DYI: Changing a battery in an electronic car key

 You need a car key and a new battery. For 2018 Elantra it is 2032.

Another silly video how to do it without paying money to someone else.

Also, this year I decided to swap tires on my own. But I needed all hands and a helper to do it, so didn't have an operator to record a video ;)

DIY: Changing a Cabin Air Filter

Letting professionals do your car maintenance is the best choice. However, sometimes professionals are charging too much for a simple service like a cabin air filter replacement.
In my case, a DYI filter change was 4 times cheaper than the suggested price by both my garage and dealership.
To buy a proper filter you need to know your car's manufacturer, model, trim and year. Many online stores provide a suitable selection of accessories for your car after submitting this information.
It is recommended to change the filter every 30000 km or once a year (unless stated differently by car's or filter's manufacturer). Quite often the smell in the car, specifically from the  A/C, can be eliminated by replacement of the cabin air filter.
Let's do it!

How to survive without a one year worth supply of the toilet paper

Should I say that I am lucky? Only 2 weeks ago I came back from a short vacation to the seaside without any concerns about coronavirus. Today some countries closed their borders and airports for international flights, traveling and attending public events considered to be a risk, schools closed, people are buying hand sanitizers, face masks and toilet paper like those items are going to save their lives.
So let's leave panic aside and look at some facts and tips.

My first driving lesson

This post was waiting in my saved files for a long time, but today is the special day. Today is my late grandfather's birthday. He was not only a great scientist, director of a research institute, but also a person with the biggest heart ever. He was my mentor, my friend and the ideal model of how a real man should be. This post is for you, grandpa Volodya! I miss you a lot.

Subjective opinion: cars' colour

When I was young and naive my dream car was a black Ford Mustang. I wanted to have my own black horse with a lot of power, something around 460 hp. However, with aging my attraction to black cars got ruined by a rather practical view.

The Grand V-mount Hotel. Part III, the final.

We found a spot in the corner of the parking lot, got our suitcases, and went back to the room. Our food supply was left in the car - we didn't mind attracting bears to our car, but absolutely declined the idea of collecting smaller forms of life in our food. Inside, we were debating if our suitcases may stay on the floor or if we should lift them on the table. I finally risked to check the bed and removed the covers.

The Grand V-mount Hotel. Part II

We took the key and went upstairs. The smell was pretty heavy, even in the stairwell. We got to our room, which was right next to the stairs and the only one on that side of the building.

Even though the reservation was stating that it was a non-smoking room, smokers were visiting the place before more than once. A 20 year old TV was standing on the shelf under the ceiling in the corner of the room. The carpet looked pretty old, so we remained in street shoes. Beds looked smaller than the requested queen size, and they were as aged as a bottle of good whiskey. 

I decided to inspect the bathroom, to which Natty reacted with the question: "Is it safe, or would it be better to use a washroom in the restaurant?"

The place was very suspicious. We had to decide what is safer - to leave the luggage in the car and get it stolen by morning or to bring it upstairs and get a company of bedbugs or other parasites with our clothes.

Suddenly: Are you ready for your job interview?

This is not related to the topic of my blog, however I am trying to make my work life easier by giving the following hints to people whom I and other interviewers see in the office. 

If you are looking for a new job, check this post before you schedule the next interview with a potential employer.

Our team is looking for a QA specialist. To be honest, we are struggling to find a good candidate. In the past couple of months I interviewed about 5 people, and in the majority of cases my post-interview thought was:"How can we trust a team member if they lie even at this step?"

So I decided to put all my concerns in one post to help candidates and to stop wasting our time on those interviews.