Helpful Colin Presents A World of Information

  • Tiled Bath Panel Construction

    Tiled Bath Panel Construction

    Preface I could write an article about Building A Bathroom or Tiling A Bathroom but I have decided to just cover a Tiled Bath Panel in this article even though some detail of the tiles on the walls is mentioned. Bath panels can easily be made from painted hardboard or plywood, or boards, but a tiled panel…

  • Dishwasher Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch Repair

    Dishwasher Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch Repair

    Introduction It must be nearly two years ago that I first had a problem with my Dishwasher Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch. The tab that has to be pushed towards the top of the door to open the rinse aid dispenser, so that more rinse aid can be added, had somehow broken and disappeared. I found I could continue…

  • Sighting A Straight Line

    Sighting A Straight Line

    Introduction I would say sighting a straight line is a common practice used by builders and joiners to determine if a piece of timber is straight or bowed. It can be used to test any length of timber, but long pieces in particular. The practice requires no tools, just eyesight with a good depth of…

  • Browser Choice In Microsoft Windows Ends

    Browser Choice In Microsoft Windows Ends

    Browser Choice – What’s That About In December 2009 the European Union obliged Microsoft to offer a choice of browsers to their European customers when they installed new versions of Windows. This browser choice was also delivered in updates to Windows and so the Browser Choice screen was born and has been with us ever since.…

  • Cleaning A Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother

    Cleaning A Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother

    Introduction I’ve had a Nespresso Pixie since June 2012 and at the same time I acquired a Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother (Aeroccino 3 to be precise). These devices are very nice to have and work well even after 2½ years continual use. The coffee is very nice too. NOTE: The Nespresso Aeroccino 3 has been…

  • Robot Controlled Chemical Evolution

    Robot Controlled Chemical Evolution

    Robot Controlled Chemical Evolution, “It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it.” Glasgow scientists studying Robot Controlled Chemical Evolution have created a robotic system where chemicals can evolve. I read about this in Gizmag, but followed it up with a quick read from the horses mouth at Nature magazine. The featured image is a picture looking…

  • Asteroid 2014 UR116 Will Cross Earth’s Orbit

    Asteroid 2014 UR116 Will Cross Earth’s Orbit

    This Asteroid Will Cross Earth’s Orbit Although thousands of asteroids have been discovered and their orbits determined there are thought to be many undetected ones. This asteroid will cross Earth’s orbit of the Sun every three years and is called Asteroid 2014 UR116. It was recently discovered by a Russian professor at Moscow State University, Vladimir Lipunov. It is the…

  • Get Asteroid Day Established On The 30th June

    Get Asteroid Day Established On The 30th June

    It’s Been Proposed To Get Asteroid Day Established Annually On The 30th June There is a movement by astronomers, scientists, astronauts, artists, business leaders, and others, concerned for the long term safety of our species, other species, and our planet, to get Asteroid Day established on the 30th June each year commencing in 2015. “Asteroids could wipe…

  • Print A Long Thin Calendar For Any Year

    Print A Long Thin Calendar For Any Year

    NOTE: You can now select 365 day calendars E, F and G. I’m sorry they were unavailable. Coming on this site later this year (2024): A4 landscape style calendar, suitable for printing on Laser Printers which have smudge resistant ink. Introduction My wife and mother-in-law both prefer a long thin calendar like this in A3…

  • Backdoor Trojan Regin Spying Since 2008

    A recently discovered Backdoor Trojan Regin is a computer bug found by the software security company Symantec. Its purpose is to spy on the activities taking place on computers. It can collect passwords, capture screen images and even recover deleted files. The Backdoor Trojan Regin has been made to operate in five stages the last two being encrypted to…

  • Fourteen Different Calendars

    Fourteen Different Calendars

    Introduction If you didn’t already know it the 1st January next year will always be on a different day to the 1st January this year. This comes about because: for ordinary years with 365 days there are 52 weeks and 1 day remaining, for leap years with 366 days there are 52 weeks and 2 days remaining.…

  • Hythe To New Romney By Steam Train

    Hythe To New Romney By Steam Train

    Introduction It was a nice summer and I enjoyed a family day out travelling from Hythe to New Romney on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RH&DR) in Kent on 5th July 2014. We travelled on an overcast afternoon and the breeze was slightly chilly when it whistled through the carriages. We travelled  West from Hythe as far as…

  • Winter Steam Gala 2013 At The Great Central Railway

    Winter Steam Gala 2013 At The Great Central Railway

    Introduction It was a wet day this year at the GCR Winter Steam Gala 2013 (on 27th Jan). I didn’t take so many photos and the videos were short. For the most part the videos are of trains leaving stations. The event ran all day but I only arrived in the afternoon. Here is the Featured Image of №…

  • Manual Search Using Binary Chop

    Manual Search Using Binary Chop

    The Problem To Be Solved. A good friend of mine had found that an Excel spread sheet no longer had a formulae in a particular cell. It had a number there instead. This meant that any changes in other cells associated with the missing formulae had no effect on the result in the TOTAL column.…

  • Dyson Slim DC18 Cleaner Head Maintenance

    Dyson Slim DC18 Cleaner Head Maintenance

    Introduction This article advises how to perform Dyson Slim DC18 Cleaner Head Maintenance. This can involve removing the Brushbars to remove items that have got wrapped around them and removing the Soleplate for access  so dirt can be cleaned out. In extreme cases the Motor Housing can be opened so that dirt can be sucked out of…

  • Norton Safe Web & Search Engine Interaction

    Norton Safe Web & Search Engine Interaction

    Introduction While updating software on a friend’s Windows 8.1 PC he remarked that he could no longer see the Norton Safe Web (NSW) icons in his search results. He was using Internet Explorer with Google as his home page and search engine. He had Norton Internet Security (NIS) installed and the Norton Toolbar was present in…

  • Mushroom Collection of Autumn 2014

    Mushroom Collection of Autumn 2014

    Disclaimer From Helpful Colin “I take no responsibility for anyone choosing to eat or use in any way Ceps, Toadstools or Mushrooms of any kind. Not being an authority on Ceps, Toadstools or Mushrooms I do not know if any Cep, Toadstool or Mushroom mentioned on this site is safe to eat or touch. I would…

  • Can Trees Be Transferred To Other Formers?

    Can Trees Be Transferred To Other Formers?

    Introduction At the end of my article entitled: Are Trees Ectoparasites That Grow On Wood? I asked this question: Can Trees Be Transferred To Other Formers?That article discusses how trees may or may not be parasites that grow on wood. Once a tree is established it is effectively a living entity growing on a wooden…

  • Are Trees Parasites That Grow On Wood?

    Are Trees Parasites That Grow On Wood?

    Introduction I have asked myself for some time, “Are trees parasites that grow on wood? i.e. ectoparasites.” (An ectoparasite lives on the outside of its host.) Mainly this is because only the outer layers of a tree are alive. The inner part of the tree – the wood or timber – is dead. It was alive…

  • Pine Martens Are Saving The Red Squirrel

    Pine Martens Are Saving The Red Squirrel

    Introduction I found an article in The Telegraph entitled, “Red squirrels are fighting back against the greys, experts claim.” The article implies Pine Martens are saving the red squirrel as much as a grey squirrel trapping program is. The trapping program was introduced to reduce the grey population and give the reds a chance of survival. The…

  • Lists With Bullets And Numbers As Used In This Blog

    Lists With Bullets And Numbers As Used In This Blog

    Preface This post describes: How the Bullet Points and Numbered Lists are used and formatted in this blog.

  • Dyson Slim DC18 Filter Cleaning

    Dyson Slim DC18 Filter Cleaning

    Introduction This article describes the Dyson Slim DC18 Filter Cleaning process for the Pre-filter and the HEPA (Highly Efficient Particle Arrester) Post-filter. Many devices in this world which pump air have air filters. They’re installed to stop dirt harming mechanisms, bearings, etc.. Without filters that dirt would ultimately make them perform badly or fail.  The air filters clog up…

  • Repairing Broken Timber Fence Posts

    Repairing Broken Timber Fence Posts

    Introduction A friend of mine has a fence at the bottom of his garden made from six interwoven fence panels each 6ft × 6ft (1.8m × 1.8m). They are erected on a three feet high bank of soil. His neighbour on the next street has a garden backing onto his but beyond the bank of soil. So work done on…

  • Woodscrews And Bolts

    Woodscrews And Bolts

    Introduction This article on woodscrews and bolts is very basic at the moment but may get improved with time. Woodscrew Chart by W. L. Fuller Coach Screws and Bolts have been used in the construction and erection of my shed as mentioned in my post about Securing Shed Doors.

  • The Universe Is NOT Expanding! – Well Pop Goes That Theory

    The Universe Is NOT Expanding! – Well Pop Goes That Theory

    The Universe Is NOT Expanding? I have been brought up to understand that I live in an expanding universe, but now that theory has been popped. According to an article in Sci-News.com the universe is not expanding. Measurements have been made of the brightness of stars throughout the universe and they are not consistent with that which theory would predict…

  • Oh No! Not Square Plates Again!

    Oh No! Not Square Plates Again!

    Introduction Controversy rages over what shape of plate food should be served on: Square plates are an ‘abomination’ according to a report about MasterChef judge William Sitwell’s view in the Telegraph. Apparently Mr Sitwell is to hold a ‘Square Plate’ amnesty at the Towcester Food Festival on the 7th and 8th of June 2014. He doesn’t plan to…

  • After 40 Days My Merrell Boots Let In Water

    After 40 Days My Merrell Boots Let In Water

    Introduction I bought a pair of Merrell MOAB boots for £115 (see featured image) from Millets in Derby 40 days ago and this morning I came back from walking my dog, Leo, and found my left sock was wet because those Merrell boots let in water. They were sold to me as waterproof. Every day I walk a…

  • How A Toilet Cistern Silent Fill Valve Works

    How A Toilet Cistern Silent Fill Valve Works

    Introduction This article is in effect an addendum to the post Repairing A Toilet Silent Fill Valve which explains how to access and dismantle such a valve and inspect or change the diaphragm that sits in the valve. That post also explains what is, and is not, silent about a Silent Fill Valve. This is…

  • One Pint Glass Tankards Seen In Dalston

    One Pint Glass Tankards Seen In Dalston

    Has a new era begun now One Pint Glass Tankards have been seen in Dalston? “One pint glass tankards seen in Dalston pubs in East London such as The Shacklewell Arms.” ― BBC A lengthy report from the BBC tells that these drinking vessels may be returning to some pubs frequented by young people in London.…

  • Repairing A Toilet Silent Fill Valve

    Repairing A Toilet Silent Fill Valve

    Preface This post describes: How to repair a Toilet Silent Fill Valve. Basically that’s how to replace the rubber diaphragm within the valve. Introduction I recently heard my cistern overflowing. On investigation I decided to adjust the float level to stop it by reducing the height to which the water in the cistern rose when…

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