Introduction A few months ago I setup a private DNS resolver with ad blocking. At that time I decided to manually update the block file whenever I installed server updates. This works, but it very quickly became tedious. I’m not sure why I initially thought it wouldn’t. I’ve since decided to automate the process. Block File Script The previous script I wrote would download a hosts file based block list and convert it into a format that Unbound can load....
Introduction When Lastpass first came on the scene I jumped on it because of how easy it makes syncing passwords between devices. Previously, I was using a local password manager that was only on my computer. Thankfully, mobile logins weren’t nearly as necessary for daily life back then. However, I still needed my computer to log into anything on my phone. Over the years, Lastpass started having security incidents. This isn’t surprising with how big it became....
Introduction Recently I setup a VPN to so I could get around geo-restrictions for for a specific streaming service I’m using. So far it’s been working well. Now that I have the server, I started thinking about what else I could do with it. One thing that jumped out at me is DNS. I configured my WireGuard client connections to use CloudFlare and fallback to Google’s DNS servers. While this does provide privacy from my ISP and queries originate from the same VPN server, felt like I could do better....
Introduction I was recommended some videos and I’ve been very interested to watch them. However they’re not available outside of a specific country due to geographic restrictions. This is a common problem and pretty much every commercial VPN service advertises this as a major reason to use their VPN. So I embarked on what should have been a simple journey. Sign up for a VPN, choose an end point in the country I need, and watch the videos....
Introduction When the aftermarket for the Focus ST just started the first and only manufacturer of after market clutches was Spec. Putting a big turbo on the car I didn’t want to deal with the stock clutch not holding up due to the increased torque. I jumped on the Spec clutch (mainly because it was the only option). Since then Clutch Masters has thrown their hat into the ring. About a week ago I had the Clutch Masters FX250 put on....
One of the things I put on my Focus ST was a new intercooler. This was required for the big turbo I added. I went with the CP-E front mount intercooler because it was designed specifically for the ST and fit perfectly. It even utilizes the default mounting points for the intercooler which is nice for installation. Now I didn’t run into any issues with installing it but I was worried about the weight....
The Good Parts I’m a big open source advocate and spend quite a bit of my spare time contributing to various open source projects. Everything form managing full projects such as Sigil, and KDocker. Also, heavily contributing to projects such as calibre. As well as doing one off patches and filing bug reports to various projects I use. I believe in the open source philosophy to the extent that I’ve even gotten permission to push patches upstream to open source projects we use internally at work (fully compliant with the licensing) such as PenLight....
Back in September of this year I completed a big turbo build with a recirc setup. It was even turned by Torrie at Unleashed turning who is a pretty well known ST turner and he can confirm it’s a recirculating big turbo. In my last turbo post I talked about the build itself. Now I want to focus on the recirc system itself. It’s not an off the shelf solution but it could easily be made into one....
Introduction This past week my big turbo build for my Ford Focus ST was completed! I’m happy with how it turned out and the car is even more fun to drive. This isn’t meant as a step by step guide but as a summary of the project. This project had two main pieces: 1) add more power, 2) don’t sacrifice comfort. It’s certainly possible to make pretty much any car faster but faster for the sake of being fast isn’t good enough....
Note: This is a post I made on the FocusST.org forum. This guide is for swapping a Ford Focus ST 2’s partial leather trimmed Recaro seats with the seats from a Titanium Focus. Only the driver seat can be swapped directly. The passenger seat electronics from the Titanium do not work in the ST. The easiest way to deal with this issue is to swap the upholstery between the ST and Titanium passenger seats....