USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode With Dymo

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USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode With Dymo

Many years ago I lived at a military base in Japan and used to use Stamps.com with a Dymo LabelWriter.  At that time you could add a USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) to your shipping label in the Dymo software.   In theory your mail will travel faster because it gets sorted faster with the barcode on it.

Then one day Dymo just dropped the IMB capability from their software.   And it remained gone for years.  However, with the latest version of Dymo Connect Software, it has returned.

USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode

DYMO IMB Returns!

Dymo has this to say in their online manual about IMB:

Intelligent mail barcode (US only) 
Starting with DYMO Connect 1.4.4 you now have the ability to create Intelligent Mail barcodes. 

The Intelligent Mail barcode is USPS barcode technology used to sort and track letters and flats. Intelligent Mail barcode technology combines the capabilities of the POSTNET barcode and the PLANET Code barcode into one unique barcode. DYMO Connect allows you to add the Intelligent Mail barcodes in address fields or as a separate barcode IMail. 

Also, the Address Fixer is back, although I think it returned in a previous version.  FINALLY Dymo software is viable again in my opinion.

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xTool F1 Jig For Wine Corks

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xTool F1 Jig For Wine Corks

I saw on the xTool F1 forum where someone had been engraving these cool wine stoppers  made of cork.   I ordered a boat load of them and then manufactured a jig that fits in the removable bottom plate area of the xTool F1 laser.

xTool F1

Wine Stopper Jig

While I made this on a CNC machine it could just as easily be made with either a 3D printer (if you possess those skills) or with a laser.  I have included (later in the post) a Vectric CRV file for making the jig.  (Vectric is a CNC file). Also included in the zip file is an SVG vector image with the proper dimensions for cutting out with a laser, and finally an XCS file for engraving the tops.  

Bear in mind that if you use the XCS file you MUST manufacture the jig from either the Vectric CRV file or the SVG image file. 

The downloadable SVG file which contains the perimeter is a 109mm x 109mm rectangle with a 6 degree radius in the corners.

The 9 pockets are 19.3mm in diameter and are spaced 36mm apart. (All designed in Lightburn).

The wood thickness I had was 3/4″ pine and the pocket depths are 12mm deep.  This fits the wine stoppers perfectly.

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Monport Fiber Laser Update

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Monport Fiber Laser Update

A couple of months ago I received a Monport Fiber Laser (30 watt Raycus). I just wanted to add a little non-technical discussion regarding this machine to my blog.

Probably about 20 years ago i bought a vinyl sign machine and intended to get rich using it.  It never happened.  Then came 3D printers.  No fame and fortune here either.  Then I bought my first laser, a Chinese K40.  Didn’t make any money here either.  I’ve always run a side hustle and occasionally made some lunch money but never really lit my financial world on fire.
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Algolaser Deeper Dive

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Algolaser, A Deeper Dive

I’ve had my Algolaser Alpha for a few weeks now.  I was provided the Alpha prior to the official USA release of this very intriguing laser.  I did an initial impressions review here.  Since that time I’ve gained some more experience with the machine.

Since my review the Algolaser Alpha has been officially released in the US and is available to purchase for $799.  My readers can purchase the Algolaser Alpha  here.  This is an affiliate link and helps support my blog.

I feel really fortunate to have been among the first to have gotten my hands on one and my initial impressions were very positive.  This laser has a lot of features, not to mention a lot of power.

Algolaser?

The founder of Algolaser is also the original founder of Ortur.   That person has left the Ortur board, and is moving in a different direction.  I personally like the direction.

It should be noted that I am not a fan of the Ortur Laser Master 3.  Not at all.  It should also be noted that I loved the Laser Maser 2 and the Ortur Aufero 2.

Finally, it should be for sure noted that I LOVE the Alpha.   Let’s get into why.
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GL.iNet Beryl AX Review

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GL.iNet Beryl AX Review

GL.iNet Beryl AX

GL.iNet Beryl AX

I’ve just gotten my hands on a GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) travel router. Cost was approximately $100.

I’m rapidly becoming a fan of GL.iNet offerings and the Beryl AX is no exception.  I also own and have blogged about the Mango V2 and the Slate Plus.  I love both of them.

The major claim to fame with this router is that it does WiFi 6 and the WAN port is a whopping 2.5 GB ethernet port.  That is really pushing the limits of a device that can fit in your pocket.  Additionally,  it barely takes up any space in a laptop bag or backpack.

The router is based on OpenWRT 21.02 firmware.  After taking mine out of the box I discovered that mine did need a firmware update from version 4.2.2 to 4.4.5.  OpenWRT is an Open Source router firmware that is extremely powerful, and has greatly improved security over OEM router firmware.

GL.iNet Beryl

Firmware Update

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GL.iNet Mango Travel Router Review

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GL.iNet Mango (GL-MT300N-V2) Travel Router Review

GL.iNet Mango

GL-MT300N-V2

I just recently got my first GL.iNet travel router, the GL-A1300 Slate Plus.  It’s a wonderful device and I blogged about it here.   On a whim I purchased its little brother the GL.iNet Mango (GL-MT300N-V2), $30.

On their page they refer to it as the N300, with the 300 standing for the max wifi speed of the router of 300 Mbps.

In this day and age of Wifi 6 you might be wondering why anyone would get something that ran at 300 Mbps.

The answer to that is FORM FACTOR.  It is a super tiny, and lightweight device that could easily slip into a pocket.   The mission of this device is mostly to connect to free wifi hotspots and then automatically connect to an OpenVPN or WireGuard VPN connection.  This makes that very unsecured wifi portal safe to use.   A VPN is a Virtual Private Network that creates an encrypted tunnel between your devices and the VPN service.  No one can see what you are doing.   After I blogged about the other GL.iNet travel router a friend of mine sent me this:

“Staying at a hotel right now that touts each login has their own VPN, because “your privacy is important to us.”I open Spotify and it asks if I want to join a random persons listening group that is listening to music on their Xbox. Sure.“
That about sums it up.   Even when they claim security, you cannot trust that there is security.

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VPN DNS And Privacy

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VPN, DNS And Privacy

In our current world scenario we are being spied on at almost every turn.   Home Networks are just not very secure for most people.   Solutions to harden those networks require some technical skill and usually involve additional costs. Additionally,  most people think they are too boring to be spied on.  But the reality is that we all need a VPN, and encrypted DNS.

Increasingly it seems that 1st Amendment laws regarding Free Speech are being tossed aside and so called “Hate Speech” is a crime.  Some things you read about on the internet can be cataloged and factor into your Social Credit Score.  It is darn near a crime to be a White, Christian, Veteran, and a monogamous person. Refusal to use bizarre pronouns can get you in a world of hurt in some circles.

We’re not quite there yet but things are easing towards that direction.  Additionally, your searches, your lifestyle and your opinions may well matter greatly one day.
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GL.iNet Router Review GL-A1300

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GL.iNet Router Review GL-A1300

GL.iNet Router

GL-A1300 Slate Plus

Before I retired I had a job with extensive travel involved.  I would sometimes take a full sized router with me to hook up at the hotel.  Back then most hotels had an ethernet jack in the room.  I’d simply push my own wifi network to my computer, phone, and many times an audio streaming device like a Chromecast or Raspberry Pi.  Oh how I wished they would have had a GL.iNet Router back in those days.

I only found out about them recently on a Discord Forum. Some of the guys are using them for all kinds of amazing networking hacks.  Even though I barely leave the house these days I wanted to get one just to see what I was missing out on.
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Metronet Static IP On OPNSense

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Metronet Static IP On OPNSense

As luck would have it, fiber internet has made its way to our house out in the boonies.  Most cable/internet companies charge an arm and a leg for a static IP and call it a “business account”.  When the sales rep came by I asked how much a Metronet Static IP cost.  The reply was $10 a month.   I was sold on that for sure.

Otherwise, Metronet uses Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT) for IP addresses.  What that means is that your router or firewall will pull one address, but that your actual IP address is something else.

What that really means is connecting back to your home network via VPN can be a lot more complex.  Also, Murphy’s VPN Law, states that you will pull a new DHCP address only while you are away on vacation rendering your ability to connect to your network null and void.
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QNAP NAS Review TS-433-4G-US

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QNAP NAS Review TS-433-4G-US

I’ve never bought an off the shelf NAS before and have always opted to build them on my own.  There is no better resource for NAS building than this website.  I currently have two home brew NAS’s in operation but had a need for a 2.5 GB NAS for a new, faster network I was setting up.  I settled on a QNAP NAS for a couple of reasons.

Reason number 1 was that initially my 2.5 GB network was only going to be in the downstairs part of my home.  Reason 2 is because since it was downstairs it needed to be somewhat attractive to appease my wife, and something somewhat quieter than my home brew NAS builds.

QNAP NAS

QNAP NAS

After a considerable amount of research I opted to get the QNAP TS-433-4G-US.($379)

4 bays is enough for me I have four 4TB Western Digital Red drives in a RAID 5 array.

This NAS is simply for file storage and I won’t be asking it to run any media servers or anything else that might overtask it.

I have a super NAS upstairs with a Xeon processor and tons of RAM and storage with Unraid as the OS.   It does all that heavy lifting.

I do use the QNAP for Apple Time Machine backups for several Macs I have in the house.

I also run another server which is located in my back yard shed which is a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with a SATA PCIe controller and a couple of 6TB hard drives.   It runs OpenMediaVault (OMV).

This will NOT be a technical review.  No specs, no stats.  Just me talking about whether buying a NAS off the shelf is something a NAS user would want to do or not. 
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