Posted on
February 13th, 2026
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Comments Off on /sectionb: c’est fait
tl;dr — the story’s far from over.
Long version — yup, it’s done.
Let me explain.
Technically, /sectionb was done well over a month ago but I wanted to give it one more thorough read/edit before officially calling it a day. I suspect that an error or incongruence or two snuck in regardless but, at this point, I’ll just have to live with it or them.
That being said, I welcome you to read the first /sectionb novel online but as someone who spends time ingesting content on an ageing offline tablet, I though it might be useful to produce a few offline versions as well. You can download them, in full and for free, here:
With my bona fides in place, I wish to assure you that the dedicated /sectionb website will continue to be a place to catch up on updates and to get extra content. I make no promises but as work on the second part continues, you may find some other there stuff too.
Posted on
February 11th, 2026
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Comments Off on Using a brand-locked Hitron CGN3 as a standalone router
This is a bit of an exception from my usual posts but I thought I’d add it here since people seem to have been struggling with this for years and since you can presently get this hardware around Toronto for as low as $10.
I happen to have a Rogers-branded box but I suspect this method would work just as well for any other any other branded CGN3 models. It might even work with other branded Hitron networking devices but that’s a whole lotta conjecture on my part.
Want local router, can’t log in
As mentioned, this simple bypass will only allow you to set up the CGN3 as a standalone router and assumes that you can’t log in to configure it for this purpose (otherwise just log in and configure it!) Usually this is because the device is brand-locked (e.g. to Rogers), and requires a confirmed cable internet connection before allowing you any further.
If you’re planning to use the router for cable internet access then you should go through the regular setup outlined by your ISP. If that doesn’t work then contact them for assistance (that’s what you’re paying for!)
Otherwise, use this method to connect your WiFi and wired devices together so that they can communicate. Typical uses include LAN gaming, connecting to local networked printers and scanners, using local webcams, accessing local network storage devices, local file sharing and media streaming, etc.
Instructions
Perform a full hardware reset on the unit and then turn it on (plug in the power supply). The manual claims that you only need to press and hold the hardware RESET button (the tiny button on the back that requires a paperclip), for about 10 seconds but I hold it longer just in case.
Use a computer or tablet to connect to the CGN3. The manual describes both the wired (Ethernet) and wireless (WiFi) methods. You might be able to use a mobile phone for this but I haven’t tried it and it seems like it would be a pain in the ass.
Open up the Developer Tools panel (CTRL-SHIFT-I or CMD-SHIFT-I in most browsers) and switch to the JavaScript Console tab (often just called “Console”). Then copy and paste the following code into the console, followed by ENTER:
Log in with the username “cusadmin” and same password as network password — blank, unless you specified some other value for the “#pass” part in step 4.
Configure away! (I recommend starting with changing the admin password.)
But why?
Again, it’s a cheap option if you’re looking for a wireless+wired router that supports 802.11b/g/n concurrent dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) along with WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK security. It’s got pretty flexible configuration options and it can even act as a Samba (network) storage server — just plug a USB storage device or two in the back.
I can’t say that the CGN3 is the best router I’ve ever used but it works pretty well, most of the time. For the money, I can’t complain.
Posted on
January 20th, 2026
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Comments Off on Boreds of Canada: Brad Sucks
Here’s my remix of Brad Turcotte‘s (a.k.a. Brad Sucks) “Feel Free! Plastic Surgery!” from his 2012 album “Guess Who’s a Mess“. Brad’s track is awesome but it doesn’t match my musical sensibilities (abilities?) so you’ll find that it’s a bit of a departure from the original.
This tune is the first of what I hope will become a collection or album of some kind. The idea for the Boreds of Canada name can be heard near the end of my version of the song and, besides Brad, the ditty was loosely inspired by Doxent Zsimond’s “acoustic” rendition (quotes and their contents mine). Rest assured that as soon as I discover other Canadians worthy of my deft acoustic touch I’ll be adding them to the Boreds repertoire.
... with pictures
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... that's shorter
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