Category Archives: games

fixed : my GoCube is out of sync with the pictures in the app

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Question :
I have a GoCube digital Rubik’s cube and it works great !
I hadn’t used it for a long time, so I even had to reinstall the GoCube.app. All seemed okay at first, but when I saw the (picture of) the cube in the GoCube.app one layer was in a different position in the picture than in the actual cube. Restating the app didn’t solve the problem. Niether did disconnecting the cube from bluetooth and reconnecting. I can’t beleive my GoCube is broken… this must be a software problem…

Is there any way tho get the GoCube.app and the physical GoCube cube back in sync ?


Answer :
Yes, there is !
To get your GoCube.app back in sync with your physical GoCube cube, do this :

  • make sure your GoCube cube is charged (it doesn’t need to be ‘solved’)
  • keep your GoCube cube next to your iPhone
  • open the GoCube.app on the iPhone
  • in the window that opens, below the “LOGIN WITHOUT A CUBE” stripe, there should be another stripe with “GoCube” (or the name you gave to your GoCube cube) in it
    –> if if the stripe with “GoCube” in it doesn’t appear, move the physical cube closer to your iPhone and check if Bluetooth is switched ON on your iPhone
  • then, tap on the “GoCube” stripe
  • now, on your iPhone “Connecting” will appear, then the actual cube will light up and on your iPhone you will see your personal Account with the “Quick Timer”, “Solver”, “Stats” and “Cubing” buttons beneath it
  • then, click ont he Avatar&List-button (top-left)
  • when the pulldown menu appears, make sure thet “3D Tracking (IMU)” is switched ON (blue slider to the right)
  • then, just below “3D Tracking (IMU)”, click on “Load Cube State”
  • if your physical GoCube cube is in ‘solved’ state, you can now try clicking the “Load Solved Cube” button and your problem might be solved
  • if that doesn’t work, or if your physical GoCube cube is not in ‘solved’ state, you need to recreate the color patern of all the sides of the physical cube on the image of the cube inside the GoCube.app
  • you can do this step-by-step :
  • make sure the same middle tile color is facing you in both the physical cube and the image
  • then make sure that the top and the right middle color are in sync
  • then click on a color in the curve of coloured dots and then click on all tiles on the front face of the in-app image that have that color on your physical GoCube
  • repeat this for all colours, until the pattern of colors in the in-app image is an exact copy of the pattern on your physical GoCube
  • to color tiles on a different face of the in-app image, you need to click on the triangular arrow at the right of the GoCube image : it will rotate after each click, in a loop of Front face (white centre), Right face (blue centre), Back face (yellow centre), Left face (green centre), Top face (orange centre), Bottom face (red centre)
  • when you have made an identical copy of the physical GoCube’s color pattern in-app, click the blue “Load Colored Cube” and you your problem should be solved : your cube and your app should now be recalibrated and in-sync with eachother
  • if you happen to still run into the out-of-sync problem, just repeat the above and try again

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : how many 4K screens can my M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac handle simultaneously ?

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Question :
I have an M3 MacBook that I would like to use with 2 external 4K monitors for my work setup, so I bought an extra 4K monitor, but when I tried to connect it to my MacBook, it didn’t work… What is wrong ?

How many displays can I connect to my M3 MacBook simultaneously ?


Answer :
There are hardware limitations to how many additional screens you can connect to a Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) Mac, and they are not the same for the basic M-version, the Pro-version and the Max-version. Actually, it’s quite confusing, because there’s also variation in what you can connect using either Thunderbolt or HDMI. Please find the number of external screens you can connect in the tables below [ warning ! the below may contain typos, do doublecheck on the official Apple website ] :

4K-resolutionover Thunderbolt onlyover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1+1+1
M1 Pro+3+3
M1 Max+3+4
M2+1+1
M2 Pro+2+2
M2 Max+3+4
M3+2 (but only with lid closed)+2 (but only with lid closed)
M3 Pro+2+2
M3 Max+3+4
M4+2+2
M4 Pro+2+2
M4 Max+4+4
6K-resolutionover Thunderbolt onlyover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1+1+1
M1 Pro+2+2
M1 Max+3+3
M2+1+1
M2 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M2 Max+3+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3+2 (but 2nd max. 5K)+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3 Max+3+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4 Max+4 (daisy chaining needed)+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
8K-resolutionover Thunderboltover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1not possiblenot possible
M1 Pronot possiblenot possible
M1 Maxnot possiblenot possible
M2not possiblenot possible
M2 Pronot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M2 Maxnot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M3not possiblenot possible
M3 Pronot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M3 Maxnot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M4+1+1
M4 Pro+1+1
M4 Max+2+2

so… generally, all M1/M2/M3/M4 Macs can support at least one external 4K (or even 6K) screen, but if you want connect multiple external screens to your MacBook, you are probably goning to need a multi-monitor-hub, like the BenQ beCreatus DP1310 docking station.

The BenQ beCreatus DP1310 docking station will enable every silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) MacBook to connect over USB-C to up to 3 external 4K screens (2 over HDMI and the 3rd over DP/DisplayPort).

The regular price of the DP1310 Dock is ca. €300, so check out below if you can get a better price on Amazon [we get a tiny fee if you buy anything using these links, but you will not be paying anything extra] :

BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon US
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon UK
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon DE

enjoy 😉

fixed : Power Pete / Mighty Mike game for current macOS

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Question :
My kids asked me which computer games I liked to play when I was their age. I said I was most fond of an arcade game of a cartoonish Rambo-guy in camo clothes who fought dinosaurs trying to rescue little bunnies, using various cartoon-guns like a whipped cream shooter… I think it was called Peter Power or something… I would love to show the game to my kids (and play it myself once again)… but if I remember correctly it was no longer playable when OSX abandoned the Calssic mode…

Is there any way to let my kids play it themselves ?

Answer :
Yes, there is.
The game is called Power Pete (released by MacPlay) and was Best Arcade Game of 1995.
The origanal developer Pangea Software re-released the game in 2001 as Mighty Mike.
And recently, Pangea has granted a developer known as Illiyas Jorio the honours of releasing a FREE version of the game that works on all recent computers running current-day versions of macOS, Windows and Linux.
The current version of Mighty Mike can be found on GitHub. The download link is provided on the Pangea website :

Mighty Mike by Pangea Software

Even though Pangea Software’s website states that Jorio’s version of the game will work on “Mac OS X and 11” (probably refering to all Mac OSX 10.x versions up to macOS 11 Big_Sur from 2020) the latest release on GitHub (Mighty Mike 3.0.2) is even playable on the current version of macOS (macOS 15 Sequoia) and not only on Intel-based Macs, but also on the current Silicon-based M1/M2/M3/M4 Macs.

Just keep in mind that the graphics haven’t been updated, so you will get that pixelated retro-feel also… and you can still adjust the settings to play it with a joypad or game controller instead of your keyboard.

Enjoy 😉

fixed : black screen and no BIOS Boot Menu on MSI NightBlade X2B gaming-PC

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Question :
I have a MSI NightBlade X2B gaming-PC that I need to reinstall Windows on, the internal HD has been reformatted externally, but when I try to startup the PC, the HDMI-connected monitor gives only a black screen with and error message saying something like “no HDMI signal detected”… I need to get into the BIOS Boot Menu to fix this, but how do I do that If I cannot see anything on screen ?

What can I do to fix this ?

Answer :
The MSI NightBlade X2B gaming PC not only has an internal HD (usually 1TB), but also a 500GB SSD that is hard to access manually. And Windows has usually been installed on that SSD, not on the HD.
If the PC starts up porperly (lights and sound of running fans), then the fix to getting into the BIOS Boot Menu is to reset the CMOS Battery. To do that, you need to do this :
– diconnect al cables from the PC (Power, HDMI, USB, etc.)
– open the PC housing (slide open the red protectors on the back and unscrew the screws)
– take off the side panel
– if you are in an environment with high static electricity you need to unplug the internal cables from the graphics card, the HD and the power (but usually you’ll be okay if you are in a clean and smooth environment, especially if continuously connect yourself with al metal wire to a grounded large metal object or a radiator)
– unscrew the graphics card, which is the bottom mother/daughter-board (first unscrew the L-shaped black plate on the backside, then tilt out the graphics card starting at the back)
– behind the graphics card, on bottom left of the motherboard, you will find the red&black (or red&white) cable that connects the CMOS Battery to the motherboard
– gently unplug the white connector that has written “BAT 1” under it
– then leave tthe PC like this for about 8 hours (so a working day or a night), this will drain the motherboard and all internal electronics so they will automatically reset to factory settings (except for the HD and the SSD, so you will have to wipe or reformat those later)
– after this cool-down period, reconnect the small white connector and reassemble the PC (starting with the graphics card)
– then, reconnect a USB-mouse, a keyboard (seems like a PS/2 keyboard works better at this stage, but a USB keyboard should also work), a UTP/Ethernet-cable (if you have wired Ethernet available this will work easier then WiFi at this stage) and the HDMI-cable to your monitor
– then, startup the PC using the Power Button and immediately start pressing the F11 key on your keyboard repeatingly (the F11 key is the ususal key to press for MSI motherboards, but you might need to press the F1, F2 or F12 key)
– the PC should now start up in BIOS Mode, but if it does not, shut down the PC and restart it using the Power Button and immediately press the CTRL + ALT + DEL key-combo on your keyboard, which should get you into BIOS Mode

Then proceed as usual for reinstalling Windows 10 (or 11) and don’t forget to format the HD to NTFS and wipe unwanted and/or unneeded old user data to free up space on the SSD (it’s easiest to do so after installing Windows).

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : contact Microsoft Office Helpdesk

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Question :
I have questions about Microsoft products that go beyond regular issues that are documented in the FAQ. Previously, I would contact the Microsoft telephone Helpdesk ( NL 020-5001500 ), but if you call that number nowadays, you just get a voice message telling you to go online since the Helpdesk is no longer supporting direct contact to callers…

But on the website mentioned, I am getting stuck in a loop… any progress I make sends me back to the same page were I can only typ a question, but there is no chat option given, even when specifically asking for “talk or chat to helpdesk”…
Even Google searches or searching anywhere else on the Microsoft website, doesn’t get me to a page with a chat option… Even the Microsoft-owned chatbots ChatGPT or BingChat AI can’t help me…

What can I do ?

Answer :
Microsoft’s telephone helpdesk used to be great… but the options for contacting Microsoft are a complete mess… unbelievable !
But there is a chat helpdesk, but finding and contacting it is very complex… here’s how to :

  • Do this on a computer (it can be done on an iPhone, but the web chat interface is not really suited for that)
  • Go to the Microsoft website using this link :
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/home/contact
  •  in the search field typ “talk to agent” and (click “Done” and) click the blue “Get Help” button
  • scroll down and click the blue “Contact Support” button
  • on the next “Tell us a little more about your problem” page, select your product or service from the pop-up list (activate the list by clicking on the triangular arrow on the right of the selection box)
  • when the second pop-up list appears, select your support category
  • then click the blue “Confirm” button
  • on the next page, click on “Chat with a support agent in your web browser”
  • on the next page check if the email address shown corresponds to the one of the Microsoft account you are having problems with, if not typ the correct account email address first, the click the “Confirm” button
  • now, wait for the live chat will start

    NOTE : 
  • If you would prefer to chat in your local or native language, you need to tell this in the chat to the English speaking agent…
    (unfortunately, at the time of writing, the autoranslate service is not working and waiting queues for local language chats are extremely long, so chatting in English is about your only option…)

    That’s it !
    enjoy 😉

fixed : Gaming PC only getting 100mbps Ethernet not Gigabit

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Question :

I have 2 home-brew Gaming PCs both based on the Asus TUF B450 Plus Gaming motherboard, and for some reason the onboard Ethernet LAN-port is getting 1000mbps Gigabit Ethernet and the other one is only getting 100mbps Fast Ethernet. I’ve tested and reset the router and tested the Ethernet-cables with other computers and the problem is not in there.

The weird thing is that Windows 10 Settings lists LAN-port on the troublesome motherboard as 100/100 (Mbps), names the adapter “Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller” and list a 10.31.828.2018 driver version, which is even newer than the 10.10.714.2016 driver version on the other, identical motherboard which is listed as 1000/1000 (Mbps) and named “Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller” (spot the one letter uppercase difference “GbE” vs. “GBE”).

And when Windows 10 checks for new LAN-driver updates, it tells me none are available and the latest one are already installed. So Windows 10 itself can’t find a newer driver than the one from 2018, which is at least 2 years old…

I’ve also tried finding som settings to toggle in the TUF’s BIOS Setup Program, but neither in EZ Mode, nor in Advanced Mode, there is any option to set, reset or alter anything for the LAN. Neither is anything regarding this issue listed in the Support FAQs on the Asus-website.

What can I do ?

Answer :

We’ve managed to track down the solution for you. (Even though we’re usually doing Macs only.) Here’s how :

  • goto this webpage : https://www.asus.com/supportonly/TUF%20B450-PLUS%20GAMING/HelpDesk_download/
  • first, select “Windows 10 64-bit” as your OS
  • after the content has loaded, scroll down to the LAN chapter
  • click on the blue download button there to download the latest Realtek LAN driver for Windows 10 64-bit (currently a 2020-version listed as 10.42.526.2020)
  • when the file is downloaded, find it’s location in on your PC and run the Setup-application
  • when the installer screen opens, do not use the pre-selected “Update” option, but select the “Delete”-option and run it
  • when done, click the “Finish”-button
    • note that your PC will not have an internet connection now (at least over the on-board LAN-port, you may still have an internet connection over USB-LAN or WiFi is you have that set up)
  • now, again, find the LAN-driver’s location on your PC and run the Setup-application
  • when you get a warning screen (usually in red) saying there is no option to verify the installer application before you run it, since there is no internet connection, just proceed
  • now, when the installer screen opens, it will immediately (re)install the LAN-driver (this time there is no screen where you can choose between different types of installs)
  • when done, click the “Finish”-button

That’s it !

Note : if you want to check your internet speed, you can choose any speedtest you like. If you don’t know which one to choose, do the one from Ookla that you can do online at https://www.speedtest.net (there, you could also get a speedtest-app for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, etc.)

enjoy 😉

fixed : use cheap referee watch for field hockey

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Question :

Since my Dutch field hockey club strongly advises against using my iPhone or AppleWatch to do time registration when I’m referee (even though there are various referee apps available), I have bought myself a low budget referee watch : the StopTec RW-100.

This €20 referee watch is primarily a soccer (football) referee watch, but it is advertised as being a general referee watch for all kinds of sports, like field hockey.

The watch looks and feels good, but both the manual and the buttons on the watch aren’t very intuitive when you prefer ‘Japanese style use’ (i.e. figure out how it works without reading the manual).

How do I use the StopTec RW-100 as a field hockey referee watch ?

 

Answer :

Check out the one-page manual included here.

 

First (before the match), set the Game Time on the watch to match the true game time. A soccer (football) match is 2 x 45 minutes, so it is already set to countdown 45 minutes. An international field hockey match is 4 x 15 minutes, so you need to set it to 15 minutes. And a Dutch field hockey match is 4 x 17,5 minutes, so to match that, you need to set it to 18 minutes and rely on the alarm beeper that goes of 30 seconds before the countdown reaches zero.

  • press the MODE-button to get into Game Time Countdown view
  • press the ENTER-button for at least 3 seconds
  • after hearing the signal sound, press the START-button to adjust the game time countdown
  • when the game time is set, press the ENTER-button to return to the Game Time Countdown view

Then (during the match), keeping track of the time is rather simple :

to start the game time countdown : press the LAP-button (top-left)

to stop the game time countdown (in case of a time-out) : press the LAP-button again (the stopwatch will automatically start running to track the time-out duration)

to resume the game time countdown : press the LAP-button again

to reset the game time countdown : make sure the countdown has stopped, then press the LAP-button for 3 seconds

And (during the match), you can also keep track of a penalty time (only one penalty time at the same time though…) :

to start the penalty time stopwatch : press the START-button (top-right)

to stop the penalty time stopwatch : press the START-button again

to reset the penalty time stopwatch : make sure the stopwatch has stopped, then press the START-button for 3 seconds

Note : you can get the StopTec RW-100 referee watch on Amazon DE, Amazon UK or Amazon US and it is good to know that any lookalike watch, sold under various brand and product names (e.g. Leap Referee watch or Firelong Referee watch or SWatch Sports Coach or VGEBY Sports watch), is supposed to work the same.