We’ve been having problems with our Toyota Highlander temperature controls. The system would blow hot/cold air randomly. Messing with the controls would get the correct temperature for a few minutes or seconds and then back to random temps. Luckly, the Internet has lots of documentation on this problem: http://www.devalcourt.com/2010/03/fixing-2004-toyota-highlander-ac-and-heat-issue/ http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/highlander/32217-heater-quit-sort-of/ I followed the directions online …
Category Archives: General
Handmade Cables
Tonight I find myself putting together good old DB-9 connectors, and I realized that it’s been a long time since I have had need (or even seen) these connectors. They were once pretty ubiquitous, first on my Atari 2600 joysticks, and then as RS-232 cable connections. These cables are actually for connecting stepper motors to …
What’s Wrong with Windows
This last semester, for the first time in years, I built a new Windows computer. For most things I prefer to use my Macintosh, but there are a couple of devices that Kim and I want to use that only have Windows drivers. Also having a Windows system also made my grading tasks easier for …
Best product of CES 2011
The annual Consumer Electronics Show is over. Sadly it was not the latest and greatest technological innovation that caught my eye amongst all of the product announcements. It was an April Fool’s Joke. Specifically, it was yet another joke product from the minds of the screaming monkeys at thinkgeek.com. Every year for April Fool’s day …
Portable Programming Rig
I’ve been using a Macbook Air as my main computer for a couple of years now, and I’ve generally been happy with the setup. The only real shortcoming of the Air was attempting to program while on away from my home office (and the external monitor). There just isn’t enough screen real estate on a …
Byte Review of the Original Macintosh
Since byte.com is being revived soon, and in spite of the fact that the new incarnation sounds lame, I’ve had a good time going back and revisiting some of the publications of the day. You can find archives of Creative Computing here and here, as well as Compute! located here. But the initial review of …
Christmas Day 2010
Now that the orgy of torn wrapping paper and discarded cardboard is over. The gifts I gave seem to have been mostly duds. Kim doesn’t like the sheets for the bed, and the girls don’t seem interested in building any of their projects. I had planned on spending the afternoon busily assembling the minor DIY …
Camera Recommendation
I recently got asked for a camera recommendation for someone who might want to get into photography. I view this question as a pretty simple one — it doesn’t matter which camera you use. Photography is the art/science of capturing light, and almost any camera will do a decent job of it. I remember owning …
Audioengine A2 Speakers
It’s easy to overlook something you see and use everyday. I’ve had a pair of Audioengine A2 speakers on my desk for over a year now, and I can say without hesitation that they are the best desktop speakers I’ve ever used. I’ve had the great pleasure of doing everything from listening to the complete …
Jointmaker Pro
This might be the coolest thing since sliced bread. See the Jointmaker Pro v2 product page. (via Make:)