What I’ve tried, made, and learned.
PHP vulnerabilities and personal blog security: 7 surprises after leaving WordPress for static HTML
Critical PHP vulnerabilities made me reconsider the benefits of static HTML for a personal blog. After leaving WordPress, I found seven practical problems with editing, management…
ASUS VP327Q review: more vertical space than my 29-inch ultrawide
The 31.5-inch 4K VP327Q added screen height while staying almost as wide as my old LG ultrawide. I liked the display, but adapted my shallow desk and added external audio.
MIMIO SOUND BOX PC speaker review: clear voices and a USB-power noise problem
The MIMIO SOUND BOX suited listening to YouTube speech at low volume. Changing its USB power source eliminated the electronic noise I had noticed, making it a satisfying purchase.
Power settings and fresh thermal paste made my 9900K and RTX 2080 Ti PC pleasant to use again
Measured differences in power, temperature, and fan speed were small after applying power-saving settings. Cleaning and replacing the CPU thermal paste may also explain why the PC…
Riragon Rename for occasional bulk renaming, without having to remember commands
Riragon Rename is a Windows tool for the bulk filename changes you may need only occasionally, such as year-end document organization. This introduction covers basic operation, a …
A simple Windows analog clock, with carefully chosen ticking sounds
Riragon Clock and Timers for Windows offers six analog faces and recordings of old clocks ticking. This introduction includes an approximately 18-second audio sample, spoken time …
How long until the meeting? A Windows meeting countdown timer
Use Riragon Clock and Timers on Windows to see how much time remains before a meeting. This guide covers entering a start time, setting a three-minute advance notification, and ke…
A Windows presentation timer for ten minutes of speaking and five minutes of questions
A Windows presentation timer that displays remaining time in a small window or full screen. This walkthrough sets up ten minutes for a talk and five for questions, with always-on-…
OvenMediaEngine WebRTC streaming: my low-latency WHIP and WHEP test
I built OvenMediaEngine on Ubuntu 24.04 and tested WebRTC video and audio through OBS WHIP and browser playback. This account includes the SRT failure, connection-setting difficul…
A WordPress plugin to use Gothic fonts in the Classic Editor
My WordPress Classic Editor displayed a Mincho serif font while published posts used a Gothic sans-serif style. I made a small plugin to override the editor font without modifying…
Claude Code: updating an Ubuntu 24.04 Minecraft server and JVM settings for about $1
I used Claude Code to update a Minecraft server on Ubuntu 24.04 and adjust its JVM startup settings with Aikar's Flags. This records the low-cost experiment, including connection …
WebRTC, WHIP, and WHEP: making real-time streaming easier to connect
An introduction to WebRTC signaling and the roles of WHIP for ingest and WHEP for playback. The article outlines a GStreamer-to-OvenMediaEngine-to-browser streaming setup and link…
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana): photos and UE5 scenes as manga line art
I tried converting generated photographs and Unreal Engine 5 screenshots into black-and-white line art with Gemini 2.5 Flash Image in September 2025. The examples compare the orig…
Notes on adding Amazon Associates links in 2025 after about five years away
I looked into Amazon Associates again in 2025, including its participation statement, advertising disclosures, commission changes, and Japan's external-transmission rules.
RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture): a beginner's guide from photos to UE5
Follow a sample photo set through RealityScan's one-click workflow, then learn the manual alignment, mesh, texture, and export stages before trying the result in UE5.
MF89U 4G LTE USB dongle: does a cheap, flimsy modem actually work?
I tested an inexpensive Chinese-made 4G LTE Wi-Fi USB dongle bought on Amazon for about ¥4,000. Better-known USB models such as Pixela cost over ¥10,000, so I tried this cheaper o…
Real-time control signals over UDP sockets
Send joystick input from a Raspberry Pi 5 running Ubuntu 24.04 to an SG90 servo on a Raspberry Pi 4 running Ubuntu 22.04. This experiment replaces periodic TCP messages with event…
A simple Virtual Camera (VCAM) setup in Unreal Engine 5.4
This walkthrough uses an iPhone or iPad to control a Virtual Camera in Unreal Engine 5.4. The workflow I tried no longer required the complicated setup that had been necessary a f…
Raspberry Pi 5 Minecraft Java server on Ubuntu 24.04 with automatic startup
I set up a Minecraft Java Edition server on an otherwise unused Raspberry Pi 5 running Ubuntu 24.04 and configured it to start at boot. The article also retains a separate AI-rese…
Formatting a drive as FAT32 on Windows with Rufus
Older devices may require SD cards or other media formatted as FAT32, even when Windows does not offer that option. This is how I used Rufus after other formatters failed.
UE5 stat unit explained: finding bottlenecks and keeping performance stats visible
Learn to compare Frame, Game, Draw, GPU, and RHIT timings, retain statistics in the editor, and display them in a running app. The article also includes an explicitly identified A…
ELP USB cameras on Ubuntu: commands for changing camera settings
Notes on controlling an ELP USB camera with v4l-utils on a Raspberry Pi 5 running Ubuntu 24.04. The examples inspect formats and adjust exposure, brightness, white balance, and ot…
Mack’s silicone earplugs for air-conditioner noise: my experience and later updates
I tried Mack’s moldable silicone earplugs because my Sharp Airest air conditioner was too loud to sleep with. The first night went well, but later updates record discomfort, itchi…
Raspberry Pi 5 RTMP streaming: coping without hardware encoding
A USB-camera RTMP streaming test on Raspberry Pi 5 with Ubuntu 24.04 and GStreamer. I examine the lack of hardware encoding and report the CPU load and an hour-long streaming resu…
Testing Raspberry Pi 5 temperatures at 100% CPU load inside a sealed waterproof enclosure
I put a Raspberry Pi 5 in a sealed waterproof enclosure and measured CPU, enclosure, and ambient temperatures under sustained full load. This article covers the setup problems, co…
Turning a ChatGPT-generated office-worker illustration into a 3D character in Character Creator 4
I used Character Creator 4 and Headshot v2 to turn a ChatGPT-generated office-worker portrait into a 3D character, then adjusted its face and added hair and clothing.
VOICEPEAK and iClone 8 lip sync: making a 3D character talk, with plenty of paid extras
I use VOICEPEAK and iClone 8 to make a 3D character speak, add expressions, and animate it. The tools work well, but the many paid plugins and assets made the total cost much high…
VOICEPEAK review: natural speech, commercial use, and a one-time purchase
After comparing speech software, I bought VOICEPEAK's six-narrator set and added Furimomen and Miyamai Moka. These samples explore its default voices, expression controls, pronunc…
SwitchBot Lock Pro review: auto-locking the door and six months of mounting trouble
I bought two SwitchBot Lock Pro units so my children would not forget to lock the front door. This review follows the convenience, mounting failures, keypad deterioration, and eve…
Sony α7R III after seven years: was a ¥700,000 camera setup worth it?
Looking back in 2024 on seven years with the Sony α7R III released in 2017. The body, original FE 24–70mm F2.8 GM, storage, and accessories cost me roughly ¥700,000, but I have ke…
Packaging a Windows VR app in Unreal Engine 5 and viewing it with a PC and headset
Create and package a Windows application with head-mounted display support in Unreal Engine 5. The walkthrough covers PCVR setup, starting the headset in the packaged app, and str…
Sticky Password review: a lifetime license, dark-web monitoring, and six years of use
Sticky Password stores multiple logins behind one master password. Its dark-web monitoring, provided through Crossword Cybersecurity PLC, checks for exposed passwords and alerts y…
Aligning two misaligned 3D models precisely with CloudCompare
Use CloudCompare to align two 3D models by matching feature points and refining the result. This is useful when models exchanged between photogrammetry and other 3D applications n…
Adding a displacement map in UE5 without complex Blueprints or tessellation settings
This walkthrough adds a displacement map in UE5 using Nanite Displaced Mesh. Unlike a normal map, displacement changes the actual mesh shape, producing real surface relief, shadow…
Adjusting normal-map and roughness-map strength with numbers in UE5 materials
I added controls for normal and roughness map strength in a UE5 material, allowing quick surface adjustments without editing the texture images.
Downloading free, commercially usable 3D models from Poly Haven and importing them into UE5
I downloaded a Poly Haven furniture model, exported it from Blender to UE5, repaired texture connections, and experimented with alternative finishes.
Using HDRI Backdrop in Unreal Engine 5 for simple, realistic lighting
HDRI Backdrop uses a 360-degree HDR image as both a background and environmental illumination. These notes cover setup, projection, shadows, brightness, and image-resolution setti…
Downloading free, commercially usable PBR textures from Poly Haven for UE5
I imported Poly Haven PBR textures into UE5 through Blender, repaired material connections, and experimented with UV scale and rotation on a wall.
Downloading free, commercially usable HDRIs from Poly Haven and using them as UE5 backgrounds
I downloaded an HDRI from Poly Haven, applied it with UE5's HDRI Backdrop, and adjusted its brightness to explore the image's dynamic range.
ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED K6604JI review: three months of use, plus RAM and SSD upgrades
A hands-on review of the ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED K6604JI-MX099W after three months of use, covering its strengths and weaknesses. The second half shows how I opened it to upgra…
RealityCapture Alignment Settings: feature limits, overlap, priors, and lens models
I explain RealityCapture's alignment settings and how I use them, while emphasizing that photographs with suitable overlap matter more than adjusting parameters.
Converting triangles to quads in Blender with Triangles to Quads
Use Blender's Triangles to Quads command to combine triangular faces into quads. This walkthrough shows the operation and its limits, including cases where triangles remain or ano…
Splitting a sphere's UV map into printable sections with Blender and 3D-Coat
I split a sphere's UV map into four sections in Blender and 3D-Coat, printed the texture, and tried attaching it to a physical object.
Creating a clean green-screen background in UE5 without shadows or green reflections
I set up a green-screen background in UE5 and experimented with removing shadows, green spill, and reflections on glossy objects for compositing.
Trying a USB Peltier cooler on a tiny moss terrarium: about 2°C cooler for ¥120 a month?
I tried cooling the air in a 3.5L moss terrarium with a tablet-style USB Peltier cooler, compared several temperature tests, and later reconsidered whether it was useful.
Part 3: Reading SwitchBot plug status and switching power with the SwitchBot API
Use Python and the SwitchBot API to read the status of a SwitchBot Plug or Plug Mini and toggle its power. The example sends an operation command, waits for the device to update, …
Part 2: reading SwitchBot thermometer and hygrometer data with Python and the SwitchBot API
Read temperature and humidity from SwitchBot meters using Python and the SwitchBot API. MQTT can also be used to exchange the data efficiently between IoT devices.
Part 1: Using SwitchBot API v1.1 from Python to retrieve the device list
This guide uses the SwitchBot API version available in May 2024 to retrieve a device list from Python. It starts with generating an Open Token and client secret in the app, then s…
Fixing the KB5034441 security-update error on Windows 10 Version 22H2
These are the partition-resizing steps that worked on my Windows 10 system after persistent KB5034441 errors, based on Microsoft's WinRE guidance and an explanation from ChatGPT.
Downloading older Capture One Pro versions, including Capture One for Sony
After ending my personal Adobe subscription, I wanted to reinstall the Capture One Pro Sony 12 license I bought in 2019. Here is where I found the older downloads and how I deacti…
Registering a Python GStreamer SRT sender as an automatic systemd service
I turned a Python USB-camera SRT sender into an Ubuntu systemd service that starts automatically and restarts after a failed connection.
Installing GStreamer and setting up SRT on Ubuntu 22.04
Install GStreamer on Ubuntu 22.04 and configure SRT streaming. GStreamer processes multimedia such as audio and video, while SRT is an open-source transport protocol for reliable,…
Installing WireGuard on Ubuntu 24.04 and Ubuntu 22.04
A WireGuard setup walkthrough for Ubuntu, with a Windows client, forwarding rules, and the mistakes that prevented my connection. It also includes my workaround for switching betw…
Building a simple UE5 viewer that switches between three NDI camera feeds
I built a UE5 viewer for three networked USB camera feeds, then worked through an NDIIO packaging error by moving the plugin into the project.
Sending camera video from UE5 with the NDI Unreal Engine SDK
Send a camera actor's video from Unreal Engine 5 over NDI without HDMI or SDI. This walkthrough uses the NDI Unreal Engine SDK available in February 2024, when UE5.3.2 was not yet…
Receiving and displaying NDI video in UE5 with the NDI Unreal Engine SDK
A walkthrough for receiving and displaying NDI in Unreal Engine 5. The February 2024 SDK used here does not support UE 5.3.2, so the example requires UE 5.3.1, UE 5.2, or another …
Sending USB camera video over NDI with OBS on Windows and Ubuntu
Install OBS and an NDI plugin on Windows or Ubuntu to send and receive USB camera video over the network. This walkthrough also covers the Linux NDI SDK runtime and the NDI Tools …
Streaming USB camera video over NDI on Ubuntu 22.04 with GStreamer and gst-plugin-ndi
GStreamer does not normally include NDI support. This walkthrough uses the NDI SDK and the gst-plugin-ndi Git repository to send USB camera video over the network on Ubuntu 22.04.
Smoothing rough photogrammetry meshes with the free Meshmixer tool
Meshmixer is particularly good at evening out rough mesh surfaces. Blender and ZBrush can do similar work, but I found Meshmixer especially useful for thin objects and photogramme…
Exporting black-and-white masks from UE5 Movie Render Queue for After Effects compositing
Create a black-and-white object mask in Unreal Engine 5 and export it alongside the beauty render. This example then uses the mask as a luminance matte in After Effects to isolate…
Part 5: Turning a photograph of white wallpaper into a PBR wall material with 3D-Coat and UE5
I made a seamless texture from a photograph of my white wallpaper, built a PBR material in 3D-Coat, and applied it to a Blender wall imported into UE5.
Part 4: Modeling a network switch in Blender, texturing in 3DCoat, and importing into UE5
I photographed a small network switch, modeled it in Blender, and used those photographs to make textures in 3DCoat before importing it into UE5.
Part 3: Modeling a 3D mouse in Blender, texturing it in 3D-Coat, and importing it into UE5
I modeled a 3D mouse as three material parts in Blender, painted its textures in 3D-Coat, and reproduced its illuminated LED in UE5.
Blender: split an object in two and fill the cut faces
Notes on separating a Blender mesh into two objects, filling the open cut faces, and preparing UVs. I then apply the technique to a remote-control model and texture it in 3DCoat.
Part 1: linking Blender and 3DCoat for modeling and texturing
I connect Blender and 3DCoat, model a photographed package, and test the texturing round trip. The walkthrough includes the scale mismatch I encountered and how I corrected it bef…
Merge bracketed RAW photographs and export 32-bit HDR data with a wide dynamic range
How to combine RAW photographs taken at different exposures and export the result as 32-bit HDR data.
Honeycam: quick desktop video capture with small WebM files and VP9 support
Honeycam is often introduced as an animated GIF tool, but it can also export WebM. I use it to capture smooth desktop videos with small files, rather than primarily as a GIF maker.
Playing high-resolution 4K and 8K footage in UE5 with EXR sequences
When MP4 or MOV playback causes problems in Unreal Engine 5, an EXR image sequence is another option if you have fast, spacious storage. This walkthrough shows the setup I used to…
Creating a custom curved video screen in Unreal Engine 5
Build a custom-shaped curved video screen for UE5 with a Blender mesh and Media Plate. Media Plate can also create a simpler curved screen by choosing a spherical mesh and adjusti…
Two ways to play video on a screen in a UE5 level: Media Plate and a Blueprint setup
A January 8, 2024 walkthrough using UE 5.3.2 to place and play video in a level. It covers the simpler Media Plate approach first, followed by the older Media Player and Blueprint…
Part 4: Building a Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality passthrough APK with Unreal Engine 5.3 in 2024
Set up Meta XR passthrough in Unreal Engine 5.3 and export an Android APK for Meta Quest 3. This January 2024 walkthrough also experiments with hand tracking and depth, including …
Meta Quest 3 APK setup for UE 5.3: Android Studio, SDK, NDK, and JDK
A Windows 11 walkthrough for building Meta Quest 3 APK applications with Unreal Engine 5.3.2, using the Android Studio, SDK, NDK, and JDK versions tested on January 3, 2024. It co…
Building a custom-domain WordPress blog with Shin Rental Server and a TCD theme
I returned to building a review site after five years, using WordPress, Shin Rental Server, and a TCD theme. This account covers choosing hosting, the introductory offer, theme se…
Unreal Engine 5.3 HDR exports with OCIO and higher-quality render settings
A December 24, 2023 experiment exporting UE 5.3.2 footage through Movie Render Queue with OpenColorIO and ST2084-P3-D65, then checking sRGB color reproduction in DaVinci Resolve S…
Velbon V4-unit II review: a useful arm for tabletop photogrammetry
The Velbon V4-unit II multi-angle arm makes tabletop photogrammetry photography more efficient. By adjusting camera height and angle in small steps, it helps capture the many view…
UE5 material instances: adjust Metallic and Roughness with sliders
Create material instances in Unreal Engine 5 to adjust Metallic and Roughness visually. This walkthrough also connects Lerp, Constant, and Scalar Parameter nodes to control a roug…
Part 2: setting up a first-person VR world in Unreal Engine 5 with Meta Quest 3
Following the third-person VR preview setup, this article changes the character and camera to a first-person view with Meta Quest 3. It explores free movement instead of the telep…
Why I regretted buying the tiny One-Netbook OneGx1 Pro laptop
I bought a OneGx1 Pro for a compact 4K60p video experiment in 2021. Its tiny keyboard, limited ports, and swollen battery made it difficult to use, although I later found other se…
EINSTAR 3D Scanner review: a $1,000 scanner versus photogrammetry in 2023
After buying an EINSTAR directly about a year earlier, I compared its scan results with photogrammetry in late 2023 and considered whether it offered enough extra value for me.
Part 1: Setting up third-person VR exploration with Unreal Engine 5 and Meta Quest 3
I tested a Windows Oculus Link workflow that combines UE5's Third Person and VR templates, then explored a larger scene and adjusted rendering settings on a Quest 3.