As you hopefully know, PayPal supports two-factor authentication (2FA), and hopefully you have enabled that on your account(s). 2FA means that even if your email address and password are somehow compromised, a hacker won’t be able to log into your account without a second form of authentication, typically either an authenticator app, security key, biometric […]
Author Archives: Ben
Debugging Undefined Behavior in C++
Today I’m going to describe more strange issues we encountered in 0 A.D. last year. It was reported by some OS X users that they were unable to complete multiplayer games without an “out of sync” error occurring. First, a little explanation of 0 A.D. multiplayer mode is needed. Each player (client) runs a deterministic […]
PCB Etching Tutorial
Another project this semester was to design an antenna for our electromagnetics class. I will go into more detail on that antenna in follow-up post, but basically, I chose to design a microstrip patch antenna. The simplest way to do that is with a double-sided copper clad board, turning it into a PCB by etching […]
Configurations and Display States in SolidWorks
In one of my classes this semester, our final project was to choose a Lego kit, model the pieces in SolidWorks 2014 and assemble them according to the instructions. I had previously used 3D modeling software like Blender or other programs where basic primitives are modified and combined into objects. SolidWorks and its solids-based modeling […]
A Windows Backup-compatible External HDD
A few years ago, I was setting up a backup plan for my home computer, when I encountered the lovely 4K sector incompatibility issue in Windows 7. It caught me entirely off guard, as I thought my OS was recent enough for MS to support something so critical. Think again! I solved this at home, […]
Debugging a Chrome and jQuery Performance Issue
At work, we have a web application based on some common technologies: ASP.NET, MVC, and jQuery. One of the functions of the software is to provide data reports to clients in the form of charts, tables, and exportable documents. Recently, it was noted that under some conditions (long reports), a report dialog would appear to […]
Debugging GLSL shaders in 0A.D.
Today I want to discuss a graphics glitch that long plagued a project I work on, called 0 A.D. The glitch was first noticed years ago, when major changes were made to the renderer system. Until recently, the cause was unknown and not a focus of our efforts. I will present the debugging techniques used […]
A Practical Backup Solution
Computer backups are one of those things that everyone knows they need but nobody actually bothers to do on a regular basis. They are time-consuming and expensive, right? But how often do you rely on your computer, and how much is your data worth to you? People grudgingly pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to […]