Home Graffiti About Sitemap Visual DevWork Email Brian GPG Key

GRAFFITI -- December 04, 2006 thru December 10, 2006 >> Link to the Current Week << Last Week << Mon   Tues   Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun >> Next Week Search this site : 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   
December 4, 2006

1055 - Good morning. It's been a busy day, and hardly started yet. The best thing so far (and I use "best" in a sarcastic sense) is that my cell phone is safe, at home, where it can't be ... damaged. Used. Whatever. I try to keep my cell phone safety awareness days down to once a month or so. But I've used up my quote pretty early in the month, so that doesn't bode well.

Happy Monday, and in case I missed it, Happy December. Another year's nearly gotten by me. Sigh. Have a great day.

Top  /  Email Brian

Mon    TUESDAY    Wed    Thu    Fri    Sat    Sun   
December 5, 2006

0913 - Good morning. Another day in Paradise. Okay, not Paradise. Greater Metro DC. Temps utterly unlike last week. Our warmest day this go-round is tomorrow, which might get up to 50° F. Thursday may bring our first snow flurries of the year, and Friday we'll be lucky to get to the mid-30's for a high.

Yesterday evening I did the bills, using Quicken running under Crossover from Codeweavers. I backed up all of our home data to a mobile drive - that toolchain includes Karen's Replicator running on Marcia's workstation, writing to a Samba share on the home server, plus a combination of OpenSSH, Keychain, and Rsync to handle all of the Linux side of things on the server and my workstation. I prepared Jerry's column for posting today using OpenOffice.org Writer (it handles Jerry's Word documents just fine), the Gimp to scale the images, and Bluefish to format the PHP/HTML. Meantime I was listening to our music library via NFS mount off the home server, using XMMS. Marcia gets to the same repository via read-only Samba mount and uses WinAmp. I stayed in touch at work by running the command-line mail client Mutt in a terminal window running Screen, logged into my office workstation via OpenVPN and OpenSSH. In another Screen window, I was using IRSSI to keep up with the engineering blokes. All of this is pretty much going on simultaneously - I had broken the tasks out over several different desktops under the window manager that I'm currently using: Fluxbox. I am still running Kubuntu, but have flipped away from using KDE as the main WM, since it sucks down insane amounts of RAM in its current iteration in Edgy Eft 6.10.

My point here is that all this stuff works, and where there are issues, my selection of Linux as an OS gives me many more options to choose from while I wait for (or help with) resolution. One thing I'll observe is that, in general, recent distributions like Xandros, *Ubuntu, and others are doing a pretty good job of refining their initial software package selections so as not to overwhelm the user. For new Linux users, this is a boon, because too much choice is a bad thing while you're learning how to keep your balance in a new environment. And for the older hands, a clean, stable platform to build on and add to is a boon as well.

Enough evangelism from me for now - the tools work, the water's fine ... come on and jump in. Happy Tuesday!

Top  /  Email Brian

Mon    Tues    WEDNESDAY    Thu    Fri    Sat    Sun   
December 6, 2006

0900 - Good morning. Well, good for everyone except users of Microsoft Word. Here's what I wrote in another place this morning:

Subject: Vulnerability in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Security Advisory (929433)
Vulnerability in Microsoft Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution
Published: December 5, 2006

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/929433.mspx

The bottom line from Microsoft at the moment:

  Do not open or save Word files that you receive from un-trusted sources or
  that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability
  could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted Word file.

AV signatures aren't caught up yet. You're at risk. Be bloody careful. One
reasonably good course of action is to install OpenOffice.org and open
Word documents with that instead of MS Word until this is patched.

Get OpenOffice here:

http://download.openoffice.org/2.0.4/index.html

Last night, I installed Edgy Eft on a testbed machine at home, and got the pretty 3D desktop goo running on it. I'd taking a pass at that before, and not had much luck. All of the various places describing how to set that up have omissions and errors that made it difficult for me in past attempts. People not accustomed to Linux would have a *really* good time ... not. More on this subject once I get a write-up that me, myself, and I are happy with.

Now, another fun, meeting-filled day awaits. Have fun if you can!

Top  /  Email Brian

Mon    Tues    Wed    THURSDAY    Fri    Sat    Sun   
December 7, 2006

Pearl Harbor Day.

0748 - Good morning. Plenty to get done in the morning hours today, but I wanted to let you know that I made progress on the eye candy front: I've now got Beryl and Emerald running on Vimes (the main workstation). Kinda silly, really, since mostly I spend time using the mouse to move from terminal to terminal and do most stuff from the command line ... but still, the stuff is cool and pretty. More info coming, but later. Time to work now.

Top  /  Email Brian

Mon    Tues    Wed    Thu    FRIDAY    Sat    Sun   
December 8, 2006

No Post.....

Top  /  Email Brian

Mon    Tues    Wed    Thu    Fri    SATURDAY    Sun   
December 9, 2006

0901 - Good morning. It's cold here, about 25°F. Still haven't had any snow, and there's none in the extended forecast... just cold. Good thing we have indoor activities planned. All of the holiday shopping is done, we have greeting cards yet to write and send. That's probably this afternoon's task. Other than that, nothing interesting in our lives that I can talk about. Politics and world events abound, but y'all know mostly where I stand on that cruft so I won't bore you with it today. Oh, yeah, on the energy and focus fronts, I don't have much of either - I guess I'm fighting a bug of some kind or another. Bleah. So I'll stop blathering and move on to the next shiny thing. Happy Saturday!

Top  /  Email Brian

Mon    Tues    Wed    Thu    Fri    Sat    SUNDAY  
December 10, 2006

1216 -Hullo. This was a bad week for our people in Iraq and Afghanistan:

• Lance Cpl. Jesse D. Tillery, 19, of Vesper, Wis., died Dec. 2 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
• Spc. Bryan T. McDonough, 22, of Maplewood, Minn., died Dec. 2 in Fallujah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during security operations.
• Spc. Corey J. Rystad, 20, of Red Lake Falls, Minn., died Dec. 2 in Fallujah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during security operations.
• Staff Sgt. John L. Hartman Jr., 39, of Tampa, Fla., died Nov. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.
• Spc. Dustin M. Adkins, 22, of Finger, Tenn., has been unaccounted for since Dec. 3 in Haditha, Iraq, when the CH-46 helicopter he was in made an emergency landing.
• Capt. Kermit O. Evans, 31, of Hollandale, Miss. died when the U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 helicopter he was riding in made an emergency water landing in western Al Anbar Province, Dec. 3.
• Pvt. Troy D. Cooper, 21, of Amarillo, Texas, died Dec. 3 of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq.
• Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis, 19, of Knox, Pa., died Dec. 4 of injuries suffered when a grenade was thrown into his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq.
• Hospitalman Christopher A. Anderson, 24, of Longmont, Colo., died Dec. 4 as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
• Lance Cpl. Thomas P. Echols, 20, of Shepherdsville, Ky., died Dec. 4 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
• Capt. Shawn L. English, 35, of Westerville, Ohio, died Dec. 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.
• Maj. Joseph T. McCloud, 39, of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., died Dec. 3 when the CH-46 helicopter he was in crashed in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
• Cpl. Joshua C. Sticklen, 24, of Virginia Beach, Va., died Dec. 3 when the CH-46 helicopter he was in crashed in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
• Pfc. Nicholas D. Turcotte, 23, of Maple Grove, Minn., died Dec. 4 in An Nasiriyah, Iraq, from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident.
• Sgt. Keith E. Fiscus, 26, of Townsend, Del., died Dec. 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.
• Spc. Kenneth W. Haines, 25, of Fulton, N.Y., died Dec. 3 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol in Abu Hishma, Iraq.
• Sgt. Yevgeniy Ryndych, 24, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Dec. 6 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while on patrol.
• Spc. Jordan W. Hess, 26, of Marysville, Wash., died Dec. 5 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of injuries suffered on Nov. 11 in Ta'Meem, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his combat patrol.
• Staff Sgt. Robert L. Love Jr., 28, of Meridian, Miss., died Dec. 1 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.
• Spc. Marco L. Miller, 36, of Longwood, Fla., died Dec. 5 at Landstuhl Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered Dec. 3 in Taji, Iraq, from enemy indirect fire while conducting an escort mission.
• Lance Cpl. Brent E. Beeler, 22, of Jackson, Mich., died Dec. 7 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
• Cpl. Billy B. Farris, 20, of Bapchule, Ariz., died Dec. 3 in Taji, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while conducting escort operations.
• Sgt. Jay R. Gauthreaux, 26, of Thibodaux, La., died Dec. 4 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in Baqubah, Iraq, when in improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol.
• Spc. Nicholas R. Gibbs, 25, of Stokesdale, N.C., died Dec. 6 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries suffered when he came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire while conducting observation and security operations.
• Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, 22, of Presque Isle, Maine, died Dec. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
• Sgt. Jesse J.J. Castro, 22, of Chalan Pago, Guam, died Dec. 6 in Hawijah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol.
• Cpl. Jason I. Huffman, 23, of Conover, N.C., died Dec. 6 in Hawijah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol.
• Spc. Joshua B. Madden, 21, of Sibley, La., died Dec. 6 in Hawijah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol.
• Spc. Yari Mokri, 26, of Pflugerville, Texas, died Dec. 6 in Hawijah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol.
• Pfc. Travis C. Krege, 24, of Cheektowaga, N.Y., died Dec. 6 in Hawijah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol.
• Capt. Travis L. Patriquin, 32, of Texas, died Dec. 6 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations.
• Spc. Vincent J. Pomante III, 22, of Westerville, Ohio, died Dec. 6 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations.
• Staff Sgt. Henry W. Linck, 23, of Manhattan, Kan., died of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their unit while on patrol during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 7.
• Spc. Micah S. Gifford, 27, of Redding, Calif., died of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their unit while on patrol during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 7.
• Staff Sgt. James Kristofer R. Ciraso, 26, of Bangor, Maine, died of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 7.

I don't have the energy to be anything but sad. My heart goes out to the families and units of the fallen.

I'm fighting some sort of virus. Sort of cold-ish, a bit like flu. No fun at all, but not too terrible. I feel more drained than sick, though. I guess I'll wrap this up, as staring past the monitor doesn't seem to add any content here. See y'all later.

Top  /  Email Brian

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 © 1999-2011 Brian P. Bilbrey.


Except where otherwise noted, this site is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.