There is an open source product called OpenNMS that I am trying to get working in our enterprise. It’s a great product, and they even have packages for Debian, my Linux distro of choice. Unfortunately for me, the server that I am using is running a pre-release version of Debian, the “testing” release called etch.…

I came across two neat sentences during my travels around the Internet. You can find my source here. A pangram is a sentence that contains all twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Today’s post title can be found by double-clicking on some of the fonts you might find on your computer. Most of the fonts have…

Life is a soap opera. It may be even more of a soap opera in the online world. I’ve been watching a big drama in Kathy’s life unfold for the last few days. There is a private online community that was created as a safe haven for like-minded people. It is an interesting community, started…

I’m configuring up a new(er) machine to replace the aging one that currently serves all my domains. One of the little details I’m trying to perfect is what happens if a particular address is pointed at my server, but I haven’t yet configured that address on the server. I finally got that mostly worked out,…

The company I work for has to deal with satellite outages twice a year that we can do absolutely nothing about. Wikipedia article on the topic Help page from a satellite provider Our individual downlink sites, because of their small dish size, are completely blocked out for a few minutes each day while this happens.…

The linux program that is capable of reading the SPD bits from memory chips is called ‘lshw.’ Description: information about hardware configuration A small tool to provide detailed information on the hardware configuration of the machine. It can report exact memory configuration, firmware version, mainboard configuration, CPU version and speed, cache configuration, bus speed, etc.…

These two came from Smiths, two days ago. As the wallet grows, so do the needs. Your strength will grow stronger by being tried. If you add the usual suffix, the first one inspires me to think of this:  “Is that a wallet in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

MIT is doing heavy research into replacing batteries with tiny turbine engines. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/microengines.html This is an interesting idea. I do wonder how much waste heat they would produce, though. My personal laptop has a 150W power supply, which is pretty damn big for a laptop. The thing makes so much heat that it is regularly…

Cafe Trang is yummy. Sometimes the wisest person is dressed in the rudest clothing.

Hopefully tomorrow I will remember to bring my sandwich gear to work. From the chinese takeout place in the Smith’s on 8th south and 9th east: Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom. A well-directed imagination is the source of great deeds.

$7 at Shopko. ISBN 0792190505, UPC code 0 97360 11934 3. Enhanced for 16×9 widescreen televisions and 5.1 surround. I’m much more familiar with this sequel than the original, and I think that’s why I like it better. Then again, it might just be Michelle Pfeiffer in her first starring role. I’ve just confirmed that…

From the chinese takeout place in the Smith’s on 8th south and 9th east: There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity. We can learn from everyone, even our adversaries.

From the chinese takeout place in the Smith’s on 8th south and 9th east: You sense subtle changes in people.

We’ve been picking up accessories here and there for the new trailer, which is still up at the dealership having electrical problems looked at. I’ll write a separate post dealing with that eternal saga when it concludes. One of the accessories we bought last night is a funnel we planned to make our next water…

Uah Power is now Rocky Mountain Power, according to the little pamphlet included in this month’s power bill. Considering that the bill gets sent to Portland Oregon, I suppose the old name really isn’t correct. Of course, considering that the bill gets sent to Portland Oregon, the new name isn’t exactly right either. The rest…

This post was originally going to be a comment in reply to a Livejournal post from an old friend, but it started to grow, so I moved it here. Today is the two year anniversary of my last day working at Convergys. Yes, the call-center borg from hell. I worked there from June of 1999…

From Cafe Trang, near 8th south and main street: You will soon receive pleasant news of a personal nature.

My wife and I have had a love/hate relationship with camping trips. I really enjoy camping, but she’s never had a really good experience with it. Our first experience as a family was four years ago. We attended Kathy’s family reunion at Payson Lakes over the 4th of July weekend. The dirt at the campsite…