Back in the office

I'm back in the office today after a vacation day on Monday and attending the PBI's Technology Law Forum yesterday.

We had family visit us over the weekend, arriving Sunday and leaving Monday morning. A good time was had by all.

As with the many other PBI CLE classes I've attended, the Tech Law Forum yesterday was very well done. There was one session which I felt was only so-so, but nothing's perfect. I was able to take care of half of my annual CLE requirement, including the ethics credit. (In PA, lawyers must take 12 hours of CLE per year, including 1 hour of ethics.)

This morning I had to do a quick test in the lab of a new feature on one of our commercial cable modems. We got word from someone testing the new firmware (not yet released to production) that it wasn't working. I tested it in the lab and it worked as expected. Shortly thereafter, we found out that the reason the new feature didn't appear to work was that the person reporting the "problem" had their modem connected to a production network, so it was automatically downgrading the box to the production firmware after a reboot. Duh.

For the past several days it's been rainy but much cooler than it was last week. It's been a nice break but it's supposed to warm up again by Friday. I'm ready for Fall.

Hmmm, need to work on this a bit

63%

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

{Via Tam.}

Changing the Default Terminal in X11.app

By default, Apple's implementation of X11 starts an xterm at launch. I wanted to change this to automatically start mrxvt instead. To do so you need to edit the file /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.

Open a terminal and then open the xinitrc file in your preferred editor, using sudo. E.g.:

$ cd /etc/X11/xinit
$ sudo vi xinitrc

You'll need to enter your password. Once the file is open look for the lines which read:

# start some nice programs

xterm &

Put a hash mark/pound sign in front of the second line above to comment it out. I've installed mrxvt using MacPorts, so to start it with a black background and green text, I entered the following line:

/opt/local/bin/mrxvt -bg black -fg green &

Then, save and quit. If you're using vi like me, you'll need to use save the file using the exclamation point to override the read-only setting on the file, e.g:

:qw!

Now my preferred terminal emulator program starts when I fire up X11 on my MacBook Pro.

mrxvt

I've been spending a fair amount of time lately in a terminal. OS X includes Terminal.app and Apple's implementation of X11 automatically starts an xterm when launched. Terminal.app is OK for working on my Mac but doesn't behave quite the same way as a regular xterm when I'm logged into a Linux box vi SSH. Neither Terminal.app nor xterm have one feature that I find very useful, tabbed windows.

I was using UniTTy for awhile but screen refreshes are slow. Awhile ago, I ran iTerm but ran into problems with how it handled different keystrokes.

So the other day I decided to give MacPorts a try and installed mrxvt, formerly known as materm. It's based on rxvt, a terminal emulator widely used on Linux systems, but adds tabs. Here's a screenshot:


Click on the pic for a larger version.

As you can see, I have it setup with the tab bar at the top using a black background with green characters. I find this color scheme easy on my eyes and is how I prefer to run terminals; the default is black characters on a white background.

So far, mrxvt seems stable and fast. the only disadvantage it has compared with Terminal.app is that I have to run X11 to use it, but otherwise it's very good so far.

Firefly

The other day I bought all fourteen episodes of Firefly from the Apple iTunes store. I've heard a lot of good things about Fireful, but so far I've not watched any of the series, nor seen the movie Serenity. So far, I've watched the first four episodes.

I am convinced that the network executives who canceled it should be fired.

Firefly is damn good. The basic premise is that the Earth got "used up," so another star system was settled, after many of its planets and moons were terraformed. After settlement, some of the core worlds in the form of "The Alliance" wanted to create a centralized government ruling the entire system. Not everyone agreed, so there was a civil war, but The Alliance prevailed. The show is set six years after the end of the war.

One very interesting thing about the show is the western motif, with a mix of high-tech next to people riding horses, and many of the costumes look like they'd fit in at the OK Corral. (This was a theme Robert Heinlein used in Time Enough for Love, by the way.) The soundtrack sounds like a western rather than SF.

A western wouldn't be complete without gunplay. There's in interesting mix of firearms. In one episode I saw side by side shotguns, a Sako TRG sniper rifle (I think that's what it was), wheelguns, and pump shotguns.

What really makes the show work, of course, are the strong characters and interesting plotlines. Technology -- whether 19th C. or 26th C. -- provides a backdrop to the story. It isn't the story itself.

I also find it interesting that the heroes of the show are those who opposed the strong central government. Coming out of Hollywood, a bastion of leftist groupthink, that's quite refreshing.

After I watch all of Firefly's episodes I will be buying Serenity.

Hot Saturday

Well, I wound up not going to the range today. It was already in the mid-80s and humid by 10:00 AM, with the forecast being for mid-90s by the afternoon. Blech. I was planning to go to Wicen's Range but the firing line isn't covered. I didn't want to sit out in the hot sun so I bagged it. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler so maybe I'll sneak out for a little while.

I did get something accomplished, however. My orders from Brownell's and MidwayUSA arrived on Thursday. The Brownell's order was a Limbsaver recoil pad for my Stoeger Uplander, while the MidwayUSA order was a few different kinds of 20 gauge ammunition. One box each of Federal #8s and #9s, along with four boxes of #3 buck, plus two boxes of Remington #3 buck. All 2-3/4" shells. I also got a two-pack of A-Zoom snap caps and a couple more .50 caliber ammo cans.

I wiped down the ammo cans (they were pretty clean to start with) and put the shotgun ammo in one. I filled the other with 800 rounds of Prvi Partizan 5.56MM M-193 that I got a few weeks ago from AIM Surplus. I have one 200 round sleeve left over, which I think I have room for in one of my other cans. My Brother P-Touch was then used to make labels for the can so I know what's in them.

After getting the ammo squared away I mounted the Limbsaver on the Stoeger. I'd already shortened the stock so I just needed to use the included template to locate the screw holes for the pad, then sand it to fit.

the next time I put a recoil pad on something I will use a dummy block of wood to hold it, because I managed to scrape the stock a few times with my belt sander, even through the masking tape. A professional gunsmith I'm not.

Dinged up stock aside, I'm really looking forward to trying the Stoeger with the new butt pad. With target loads it was pleasant to shoot even with the OEM hard plastic buttplate. The soft, cushy Limbsaver should make it really nice.

Packet Sniffing

I mentioned in my previous post that I've been collecting data for a couple of our vendors to help fix some bugs discovered by our field. One of the problems concerns FTP PASV mode, so the vendor wanted packet traces of the failed and successful connections.

I used Wireshark on my MacBook Pro to get the traces. Unfortunately for my purposes today, traces from on of the FTP servers I was connecting to contained a password that I did not want to disclose (FTP sends passwords in plain text, which is why SFTP or SCP are better options when available).

So, to sanitize the TCPDUMP file before shipping it off to $VENDOR, I used the command line tool editcap to delete from it the packet containing my password. Unfortunately, the binary version of Wireshark I installed on my Mac didn't include editcap.

Parallels to the rescue. I fired up my CentOS 5 virtual machine, installed the complete Wireshark package via "yum install wireshark," and was then able to run:

# editcap foo.pcap sanitized.pcap 10

This took the capture file called foo.pcap, stripped out the 10th packet (which contained my password) and then created a new file called sanitized.pcap.

I could then safely send off the capture file.

TGIF

This week I got to spend more time in the lab than I have in awhile. I was investigating four bug reports for two different products. I was able to replicate two of the bugs but the others eluded me. Hopefully the data I collected will be used by our vendors to fix the problems.

This morning I bade farewell to Judith and the girls. They are going down to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware today and will be returning tomorrow night. This will be the girls' first time at the beach, so I'm hoping that J. remembers to pick up a disposable camera to record the event. (We decided against taking our digital camera to the beach, due to the sand.)

While I love the beach, I haven't been able to enjoy it for several years. About ten years ago I noticed that too much sun exposure causes me to break out in hives. Obviously, the amount of sun you get at the shore exacerbates this. I've tried a variety of sunblock but until about three weeks ago nothing helped. I think I've finally found one that'll allow me to stay in the sun longer -- it's meant for infants with an SPF of 60. We use it on Amanda. I used it a few weeks ago at a pool party and didn't break out, even after three hours in the sun.

With the girls gone I can hang out and do whatever I want. Hookers and blow ain't my thing, so "whatever I want" means that maybe I'll just drink beer, belch out loud, and watch Star Wars tonight. If I feel wild maybe I'll leave the toilet seat up.

Tomorrow I plan to go shooting. I'd like to get my Marlin 336 sighted in with the receiver sight I mounted earlier this year. I've also been thinking of playing musical scopes again. My Savage 93GL .22 magnum currently wears a Bushnell Trophy 6-18x scope, which is really too big. I may move the Nikon 4x32mm Prostaff scope from my 10/22 to the Savage. 4x is plenty of magnification for out to 100 yards or a bit more.

Updates to The Shooter's Bar

I have made some updates to The Shooter's Bar:

• Updated the information for David McCleary of Michigan,
• Added Michael Douglas King of Georgia, and
  
• Added Daniel Stoner of Oklahoma.

The Shooter's Bar remains, as far as I know, the oldest and largest freely-available online list of pro-gun attorneys. I started it as a free public service in 1997 on FidoNet and shortly thereafter migrated it over to the Web. Attorneys who wish to be listed should send me an email with the following information:

• Name
• Firm
• Address
• Phone
• Fax
• Email address
• Website URL
• Bar admissions
• Areas of practice
• The RKBA organizations to which you belong

You do not need to be a firearms lawyer to be listed, you just need to be pro-individual RKBA.

Setting up a Backup Email Server

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to install a mail server at my main client's second office. This will serve as a backup MX to their primary mail server, in case the Internet connection drops at their main office, or the primary MX fails in some way.

For extra redundancy, the second office has a different ISP than the main office, so if their ISP suffers a system-wide outage, the second office shouldn't be affected.

I pretty much duplicated the primary MX's configuration, with the exception of setting the box up as a secondary MX, per the instructions on postfix.org.

For hardware I recycled the HP tc2120 server that I installed at the main office several years ago. It originally ran SuSE (v8, IIRC) plus CommuniGate Pro. (I like CGP, but it's very expensive and doesn't do anything for this client that open source software won't do.) This box was replaced with a Dell SC440 running CentOS 4.4, Postfix, Dovecot, Squirrelmail, and MailScanner last Fall. The reborn HP is running the same software. The only hardware upgrade was to bump the RAM from 256 to 768 by adding a 512 MB DIMM from Crucial.

Once the backup MX is in place I need to take a look see at the office's network infrastructure, so that I can recommend a file server and backup option for the site.

Fun stuff!

A BEST BUY in Chicagoland

Or, making gun grabbing schmucks look stupid.

Over on THR, "Templar223" recounts his tale of gathering up a pile of old, mostly non-functional firearms (including a starter pistol which could only shoot blanks), taking them to a gun "buy back" in Chicago, and getting a $100 pre-paid credit card for each gun.

In the end ...

So, Guns Save Life ended up netting $1700 worth of MasterCards from the event after those who split their donations with the club were “paid” in cards. The club has sold a dozen of its own cards to members for cash.



The last five of the cards are going to be spent at Darrell’s Custom Guns in Cayuga, IN for two CZ bolt-action .22s to be given away to two lucky kids participating in the NRA Youth Shooting Camp coming up over the first weekend in August.



All of the money (and then some) will be spent purchasing ammo for the kids to use during the camp or the rifles. The camp, located in Bloomington at Darnall’s, is the longest running NRA Youth Shooting Camp in the nation.



NRA Youth Shooting Camps teach young people gun safety and safe and responsible firearm use. Kids get a chance to shoot shotguns, rifles, handguns, black powder guns, archery and so much more as instructed by State and/or NRA Certified Instructors (like me) and/or Olympic-level shooting coaches.

The value of training new shooters far exceeds that of the junky, rusty, pot metal that got turned it.

My First eBay Autcion

I am selling a Crucial 1GB SODIMM RAM module on eBay. Please feel free to place a bid. :-)

It is still sealed in the factory antistatic bag, in the original Crucial shipping carton with the installation instructions. When I upgrade my MacBook Pro earlier this year, I ordered two modules when I should have ordered only one. My loss is your gain.

This is the first time I've put something on eBay, although I've bought several items there. I used GarageSale to create the auction page and list it. It's pretty intuitive. I bought it as part of a MacUpdate bundle last week. The main reason for my purchase of the bundle was the inclusion of Tech Tool Pro, which normally goes for $99. The whole bundle cost only $49.95.

My Reintroduction to Scattergunning

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought a Stoeger Uplander 20 gauge side-by-side last week. I have always been much more of a rifle and handgun shooter, although I did some dove hunting with an H&R Topper 12, and a Pedersoli percussion 12 bore double many years ago. In the past 10 years I've probably fired less than 30 rounds through shotguns, mostly slugs through a Norinco 1897 trench gun which I subsequently traded off.

Anyway, today I went and did some trap shooting with my dad and brother. Aside from the Stoeger I also brought an H&R Topper 20 gauge. I bought this a year or two ago, mainly because it came with a .22 Hornet barrel. Today was the first time I fired it as a shotgun.

Before going to the range, I went over to Dick's Sporting Goods, where I bought the Stoeger, and picked up a couple boxes of Remington clay pidgeons, along with a box of Remington STS #9 shot target loads. I also had a 100 round value pack of Remington #8s.

We burned through all 125 rounds of 20 gauge ammo and both boxes of pidgeons. I did surprisingly well for someone who hasn't done any wingshooting in a decade or more. I figure I busted around half of the birds I shot at, even managing to bag a double or two.

The Stoeger weights a little over 7 lbs. and with the target loads was pleasant to shoot. I plan to shorten the stock a little to improve the fit, and add a recoil pad, because at some point I will try it with buckshot.

The H&R Topper weighs maybe 6 lbs. and kicked noticeably more, even with the thick factory recoil pad. I did pretty well with it but the Uplander is a lot more fun to shoot. The H&R would make a heck of a backpacking gun, though, since it's so light.

One thing caused some consternation, though. A number of the Remington bulk loads required two hits of the firing pin before going off. This occurred only with the Stoeger, never with the H&R, which really whacks the primer. I didn't experience this with any of the STS loads, only the bulk rounds, so I'm hoping it's the ammo. I plan to try some different ammo before thinking about sending the gun in for warranty service.

One of the reasons for getting the Uplander was as a potential home defense gun. I seem to shoot well with it but I'm reconsidering it for that role, as it has extractors, not ejectors. While I think that 2 rounds of 20 gauge buckshot should handle pretty much any HD situation, having to manually pull empties from the gun significantly slows a reload. I'm pretty sure that I don't want this in a defensive gun.

My brother brought his 870 along with a few boxes of Estate 12 gauge target loads. It was pretty obvious that he's spent more time with a scattergun than I have.

After we exhausted all our ammo we went and picked up enough unbusted clay birds (not just ours) to file 2+ boxes. So the next time we go trap shooting we don't even need to buy targets.

Today was fun. I plan to repeat the experience.

Hornet Follow Up

As it turns out, hornets are not covered by our contract with the exterminator. The call would've cost me about $100. To heck with that!

After getting home from the range and getting the guns inside (story for another thread) this afternoon, I ran out to Lowe's and bought two cans of Ortho Wasp and Hornet killer spray. The nasty foaming stuff.

At about 1700 hornet activity appeared to be low, so I hit the nest with a can. I was concerned that it wasn't getting fully saturated so I got out my pole saw and snipped the branch it was hanging from. As it dropped SPLAT! right into the puddle of Ortho that had dribbled off, I dropped the saw and ran like hell.

A few minutes later I snuck back into the yard, retrieved the spray, and emptied it onto the nest and a few hornets flitting around it.

A little while later I looked outside and saw a bunch of hornets hovering around where the nest used to be. Round two -- ON!

I emptied the second can onto the branches where I saw hornets resting or hovering around.

My backyard is now a chemical warfare zone.

Tomorrow I'll go check on the body count.

Unwanted neighbors

This morning I looked out the kitchen window and saw this:




It's a fracking hornet's nest almost as big as a soccer ball. It's too high for me to reach with an improvised flamethrower and because I live in a surburban subdivision, I can't blast it with a shotgun. So, since we have a contract with a pest control company, they'll get to deal with it.

Running in the Philadelphia Inquirer, no less.

Commentary

Guns don't kill people, Phila. does

By John Lott and Maxim Lott

When Mayor Street spent 15 hours waiting in line for an iPhone recently, the city was not impressed by his love of new technology. Rather, Street had to answer to a passerby asking, "How can you sit here with 200 murders in the city already?"

Local politicians say they know the source of the problem: the lack of gun control. Gov. Rendell recently complained the state legislature "has been in the control of the NRA." Street blames the increasing murder rate on "the dangerous proliferation of guns on our city streets." Last Tuesday, two City Council members announced the novel legal tactic of suing the state government to let Philadelphia pass its own gun laws.

The desire "to do something" is understandable, but new gun laws aren't the answer.

In the five years from 2001 to 2006, Philadelphia's murder rate soared more than 36 percent while nationally, the murder rate increased only 2 percent. Indeed, only two other cities in the top 40 experienced a sharper rise in murder rates, according to FBI crime statistics.

Read the whole thing.

D.C. Will Appeal Parker

It's official: Washington, D.C. is appealing Parker to the Supreme Court ("SCOTUS"), the Court of Appeals case which ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms, in the process striking down the thirty year old handgun ban in the capitol.

There is no guarantee that SCOTUS will grant certiorari, i.e., hear the appeal. However, the issue is ripe for SCOTUS to hear it, since there is a split among the circuits.

In my opinion, the chances for a decision favoring the individual-rights understanding are better now than they have been in decades.

Proposed OSHA Rule Yanked

Labor Department Announces It Will Revise Overreaching OSHA Explosives Rule

Monday, July 16, 2007


The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it will significantly revise a recent proposal for new “explosives safety” regulations that caused serious concern among gun owners. OSHA had originally set out to update workplace safety regulations, but the proposed rules included restrictions that very few gun shops, sporting goods stores, shippers, or ammunition dealers could comply with.


Gun owners had filed a blizzard of negative comments urged by the NRA, and just a week ago, OSHA had already issued one extension for its public comment period at the request of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. After continued publicity through NRA alerts and the outdoor media, and after dozens of Members of Congress expressed concern about its impact, OSHA has wisely decided to go back to the drawing board.


Working with the NRA, Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT) planned to offer a floor amendment to the Labor-HHS appropriations bill this Wednesday when the House considers this legislation. His amendment would have prohibited federal funds from being used to enforce this OSHA regulation.


Such an amendment is no longer necessary since Kristine A. Iverson, the Labor Department’s Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, sent Rep. Rehberg a letter, dated July 16, stating that it “was never the intention of OSHA to block the sale, transportation, or storage of small arms ammunition, and OSHA is taking prompt action to revise” this proposed rule to clarify the purpose of the regulation.


Also, working with the NRA, Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) gathered signatures from 25 House colleagues for a letter, dated July 11, expressing concerns about this proposed OSHA rule. The letter calling the proposal “an undue burden on a single industry where facts do not support the need outlined by this proposed rule” and “not feasible, making it realistically impossible for companies to comply with its tenets.”


The OSHA proposal would have defined “explosives” to include “black powder, … small arms ammunition, small arms ammunition primers, [and] smokeless propellant,” and treated these items the same as the most volatile high explosives.


Under the proposed rule, a workplace that contained even a handful of small arms cartridges, for any reason, would have been considered a “facility containing explosives” and therefore subject to many impractical restrictions. For example, no one could carry “firearms, ammunition, or similar articles in facilities containing explosives … except as required for work duties.” Obviously, this rule would make it impossible to operate any kind of gun store, firing range, or gunsmith shop.


The public comment website for the proposed rule is no longer accessible. The Labor Department will publish a notice in the July 17 Federal Register announcing that a new rule proposal will soon be drafted for public comment. Needless to say, the NRA monitors proposed federal regulations to head off this kind of overreach, and will be alert for OSHA’s next draft.

{H/T to Braz1956 at THR.}

New Boomstick - Stoeger Uplander

I had the hankering for a scattergun so yesterday I got a Stoeger Uplander 20 gauge SxS with 3" chambers and 26" barrels. It has extractors, no ejectors, double triggers. It was made in Brazil. The stock is some plain jane hardwood stock, and needs to be chopped so it fits me better, and have a recoil pad added. The barrels have IC and IM (between M and F) choke tubes. It swings pretty nicely and takes down into the barrels, forearm, and butt/receiver with the press of a lever. It's a bit stiff but I expect it to loosen up.

Even with the 26" tubes it's not too long. I might make it my primary HD gun if it patterns buckshot OK.

I mostly shoot rifles and pistols, but I've had a few shotguns over the years, e.g., a Winchester Defender 20 bore, a couple H&R Toppers in 20 and 12, a Norinco "Winchester" 1897 trench gun, and a Pedersoli percussion double 12. I had to sell the Pedersoli while short of cash about 10 years ago and it's one gun I've missed. I like side by sides and shot the Pedersoli better than my other shotguns. The Stoeger reminds me a bit of the Pedersoli, except for loading from the other end.

Along with the gun I got a 100 round value pack of Remington #8s and a 20 gauge Hoppe's Bore Snake.

After leaving Dick's I got her home and cleaned up. It came coated with brown preservative which cleaned up easily with some Ballistol, patches, and the range rod I use with my .69 caliber M1717 French musket. Being a smoothbore, when I shoot it I'll probably just run the Bore Snake with some Ballistol through the barrels a couple of times, wipe down the exterior, and call it good.

I hope to get it out next weekend.

Triple Booting XP, Vista, and Ubuntu Linux

CPU3D.com has a nice illustrated guide to setting up a PC which gives you the choice of booting into Windows XP, Vista, or Ubuntu Linux. It's also worth looking at if you only want to dual boot any two of these OSes.

Check it out here.

{H/T PEN}

Apple Purchases CUPS

Not drinking vessels, the Common UNIX Printing System. Notice here. CUPS will remain open source software.

Apple has been using CUPS as the printing engine in OS X for several years and has been widely adopted on Linux as a replacement for LPD. It's worked well on OS X in my experience. When I've used CUPS on Linux my experience hasn't been so good. Depending upon the printer, it either works or it doesn't, or it may work for awhile then not work, for no apparent reason. I'm hoping that Apple's purchase will improve CUPS's utility.

{H/T MacRumors}

New Hit Counter

It appears that I'm able to enter a title for my posts once again.

Anyway, this morning I decided to migrate from Sitemeter to Statcounter for my hit counter. I've been using it on a couple of other sites and like it better. I prefer the interface and the format in which statistics are presented when I login to the account. Basic accounts with either are free so if you have a website and need a hit counter, it's worthwhile to look at both of them and choose the one you like best.

Wolff Gunsprings is Good People

Via Arfcom, I'm going to copy this in toto, since it'll eventually go into the site's archives:

I ordered some mag springs to be sent to Iraq. The nephew of a high school classmate is very involved (as a captain) in training the Iraqi police. After an email exchange, he asked me if I could do something to help, so I got on the internet and ordered the pack of 10 springs (its a start) from Wolff. $47.99 plus shipping. Anyway, the VP of the company emailed me back and said thanks for helping out in Iraq. He has a son that recently returned from Iraq and ran into the same problems with his M9. The VP of Wolff reduced the cost of the magazines from retail to a LE account (like 25% off my credit card) and said they would ship today!!

Buy Wolff Springs I say.

Here is the email....

Dear Mr. XXXXX,

Thank you for your order. We will process the order and ship the Beretta mag springs out today via USPS priority mail. We set the account up as a law enforcement account which reduces the price of the mag springs from $47.99 to $31.99.

We have been supplying our extra power Beretta mag springs to our military in OIF since we entered Iraq and this is not an uncommon request. The standard Beretta mag spring begins to have problems as it encounters the fine sand and grit in the area. Our +10% extra power springs overcome that additional friction making the pistol functional. My son was also an MP (Air Force) and he too used our Beretta mag springs in his M9 during his four deployments to Iraq .

On a personal note, as the father of a son who has been deployed to Iraq , I commended and thank you for your efforts and support or our troops. Our guys are doing a terrific job under very difficult and extremely dangerous situations. They need all the support as well as prayers that we can offer.

Kind Regards,
John Andrews
VP
Wolff Gunsprings

web-orders@gunsprings.com

I've ordered from Wolff in the past and gotten great products and service.

(Something is wonky with Blogger. It's not letting me add a title to my posts. I've tried Firefox, Safari, and IE6 under XP. Gahhh.)

Edit: As of 7/11/07 Blogger fixed it.

Mini Vacation

Last week I took advantage of the fact that Wednesday was a company holiday by blowing off work on Thursday and Friday to get a long weekend. It was a nice, refreshing break.

It rained cats and dogs, but we still barbecued on the Fourth. I was able to get the food cooked during a lull in the rain.

Thursday the weather was mixded, some sun, some rain, so I took a trip up to Dixon's Muzzleloading Shop in Kempton, and then Cabela's in Hamburg. I managed to keep my credit cards in my wallet but I did pick up a new ramrod along with some tips at Dixon's for my M1717 French musket. At Cabela's I got a spare mag for my Savage 93GL, a hooded zip-up sweatshirt for the Fall, and one or two other items.

The weather finally cleared up on Friday, although the temps were in the low 90s. I hit the range along with my pseudonymous friends GeekWithA.45, Egregious Charles, and Argentium G. Tiger. Geek is supposed to post a range report so I'll just cover what I shot.

We went to the Geek's club where thankfully, the firing points are covered, so we didn't have to shoot in the sun.

We met at the Geek's house and took my Expedition down to the range. Between the four of us we had enough guns and gear to fill the cargo area up to just past the top of the rear bench seat. Geek took a picture but I don't have a copy yet, but it was pretty impressive looking.

Anyway, I finally got to shoot the aforementioned M1717 musket. I bought it last Fall at Dixon's. It was made in India and imported by Middlesex Village Trading Company.

I shot the musket at 25 yards using a load of 80 grains of FFg GOEX, a cast .662" ball, and a .015" thick cotton patch by Ox Yoke. I used Ox Yoke Wonder Lube (same thing as T/C Bore Butter) to lube the patches. The balls was pretty snug, so I'm going to try either a smaller ball or thinner patching.

I fired around 15 shots, getting no misifires or hangfires. The Indian-made lock sparks really well and the touch hole is placed exactly where it's supposed to be, just above the level of the pan. Ignition of the main charge is quick.

My group was about 6" at 25 yards offhand. That sounds horrible but considering that (a) the musket has no rear sight, only a bayonet mounting lug that doubles as a front sight, and (b) the trigger pull is close to 20 lbs., I'm not complaining. The group was centered a little to the left and below my point of aim. I need to get the trigger pull reduced considerably, which I'm sure will help my groups. I also need to do some load development, as the gun may group better with a different combination of powder charge, patch, or ball.

After finishing on the pistol range we headed to the 100 yard rifle range. I brought along my Colt AR-15A3 Tactical Carbine with its new IOR Valdada 3x32mm CQB scope. I'm happy with the combination.

Since I'd previously laser boresighted the scope at about 25 yards, I was already on the SR-1 target at 100, but about 6" high and 6" left. It was short work to get the scope zeroed. I ran 120 rounds of Federal American Eagle 55 grain FMJBT and 40 rounds of Wolf 55 grain JHP through the gun with zero malfunctions. I used two DSG Arms black Teflon-coated 30 rounders (made by D&H), 1 pre-ban Simmonds 20 round, and 1 pre-ban Adventurline 20 round mag.

I was pleased to see the gun run OK with the Wolf ammo. Compared to the American Eagle, it was quite a bit underloaded, impacting the target about 5" low at 100 yards. The last time I shot Wolf in the Colt was shortly after I got it in 2004, and I got several bolt-over-base failures to feed. It may have been due to the mag I used that day, or it may have been that the rifle needed to be broken in a bit. In any event, it looks like I'll be able to use cheap Wolf for practice now. Wolf .223 ammo is underloaded and the bullets don't fragment, so it would be low on my list of potential SHTF ammo, but it's fine for practice.

By the way, I don't buy into the "Wolf will break your extractor" thing. Even if it does, the difference in the cost of a case of Wolf and a case of American Eagle pays for many replacement extractors. I've seen worse brass cased ammo, e.g., Olympic.

After we finished shooting we retired to Geek's house where GeeketteWithA9 had marinated some steaks for us to BBQ when we got back.

The rest of the weekend wasn't as loud. {grin} Saturday we had a birthday party for Amanda, who turned three on Friday. Yesterday I grilled up some sirloins and salmon steaks to wrap up the weekend.

Independence Day

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Parallels Desktop with Mac OS 10.4.10

I upgraded my MacBook Pro to OS 10.4.10 the other day and discovered today that .10 breaks USB support in Parallels Desktop for Mac 2.5. I was running PD Build 3188, apparently Build 3212 is also affected. I found this when I tried to use my Sprint Blackberry 8703e as an EVDO modem for wireless Internet access.

The symptom is an error message that appears when you connect a USB device, stating that the device is already in use by another application, to disconnect it and retry. Doing so does not get rid of the error.

Parallels has released a fix. You need to upgrade to Build 3124. To do so, either check for an update from within Parallels by going to the Help menu and using the update feature, or download the disk image HERE.

There is a thread on the Parallels discussion forums discussing the topic HERE.

Senate Immigration Bill KILLED

For now, anyway.

All the Senators who voted in favor of it need to be kicked out the next time they come up for election.

Illegal Immigration

I haven't weighed in on this issue, but today's Senate vote reaching cloture on the illegal immigration amnesty plan -- "reform" my ass -- really got me P.O.'d. Bush and the Senate are well aware of the American People's opposition to this plan, but they're ramming it through anyway.

More out of frustration than expecting that it'll make a difference, I sent the following to my Senatards and Representative:

As one of your constituents, I am writing to express my total opposition to the illegal alien amnesty bill currently going through the Senate. This bill, or ANY form of amnesty for illegal aliens, is completely unacceptable.

The Federal government needs to do two basic things to get a handle on illegal immigration:

1. Secure the border. Statements that we cannot do so are BALONEY. Failure to secure the nation's borders in a time when we face threats from terrorists is flat out dereliction of duty.

2. Enforce existing immigration laws and penalize businesses which hire illegal immigrants.

Amnesty plans for illegals are opposed by the VAST majority of American citizens. Those politicians pushing amnesty are violating their oathes of office and acting against the wishes and best interests of their constituents.

I am in favor of LEGAL immigration which allows people into the country who can make positive contributions to American society. We should not reward illegal immigrants, who by definition, are CRIMINALS.

As an elected official, you took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and the United States. Please do so.

Sincerely,
David S. Markowitz

If amnesty for illegals passes, whatever respect that the American People hold for the Federal government will evaporate. I fear that Americans will see the Federal government as having broken the social contract, with dire results for the Republic.

IOR Valdada 3x25mm CQB Scope

I posted recently about the Hakko 4x21 scope I have mounted on my Colt AR-15A3 Tactical Carbine. In that post I mentioned that I was considering replacing it with a Trijicon ACOG, in order to get a truly SHTF-worthy piece of glass. Well, I did get a new scope, but not an ACOG.

Two factors militated against the purchase of an ACOG. First was the price. The cheapest I'd be able to get a new TA-11F ACOG would be about $950 plus-or-minus. That's a lot of dough. Second, the ACOGs have short eye relief. The TA-11F has only 2.5" inches of eye relief. I wanted something with a bit more, because I wear glasses, and in case I can't quite get the rifle mounted properly.

After much research I purchased an IOR Valdada 3x25mm CQB scope from MidwayUSA. (If you were wondering why they're backordered at Midway, I got the last one. Heh.) The Big Brown Truck dropped it off yesterday and my first impressions are quite favorable.

IOR Valdada is a Romanian company which has been making scopes and binoculars since the 1930s. They use German-made Schott glass, which is very good.

The lenses are multi-coated to reduce glare, and the scope itself is sealed and filled with nitrogen. This should prevent any interior fogging.

The IOR scope is compact but weighs in at about a pound. It feels very solid. The adjustment clicks for windage and elevation are well-defined. The glass is very clear, definitely better than the Hakko's. The IOR CQB reticle is interesting and incorporates ranging features. The center dot subtends 2 minutes of angle (MOA, about 2" at 100 yards), so it'll be more precise than the ~4 MOA dot in the Hakko.

The scope's reticle is etched on glass and can be illuminated using a battery powered built-in light, which uses CR2032 lithium coin cells. Without illum, the reticle is black. When illuminated, it's red, except for the horseshoe-shaped thingy in the reticle, which remains black.

The scope has a removable Picatinny rail sleeve around the objective lens side, intended for mounting a backup red dot sight, a laser, or a light. I have no plans to use the rails, but intend to leave the sleeve on as protection for the main body of the scope. The scope itself mounts to a Picatinny rail using a built-in mount secured by two captive nuts. This is not a quick-release design. The scope feels very rugged, but in the hopefully unlikely event that it goes TU, I'll need pliers or a wrench to remove it so I can use a back up iron sight (which I need to acquire).

I mounted the IOR on my Colt last night, then bore sighted it at about 25 - 30 yards using a laser boresighter. (A toy house in my backyard stood in for a target.) Final zeroing will of course require actual shooting but this should get me pretty close.

In my post about the Hakko I referred to it as soft of a poor man's ACOG. The IOR doesn't quite fall into that category, since it retails for about $600. However, that's still A LOT cheaper than an ACOG.

I will post a follow up once I get the scope out to the range, which won't be for a couple of weeks.

Safari 3.0b Instabilities

Since my last post I wound up changing back to Firefox 2 as my default browser. Safari 3.0b works fine for most pages, with notable exceptions being Blogger and several pages which use Javascript. For example, when I clicked on the Haloscan comments link to one of GeekWithA.45's posts, Safari crashed. I repeated this on a few other pages. Because so many sites rely on Javascript for functionality this is a show-stopper for me.

Hopefully by the time that Safari 3.0 is out of beta this problem will be fixed. I like its speed and integration with other Apple applications. E.g., in Safari you can right-click on a photo on a web page and select "Add to iPhoto library," which is pretty slick.

In the interim, I'll stick with Firefox.

Safari 3.0b and Blogger

Last week after installing the Safari 3.0b I noted that it's now working with Blogger. Hmm, not quite. It's almost there but I've noticed that when I try to paste a block of text into the Blogger composition box, the text actually appears on the page below the box. Also, this morning when I wrote my last post about IE vulnerabilities, I noticed that it wasn't handling carriage returns properly, resulting in some screwed up formatting when I looked at the post in the Preview screen. I therefore had to fix it in Firefox.

I'm not quite ready to go back to Firefox because so far Safari 3.0b has otherwise been very good, and I'd like to continue evaluating it.

A Couple of Windows Vulnerabilities

Today I ran across two Windows vulnerabilities. The first is important, but not especially surprising. The second is amazing.

First, via the Register, a strange spoofing vulnerabilty in Internet Explorer. This one is a bit scary with regards how it seems to spoof access to sites like Paypal and eBay.

Second, found via Slashdot, is a posting in the Ubuntu forum describing how an Ubuntu user running Internet Explorer under IE4WIN validated his PC through Windows Genuine Advantage, so he could download Windows Defender on his Linux box (presumably to then install it on a Windows PC). Yes, WGA validated a Linux box as a legitimate Windows installation! If this isn't a hoax it is further proof that WGA is terribly flawed.

The poster recorded the process to video which you can watch using a player that can handle .ogg files. I use VideoLAN, which runs on Windows, OS X, Linux, and *BSD.

I sent both of these to the Daynotes Backchannel list, so hopefully we'll get some meaningful discussions going on the various Daynoters' sites.

Why Giuliani should never be in the Oval Office

... or any other position of public trust, for that matter:

What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.

[ Interruption by someone in the audience. ]

You have free speech so I can be heard.

(Emphasis added.)

Source. This is an excerpt from a speech about crime made by Giuliani in 1994.

Authoritarians like him should have no place in our government.

Fred Thompson is blogging

Check it out.

Safari 3.0 Beta

One of the more interesting announcements from today's Apple WWDC was the introduction of Safari 3.0 Beta.  Normally, a new version of a Mac browser wouldn't be all that interesting for most folks, but this is different.  Safari 3.0b is also available for Windows XP and Vista!  There will no doubt be a lot of speculation as to why Apple decided to jump into the Windows browser market, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's at least partially related to the upcoming iPhone release, which will use Safari as its browser.

I installed 3.0b on my MacBook Pro.  So far, so good.  It's very fast and now appears to work with Blogger (finally!).  It's still beta so I'm expecting bugs, but my first impression is favorable.

Hakko 4x21 Scope Revisited

I've mentioned in the past that I have a Hakko 4x21 Electro Point scope on my Colt AR15-A3 Tactical Carbine. I finally took a couple of pictures worth sharing.

First, a full length glamour shot (click thumbnails for bigger image):



Next, a closeup, showing the flat top adapter I got from Cope's Distributing. The thumb-nut supplied with the adapter did not fit the Hakko's mounting bolt. However, a 1/4x20 locknut from Lowe's fits perfectly. It's probably more secure anyway.


Hakko was Colt's OEM for their 3x20 and 4x20 carry handle mount scopes of the 60s - 80s. These old scopes aren't as good as more modern optics, like Trijicon ACOGs, but they are superior to iron sights for precise shooting (if not as rugged). There is a slew of cheap clones available, but unless you buy a Colt or a Hakko you're wasting your money. CDNN currently has the non-illuminated and illuminated (as pictured above) versions in stock.

I am considering dropping the dough for an ACOG, since my Colt's primary role is as a defensive rifle, and the ACOG's optics are better, and they are more rugged. That said, this setup works well and can be thought of as a "poor man's ACOG." This rig using Federal American Eagle 55 grain FMJBT ammo and it'll put most of them into the black on an SR-1 target at 200 yards. Since the center dot in the scope's reticle fully occludes the bull at 200, that ain't half bad IMHO.

More Updates to The Shooter's Bar(SM)

I added Lew Weiner of California and Richmond McCluer, Jr. of Minnesota to The Shooter's Bar.

I'm With Fred

You may have also noticed the new links to I'm With Fred, Fred Thompson's new site for his incipient presidential campaign. Yes, I'm supporting him. The current crop of officially-declared Republican candidates don't include anyone I can support. Thompson should be formally entering the race soon. It's been evident for awhile that he's running. Imwithfred.com is another step in that direction.

Here is a site showing his voting record in the Senate.

On a side note, as you can see, I played around with this site's color scheme. It should be a bit easier to read now.

Updates to The Shooter's Bar(SM)

Today I updated The Shooter's Bar(SM) entry for David Gross, and added Steven K. Marden, both of Minnesota.

Blackberry 8703e EVDO Internet Connection on a Mac

By virtue of the fact that I'm a floor captain, I am issued a Blackberry by my employer. Last week our old Nextel BBs were replaced with new Sprint 8703es. Aside from the onboard Internet access, they can also be used as an EVDO modem for your laptop. Unfortunately, the Sprint PCS Broadband software is Windows-only. However, after much googling, I learned how to set it up so that I can establish the connection in XP under Parallels Desktop, then using XP's Internet Connection Sharing, "tunnel" through it and access the Internet using OS X. AAMOF, I'm doing it as I write this.

The instructions below are based on those posted by "Ken" HERE.

Use Parallels Build 3188 (Earlier version may or may not work.)
I used a Windows XP virtual machine. W2K may work but I haven't tested it.
I have Sprint Mobile Broadband.

1. Install and get the EVDO device working in Windows, using the USB connection.

2. In Parallels
Devices Menu
USB
Choose RIM - Handheld

3. Disable the DHCP in Parallels
Parallels Desktop Menu
Preferences
Uncheck DHCP

4. Enable Connection Sharing on Windows Modem
Open Properties for the Modem
Advanced
Check everything
You may need to disable the Windows firewall

5. Choose your Network device in Parallels Virtual Machine (VM should be
off)
Devices
Network Adaptor
Host-Only Networking

6. Choose your Network device in Mac
System Preferences
Network
Parallels Host-Guest OS
Renew IP address

7. Connect with Sprint Mobile Broadband in Windows.

8. Minimize your XP VM, and you should now be able to access the Internet from
OS X.

It works pretty well here in my living room. I probably won't use it much, since whenever I use my Mac I generally have access to a high speed connection. But, this will come on handy when I travel and I'm killing time in an airport. Some airports have free WiFi, but most charge for it. The Sprint connection feels about as fast as the airport WiFi connections I've used in Philadelphia and Denver. I'm getting around a meg down, and about 100 kbps up.

Edit 7/3/07: OS 10.4.10 breaks Parallels Desktop Build 3188's USB functionality. I describe the symptom and a fix HERE.

Victorinox Swisstool RS Multitool

I posted a review of my new Victorinox Swisstool RS over on my Survival and Emergency Preparedness Blog. Check it out.

More Script Testing

I was unable to test the router reconfiguration Perl scripts on my CentOS 4.4 box at work the other day. I'd forgotten that it's outbound access is strictly limited by our firewall and it's therefore unable to download from CPAN. I could have sneakernetted the Net::Telnet::Cisco source code over to it, but frankly, it's not worth doing so. We know it runs on Fedora Core 4, Mac OS 10.4.9, and Kubunu 6.10.

I did try one version of the script on Solaris 10 x86 running on my Mac using Parallels Desktop, but discovered that installing modules from CPAN on Solaris is a bear, due to Sun using one compiler and CPAN using another. I'm sure that I could get it to work but as noted above, we already have three platforms known to work.

Yesterday I was out of the office for training, but last night I installed CentOS 5 into a Parallels virtual machine to do additional testing of our router reconfiguration Perl script. No dice. Installation of Net::Telnet::Cisco failed with some weird errors.

Today I've done some additional testing and I am currently in the process of documenting how to use the scripts. Our operations group will actually implement them, not my group.

Playing with Solaris, Perl, and Virtual Machines

This morning I installed Solaris 10 into a virtual machine in Parallels Desktop on my MacBook Pro. Recently I've had the chance to work on a few Solaris boxen at work, and I've found my Sun knowledge lacking. So, a week or so ago I ordered a free media kit from Sun, who sent it to me very quickly. Although I asked for only the Solaris 10 x86 and Developer Tools DVDs, they also sent the DVD with Solaris 10 for SPARC.

Anyway, the install went pretty smoothly. Before attempting the install I read the blog entry here, which was helpful. I didn't have the mouse problems he mentioned, but the default screen resolution was much to large for my MBP. So, I ran kdmconfig and scaled it back so that my Solaris desktop fits on my screen.

The default GUI in Solaris 10 is the Java Enterprise Desktop, which is really GNOME as tweaked and themed by Sun. It's pretty nice. I like it better than Ubuntu's GNOME desktop. I did try logging in and using CDE, the default desktop for earlier versions of Solaris. It's FUGLY, being based on Motif.

Anyway, I plan to dink around with Solaris a bit, diving under the hood on the command line. I'm somewhat tempted to rebuild Bagend, my Althon XP box at home, with Solaris.

Aside from futzing with Sun stuff today I tested a Perl script which one of our developers wrote for us. We need to login remotely to a few thousand routers and change DNS settings. So, he wrote us a script in Perl using the Net::Telnet::Cisco module. I tested it in my Kubuntu 6.10 VM on the MBP. At first it wouldn't run, so he sent me the Cisco.pm file from his Fedora Core 4 box. I backed up my Cisco.pm file then copied his over. This got it working. Tomorrow, I plan to try it using OS X, and also my CentOS 4.4 box. When I document how to use the script I want to be able to point to a specific, tested setup. That will be some Linux distro, since it's unlikely that whoever actually implements the DNS changes will have access to a Mac. But they should have no problem scrounging up a PC to run the script on Linux.

Memorial Day

Thank you to all the American servicemen and women who gave their lives so that we are free.

A Long Time Ago ...

You didn't think I would not have a post about the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, did you?

Yup, today is the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars. I was not quite nine years old. I saw it shortly after it was released, at the theater in the Security Mall outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The first night we went to see it traffic backed up from the mall parking lot onto the Baltimore Beltway (I-695), and by the time we got into the lot, the only available seats were way up front. My parents didn't want to sit there, so we left and came back the next night. I recall seeing the poster in the theater's lobby and thinking that I might or might not like the movie.

It turned out to be a defining moment in my life. I've been a Star Wars nerd ever since.

REI Basecamp 6 Tent

On Sunday I posted to the Survival and Emeregency Preparedness Blog a review of the REI Basecamp 6 tent which I bought a few weeks ago. Forgot to mention it here.

BitTorrent Follow Up

After a bit of futzing around, Friday night I got Azureus setup on Bagend to both track and seed the torrents of the four DVDs. Aside from Azureus, I had to open up ports 6969 and 50995 on my router and forward them to Bagend's private IP. Port 6969 is for the tracker, while 50995 is for the actual file sharing.

About five other people started downloading them, and the last time I checked this morning I'm uploading at around 40 kbps for each disc.

Distributing content this way can take more time than more traditional means like FTP, but because it distributes the bandwidth needed to do so, makes the ability to share content more accessible to people without fat pipes.

Playing with BitTorrent

A member of one of the mailing lists to which I subscribe made a set of DVDs of a seminar available to interested members for the cost of duplication. I mentioned that BitTorrent would be a good way of distributing copies of the DVDs, rather than snail-mailing out discs. After some discussion, including getting permission from the copyright owner, I volunteered to handle BT distribution. The guy who made the dupes mailed me a copy and I'm in the process of making them available through BT.

See, peer-to-peer technology can be used for more than sharing pR0n and warez.

My first task was to create .ISOs of each of the four DVDs. Actually, I copied each disc to Bagend's hard disk last night, then made the .ISOs this morning while logged in remotely using XP's built-in Remote Desktop Protocol functionality. Because creating and compressing each .ISO took some time, I could start each task then put the MS RDP client into the background on my Mac, then periodically check on things. If I ever do this again I'll skip the initial copy and just use DVD Shrink to create the .ISOs directly from the discs.

As an aside, RDP seems to be one thing Microsoft got right. Even with my RDP client set to display thousands of colors, the refresh times were very quick, much better than VNC. It helps that I have a 1.5 Mbps upstream connection at home. I am using MS's RDP client for OS X. Even though it's a PPC app it seems to run fine. I also use it for remote administration of a client's Windows servers, so this isn't the first time I'm playing with it.

Because I am using Bagend for this, I used the free Windows program DVD Shrink to make the .ISO images. To reduce their size and save some bandwidth, I compressed each image using gzip (I have Cygwin installed on Bagend). The people who will be downloading the DVDs are Mac users, so they already have gzip installed for decompression; they should actually be able to decompress the images in Finder.

Later, I plan to create and host the torrents using Azureus. Hopefully tonight. I'll post an update after doing so to comment on this.

Client Visit and Plans

This morning I paid a visit to one of my clients to apply some server updates and have a planning session. Unlike a lot of small businesses, they are astute enough to realize that their business depends on their IT systems being reliable and performing well.

Our first priority is to get them setup with a backup Internet connection. Their current cable modem service is very reliable, but on rare occasions it does go down, during which time their productivity goes in the crapper. So, they're going to look into a DSL line to complement the cable modem.

With two Internet services, ideally they'll automatically switch to the backup if the primary goes down. Load balancing the two connections would be good, as well. I'm going to look into both failover and load balancing.

Along with a backup ISP, they need a backup email server at a second location. Due to the file sizes they send and receive through email, they are not a good candidate for hosted mail. One more thing for me to look into.

Sometime in the next year or so, they will probably upgrade their LAN from 100 Mbps switched Ethernet to Gig-E. I'm leaning in the direction of HP ProCurve switches, based on what I've heard (i.e., that they are reliable but significantly cheaper than Cisco). If any readers can offer suggestions here I'd appreciate them. Their current backbone switch has 24 ports and it's maxed out. I'm just starting to look at this so a 36 port switch (if such exists) or a 48 port switch is needed. Or maybe two 24 port switches.

They have a second site that is small but has growing storage needs. A Buffalo Terastation NAS box like they have at the main site may be ideal. How to back it up is also under consideration.

A longterm need they may have is VPN connectivity between their two locations. For this I'm looking at either a Netscreen or SonicWALL solution. Both vendors have good solutions at reasonable prices. Also, both should be easier to configure than something that's Cisco-based.

This stuff should keep me busy for awhile.

D.C. Court of Appeals Denies En Banc Hearing for Parker

{H/T ChestyP at THR}

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the city's petition for an en banc rehearing of the Parker case. Thus, the city has two options:

1. Drop it and let the court's ruling stand, and modify their gun control law accordingly.
2. Petition the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, i.e., appeal it.

If DC picks number two and SCOTUS grants cert, this will be the case in which it is decided whether the Second Amendment to the US Consitition protects an indivdual right, and to what extent.

Stayed tuned, folks.

Another Full Weekend

We had another full weekend.

Friday on my lunch hour I swung by Holt's Cigars and picked up a few stogies, along with a new pipe. The pipe wasn't expensive, but it's made of briar with a curved stem, and was made in the Czech Republic. I also picked up a couple ounces of natural cavendish tobacco, and smoked it Friday night. Very nice.

Saturday I did some more yard work. Cleaning up some branches which I cut down, cutting them to length and stacking them to season, taking down a small scraggly tree, and raking up a few years' worth of pine needles. I filled four yard cleanup bags with needles and still have a pretty big pile remaining.

Later in the day we went to a birthday party for the son of one of my friends.

Yesterday I hit the sale at REI where I bought a pair of Merrell Pulse boots and an REI Basecamp 6 tent.

The Merrells are very comfortable and fit like heavy duty high-top sneakers. I have flat feet so I'm particular about footwear. If they last me as long as my last set of Merrells, I'll need to replace them in 2020. And I'm not planning on tossing my old boots, they are still quite wearable but they are looking raggedy. I'll keep them as a backup and for when I might not want to wear nice boots.

My plans for the tent include family camping trips, and a three-day trip to the wilds of Central PA that I'm planning with my brother for this Summer. I wanted something a little larger than a 4-man tent but not something as big as one of those gigantic cabin tents that you can buy. It'll also become part of our emergency kit, just in case. Since our emergency plans involve evacuating by truck, the extra weight of the 6-man vs. 4-man tent isn't a problem.

I wrapped things up last night by participating in the weekly MARC club net.

Extending the Reach of a Wireless Network

My latest article, Extending the Reach of a Wireless Network, is up on CMP's ChannelWeb, formerly TechBuilder.org. Alas, TB appears to be going by the wayside and I won't be writing any more articles for them. Hopefully, I can link up with other publishers, because I really enjoy doing these articles.

A Full Weekend

It was a full weekend, starting out Friday night when we had my folks, my MIL, BIL and his wife over for dinner. We had Chinese takeout so at least we didn't have to cook.

After everyone left I got on a radio net for the first time in awhile.

Saturday Judith took the girls to the next township over for their township day. Think "fair at the park." While they were out having fun I did yard work -- pruning one of the big pine trees and taking out a bush. Our backyard is bordered by bushes and trees on the left, right, and rear. This provides a lot of privacy but unfortunately provides places for skeets and gnats to live, making it unusable for a few months of the year. So, I am partially defoliating the hedgerows to allow more breezes in, and reduce the amount of hiding places for the bugs.

Saturday night we went to Chickie's & Pete's on Roosevelt Blvd. in Philly for mussels. C's & P's has the best mussels I've ever had -- they are large and served up in your choice of a garlicky red or white sauce.

Yesterday morning we went over to my MIL's for brunch. While the girls were crashing afterwards I farted around on the Intarweb and J. went out shopping. Later, everyone came over for a barbecue.

Again, after everyone went home I got on the radio. I also ordered a PanelRelief adjustable coax feed-through panel from Quicksilver Radio. It's an adjustable Lexan panel with two SO239-to-SO239 connectors on it, for mounting in a window. Now, when I want to use my FT-7800R I have to open the window in my office and connect the antenna cable which sits coiled up on the sill. This isn't a problem when it's warm but it gets a bit chilly during the winter, even if I put a rolled up towel in the window to block the breeze. The PanelRelief will allow me to semi-permanently connect the coax cable coming from antenna. I'll then connect a 3-foot patch cord from the radio to the panel, and will be able to easily detach it in the event of a thunderstorm.

Getting a few things out of the way

I took the day off yesterday so that I could be home while a contractor came out to install Comcast Digital Voice. With my employee discount, I'll be saving about $10 per month compared to Vonage. (I don't mention my employer by name very often but I've disclosed it here previously.)

According to the tech, my RF levels are perfect, which is good to know. Before installing the Arris MTA (Multimedia Terminal Adapter -- fancy name for a cable modem which supports telephone connections) he replaced the ground block for my cable drop, and the splitter out back. He also cleaned up some of the spaghetti where the drop comes into the house by shortening the coax patch cords.

I now have both the Arris MTA and my regular SMC8014 modems. The Arris is being used only for my phone service, while the SMC, with its built-in router, will continue to provide my Internet service. The SMC and my phone are plugged into an APC Back-UPS 650 for electricity. The Arris has a built-in battery that should provide up to 6 hours of standby power in case of an electrical outage.

Because Comcast CDV packets are prioritized on our network I am hoping that the quality will be better than Vonage's. Vonage packets are treated like any other packet, so they'll be more susceptible to network congestion. So far the only call I've made was to call Vonage to cancel my service, and it sounded fine.

After taking care of the phones I ran down to Microcenter to pick up new speakers for Bagend. Awhile ago I'd removed the old Altec-Lansing satellite/subwoofer speaker system and just had a headset connected. We now use Bagend sometimes for Skype calls to my brother-in-law, who lives in Okinawa, Japan. So, we needed speakers so that we could all see and talk at the same time. I wanted a two-piece speaker set due to space constraints, and Microcenter had a set of Altec-Lansing speakers w/o a subwoofer for $30. I hooked them up yesterday afternoon and they sound decent. For a mic we use the one built-in to my Logitech webcam. This setup works well.

The last thing I accomplished was to get my wheelbarrow back in service. I found a new wheel with a solid tire at Lowe's and used it to replace the original wheel which uses an inflateable tire. The original tire had long since gone flat and I'd never gotten around to fixing it. Now I'll never have to worry about it. I see no need for an inflateable on a wheelbarrow, at least for my use, it's not like I care about dirt getting a smoother ride. If the weather is decent this weekend I'll see about refinishing the wooden handles. They've been exposed to weather for about five or six years and need it. I'll probably just slather on some linseed oil and call it good.

Flashback

Ack. I think I'm having a flashback to my life as a field engineer.

I'm working with a vendor who is trying to setup a new application in our demo lab. Their app runs on a couple Sun boxen in our data center and displays data on a couple of PCs connected to it via the Internet. The problem we're seeing is a delay of about 10 seconds between the time the server sees something then relays it to the PC. The response should be nearly instantaneous.

So, I'm sitting here in the lab mostly twiddling my thumbs, communicating with the vendor with AIM, and occassionally doing something when he needs someone local.

It feels like all those times I was out on a service call and waiting for the NOC to do something.

Marlin Camp 45 Tips

In the past I've written about my Marlin Camp 45. This a very fun, reliable, and accurate little rifle. Although Marlin discontinued them around 2000 or 2001, they remain popular and prices have gone up quite a bit in the past few years. If you see a Camp 45 in good condition for under $500 get it. Aside from being popular as the host for a suppressor, I suspect that when Kim du Toit wrote about his a few years ago he caused a surge in demand.

Ever since I first wrote about my Camp 45 I've occasionally received requests for guidance on them. Here are some tips to keep them running well:

1. Before you even shoot it, replace the wimpy 11# factory recoil spring with a 21# Wolff. The 11# spring is OK for the Camp 9, but the Camp 45 is grossly undersprung from the factory. If I got a Camp 9 I'd put a 16# Wolff in it. (Actually, I'd originally put a 16# in it, but then shot GeekWithA45's Camp 45, which sold me on the 21# spring. It functions well with the heavy spring, the recoil is almost zero, and as a lefty I no longer get stuff in my face shooting out the ejection port.) Caveat: With the 21# spring the action is very stiff, so if you have weak hands you may be better off with the 16# spring.

2. Ensure that the screws holding the action in the stock are tight. A loose fit, plus the OEM spring, are probably the reasons that the Camp 45 has the reputation for cracking stocks.

3. As you may know they use M1911 magazines. However, you must use mags which have a squared cutout on the top rear. Those with a semicircular cut will not seat all the way in the mag well. Chip McCormick Shooting Stars and Power Mags work well in my Camp 45.

4. The Camp 45 has a buffer in the back of the receiver which keeps the steel bolt from smacking the aluminum receiver. With a lot of shooting they can wear out, although this is less of a problem if you install a heavier recoil spring per #1, above. Pick up a spare from Marlin or Blackjack Buffers.

5. The trigger housing, which holds most of the guts of the gun, is made of plastic. It's not some fancy modern polymer so keep solvents away from it. I use nothing stronger than FP-10. Ballistol, Break Free CLP or automatic transmission fluid should also be fine. I've read from people who've learned the hard way that Gun Scrubber (AKA non-chlorinated brake cleaner) will melt it into a pile of black goo, so keep it far away.

6. Camp 45s have Marlin's Microgroove rifling, which has the reputation of shooting lead bullets poorly. I've shot only jacketed bullets in mine, so I can't speak from experience. However, it's something to be aware of before you loading up a pile of .45 ACP with lead bullets. Try a box or two of lead loads before stocking up.

Oh yeah, mine ain't for sale.

VA Tech Tragedy

Unless you've been under a rock, you've heard by now that today marks the deadliest school shooting in US history. Today, a gunman killed at least 31 people at Virginia Tech, and wounded many more.

As if on cue, the Brady Bunch and fellow gun banners are saying that we need more gun control.

BULLSHIT.

GUN CONTROL IS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR TODAY'S TRAGEDY.

Gun control created the environment in which a killer could run rampant without fear of being stopped.

As long as man is a social animal there will be bad members of society. Criminals, whether they are cold blooded killers, crazed psychotics, or terrorists, do not obey the law. VA Tech was a "gun-free zone" according to school policy. It should be obvious by now that "gun-free zone" = "target-rich environment." The school's policy is tantamount to unilateral victim disarmament. How many times in the past has that stopped predators? In 1915 Armenia? In Nazi Germany? In the killing fields of Cambodia? Today in Darfur? In numerous school shootings here in the US?

VA Tech has about 25,000 students. Let's say, for the sake of discussion, that concealed carry was legal on campus but only 1% of the student body took advantage of the ability to be legally armed. There would have been 250 persons on campus who could have responsed to the gunman's attack.

Years ago, Israel was plagued with school shootings perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists. Those shootings stopped when the Israelis started arming school staff with Uzis and M1 Carbines. No longer juicy pickings, the Pali terrorists moved onto easier targets.

In the US, the majority of college students are legally adults. They should be encouraged to take responsibility for themselves, not hindered in doing so. Society should view someone willing to equip himself with a gun and training for defense in the same way it looks at someone who keeps a fire extinguisher in his kitchen. Carry a gun for self-defense doesn't make someone a vigilante or cop wannabe, just like having fire extinguishers at home doesn't make someone a fireman wannabe.

Ironically, last year there was an effort in the Virginia legislature to lift the ban on legal CCW at VA's universities, but sadly it died in committee. At the time, a VA Tech spokesman was quoted:

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

As usual, reflexive hoplophobia based on "feelings" ultimately resulted in dozens of dead and wounded innocents.

It's time to bury the pernicious myth that disarming good people can save them from evil.

A Few Inches of Global Warming

This morning I came out of the house to a few inches of global warming. Aside from the rain, the Nor'Easter which has slammed the NE US for the past day dumped a few inches of snow. After I got to the train station I took this pic of the parking lot with my cell phone:



That's a few inches of snow/slush. Location is the Chestnut Hill West station in NW Philadelphia, PA.

All of SEPTA's commuter rail lines were delayed, and I had to walk over to the CH East line, because I just missed the last train leaving from the West. Several other lines were down, so the office is a bit empty today. New Jersey got it much worse and is experiencing widespread flooding.

Somehow, I think we'll get by without FEMA, though.

Put the Blame Where it Lies

From the Philadelphia Stinky, no less:

We have to stop pointing the finger everywhere but at the very people who prey on us each day. Over time we have allowed our value system to erode. We refuse to hold people accountable for their actions and constantly make excuses for their inexcusable behavior. The incessant cry for tougher gun laws is a good example. Until we're ready to strictly enforce the current laws there is no reason for tougher ones.

...

Joseph Fox
Chief of Detectives
Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia

LINKY.