This tutorial will cover removing Outemu Blue switches from a TeamWolf Zhuque+ and applying the “Jailhouse Mod” – so-named as it stops the mechanical keyboard switches from “clicking” when depressed. What’s great about this mod is that it also retains the tactile feeling of the switch, and slightly increases the force needed to bottom out. …
Author Archives: blandname
Top 10 Virtual Appliances, Revisited
It’s been almost 4 years since I’ve rounded up VMs used on a daily basis, so it’s high time I take another kick at the can and make an update list. My workflows have changed quite a bit over the years, with more focus being on the Windows side of things. That said, I havent …
Top 10 Chrome Applications I Can’t Live Without
I’ve been trying to become as agile as possible when it comes to personal data in order to be able to run and test any platform of my choosing. To that end, I usually resort to web applications. That said, Chrome and its open source cousin Chromium can only be run on many (but not …
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RSync Files to a Unix/BSD Backup Device from your Mac Laptop
My photo-taking workflow while on vacation usually involves taking a lot of photos daily, dumping them to a laptop, processing, then backing them up once I have returned home. Previously, I accomplished this manually using BeyondCompare for Windows, as that would run on Windows Home Server. Since moving to ZFS-based storage, however, this is no …
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Clear All ZFS Snapshots
If you’ve been running snapshots for a while and have already backed them up, you might occasional need to delete all zfs snapshots for your pool. Typically, you’d do this as part of your backup script, assuming that they have been written correctly. First, to find the used snapshot space, run this command: zfs list …
ZFS Build Checklist
I’ve decided to replace the Windows Home Server Vail server with something capable of handling newer builds of ZFS and the inherent deduploication. Here’s a quick kit list and build diary I’ll try to keep up-to-date as I go along. Kit: Dell Perc6i – this is essentially a port multiplier. I scored it from eBay …
A Biased Review of Amahi Home Server
The PR-savvy folks at Amahi recently chimed in on the Vail-Fail fiasco by presenting Amahi as an alternative to the Windows Home Server (Vail) solution, and I thought I should give it a run for the money to see how it stacks up. In short: not well at all. First, the good things: when configured …
Civilization 5 Tactics and Strategies
This post will outline and detail strategies, tips, tricks, cheats and tactics for Sid Meier’s Civilization V (Civ5/CivV). Call it an FAQ of sorts. Let’s get on with it, shall we? Some quick observations: Open borders allows you to surround an enemy, then attack. This works wonders later on. The trebuchet seems a bit overpowered, …
Macbook Pro 15″ i5 Unibody Upgrades
I’ve finally purchased a MacBook Pro, and things are going pretty well. Most of my work these days involves using servers for heavy lifting, but I still use Windows 7 from time to time, and Lightroom 3 almost all the time. Unfortunately, Lightroom 3’s catalog is essentially a database of photos, and the more you …
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta 2 Video
Lightroom 3 Beta 2 became available for download today. This comes just in time for me! Can’t wait to try out the new features and kick the tires a bit. LR3 Beta 1 was slightly unstable when doing imports – hopefully they’ve addressed this.