Tweaking Python programs

If you’re not a Python programmer but you’re trying to customise some Python code anyway, and your changes do not seem to make a difference, then there might be a simple explanation and fix. I recently installed mailnag to regularly check my IMAP mail account and notify me when new mail arrives.  Mailnag is really […]

Advertisement

Logging CRON messages to a different file

Noticed that a lot of the messages in /var/log/syslog are from CRON and anacron?  Would you prefer that they be directed to a different file?  Easy Peasy. I use cron to schedule the execution of a number of programs that perform a variety of tasks (e.g. backups).  By default, Ubuntu 18.04 is configured to log […]

Hmm. We’re having trouble finding that site.

Having problems connecting to sites with browsers like Firefox and Chrome?  Do pages seem to hang with a “Performing TLS Handshake” message at the bottom?  Is it particularly bad if you try to open multiple tabs all at once?  Here’s one reason why that happens, and how to fix it. I do most of my […]

Suppressing messages in /var/log/syslog

Running Ubuntu or some other Linux distro?  Seeing lots of pointless messages in /var/log/syslog?  Want to be able to stop/suppress/filter the entries from a particular program so that they don’t obscure the more important ones?  I’ll show you how. Lots of Linux users peek inside of the logs that accumulate in /var/log/ every-so-often to keep […]

The ‘best’ way to brace a wooden door or gate

Got a sagging wooden door or gate?  Building a new one?  Not sure how you should brace it?  Confused about the conflicting advice you may have read elsewhere?  Read on. Wooden doors and gates come in many different shapes, sizes and styles.  A very simple one would look something like this: Unfortunately, if you build […]

Passively-cooled CPU Thermals (Part 2)

In the first Passively-cooled CPU Thermals post I looked at how the completely fanless Streacom DB4 I built performed under various CPU loads.  A question over on Silent PC Review asked how the thermal curve looked when the CPU was unloaded.  Good question — let’s find out! It seems logical that a passively-cooled computer that […]

Passively-cooled CPU Thermals

The Completely Silent Computer I built relies entirely on passive cooling.  Some folks are keen to know how well (or poorly) it works in the real world.  Can it adequately cool a loaded system, or does thermal throttling make it pointless?  Well, it’s time to find out. As can be seen in these images, the […]

Does Pinnacle Ridge change anything?

With AMD’s 2nd Generation Ryzen processors now released and tested, I figured it was worth reviewing the Completely Silent Computer article and seeing if I would have done anything differently if I were building the system today.  The short answer is ‘yes’. In 2017 AMD released the 1st Generation of Ryzen CPUs with the codename […]

Completely Silent Computer

I’ve been trying to make my computers quieter for nearly three decades.  Custom liquid cooling loops, magnetically-stabilised fluid-dynamic bearings, acoustic dampeners, silicone shock absorbers, you name it.  Well, last week I finally managed to build a completely silent computer.  Without further ado… Say hello to the Streacom DB4 — a 26x26x27cm case that doesn’t have […]

Perl and OpenGL on Ubuntu

Want to write a Perl program that uses OpenGL for graphical output?  Running Ubuntu?  Can’t work out how to install what you need to get even a basic program working?  This is your lucky day.  Read on. Perl is the duct tape of the Internet.  Most folk think you’re restricted to using Perl on the […]