All the stuff, all the time…
So, after the previous session’s trials and tribulations, I was determined to make sure the next step ran as smoothly as possible. The most important task for me was to get WiFi working, and as mentioned previously I needed specific drivers for the Broadcom WiFi chip in the MacBook Pro. Ideally, I would just download … Read More “Linux From Scratch – Day 2” »
What am I Doing? Building a Linux system from scratch on a 13” MacBook Pro Mid 2010 and documenting the entire process here. Why? Mostly because I want to see if I can, and it sounds like a fun challenge. Along the way I’m expecting to improve my knowledge of Linux. How? I’ll be using … Read More “The Linux From Scratch (LFS) Project” »
Just recently a new version of the Minecraft launcher was released. I dutifully installed it, simply to get rid of the annoying message nagging me to update it. Imagine my shock when I started up the new version and discovered that my rather extensive list of installations was now almost completely empty! A quick browse … Read More “New Minecraft Launcher Deleted My Installations!” »
Use common household chemicals and items to make a foaming monster. Materials: Plastic Bottle Coloured Paper Tape and Glue Tissues Vinegar Bicarbonate of soda Method: Decorate the bottle to make it look like a monster. We added teeth, tentacles and lots of eyes. Half fill the bottle with vinegar Put a teaspoon of bicarbonate of … Read More “The Foaming Monster” »
Using some easily obtained household items, it is possible to turn milk into plastic Ingredients: Milk Vinegar Food Colouring Jar Sock or stocking Biscuit cutter Method: Heat the milk over a low heat on the stove, don’t let it boil. Add a drop or two of food colouring, and stir. Add two tablespoons of vinegar, … Read More “Plastic Milk” »
Trick your mind with this clever device Materials: Square of card 2 short lengths of string Tape Pen/pencil Method: On one side of the card draw a cage, and on the other draw a stick figure, bird or other drawing. Poke a hole half way down each side Poke the end of each piece of … Read More “The Cage Trick” »
Explore static electricity in this simple experiment. Method: Put a plate on a piece of tissue paper and draw round it Draw a spiral, and cut it out to make the snake Rub a plastic ruler on something made from wool Touch the snake’s head with the ruler Results: It rose up and uncoiled. I … Read More “Be a Snake Charmer” »
I’ve been a long-time fan of Apple computers, mostly because my experience has been that when I want to do stuff, I can do it easily. When I returned to Uni to study a post-graduate degree I ended up switching to a Windows 10 laptop, simply because that was all I could afford. I found … Read More “Getting Family Sharing to Work in iCloud” »
Some time ago I was surprised to read about a TV show being produced based on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series of novels. As a big fan of Terry’s writing (particularly the Discworld series), I was both excited and apprehensive about this. Excited because I’d enjoyed previous adaptations of Discworld novels, and apprenhensive because this new … Read More “Fabricati Diem, Pvnc” »
Back in the day I spent 3 years in the Australian Army Reserves. One of the few skills I’ve retained over the intervening 20-odd years is the ability to use swear words like punctuation. As awesome as this might sound, in normal company it’s a bit of a handicap. As a parent, you need to … Read More “Learning the “F Word” in Russian…” »
