Test Archives

Test, technical testing, testing; or the process of evaluating both physical hardware (parts) and the software attributes and functionality.

May 16, 2024September 27, 2024

Fix 3D Prints and Plastics

Be Creative Without the Hassle

Quick Fix With Glue(Super) and Baking Soda

Strong Adhesives, Baking Soda and Spray Activator/Hardener Light

Fix plastics, wood lures, wood carvings and more. Fix 3d Prints and Plastics better than traditional fillers or bonding agents.

Adhesives, Clean Up/Deburring

Starbond Kit – Starbond Kit – Glue & Activator Starbond – Super Fast Thin Glue JB Weld – J-B Weld Bonder (2) Pack AFA Tooling – AFA Tooling Deburring Tools
Dremel Tool – Dremel High Performance Rotary Tool Kit

In A Tight Spot, Choose Super Adhesive and Baking Soda

Need a quick fix, while out fishing in the field? Or did a new 3D print break during the clean up process? What should you do now? For a quick fix, simply grab some extra strength glue, our choice, Starbond, Starbond activator, baking soda and start the filling process. This method works on wood, plastics, and more. By using baking soda as the ‘filler’ and the super adhesive as the bonding agent, you’ll have a quick fix in no time.

If you need to clean up your 3D Printables, clean up or deburr plastics and filler using super adhesives and baking soda, deburring tools are a must. When producing items from plastics or resin compounds such as wood, metals and plastics, the production process isn’t perfect, leaving you with work post production. Tasks like, trimming for metal stamping or removing travel or supports in the 3D printing process, require specific tools. We recommend AFA Deburring Tools for hand scraping and clean up, as well as the Dremel Rotary Tool for tile, clay, woods and metals. These tools are handy to have around the shop for various tasks.

Finally, for those tough jobs, or bonds, try JB Weld (J-B Weld Amazon Store). There are many applications for JB weld. Whether it’s loose or broken tiles, outdoor furniture, or any other project, JB Weld Epoxy and adhesives will create a strong and lasting bond using chemical bonding resins.

For a comprehensive list of all products mentioned above, please refer to our affiliate shopping list for ideas, product information, and more. Here are some products you may want to consider! Please note that this is just one method of fixing plastics; it was a test to demonstrate the effectiveness of the adhesive and baking soda powder.

September 20, 2023September 27, 2024

Clean Up URLs

Own Your Own Links, We Clean Up URLs

URLs Shortener, the Move To Tinurl, Cleanup Up URLs

Tech | Tools – Shortening URLs

Confirmed, URLs out…

Time to clean up URLs, rid your site of extended URLs and make them cleaner. An update on URLs (shortener): for the sake of time, we have purge our self-hosted url shortener. We’ve officially dropped the stand alone code from production. Try Tinurl, if you want to use such a service. Use something like the Tinyurl app/website… click here to learn more.

The apps has been around for awhile. Those of who you share links, swap links, etc., know that most companies have some form of URL ‘shortener’. Whether it is Amazon, YouTube or TinyURL themselves. Clean up URLs. Check out this short code via Amazon in this scenario. Scenario: College Kid is looking for a tablet, finds one and would like to share the find with someone – a.co/d/dBwmxaK, a pretty handy link… This is just a small example of short of the short code game, with a massive eCommerce site like Amazon. The same goes for YouTube share links… Anyhow, at some point, we will circle back to this topic and see if there is something worth investing in.

Before you leave, make sure to check off whatever is next on your to-do list. I’ll share one more tip with you. Hopefully, you are in the mood to clean up or declutter. Try using justdeleteme – “a directory of direct links to delete your account from web services”. You can learn more about it and the benefits of a great purge, justdeleteme article. We regularly purge old accounts and social sites as often as we can, and you can do the same. I personally delete and close out old account annually. It’s a great resource getting rid of unused services.

Other Means of Support

While were fixing things today, let’s share a few other helpful tips. Such as finding new domain name ideas, GoDaddy Bounceback services, email deliverability, knowing when to clear the cache, and how to Flush DNS on a Mac/Apple. Additionally,ipconfig /flushdns for Windows, and sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches on Linux.

We’ll also cover how to maintain your digital footprint i.e. activity on the web and what to do when the interwebs are completely down; really down. Choose down detection. These tips are super handy when starting a new website from scratch because eventually, you will come across these issues in one way or another. It’s bound to happen.

August 5, 2023September 27, 2024

GoDaddy Bounceback Services

Rolling With A Bounceback Services

Let’sLet’sReport Your Findings, A Bounceback Option

Tech | Tools – Email Support

Report A Bounceback Error

For those of you using Godaddy for hosting, consider trying GoDaddy Bounceback Services. Visit the Report A Bouncebak Error site for more information. If you need to investigate a rejected or bounceback message, or require more details from your hosting provide, this mini site can be useful, especially when troubleshooting returned emails. The same goes for Hostgator users – HostGator Bounceback Support is available as well.

If you are experiencing email issues, such as emails bouncing back, we encourage you to address the bounceback messages independently. However, proceed with caution and be mindful of the steps and actions you take. The tool requires raw data (source messages data) to function correctly. Moreover, understanding diagnostics, diagnostic system errors, and spam rejections may require some time. Stay patient and persistent.

To do this, open your local mail client suck as Outlook, Apple Mail or Gmail. The mail client app will offer a ‘view’ or ‘view message’ option. Choose to ‘view’ header data on a transmission, including both successful and unsuccessful sends.

If you find yourself in a hypothetical scenario, you may need to review a message that was likely transmitted correctly. This will be beneficial for future troubleshooting, as your familiarity with the interface will be useful. For instance, for those of you using MacOS, follow these steps: Open Mail => Find and Click Mail in Question, with the mail highlighted => Go to View => Scroll Down to Message => Chose either All Headers or Raw Source depending on the service that is requesting it . DIYers can also find online resources to troubleshoot on their own before contacting their hosting affiliate.

Report A Bouneback Error

The GoDaddy Bounceback Services website, also known as the Report A Bounceback Error site, will ask for .EML files from you. Once you have the message headers or raw sources, you will need to provide them to the bounceback tool. Save these files locally, and ensure they are saved in a readable format. Simply rename the files with the requested file type.

Simple right? If you can reach get to this point, most Tier 2 or support centers can investigate the email in question in greater detail. Although there is no standard SLA (Service Level Agreement) the typical timeframe is 12-24 hours depending on the order of magnitude; most will respond within a few days, some within a week, assuming limited or non-paid tech support.

November 4, 2022September 27, 2024

Ham Radio Study

Get Licensed – Ham Radio Technician License – Use The HamRadioExam App

Materials – Ham Study

HamRadioExam – Technicians License. For those of you seeking Ham Radio study guides, licensing questions, study help, etc. look no further. Give Roy W.’s app HamRadioExam a try.

Although time seems to fly by, it is important to find time to study, take the test, and pass this exam. Like most secondary actions or things you might ‘want’ to do, do not continue to put off the testing… Try the Ham Radio Exam App – Technician’s License for yourself. With a swipe of a finger, you can test your knowledge, take practice tests and practice quizzes on the side. Clash of Clans, Conflict of Nations WW3 aside… most of our time has been spent practicing for this exam. Overkill? Maybe, but like many certifications, and licenses there are times when you just need to know the basics. In this case, Ham Radio operators have to take greater responsibility with their hobby, so to speak. Why? The FCC fines…

Let’s being by considering ARRL membership, which is not necessary, but it’s worth checking out before you delve into the FCC licensing. Continuing with your testing is worthwhile, as it may take days, weeks, or even a few months to fully grasp the knowledge needed to pass your exam through HamRadioExam – Technician License now. Just took a peak at the local exam schedule provided by ARRL (Amateur Radio Association) for our own testing time. More importantly, if you have not started the process yet, being here on the ARRL site, learn why you should obtain your Ham Radio License.

As usual leave a comment below, let us know what you’re thinking?

August 4, 2022September 27, 2024

HRCC – Ham Study

Ham Study? Choose HRCC

The Ham Radio Crash Course Get Licensed Today

Materials – Ham Study

“Want to Get Your Ham Radio License?” HRCC- Ham Study, learn on your time, when you want and how you want. Give HRCC – Ham Radio Crash Course a look-over.

Choose HRCC – Ham Study, let’s get started! I wanted to tee up another mini-series or online study tool. In this case, we will focus on HRCC – Ham Radio Crash Course, – a study tool/series for those interested in learning about ham radios, their operation, and the fundamentals needed to obtain a ham license.

From an outsider’s perspective, this seems like the way to go. I have never used a ham radio before, and I don’t have anyone to guide me through the process. I believe this is a good starting point, a launching pad into the world of ham radio. For those interested in out lab work, we have included this in our ‘materials’ category for future reference, study. Once again, we are recommending this HRCC – Ham Study, specifically the HRCC – Ham Radio Crash Course is the best option, give it a try.

As usual leave a comment below, let us know what you’re thinking?

September 5, 2018September 27, 2024

Learn & Apply

Are you Results Driven, How do you become Results Driven?

Being A Results Driven Organization

Methodology – Learn & Apply

First, Learn & Apply… What was your hypothesis? How did you test it? What did you learn from the test results? Any viable ideas? Did you retest and test again? Do you need to test once more?

Secondly, the challenging part arises: where do we apply our learnings? Do we cease learning? The answer is certainly no. The question then becomes: when and where should you begin testing again once you’ve implemented a change, reduced redundancies, or enhanced system improvements? The time to learn is now. Or is it time to apply those findings elsewhere and make further adjustments to redundancies or system improvements? Does it sound as simple as that?

Thirdly, there are often more questions than answers, so it’s important to always strive to learn and apply new knowledge. If we stop learning, our progress may also come to a halt. Remember, you have the power to make a difference in your business, with your people, and for your brand. Lastly, we advocate for achievable changes and encourage continuous testing. We test, retest, and test again to learn from behaviors, analyze results, and effectively implement change.

As usual, please leave a comment below and let us know what you’re thinking!

September 5, 2018September 27, 2024

Test

Test, Test, and Retest – Finding value

Methodology – Test

Those of you who have partaken in usability test(s), have been to a usability center etc. You might recall the Usability Coordinator: [CRACKLING OVER THE RADIO] “((Testing)) ((Testing)) ((1)) ((2)) ((3))”

Many, many days spent in corp usability labs; fun times, good people. However, I felt sometimes the point was to justify change or boost numbers for change; in actuality it may have skewed the data. I digress!

Quickly, onto our fifth message here, this message is around ‘evaluation’ and ‘experimentation’… the value of, say an auto inspection, might reveal brake issues or failing tires. How often you inspect those tires or exam those brake parts, with determine cost of repair. How does this apply to your products and services?

Next, I prefer to test, (if money was no object), or I had the time to just test for the sake of testing I would do it. Fortunately, I’ve had the luxury of both. While working for myself and large corp. Goal is to find results both long-term and short-term, evaluations performed in my career. So, I guess the value in this article is the years spent testing, 24 years and counting. In that same vain, pilot studies, and small tests have value as well; working to reduce some cost, gain some efficiency over some defined length of time or duration.

Right? It’s probably why I test as often as I do, personally. The goal is to find products and services that fit and make my life experience better or ‘buy funnel’. Oh, quick story, desktop vs mobile (those were fun, before mobile first or device agnostic design)… circa 1999-2000. Hundreds of users tested, mix results; more focused results were skewed as were the broader ‘organic’ type. Data is a funny thing. In hindsight, I can’t stress this enough, the value of analysis; is the value of the experiment itself.

Very High Level – Have problems, Find Solutions

I’ll keep it surface level, exploration is great for any number of things, seat belts, fire retardant blankets and safety clothing or fishing gloves. How would you retrieve your fish hook from a fishes mouth with out kevlar gloves(I don’t go fishing without them). How about Gorilla Glass, how it splinters? Apple Device failure, no warranty? Try for example, Apple Self Service Repair options will work for your situation. Or how much pressure it takes to cause a catastrophic glass failure. Or, take for example, a drone not working, DJI gimbal issue, we’ve got get out to the airfield and perform flight maneuvers requiring video or the act of actively capturing video in flight . Things I know to well.

I’ll confess, testing is a part of life, it’s how we learn. I would say often, do it regularly, try on your ‘off days’, try on your ‘on’ days and always retest if you can. The value is finding similarities to the experience you want your customers to have when they interact with your products and services. Re-do’s, as many times as you can; adjust your hypothesis, adjust your trajectory of change.

CBA – Cost-to-Benefit Analysis

Obviously in the real world, there is a point of diminishing return, but from a business justification, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to fix a small sample assessment than fixing large, system level production changes; live. This goes for code, speeches, design, spelling, text messages, SMS, phone calls, or chat.

Lets’s explore the entire process, starting with hypothesizing (as highlighted in the previous article, active idea generation), then moving on to testing, learning & applying. We discuss these topics and more in our marketing and methodology articles covering possible changes, navigating challenges, improving vision, and knowing when to seek improvement or transformation. While there are many other topics to consider, let’s start here!

Once we complete our testing, we learn & apply our findings. As usual leave a comment below, let us know what you’re thinking?

September 5, 2018September 27, 2024

Hypothesize

Imagine, Think, Be Creative

Be Creative – What’s Next You Ask?

Methodology – Hypothesize

Fixed Ideas Need New Ideas, New People; New Solutions. Thinking inside and outside the box, critical thinking, deep learning are all skills that customers appreciate, as they feel that their voice is being heard.

We enjoy brainstorming, storming, testing and finding results. Hypothesize more, or as much as you can. However, results are for another topic; thinking about what you want to achieve with your business is crucial. We aim to generate big ideas, building on them and offer great solutions.

The Scientific Method: Same Process Applies

Representing our brand with a variation or spin on the scientific method is just another way to approach things. You may be wondering where to start, how to start, and who will lead the change. Well, it’s probably you.

The key is to begin somewhere, whether with a small or large change. The importance of hypothesizing is crucial when considering change. So, should we change or not? The question to ask is what cost, risks, and benefits are associated with making this change feasible. What costs are we avoiding my implementing this change? Check out our upcoming articles on our methodology, where we discuss hypothesizing, generating good ideas, and putting them to the test, thorough testing. The results of our testing guide us towards the learning process and the application of our findings.

So, should we change or not? The question is, what are the costs, risks, and benefits associated with making this change possible? What costs are we avoiding by implementing this feasible change? Please refer to the following articles on our methodology. We discuss the process of hypothesizing, generating good ideas, and testing them. The outcomes of our testing lead us towards the learning process and the application of our test results.

Lets’s explore the entire process, starting with hypothesizing (as highlighted in this article, active idea generation), then moving on to testing, learning & applying. We discuss these topics and more in our marketing and methodology articles covering possible changes, navigating challenges, improving vision, and knowing when to seek improvement or transformation. While there are many other topics to consider, let’s start here!

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