Kevin Boone

January 2025

Watch out: the Chinese domain registration scam is getting slicker

It's an old scam, but it's recently resurfaced in a slicker, more convincing form

Categories: security

Predicting eclipses with clockwork

We're used to computing devices being electronic. But what can we do with a purely mechanical approach? This article looks at how eclipse prediction might have worked in the Antikythera Mechanism, c.2300 years ago.

Categories: retrocomputing, science and technology

Technical writing: what do we lose, when we write more readably?

There's no shortage of guidance on writing English that people will want to read. In science and technology, however, can we apply the same guidelines without losing information?

Categories: education

A USB power supply with a real on-off switch

As part of my campaign to eliminate wall-warts and external power supplies that don't have on/off switches, I've built a USB charger that has a mains switch. Why? Because nobody seems to sell one.

Categories: science and technology