Blog posts

  1. New Server

    Aaron put me in charge of setting up the new server that will replace the server on which this site and about 20 other domains w/ mail and websites, databases, and so on are hosted.

    We are using FreeBSD again. 5.5-RELEASE this time.

    We are shooting for a combination hardware-refresh and something a bit more scalable for what goes on: virtual users, robust imap and webmail, spam and malware filtering, a bit tighter security, and anything else we want to do.

    Today Exim with Spamassassin, openssl tls (using self signed keys), clamav, and Cyrus SASL have all been installed and configured and are working.

    :dance:

    I’m looking to use Cyrus for imap but the documentation isn’t exactly a series of easy to follow steps.

    I’m also looking forward to trying Roundcube webmail. Neato.

    This is all putting off the obvious tricky part: migrating user website, SQL databases, mail, home directories, and accounts for some and virtual accounts for others.

    Exciting stuff.

    Currently fighting:

    Cryus-sasl wants to link to db43, Cyrus-imapd wants to link to db3.
    They need to auth to the same database. Result: imapd signal 11
    crashes.

    Authentication: Should sasl use its own Berkely DB to store passwords? PAM? And then should exim and cyrus-imap use sasl or mysql? What about the dozen or few virtual users? mysql? mysql linked to pam? :gonk:

  2. No

    <p><strong>Deep Thought</strong>:	Alright. The answer to everything&#8230;<br />
    

    Two: …yes…

    [Fanfare starts up.]

    Deep Thought: …Life, the Universe and Everything…

    One: …yes…

    Deep Thought: …is…

    One: …yes…

    Deep Thought: …is…

    Both: …yes…

    Deep Thought: …forty-two.

    Two: (After pause) We are going to get lynched, d’you know that?

    Deep Thought: It was a tough assignment.

    Both: Forty-two?!

    Deep Thought: I think the problem such as it was was too broadly based. You never actually stated what the question was.

    Two: Well… it was the ultimate question – the question of Life, the Universe and Everything!

    Deep Thought: Exactly. Now you know that the answer to the ultimate of Life, the Universe and Everything is 42, all you need to do now is find out what the ultimate question is.

    Two: Alright. Can you please tell us the question?

    Deep Thought: The ultimate question?

    Two: Yes.

    Deep Thought: …of Life, the Universe…

    One: …and Everything?

    Deep Thought: …and Everything?

    [Fanfare starts up again.]

    Two: Yes.

    Deep Thought: Tricky.

    Two: But can you do it?

    Deep Thought: No.

  3. New business cards

    Grant Stavely
    Information Security Management

    Engineering and Forensics

    Constellation Energy

    Neat-o.

  4. Canon EOS Rebel XTi

    The Sony F717 I’ve enjoyed for the past four years has been great to me. My only lingering gripe with the camera has been how slow it is between and leading up to each picture. As a combination 27th birthday present / present to myself for going full time at the new job, I upgraded.

    I’ve only been able to use it nights after getting home from work this week - I’ve played with it in the living room grabbing shots of cats and guitars. I’ve been using the Sony as an overkill point-and-shoot for so long, it will be interesting adapting to holding the camera to my eye and not having a live preview of the exposure’s affect in the LCD.

    I also got at 2GB CF card for the Canon because I used to have to take my laptop to family parties and trips so that I could dump the Sony to it two or three times as it filled up.

    The Canon is an excellent compact DSLR that takes all of the auto-focus Canon lenses, flash and battery adaptors. Exciting. As I’ve always said, the only thing between me and world renown artistic penetration in all segments of society is a cooler camera. I’ll have to think of a new excuse.

    Amanda: Where is the zoom?
    Me: I don’t have that a lens for that.
    Amanda: How do I get closer?
    Me: Get closer. 😕

    Amanda: I don’t like it. It’s fast but I don’t like it.

  5. A Confederacy of Dunces

    It isn’t very often that I stray from technical reference books and SF short stories and novels. I grabbed A Confederacy of Dunces after it came up in the a book forum I read and was universally praised.

    At about 60 pages in, I’m starting to agree.

    As for the usual faire, I’ve also gone through these in the past few months:

    Robert Charles Wilson (because I enjoyed Spin so much

    John Scalzi

    Joe Haldeman

    Richard Bejtlich

    And lastly…

    John Hodgman

  6. Shmoocon 2007

    The DC nerd convention I’ve attended the past two years is in March this year. Ben snagged tickets on New Year’s day for all of us.

    Neato.

  7. Wedding website

  8. I’ve been looking for an app like Menufela since I switched to mac-on-the-desktop three years ago.

    All it does is hide the menubar and let it slide back in when the mouse is against it. Yes, just like having the task-bar set to ‘auto-hide’.

    It costs five bucks.

  9. Baltimore Santa Crawl 2006

    This year has some tipping point potential to turn into total mob anarchy.

    I hope that doesn’t happen - those of us that have been a few times (this will be my fourth crawl) need to keep the spirit of the crawl!

    As mentioned in my notes of '04, Ropewalk Tavern has terrible security and Santa’s tend to drink free from the back bar. Last year it turned into Santa’s taking bottles of liquor too and police were called - no good.

  10. Paging Kevin Bernier

    Doctor Kevin Bernier, please pick up a red courtesy phone.

    Doctor Kevin Bernier, please pick up a red courtesy phone.

Pizza Slow (high quality)

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