Diary of a Network Geek

Hey, I always like free!

I've had a PalmIIIc for years and years. Originally, I got it with the idea that I could use it to play games and read books, too. The problem was that there just weren't a lot of books available in a Palm readable format. Problem solved: ManyBooks.net. Not only do they have literally thousands of books in multiple formats, including several for the Palm, but they're all free!
Well, they do ask for donations, but it's not absolutely required. I've just started to explore their titles, but they seem to have quite a few classics, so it's worth checking out. Besides, it's Friday, what else are you going to do?

Ever gotten into an argument on the 'Net?

Well, Charles Miller over at The Fishbowl has a rules just for you, er, us. I have to admit, Charles' Rules of Argument, are not only very accurate, but things I learned the very, very hard way over the years. The first rule is the most important: "You will never change anyone’s mind on a matter of opinion."
Oh, the agony I could have saved myself over the years if I'd only learned to apply that little mantra. It is so very true. Painfully true. Embarassingly true. I cannot think of a single instance in which I either changed my own mind during an argument or changed someone else's. Frightening, isn't it? Consider for a moment, how much of our communication on the Internet relates to argument. Or, at least, the attempt to change someone's mind about something. Has it ever worked? The closest I've come is visiting the Libertarian Party's website, but I'd already been changing my mind by the time I went there, so it doesn't really count. Heck, I can hardly change my wife's mind and she's on my side!

Anyway, I thought it was a usefull thing to reference. Enjoy it, or not, as you please.

Two disturbing stories...

One of these two stories about our eroding personal rights and freedoms is bad enough, but taken together they're downright frightening. Both come from WiredNews and are as stale as last week. First, there's an article about the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Sounds harmless enough, right? Well, does it sound harmless when they're using spy satellites to monitor our own country? Okay, they have justification for it under the umbrella of Homeland Security, but doesn't it make your skin crawl just a little bit? I've joked about the satellites watching us for years, but, well, it's not a joke anymore. The government really is watching us!
Now, combine that with this article about the Pentagon seeking U.S. spy powers. Are you starting to squirm yet? I know it made me a little antsy when I read this one. Can anyone say McCarthyism?

I wonder how long it will be before this post gets registered in my file at the Pentagon?

A new age has dawned for spaceflight!

According to numerous sources, my favorite being National Geographic in this case, SpaceShipOne has won the X-Prize. What does that mean? It means that a privately built single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft has been built and successfully launched into space twice within a week. And, if you don't understand the implecations of that, well... Well, I can't imagine anyone who could find this blog on the web and not have some idea what that accomplishment means. Maybe I will see a mission to mars succeed in my lifetime. I might even see extraterrestrial mining. The possibilities are limitless.

Wow.

Okay, this probably isn't big news anymore.

But, it was Friday when I read it. See, I usually queue up posts a day or two in advance, so I'm just a little behind. Still, I saw this article on Ping, which is AustralianIT's newsletter, so I may have the jump on folks here in the States. It's interesting to me because the things they talked about in the article were the Netscape Directory Server and Netscape Certificate management system. In other words, LDAP. Hmm, that sounds familiar. Oh, yeah, it's what Novell has been using for, oh, about five years or so. Looks like there might be some competition in the OpenSource-based network architecture product space over the next couple of years. I hope Novell pays attentiont to this and gets their shit together before Red Hat has a product to market. Novell really needs to maintain their slice of the networking pie. No, scratch that, they need to get working on a bigger slice.
In any case, the deal is expected to go in the third quarter of the 2004 financial year, so they've got a bit of time. Not much, though. I can't imagine RedHat waiting too long before getting something out there.
I wonder what MicroSoft thinks about all this?

I love food!

So, last weekend I made some blueberry scones and, even though they turned out more like drop-biscuits than scones, they were very tastey. In fact, there was a bit of fighting over the last one! I may even try that again this weekend with raisins and cinnimon-and-sugar. The best thing is it lets me use up that self-rising flour I accidentally bought some time back.
What does this have to do with fun Friday links? Well, duh, I've got some links to food things! First, there's the Ben and Jerry's Recipe page. If you don't know who Ben and Jerry's Icecream is, you must not be from this country. They've been around for the longest time. They used to make their money marketing that they only used fresh, organic ingredients. Until they got caught not doing following that "rule", that is. Still, they make good ice cream anyway. Probably not good for me, but that's why I like it. And, in the somewhat healthier catagory, A Taste of Thai has a Monthly Thai Recipe Club. If you take a stroll down your grocery store's "International Foods" aisle, you will find at least a few Taste of Thai products. If you like Thai food at all, they're worth checking out. Very simple to make and quite delicious!

So, indulge your food fantasies and check out the links. Happy Friday!

Well, it seems that I'm the "Lone Ranger" again.

So, trouble started brewing with my counterpart at work yesterday. Nothing personal, unfortunately, but rather something having to do with the company. Well, I say that the trouble started yesterday, but, really, that was when I became aware of the problem. See, he's no longer with the company today. I'm not 100% sure what happened and I sure don't have all the details from either side, so I'm keeping fairly mum about what I do know. Either way, I'm now the sad, sole captain of the S.S. "Let's-Standardize-The-Remote-Sites". It always happens, sooner or later.
The really sad thing is that the guy I knew who'd be perfect to take over is dead now. Parrish would have loved this gig and we would have gotten along famously. The whole company would have been talking about what a great job we did... Ah, well, nothing to be done about that now.

It's a shame, really. This is just a nice job. For a big shop, they're really low pressure and everyone is friendly. I mean everyone, too. People smile and say hello to me in the hall as I pass. People I've never met, mind! And, as a Novell guy, it's a pretty sweet deal. I mean, I get to do all kinds of crazy things with Novell and Linux. Within certain fairly broad parameters, I can do pretty much whatever I want to get the job done, too. Just such a good thing. Well, I hope I don't do anything to screw it up! I'll have to put in some extra effort to make sure they have a good opinion of me. Just in case.
I'm sorry to be in this spot again, but I'm glad I'm still working.
Thank you, God, or Fate, or Whoever arranged this all for me. I appreciate the opportunity.

Now that I have your attention...

I was reading a blog over the weekend which suggested that "being sexy" was a "rule" for writing on the web. He lists nine other tips in his article, 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web, but that one stuck out. I disagree with that particular tip. I don't really need to write about my sexlife online. Too many people know too much about it already! The last thing I need to do is open that up for public perusal. I mean, if the comments about Strom Thurman are any indication, my sex life would be roundly critisized by more mouth-breathing droolers than I care to imagine.
Granted, sex does sell. So, if I were selling this blog, I'd be wise to sell it with a side-order of sex. But, I am NOT selling this blog, so gratuitous references to Britney Spears, Carmen Electra, or whoever the flavor of the month is are really not neccessary. Neither is talking about Britney getting married or how Madonna is a kabbalist. I'm free from looking deep into the heart of reality tv, the presidential election, or the war in Iraq. I am by no means compelled to discuss any of it. In fact, based on the title of this blog, an ususpecting reader might actually expect that I would talk about networking. (They'd be sadly mistaken most of the time, but, still, they'd be right to expect it.)

So, I'll leave the cheap, sleazy, tabloid come-ons for the other blog writers and agree to disagree with Mr. Bernstein regarding being "sexy" on the web. Thanks.

I finished The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society by Jasper Ridleylast week.

As a Freemason myself, I found the book quite interesting. First of all, it looks at masonic history from the perspective of a what is known and concrete, not with any real speculation at all. It's a very, very scholarly work which included a significant bibliography.
Secondly, it was written by a non-Mason. While that, in itself, is not remarkable, what is special about that is that the author maintains an even-handed look at masonic history. He sticks to the facts and was actually quite enlightening in many areas, at least to me.
Thirdly, the book covers quite a bit of history, but it completely discounts the claims that some authors have made regarding Freemasonry being descended from the Knights Templar. This is, oddly enough, unusual these days. It seems like the majority of books lean the other way. Jasper Ridley, though, maintains that the simplest explanation is, in fact, correct. That the story we're told from the Grand Lodge is right. Namely, that the Freemasons are an outgrowth and offshoot of the original working, or operative masons, who were essentially an early trade union.
Finally, as Mr. Ridley sums up at the end, he gives the Freemasons a fairly good endorsement, which we can surely use for a change!

If you have any interest at all in the history of Freemasonry, this is an excellent place to start. I wish I'd read it first, before all the others that I've gotten into this past year or so. But, if you've only a passing interest, there are other, easier books to read. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, this is a rather scholarly work.
(Oh, yes, this also appeared on my other blog.)

Wheee!

Today is not only the birthday of the Science Fiction Channel, but also Space: Above and Beyond! The SciFi Channel launched today in 1992 and started a revolution in television.
But, just as important my favorite science-fiction show of ALL time launched today in 1995. There wasn't anything quite like Space: Above and Beyond, and there hasn't been anything like it since, either. Imagine all the best things about Star Trek combined with the grit from Heinlein's Starship Troopers (the book, not the movie!) and you start to get an idea. It was military science-fiction at its finest! The story, in a nutshell, is that Earth colonies get attacked by an unknown alien invasion force and we're suddenly off to war. The series focused on a group of Marine pilots who fly off to space, each for their own reasons, to fight the enemy. And then it started to get really interesting. In my opinion, there hasn't been writing this good in either science-fiction or television in years. I was really sorry to see it go. Maybe I'll get lucky and the SciFi Channel will bring it back again! Or, maybe you would like to see it on DVD? Well, so would all the fans, but it's not out yet. If you'd like to see this show released on DVD, why not sign the Space: Above and Beyond DVD Petition?

(This also appeared on my other weblog, The Fantasist's Scroll, today.)