New favorite tool: the adjustable strap wrench

I have always been interested in DIY projects and handy tools that can make my life easier. Recently, I was browsing AliExpress and I came across the adjustable strap wrench. It looked like a simple tool that could be used for removing oil filters when doing engine service. I decided to order one and see if it was useful.

When I received it, I was impressed by its build quality and design. The adjustable strap wrench is a tool that has a long metal handle and a rubber strap that can be tightened or loosened around different objects. It can grip objects of various shapes and sizes without damaging them. It is also easy to use, you just wrap the strap around the object, adjust the tension with the thumb screw, and turn the handle in the desired direction.

I tried using it for removing oil filters from my car engine and it worked like a charm. The strap wrench gripped the filter firmly and allowed me to unscrew it with minimal effort. It also prevented any oil spills or leaks from the filter. I was very happy with this tool and how it made my engine service easier.

But that was not all. I discovered that the adjustable strap wrench was multipurpose and practical in many situations. For example, I used it for holding shock absorbers when removing them from my Land Rover Defender as they tend to spin. The strap wrench held them securely and prevented them from rotating while I loosened the bottom nut.

I also used it for removing and tightening pipe fittings for plumbing jobs. The strap wrench could fit around pipes of different diameters and materials without scratching or denting them. It also gave me more leverage and control than a regular pipe wrench.

And finally, I used it for removing the caps off jars that were too tight or stuck. The strap wrench could open any jar lid with ease without hurting my hands or breaking the glass. It was a great tool for kitchen tasks as well.

The adjustable strap wrench is now my new favorite tool and for the price on AliExpress, I’d say it’s worth its weight in gold. It is a versatile and handy tool that can be used for many purposes and projects. It saves me time, energy, and frustration while working on different tasks. If you are looking for a useful tool that can do many things, you should try an adjustable strap wrench too.

Choice of suspension parts and quality of ride on a land rover defender 110

 I have always loved driving my Land Rover Defender 300tdi 110, a classic off-road vehicle that can handle any terrain. However, I noticed that the ride was very stiff and uncomfortable when not loaded with cargo or passengers. I wondered if there was something wrong with the suspension parts of my Defender. Here is a video of the action from underneath.

I did some research online and found out that my Defender had double shocks at the rear wheels, which were meant to provide extra stability and support when carrying heavy loads. However, when not loaded, they make the ride harsher and less smooth. I decided to remove one pair of shocks and see if it made any difference.

To my surprise, it did! The ride became much softer and more comfortable without compromising the handling or performance of my Defender. I was happy with this improvement, but I wanted to see if I could make it even better.

I looked for some aftermarket suspension parts that could enhance the ride quality of my Defender. I came across Monroe oil shocks, which are known for their durability and reliability.  I swapped the remaining pair of rear shocks with Monroe shocks and tried driving it while loaded with some heavy stuff.

The ride was surprisingly smooth! The new shocks absorbed the bumps and vibrations effectively and gave me a pleasant driving experience. They also improved the stability and control of my Defender when cornering or braking. I was very impressed by these shocks and how they transformed my Defender. You never know what you're missing, one takeaway from this is that it's difficult to tell when shocks go bad, i had no idea the old ones were that bad.

The next thing I want to try is to remove the heavy duty springs and put on the stock springs which should be softer. Heavy duty springs are meant for off-road use or towing purposes, but they can also make the ride stiffer than necessary. Stock springs are more suitable for normal driving conditions and when you're not carrying a lot of load on your landy.

How I discovered the ESP32 LOLIN C3 Pico and used it to make HTTP requests

 I have always been interested in IoT devices and how they can connect to the internet and communicate with each other. One day, I stumbled upon a website that introduced me to the ESP32 LOLIN C3 Pico, a mini wifi & Bluetooth5 (LE) board based on ESP32-C3FH4, a RISC-V single-core CPU.

I was amazed by its small form factor, which is only 25.4 x 17.8 mm, and its ability to use a lipo battery with 500mA charging. It also has 12 IO pins, 1 WS2812 RGB LED, 1 LOLIN I2C port, and supports ADC, I2C, SPI, UART protocols. It is compatible with MicroPython, Arduino, CircuitPython and ESP-IDF, which means I can program it using different languages and frameworks.

I decided to buy one online and try it out for myself. After receiving it, I followed the instructions on how to install Arduino IDE on my computer and add the ESP32-C3 board support package. Then I wrote some code to connect it to my wifi network and make HTTP requests to a remote server. The code was simple and easy to understand.

I uploaded the code to the board using Arduino IDE and watched the output on the serial monitor. It worked! The board successfully made an HTTP request and printed the response from the server.

I was very happy with my discovery of the ESP32 LOLIN C3 Pico. It is a powerful and versatile board that can be used for many IoT projects. I plan to use it for more applications in the future, such as making an MQTT device or a smart home button.

#include <WiFi.h>
#include <HTTPClient.h>

// Wifi credentials
const char* ssid = "SSID";
const char* password = "PASSWORD";

void setup() {
  // Initialize serial monitor
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // Connect to wifi
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  
  // Make HTTP request
  HTTPClient http;
  http.begin("http://example.com");
  int httpCode = http.GET();
  
  // Print response
  if (httpCode > 0) {
    String payload = http.getString();
    Serial.println(payload);
  }
  
  // End connection
  http.end();
}

void loop() {
}        

software tools for your raspberry pi

The raspberry pi is a really amazing piece of hardware, any computing enthusiast would really love to have.Just reading the specs makes one think about the many things they can do with it, ideally its a small linux box.

I've compiled a series of tools which i've found useful and which you might want to setup on a raspberry pi

1. Emacs - well, we also have the vim guys but i won't dive deep into this.Its nice to have your favourite editor handy in the terminal.Remember to place an alias for terminal mode.
2. Apache - Unless you're serving over 200 concurrent requests, then apache will do.In anycase if you had such a high number of requests then you could afford the heavier guns.
3. Sqlite3 and/or mysql - sqlite is just brilliant for such devices, i'm surprised it doesn't come out of the box with wheezy.
4. pip,virtualenv,virtualenvwrapper - the pi means python and these tools go hand in hand with any python development.
5. Git - Version control in case you want to do some coding on the pi.

Now you are ready to go.Feel free suggest some tools which you found useful and should be added to this list through the comments.

a good track for learning javascript

As i had mentioned earlier in my previous post, javascript is quite important and as a web developer you should know javascript well.The problem however is with the appropriate technique to learn it.I found a technique which claims to be good.
how-to-learn-javascript-properly

I have started this course and i can say i'm seeing some progress, i'm through with the first two weeks.About the resources, i would recommend professional Js for web developers.

I've not finished the week 3 and 4 sections but i really look forward to evaluating whether my skills have increased.

The codeacademy course can be very boring especially if you've chosen to start with the web fundamentals.I chose to skip some sections, but took others which looked like good refreshers.Don't skip this track entirely, you can be surprised to learn things you didn't know.

tinkering around but never mastering javascript

I normally hack javascript when i need to, but i have noticed that many people also do this.The reason for this i attribute to the internet and especially google.

There are plenty of resources on the internet offering solutions on how to deal with a specific problem, so one ends up googling how to do something in javascript without going through the basics of the language.

What we end up with is skills at googling and fixing problems but no mastership of the language.This can be said to be the double edge of having plenty of resources available at your finger tips.

For instance, stack overflow is an excellent resource.But i think one should turn to stack as the last resort.The habit of rushing to stack overflow and copying code does not offer any self improvement.A better alternative would be to hit the docs and read a good portion.Still this should come after attempting to solve the problem.

Nevertheless programming is a craft thats all about experience, if you continue hacking at javascript each day for 10 years, you'll eventually master it, but the point is it would be easier if you took time to go through the docs and learn the basics of a language.

This goes for jquery too, its possible to use jquery without knowing a good portion of javascript.This is a bad idea and sooner or later, if you're writing serious code, problems are going to arise that need more than just the basic knowledge of jquery.

So what will be the right time to master javascript?
Why not try a daily schedule.Taking on a chapter a day, there are plenty of good books on javascript out there.

Mac as a development environment

Apple pcs and notebooks are very elegant and offer a high level of aesthetics compared to standard hardware, but what about using a mac for development.

Experience with a macbook pro has proved that mac's are excellent for development.Want a vague proof of this, just take a look at conference videos, most serious developers use macs.And its just not for the aesthetics but there are heavier reasons for this.

Historically linux was the choice environment for many.The popularity of linux is waning due to recurrent issues involving GUI systems and the classic old drivers problem.Its just a pain that should be abstracted, and this is what mac osx does best.The UI is clean and elegant and you still get the power of the unix shell.

The write once run everywhere nature of web apps has also promoted the use of osx.Due to the fact that you can create a web app from any on any operating system that will be available to any system with a browser, this has removed the constraint of having to develop on a particular environment.Thus developers are free to choose which system provides the best user experience, and apple is well known for this.

A general trend I have noted is that most development software and library creators tend to cater for mac users since its a fact that many debs are on that platform.