Hi! I'm Erik.

Fixing Broken Breaks on Maclaren Techno XLR Buggy

Yes, we have entered baby territory

May 21st, 2016

For reasons that may be related to my absence from this blog lately, I found myself in a situation with a used baby stroller in need of repairs. The problem was that the breaks would not click into place. After looking into it, it turned out that it could be easily fixed with some spare parts bought online, plus some basic tools and, of course, my not-so-valuable spare time. Read on for a step for step guide.

External USB3 Hard Drive not Recognized by Windows

Back to basics

September 05th, 2015

Super-simple fix here. I hooked up an external USB3 hard drive to my box, but although it was powered up, it did not show up in Windows. Missing drivers? Broken drive? Perhaps my Google-Fu was weak that day but I promised myself I would write a blog post once I had solved it. And it was extremely trivial: Turns out the USB3 controller was disabled in the mainboard (ASUS P8P67) BIOS. After enabling it, everything worked like a charm! And yes, it's weird how these low-level settings somehow manage to stay relevant even to this day. ;)

New Design!

Construction complete

July 08th, 2015

It was time again for an overhaul. The new design uses fonts with higher legibility, and the layout should make navigation more easier. The responsivity has been improved and I hope the site looks as good on your device as it does on mine. ;)

Chrome cannot download files from microsoft.com

From the Mixed Security dept.

June 06th, 2015

Had this strange problem the other day. I was trying to download Windows Management Framework from microsoft.com, but no download would start, no matter how many times I tried or how long I waited. But I finally found a way to make it work:

1. Bring up the developer tools (F12)
2. Click the console tab
3. Note the blocked HTTP-request(s). Clicking on each will start the download.

Turns out the page is served over HTTPS, but the download over HTTP for whatever reason. Trying to change HTTPS to HTTP only led to a redirect back to HTTPS in this case so it seems liberate but not quite thought through.

Now, have fun downloading frameworks and tools for your windows PC!

Fix: Google Cardboard Magnet not working with Nexus 4

It might be ugly, but hey - it's just cardboard

May 31st, 2015

I have difficulties getting the magnet slider to work with the Nexus 4. The phone sometimes reacts if slid out far to the left, but that does not feel like a solution. So I thought: The magnet simply causes a tap. Why not just tap the screen directly? So with a finger sized carved out hole on the side of the headset signed yours truly, tapping the phone's screen is just as simple as sliding the magnet. Not pretty, but it works. :)

Experiment: Shooting art with cheap lenses

Analog to digital conversion

January 04th, 2015

A dear reader asked if the Canon 40mm 2.8 pancake is any good for shooting paintings. While I figured that it would be, I decided to compare the 40mm to the 50mm 1.8 and the 18-55mm kit lens to see which one would be more suitable. Please read on for the 3 test shots - 1 will shock you and blow your mind! Not. ;)

Aurora Borealis Hunt

Far from the madding crowd

November 09th, 2014

Went with some friends to the very north of Sweden to hopefully shoot some northern lights. It was a very long drive and the cold was getting to us - but luckily, we did get to see some of that magical green light. Feel free to check the Image Gallery.

Solved - Picasa Cannot See or Import MP4 Video Files

Installing codecs like it's '99

September 23rd, 2014

Had this problem the other day. I was trying to import images and videos from a phone, but the videos did not show up on the import tab. After some googling, it seems that if the proper video codec is missing, Picasa may have problems playing back video files. Windows Media Player was able to play the files, so thought everything was OK - but after identifying (using this) and installing the codec manually, the files showed up in Picasa and everything was fine and dandy. :)

Found bee, won bike

No model release needed

September 15th, 2014

There was a local photo contest going on this summer, where you could win a bike. Since I could use a new bike, I thought I could just as well participate. There was no particular theme, any good shot taken in the general area was a candidate. I hunted this bee down with my Tamron at 270mm and apparently, that was good enough. :)

Using Old Tablet as Charger

Recycling is weird sometimes

June 18th, 2014

Just a little idea I got when I was on vacation: My phone, which I use a lot, kept running out of battery and I didn't have a battery pack. However, I had my trusty ol' Android tablet with me. Tablets often have quite large batteries, this one had 4000 mAh which is about the same as a (slightly below average) battery pack. Using the host USB port, I could charge the phone when I was out. It's quite a lot bigger and heavier than a battery pack to lug around, but at least I didn't have to break my back... erm, I mean, the bank.