancy. Here’s how to check SSD alignment.
But first, a bit of good news. If you created the partition with Vista or Windows 7, your partitions should be aligned. If you upgraded from XP and didn’t re-partition the drive in the process, then it probably isn’t.
Get ready for some command-line jockeying and some math. Read more
Bubble wrap as cheap window insulation
Need a cheap way to keep your house warmer?
I’ve been using shrink film on my windows for years. It’s effective. It’s a little expensive and it takes a while to do, but it works. But today I read something that should work nearly as well and be cheaper: Use bubble wrap. Read more
Secret weapon of the day: music wire
The secret weapon of the day is music wire, also sometimes called piano wire. It is a super stiff, hardened steel wire, available in diameters ranging from .006 inches to .192 inches, a range that starts out smaller than a #80 drill, and ends at the approximate size of a #10 drill.
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Lionel’s going to start producing in the States again! Well, a little.
Lionel is starting up production in the United States again. It’s a limited basis–just a plastic-bodied box car–but it’s something. Interestingly, to me, the plastic bodies are going to be produced in Warminster, Pennsylvania. My dad grew up in the same county, a couple of towns north of Warminster, roughly 12 miles away.
Cleaning and storing Lionel track
Cleaning and storing Lionel track is another common question when the subject of trains comes up. Now that you’re getting the electric train track out for Christmas duty, there are some things you need to do to get it ready. And when the time comes to put it away until next year, a little preparation then will leave it in better shape for next year.
First, a note: Since writing this piece, I discovered a miracle. I treated my track with a conductivity enhancer, and the difference is unbelievable. I haven’t needed to clean my track in two years.
Speeding up a sluggish HP Mini 110
My mom’s HP Mini 110 Atom-based netbook (with the factory 16GB SSD) was hesitating, a lot. Frankly it was really frustrating to use–it would freeze up for minutes on end, for no good reason. It was so slow, calling it “sluggish” was being kind. But it’s fixed now. I did six five things to it. Here’s how to speed up an HP Mini 110.
Homemade toy train track
For some reason, a lot of people are interested in making their own Lionel train track. I don’t think it’s practical, but it’s definitely possible.
I found a 1944 Popular Mechanics article on making your own DIY Lionel train track. During World War II, toy production all but stopped, so short of buying from stores like Madison Hardware that sold old stock, making your own was all you could do. Even Madison Hardware had to resort to creativity, building a machine to straighten curved track sections to make straights so they would have straight track to sell.
The article used scrap tin salvaged from cans, wire salvaged from a coat hanger, and a homemade jig made of flat steel bar and wood. It was possible to make both straight and curved sections, although the article didn’t elaborate a lot on making curves.
I don’t think it’s practical, at least not today, when clean used O27 or O31 tubular track sells for $1 or less per section and most dealers take in used track faster than they can resell it. The jig will cost more to make than a circle of track costs, and then there’s the trouble of locating suitable metal sheet to use, which is likely to cost more than the track as well. Then there’s the time involved with cutting the metal, forming the rails, and assembling the track. It’s something to do because you really want homemade train track, not to save money.
But I do think the article is interesting from a historical perspective. If you found some track in a stash of 1940s trains that appears to have been homemade, there’s a pretty good chance the person who made it found the instructions in Popular Mechanics. And there’s a pretty good chance whoever made it didn’t have any other source for track at the time.
Ugh. I’m beat.
I went in today for a massage, to get my shoulders tuned up so I can get another year out of these two arms without my wrists tingling and aching and otherwise not doing their job. I’ll feel 17 again in a day or two. In the meantime, I feel like I just got beat up. At least this year it was only 3 knots back there. Last year it was more like 5, or something ridiculous like that.
If you have a web site, don’t forget Google webmaster tools
I’ve been messing with Google’s webmaster tools. I definitely wish I’d looked at them a lot sooner. You sign up, prove you own the web site (I inserted a meta tag), and then they start putting together everything they know about your site. It takes a while for all of the data to trickle in at first, or at least it’s taking a while for me, since I’m pushing 2,000 pages. But I think it’s invaluable for all but the very smallest, simplest site. Read more