|
|
HomeGraffitiAboutSitemapVisualDevWork
Email BrianGPG Key |
GRAFFITI -- November 10 thru November 16, 2003>> Link to the Current Week <<Last Week << Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun >> Next Week Welcome to Orb Graffiti, a place for me to write daily about life and computers. Contrary to popular belief, the two are not interchangeable. About eMail - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so clearly at the beginning of your message.. |
MONDAY
Tues
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
November 10, 2003 - Updates at 0645
Good morning. Something's wrong with the webcam, so I've removed the link and shot above, at least until I've fixed that, and perhaps beyond. I don't know what I did to break it, perhaps something I edited in /etc/modules.conf (or the Gentoo equivalent). One of these days I'll have the time and inclination to explore that. But not this last weekend, and probably not for a few days at least - there's still plenty to be done here.
Most of the furniture is assembled, and most likely in the room it's going to end up in. There's boxes upon boxes of books and such to unpack yet, and a few pieces of furniture we'd like to see, but we'll be patient on that, at least for a little while.
Today I'm up in Gaithersburg, and one other day this week. The balance of the time, I'll spend doing some marketing and business development work for NERDS. Also I've got to get back in the groove for the ETS website, which needs some more attention to get it where they'd like it to be. There's so much to do, and so little time. No wonder we work in my family until at least our mid-80's. By then, I can see being maybe caught up with my desk. Oh, and there's lots of interesting Linux stuff I'd like to muck with and report on. I'm dancing...
Happy Monday, I hope it goes well for all of us.
Mon
TUESDAY
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
November 11, 2003 - Updates at 0730
Good morning. I'm out of time and I haven't even started yet. Yesterday was a moderately successful day. I finally located the information necessary to ameliorate a persistent problem we've been having with Dell 5224 Switches at a particular client site. The answer is to mark specific ports as edge nodes in the Spanning Tree --> Port Configuration screen. That prevents the 30-60 second delay in packet traffic that occurs while the switch determines that the new device doesn't create a loop in the network.
Then, for lunch, I configured IPX networking on a new Debian install at the same site. That allows us to use this box as a dedicated access box to specific resources on the Netware side of the client site, then re-share them as SMB and NFS resources. There's still a fair amount of configuration and tuning to be done there, but much progress is.
In the evening, I did paperwork and bills, then positioned the shelving in the front living room, that we're going to convert to a library. I got the shelves into the units, and called it a night.
Today started with some excitement: Marcia dropped and broke a glass. She did what any logical and sane person would do when the other occupant of the house is in the shower. She locked herself out of the house, in the garage. After trying the back door (where both Marcia and Sally were locked out), she went around to the front and pounded on the door, hoping I'd somehow hear this over the shower. Heh, sorry. A neighbor came out, gave Marcia a phone and she started calling me. Finally, out of the shower, I heard my cell phone ringing, and ran to answer it. Problem solved, except for the broken glass to be gotten up. All's well, but Sally was mightily confused for a while.
Now I must fly - It's late as it is, and I've got lots to do today. A home install for a business client, then probably back to yesterday's gig to finish up what I started on the IPX commo box, while it's still fresh in my head. Take it easy...
Mon
Tues
WEDNESDAY
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
November 12, 2003 - Updates at 0745
Good morning, maybe... Here's what I just wrote to the people at work:
Subject: Change of plans for Wednesday, 11/12
A couple of days ago I found the sump pump running continuously. Upon checking, I found the piping was apart, like a coupling had blown out or gone missing or something. So I unplugged the pump and called the home warrantee company. Yesterday, I was able to make contact with, and make an appointment with the annointed plumber for this afternoon.
However, with the rains that started in the wee hours of this morning, the sump is doing it's job, and filling with water. I've been holding the pipes aligned with one hand and plugging back in the pump manually every hour or so for the last few hours. I'm going to stay home and monitor the situation until the plumber arrives.
So today is going to be an unpaid, unplanned leave day for me, unless I get productive and do some work for our client on proxying and firewalling kiosk stations. It depends on my ability to get continuous time for concentration as to whether I'll attempt that.
Have a lovely day where ever you are...
.brian
I'll be back later perhaps, as the mood strikes and events allow.
Mon Tues Wed
THURSDAY Fri Sat Sun
November 13, 2003 - Updates at 0545
Good morning. I know, I know, I should have used my trusty Victorinox and a batch of duct tape to slay the sump pump dragon, drawing on my inner McGyver. Two readers suggested that very thing. But with a home warrantee, the last thing I want to do is something to invalidate that warrantee. So I'll sit quietly by and let them send their plumber to fix the problem, which he did. The check valve had gone south, and a coupling had blown out, several clamps were loose as well. But it's well, up and running. That's a good thing, since it's raining like the devil here, or at least it was yesterday and overnight. Today we're merely in for high winds. Again. Sigh. Guess how I know? Well, the weather-liars told the truth, and I know because the wind whacking against the house woke me up. I decided to roll out of bed and get going.
What with plumbing and other chores around here, I never was able to get into the groove of paying work, although there was room for that. The other problem that cropped up yesterday, completing the destruction of my day was Verizon. I know, but they are NOT a solution, just a problem. Last week, after our phone lines were down, you may recall that they swapped our phones with another customer, so we were getting their calls, and they ours. Heh. We didn't impose much upon the Kelly's, since we don't get many calls. But she's a real estate of the go-getter variety and works out of the house - us having their main phone ring here can cut into business for her. Anyway, when we realized it, I called and ripped a new anal orifice for the "repair tech" at Verizon, then called the Kelly's and we did the mutual call forwarding thing that lets both of us receive our calls. VOIP, anyone?
Today I've got Squid and IPTables to work on, so I'd best be about my trade. Here's hoping you have a better day today than I had yesterday. Oh, just in case you didn't know, Eric Raymond (ESR) has a new home online: http://esr.ibiblio.org/ Change your links or your bookmarks, if you like or are interested in or challenged by what he has to write. Now, I must go...
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thu
FRIDAY
Sat
Sun
November 14, 2003 - Updates at 0720
Good morning. I had a busy day yesterday mucking about with video card drivers and Linux security. Meanwhile, in the outer world, the crazy wind kept blowing, toppling trees, mucking with power, and generally going on for longer, and gusting higher than predicted. We're still getting some pretty stiff winds this morning, and the advisory was originally slated to expire at 4 PM yesterday. Very weird weather.
I've got a meeting at a PBS station this morning, along with one of my fellow NERDS. So I need to get going - after yesterday's early early start, I'm running just a little behind schedule this morning. Have a great day...
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thu
Fri
SATURDAY
Sun
November 15, 2003 - Updates at 1100 and 2215
Good morning. A brief status update. I slept from 10 to 10, an unusual event for me. While I did, I was installing a new Gentoo version on Goldfinger. I picked up that process this morning, building the kernel and getting ready for first boot in a few minutes. Then I'll start X and OpenOffice building, then I can go with Marcia on our big hardware store expedition, to pick up the stuff we need to finish up a couple of rooms. More later... I think.
2215 - A good day done... Lots accomplished in a few hours. The new Gentoo install is running fine (here I am, eh?), and I'll run some benchmarks one of these minutes to see if I can show how 2.6 is an improvement for me, over the 2.4 kernel. I also got all the shelves up in Marcia's fabric cutting room, and two new area rugs laid out in the library and family room. Tomorrow, I tackle the garage. My goal is to have the cars in the garage by nightfall, though that may be too ambitious a goal. Well, time for a shower, then bed for me. See ya!
Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat
SUNDAY
November 16, 2003 - Updates at 0823
Good morning. It's garage day. Virtually everything in the house that needs to be set up, is. Marcia's got a couple of hours left getting her fabrics up on the new shelves I installed yesterday, and there are a few boxes left in the formal dining room and family room containing stuff that needs a permanent home. I'll attack the garage, starting in a few minutes here, while I leave the new Gentoo configuration installing Gnome 2.4.
KFOG's Live From The Archives 10 is out. I bought my copy at the KFOG club pre-sale. It's a cool concept that the radio station's been running for the last few years... During each year, KFOG has a whole bunch of artists come in for private concerts, sometimes on air, sometimes not. Many of these performers donate a track for the Live From The Archives discs. These are sold with all of the profits going to food banks in the SF Bay Area - $2 million over the last nine years. And it's great music, so check it out and buy a copy if you want - get good music for a good cause, without supporting the RIAA.
Okay, time to get to work. Have a great day!
Last Week << Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun >> Next Week
Visit the rest of the DAYNOTES GANG, a collection of bright minds and sharp wits. Really, I don't know why they tolerate me <grin>. My personal inspiration for these pages is Dr. Jerry Pournelle. I am also indebted to Bob Thompson and Tom Syroid for their patience, guidance and feedback. Of course, I am sustained by and beholden to my lovely wife, Marcia. You can find her online too, at http://www.dutchgirl.net/. Thanks for dropping by.
All Content Copyright © 1999-2003 Brian P. Bilbrey.