Why isn't rsync deleting old files?

For many years now, I've been using the old Unix utility rsync to backup my computer to an external hard drive.  As outlined in two earlier posts (here and here), it has always seemed to work quite well for me... until recently.  After replacing a failed hard disk and restoring my /home filesystem, I noticed that one of my two backup drives contained many more files than did the other one.  After inspecting these files, it appeared that most of the extra files should, indeed, have been deleted many months ago.  I've always given the "--delete" option to rsync, and it's appeared to work, so why did these files not get removed?

Upgrading the CPU in an old motherboard

My primary desktop computer at home is now five years old... well, at least the CPU, motherboard are.  It's a custom-built system that gets upgraded piece by piece.  Anyway, the dual-core AMD processor has really started to show its age during all the photo editing I've been doing.  I looked into replacing the CPU/mobo/RAM, but couldn't bring myself to pay the $600 it would cost to buy a new setup that I'd be happy with.  It eventually occurred to me that my current motherboard could hold a much faster CPU than I had, so after an $84 eBay purchase, I had a used CPU en route that would (according to the published benchmarks) be three times faster than my old one.  Of course, nothing is ever as easy as it should be, and this purchase set in motion a whole slough of problems that required many hours over nearly a week to get resolved.

OTA update on a rooted Samsung Galaxy Note II

My Samsung Galaxy Note II phablet uses the stock ROM, but is rooted.  On 25 April 2013, Sprint pushed out an over-the-air (OTA) update to fix some minor problems.  Android is very persistent about asking you whether to install OTA updates, so I eventually gave in and installed it.  Because my phone was rooted, I ClockworkMod Recovery presented me with several questions on how to proceed.  Here's what I did...

Cheap, DIY cell phone kickstand

My previous smartphone (a Motorola Photon 4G) had a built-in kickstand that would enable me to stand it up on edge while watching a video or listening to music.  My current phone (a Samsung Galaxy Note II) lacks this feature, and I kind of miss it.  I started looking for aftermarket cases that had a kickstand built in, but they all were either poorly made or had other fatal flaws.  I eventually gave up that search and instead made my own kickstand from a jumbo paper clip.  Here's how.

WiFi Tether on a Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note II

One of the benefits of rooting your Android phone is that you can set it up to act as a WiFi hot spot, allowing nearby non-cell-enabled devices to share your 3G or 4G data connection without paying your carrier for such a service.  You often have to jump through some hoops to get this working on each individual phone, and that was the case with my new Samsung Galaxy Note II on the Sprint network (model SPH-L900).

X Line case for my Samsung Galaxy Note II

My biggest complaint about my Samsung Galaxy Note II phone was that its smooth exterior handled like a wet bar of soap. I could have lived without any additional protection, but I desperately needed a case that could provide better traction for my hands while still allowing the phablet to easily slip in and out of my front pocket in my blue jeans. For aesthetic reasons, I really wanted a grey case. A brushed aluminum look would have been perfect, but the only option there was made of hard plastic and provided zero protection. Adding just a little bit of protection for the phone was also on my wish list.

Settling in with a new Samsung Galaxy Note II

As mentioned in an earlier post, after my Motorola Photon 4G started flaking out on me, I upgraded my phone to a new Samsung Galaxy Note II.  They call this thing a "phablet" because, with a 5.5" screen, it's a cross between a phone and a tablet.  In fact, the size is exactly half way between my old Photon and my son's Nexus 7.  In the process, I upgraded from Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) to 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean).  After a few weeks with the new phone, here are my thoughts on it.  This post may seem a bit incoherent, so try to take each paragraph as an individual point.