Thunderbird 128 Nebula: Better than ever!
About a month ago, Thunderbird 128: Nebula was released! I know, I didn't know about it either. I just finally got it automagically last week. Chances are, so did the rest of you - after the Tbird team fixed all the bugs. In any case, Thunderbird 128 looks the same,...
Windows 10 April 2018 Update 1803: What you need to know
The Windows 10 "April 2018 Update" version 1803 was released a few weeks ago... in May, not April. Go figure. Initially, there were some serious problems with 1803, but those seem to have been ironed out now. Chances are, if you don't have it already, you'll be...
Ferrite: Those magic thingies at the end of your cables
You've probably noticed those strange cylinders at the end of your puter cables. It looks a bit like the cable was slightly overzealous at dinnertime and swallowed something a bit too large... As it happens, those strange meals are actually ferrite cores. Ferrite is a...
Speed up your browsing with CloudFlare’s public DNS
Back on April 1st of this year, CloudFlare announced a new public DNS resolver service. But in this case, it wasn't an April Fool's joke at all: the new 1.1.1.1 DNS service is very real and very fast! Well, that's nice, but what the heck does DNS do? And how is it...
Lightning surge protection that works
Most of us have "surge protector" power strips. They are supposed to protect against power line surges due to lightning and certain power line faults. But do they? Well, yes... To a small degree. But if you want some serious protection, you need a whole-house surge...
Walking Simulators: A different kind of video game
Ah yes, video games. Depending on who you ask, they're either totally fine and lots of fun, or the very reason that things like school shootings happen so often. Whatever your opinion, the relatively new gaming genre known as "walking simulators" has become...
Best strippers EVER (um, for techies)
Now, I know that everyone is pretty attached to their favorite stripper. The trouble is, sometimes this attachment is not terribly healthy... I'm talking about wire and cable strippers, of course! After decades of searching - across scorching deserts and over frosty...
How to update or install “Linux on Windows” in Windows 10
In the olden days, there was only "Bash on Ubuntu on Windows 10". This little gem gave you something like reverse WINE. You got an Ubuntu linux install that's running on top of the Windows kernel - with full file system access, the ability to install and run all kinds...
EEK! #6 – AC Power, RMS, and VA vs W
You probably do this all the time, but you don't even know it. I'm talking about AC power calculations with P = V x I. Technically, it works. But when you think about it, it shouldn't. AC has constantly changing voltage and current over time - unlike DC. So how on...
Fix a broken Start menu in Windows 10
Back in October 2017, Microsoft released the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10. For most people, all was well. But for a surprisingly large minority, the Start menu just sort of stopped working. Clicking the Start button did nothing, and neither did right-clicking...
Off isn’t really Off
In the olden days, our gizmos had electro-mechanical power buttons. When the thing was turned off, no power was sent to it. Nowadays, things have changed with the advent of electronically-controlled everything - including things like washing machines. You can even...
HDMI Cables: Which type should I use for 4K?
I recently had some fun with HDMI cables - specifically, how best to connect a 4K UltraHD Blu-ray player to a 4K TV? As a follow-up to my Display Cable Madness vid, I dive a bit deeper into the different flavors of HDMI cable: 1.4, 2.0, and 2.1. Obviously, the latest...
Smart Meters are worse than you think
I recently learned the hard way what's happening with smart meters in Europe. The same type of smart meter they're using here in France has already been deployed in many EU countries. Mostly, we hear only about the negative health effects of wireless smart meters, but...
Why I ditched my smartphone
Smartphones are nice, right? They let you Do Stuff™, and you can even convert your entire social life to be run entirely via Google's servers! WOW! Well, according to a recent investigation by the Tucker Carlson clan, it turns out Google is hoovering up far more data...
Do SSDs make good backup hard drives?
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....
A better Stylish Smartphone Faraday Box
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...