Strange things happen to my linksys network this moring

Sunday, May 14, 2006

When I arrived on duty this morning (i.e., got up and went to check my email), I discovered that LUGGABLE was disconnected from my wifi net. First thing I did a repair and opened up wifi icon. My faithful OREGON wasn't there. Hmm. I wnt to OLDLAP and it do was disconnected. Now I know Comcast is in their Mother's Day freeze so it's unlikely that it was them. SO I went and restarted the linksys wap.

I checked my UDP forwards that Azureus was griping about while I was there. They all were all their as I thought. udp 5000 – 5099 maps to 100, 5100 – 5199 maps to 101, you get the idea.

WAP restarts and I see the blinking lights on the WAP, the WAN, and the cable modem. SO I return OLDLAP is now connected. AND now to LUGGABLE, it too has reconnected.

Sort of. Look around and everything seems OK but it's running like mud. Lookout seems to be taking all the cycles. Blue Frog is offline and won't come back. Azureus is griping about UDP settings. No choice reboot. Argh! Reboot takes for ever because nothing is shutting down. Everything has to be closed out. Rebooted.

All coming up OK. Except blue frog. It takes a runtime error and says call hq. Call hq and they are offline for maintenance. Good service blue frog! There's a strike against them. Argh.

Everything else seems RTN (returned to normal) but how can you ever know with windows.

Takeaway: I would like to find a Flight Data Recorder for the PC. Something as trivial as ping a know good site (i.e., yahoo, google) say every 15 minutes and record the results. It runs routinely and logs when external connectivity is lost. If I had that on all my boxes, I might be able to trace the culprit. By know precisely when connectivity was lost, you'd at least have a fact. Now all I know is that it dies between bedtime and wakeup. Arghh, arghh!

Takeaway: Blug Frog still down. 

Comments? Ideas? 

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Posted by reinkefj

If you can’t afford a T1, maybe you can get by with two residential services?

Saturday, May 13, 2006

http://t1rex.blogspot.com/2006/05/when-cheap-broadband-becomes-too.html

***Begin Quote***

The professional Internet service you want, regardless of whether your office is a spare bedroom or a storefront, is called T1 Internet or Dedicated Internet.
 
***End Quote***

Thought I might contribute an anecdote and an idea.

Anecdotally, I ran a home based consulting business twice – first time for four years and the second time for two years – I used cable residential service and a dial account for backup. While I’m not consulting now, I have moved from the dial account to verizon wireless broad band.

An idea for some one who needs a better (i.e., cheaper) solution than that a 500 $ per month T1, which sounds great, might be — if available — two combine TWO high speed residential services (e.g.: DSL and Cable) for say 200 $ month. Not the greatest solution, but it would be cheaper that a T1. You’d have to put in a real router and do some configuration to ensure that you’re not becoming a peer in between two isps. BUT, 300 $ per month  might be good enough.

That doesn't solve your disaster recovery issues. What happens if you lose power? A "Katrina" might force you to abandon your location, what happens then?

I think that servers belong in datacenters; not homes. When I look at pricing, it seems cheap enough.

Comments?

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

Homeland Security took this fellow’s site and whole bunch more

Saturday, May 13, 2006

http://grigorioneurope.wordpress.com/2006/05/13/homeland-security-stole-my-site/

***Begin Quote***

I go to my web host's site – 2MHost; after this ordeal I won't give them the honour of a direct link – and look for a phone number. None to be found. I suddenly lose all my faith in the up until now fairly reliable host. I get onto their Live Chat, wait for about 10 minutes for the guy to tell me what the hell has happened. Then get a canned response to the effect that the US Department of Homeland Security (there it is, oh {Expletive Deleted}!) has confiscated their hard drives. 'Objectionable material'. Possibly terrorist documents? 'We don't think we will get them back in a timely manner so we have restarted all logins with blank accounts …. 3 months free hosting to compensate'. Oh thanks. Three months hosting what? I have no files.

*** AND ***

Thanks for that watercooler. It does look like that Democrats site was hosted by the same company, 2M Host.

Hopefully they can put some pressure on the DHS or ask some questions. I completely agree with what those guys said about giving reasons for the seizure. Of course I understand what needs to be done needs to be done – if it was some kind of terrorist data or child porn – but a reason would be nice.

***End Quote***

See Big Government Law#3, "Big Government Programs create new problems (aka Unintended Consequences)"!

For anyone involved in technology as a provider or user, backup, backup, and then backup again. For content creators not to have all their content stored all over the place, local and onnet and offsite and in lots of places is inexcusable.

See in my mind the villians of this piece is into DHS or whatever unnatural disaster that happened. No the bad guys are the author and the service provider. Either or both could have made this a non-event.

In my mind, you would think that one service provider would have a reciprocal agreement with another for recovery.

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Posted by reinkefj

REALID in NH, a battle for the soul of the American Revolution

Saturday, May 13, 2006

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060512/REPOSITORY/605120346/1037/48HOURS

***Begin Quote***

Kurk, a Weare Republican, has been among the most vocal opponents of Real ID. When two-thirds of the House voted in favor of bucking the program, he earned the praise of privacy advocates, those who favor limited government and a group of Christians who believe a national ID card is the Biblical "mark of the beast" and, thus, a harbinger of the Apocalypse.

*** AND ***

Real ID has also upset the National Governor's Association and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, who predict it will be too costly and time-consuming for many states.

*** AND ***

The federal law, he said, allows the government to change the rules, and could eventually to lead to licenses with computer chips or a national database of citizens.  

***End Quote***

This is right out of a WWII spy move. "Vere isss you pape ers?"

First kiss your privacy goodbye. Just as we couldn't have had "identity theft" without the social security number. Remember that was "never to be used for identification". Yeah, another government assurance! I remember that was printed on my first socsec card. "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES"! Yeah right. Sure. I'd formulate a Sixth Iron Law of Big Government: "Don't believe any assurance that you are given." The AMT (alternative minimum tax) was to catch the rich people cheating by paying no taxes. Now more people are caught by the AMT. And Intelligent Designer forbid you sell something big.

Why do we need any gummamint id at all?

Functionality? Cost estimates? Refer to Harry Browne's Five Iron Laws of Big Government

1. Big Government Programs don't work (But never end!)
2. Big Government Programs often make things worse for the very people they're intended to help (Government Help is like Jumbo Shrimp)
3. Big Government Programs create new problems (aka Unintended Consequences)
4. Big Government Programs are costly and wasteful (Multiply all estimates by VXCM or infinity)
5. Big Government Programs divert money and energy from positive, productive uses (Broken window fallacy)

Don't believe "could". It will!

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Posted by reinkefj

What is a blog and why should I care?

Saturday, May 13, 2006

What the {expletive deleted} is a “BLOG”?

A blog is an easy-to-use web site, where you can quickly post thoughts, ramblings, rantings, and just about anything else you can tap out with your fingers. Akin to writing on the stall in a public bathroom, and some of them are that crude, it has evolved into a Jay Leno-esque medium. A monologue with some interaction with readers. It’s like Anne Frank's 1944 diary, Samuel Pepys’ in 1660, or George Washington’s. Well ok nothing that great but it is collective knowledge of the great unwashed. As a noun, it’s the diary. As a verb, it’s the act of writing. As an adjective, adverb, or other part of speech: egotistical mental mas … … let’s just say self satisfying waste of time … and let it go at that. Bear in mind that like webpages, blogs tend to be forgotten.

You should care for two reasons: (1) The inet has the memory of an elephant. Once you cast the electrons out into cyberspace, they can never be recalled, canceled, edited, modified, or deleted. So if you says something on the net, be prepared to have it come back and smack you upside the head when you least expect it and at the most inopportune time (i.e., job interview; legal proceeding; unauthorized biography; Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary; Retirement Party; Funeral Eulogy). (2) It can be useful for establish your expertise or brand in the market place. You can use it to advance you Unique Value Proposition or your Unique Selling Proposition.

If you want to read a blog, you can just go to their webpage. Blogs can be annoying to read from a web browser. You have to remember to check them regularly check for new content and find nothing. Most blogs offer RSS feeds that can be read with an RSS reader. You can avoid the “I forgot” or “visit for nothing” problems by using a webpage such as MYYAHOO, or install free software like RSSBANDIT.

If you are interested in starting to BLOG, you can your own one FREE at http://wordpress.com/ or http://www.blogger.com/start.

I have always thought that many of my efforts would be best done as a series of BLOGS based on topical areas so that the readers ship could subscribe based on “channels” of interest. But, I have never put the effort in to make that happen. Too much heavy thinking, planning, and lifting. Any volunteers?

Yell if you need help.

1 Comment | ALUMNI, JOBSEARCH, Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

Honor Mother’s Day by bringing all “our” boys and girls home from everywhere overseas!

Saturday, May 13, 2006

http://www.lewrockwell.com/woolley/woolley20.html

Happy Mother’s Day
by Miles Woolley
May 13, 2006

Miles Woolley is a disabled Vietnam veteran living in Miami, Florida. He served with the 9th Infantry Division in The Mekong Delta in a Ranger unit doing reconnaissance 1968–69 where he received a gunshot wound to the head leaving one side severely paralyzed. He is a father of four grown children and grandfather of seven, including a set of triplets.

***Begin Quote***

So as Mother’s Day approaches and I see that our death toll in the Iraq war has reached nearly 2500 Americans, I reflect on all the mothers who will not have their son or daughter to be with them this year and how difficult it must be for them. I imagine the pain is like someone took a spoon and scooped out every good feeling and memory of their child and just threw it onto the ground. What must hurt is the area in their souls or bodies where the good feelings and love they had for their child used to be.

Can we now stand up to our moronic leaders and say Enough! Have we not lost enough Americans and caused enough pain?

To all the mothers who have their children safely back and can appreciate the joy of watching them grow into mature citizens, have a very happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy your good fortune and if you are so lucky, enjoy your grandchildren. Take today’s opportunity and hug them all. Hug them a little extra just to ensure they get the message. To the mothers who know the pain of losing your child, my heart goes out to you. I was fortunate to have had a loving mother and fortunate as well to know that had I not made it back, she would have been destroyed.

***End Quote***

I have often ranted about politicians who send "our" boys and girls off to war while they sit at home safe and sound with their only care being reelection, how they can enrich themselves from the public trough, satisfy their contributors, reward their friends and punish their enemies. Fathers have to tell "Father Government" that their children are not toy soldiers to be squandered. Moms have to tell "Mommy Government" that their children are not the government's play toys used at whim and discarded.

Bring the troops home now!

From all the four corners of the world. Tell the world that this is a new era in America's isolationism. The world thinks of us as a "global bully". Great. Let's get out of the business entirely. If we are to learn anything, we have very few friends in the world. Israel, England, Canada, Austrailia, and possibly Japan. If countries think they can do so well with out us, let's let them do it. Time for everyone to step up to the plate for their own soverignty.

Oh, and let's get out of the UN. It's a failure that we are paying for. Not ethe Rights Comission with all the thugs. Financial corruption. It's the worst idea ever! Let us return to the dead old white guy's ideal of "no entangling alliances".

Moms and Dads have to lead this charge of our troops back to the US!

Politicians that don't listen, which is most of them, need to be sent back to productive work. Some general rules: Vote the incumbents out. Don't vote for a D or an R! When no third party candidate is available write in the catcher of your state's baseball team (i.e., Catcher's are the smartest guys on the field look at Yogi). If you don't have baseball team, or it's for a local election, write in the name of the busiest businessman you know. A local realtor would be a good choice. All else fails, write in your neighbor's name. Don't know your neighbor, write in your spouse's.

Stop the nonsense now!

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Posted by reinkefj

Planning my next reinstall

Friday, May 12, 2006

Having been forced by winrot into rebuilding luggable, I am thinking it would be wise to plan for the next reinstall.

Last time, I was lucky because the was essentially nothing wrong with the hard drive. It was windoze that was screwed up. At least one program was lost that I know of (i.e., the Intel Wireless Configuration utility). Data and applications were duplicated. Clean up is a mess.

Why do programs have to be installed?

So my thinking is I need to identify all applications. Catagorize them as: those I can reinstall because I have media and those I can't. For the ones I can't what is my plan?

So I need to create a data strategy. That is somewhat easier. During the reinstall, I found that Windows, certain Applications, and some slovenly habits on my part allowed data to be scattered across the directory structure. I need to come up with a plan for data. Some data is by the nature of the application is automagically off-sited. For example, Corex's Cardscan saves its data on the Corex site. In recovery, it can, after the application is reinstalled, be brought down from the cloud. It's questionable if it MUST be brought down form the cloud (i.e., restoring is useless because it has to be brought from the cloud to be syncable back to the cloud). So it has it's own gotcha. Data could be restricted to a data drive and backup to something like that book drive. Or off-site service like Streamload or such?

So there are lots of apps and lots of data that all needs work.

There is also a class of stuff that needs consideration. Drivers, configurations, and other things need to be accounted for.

Keyboarding everything stinks. So there has to be scripts, batch files, or other ways to recover and minimize the amount of time and effort to do it.

So I have a lot of work cut out for me.

Since I won't move to Vista, I need to identify how I can stay behind until my move to Linux.

My thought is that ideally I'd like to get a base that I could image and then that would always serve as a jumping off point.

One idea would be to create images as I begin to beat this into shape.

So where do I start?

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Posted by reinkefj

Are Condi’s actions inconsistent with BC’s values, Catholicism, and Jesuit traditions. (WWJD?)

Friday, May 12, 2006

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/12/condoleezza_rice_at_boston_college_i_quit/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+–+Op-ed+columns

Condoleezza Rice at Boston College? I quit
By Steve Almond  |  May 12, 2006

An open letter to William P. Leahy, SJ, president of Boston College.

***Begin Quote***

DEAR Father Leahy,

I am writing to resign my post as an adjunct professor of English at Boston College.

I am doing so — after five years at BC, and with tremendous regret — as a direct result of your decision to invite Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be the commencement speaker at this year's graduation.

Many members of the faculty and student body already have voiced their objection to the invitation, arguing that Rice's actions as secretary of state are inconsistent with the broader humanistic values of the university and the Catholic and Jesuit traditions from which those values derive.

But I am not writing this letter simply because of an objection to the war against Iraq. My concern is more fundamental. Simply put, Rice is a liar.

She has lied to the American people knowingly, repeatedly, often extravagantly over the past five years, in an effort to justify a pathologically misguided foreign policy.

***End Quote***

Well, this fellow is a great exemplar of Catholic values (i.e., charity, forgiveness, humility, temperence, honesty).

Now I am not so sure that there might NOT be whole bunches of liars in Washington. Socialist and Statists by the boatload sure! But, "liars"? I think one has to be very circumspect about calling anyone a "liar". Now I have no use for politicians of either ilk in general. Having said that, the last time I thought a politician was a "liar" was when Bill Clinton parsed the word "is". And he gave that testimony himself!

If a politician says X Y or Z, then I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt as far as lying is concerned. Stupidity, incompetence, and immaturity should be self-evident. Truth is not.

As far as memos and papers and emails and conversations, I am willing to bet that "stuff" gets lost. Leadership in business and government has the attention span of a 4 year old. Get them to read a memo and they zone out. When I make a presentation to them, I try and make it only one slide. AND, even that they'll forget. Tell them your opinion and they'll go right out an do the opposite. We are an error prone species.

Liar? That verdict I'll leave to the accused and the Intelligent Designer.

Too many of the accusers have forgotten Jesus and the adulteress tale.

"Let he, who is without sin, cast the first stone."

It sure isn't me!

Sorry, Steve. I think you're making a mistake and I hope you unemployment checks may teach you a little about humanity.

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Posted by reinkefj

Hillary Clinton proposes minimum wage increase tied to Congressional wage raises!

Friday, May 12, 2006

From http://mhaille.livejournal.com:

***Begin Quote***

. While I am not a particular fan of hers *, and I realize that there are economic ramifications to making a drastic jump in minimum wage that I don't fully understand, you really have to admire the beauty of that concept. It's a good thing I'm nearly as easily amused as I am pissed off. * She and Lieberman are still on my shit list for their stance on violent video games and music.

***End Quote***

Sounds like a positive feedback loop!

The FED inflates the currency. Congress raises the minimum wage. All the union and government workers make more money. All the federal non-union "executives" have to make more than those they "manage" so they get a bump. All the gummamint execs can make more than Congress so they get a bump.

Now, if Congress legislates a rise in the minimum wage when Congress gets a raise, the it completes the feedback loop.

When I was in injineering school, we waz taught that positive feedback loops eventually destroy themselves. Power increase means increasing power. Very quickly the whole thing melts.

Back to Hillary's latest "proposal", who melts down? The taxpayer (higher taxes), seniors on fixed income (inflation), non-union non-gummamint workers (higher prices), property owners (higher taxes), small businesses (have to pay higher wages), low wage workers (unemployed if wage exceeds value generated), and welfare recipients (they don't get more but inflation get them).

Great plan!

I got an IDEA! Peg congress critters and their staffs to a dollar a year. It's an honor to serve your country. They would have to rely on what they steal. They do that anyway. Just think, no government salaries, pensions, or paid heathcare. Double dippers could have TWO dollars!

Wow we'd save gobs and gobs of money!

Leave a Comment » | LIBERTY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

LBTY: Gas tax revolt (Had enough yet?)

Friday, May 12, 2006

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060512/D8HI16JO0.html

States Weigh Cutting Gas Taxes
May 12, 12:46 AM (ET)
By ROBERT TANNER

***Begin Quote***

(AP) UPDATES with most recent state gas tax numbers; graphic shows state gas taxes and historical…

With a gallon of gas breaking $3 and voters unhappy, state leaders across the country are taking a sudden, sharp dislike to gasoline taxes, proposing to eliminate the levies that are a mainstay for road programs – or at least suspend them for the summer.

***End Quote***

Gee, I wonder what was their first clue? Maybe it was constituents coming for them with torches and pitchforks.

As blogged previously, I don't think we have any worries. They will not forgo this tax or any other without a fight.

Tax revolt? Count me in

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Posted by reinkefj

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