I would appreciate it if any of my readers who have recent experience with Eudora as an IMAP client (not as a POP3 client) would let me know what they think. I've used Eudora as a POP client and it works well. I haven't tried it recently with IMAP and I'm thinking of doing so.
Primary use would be on OS X, but I might use it on XP for those occasions I'm working on Bagend, my Althon box running XP.
I've tried Apple's Mail.app as an IMAP client and it sucks for that, although it maybe an OK POP client (I don't know). When accessing mailboxes via IMAP, Mail.app is slow and fails to properly expunge deleted messages.
Thanks.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Infoweek: Switching to the Mac
Infoweek is running an article, Switching to the Mac: A Guide for Windows Users. It's a pretty comprehensive guide, covering Mac hardware, the OS-X UI, software, and running Windows on Apple hardware.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
More on SLED 10 RC3
I'm doing some more work with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 RC3 today. I wanted to test a few things in particular:
It took a little bit of futzing around to get Helix Banshee to play MP3s. I copied a few MP3s from my iBook to the SanDisk flash drive, connected it to the Dell, then tried to import the files into HB directly from the flash drive. No go. It seemed to import the files but they wouldn't play until I first manually copied them to the Dell's hard disk, then import them. This needs to be made a bit more seamless.
I couldn't get Evolution to work with my Exchange server. When I tried to authenticate after entering in my account info, I got the error referenced here. The solution recommended is fine and dandy, but the odds of our Exchange admins adding BPROPFIND to the server's URL scan config is basically nil. Since the way that Evolution is going to make its way into many enterprises (if at all) is via a back door, the Evolution developers need to add the SEARCH method of WebDAV connectivity to Evo's capabilities.
It'll be interesting to see how SLED develops and how well it's received in the enterprise.
- Plug & play recognition of USB flash drives
- Plug & play recognition of a USB three-button wheelmouse
- How well it handled audio files, specifically in the Helix Banshee MP3 player
- Evolution's ability to connect to my employer's WebDAV-enabled Exchange server
It took a little bit of futzing around to get Helix Banshee to play MP3s. I copied a few MP3s from my iBook to the SanDisk flash drive, connected it to the Dell, then tried to import the files into HB directly from the flash drive. No go. It seemed to import the files but they wouldn't play until I first manually copied them to the Dell's hard disk, then import them. This needs to be made a bit more seamless.
I couldn't get Evolution to work with my Exchange server. When I tried to authenticate after entering in my account info, I got the error referenced here. The solution recommended is fine and dandy, but the odds of our Exchange admins adding BPROPFIND to the server's URL scan config is basically nil. Since the way that Evolution is going to make its way into many enterprises (if at all) is via a back door, the Evolution developers need to add the SEARCH method of WebDAV connectivity to Evo's capabilities.
It'll be interesting to see how SLED develops and how well it's received in the enterprise.
The Dangerous Book for Boys
I like this:
I have two girls. I don't want them to grow up and have to marry some PC, metrosexual pussy. I'm going to do my best to ensure that they can handle themselves but I want them to be able to have a man who can take care of them if TSHTF. I hope we see more like this.
The Dangerous Book for Boys by the British brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden is a practical manual that returns boys to the wonder and almost lost world of tree houses and pirate flags. It celebrates the art of teaching an old mutt new tricks and accepts skinned knees as an acceptable risk for running through fields with the same dog yapping along.
I have two girls. I don't want them to grow up and have to marry some PC, metrosexual pussy. I'm going to do my best to ensure that they can handle themselves but I want them to be able to have a man who can take care of them if TSHTF. I hope we see more like this.
Monday, July 03, 2006
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 RC3
I installed SLED 10 RC3 on my lab laptop this morning in a dual boot configuration with XP Pro. The box previously dual booted XP and SUSE Professional 9.3. The installation went smoothly.
By default, SLED uses GNOME as the desktop environment. I did a custom install and added KDE, though I'm playing around in GNOME for now. It seems to have installed a sensible config, and one thing I like is that the Windows key is automatically setup to open the "Computer" menu (equivalent to the Start menu in Windows).
The default browser is Firefox 1.5.0.4 with Java and Flash already installed and running. The default mail client is Evolution, which I haven't putzed with yet. Helix Banshee is the media player. It appears to be an open source work-alike to iTunes, but since there's no music on the box I haven't tested it out. Sound is working fine, however. OpenOffice 2.0.2 is installed for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.
Unfortunately, my ATI video adapter is not supported by XGL, so I won't be testing that nifty bit of eye candy out on this machine.
My initial impression is favorable. I'll post more after I've had the chance to really take SLED 10 RC3 for a spin.
By default, SLED uses GNOME as the desktop environment. I did a custom install and added KDE, though I'm playing around in GNOME for now. It seems to have installed a sensible config, and one thing I like is that the Windows key is automatically setup to open the "Computer" menu (equivalent to the Start menu in Windows).
The default browser is Firefox 1.5.0.4 with Java and Flash already installed and running. The default mail client is Evolution, which I haven't putzed with yet. Helix Banshee is the media player. It appears to be an open source work-alike to iTunes, but since there's no music on the box I haven't tested it out. Sound is working fine, however. OpenOffice 2.0.2 is installed for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.
Unfortunately, my ATI video adapter is not supported by XGL, so I won't be testing that nifty bit of eye candy out on this machine.
My initial impression is favorable. I'll post more after I've had the chance to really take SLED 10 RC3 for a spin.
Every American Should Read This At Least Once A Year
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
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 [George III] 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 benefits 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 and 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 the 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.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
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
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 [George III] 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 benefits 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 and 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 the 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.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
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
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Netscreen 5GT Firewall & PPTP
It seems the Netscreen 5GT doesn't like PPTP VPN pass-throughs.
When I mentioned to the people who support our hospitality product that I was looking at a Netscreen as a possible alternative to the Cisco 1811, they told me that they'd looked at one previously but rejected it because it blocked outgoing PPTP sessions. I was skeptical and asked for more information.
They told me that the Netscreen would allow the outbound request to initiate a PPTP session but blocked the incoming IP Protocol 47 - GRE necessary to establish the session. They'd experienced this with a Cisco PIX as well, although I think Cisco subsequently issued a patch to the PIX firmware to address the issue.
Anyway, this morning I configured one of our SMC8014 modems as a PPTP server and tried to reach it from an XP box located behind the 5GT. No dice. The 8014 saw the incoming request but apparently the 5GT is blocking the incoming GRE traffic, just like the aforementioned PIX was.
To verify that the 8014 was setup properly I initiated PPTP sessions to it after connecting the XP box to a different 8014, and then a Motorola Surfboard. Yep, it's working correctly.
So, I emailed my contact at Juniper about this (I'd given him a heads up over lunch yesterday). If they fix it, great. If not, it's a show-stopper. We can't block hotel guests from contacting Microsoft VPNs.
When I mentioned to the people who support our hospitality product that I was looking at a Netscreen as a possible alternative to the Cisco 1811, they told me that they'd looked at one previously but rejected it because it blocked outgoing PPTP sessions. I was skeptical and asked for more information.
They told me that the Netscreen would allow the outbound request to initiate a PPTP session but blocked the incoming IP Protocol 47 - GRE necessary to establish the session. They'd experienced this with a Cisco PIX as well, although I think Cisco subsequently issued a patch to the PIX firmware to address the issue.
Anyway, this morning I configured one of our SMC8014 modems as a PPTP server and tried to reach it from an XP box located behind the 5GT. No dice. The 8014 saw the incoming request but apparently the 5GT is blocking the incoming GRE traffic, just like the aforementioned PIX was.
To verify that the 8014 was setup properly I initiated PPTP sessions to it after connecting the XP box to a different 8014, and then a Motorola Surfboard. Yep, it's working correctly.
So, I emailed my contact at Juniper about this (I'd given him a heads up over lunch yesterday). If they fix it, great. If not, it's a show-stopper. We can't block hotel guests from contacting Microsoft VPNs.
New Survival Preps Blog
To keep my preps discussions focused, I decided to create a dedicate blog for it. Please check out my new Survival & Emergency Preparedness Blog.
Preparedness - 1
My parents have been over for dinner even more than usual lately, due to the fact that their kitchen is currently torn up and in the process of being completely remodeled. Since Judith and I get along with both sets of parents this isn't a problem. However, last night my mom said something that surprised me.
Mom is a liberal Democrat (I love her anyway), and works for Montgomery County. Earlier this week she attended a county training session on emergency preparedness, part of which was dedicated to a discussion of the possible effects of an avian flu epidemic. She mentioned how in the training it was recommended that people should have a supply of food and water on hand, in case they're shut in for an extended period.
What surprised me is that she isn't blowing this off. Mom and Dad (overall I'd rate him as a moderate Republican, except in a few areas where he's far right) are now looking at laying in some supplies. She has a list provided by the trainer. Of course, it doesn't include firearms for defense in the event of social breakdown or run of the mill crime, but thanks to Dad, that ain't an issue. ;-)
That a liberal Dem -- i.e., the type of person who by definition looks to the goobermint for help in times of need -- would take the responsibility to look out for herself in a disaster is refreshing, to put it mildly. One thing that the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina taught us is that you don't want to have to be dependent upon someone else in the event of a disaster.
It's still too early to know whether avian flu will become a real threat or a complete non-issue like the swine flu of the 1970s or the non-aftermath of Y2K, but there are plenty of other reasons to have a store of supplies on hand so you can weather an interruption of normal society, e.g.,
There are a ton of online resources available to help you get started with survival preps. AvianFlu.gov is a good place to start. Also check out your state and local emergency management agencies, who often have checklists available on their websites.
You'll note that this post is title "Preparedness - 1." I'm planning to do a series of posts which will cover this general topic. Questions and suggestions for specific topics are welcome.
Mom is a liberal Democrat (I love her anyway), and works for Montgomery County. Earlier this week she attended a county training session on emergency preparedness, part of which was dedicated to a discussion of the possible effects of an avian flu epidemic. She mentioned how in the training it was recommended that people should have a supply of food and water on hand, in case they're shut in for an extended period.
What surprised me is that she isn't blowing this off. Mom and Dad (overall I'd rate him as a moderate Republican, except in a few areas where he's far right) are now looking at laying in some supplies. She has a list provided by the trainer. Of course, it doesn't include firearms for defense in the event of social breakdown or run of the mill crime, but thanks to Dad, that ain't an issue. ;-)
That a liberal Dem -- i.e., the type of person who by definition looks to the goobermint for help in times of need -- would take the responsibility to look out for herself in a disaster is refreshing, to put it mildly. One thing that the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina taught us is that you don't want to have to be dependent upon someone else in the event of a disaster.
It's still too early to know whether avian flu will become a real threat or a complete non-issue like the swine flu of the 1970s or the non-aftermath of Y2K, but there are plenty of other reasons to have a store of supplies on hand so you can weather an interruption of normal society, e.g.,
- Hurricanes
- Less severe but still serious weather
- Winter storms
- Power failures like the Blackout of 2003
- Toxic waste spills
- Riots
- Terrorism.
There are a ton of online resources available to help you get started with survival preps. AvianFlu.gov is a good place to start. Also check out your state and local emergency management agencies, who often have checklists available on their websites.
You'll note that this post is title "Preparedness - 1." I'm planning to do a series of posts which will cover this general topic. Questions and suggestions for specific topics are welcome.
Monday, June 26, 2006
DSL Router Setup
Yesterday I went over to my brother's new apartment to setup the Netgear WGR614v6 router that I gave him as a housewarming gift. He wanted to get Comcast cable modem service but it's not available for him, so he got Verizon ADSL instead.
Verizon uses PPPoE on its ADSL connections and their online help pages were remarkably unhelpful. There's no information on their site showing you how to setup a router, for instance. As a matter of fact, they state that you cannot use any home networking equipment other than what they'll sell you to share one of their DSL connections. Verizon's "help" page claims that they work with vendors to specifically build equipment to work with their service, implying that it is totally proprietary.
Bullshit.
The Netgear router has a setup wizard which will automatically detect the type of Internet connection it's plugged into, and configure itself accordingly. I ran the wizard and entered Josh's account information, and we were up and running.
Take that, you pinheads.
Next, I had to setup the wireless part of his network. He has a 12" G4 PowerBook and wanted to be able to use the AirPort card from anywhere in the apartment. I changed the default SSID and enabled WPA-PSK encryption (which Apple calls WPA Personal in OS-X) and was able to the wireless working easily. After I tested it with my iBook and got his PowerBook connected, we disabled SSID broadcast, so that unless someone is using a wireless sniffer his network shouldn't even appear to other users.
I had Josh login to the router, pointed out various parts of the interface, and had him save a backup of the config to his laptop, in case he needs to default the box at some point.
Compared with my Comcast cable modem the Verizon speed is a lot lower. Josh was able to stream a video off Youtube easily, and checking my email presented no problems, but sending a large file attachment took a lot longer on the DSL connection than the cable modem. If I remember correctly, the upstream on the DSL is 128K. It's 384K on cable. For his uses, though, it'll suffice, and it sure beats 56K dial up.
Verizon uses PPPoE on its ADSL connections and their online help pages were remarkably unhelpful. There's no information on their site showing you how to setup a router, for instance. As a matter of fact, they state that you cannot use any home networking equipment other than what they'll sell you to share one of their DSL connections. Verizon's "help" page claims that they work with vendors to specifically build equipment to work with their service, implying that it is totally proprietary.
Bullshit.
The Netgear router has a setup wizard which will automatically detect the type of Internet connection it's plugged into, and configure itself accordingly. I ran the wizard and entered Josh's account information, and we were up and running.
Take that, you pinheads.
Next, I had to setup the wireless part of his network. He has a 12" G4 PowerBook and wanted to be able to use the AirPort card from anywhere in the apartment. I changed the default SSID and enabled WPA-PSK encryption (which Apple calls WPA Personal in OS-X) and was able to the wireless working easily. After I tested it with my iBook and got his PowerBook connected, we disabled SSID broadcast, so that unless someone is using a wireless sniffer his network shouldn't even appear to other users.
I had Josh login to the router, pointed out various parts of the interface, and had him save a backup of the config to his laptop, in case he needs to default the box at some point.
Compared with my Comcast cable modem the Verizon speed is a lot lower. Josh was able to stream a video off Youtube easily, and checking my email presented no problems, but sending a large file attachment took a lot longer on the DSL connection than the cable modem. If I remember correctly, the upstream on the DSL is 128K. It's 384K on cable. For his uses, though, it'll suffice, and it sure beats 56K dial up.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Locks of Love
Alexandra went and got a haircut this morning. Her hair was almost down to her behind and we didn't want all that to go to waste. So, the ~10" that was cut off is being donated to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides prosthetic hairpieces to financially disadvantaged kids suffering medically-related hair loss, e.g. due to chemotherapy.
Anyway, here's Alexandra with her new look (and Amanda just because):
Anyway, here's Alexandra with her new look (and Amanda just because):
Thursday, June 22, 2006
YASI
Yet another sinus infection, hence the minimal blogging around here.
Before having kids in daycare I rarely got sinus infections. Now it seems like it's every couple of weeks. This sucks.
Now, if I could just come with an industrial use for snot, I'd be all set.
Before having kids in daycare I rarely got sinus infections. Now it seems like it's every couple of weeks. This sucks.
Now, if I could just come with an industrial use for snot, I'd be all set.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Netscreen 5GT Firewall
Yesterday I spent most of the day in the lab working with a Juniper/Netscreen 5GT firewall. We're looking at it for a possible two box solution for our hospitality Internet service. It's a potentially easier to configure alternative to Cisco's low end boxen, like their 1811.
The 5GTs come in a few flavors but we're evaluating the lowest end box. Compared with out current setup -- and SMC8013 cable modem router -- it's still quite powerful. Like the Ciscos, the Netscreen can be configured via the CLI, but it also has a very nice web GUI.
Juniper gave me a second box to play with and suggested I take it home. I'm working on getting a second cable modem for home and then I'll be able to leave my existing modem and Vonage router unmolested, while I put my network behind the 5GT. Since I generally have an IMAP connection running between my laptop and mail.building-tux.com during the day, I plan on testing the VPN feature of the 5GT by setting it up as a VPN endpoint then getting my email through a VPN tunnel. This will give me an idea of the stablility of the box's VPN termination features. The unit I took home also has wireless, so I'll be able to see how that well feature works compared with my current Netgear consumer-grade WAP.
The 5GTs come in a few flavors but we're evaluating the lowest end box. Compared with out current setup -- and SMC8013 cable modem router -- it's still quite powerful. Like the Ciscos, the Netscreen can be configured via the CLI, but it also has a very nice web GUI.
Juniper gave me a second box to play with and suggested I take it home. I'm working on getting a second cable modem for home and then I'll be able to leave my existing modem and Vonage router unmolested, while I put my network behind the 5GT. Since I generally have an IMAP connection running between my laptop and mail.building-tux.com during the day, I plan on testing the VPN feature of the 5GT by setting it up as a VPN endpoint then getting my email through a VPN tunnel. This will give me an idea of the stablility of the box's VPN termination features. The unit I took home also has wireless, so I'll be able to see how that well feature works compared with my current Netgear consumer-grade WAP.
Monday, June 12, 2006
FreeBSD Mail Server Article, Part 2
Part 2 of my article, Building a Mail Server with Commodity Hardware and FreeBSD is now online at TechBuilder.org.
Got fire?
Yesterday I learned how to be a BBQ grill mechanic.
A couple of weeks ago the piezo electric ignitor died on our four year old gas grill. (Had it been up to me, we would have a charcoal grill, but Judith bought it with some birthday money so I had no choice.) I was still able to use the grill but had to light it with one of those long kitchen lighter things. After singing some hair off my hand when lighting it I decided that it would be smart to install a new ignitor.
So, I picked up a new ignitor at Lowe's. After taking the grill apart I saw that the part of the burner bar where I'd be installing it was rusted away, so back to Lowe's I went for a new burner bar.
With all the parts in-hand, I actually RTFM and replaced the old stuff. I turned on the gas, crossed my fingers, and pushed the ignitor button a few times.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! No flame. WTF?
After letting the propane gas dissipate I rummaged around in the grill and discovered that the new ignitor electrode seemed to be touching its mount, which prevented spark generation. So I rearranged it, snugged down a bolt, and tried again.
FWOOSH! I MADE FIRE!
Hehehe.
Dinner last night was BBQed filet mignon and boneless chicken breasts, washed down with Yuengling Lager, a fine wrap up to the weekend.
A couple of weeks ago the piezo electric ignitor died on our four year old gas grill. (Had it been up to me, we would have a charcoal grill, but Judith bought it with some birthday money so I had no choice.) I was still able to use the grill but had to light it with one of those long kitchen lighter things. After singing some hair off my hand when lighting it I decided that it would be smart to install a new ignitor.
So, I picked up a new ignitor at Lowe's. After taking the grill apart I saw that the part of the burner bar where I'd be installing it was rusted away, so back to Lowe's I went for a new burner bar.
With all the parts in-hand, I actually RTFM and replaced the old stuff. I turned on the gas, crossed my fingers, and pushed the ignitor button a few times.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! No flame. WTF?
After letting the propane gas dissipate I rummaged around in the grill and discovered that the new ignitor electrode seemed to be touching its mount, which prevented spark generation. So I rearranged it, snugged down a bolt, and tried again.
FWOOSH! I MADE FIRE!
Hehehe.
Dinner last night was BBQed filet mignon and boneless chicken breasts, washed down with Yuengling Lager, a fine wrap up to the weekend.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Rally Point After Action Report
The Rally Point shoot today went well. It was held at the Langhorne Rod & Gun Club, which I have to say is the nicest gun club I've seen since moving to Pennsylvania in 1979. For me, the gold standard for shooting ranges is the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore range in Marriotsville, MD. LRG&C was the first range I've seen which compares with the AGC range, though the New Holland Rod & Gun club out in Lancaster County comes close. I'm seriously considering getting a membership.
Turnout was pretty good, though I don't know yet how many people we had. At least twenty. I spent most of my time on the 50 yard smallbore/black powder/pistol range. Centerfire rifles are not normally permitted on that range but the club appears to have made an exception today. So, I was able to run about 105 rounds through the Rock-Ola M1 Carbine that I picked up a couple of weeks ago.
The M1 ran well except for a couple of malfunctions early on. I had one bolt over base failure to feed, and one instance when the last round in the magazine popped up and instead of feeding into the chamber, stovepiped. Both malfs were with the 15 round magazine that I got with the Carbine. This particular magazine has seen better days.
I have a single 30 round aftermarket M1 Carbine mag. It generally works OK in my Underwood, but I found out today it won't fully seat in the Rock-Ola. Unless I can find some excellent condition GI 30s, I'll still with the GI 15 rounders for anything serious, anyway.
The ammo I used today was 55 rounds of USGI Ball made by Remington in 1952. I got this on clips in bandoleers in a sealed spam can from Ammoman.com a few years ago. It looks new and shoots great, although both of today's malfs occurred with it. I also ran 50 rounds of current production Remington 110 grain jacketed soft points through the Carbine without any issues. I will need to pick up some more of this ammo.
I let one of the other guys who is from NJ shoot the Rock-Ola. The rifles he brought were all Kalashnikovs -- a SAR-1, a SAR-3, and a Chinese model. To show you how fouled up and illogical New Jersey's gun laws are, the Kalashnikovs and AR15-type rifles are legal in NJ with a 15 round or less magazine, while the less-powerful M1 Carbine is banned by name in NJ's state assault weapons ban.
After finishing up with the M1 I drove down to the 200 yard big bore range. Even though it doesn't have a covered firing line like the small bore range, it's still very nice. While there I got to observe a Savage Model LE2B .308 WCF rifle fitted with a sound suppressor being fired. The reduction in the report was astounding. Full-power .308 sounded like .22 LR high speed ammo being shot from a carbine. The rifle's owner has a picture posted here.
"Soda Pop," the organizer of the Rally Point events was there selling Woolrich Elite tactical clothing, for which he's a distributor. It all looks extremely well made and designed. I got one of the vests, which for the purposes of either concealed carry or "tactical" applications, is much better designed than the generic photographer's vests or safari vests often used for such. For example, compared with the Woolrich safari vest which I bought a few years ago, the WR Elite vest has a canvas shell as opposed to a softer cotton weave. This should stand up to abuse much better. Also, the pockets on the Elite vest look to be more useful than on the safari vest.
Several new shooters got some good instruction as well, which is a major focus of these events.
Turnout was pretty good, though I don't know yet how many people we had. At least twenty. I spent most of my time on the 50 yard smallbore/black powder/pistol range. Centerfire rifles are not normally permitted on that range but the club appears to have made an exception today. So, I was able to run about 105 rounds through the Rock-Ola M1 Carbine that I picked up a couple of weeks ago.
The M1 ran well except for a couple of malfunctions early on. I had one bolt over base failure to feed, and one instance when the last round in the magazine popped up and instead of feeding into the chamber, stovepiped. Both malfs were with the 15 round magazine that I got with the Carbine. This particular magazine has seen better days.
I have a single 30 round aftermarket M1 Carbine mag. It generally works OK in my Underwood, but I found out today it won't fully seat in the Rock-Ola. Unless I can find some excellent condition GI 30s, I'll still with the GI 15 rounders for anything serious, anyway.
The ammo I used today was 55 rounds of USGI Ball made by Remington in 1952. I got this on clips in bandoleers in a sealed spam can from Ammoman.com a few years ago. It looks new and shoots great, although both of today's malfs occurred with it. I also ran 50 rounds of current production Remington 110 grain jacketed soft points through the Carbine without any issues. I will need to pick up some more of this ammo.
I let one of the other guys who is from NJ shoot the Rock-Ola. The rifles he brought were all Kalashnikovs -- a SAR-1, a SAR-3, and a Chinese model. To show you how fouled up and illogical New Jersey's gun laws are, the Kalashnikovs and AR15-type rifles are legal in NJ with a 15 round or less magazine, while the less-powerful M1 Carbine is banned by name in NJ's state assault weapons ban.
After finishing up with the M1 I drove down to the 200 yard big bore range. Even though it doesn't have a covered firing line like the small bore range, it's still very nice. While there I got to observe a Savage Model LE2B .308 WCF rifle fitted with a sound suppressor being fired. The reduction in the report was astounding. Full-power .308 sounded like .22 LR high speed ammo being shot from a carbine. The rifle's owner has a picture posted here.
"Soda Pop," the organizer of the Rally Point events was there selling Woolrich Elite tactical clothing, for which he's a distributor. It all looks extremely well made and designed. I got one of the vests, which for the purposes of either concealed carry or "tactical" applications, is much better designed than the generic photographer's vests or safari vests often used for such. For example, compared with the Woolrich safari vest which I bought a few years ago, the WR Elite vest has a canvas shell as opposed to a softer cotton weave. This should stand up to abuse much better. Also, the pockets on the Elite vest look to be more useful than on the safari vest.
Several new shooters got some good instruction as well, which is a major focus of these events.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Rally Point Reminder
Just a reminder: the next Rally Point shoot is going to be this Saturday, 6/10/06, at the Langhorne Rod & Gun Club. If you're in the area we'd love to have you join us.
If you're coming please let us know in the announcement thread.
If you're coming please let us know in the announcement thread.
Writing
Sunday and yesterday I answered some editorial questions regarding Part 2 of my FreeBSD mail server article, then sent them back to my editors. Part 2 should be online at TechBuilder.org next Monday.
At work I’ve been working on the formal evaluation paper for last week’s trip. This morning I shipped off the first draft to my boss and the engineer who accompanied me to CA. I’d like to have the thing done this week.
At work I’ve been working on the formal evaluation paper for last week’s trip. This morning I shipped off the first draft to my boss and the engineer who accompanied me to CA. I’d like to have the thing done this week.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Build a Mail Server With Commodity Hardware & FreeBSD
Part 1 of my article, Build a Mail Server With Commodity Hardware and FreeBSD is now live at TechBuilder.org.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
SkypeOut
Today I made a couple of telephone calls from my iBook with SkypeOut. You may be aware that SkypeOut calls are free for American and Canadian residents to American and Canadian phones, through the end of 2006. I've had a Skype account for awhile but this was the first time I've used it.
Anyway, the first call was to my boss on his cell phone to check in with a daily update. My Internet connection was through a VOD/HSIA system, accessed via WiFi. The second call was to Judith on out Vonage line at home. In this case it was the wired Internet connection in my hotel, which I believe is fed via a T-1. In both cases it just worked. The sound quality was excellent, without any echoing or perceptable lag, and it worked full-duplex. I was quite impressed, especially for the first call, which in effect was like this:
Laptop <--> WiFi <--> NAT<--> Internet <--> PSTN <--> Cellular Network
Latency is bad for voice connections but any negative effects didn't seem to manifest themselves. The single biggest factor limiting sound quality on my end were the crummy speakers on my iBook, which just need to be a bit louder. If I'd had external speakers or better yet a headset, the calls would've sounded as good as a POTS call.
Anyway, the first call was to my boss on his cell phone to check in with a daily update. My Internet connection was through a VOD/HSIA system, accessed via WiFi. The second call was to Judith on out Vonage line at home. In this case it was the wired Internet connection in my hotel, which I believe is fed via a T-1. In both cases it just worked. The sound quality was excellent, without any echoing or perceptable lag, and it worked full-duplex. I was quite impressed, especially for the first call, which in effect was like this:
Laptop <--> WiFi <--> NAT<--> Internet <--> PSTN <--> Cellular Network
Latency is bad for voice connections but any negative effects didn't seem to manifest themselves. The single biggest factor limiting sound quality on my end were the crummy speakers on my iBook, which just need to be a bit louder. If I'd had external speakers or better yet a headset, the calls would've sounded as good as a POTS call.
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