Maglula UpLULA Magazine Loader

Magula UpLULA Magazine Loader

Anyone that has ever loaded a magazine will tell you that the last few rounds are almost impossible to push in due to spring tension.   I have cut enough fingers and gotten enough bruises that I finally broke down and bought a Maglula UpLULA.  The cost was approximately $28 or so.

What an amazing tool that I should have gotten ages ago.  My 9mm magazine was darn near impossible to push the last couple of rounds in.

So much so that I generally didn’t fully load the mag.

This will be an amazingly short blog as the device is just plain simple.

Loading

I took a quick but not entirely inclusive video showing how the loader works.  There are much better videos out there but this does show the ease of loading.

It would appear that I will never wreck my fingers again loading rounds again.

Should You Buy a Maglula UpLULA

If you’ve hurt your hands loading then the answer is a simple, YES.  Get a Maglula UpLULA just as quick as you can.   Ttttthhhhhhhheeeeee that’s all folks!

Ergonomic Chair SIHOO Doro C300

SIHOO Doro C300

I get to review a lot of cool things here at my Tech Blog.  I was ecstatic when the Marketing folks at SIHOO offered to provide me an Ergonomic Chair to review.  The model they provided is the SIHOO Doro C300 ($299).   To sweeten the pot SIHOO currently has a “Buy One, Get Two” hidden promotion.  That is an amazing deal!

Why was I so excited?  The timing of receiving this chair was exquisite.  After about 50 years of sitting on a wallet my back developed a visible knot in the lower area which sometimes HURTS.  For about 2 years now I have been getting deep tissue massages.  Lo and behold the knot has seemingly gone away just recently.  I have no desire for it to return.  An ergonomic chair is EXACTLY what I needed in my office.

I currently have a garden variety black leather office chair with wooden arms.  It is a nice chair, certainly attractive, however it kills that spot on my back.  So much so that I bought a standing desk.
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Dyson V10 Trigger Replacement

Dyson V10 Trigger Replacement

This blog is going to be a little less on the technical side and a little more on the “Right To Repair” side.  I can’t find a receipt for when I bought this Dyson V10 vacuum.  But I did find an email stating my warranty was expiring in May 2023.  I bought it refurbished and I think I paid about $350 for it.  So my best guess is I got it in May or November of 2022.  Let’s call it just over 2 years old.

A couple of weeks ago my wife brought me the vacuum and told me it was broken.   A cursory inspection let me know right away that the trigger was not rebounding. Additionally, it remained in the fully depressed position.

As soon as I went to Google I learned a few things:

1. The trigger on the Dyson V10, V11 and other models is a HIGH FAILURE RATE ITEM.
2. Dyson won’t sell you a trigger.
3. 3rd party vendors sell REINFORCED triggers.
4. Replacing the trigger requires COMPLETELY disassembling the Dyson vacuum.
5. A Torx #8 screwdriver is required for assembly / disassembly.

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ARS Rescue Rooter HVAC Review POFS Award Winner

ARS RESCUE ROOTER EARNS TOP PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT AWARD.

I usually reserve my coveted “Piece Of Fucking Shit” Award for tech components.  Today however, we are breaking new ground and awarding it to an HVAC service.  ARS Rescue Rooter.

When your furnace or air conditioning goes out, the customer expectation is to show up within 5 minutes of calling and fix it within 10 minutes.  ARS response time is actually very good,  But let me spin my yarn.

It is 2 or 3 days before Christmas. I’m at the sink and the vent that usually blows hot air starts blowing ice cold air on my feet.  I go outside where the furnace is and it “STINKS”.  There is clearly something wrong with the combustion on the furnace.

I go flip the breaker and restart.  It blows hot air for about an hour and then turns cold again.  When I go outside again, it stinks even worse.

I call ARS and they actually show up in less than an hour.  The Tech was kind and went right to work.  When he opened the furnace panel it was obvious the burners were not blowing tight, blue jets of flame.  It was mostly orange and it wasn’t a compressed jet.  It was clearly dangerous.

Tech tells me I need new burners and it will cost $570 to install them.

While he is talking I notice a red light blinking on the Ignition Control Board.  I ask him about it. He has no manual, says that doesn’t know what the code means but says that we’ll change the burners and go from there.

The blink code 7 times was a Flame Rollout Switch trip.  That means the burner flames are rolling back inside.  The switch is a thermal switch that chops the flow of gas to prevent a build up of heat, flame, CO², and prevent a fire.

Hey, he’s the HVAC pro.
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Ooni Pizza Oven Update

Just over a month ago I bought an Ooni Pizza Oven, the Karu 12 Multi-Fuel.  It was an impulse buy.  But suffice to say I’ve eaten more than a few pizzas and calzones in the last month or so.  I’ve been having so much fun with this thing but I want to share a few things I have learned along the way to any potential buyer of the Ooni.   If you are a fence sitter and thinking about buying one I’d absolutely encourage you to do that.  But there is a learning curve.

Buying an expensive stove, oven, stand mixer or any other kitchen porn won’t make you a good cook.  Using your equipment a lot with study and experimentation will.  There is so much to learn regarding a brick pizza oven like the Ooni.  There are hundreds of posts on the Facebook forum alone regarding dough hydration.
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Ooni Karu 12 Review

Ooni Karu 12

For a number of years I have fancied myself a bit of a good pizza chef.   Mind you, I only made pizzas for myself and family and friends but I’m getting pretty good at it.  My craft has evolved over the years.  But I have really stepped up my game with the addition of an Ooni Karu 12 Multi Fuel Pizza Oven.

I want a giant kitchen with a real brick oven but at 60 years of age I’m probably in my last home.  Over the last couple of years I’ve been eyeballing outdoor pizza ovens.  The other day I was in a local Dick’s Sporting Goods store and I saw one in a store for the first time.  They have always been sold out.

An employee came by and asked me if I was interested and I replied, “Maybe”.  His response was “We can’t keep them in the store”.  Okay, John, it appears the time to get an Ooni is now or never.   I got just the oven and I sprung for one of their pizza peels as well.  I have no beef with the pizza peel but I’m a woodworker and subsequently made my own wooden pizza peel.  Probably should have just done that from the start.
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Bible Technology

There has been a story in the news the last week or two that caught my attention.   And that story is the civil unrest in Sudan.  I had one of those literal “Oh My God” moments that I’d like to share with you.   And because the title of this website contains the words “Tech Blog” I’ll focus on some aspects of Bible Technology.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel was a Hebrew prophet who wrote the Book Of Ezekiel.   He was taken to Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.   In Ezekiel 38 there is a war referred to as the Gog Magog War.   As a Christian this conflict has fascinated me because quite frankly you can literally see the pieces falling into place.   And this civil unrest in Sudan fills in one of those pieces.  It is what inspired me to write this at 1AM in the morning.   That in itself is weird.  I felt kind of compelled to write this in the middle of the night.
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The SHTF Scenario Happened!

SHTF!

Last night the unthinkable happened.  I woke up in the middle of the night and grabbed my computer to catch up on the news and amuse myself.  To my surprise the internet was down.  Thanks Optimum!  No problem.  I’ll just use my cell phone for a hotspot.  I went and found my phone and the network reported “SOS” instead of “5G” or “LTE”. My first thought was that the SHTF, finally.  Where to turn now to see what is going on?

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Everybody needs some screwdrivers, and in fact everyone needs a very small, basic tool kit at the very least.  A screwdriver, pair of pliers, and a crescent wrench will save your day at some point.  This blog entry is for the people that just need some basic hand tools and to provide a thing or two to think about before you spend your money.

I’ve spent a lot of time researching tools in the last week, and I’ve learned a lot about them.  Who actually owns the companies, where they are made, and how they hold up.  I’ve seen comparison videos where devious engineers design devious tests and then stack them up against each other.   While I greatly appreciate the study, thought, and application of those tests,  it just isn’t relevant to 95% of the population.

I’ve seen untold forum posts of “What Screwdriver Should I Get”.  Believe it or not the most common answer seems to be………..”Get something you can afford and don’t look back”.

The reality is that uber quality just isn’t necessary for most of us.  Then again, I’m not most of us.  I made my living using tools and a lot of people do.  I subscribe to the theory of “That Many People Can’t Be Wrong” when it comes to tool recommendations.  So let’s get on with the recommendations.
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I’ll get off the tool train soon and back to my regularly scheduled programming soon as I managed to FINALLY snag a Raspberry Pi 4.  They’ve been next to impossible to get for about a year or more now.

Anyway, you can’t be a Tech Blog Geek without good tools.  That’s really all there is to it.   Over time my tool needs have evolved in several different directions.

After my first stint in the Navy I got a job at an FAA Repair Station.  Obviously my mix of tools were aviation related and we had one specific issue where tool handles needed to be chemical resistant due to the use of a commercial hydraulic fluid called Skydrol.   Even if you had a decent set of Craftsman hand tools those handles would get all sticky and melt.

Fast forward a few years and I’m working for the government who provides me tools at work but I’m starting a family and need basic home tools.  Not much use for a pair of safety wire pliers around the house.   So I retool as much as I can afford to.

Then I move to Japan and put all my tools in storage.  While I once was an Aircraft Structural Mechanic I somehow evolved into an Electronics Tech Rep.   Time to retool again.

Now I’m retired but I have lots of electronics hobbies, not to mention I have a camper, and all manner of Maker gear and by that I mean a Vinyl Sign machine, 3D printers, lasers, and a CNC machine.   My tool needs are way different again.  About the only constants along the way have been screwdrivers, socket sets, wrenches and pliers.

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