Got an ASUS motherboard? Are you having problems booting sometimes? Do messages regarding ‘chassis intrusion’ get displayed on your screen, and stop the boot process, even though no-one has opened the case? There might be a simple solution. Chassis Intruded! Fatal Error… System Halted. The first time I got the above message I was a […]
Trying to edit certain files using nano? Looking for better syntax highlighting? Been advised that you can clone a github repo and ‘just’ install it? Not sure how to proceed? Read on. The GNU nano text editor is installed on a staggering number of Unix-based systems. It’s light and friendly. It’s also smart enough to […]
Concerned about having your privacy invaded? Concerned about being profiled by companies such as Google? Don’t want algorithms to analyse your preferences, assign a label to you, then treat you differently based on corporate agendas? If you watch YouTube, here’s one more thing you can do. It all started when I built a new Linux […]
Bitcoin (and many other cryptocurrencies) have been making headlines lately. Their prices seem to be going through the roof. Some people even claim that they are long-term ‘investments’. What’s really going on? Should you buy some? To start the ball rolling let me first say that I do not own any Bitcoin. I do not […]
We all know that the surface of the Earth is curved, but exactly how ‘curvy’ is it? At what scale do you actually need to start compensating for it in a construction project? Let’s do some easy math and find out… The Earth is not a sphere — it’s actually an oblate spheroid — but […]
Air too humid inside your house? Got mould problems? Clothes take ages to dry inside during the wet season? How does a free dehumidifier with zero running costs sound? Most folks don’t know that their ‘frost free fridge’ can easily be hacked to act as a dehumidifier. As it runs continuously, it can be used […]
Got an ADSL connection that’s running slow? Downloads taking too long? Wonder if there’s anything you can do to speed things up? Maybe, maybe not. Note: The bulk of this post was originally in response to a question from someone who was getting only 1Mbps download speeds on their ADSL connection. Since the issues are […]
If you have a John Deere D125 lawn tractor (aka ride-on mower), or pretty much any of the D-series, and have ever replaced the oil filter, then you’ll know how annoying it can be. The crux of the problem is that: the ‘proper’ oil filter (the AM125424 for a D125) is a very short filter […]
Grid power is dirty! It’s polluting the planet! We should all put solar panels on our roofs, some batteries in the shed, and go off-grid! For the sake of the children! Hmmm… Not so fast. This post is about the electrical grid (“the grid”), why it’s not going to go away, and why (eventually) it […]
Like many others, the 2015 John Deere D125 Lawn Tractor (aka ride-on mower or garden tractor) has two annoying safety switches. One stalls the engine if you mow in reverse without pressing a button. The other stalls the engine as soon as you get off the seat (or lean too much forward or to one […]
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