Recent Posts

Python Gotcha: Logging an uncaught exception

Posted on Mon 14 July 2025 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical

Uncaught exceptions will crash an application. If you don't know how to log these, it can be difficult to troubleshoot such a crash. Let's walk through this gotcha and see how to fix it.


How to fix GitLab 18 error regarding git_data_dirs

Posted on Sun 06 July 2025 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical, gitlab

GitLab 18 removes git_data_dirs and if you have been using it and didn't notice the deprecation warnings, an update to GitLab 18 will fail. This is a simple fix.


Python Gotcha: Identity vs Equality - When 'is' Fails Unexpectedly

Posted on Tue 17 June 2025 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical

To a new developer is can look like an equality check in Python, especially in poorly written tutorials. I'll an overview of what is is and how you should use it in only limited circumstances.


My first experiences with a laser cutter

Posted on Thu 02 January 2025 in Side Activities • Tagged with technical, meta

My local library recently received a Glowforge for their patrons to utilize. This article is about my experiences using the machine


Moving MS Authenticator to a new phone without a personal account

Posted on Wed 27 November 2024 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical

The Microsoft Authenticator application allows you to transfer tokens to a new device if you have a personal Microsoft account. How do you do it if you don't have a personal account? This is a quick walk through of what worked for me.


Format USB drive with EFI partition in Windows

Posted on Wed 13 November 2024 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical

Windows protects EFI partitions from being deleted. This article is a quick walkthrough on how to format a USB drive with an EFI partition within Windows.


Controlling power to LED lights with WLED Controller and a Relay switch

Posted on Fri 16 August 2024 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical, wled

Wiring a lot of LEDs requires more power than the small WLED controller can handle, but leaving a large power supply running even when the lights are off is inefficient. This post talks about the progress on the project and how I wired in a relay to keep everything running efficiently.


Setting up and updating the Ericsity WLED Controller from 0.13.3 to 0.14.1

Posted on Thu 20 June 2024 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical, wled

The Ericsity WLED controller comes with WLED 0.13.3 preinstalled and only offers the ability to update to 0.13.4. This walks through setting up the controller for the first time and moving to 0.14.1 while maintaining the sound reactive features the controller advertises.


Python Gotcha: strip, lstrip, rstrip can remove more than expected

Posted on Fri 29 March 2024 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical

The Python strip, lstrip, and rstrip functions can have unexpected behavior. Even though this is documented, non-default values passed to these functions can lead to unexpected results and how Python 3.9 solved this with two new functions.


Installing the Mobile Security Framework (MobSF) on Windows using Docker

Posted on Mon 19 February 2024 in Technical Solutions • Tagged with technical

A short article on installing the Mobile Security Framework on Windows utilizing Docker and then using it to quickly analyze an APK.