Ask J.D. | J.D. Hodges

Category Archives: Ask J.D.

Caribou Coffee Daybreak Review: Smooth, Tasty, and Worth It?

Thursday, 2025.01.30 J.D. H. Leave a comment

If you’re looking for a solid light roast that won’t break the bank, Caribou Coffee’s Daybreak Morning Blend might be your new go-to. After testing it out over the course of a few subscribe-and-save deliveries, here’s the lowdown: The Taste: Smooth & Easy-Drinking This coffee is light, mellow, and super smooth—no bitterness, no weird aftertaste. It’s got a nutty vibe (think almonds) with just a touch of citrus brightness to keep things interesting. If you like Starbucks Blonde Roast but

bad shim signature- you need to load the kernel first [SOLVED]

Tuesday, 2025.01.28 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Fixing “Bad Shim Signature – You Need to Load the Kernel First” When Installing Pop!_OS If you’ve ever tried installing Pop!_OS and encountered the frustrating “Bad Shim Signature – You Need to Load the Kernel First” error, don’t worry—you’re not alone! 🤯 This issue usually rears its head on systems with Secure Boot enabled. Luckily, there’s a straightforward fix to get you past this roadblock and on your way to enjoying Pop!_OS. Let’s dive in! 🐧 The Culprit: Secure Boot

Bialetti Stainless Steel Plate (review)

Wednesday, 2025.01.22 J.D. H. Leave a comment

I’ve been a fan of stovetop espresso makers for years, and Bialetti is the undisputed king of the moka pot world. So when I came across the Bialetti Stainless Steel Plate, I was curious: Could this simple tool really solve the issue of using non-induction-friendly cookware on an induction stovetop? Let’s dive in. 🔎 What It Is The Bialetti Stainless Steel Plate is essentially a heat diffuser, designed to let you use your beloved moka pots (or any other non-induction

Complete Instructions for Creating Multi-Page PDF in Photoshop Using Artboards

Saturday, 2025.01.04 J.D. H. Leave a comment

How to Create a Two-Page Duplex PSD/PDF in Photoshop for Double-Sided Printing Recently, I had to scan a duplex (double-sided) form, edit it in Photoshop, and then reprint it as a duplex document for mailing. The catch? I’d never made a “two-page” document in Photoshop before. 😅 After some trial and error (and a few cups of coffee ☕), I figured it out. Here’s the process I used—it’s surprisingly straightforward once you know the steps! NOTE: There are definitely better

Read more computer tips, Software Tips, tech tips, Work

How to Export MS SQL Server Query Results to CSV with Column Headers ✨[SOLVED]

Friday, 2025.01.03 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Exporting query results from Microsoft SQL Server to a CSV file is one of those tasks many IT people end up doing at some point in their career. But if you’ve ever hit “Save Results As…” and found your CSV file missing the column headers, you know how annoying it can be. Luckily, there’s an easy fix, and I’m here to show you how to do it step-by-step. ⚙ TL;DR ☕️ Set up SSMS to include column headers when exporting

Read more Database tips, programming, Work

Top 10 Fast Food Restaurants/Cafes and 10 Top Menu Items

Wednesday, 2025.01.01 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Here are the top 10 menu items for each of the top (semi) 10 fast-food restaurants/cafes/coffee chains in the United States, along with their approximate average prices as of ~January 1st, 2025. Please note that prices can vary by location and over time. If you have anything to add or correct, feel free to mention it in the comments! 1. McDonald’s Menu Item Average Price Big Mac $5.99 Quarter Pounder with Cheese $6.49 McChicken $2.49 Filet-O-Fish $4.79 10-piece Chicken McNuggets

Save $500 Instantly on Your Ford Mustang Mach-E or F-150 Lightning [referral link posted below!]

Tuesday, 2024.11.26 J.D. H. Leave a comment

🚗💨 PSA: Save $500 on a Ford EV – Here’s How! 🤑 Alright, listen up, future EV drivers! If you’re about to snag a Ford Mustang Mach-E® or F-150® Lightning, don’t sleep on this: you can save $500 just by using my referral link. 🎉 Yep, no strings, no hoops—just $500 off. Why pay full price when you don’t have to? It saves you $500 bucks and it earns me Ford points credits worth about $100, thank you in advance!

Resolving External USB HDD Mount Issues on Synology NAS (exFAT) (1813+ and others)

Thursday, 2024.11.21 J.D. H. Leave a comment

Resolving External USB HDD Mount Issues on Synology NAS (exFAT) If you’ve recently connected an external USB HDD to your Synology NAS and encountered an error message like “System failed to mount external device [USB Disk 1] partition [1]”, you’re not alone. This issue often arises when the external device is formatted in the exFAT filesystem, which requires additional support on Synology systems. In this post, I’ll guide you through identifying the issue and implementing a simple solution using the