I remain interested in large-format printers for outputting photos, generative art, and because they are cool machines. The HP DesignJet T610 I bought still isn’t working well after buying all new print heads and ink, and it is just too big for my lab space, so I’m still looking at alternatives. On craigslist I found an offer I couldn’t refuse – a free HP DesignJet 130nr 24″ wide printer. The catch is, it had sat for five years without printing, and the current owner had never tried using it and didn’t know anything more about its status. I had nothing to lose and at least some experience to gain, and the free roll of glossy image paper made the trip worth while. Continue reading
Flat-file CMS Package Survey
I have run multiple WordPress-based websites for school groups and non-profits over the years, and for the most part it works great and is easy to use. However, when I decided to set up my own blog , I quickly became overloaded with the current WP ecosystem. So many commercial themes and page builders to research, and articles like 64 Best Free WordPress Blog Themes for 2022 seem more about generating affiliate payments than helping anyone with reviews. I spent more time trying to understand WordPress themes than it took to install and start using Bludit, but here I am doing it again 🙂 Continue reading
New Blogging Software Incoming
I keep losing posts when Bludit times out without any warning or chance to save. It is really discouraging to spend 30 minutes writing and then have it all disappear with when you click ‘Save’. Autosave is supposed to happen every minute but the autosave file was getting deleted even when the save failed! Continue reading
The Big Friendly Printer – HP DesignJet T610
I have wanted a large-format printer for a long time and set up a search to monitor the local craigslist for them. They retail for $thousands and can last for decades, but they need regular use and maintenance or the ink dries up and nothing works. So after a company’s needs change and the printer sits for months or years it is often easier to buy a new printer than get the old one working again, and the old one is sold locally because it costs $hundreds to ship it by truck somewhere. Continue reading
My Sooper Seekret Wordle Strategy
So I’ve played Wordle a handful of times by now. I’ve gotten lucky a couple of times after three guesses but so far haven’t needed more than four. After a couple of plays to get the feel, I found a list of the most commonly used letters: Continue reading
Customizing DokuWiki
I wanted to set up a private wiki on my webhost and after surveying the wiki landscape I chose DokuWiki. This post will collect my ongoing experiences with it as I fix problems and customize it to my liking. Continue reading
Dell XPS 13 9360 Battery Swap
My day-to-day laptop is a Dell XPS 13 9360 that I bought from Dell Outlet in January 2018 for $636. It has been fine and battery life has been good, only complaints are the nasal inspection camera placement below the screen (fixed on more recent models), and keyboard isn’t as nice as a Lenovo. Stuff from Dell Outlet comes with a “refurbished” sticker but otherwise seems like new and has the full warranty, so if they have what you need it seems like a no-brainer over the Dell retail website. If you can wait, watch for a good coupon that can give you 20% off the base outlet price.
Anyway, recently the right side of the trackpad hasn’t been clicking and the pad seemed tilted. I thought the trackpad was broken somehow and bought a replacement part for $9 on eBay. On closer examination not only was the trackpad tilted but the keyboard was bulging on the left side. A little web searching showed this to be a common problem on the XPS 13 caused by the cells in the internal battery pack swelling (common enough that I wonder why there hasn’t been a class action lawsuit about it!) Continue reading
New Hose For A Bissell Spot Clean Pro
When you have three cats and a house full of rugs a spot cleaning vacuum is a near necessity. We have a Bissell “Spot Clean Pro” vacuum (older version of this one) that has a water tank and sprayer hose and brush, and it cleans reasonably well. However the plastic/vinyl in the hose gets stiff over time and eventually cracks – ours lasted about four years.
Fortunately a replacement hose was available and not too expensive – $25 vs $150+ for a new vacuum. Replacing it is made a little more complex by the water sprayer line that goes up the middle of the vacuum hose, but it is still pretty easy to do. Continue reading
Personal Wiki Survey
I have been using Google Docs to hold ideas, documentation, and random thoughts on projects. It works okay, allows searching of content, and is available everywhere on everything. But, I’ve been wanting to reduce my dependence on Big Internet companies and like the idea of self-hosting the services I use. So I looked for a personal wiki I could install in my hosting account. Continue reading
Rich Man’s Cassette Tape – Sony Super Metal Master
I’m all for preserving obsolete media, but I’m having a hard time understanding how an individual cassette tape can be worth $460! Continue reading