13 February 2018 | Computers, How Does it Work? |
A friend recently asked me about what backup hard drive to buy.
He mentioned an external SSD, which made me do a double-take. External SSD?!
Well, yeah. Apparently, they’ve been around for years already, although only recently have prices become a bit more reasonable.
And, until now, I hadn’t even seen an ad for one!
An external SSD as a backup drive has the primary benefit of SPEED!
But is it worth it? And are they reliable enough for use as a backup drive that might sit on your shelf for months or even years on end?
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5 February 2018 | Do-It-Yourself, Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
9 months ago, I made this video: Make your own stylish smartphone Faraday Box in 10 minutes
Since then, I’ve learned a ton more about Faraday cages, and experimented a lot to make an even BETTER box.
It turns out that my original box was only so-so at blocking Bluetooth. My original testing of Bluetooth blocking was, shall we say, not very thorough. My primary focus was blocking cell network signals.
I also mistakenly assumed that if Bluetooth was blocked, WiFi at 2.4 GHz would also be blocked. Nope! WiFi is much harder to block due to the higher signal strength (among other things).
I’m fired!
To make matters worse, contrary to popular belief, we’re still learning about how Faraday cages actually work!
And so, I give you: Stylish Smartphone Faraday Box: Mark II
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7 January 2018 | Computers, How Does it Work?, Programming, Video |
By popular demand!
Meltdown and Spectre are the recently-publicized exploits that take advantage of flaws in modern processors.
These flaws are big news, but what’s the actual scoop?
It turns out that they ARE a big deal, but with a few important caveats…
Since the exploits themselves are so technically complicated, I have tried to explain them in a simplified way without sacrificing actual useful details.
That way, you can make up your own mind as to whether or not you should run for the hills!
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24 December 2017 | Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
If you’re like me, you tend to go a little Clark Griswold every Holiday Season.
My current favorite holiday lighting apparatus is those sassy red/green laser projectors!
But how do they work?
It turns out they’re actually pretty simple.
Lasers, some funky hair, and Bob’s your Uncle…
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18 December 2017 | Computers, How Does it Work?, Video |
We hear a lot about A.I. – artificial intelligence – these days. But is it really here?
Should you be worried about Skynet and terminators and some little punk named John having to grow up and save the world?
Not quite. At least not yet, anyway…
While so-called machine learning algorithms are insanely powerful these days, they aren’t really true AI.
Then again, we keep changing out definition of AI with every advancement in technology…
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4 December 2017 | Computers, Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
A few weeks ago, I published a video on how to get max speed from your USB 3 gizmos, which you can find here:
Slow copy speeds with USB 3? No problem!
Right, but if what about lowly USB 2 sticks? They’re far more prevalent than USB 3 sticks, and many of them are veeeery sloooow…
There are a few things to watch out for when buying your next USB stick.
And you don’t even need to be a technical genius!
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10 October 2017 | Computers, How Does it Work?, Video |
USB is totally awesome, and USB 3.0+ is even more awesome.
With real-world data transfer rates of 400MB/s or more, copying files to external USB sticks and drives has never been more fun.
Only one problem, and I’ve noticed this A LOT: People are using USB3, but they’re sitting there putting up with relatively slow copy speeds from, say, a USB3 key.
It’s often rather difficult to achieve copy speeds in excess of a measley 40MB/s…
What gives?
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5 September 2017 | Energy, How Does it Work?, Video |
Extension cord reels, or rolly cords as I like to call them, are seriously handy.
Nobody likes spending 30 minutes untangling a 50m extension cord.
Trouble is, usually we use them incorrectly!
It turns out you have to read the fine print: You can only use the full capacity of the reel if you fully unwind the rolly cord.
Oops!
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22 August 2017 | EEK!, How Does it Work?, Video |
I usually see people freak out when they open the door of their circuit breaker panel. No more!
Note that I’m using European breakers and EU-type panel design as my example, so if you’re in North America or certain other countries, you’re not gonna see the same thing. Still, the general principles are the same.
Also keep in mind that there are far more gizmos that you might find in your panel: combined GFCI/circuit breakers, timers, and even a nifty gizmo that turns off circuit B when circuit A is energized.
Having said all that, if you just need a basic intro to breaker panels of all types, this is a good place to start! Then follow up with a book or an internet search for your specific location, and Bob’s your uncle.
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29 July 2017 | Computers, How Does it Work?, Video |
You’d think that connecting an LCD screen to your puter would be straightforward. You’d be wrong! It all gets pretty confusing.
There are several types of connectors and cables, and it’s difficult to know which one to use.
Often, you can even use an adapter cable to connect one type of connector to another, like HDMI → DVI.
This video is a summary of the various details of the most popular current cable types.
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A friend recently asked me about what backup hard drive to buy.
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