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Fixing a flash drive by reprogramming the controller
I recently started having problems with the Kingston DataTraveller 102 16GB flash drive (DT102/16GB) which I use on my Asus WL-500W router. It would disconnect as /dev/discs/disca and reconnect as...
View ArticlePlaying AAC audio from FLV video in Rockbox
I wanted to have the audio from a guided meditation Flash video on my portable device running Rockbox. After downloading the video to an FLV file, I first tried using FLVExtract. This created an AAC...
View ArticleDeconstructing Christianity, good and evil
Usually, when someone tries to control people via mass killings, collective punishment and torture, we call them evil. If one considers the Bible literally, as a true story, one finds that God is doing...
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When buying optical media, choose wisely
Yesterday I got a 50 pack of Memorex DVD+R discs at the Superstore. The first disc burned without any problems, but two different drives failed to read it. After that I checked the reviews on Amazon....
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Asus WL-500W router bad capacitors
My WL-500W wireless router recently became unstable. It was still perfectly fine for web browsing, but any large data transfers over wireless caused reboots. At first, I only noticed this with copies...
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Using a DEC LK401 keyboard in Linux is easy
I just got my Stellaris Launchpad. When I examined the USB library in StellarisWare and the sample code, I saw it would be easy to create an adapter for using an old DEC or Sun keyboard as a USB...
View ArticleMythTV notes
I just installed Mythbuntu 12.04.1 and set up MythTV on an old computer. Here are some notes from the process.plopKexec can boot Linux from USB when the BIOS can'tThe computer has a floppy drive, a...
View ArticleIf OpenGL is limited to 10 FPS, check the video card interrupt
When using a VisionTek Radeon HD 2600 Pro AGP with open source Linux drivers in Ubuntu 12.04, I often found that OpenGL and VDPAU frame rates were limited to 10 FPS. It's as if the video card was...
View ArticleUpgrading laptop display drivers is easy with Mobility Modder
I just upgraded the ATI display drivers on my Inspiron 6400 running Windows 7. It was surprisingly easy. First, I downloaded the Catalyst 10.2 legacy software suite for 32 bit Vista. This is a driver...
View ArticleA Java installer problem fixed by reverse engineering
Since I started running Serviio as my media server, I noticed that Java upgrades fail if I don't stop Serviio. The installer does not notice the server and warn me about it using Java. Instead, it...
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My oscilloscope failed, but the fix was simple
I have an old Telequipment D54 oscilloscope. I rarely use it nowadays, but it's a big help when I actually need it.When I turned it on yesterday, I couldn't see a trace. All I got was a very slight fog...
View ArticleControlling a device via the IR receiver port
When I first set up MythTV, I changed channels on the Huawei DC730 cable box using LIRC and the simple transmitter circuit. This means the Linux kernel was toggling a serial port pin at 38 kHz to...
View ArticleUsing the ATI Remote Wonder in Windows 7
The ATI Remote Wonder only has drivers for Windows XP and earlier versions. The latest XP driver is version 3.04. It's still available from AMD. If it becomes unavailable, look for 3-04_rw_enu.exe for...
View ArticleRunning Linux from RAM
Computers nowadays usually have a lot of memory, and a basic Linux system can fit in RAM. I started out by installing from the Ubuntu 12.10 Minimal CD. There I chose x86, because it's smaller and the...
View ArticleExploring EIST
My desktop PC has a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R motherboard and Core 2 Quad Q6600 stepping 11 CPU. The BIOS is the latest official release, F13. The latency issueOn this and some other Gigabyte motherboards,...
View ArticleHow an I/O port leads to System Management Mode
Originally, PC I/O ports were used for accessing registers in hardware such as add-in cards or chips on the motherboard. Nowadays, they can also be used for interacting with BIOS system management mode...
View ArticleDumping SMRAM
While investingating EIST on my GA-P35-DS3R motherboard, I found P-state changes use special I/O ports which trigger system management mode (SMM). To investigate further, it is necessary to look at SMM...
View ArticleUsing sed to copy Firefox RES settings to Chrome
Reddit Enhancement Suite settings are stored in a JSON file in Firefox and an SQlite database in Chrome. As a result, one cannot simply copy a file to copy settings from Firefox to Chrome. I like doing...
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Religious images are fine when viewed as mythology
As I was appreciating the Noah’s Ark display at the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights, I asked myself a question: why was I enjoying it?The image comes from a story about a terrible atrocity,...
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Some bad Verbatim MCC 004 DVD+R discs
I took advantage of a deal at Staples to get a 100 pack of Verbatim MCC 004 DVD+R discs. The 50 pack was good before. Unfortunately, the 100 pack has some damaged discs. I tried to write at 8x and...
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