Recent Posts

1451

Living Room / Re: Weird Router Issue Hoping someone has seen before

« Last post by 40hz on July 25, 2014, 11:05 AM »

Either way, Can anyone see a reason to NOT disable WiFi when you have a Better Wired connection?  Wired in our office is always 1GB,  WiFi may be getting better but not THAT fast.  Not even AC band.

-questorfla (July 24, 2014, 10:54 PM)

I have two basic rules (actually it's more what you'd call call guidelines):

1. Switch when you can - route if you must.

2. Wired if you can - wireless if you must.

To go with #2 - wireless is for mobile client devices. If the device is never going to move around once it's set up... plug a wire into it.

The only reason people use wifi as much as they do is because they don't have a network drop available - or they don't want to pay to install one. It's just a cheap and easy way out of pulling wire. With the end result that a lot of employees are working with lousy connectivity and losing productivity despite the fact the people they're working for have a big fat internet connection  and a GB speed switch that sits at 80-90% idle because everything in the company is accessing the network through one or two cheapo access points.
 

1452

Living Room / Re: Weird Router Issue Hoping someone has seen before

« Last post by 40hz on July 25, 2014, 10:53 AM »

In our district (not sure how far this applies) COX has begun using a "Locked DNS" setup.  We cannot use ANY other DNS at all.

-questorfla (July 24, 2014, 10:54 PM)

I'm guessing someone (on a very high level) who was involved in acquiring your connectivity either (a) asked for it; (b) got sold on it as a "security feature"; or (c) it's being done to restrict/monitor or possibly datamine your internet use. Because there's no technical reason why it should be so restricted. But they also probably want it to stomp on Netflix and related competing streaming content providers who aren't paying protection money to Cox for adequate bandwidth.

For the record, 40HZ, maybe I can one-up your #4.  We had people who, when the office CABLE IP went down, they would whip out their cellphone and connect their WiFi to IT.  But leave their WIRED connection plugged in TOO!

-questorfla (July 24, 2014, 10:54 PM)

Yep. One up me it did. (That's pretty awesome btw!) And the proof it never happened to a network I was responsible for is: I'm not in jail right now for clubbing the person who did it to death with their cellphone.

1453

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« Last post by 40hz on July 25, 2014, 10:41 AM »

A TEDx talk that isn't an establishment circlejerk:

-Renegade (July 25, 2014, 10:13 AM)

LOL! Amazing how something that was formerly so incontrovertibly despised (i.e. TED) suddenly becomes a bit more acceptable once things start being said that we can agree with, huh?

(Just sayin' )

1454

Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"

« Last post by 40hz on July 24, 2014, 12:51 PM »

Projection mapping on moving objects. This just keeps getting better and better:

More on it here and a "behind the scenes" video here.

1455

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by 40hz on July 24, 2014, 11:32 AM »

 



Why can't the DOJ, NSA and DHL go after these guys for a change?

1456

General Software Discussion / Re: Deeper into the Windows Registry - Work-in-Progress Article on Gizmo's

« Last post by 40hz on July 24, 2014, 05:53 AM »

An interesting article even though I strongly disagree with the author's thesis that the Registry being hard to understand is "as it should be."

Just because something is hard to suss out doesn't mean it should, or arguably even need to be, so difficult.

In my world, that's just bad design. 

1457

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« Last post by 40hz on July 23, 2014, 02:35 PM »

Do you use Bitcoin? A criminal-hacker by the name of 'w0rm' does!

This from Ars Technica...

WSJ website hacked, data offered for sale for 1 bitcoin
Same hacker attacked BBC, Vice websites, offered user databases for sale.

by Sean Gallagher - Jul 23, 2014 2:51 pm UTC

Dow Jones & Co. took two servers that store the news graphics for The Wall Street Journal website offline yesterday evening after a confirmed intrusion by a hacker calling himself “w0rm.” The hacker was offering what he claimed was user information and server access credentials that would allow others to “modify articles, add new content, insert malicious content in any page, add new users, delete users, and so on,” Andrew Komarov, chief executive officer of cybersecurity firm IntelCrawl, told The Wall Street Journal.

W0rm, according to Komarov, is the same individual previously known as “Rev0lver” and “Hash,” a Russian hacker who tried to sell access to the BBC’s servers last December and attacked the Web servers of Vice Media earlier this year. At 5:30pm ET on July 21, he posted a screenshot to Twitter that showed the e-mail address, username, and hashed password for the database admin on a wsj.com server. He offered to sell the full dump of the database table of authorized users for one bitcoin through an exploit marketplace at w0rm.in...

 

1458

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by 40hz on July 23, 2014, 02:15 PM »

it's like drinking warm piss. Oh... got a story about that, but, maybe later.

-Renegade (July 22, 2014, 06:00 PM)

You got a story about drinking warm piss?!? O_o ...Was this during a trip to Brazil by chance??

-Stoic Joker (July 23, 2014, 11:45 AM)

I soooooo do not want to hear this story!

1459

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 09:01 PM »

Michael League and Snarky Puppy again. This time with a live performance recording of Quarter Master.

Lordy, these guys RULE!

1460

DC Gamer Club / Re: Extra Credits: Propaganda Games & Why Games Do Cthulhu Wrong

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 04:28 PM »

You could have fun in a game messing around with those ideas though but I suspect it would still upset the Cthulhu fans

-tomos (July 22, 2014, 03:59 PM)

Might as well upset them then - although the jokes and parodies fly fast and furious whenever Cthulhu fans gather, from my experience. About the only people that just sit there being offended or taking things seriously are some of those goth/artsy types you see hanging out in small groups in the corner - usually holding intense half-whispered conversations among themselves - while doing their best to look very knowing any time the Necronomicon gets mentioned...

The real truth is that unless you do get creative and mess around with those ideas, virtually every Cthulhu Mythos story boils down to a sight variation of this classic animation:

There! Now you don't have to read the stories or try to find a good film adaptation any more.

1461

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Sublime Text Giveaway

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 03:49 PM »

So it was just an email harvesting tactic?

-Deozaan (July 22, 2014, 01:07 PM)

Perhaps not.  But perhaps.  And the page hasn't disappeared, just the announcement.  Perhaps only the winner was notified, which happens with several contests.

-wraith808 (July 22, 2014, 01:44 PM)

I suppose you could always send a query to their sales department and ask if you're that curious about who won it. But with only a single copy up for grabs I don't think there's much financial incentive for the dev to be playing games over it.
 

1462

Found Deals and Discounts / Learnable memberships available @ $9/mo (vs $29/mo regularly) for next few days

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 03:41 PM »

Recently got an email:

There's just a few days left to grab unlimited enrollments for $9!

Learnable memberships are normally $29/month. And with unlimited course enrollments, all SitePoint ebooks, 4,500+ tutorials, and quick answers from the experts, we think it's an incredible value.

But we've heard the requests for a cheaper plan, and today we have an awesome deal: The $9 Plan.

Unlimited Enrollments, Now $9
   
Join now and pay just $9/month to access our entire library of web dev courses and ebooks—online and on demand. There's no contract, so you can pause or cancel at anytime.

We've never offered a monthly price this low, and it's not available outside of this email so please use the special links in this email to purchase.

Use this link for the special price.

There's nothing in the email they sent me saying not to share the link - and it's supposedly for unlimited enrolments - so I guess it's ok to post it here.

Learnable.com has been around for years and many people think very highly of their resources.

1463

Living Room / Re: Hardware source

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 03:30 PM »

^You can also go there via www.deepsurplus.com 

1464

Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 10:20 AM »

@ArizonaHot - great article! Thx for sharing.

Like the man said:

 

1465

Living Room / Re: I'd like to get a Windows Tablet: help me decide.

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 10:10 AM »

MS is still such an abrasive company these days, you don't even want to buy their good stuff.  This is my dilemma.  I don't like what the company is doing at all, but this tablet is really great.

-superboyac (July 21, 2014, 03:45 PM)

That's the problem in a nutshell with any platform device.

I feel the same way about an iPad. But I'll probably eventually get one because there's just so many excellent and usable music apps available for it that I'm only hurting myself not getting one. It's been said before, and it's still true, that software drives the platform. And with the likes of Moog, Waldorf, Arturia, Propellerhead, Korg, VirSyn, and Cakewalk all onboard, it's becoming too much to not to get an iPad simply because I can't stand Apple's business model and despise its management.
 

1466

DC Gamer Club / Re: Extra Credits: Propaganda Games & Why Games Do Cthulhu Wrong

« Last post by 40hz on July 22, 2014, 09:28 AM »

I'm a big Lovecraft fan - but I'll +1 w/Stoic and tomos. These are games we're talking about. They don't really need to toe the line on Lovecraftian themes or nihilism to be good games.

However, if you're truly a Lovecraft fan, the only possible game involving Cthulhu would be preventing his minions or some misguided researchers from setting in motion a chain of events that will bring on the advent of what the Necronomicon calls the Strange Aeons where the Old Ones shall return to once again dominate and rule our dimension - "and even death may die."*

In short, you can't fight Cthulhu. Cthulhu is the failure state. If Cthulhu appears, the game is over.

The best possible win would be to simply survive - ideally with your sanity intact - till the game clock runs out. With Cthulhu, there is NO possible win - there's only stalling off your own inevitable failure. Your goal isn't to win the game. It's to not lose it. And that would not be the most satisfying outcome for the average gamer.

FWIW I've played some very good Lovecraft-themed games with heavy duty HP fans over the years. While these games were often extremely intense and very enjoyable to play, the "don't lose" end goal tended to leave all of us with a certain sense of frustration and futility by the end of the game. With Lovecraft, there's no real "feel good" ending possible. So unless you're a diehard fan like we are, that probably wouldn't have been considered a 'fun' evening for most people. Not that that's a bad thing for Lovecraft fans. That act of putting up a bold but ultimately pointless front in the face of utter hopelessness and cosmic dread is what makes Lovecraft so entertaining. At least for those of us mutants who have been bitten by the Cthulhu bug.

---------------------------------------------------
*Note: losing to Cthulhu is a particularly nasty fate since Cthulhu is (among other things) an "eater of souls." Your very being becomes trapped like a fly in amber. Those "killed" by Cthulhu don't "die" in the usual sense. Your consciousness gets absorbed into the mind/person of Cthulhu, where it will get to explore the ceaseless and infinite number of ways you can suffer death and pain in Cthulhu's psychotic imagination.

Like Leviathan's Labyrinth in Clive Barker's Hellraiser stories (which Barker has said were heavily influenced by some of Lovecraft's themes and ideas) Cthulhu is the living embodiment of what we would consider to be hell in the most classic and literal sense. "Enter Ye into the place prepared for you from everlasting unto everlasting. Now Ye shall truly never die."

Such is the fate of those consumed by the eater of souls.

Wow! Bummer huh? Talk about something that could ruin your whole day...

1467

Non-Windows Software / Re: The future of networking - resources for: SDN, OpenFlow and Mininet

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 08:36 PM »

But in my (simple) way of thinking, does this not introduce a single point-of-failure? Where a virus or malware can take your complete network hostage?

-Shades (July 19, 2014, 02:10 PM)

I haven't had time to watch the either video, but I'm inclined to say yes. Much like one bad stick of RAM can torch 20+ virtual servers... *Shrug* ...It's a risk/reward thing.

-Stoic Joker (July 19, 2014, 11:24 PM)

Precisely. The usual network security and redundancy caveats apply. That part of the equation will never change.

But...SDN is (to me) more like a front end/configuration API. There''s nothing to say it needs to be virtual. OpenStack can run on a single box in firmware or in a cloud setting. It's real advantage is that it provides a common grammar, syntax, and command set. One where a network can be easily configured and tested before committing anything to hardware. So as a research and prototyping tool it's a big plus even if the actual network gets implemented totally differently.

Again, it's not a "be all, end all" solution. But it's a good deal better than much of what we've had to work with up till now.

1468

General Software Discussion / Re: Lazyload

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 08:25 PM »

^Awww...so sad!

1469

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 08:20 PM »

I'm not sure what brands the yeasts are - I simply got what was available at the brew store on a recommendation from the shop keeper.

-Renegade (July 20, 2014, 08:13 PM)

If you have a good store in your area, it's smart to ask their advice. I do at mine. They haven't steered me wrong yet. And why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to?  

However, if you're really into it, at least keep a notebook. It's a big help. Trust me.

I probably should have picked up a clarifying agent, but, meh... I'm ok with sediment.

-Renegade (July 20, 2014, 08:13 PM)

It's ok by me too. I'll just leave half an inch in the bottom of my glass - and dump it if it's too sludgy. I can always get another glass if I want more.

1470

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 08:07 PM »

I have to say that the mead was the most satisfying -- only because as good as the beer was, and as fun as it was to make, it didn't rival the best store bought beer.

-mouser (July 12, 2014, 08:01 PM)

Really? I'm pretty shocked.

-Renegade (July 12, 2014, 09:42 PM)

Me too! I've found most decent homebrews are better than 90% of what you can buy. About the only exception is Guinness. If you like Guinness (I do) there is nothing that really quite matches the taste or texture of that brew - which is what makes it Guinness.

I brewed up a white beer and drank it raw because it was so good even at that stage. Warm. That good. Mind-blowingly good. No bottling or secondary fermentation.

There are many brewers who like a sample of their bathes "raw." And sweet wort is like candy before it's hopped. Even non-beer drinkers like it. I'm surprised nobody bottles it for sale.

I'm going to have to have a go at brewing some mead. I really never considered it until both you and 40hz mentioned it. Mead I find rather sweet, and I tend towards a more moderate sweetness with a rich texture, e.g. stout or brown ale.

Now I'm wondering if I can do it in a very small batch of just a few bottles... should be doable... Cheesecloth over the bottle with a rubber band...

I'm an ale/double-bock/porter/barley wine type myself. I like my quaff complex tasting but with a touch of sweetness (like a good Scotch ale), amber or darker in color, and with a goodly amount of body. If a spoon almost stands up in it, it's perfect. And if any pond life is swimming around in it, it's a real plus in my book!

FWIW I try to make things you can't get (or get easily) in a store. Why duplicate what's available when there are so many good craft beers available for sale? I go for the more exotic brews when I'm cooking something up for bottling.

As far as small batches go - I'm a believer. I've found smaller batches are easier to make and more reliable in outcome since it's hard to control temperatures accurately on the average home stove when boiling and hopping. And also tricky to sterilize a lot of bottles at once. I think 5 gallons is the absolute limit - and I've found about 2 to 3 gallons is the ideal batch size for a single brew project. I'm also not a big drinker - nor do I have a lot of available cellaring space. And I like to have two or three different brews available at any given time. So I try not to make more of a single brew than I and my fellow homebrew lovers can consume in a reasonable amount of time. If it's something I really like, I'll just make it more often.

But everybody has their own ideas and ways to do it. So take all of this with a sip of ale.

I'd also suggest taking a look at the American Homebrewers Association. They have a wealth of solid information. And you don't need to be a member to get good info from them - although a membership is inexpensive and gets you full access to everything they have. They even have a beginner's mead how-to here.

They just published an 'official' mead recipe (August 2 is Mead Day!) that looks good. I notice it uses Lalvin K1V-1116 Montpellier yeast which is found in a lot of grape-based recipes I've seen. I haven't used this particular yeast myself, but I've heard other local brewers sing its praises. It supposedly produces a drier brew in fairly short order - so if sweet isn't your thing in a mead - maybe this recipe and yeast is worth looking at. If you start it about now you can crack it for Christmas - although I've found the type of meads I prefer need a good year of racking before they're really worth drinking.

 

 

1471

Living Room / Re: Homebrewing

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 07:24 PM »

So learn from me: Do not let your cats go near your brewing containers!

-mouser (July 20, 2014, 05:17 PM)

Or your servers, or your laptop, or your guitar amps, or keyboards, or your basket of clean clothes, or...

1472

General Software Discussion / Re: Lazyload

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 01:53 PM »

You guys working nights on a weekend yet just to solve my petty little problems!

-Cuffy (July 20, 2014, 12:20 PM)

Well that's DoCo I guess. 

There's a bunch of us here with no personal lives.  

1473

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 07:55 AM »

My all time favorite sign was found in the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans on Cape Cod many years ago.

In addition to a goodly selection of other bird-related stuff, they sold some 'outdoorsy' clothing.

Thumb-tacked on one of the fitting rooms in the back was a neatly lettered sign on an old piece of cardboard that read:

NOTICE: LATCH ON DOOR IS BROKEN
PLEASE KNOCK FIRST. THEN OPEN DOOR SLOWLY.
(There are some people you just DON'T want to see naked.)

 

The place is run by a real character by the name of Mike O'Conner. His description of the place is priceless: "Bird Watcher's General Store is the original birding store, the first ever. Located on beautiful Cape Cod in MA, we are a tourist destination for non-birding folks ..."

Check out the store tour on their website. It's a trip.  

1474

General Software Discussion / Re: Lazyload

« Last post by 40hz on July 20, 2014, 07:45 AM »

^Thx 4wd!

You beat me to the punch.

(I also didn't know about nolazyload.) 

1475

General Software Discussion / Re: Lazyload

« Last post by 40hz on July 19, 2014, 08:32 PM »

I believe there is a Greasemonkey plugin that will disable Lazyload. Look here.