Category Archives: Geek

Something Computer, Technology, or or otherwise geek related.

IPv6: The Way Of The Future

Posted on by
Reply

Tonight I set up IPv6 on my home network. While it feeds a house of 5, only 1 will notice any difference whatsoever!

Basically I loaded the IPv6 HomeBrew customization for SmoothWall (See the forums at community.smoothwall.org), and got myself an IPv6 block (/64) assigned and a tunnel to use it through (see Hurricane Electric, or TunnelBroker). I’ve set up Yoda (smoothwall), Telly (Debian) and Big Bird (macbook) to use IPv6 addresses and so far everything works wonderfully. It still relies on my router as a SPOF, but they have their own world-accessable IP(v6) addresses. I guess I should work on firewalls etc..

If anyone is interested in testing my IPv6 IRC server, it’s linked to the United Christian Chat Network and is accessible at ipv6.i-al.net! (6667 for standard, 6697 for SSL)

I Am Amused.

Posted on by
Reply

I don’t know why, I found this in the logs from while I was sleeping last night, and I found it amusing. Not hilarious, but enough to warrant a large smile.

[06:16:37] * Guest (~NewJava@uccn-DA3CFDAF.dyn.iinet.net.au) has joined #uccn
[06:16:42] <Guest> hi
[06:17:10] * Midorikawa|Psychosis has quit (Ping timeout)
[06:18:22] <Guest> anyone can they tell me how the bible is proven to not be another story like media
[06:19:14] * Mid0rikawa|Psychosis has quit (Ping timeout)
[06:20:10] * Mid0rikawa|Psychosis (~Midor1kaw@staff.unitedchristianchat.net) has joined #uccn
[06:20:22] <Guest> hi psychosis
[06:20:24] * M1dorikawa|Psychosis has quit (Ping timeout)
[06:21:49] <Guest> Anyone talk here
[06:33:40] <Guest> hey
[06:34:07] <Guest> satin has been created by the jews
[06:34:43] <Guest> jesus was a story created by the romans. The vatican must know
[06:40:44] <Mid0rikawa|Psychosis> …right. you keep believing that.
[06:42:33] <Mid0rikawa|Psychosis> By the way, if you want to troll, at least learn basic spelling.
[06:42:52] <Mid0rikawa|Psychosis> http://www.thefreedictionary.com/satin
[06:43:03] * Guest has quit (Quit: :: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matt. 18:20) :: United Christian Chat Network ::)

Far too many stupid trolls nowdays. Nothing interesting anymore. Most of them don’t even argue their points very well..

thePortal

Posted on by
Reply

I started work late last night on my 4th concurrent coding project, something I’ve been thinking about for a loong time and it was brought up by Ninex on chat again, confirming that it isn’t a bad idea.

It needs a lot more integration with things, ideally it’ll probably work a lot better once Anope supports real-time SQL. For now it just feeds of the statistics database.

So, check out http://chat.i-al.net/portal/. and tell me what you think!

The final product is intended to have configurable colors, background images, header images, as well as channel-owner-configured ‘about us’ information. There’ll also be a few statistics blocks available, and possibly logging on request? Unsure at this point how to make it integrate!

Should I Really Be Laughing?

Posted on by
Reply

My wife showed me this today, and I thought it was hilarious. Not sure if I should be laughing or not, it’s a turtle using a shoe for pleasure, so called ‘shoe-raping.’ Check it out, and tell me what you think!

In other news, I’m still working on several PHP/MySQL projects

Firstly, there is ZcP, a module based control panel for linux (mostly debian) to handle Bind, Apache and qmail (with vpopmail) and PureFTPd (with MySQL auth). I haven’t found anything yet that meets my needs, so I’m writing it myself. It is intended to support multiple servers (IE a web server, primary and secondary mail servers, and primary and secondary DNS servers). It’s also modular based on task, it’ll just call a function and pass the relevant information so it should be pretty easy to create extra modules for postfix or djbdns, for example.

Second, I haven’t named it yet but a support/ticket management system. I have found two existing systems that I like, but none are quite good enough. SiT is good looking and works well, Eventum works well and has an IRC bot attached that sits in support channels and reports updates and new tickets etc. I may have to give up pretty or the bot, but I’d also enjoy the challenge of writing my own.

The third and final project is a database system for my old church, Life City, whose access database was lost in a hard disk crash (had been talking about a new one for a while). It’ll probably be a social-network type system, where we’ll create a house-hold, and individuals and then assign them to households and assign each other relationships (probably based on head-of-house, but not necessarily).

CALLING ALL GEEKS: Linksys Firmware

Posted on by
3

OK, it’s not often I ask questions and hope for replies.

I was given a WRT54GS a couple of weeks ago because it was acting up for it’s owners and they decided to rent one from comcast. I’ve had it here running as an access point (I already have a linux router!) and it’s going about perfectly.

Now, this is a big house, and I had similar problems with the existing WRT54G that is here (switched out for the GS) with it not reaching all the way back to the far corners. Moving the router isn’t an option, nor is running cable along the floor or through the ceiling (anywhere, really). I’m considering setting up the GS with an alternative firmware and using it as a repeater. I realise this will lose 50% speed for clients connected to it, this is not a problem.

I have questions for the geek community reading this:

1) Which firmware should I install? I’m looking at DD-WRT, possibly OpenWRT and Tomato. Any others I should consider?

2) Can I revert back to the original firmware if needed?

3) If I’m using it as a repeater, can I plug a PC into it and gain wireless access that way also?

4) Is there anything else I should consider before doing this?

Notes: WRT54G v8, not mine, would rather not update firmware on it unless I absolutely have to, in which case I’ll likely give up for now. WRT54GS v7.2, is mine, will do whatever with. I also have a Gigabyte BR-01N or something that I can’t update firmware on, and I can’t use with the current wireless key (to swap out the linksys ones) due to limitations on its WEP setup.

So please, geeks, comment me and give me suggestions!

ThinkGeek!

Posted on by
Reply

Today I became a ThinkGeek.com affiliate.

If you click on of the thinkgeek links on any of my sites I’ll get a 7% commission on anything you the purchase from them! Cool, huh?

Anyway, last night I went with Kelly and her mom to the ER (A&E for you Kiwis out there), where Kel’s sister Katie had been taken by her husband, Jesse. She was having all kinds of pains as well as dizziness and such. In the end it was basically decided to be an inner ear infection (she told us the technical term, but I forget). 4 hours later and we were home again!

Her friend, Laura, didn’t have a great night either – one of her room mates had attempted suicide by wrist-slitting, and there was blood all over the living room of her house.. We saw her arrive while she was talking on her phone to Katie and she told us what had happened! Not a cool day for her!

I also made the mistake of twittering where I was going, which synced my facebook status, and apparently a lot of people were more worried than they needed to be so, sorry guys!

No photos, I was nice and didn’t take the camera 😉

Lights, Camera, eBay

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve found myself in the market for a 35mm camera. Now, at the beginning of the week I was looking non-specifically for anything good that worked well and was in good condition. I then progressed to 3 specific brands (Nikon, Canon, Olympus) and then reached a point of favoring the Olympus OM series a little over the Canon EOS series.

I like the Olympus OM series because dad owned an OM-1 (a few years after he’d owned and sold an OM-10 due to financial difficulties – that was before my time though) and it was what I learnt how to really take photos before I bought my Fujifilm S5600. So, I suppose they have a feeling of prior knowledge with me, I know what they feel like and I know what they can (and, to a large degree, can’t) do. But, when I asked dad if he had a preference (he said the OM-10, btw) he reminded me that while they were great cameras they are now getting on a bit, 30-35 years old now for the most part.

I kept a bunch of the Olympus’s on my watchlist and moved on to the Canon EOS series. Now, Kelly and I have discussed and agreed that we both want Canon Rebel’s at some point in the not-too-distant future. Whether it is the XSi (EOS 450D) model or whatever they bring out next will be decided by time, money, and available options at time of purchase. I still want a 35mm camera though.. What I hadn’t realised was that the Canon EOS digital SLR range uses the same EF Lens mount as the EOS 35mm range. There are a couple of differences being added (since the 300D, I believe) in that they are now using an EF-S, but this mount is backwards compatible, so I should be able to use any EF lenses I pick up interchangeably between a 35mm and a digital.

All the Olympus models were removed from my watch list, replaced by various Canon EOS 35mm cameras. It clearly needed to be pruned further, as I want the best deal I can find, preferably the newest camera for the lowest price possible. Time for further research on how Canon did their EOS range, compared with what is available on eBay.

Now, mostly what I’m interested in are a small range of the EOS series: the Rebel G, the Rebel 2000, the Rebel K2 and the Rebel T2. I have very little interest in anything pre-1995 anymore, and it seems most of these may be available with Lens and batteries for ~$30USD. If I have to I’ll spend a little more for a Buy Now, but I’m gonna try my luck at auctions first. I did bid on a faulty Rebel G by accident though, if someone wants to outbid…feel free…

Cause to Celebrate

Posted on by
1

One: I fixed a computer tonight. Probably still some work to do, left it installing SP3 on XP, but still needs verification that sound works (not hopeful), that the virus is actually gone (BEWARE, ANTI-VIRUS-1 IS A VIRUS. Found removal instructions online through google and following them in safe mode seemed to work a charm.)

Two: I’ve put up a photoblog at photoblog.i-al.net, and theres nearly 2 months of photos stacked back waiting to appear. Some of these are up at DailySerene, but others are photos that weren’t appropriate for DS for whatever reason.

Three: The chances increased over the last three weeks that my work authorization card would arrive this week, as it did not arrive in any of those.

Fourth: (this one needs a quote)

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: This case is now pending at the office to which it was transferred.

The I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS was transferred and is now pending standard processing at a USCIS office. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when this case will be done, counting from when USCIS received it.

Basically what this means is that we finally have all the paperwork needed and it’s been forwarded to a USCIS office for processing rather than at the National Benefits Service Center where we were posting everything.

For those interested in tracking it further, the application was received on either July 2nd, 2008 or February 25th 2009 (depending whether they are counting from initial receipt of our application, or the acknowledgement of receipt of everything they asked for), and it is at the CALIFORNIA SERVICE CENTER. I’ll try and keep you up to date with any changes and events that occur.

Slowdom

Posted on by
Reply

I haven’t updated this week, mostly because I’ve been busy with a server move – My VPS provider decided to move from a server with ThePlanet to a server with Limestone Networks, and so I’ve been setting up email servers and the like on the new box.

So, what is new with Zeke and I-aL?

DailySerene.com is now down to Monday/Wednesday/Friday updates owing to lack of contributions. If you have serene pictures that you would like to share, share! Don’t be afraid of rejection, and don’t worry if you don’t have your own photo website to advertize.

I’m starting work on a photoblog, to share photos that may already be up at DS, but also those that aren’t necessarily appropriate for DS.

UCCN got a twitter account yesterday, and followed several of it’s regular chatters. It’s displaying what they’re doing at UnitedChristianChat.net.

I finished House Season 2 the other day, and about to start episode 6 of Season 3.

Kelly should be home about as it ends, and with Coke! Yay!!