Category Archives: Geek

Something Computer, Technology, or or otherwise geek related.

Christmas Wishlist

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People keep asking me what I want for Christmas and I keep saying I don’t know, but this is not always entirely true.

I want a lot of things. Unfortunately, the list of things is broken up into two categories: things I can afford, and things I can’t. The things I can afford are easy, I buy them for myself. No problems. The things I can’t afford are usually things that are beyond the financial budgets of most people buying for me, and especially more than I would expect people to spend on me for Christmas gifts (considering if they spent that much multiplied by the number of people they buy gifts for their bank balance wouldn’t last long).

I also like surprises. I don’t like to know what I’m getting, however awesome it may be. It totally destroys the mystery of holding a wrapped gift and having no real idea what is inside it. I have elected therefore to make a Christmas edition of my wishlist for family and friends to view and consider. Estimated prices are given where possible, and I’ll try to provide links to examples also.

  • BB gun – I had a couple in NZ, and left them there to save complications with customs etc, but I would like another. Have seen at Walmart for cheap with CO2 making them semi-automatic, rather than pump action. (Approx $30 last time I looked.) Example 1 (would prefer a semi auto) Example 2 (would prefer a pistol shape) – can’t see the exact one I wanted online, though I have seen semi-auto BB pistols at both the 42 Walmart, and the 33 Walmart.
  • Clothing – Mostly in the realm of sweatshirts and pants. I have an abundance of T-shirts, am mostly good on underwear and such. Not sure on pant size (about a 92cm waist, not sure what that translates to in inches..), top half is L or XL. Extra points for geek-themed clothing (t-shirts permitted).
  • Kinda ties in with Clothing (though not required to be), but just about anything from http://store.xkcd.com/
  • Also ties in with Clothing (though not required to be), but just about anything from http://www.thinkgeek.com/
  • Also ties in with Clothing (though not required to be), but anything from http://www.cafepress.com/ial Also, consider purchasing from the Cafepress store for others also 😉
  • Plain and boring money. I can put it towards other other things with other money received, or my own spending money.
  • Gift cards are also welcome. Gamestop, Circuit City, and Walmart are the ones that come to mind.
  • Anything computer or guitar related if you think I’ll use it. Was going to provide an example of things I would and wouldn’t use, couldn’t think of any. Flash drives (larger than 2GB), guitar cables (longer than 10ft), Capos. Extra points if it can tie musical and computer together – I’d like to be able to record music using the computers.
  • A cheap keyboard to play around with (recording etc, as above). Actually, this one looks really ideal ($35) and plugs into the PC directly.
  • A toolbox and some basic tools. Would like to be able to work on the car or the computers or house stuff as necessary without having to constantly borrow the tools to do it. This was the best example I could find, but would like one with a tray insert and maybe some small-part storage on top (screws, nails, rulers, etc)? I’ve seen them at Walmart, don’t recall prices. They’re probably at Lowes or Home Depot too.
  • A battery drill/screwdriver. Needs to be able to drill well, which should make it ideal as a screwdriver also.
  • This wireless card from Linksys (~ $50, depending where purchased)
  • A 4GB+ Compact Flash card. Example from about $11 up, depending what brand and where purchased. The Compact Flash part is important, as you’re probably aware memory cards aren’t interchangeable.
  • A 2GB+ xD memory card. Example from about $20 up, depending on brand and place of purchase. The xD part is important, as you’re probably aware memory cards aren’t interchangeable.
  • A UPS, this one at Circuit City seems to be the best deal at $30 (with free shipping!) Cancel that. The price appears to have gone back up (Checked 15 Dec)
  • NCIS Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 on DVD
  • Lego – Technics is preferred but any is fun. Example – $20

Why We Suck – An Incomplete Review

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This evening I went to work with Kelly to keep her company in hell. Not that making coffee for stupid people in a corporately-run bookstore is bad, she just doesn’t do well working alone with no outside communication for long periods. It is her personal hell.

While I was there I picked out 3 books to read. C++ For Dummies (considering learning a new language), Eminem’s recent book “The Way I Am,” in which he tells of events passed, and Dr. Denis Leary’s “Why We Suck.”

I was intrigued after seeing Dr. Leary on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (and especially the discussion regarding Autism), and it was a must-read. It is a 240 page rand on the U.S., and Why We Suck. From the Lewinsky scandal to Janet Jackson’s Wardrobe Malfunction. From parenting to drugs. Nothing is immune from his assault on stupidity.

In the course of the evening I have realised several things. Joel Osteen had good reason to fly business class. As Eminem points out, famous people flying coach don’t get any freedom to sleep or relax at all. Learning C/C++/Anything will be an interesting adventure after PHP. And I definitely enjoy semi-satirical rants. This week I stumbled upon Violent Acre‘s rant on fear mongering among children. After reading several other articles I’ve decided to begin following the site.

In other news, I’ve begun planning my next web-project. Amazon meets eBay meets Cafepress meets WordPress. At this point it is in database and general design phase, but will hopefully take shape over the next month or so. I’ve also been working on UCCN trying to get more web-integration happening and progress is slowly being made.

Lastly, my desktop PC started making loud noises, again. I just hope I can rescue data from the hard disk, which I’m strongly suspecting is the noise-maker…

Why I Love Satire and IRC

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Recently I was involved in a purely satire-based discussion which spawned from a serious discussion on IRC. I feel it is self explanatory, so let me just blog the log..

[00:26:36] <MyMaynor> lol thats okay…. theres plenty of time to talk to new people.. right now i wanna ask your opinion about something…
[00:26:55] <zEkE_> sure
[00:27:04] <intricatic> hiya MyMaynor
[00:27:06] <MyMaynor> Im sure you’ve read revelations and somewhat know a lil about the end of day.
[00:27:16] <MyMaynor> hello intricatic you can join in
[00:27:18] <zEkE_> a little
[00:27:27] <zEkE_> intricatic is probably better at this than I 😛
[00:27:50] <MyMaynor> so am i being crazy when i trully believe that obama is the antichrist…
[00:28:12] <zEkE_> intricatic? lol
[00:28:19] <MyMaynor> like not like just throwing it out there. i feel he fits the description and we’re so close
[00:28:27] <intricatic> i think the antichrist, in terms of each generation’s assumptions about what the antichrist is, becomes a spectre for political puppetry
[00:28:28] <MyMaynor> everything has come to pass
[00:29:08] <intricatic> it’s also variable based on what part of the world you live in, and how horrible your government is, i’m sure o.o
[00:30:01] <intricatic> i could just as easily say that some super-charismatic leader in Russia who’s able to whip the public into a nationalistic frenzy, much like the communists of past ages, could be a better candidate for the antichrist
[00:30:38] <intricatic> but then i love to argue, so don’t mind me, haha
[00:31:06] <zEkE_> lol
[00:31:41] <intricatic> but seriously – have you read anything about Putin’s strategy for political approval? o.o
[00:32:03] <MyMaynor> well no im not basing it on how horrible the government is…. or anything like that… not that i just picked someone and decided that he should be him…. im saying he can’t put his hand on our bible… he asks for a Korean one… but hes running for president of the US… doesn’t look at our flag to say the pledge of allegance
[00:32:09] <MyMaynor> no i’ve never heard of it
[00:32:26] <MyMaynor> why
[00:32:28] <MyMaynor> ??
[00:32:31] <intricatic> even Satan knows scripture – i’m sure he can touch a bible very easily
[00:32:51] <zEkE_> my personal view is pretty much…who cares? if he is, we’ll find out soon enough…
[00:33:55] <MyMaynor> lol you’re totally right . both of ya….. om gosh i get crazy with it but i kknow i shouldn’t even care. it will all come to pass when he’s ready. so
[00:33:56] <MyMaynor> lol
[00:33:59] <intricatic> Putin is using this strategy of playing off of the people’s perception of the former USSR as a “golden age” for Russia, because of the economic turmoil caused by the revocation of their mutually invested, government-sponsored retirement programs (when the USSR collapsed, they lost everything), to whip them into a total frenzy
[00:34:01] <MyMaynor> i guess i need to suck it up
[00:34:52] <intricatic> but he’s also using the Czars and the warm feelings people have of that era to build a base in the people’s collective memory 😛
[00:35:39] <intricatic> but all the while, it looks like he’s moving closer and closer to reintegrating Russia to it’s “former glory”, in terms of nationalized industries and totalitarian rule
[00:36:11] <MyMaynor> ohhhh glory. lol and?
[00:36:26] <intricatic> and, well, mostly i think he’s just power-hungry and really frightening, lol
[00:36:38] <MyMaynor> yes sir….
[00:36:52] <MyMaynor> see i don’t like to here stuff like this cuz it scares me
[00:37:14] <intricatic> ad hominem satire time: and his first name is Vladimir… that’s got to add at least five points on the “pure evil” scale
[00:37:30] <zEkE_> lol
[00:38:02] <zEkE_> come on now, noone likes to be generalised
[00:38:32] <intricatic> generalization is fun though… all vladimirs are evil, just like all people named Elvis will die from eating too much chicken o.o
[00:39:32] <intricatic> and because i had a bad experience with a cat once, all cats are mean
[00:40:06] <intricatic> seriously… they’re like little demons with deceptive cuteness o.o
[00:40:11] <zEkE_> just like everyone from the middle east is intent on killing Americans, small town mayors are well qualified to be vice president, and everyone who reads the bible and goes to church is saved and will go to heaven
[00:40:23] <intricatic> exactly!
[00:40:35] <intricatic> silly middle-easterners… i bet they’re all suicide bombers, too
[00:40:44] <zEkE_> Wait, wasn’t Jesus from the middle east??
[00:40:49] <zEkE_> man
[00:40:49] <MyMaynor> lol ya’ll r funny
[00:40:54] <intricatic> hush! you’ll foil my satire!
[00:40:57] <zEkE_> our whole religion is based on him
[00:41:05] <intricatic> lol
[00:41:14] <zEkE_> that makes us anti-american via the transitive property!
[00:41:33] <intricatic> i actually love Hebrew history – the Hebrew language is actually so much more interesting than Greek 😀 it’s underrated in terms of popular theology
[00:41:39] <intricatic> 😮
[00:41:45] <intricatic> i r anti-american? o.o
[00:41:47] <zEkE_> yes
[00:41:52] <zEkE_> so long as you are Christian
[00:41:59] <intricatic> well, i have been called unpatriotic at least four times this week, so far
[00:42:05] <zEkE_> because you follow the teachings of a middle-eastern born man
[00:42:11] <intricatic> how terrible o.o
[00:42:16] <zEkE_> who is by his birthplace anti-american
[00:42:19] <zEkE_> 😛
[00:43:07] <intricatic> this is a fine illustration in satire of why i can’t say all middle-easterners are evil, lol
[00:43:16] <intricatic> besides guilt-by-association being a logical fallacy, of course
[00:43:51] <zEkE_> so anyone who says that the US is a Christian nation, by the above satirical explanation, is anti america

Give Us, This Day, Our Daily Serenity

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So, for the last month or so my most recent project has been under fairly tight wraps. Partly for fear all the related domain names would be taken, and partly because I feared someone would take the idea as a whole.

No more shall I fear, as I launch a new website: The Daily Serene Image.

To quote myself:
Daily Serenity was an idea conceived by demigail in 2008. Made into a reality by Zeke in October of 2008, the site went public in the following month.

Accepting any images from both amateur and professional photographers alike, Daily Serenity survives photographically based on its contributors.

Every day a new image is randomly selected from the list of those available (having been screened and approved by administrators). A brief description provided by the photographer is displayed with the image, along with a link to the photographers website (where applicable).

Published images are also archived indefinitely, with a static link available for each one. All published images are also available for download, both in widescreen and standard versions. These are sized appropriately for use as desktop wallpaper/backgrounds.

What Daily Images will be needing is contributors to provide photos and images for the site. Registration is free, and while no payment is provided for images supplied or used, no payment is required either. The terms and conditions of uploads are available when registering to provide photos, and all photos are checked and approved before they will appear on the site.

Are you a photographer? Consider some free publicity by contributing some of your work to Daily Images. If the Daily Serene Image takes off, it may grow into multiple sites of a similar nature, covering different themes.

Quack, Quack

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On another trip to the District of Columbia, some time was spent at the monuments. These two ducks are just 2 of the many that are in and around the pool of reflection. Unfortunately there are also more than one or two floaters in the pool also. One is lead to wonder what the cause of their succumbing was..

S9600.

My New Wishlist

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So, my wishlist has changed. I’d always passed off rackmount equipment for being too expensive compared to the equivelent tower cases etc. Seems it’s not as costly as I had imagined.

It will cost me approximately $3000 USD to acheive a setup similar to the one seen left. Talked to Kelly about it, and she supports it. (I think mostly because it is so clean and tidy!)

This is where it gets geeky:

A 4U case to house a new Windows based quadcore PC. Several gig of RAM and a 400GB hard disk, primarily will be used for audio and video editing, as well as gaming.

A 2U case to house most of the current PC (Athlon 3200+) with upgraded RAM and new hard disks. This will run Linux and function as a webserver, IRC server, and in-house file/print server.

A 1U case to house a new VIA-based firewall. Running an 80GB hard disk to store the cache for a transparent proxy, log files, and other more dynamic information. Primary operating system information will be on a read-only compact flash card.

2U will be taken with a rackmount UPS (probably APC, whatever is worthwhile but cheap at the time).

A 1U network switch, 10/100/1000Mbps, probably 16port (don’t need that many, but it’s as small as I can find rackmounted). Also a 1U patchpanel for the network, 24 port.

That accounts for 11U of rack-mounted storage. I would probably get a 16U case, to allow for future additions – possibly seperating the server into the two internal and external functions for security, or implementing a PABX (using asterisk) for internal house phones and such.

The $3000 budget also allows for 3 identical 20″ Widescreen 2ms LCD screens, 2 of which would attach to the Windows PC, the third would be KVM’d to the firewall and server (because I know I’ll need a monitor and keyboard for them at some point, and dragging things around isn’t ideal or tidy), as well as being available to plug into my laptop(s), or when repairing computers for friends etc.

This will leave me with a P4 3GHz server (still missing parts), a Celeron 2.4GHz desktop PC, a P3 866 smallform PC, and an empty ATX case. It’ll also leave me with 4 external drives (after purchasing 2 external cases for the drives presently in the 866 and the Athlon) – 2x 320GB and 2x 160GB – more than enough for good mobile storage.

I’ll likely upgrade the CPU in the celeron to the highest P4 it will take, add some RAM and give it use as a media PC, patched to the server for storage. I’d also like to rebuild in the then-empty ATX case a PC intended for mobile use, but a little gruntier than most laptops. Whether used for on-site video editing, or for media projection etc – this is not accounted for in the upgrades.

The $3000 covers:

  1. 1U, 2U and 4U cases for the PC, Server and Firewall/Router/Gateway
  2. New motherboards and CPU’s for PC and Firewall/Router/Gateway
  3. Hard disks for PC, Server, Firewall/Router/Gateway
  4. Memory for PC, Server, Firewall/Router/Gateway
  5. Compact Flash card and IDE2CF converter
  6. Graphics card for PC
  7. TV card for PC (to move to media center)
  8. Rack-mounted UPS
  9. Gigabit switch and patch panel
  10. Rack-mounting rails for cases
  11. Power supplies for un-PSU’d cases
  12. LCD Monitors
  13. 16U Rack-mount cabinet

Norfolk Southern in VA

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Following on from yesterday: With reference to yesterdays photo, the train is just crossing it as the video begins. Was in Broadway with Kelly when I took the photo and this video and was very excited to hear the horn a ways off. Initially I was just going to take photos, but I was surprised to see it moving as fast as it was.

Filmed with the S9600.

Stop, Railroad Crossing

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OK, this is from a few weeks ago. It’s a private crossing in Broadway, VA, across the Harrisonburg/Mt. Jackson branch of the Norfolk Southern.

Nothing really interesting to say about the photo, I just like the contrast, and that it includes the 3 primary (light) colors – Red Green and Blue.

Taken with the S9600.