EMAIL - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy, say so, I will respect that. Be aware, though, that I am (usually) human and make mistakes.

Morning. South Bay weather report: High fog, 64 F, 73% humidity. A proper Monday morning. Sigh. Tape failed last night, becuase the slippy little write-protect slider on the Travan cart moved to the right, probably as I inserted it into the drive yesterday. So the message in my inbox this morning says "Write-protected media, tar exiting...". I've just started the backup over.

Tom and I spent some time on the phone yesterday thrashing out permissions details for virtual hosting with Apache, which was fun and ultimately successful. Then we begin to find hinks in the mailer system. Dunno quite why, yet, but he'll get there.

Snaggled this patent listing (from the IBM IPN site) off of Kuro5hin... Hmmm. Microsoft and ... Batman? Scooby? Scary stuff. Running rather late, with all the page updating to be done, so have a lovely day, I'll catch up with you later - on my agenda today: Screaming at insurance agents who can't issue a policy correctly, after more that 4 tries in as many months. Trying to return yet another un-asked for book from the This Old House people - I am going to ask if I can just keep it. They were, however, pleasant and prompt when they did this before. Board meeting at work, lots of data sheets to do, galley proofs of the new catalog ready at the printers this afternoon, when does the work end?

Later.

09:25 - ALERT - New scumball email threat spreading. At SARC, it's called VBS.Stages.A, the payload carrier is an email attachment called LIFE_STAGES.TXT.SHS. Because Windows systems default to not showing file extensions for known (registered) file types, the attachment may appear as an innocuous text file. As usual, this one attacks the registry, and regedit.exe, as well as sending itself to your entire Outlook address book. Sigh. BTW: In any folder view, go to View --> Folder Options, then click on the view tab. Uncheck the box marked "Hide file extensions for known file types", then click the button above to propogate that property throughout your folders. As Eddie the ship's computer was wont to say: Have a nice day!


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At first, I was pleased and impressed - the verbal and email warnings I put out about the Life Stages email worm appeared to have done their work. He came and got me, pointed to his monitor and said, "Is that it?"

"Yup." I replied. I forwarded it into my linux box then deleted and removed from the trash.

"It had all the hallmarks - a seemingly pointless message, with an attachment, from someone I don't know - that's why I came to get you."

"Would you have opened it if the message had been from, say, a relative?"

"Probably."

Sigh. I love job security, but really, people. Most of this shit flies around because people make exceptions in their security. Rule number 17. Security involves cutting the network connection and the power cord. I am going to have to call an all user's meeting today and talk really bad to them, and hold up this atrocious example... BTW - this was the first of all these Virii that we have been hit with in a LONG time. The last one that topped the wall was Happy99. We had managed to give Melissa and it's kin a miss, along with ILOVEYOU and all the others. Yesterday, we was just plain lucky, I now see.

In other news, it's Tuesday! Good morning! I feel 568 years old today for some reason (or at least, clearly, not as young as once I was). Svenson's site appears to be mostly back up, having had a rocky transition away from Zanova into the new service, called Masset. Apparently, his DNS change started propogating even before his IP was live or he had any content up on their servers. Mostly well now, but there is the occasional link that leads into a Certificate black hole followed by URL not found (like the Calendar link off the bottom of the week page). But he'll get all in order toot-sweet, I am sure.

I read "Left Behind" by LaHaye and Jenkins over the weekend (something to occupy time during the slow bits of the install process. This is the first book in a series which places the activity predicted by the Book of Revelations in the current day. The action has been modernized well enough, and clearly there are people who are going to REALLY like this series - I checked and it appears to be creeping up the charts, even though it was written in 1996, and book 5 of the series is now out in hard cover. The character development is lacking, the plot is reasonably predictable, but it's not badly written... If interpretations of biblical stories are your cup of tea, then you may well really like this, and it's successors. For me, once was enough. Also, it won't be staying on the shelf - this goes in the donation heap.

Now I have to do the morning watering (including our neigbors, who are travelling), and hit the road. Have an interesting day - See you later.

17:00 - That's two severely unpleasant days in a row in the office. Usually I manage to enjoy myself at work (even though I'd much rather be independently wealthy...) However, the last two days have been miserable. Odd. Sorry. Don't mean to whine. Just felt like getting that off my chest, as it were. Trust me, it's more palatable than the conversation I held with Mr. Thompson today regarding hoses, neighbors and dogs. No, really, don't ask.

Julie Bresnick, over on Andover News, has written YABJAC (Yet Another Bill Joy Article Column). Seriously, people. There is risk and danger at every step, around every corner. For years we slept every night, not knowing whether we'd get to find out if the backyard bomb shelter was better protection than a pile of beer cans (it wasn't) or if some eco-terrorist won't lace the water supply for a major metro area with botulism (one will, some day). Humans come and go, the universe goes on. I would think that the best thing we could possibly do is get some of our genetic material (preferably in the form of living, breathing people - Hell, I'd volunteer) off this merry-go-round, and get some eggs out of the one basket.

Part two is there's a half empty way of looking at things, and a half-full way. Guess which sells more papers and more sound bites. Doom, gloom and end of the world buys a whole lotta beer and skittles. Feh. Bring on the nano-bots: at least it'll be different. Besides, nothing unites us humans like a good, solid enemy! Double feh. Nothing appeals. I think I need to find something fun to do. No book tonight - I am too damn cranky and tired. Later.


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First order of business - Phil Hough, lately of Daynotes fame, is now a certified something or other, having graduated, now a BSc with honors, distinction and all sorts of other bits including an award. Bravo. Oh, and welcome to the working week, which you started two days ago, hee hee. Just call me vicious bastid.

Fun last night quickly degraded to sound asleep at 8:33 in the evening. I was exhausted (still am, really, but much better today than yesterday. But we had pizza last night, and I spent a significant amount of time window shopping for a laptop that I can't afford. I really, really want a built-in LAN connection. For the life of me, I can't figure out why this isn't stock on all laptops - it doesn't cost that much in either electronics or connector space - yet only a few manufacturers carry it on only a few models. Silly people. Now to the mail...

From: Mike Strock
To: [email protected]
Subject: Left Behind series
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 20:31:14 -0700

Just an FYI on the Left Behind series:  Number seven is now out in hardback.
Excellent series, btw.  Frightening, but excellent.

Mike Strock
IS Manager

Thanks for the feedback. Certainly the story is good, and well tested by time -
whoever wrote Revelations certainly took his third drink at the spring. 
Pleased to have you visiting.

Warmest Regards, Brian

* * * * * * * * *

From: "John Doucette" 
To: "Brian Bilbrey"
Subject: Humans
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 23:52:23 -0600

Hi Brian

I agree that somedays it looks like we need to get a few decent humans of
mother earth if the species is to survive. I have been half joking a lot
lately with a friend that today it seems that those who should never breed
are breeding freely, and those who should are too busy doing other things to
breed and raise kids. Then science has us saving the week part of the gene
pool and doing nothing to strenghthen the gene pool. We are on a slippery
slope and no way off it.

Maybe a good humanity verses the aliens war would not be such a bad thing.

John D.

I knew I wasn't alone. The real question, of course is, "Are *we*
alone?" I really wish we could find negative confirmation for that
question. _Knowing_ we aren't alone in the universe changes
*everything*. 'Course, as usual, we may not like the changes... but
them's the breaks.

Now I am off to the races, having drooled over the snaps of Bob and Lynn's place in the UK, the link to which appears to have disappeared. Now I *am* late - TTFN.


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Jack seems to believe that I am fighting some sort of virus: one with not a lot of external symptoms, but leaving me as tired as I am. And while I have been working pretty hard, between wages and book - there's no explanation for as exhausted as I suddenly became. I am looking about hard right now for Tetse fly remains.

Yesterday a harddrive began giving up the ghost at work - I spent much of the day trying to make the thing pass scandisk, since it does boot OK. But it's history, f-f-folks. So in goes a new drive, with the old one parked out as 'D' to move data over. Then it's out to meet the baby sledge, being marked in such a way that no one will mistake it's fundamental flaws for it's cosmetic flaws.

I am feeling a little more lively this morning, and it may help to get that particular job out of my hair, and get into working on data sheets again. Additionally, there's a new product in the works which should/could be another mover - but the design isn't complete enough yet to even do a layout, we're working on case selection while a consultant works on the schematic - I'll take both choice and design and come back with a finished product design.

I'd better get to it. Have a great day. Probably back later, to talk about Debian, if nothing else. TTFN.

18:50 - Very little funny about the whole situation, anyway you look at it. There's good news and bad news for today, and the bad news isn't as bad as it could be... but first, the last Clinton joke:

Last week, God, Jesus, the Pope, Billy Graham, Moses
and the Messenger, Gabriel, had a very important meeting.
They were troubled by the President of the United States'
inappropriate behavior. They decided that the only viable
course of action left was to create an 11th Commandment to
get their message across to him.

The problem they faced was how to word this new commandment
so that it equaled the other commandments in style and holy
inspiration. After great meditation and discussion,
they concluded that Number 11 should read:

"Thou shalt not comfort thy rod with thy staff."

'Zo... The really good news first. I got Vanna's new hard disk up and running, with all the applications back in place. This is a good thing, and was going to be problematic, since the ADP payroll software and the Visual Manufacturing software don't like co-existing, but we weren't (and aren't) going to dedicate a machine for an hour's use twice a month. Hmmm. I have notes from when I made it work the first time, but it was still harder than I remembered, and not all the tricks were in black and white (they are now!)

Then, it perspires that all of the submitted artwork for OLS needs . . . a little work - we finally got some feedback from IDG production, and we're going to have to do a better job of making Linux screenshots look like they came from a Windows machine that is 'specially and carefully configured. Can I be more polite and tactful than that? I think not!!!

The silver lining is that The Gimp is a fast, powerful editing tool that also has screen and window capture facilities. I have already converted USA today over to TIFF greyscale at the correct dot ratio, and am making progress on the other chapters - it's possible I'll be done tonight, but we shall see. Replicating some of the screen shots from a couple of months ago might be a bit of a pain, as they were stages in a configuration process. Overall, going well, though.

Last bit of good news - the galley proofs are back from the printers for the new ETS catalog - if you want to see some of my handiwork, then check out one of the PDF catalog versions off the ETS home page. Yes, that's where I slave away my days. The proofs, after a brief false start a couple of days ago, look stellar, if I do say so myself. Now to stuff a couple pieces of cold pizza in my face and back to the graphics. G'night.


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Good morning and happy Friday to ye. More good news! John Doucette's days of hand-to-mouth contract work are over - yesterday he got an offer of permanent employment, and put in his notice at Telus (and the contract agency). Hoooraw!

On the book screenshot front, things are probably OK - we have some images winging their way to the DE to send on to Production for blessing. In a re-review of their art guidelines, they are entirely specific, and completely Windows oriented. I did the best I could this time (thought I had last time, but that's a different story). All should go well on that front.

In this week's A-Clue Newsletter, Dana Blankenship keys the phrase "it's not advertising, it's commerce in context", which is a rather cool way of looking at things. Of course, he's referring to linking into products from within content, tied to affiliate programs. I have yet to take advantage of any of that, but then, this place isn't my living, it's my avocation.... Hmmm. Any input on this? It's so political, after all.

Ah, joy - this time the PBI outgoing mailserver is down. Hell of a way to run an e-bizness. Time to water and commute. Have a lovely day. TTFN.

18:00 - Welcome to my weekend. did a little sprucing up around here - made a few changes to my start page, so that it reflects my daily travels just a little better. In addition, Jon Hassell has joined the ranks of the publicly insane [1] Daynotes, which burns him a spot on my daily rounds. Now to fire up the wimpy-que (I can't compete with JHR and Bowman on grilling, but I can burn food just as well as the next guy. Maybe back in a bit.

Note 1: Dire Straits...

I go down to Speaker's Corner I'm thunderstruck
They got free speech, tourists, police in trucks
Two men say they're Jesus one of them must be wrong

22:00 - Back for a little - took the time to watch Inspector Gadget on the small screen tonight -thoroughly silly, pretty good special fx, certainly didn't take itself too seriously. Also got some farm shots today. Grilled some heavily garlic/rosemary marinated pork loin, joined with a rice thingy and heaps of broccoli. Yum.

Oh. Broccoli. Well, that didn't do so hot - went to flower and probably would have flowered all summer, but never a big enough bit to eat, so I chopped it out to give the tomato more room. The middle shot below is of a cluster of fruit from the plant that had been co-habiting with the broccoli and two jalàpeño plants. Now it's just the tomato and two chilis. Working on installation chapter tomorrow, busy day ahead. TTFN.


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Well, good morning. Coffee, reading a bit of the neighbor's paper, a stack of pancakes to rival the Matterhorn, tour the Daynoters, check the email and voilà: Here I am, just in time to bail, claiming that I should have been at work on the book hours ago. Bit of a lie-in did wonders for my attitude, though. Before I head off into writer-land...

Dug this up from /. night before last: eBay has Speed Racer's car, the Mach 5, for sale - yup, a full scale, running Mach 5. Saw blades, periscope, mechanical homing pigeon, and autojacks for the jump action (though I don't see any mention of the little pop-out glide wings). That's nice, but I want the original Batmobile.

If you want, check yesterday's snaps of the patio farm. There are chores to be done, and lots of writing in my near future - thus reads the horrorscope, so I'd better get cracking. Take care people, it's dangerous out there. Later.

21:35 - I knew that I would get there, I just wasn't quite sure how. To date, I had been unsuccessful in setting up eDesktop 2.4 in a VM. This makes writing a little more challenging for a variety of reasons. Today, I went through a VM install once again, recapturing the installation screenshots for the chapter I am working on. When all of those were done (went very, very well - I even managed to write some surrounding text), I decided to get very serious about making 2.4 run in a VM in graphical mode (it didn't matter for the command line chapters, which are already in to IDG).

Before I loaded up the VMware Tools and custom VM X-Server, I tried to make ANY display resolution work. Failed here, failed there. Careful watching of the error messages let me debug the initial XF86Config file, one line at a time (ya, good book material, too). After about an hour of schlogging through it, huzzah. Now that I had a stellar 320x200 virtual window into a 640x400 window space, useless, but it came up reliably, I ran the VM tool install. Hip-hip-hurray! Working GUI in a VM next to my writing tool. Very handy, that is, mate.

I wrote a brief note to PBI support the other day, and BCC'd myself. I quickly filed it away and forgot about it, until now. The followup to date is an autoresponder message. Now here's the mail. On that note, I'll call it a night. Mañana!

Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 11:20:46 -0700
From: Brian Bilbrey {[email protected]}
Subject: A brief question...
To: [email protected]
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.2.14-15mdk i686)

To Whom It May Concern

Early this morning, the SMTP server pointed to by mail.pacbell.net
wasn't accepting connections. I checked the system status page, and
Email component showed a status of "Normal" (this was about 06:40 PDT).
By 08:00 PDT, from work, the system status page showed "impaired" and
acknowledged that there were problems sending mail (that notice was
logged for 05:03, according to the status page). Now, the status shows
"Normal" again, and the message about the system having been down has
been pulled entirely - to look at the page now, you would never know
that the system had been down.

This is very odd. Why do your logs *not* show problems that actually did
happen? Is this logging history revision related to the relatively
common incidence of mail problems with the PBI servers? Hmmm.

I know - rhetorical questions - can't be answered without somebody's
head hitting the block, but heck, if the emperor's wearing no clothes,
who am I to ignore the fact?

For an example of responsive and useful customer accessible status
updates (including problems *and* solutions),  see Pair Networks,
especially http://support.pair.com/notices/current.html for an example
of status done right (IMNSHO).

Thanks,

Brian Bilbrey

Good Morning. Here on Sunday Morning, we'll be examining the effects, intellectual and psychological, of allowing a young child to watch Monty Python repeatedly. The reprehensible behaviour that those Monty Python people espouse is simply atrocious. Some of what is considered funniest among their so-called "skits":

1. Banging a defenceless (in fact, dead) tropical bird on a counter top and shouting at it.
2. A property development company reviewing plans for an urban slaughterhouse.
3. A parody of our fighting boys, forced to combat Nazis with only one joke.
4. Lots and lots of men dressed up as women, calling each other silly names.
5. Continuous display of a lack of respect for both the production company and the government.

Yup, I woke in a strange mood, and decided it needed to be inflicted on everyone else. And yes, we've been watching a fair bit of Python recently, which I always like. Speaking of Brit comedy, Doug Addams was interviewed recently and commented that he was quite happy with the recent finalization of the script for the movie version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Certainly they can do a better two-headed, three-armed Zaphod than BBC could afford on a weekly budget back in the 80's. Yeah, you could say that I'll be looking forward to this one.

There's a refreshing thread on Slashdot about the politics of kernel development. Overall, a lot less noise than usual, so I read much of the thread, and found this one message, from the developer of NeoMail, to be of particular interest as he talks about the various pulls and prods that come from the aether aimed at the Open Source developer and maintainer. And yes, Virginia, there are kernel and other coders who resemble Vogons, in that they do rather like the shouting bits.

The sun's out, requiring me to get up and close the blinds in order to see the screen, and my first cup of coffee is beginning to sink in, so I think I'll go hop in the shower. We're off to Costco for a stocking run this AM, and the balance of my day is going to filling in content around all the screenshots in the Installation chapter. I intend to be extremely productive today. On that note, TTFN.


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