Linus Tech Tips Blog » Dumb Stuff

Got my RC plane stuck in a tree

Linus — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:19:10 +0000

So a few weeks ago I picked up a Parkzone Vapor remote control airplane because I had a few bucks lying around and I’ve always wanted to have one. I’d spent a fair amount of time on the simulator so I was pretty sure I was ready for flying. My first 30+ flights went well, but not this one.

You can’t really see it very well, but that’s my plane well above the street lamps. The little tiny glowing red dot in the top left of the photo. I wanted to climb the tree, but that just wasn’t going to be realistic, so all that was left to do was throw things at it until I could get it down.

After about 30 or os tosses I connected with one of the branch chunks I was throwing… More than I wanted to. When it came down, I was lucky that all I had knocked off was the rudder, so my total damage was about $20. The lesson I learned was “don’t fly above the fog in the middle of the night near a big tree”… It may not be applicable to other areas of my life, but at least this won’t happen again.

Rear Clear CMOS Button – Dangerous?

Linus — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:25:23 +0000

Since the first time I saw a Clear CMOS button on the back of a motherboard I’ve wondered what happens when a user inadvertently bumps it while trying to plug in a USB humping dog or other accessory. Always the daredevil, I decided to try it.

The answer, at least on the Gigabyte EX58-EXTREME, is that nothing happens. My Steam chat and other activities were completely uninterrupted. So there.

The RAM can also be…. a Comb!

Linus — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:21:31 +0000

Here’s the problem with lifetime warranties on memory products: Who actually needs that SDRAM 10 years down the road? Corsair has come up with an innovative solution to this problem starting with their DDR2 line of products.

Once the memory dies at some point when it’s not even worth the shipping cost to RMA it, you can simply pop it out of the system, and it begins its new life as a hair styling device. Kudos to Corsair for this new paradigm in computer parts design. I’m expecting to see motherboards on the market soon with a mirror on the back so that you have something to look at while you’re getting ready for that big Friday night date.

Just kidding. You don’t have a date.

Nehalem Upgrade – Still Missing a CPU

Linus — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:35:39 +0000

HAI GUISE,

ALMOST FINISH I7 UPGRADE LULZ XD I CAN USE MY OLD CPU FOR GAMEING?

SEEMS WONT FIT SO I HELPED TO UPDATE THE BOTTOM HALF

I WILL HAVE CPU BOTTLENECK NOW?!?!?!

Ghetto Mounting for LGA775 Blocks on Nehalem

Linus — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:56:44 +0000

My APOGEE GTZ i7 hold down arrived today, and looking at it got me thinking, “Do I really NEED this thing?”

It looks like with some bolts, nuts, springs, and washers, it may be possible to mount your LGA775 block on LGA1366. This picture is a Swiftech APOGEE with the stock hold down from like 2 years ago using a bolt-thru mounting kit from the D-TEK FuZion V1 (any bolts and nuts would work I think).

The second pictures is me holding up my board by the CPU block… I think it’s secure enough to get some serious mounting pressure at least as a short-term solution.

PS I haven’t tested it because my FuZion V1 is in my system right now, but I believe it would also work on the FuZion V1 with the classic hold down plate.

Someone asked me to post this picture

Linus — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 07:00:08 +0000

It’s a very weird picture. It’s me with my Extreme Game Face on. From Fragapalooza 2008. The image you’re about to see may shock you.

Drive Carefully… This could happen at any time!

Linus — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:26:18 +0000

So I spun my car on a highway exit the other night. To give you some context for the images below, I was travelling about 50km/h in the outside lane when suddenly I completely lost traction and drifted to the right. I geared down into first to slow myself down and get traction with the road, and was able to brake enough to keep the car from rolling into the barrier (as you can see, it was VERY close).

Thinking that the problem was mechanical (couldn’t see anything obvious, but hell, I’m no expert) I called up BCAA for a tow, and while I was explaining the problem to them, a truck a little bit further back on the turn spun out and did a 180 turn so he ended up facing the car behind him. That made me think it was not a problem with my car so I got in, gave it a shot, and sure enough my car is fine.

Goes to show how dangerous driving can be. If someone had been in the next lane over I would have hit them for sure….

The Best Brand Name Ever

Linus — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:45:50 +0000

I just had a cheap drive enclosure die on me. There’s no warranty support of course, so even though it only cost me $7 I have to buy a new one. I could go through 3-4 enclosures in the life cycle of a drive, not even including the ones that are DOA. So it occurred to me the best way to get enough drive enclosures would be to order bulk from China.

If I’m going to place a large order I might as well resell them to others as well. So that means I have to come up with a brand. Stay with me here because it’s about to get a little crazy…

El-Tek is the perfect brand. The intentional misspelling of the abbreviation tech. (for technology) is to demonstrate the hip, rule-defying attitude we have at El-Tek. The “El” is a play on my name and it gives potential customers a good idea of the quality level of the product. By coming right out and saying how cheap it is I could completely ignore all warranty claims and reduce my overhead, allowing me to sell everything for dirt cheap.

Look for El-Tek products at an NCIX near YOOOOUUUUUU!

Another “World’s First” From Aerocool!

Linus — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:24:37 +0000

The AeroRacer Pro case is the first in the world to feature…. A 400mm side panel fan!! TA DA!

I actually laughed out loud when I saw this. Not only the first time, but also the second time. The worst thing about it is that other than the side panel, it’s a case I would actually consider an attractive gaming case.

The case name may actually be a typo. I think they meant “AeroRicer Pro”

Played hooky on my birthday

Linus — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:31:45 +0000

Well I decided to take my birthday off of work and go to the PNE. For those who don’t live in Vancouver, the PNE or Pacific National Exhibition is like a big homeshow, livestock show, flea market, and amusement park all rolled into one with live entertainment such as SuperDogs, street performers, pig races, and musicians.

This is the Peking Acrobats. They did quite a few stunts, but I thought this was one of the most impressive ones. Note that the bottom chair is balanced on pots, NOT sitting on its 4 legs

Here’s me racing my little brother around a race course made of bales of hay. These are little tricycle style tractors. I don’t think it was built for my weight, but oh well :p

Over the course of the day I got a variety of stuff for free by telling people it was my birthday. I got cotton candy, kettle corn, face painting (pictured above), free rides for my mom (too cheap to buy a ride pass and hasn’t been on a coaster in 30 years. It was hilarious!), and a sno cone. I was actually asked for ID to prove it was my birthday by the girls in the sno cone concession stand. Haha.

And for no particular reason at all…. An alpaca.