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Among hard-core geeks, the speed of your Internet connection is a source of pride. Back in 1996 when I moved to the Seattle area, I paid a couple thousand dollars a month for a frame-relay full T1 connection to my house, giving me a 1.4 Megabits per second (Mbps) connection. […]

Review: Google Fiber Provo Install

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Everybody knows that James Bond doesn’t field strip his own Walther PPK… he leaves that kind of rubbish to the crew at Q Branch. But now YOU can field strip your Walther PPK, so it will always be ready for whatever secret agent adventures you’re planning.

How to Field Strip a Walther PPK .380ACP

If you’re ever lucky enough to get your hands on a bad boy like the Desert Eagle .50, then you better figure out how to take care of it. This field stripping video will walk you through it.

How to Field Strip a Desert Eagle .50

If you know how to field strip a Glock, then you already know how to field strip a Walther PPQ. But that shouldn’t stop you from watching this awesome video anyway!

How to Field Strip a Walther PPQ

The Glock 17, 19, and 26 are the “Daddy Bear,” “Momma Bear,” and “Baby Bear” of the handgun world. In this how-to video, I discuss how to field strip them quickly and easily… just as with any other Glock out there!

How to Field Strip a Glock 17, Glock 19, Glock ...

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Let’s be honest. You probably only bought this gun because it’s what the Navy SEALs carry. There are way worse reasons to buy stuff. But owning a Sig Sauer P226 MK25 does not make you a Navy SEAL. However, at least you can field strip yours like the Navy SEALs […]

How to Field Strip a Sig Sauer P226 MK 25 ...

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Fair is fair. When a company gets it wrong, I blog about it. When a company gets it right, I also blog about it. This week, a couple of companies got it right. The first company is Grohe, makers of high-end kitchen and bath products. They have the rare distinction […]

Rave: Grohe & Insinkerator Customer Service

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This post is a follow-up to a previous one I made last year about what to bring to (and do at) IATC 2013 in Atlanta. This year, IATC has moved back to Raleigh, NC — and much of that advice still applies, so I’ll re-hash it again here… with some […]

Cuong Nhu IATC 2014 Raleigh Survival Guide

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I’m going to start out this blog post by saying you should NOT do this. I repeat: do NOT do this. There’s at least a 50/50 chance that if you try this, it won’t work and you could potentially fry your router beyond the point of recovery. You might even […]

How to Unbrick a Netgear WNDR3400 N600 Router after a ...

Lutron Maestro 600 Occupancy Sensor Switch 6
If you’ve got kids, then you’ve probably noticed that they never have problems finding a switch to turn lights on. Yet mysteriously, they lack the ability to turn lights off. I’m convinced it’s just never something that becomes important for a human… until they’re paying their own electricity bill. Using an […]

Product Review: Lutron Maestro 600 3-Way Occupancy Sensor Switch

Insulation tubing around the recirculating pump return line and drain 21
I little over a year ago, I made my very first plumbing-related blog post: a report on how I learned I should flush my water heater to eliminate rust-colored water, and should replace its anode when it’s fully eroded. Since that first post, I’ve enjoyed progressively attempting more complex DIY plumbing […]

How to Replace Your Water Heater

When is the last time you rocked out this hard in the shower?
The kind folks over at Kohler’s bath products division (about whom I’ve had nice things to say in the past) were generous enough to recently send me one of their new Moxie wireless speaker shower heads for evaluation and review. Kohler states that Moxie allows you to “Shower out Loud” by […]

Review: Kohler Moxie Wireless Speaker Shower Head

My furnace filter sitting diagonally. 3
So my buddy Greg Ellis hits me up on Skype this morning and asks if I have time to “take a walk”, which is how we like to meet and discuss business. We both like exercise, and it’s a great way to get both the blood and entrepreneurial juices flowing. […]

Creating a Sheet Metal Bracket to Keep a Furnace Filter ...

After installing insulating foam. 1
As we wrap up our Holiday vacation here at the Utah house, I’ve been tinkering with some home improvement projects (part of how I relax on vacation really is by fixing stuff). So today, I did two quick, cheap, and simple projects today to reduce the energy use of our […]

Two Cheap and Easy Water Heater Money Saving Tips

Hot water feed to humidifier connected! 5
The climate in Utah is particularly arid, both in the summer and the winter, and so I had my builder install a Lennox whole-house humidifier as part of our HVAC system in the Utah house. It helps keep us feeling comfortable at lower temperatures, meaning we save money on heating. […]

Installing a Water Pressure Gauge and Hot Water Feed to ...

This setting lets your Ecobee run the humidifier during heat, cool, or with the fan only. 12
In my original review of my very first Ecobee Smart Thermostat, I described how I had wired my Ecobee’s equipment interface to my whole-house evaporative humidifier at the Utah house. Because my furnace’s control board had a 24V HUM connector, I used that connector to help activate the humidifier. The […]

How to Wire a Humidifier to an Ecobee Smart Thermostat

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I really wanted to like this product. I really did. I bought it on impulse from Home Depot after reading this description on the box: Spotter keeps you updated on what’s going on at home—from anywhere. Monitor motion, sound, light, temperature, and humidity all from your mobile device. Use Spotter […]

Review: Quirky Spotter

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As a follow-up to my previous post on home maintenance parts every homeowner should have in their house right now, I’ve put together this list of basic tools and supplies for any homeowner that wishes to attempt of basic home maintenance on their own. You may not believe me, but […]

Basic DIY Tools & Supplies Every Homeowner Needs

Buy replacement furnace filters in bulk to save money 3
As I’ve taught myself a number of DIY home maintenance tasks over the years, I’ve noticed a trend: things tend to break at the worst possible time. When did my water heater’s TPR valve fail and start to spray water in the basement? At 10PM… when it was too late for […]

Home Maintenance Parts You Should Have In Your House Right ...

Small opening at the top of the faucet's trim
Some of my previous posts might make it sound like I’m bagging on plumbers. I’m not. I love plumbers! They bring drinking water and hot showers to my house, and take the poop away. But I will bag on plumbers (or any other “professionals”) when they do stuff wrong — […]

Is Your Shower’s Trim Ring Draining Properly?

No pressure from hot water expansion tank 147
I’ve been on a plumbing DIY kick lately, and after recently replacing a hot water recirculating pump that had been installed incorrectly (upside-down!) by a professional plumber, I’ve been reminded that it’s never a bad idea to periodically test things inside your own house — even if they were installed […]

Testing and Replacing a Hot Water Expansion Tank