My latest publication tackles the Lionel gateman
Yesterday I saw (and edited) the final proofs for an article that will be appearing in the January 2012 issue of Classic Toy Trains, due on newsstands 6 December. The article, “Smart wiring for the...
View ArticleSmart wiring for the gateman, from the January 2012 Classic Toy Trains
This week I received an advance copy of the January 2012 Classic Toy Trains. There, on page 42, is my first magazine article in more than a decade: Smart wiring for the gateman. I’d like to make a...
View ArticleHow to solder
Soldering is an intimidating skill, but it can be learned. And with some practice, it’s not difficult. I’m not a professional. A lot of people are surprised to hear I’ve ever had to solder on anything...
View ArticleHow to wire LEDs and other circuits risk-free
I see a lot of questions about how to wire up circuits, and unfortunately when people ask these questions on train forums, those innocent questions often devolve into heated and unproductive...
View Article2011 retail tinplate finds, at Big Lots and Shack
If you’re a tinplate fan like me, it would behoove you to make a trip to Big Lots sometime this week. Big Lots has a selection of building-shaped cookie tins priced at $5 each. The buildings include a...
View ArticleBest Buy needs to clone Micro Center, not Radio Shack
So Best Buy is planning to close 50 big-box stores, downsize others, and try to focus its efforts on selling cell phones, tablets, and e-readers. Sounds to me like they’re trying to become Radio Shack....
View ArticleMicrosoft just priced its Windows 8-based tablets out of the market
Microsoft just priced its Windows 8-based tablets out of the market. Extremetech reports that they expect Windows 8-based tablets to sell for $600-$900. I think Microsoft is forgetting its history....
View ArticleWhat to do about a router dropping connections
A former classmate and coworker contacted me with a question. My router is about 5 years old. I have a cable modem and a router. The cable modem is fine. The router keeps connecting and disconnecting...
View ArticleUsing a Lionel (or other brand) O or O27 transformer with HO or N scale trains
Here’s a good question: Can you use Lionel O or O27 transformers (or, for that matter, American Flyer S transformers) with HO or N scale trains? The answer is, not directly. But you can if you add a $3...
View ArticleAn upgrade. And an upsell.
I bought a new radio for my venerable 2002 Honda Civic this weekend. I want to be able to listen to security podcasts on my commute, which wasn’t practical with my factory radio. So, off to the nearest...
View ArticleThe pizza procession
There’s a plaza over by our house that’s home to, among other things, a pet store, a license office, a Chinese food joint, a mattress store, a haircut place, a Radio Shack, another cell phone store,...
View ArticleHappy 30th birthday, PCjr!
It’s the Mac’s 30th birthday. Everyone knows that, unless they’ve been under a rock. But I don’t think anyone would hold it against you if you didn’t know it’s also the IBM PCjr’s 30th birthday. The...
View ArticleThe Post-Dispatch may be giving the wrong idea about the dollar value of...
Articles like Top 10 collectibles for value, from the Post-Dispatch this week, frequently make me nervous, mostly because of statements like this one: [D]id you know that computer parts can bring home...
View ArticleThe trade off of fidelity and convenience in marketing, and how it doomed my...
I’m reading a book called Trade-Off, by former USA Today technology columnist Kevin Maney. It’s primarily a marketing book. Maney argues that all products are a balance of fidelity and convenience, and...
View ArticleAn insider’s account of the fall of Radio Shack
When I heard Radio Shack was going to be open on Thanksgiving day, I wondered why they would bother. The few Radio Shack stores near me are deserted on normal days, so I didn’t know why anyone would...
View ArticleR.I.P. Radio Shack. I’ll miss what you once were.
I’ve tried several times to write a eulogy for Radio Shack. It’s not easy. The demise has been a foregone conclusion for a very long time, and it’s clear they could have done any number of things...
View ArticleTinkering isn’t dead, but it is changing
When Radio Shack announced its bankruptcy, I read more fears that the age of tinkering is dead than I read laments for the store. I follow the logic, because Radio Shack was the only national store...
View ArticleFare thee well, Radio Shack. Hello, Battery Shack!
The new owners of what’s left of Radio Shack want to specialize in batteries. Although this isn’t a guaranteed survival plan, it makes sense to me. Last week, I went to one of the few remaining Radio...
View ArticleHow the IBM PC became the de facto standard for desktop computers
I saw a question on a vintage computing forum this week: How did the IBM PC become the de facto standard for PCs, and the only desktop computer architecture from the 1980s to survive until today? It’s...
View ArticleLooking for a career change? Consider web app pentesting
IT jobs aren’t as easy to come by as they were 20 years ago, but there’s one subset of the field that I don’t see slowing down any time soon. Unfortunately it’s a poorly understood one. But if you...
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