Veteran software developer / sysadmin and holds a PhD in Computer Science. Avid computer enthusiast (geek) who has been dabbling with technology ever since his Dad brought home an 8086 computer.
Networking / Linux
A KVM Switch is a device that allows a keyboard, a video monitor and a mouse (hence the name) to be shared across multiple computers. This particular model, the Dell 2161DS-2, is commonly used in server rooms, where large numbers of servers only require a monitor and keyboard for troubleshooting.
Computer
Given the ridiculous number of high profile hacks, password security is more important than ever. Proper password etiquette can be summarizes to two rules : * Use strong passwords (composed of characters and digits, no dictionary words) * Do not reuse passwords in more than one place The problem is that passwords are
Videogames
The second season of Sword Art Online is redemption for the series. As much as I was critical of the first season [http://www.technodabbler.com/sword-art-online-shows-promise-but-ultimately-disappoints/] , the second season greatly impressed me. The series continues its exploration of humanity living in a new online world, without stumbling into bad
Videogames
I don't usually post about news items, but I've been an avid follower of the Ouya ever since its Kickstarter campaign. Lots of friend laugh at me for buying the console, and they were probably right. But Ouya represented a dream of an open console, a dream worth funding. Unfortunately,
Videogames
Kung Fury [http://www.kungfury.com] is the perfect example of the creative powers that can be funded through a Kickstarter [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kungfury/kung-fury/description] campaign. Described as a love letter to the 1980s, Kung Fury is an over-the-top Swedish martial arts comedy short film. Written,
Videogames
Cashtronauts is a twin-stick shooter [http://www.giantbomb.com/twin-stick-control/3015-3933/] where capitalism rules over all. The goal is to collect as much money as possible by salvaging crates, mining asteroids, fighting pirates or whatever else it takes. The game is a beautiful example of the contribution indie games can
Videogames
In 2013, I was working on a small RPG game for mobile devices. The idea was to make a game from core concepts of RPGs, such as Legend of the Red Dragon, to the smartphone. Unfortunately, several months before I could complete my project, Behold Studio releases Knights of Pen
Videogames
Anime in a Tech blog? In the world of Sword Art Online (SAO), thousands of players are trapped in a virtual reality MMORPG. If removed from the game, or if their character dies, they die. The only way to escape is to reach the 100th floor of the main dungeon
Networking / Linux
Last year, the development team for Ghost blog announced [http://blog.ghost.org/cloudflare/] a partnership with Cloudflare. The goal was to improve the Ghost(Pro) infrastructure, making it faster and more secure. With a little tinkering, Cloudflare can be used with any Ghost blog. Technodabbler received this upgrade a
Market
Technodabbler, like many tech blogs, is a labor of love. Unfortunately, love does not pay hosting fees or other expenses. Ads are common for monetizing blogs, but they provide very little money unless the blogs has a large readership. They are also ugly as sin. An alternative method of financing
Blog
Back in April 15, 2005, I wrote : > Why would I have a blog? I’ve had different webpages since I’ve been on the Internet (around 1996). But times are changing. Personnal webpages are out, Blogs are in. What’s a guy to do? Four days latter, I wrote my
Gadget & Toys
In the last ten years, a disturbing phenomena has emerged regarding the price of toy collectible. Although not the first time mentioned [https://www.technodabbler.com/markups-increasing-the-price-for-collectors/], recent price inflations on Transformers and Skylander toys make it worth revisiting the issue. Nostalgia Sells In 1984, Hasbro introduces a Japanese toyline
Computer
On December 16th, Jagex and Hasbro announced that Transformers Universe, a third person multiplayer online battle arena game featuring Transformers, would close. Both companies stated the "decision comes at an important time for both companies as they both realign their plans and focuses for 2015". The game was first announced
Computer
Blog : a discussion or informational site published on the Internet and composed of chronologicaly ordered posts. Popular blogs are composed of both the discussion and the information. To deny this is to deny how the Internet works. This is a problem, given that Ghost, the blog engine that powers Technodabbler,
Computer
It's a simple functionality: when going to sleep and waking back up, a computer should properly mount and unmount all drives. Yet, I was surprised to learn that MacOS X does not always properly external disk. This was particularly problematic for me, as I would lose my main external disk
Gadget & Toys
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to receive a Lego NXT Mindstorm kit as a gift from my wife. With it, one can build a robot using technical legos, motors and sensors. A special programmable brick is used to control the behavior of the robot. As a programmer,