Wizball is so good. Nearly forty years after I first discovered it in the 1980s, I'm playing it all over again - this time the superb Retrospec Windows remake, running perfectly under Linux using Wine and the WineCharm front-end. Back in the day, I played the DOS version (click to play in your browser) on my trusty 8088 PC with a CGA graphics card. It managed just four … [Read more...] about Wizball (Retrospec) – I Didn’t Expect to Get Addicted Again… but It’s Excellent!
ProperGander
The Ingenious Engineering Hidden Inside a Wood-Fired Hot Tub
“I did not expect the most interesting engineering lesson of my holiday to come from a hot tub.” Like many visitors to 5 Mountains Lodge, I came here to escape the noise and pace of everyday life. Nestled beneath the mountains at the entrance to Bainskloof Pass, the lodge is a peaceful retreat — a place where time slows down, evenings stretch out under the stars, and the … [Read more...] about The Ingenious Engineering Hidden Inside a Wood-Fired Hot Tub
Ceasefire Without Peace: Trump, Iran & the Oil Shock Reshaping the World 🌍
The fragile ceasefire around Iran is starting to look more like a pause button than a solution - and the global consequences are escalating fast. ⚠️ Trump Rejects Iran's Deal - Tensions Stay High 🧨 Iran came to the table with what seemed like a reasonable opening move: reopen the Strait of Hormuz 🚢 and agree to delay nuclear negotiations until after the war formally … [Read more...] about Ceasefire Without Peace: Trump, Iran & the Oil Shock Reshaping the World 🌍
When Gatekeeping Replaces Discussion: Why I’m Banned from HomeDistiller
Banned for Sharing a Free Tool: The Strange Gatekeeping of HomeDistiller.org ... Recently I created and shared a free calculator for Teddy’s Fast Fermenting Vodka (TFFV) - a tool designed to help hobby distillers correctly scale the recipe and estimate fermentation outcomes. The calculator simply automates the ingredient ratios and yield calculations that most distillers … [Read more...] about When Gatekeeping Replaces Discussion: Why I’m Banned from HomeDistiller
Sole Survivors: How a Lighter and Some Glue Saved My Favourite Shoes 💪
👟 How I Fix My Shoes With Fire (And Don't Burn the House Down) A beginner's guide to the most dramatic home repair you'll ever attempt Let me paint you a picture. You're running late, you grab your favourite pair of shoes, slip them on - and squelch. The sole is flapping open like a fish out of water. 🐟 You look down. The shoe looks up at you. It's a betrayal of the … [Read more...] about Sole Survivors: How a Lighter and Some Glue Saved My Favourite Shoes 💪
Two Household Staples, One Brilliant Mechanic, and Headlights That Look Brand New 🚗✨
Toothpaste and Vaseline There are moments in life that challenge everything you thought you knew. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The invention of the internet. And the evening Greg and I were in his workshop, cracking a beer 🍺 and tinkering with Annie's car, when he produced a teaspoon of Colgate and a teaspoon of Vaseline, announcing with great confidence that he was about to … [Read more...] about Two Household Staples, One Brilliant Mechanic, and Headlights That Look Brand New 🚗✨
Calculator for Teddy’s Fast Fermenting Vodka
Click here to skip straight to the calculator… Teddysad’s Fast Fermenting Vodka: A Wash That Earned Its Reputation Among home distillers, a few wash recipes have achieved almost mythic status - and Teddy’s Fast Fermenting Vodka (FFV) is one of them. It’s been discussed, replicated, tweaked, enjoyed, criticised, and celebrated across distilling forums around the … [Read more...] about Calculator for Teddy’s Fast Fermenting Vodka
Inverted Sugar Explained: Maximising Fermentation Efficiency and ABV (Proof)
Inverted Sugar: Maximising Fermentation Efficiency and ABV When you're running a sugar wash, every kilogram of sugar represents a theoretical alcohol yield. The gap between theoretical and actual is where potential is quietly lost. Inverted sugar closes that gap - not through magic, but through straightforward fermentation chemistry. 🔬 What Is Inverted Sugar? Table … [Read more...] about Inverted Sugar Explained: Maximising Fermentation Efficiency and ABV (Proof)
Improved Birdwatchers TPW Calculator
Click here to skip straight to the calculator... About The Famous Birdwatchers Sugar Wash Recipe Birdwatchers TPW (Tomato Paste Wash) is one of the most popular sugar wash recipes in home distilling - and for good reason. Originally developed by a famous mystery person called "G", it uses simple, inexpensive ingredients (sugar, tomato paste, yeast, water, and a small … [Read more...] about Improved Birdwatchers TPW Calculator
Before the Internet: How a Band of FidoNet Amateurs Connected South Africa to the World
The People of FidoNet Long before South Africa had Internet access, long before Google or your web-browser, a small band of enthusiasts were quietly building the country’s first digital gateways - with little more than modems, home PCs and sheer ingenuity. This article is inspired by How a few tech mavericks started the Internet in South Africa. That article describes a … [Read more...] about Before the Internet: How a Band of FidoNet Amateurs Connected South Africa to the World
