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2006-12-16
11:47am
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spaaaaaaaaaaam!
Today's order of the day was to do some further research and tweaking for my servers, to help quell some of the recent attacks I've been witnessing on the machines. With a similar pattern occurring on all the servers, this led me to believe that the fix needed was definitely something that should show up on the Google radar. Sure enough, I found that I was a couple of patches behind on my control panel software, and that some further adjustments were needed for my mail MTA daemon on each machine. I'm just taking a brief break from my further research to have a brain dump, and to stretch a bit.
Recent reports are now stating that 9 out of 10 e-mails are spam. How nice. I can most certainly believe it, now that I'm having to sift through 400-500 e-mails per day, just to get to the few legitimate ones that are actually meant for me. This is of course after all the filtering taking place on the server itself, AND after it passes through a rather tight spam filter. Obviously it's not tight enough. To that end, the new year will see me changing ALL of my established addresses again, so that I can start out with a clean slate. Now that I've found an effective means of aliasing accounts used for various account sign-ups, I'll be making further use of these in the next year.
This process of change will indeed be a lot of work, and no doubt I'll have moments where I remember an account I didn't update, but if it cuts down my e-mail junk intake to even half of what it is now, it will be more than worth it. By the way folks, legislation will NEVER put an end to this crap. The only thing that will is a complete overhaul of the e-mail protocol to include a scheme of authentication that ensures the sender is legitimate. Until that comes about, we're going to see this trend continue, until there's no option but to forgo e-mail altogether.
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2006-12-15
2:43pm
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The Lost Room
Since I'm pretty much screwed for any other fodder to waste more database space with, I thought I'd put out my thoughts on the best show I'd watched on TV lately. I find that I'm doing a lot of stress-testing of my Natuzzi recliner (read: zoning out), and I finally got my DirecTV Tivo unit functioning properly again, so the two pretty much have my undivided attention most evenings. After working a full day, then taking care of a baby, you don't have a hell of a lot left. Shower? I'll do that on the weekend. Thank you.
My all time favorite channel on DirecTV, is of course, the SCI-FI channel. Being a longtime science fiction fan makes this a no brainer. Granted, save for some odd programs in their schedule (hello, WRESTLING?), they run a pretty good game. This week, I managed to catch a new 3-part mini-series called The Lost Room. This show was fresh, well-written, and the perfect length. Unlike other shows which seemed to have jumped the shark lately (Lost), this one was bundled up into a neat little package. The conclusion does, however, leave a gaping hole available to be filled in by a regular series, but the mini-series was done well enough to have you leave it at that. Bravo to the creators of this one!
While there is plenty of information to be found regarding the show on the website, I would highly suggest you don't read it. Why? Because I found that knowing nothing about the show, other than the tidbits seen in quick ads, really made it that much more compelling. You find yourself being amazed and enlightened, right alongside the main character of the show. Thus, if you have a chance to watch this highly entertaining series, I whole-heartedly recommend it.
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2006-12-11
3:32pm
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Uphill Battle
I've discovered that the road back to my web design and coding roots is decidedly uphill. Probably to the tune of a 98% grade. 
With everything that I've been involved with over the months since I was actively staring at code in a text editor, it's taking a herculean effort to actually begin anything. I've thus far opened a template I was working on for the re-skin of my long-time, forever-in-development script, only to become discouraged by the fact that I couldn't remember a thing about how I'd built it. Right now, I'm forcing myself to look at this stuff, and it's not working out so well. It's not that the desire to do it is lacking, but the will. I seriously hope this doesn't last long. Do web designers just implode after 10 years?
In a bit of good news for a Monday, I managed to get a workable solution figured out for one of my airsoft guns that had been giving me nothing but fits of frustration since I received it. I'm just hoping I can keep it at that point until I can afford to do some proper repairs. Why is it that no matter WHAT hobby I delve into, it always seems to eat every spare dollar I have? Fuck!
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2006-12-08
3:18pm
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Time Flies...
Wow. 4 months. That's quite the lapse between blog posts. Granted, I'm on the site quite often to upload photos and whatnot for use elsewhere on the 'net, but as for actually jotting any thoughts down? Life has a funny way of changing your priorities, and before you know it, the things you used to do seem to have happened a million years ago, rather than last week.
My latest obsession has been airsoft. What's airsoft?, you ask? Well, I guess the best way to describe it, is the hobby and culture centered around the use of very realistic firearm replicas that shoot a plastic, 6mm BB. Some areas of the hobby include Skirmishing, or Milsim activities, where groups have simulated battles against one another in a fashion akin to how paintball games are played. The difference is that the guns look, feel, and work like their real-world counterparts, and the majority of the driving force behind the games and guns is to emulate real-world scenarios, organizations, and tactics. Some, like myself, enjoy the airsoft hobby because it allows us to buy guns that aren't really guns. They look, feel, and work like the real thing, but fire a non-lethal projectile. This allows for us 'Big Boys' to have fun without using potentially deadly weapons. It also allows for gun aficionados to collect and use the closest thing to a real gun, without actually owning one. The hobby is huge over in Asia, as well as many other countries, and is just starting to make an emergence in the United States.
As such, I've been pretty much completely consumed by the hobby, the guns, and all the tinkering that goes along with them. When you couple that with a new baby to take care of, and the ever-diminishing personal time it all entails, it doesn't take long for me to look at my site and go; WTF?
So, with this year winding down to a close, I'm pulling myself away from the airsoft hobby for a while, to try and get some balance back into my pursuits. Many projects that were already behind schedule when I started with this new obsession are now horrifically behind, with pretty much zero progress made on my behalf. Like the saying goes; If you don't use it, you lose it. That is so true in my case, as my graphics design knowledge, coding skills, web design progress, and general software familiarity are now just fuzzy and out of focus. I need to get back on track. Quickly. 
I'd really like to see some serious progress take place in whats left of this year, so I can at least begin the next year gaining momentum, rather than wondering where it all went. Hey, you never know, maybe someday I'll actually have a fan here...
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2006-08-11
3:36pm
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Bored.
You know it's gotten pretty bad when I'm listening to the theme song for a TV show. It's a good thing there aren't any razor blades handy, lemme tell ya folks. 
So, it's been well over a month, I believe, since I wrote anything here. Surprise, surprise. Have I been so swamped with work that I'm falling asleep with exhaustion at night? No. Is there just so much going on with friends and family that I can't pull myself away from the festivities? No. Truth be told, I've just been utterly and completely bored with most online pursuits as of late. I honestly find myself just aimlessly surfing more often than not, and in the last few weeks, I've gotten consumed with trying to work on my Real Life™ social networking skills. You know, those things they build all these fancy 'Web 2.0' websites trying to emulate? Anyway, suffice it to say I've been making a more serious effort at getting myself disconnected from these goddamed machines, and actually grokking humans again.
To that end, and as a result of some research and thinking I've been doing on the subject, I'm 98% sure that my next course of action will be to start a local import car club. I've done a ton of searching online, and in some local publications, and so far I've come up with nothing. There are a couple of established clubs about 3+ hours from my current stomping grounds, but that's just too far out of my way to consider. With a job, a family, and all the responsibilities that those entail, if anything happens, it has to happen locally. I've seen a lot of cars and drivers possibly fitting the description of what I'd be looking for in members, so what the hell, it's worth a shot. Now, truth be told, I am currently fraternizing with another car club whose membership covers a much MUCH larger geographic area, as well as pretty much any type of automobile. The main problem with it, is that the membership seems to be divided between the 20-something-street-racer, with nothing but free time on their hands, and the older, more experienced car guys, most of whom no longer attend any meets...let alone schedule them. Thus, this isn't meeting my needs as a member, and if you have a goal, honestly, you need to put forth the effort to achieve it.
Meanwhile, anything technology-related is taking a royal beating, not least of which is the re-write of my karbonkopy website script. I've got some great upgrades in rough coding, but the motivation to work on it lately has just not been there. This isn't even taking into account the various web-based projects I've recently started, one of which I totally stumbled on to, that could turn out to be something extremely popular as a resource for server geeks.
Hey, when I dig a hole, I like it to be deep! 
Did I mention I haven't even taken a single picture with my supah-dupah digital SLR lately? That, my friend, is truly sad indeed.
Enough of this shit. It's almost time to go home and commence with the next phase in my daily slacking routine. Cheers.
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2006-07-07
10:25am
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Customer Service?
Right now, I'm very disappointed in the total lack of 'Customer Service' that I'm receiving from a lot of online businesses lately. Frankly, the businesses I'm referring to are a fucking joke when it comes to that. Here's a little wake-up call for anyone running a business that strictly operates online: Answer Your Fucking E-mail!
Honestly, you would think that companies that have decided to do business on the internet would get a clue about the very immediate nature of the medium they parade their wares on. I can understand processing times on orders, because anything you pay for online has the highest chance of being fraudulent, so you've got to take extra care in verifying any transaction. However, this is not what I'm referring to. The issue that has me all up in arms, refers to how these 'businesses' that like to flaunt their 'Legendary Customer Support', and 'Lowest Response Times'. Yet, when you actuall try to make use of the aforementioned services, you sit and wonder if the great virtual e-mail shredder somehow got ahold of the 10 e-mails you've sent to said company requesting help.
I'm as patient as anyone who shops and does business online can be, because I've done a fair amount of business myself, and have had to provide support to those customers. Even if I may not be able to address their problem right away, or even fix it immediately, I will always make my first priority a simple response to their inquiries. I guess I'm just being unrealistic by expecting the majority of companies out there to do the same. 
Like anyone else who lives in the real world, and has to budget to make ends meet, I always try to shop around to get the best deal possible for goods or services I require. However, when taking that lowest price, you really have to acknowledge that that low price may also entail little or no customer service. I speak from experience when mentioning this, as this is the point of my little rant today. Is it worth it? In some instances, that would be a resounding NO! Too many companies justify terrible service due to their low prices, and while it's bullshit to operate this way, you have to be realistic in your expectations.
Thus, due to the absolutely horrendous (meaning: non-existant) service I've been receiving lately from some of these companies, it's time to start voting a little more fervently with my wallet...and take my business elsewhere. If nothing else, I've grown to appreciate companies that provide real customer support to their clients, and that it really is worth those few extra dollars to have a little satisfaction. Sadly, because of the nature of the internet, and the gullibility of a great many people online today, these same pathetic companies will continue to stay in business. It's just sad to see that 'value' when shopping online has just become synonymous with 'lowest price' for most people shopping this medium. Hoepfully that will change soon, and people will start to do more research on the places they buy from, and point the finger at the ones that let them down. I think it's almost time for me to start my own 'shit list' here, so that maybe I can save the occasional visitor from wasting hard-earned money, and time, on a business that will gladly take your money as they kick you out the door.
What's your peace of mind worth?
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2006-07-05
3:27pm
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When you forget how to walk...
It gives me a chuckle to think about all the times I've had various people tell me I spend too much time at the computer. This usually entails comments about a propensity for viewing pornography, or about any number of other frivolous pursuits that one can engage in whilst online. Frankly, I perceive these as the interpretations of what the actual commenter prefers to do with their time, as they try to grasp just what it is you could be doing for that long that wasn't considered just a waste of time.
I would say the largest portion of my time spent online is doing one thing: reading. If I'm not just trying to catch up on what various people are up to, or getting updates regarding various projects I follow, the majority of that reading time will be spent learning about all the wonders in the technical world. From web development and design, to computers, operating systems, and peripherals, I end up investing a horrendous amount of time just keeping up with industry at large. When they decided to name the industry I seem to enjoy working in the most as 'Information Technology', they couldn't have hit the nail squarer on the head.
This superbly illustrates what I've now spent the last 3 days doing, namely, attempting to gather, process, and apply 'information' to help me progress further along in my development projects. Developers are constantly presented with problems, whether it be from some project they are working on for themselves, or as a result of trying to produce something for a client. Hence, we spend so much time just doing research and interpretation, that when the time comes to apply what we've learned, the initiative to proceed onward is gone. I like to refer to this lovely state of affairs as Information Overload. Back when the bulk of my 'job' involved purely physical labor, you felt tired as a result of the strenuous activities you had engaged in during the day. Now, this same point of exhaustion is caused by your brain simply having to process the equivalent of chopping a cord of wood.
It's interesting for me to now sit and reflect on this, after having spent the time that I have doing research, and then remembering that same feeling of exhaustion after putting in a 10 hour day doing automotive repair, or construction work. Back in my younger days when I did these things, I used to scoff at my father, whose job was (and still is) much like mine is now: information processing. I'm also starting to see that the lack of physical activity, coupled with the mental efforts of the day, are definitely leaving me in a worse state than any physical job I've ever had. This is a disturbing realization, yet, I can't seem to movtivate myself to change my now unhealthy ways. What do you do when the work that you do is highly rewarding, yet leaves you in such poor physical shape? I know it's easy for many to point the finger and say Get off your fat ass!, but it's not so easy to actually do. Remember, motivation is purely mental.
Hopefully, I can soon find a way to become healthier both in mind and body. I haven't been too successful in that department for longer than I care to admit.
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2006-07-03
12:12am
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Burnt. Out.
After doing a whole lot of sitting on my ass this weekend, it's amazing that I can feel like I've run a marathon. It's now after midnight, the wife hasn't arrived home yet, and I'm dreading the inevitable Monday morning drudgery. Granted, with Tuesday being a holiday here, I have another day to possibly get the R&R that I was hoping to get over this weekend that is now history. More than likely though, I'll just end up spending my time on Tuesday doing some script work.
I recently embarked on a little side project to give another website I work on a 'Web 2.0' design. I know that 99.9% of people stumbling across this blurb won't have a clue what I meant by the previous reference, but suffice it to say that I got to flex my creative muscles in a way they haven't been for a while. While this is a good step to expand my design portfolio, it subsequently eats up a lot of time. Time, which is now my most precious commodity, seems to just blow on by when you're staring at code, and suddenly, it's Monday again. Weekend over. Please come again.
A great deal of time during this latest project was consumed by reading a lot of articles focusing on website design fundamentals. Guess who has simply forgotten the standards that were established years ago, and has been committing numerous sins in design the last while? You guessed it, that would be yours truly. So, while this endeavor seemed to devour an inordinate amount of time that could have been spent actually working on something for one of my various online projects, this actually served to show me that I've gotten a little too ahead of myself. Was it a worthwhile investment? My initial feeling is 'yes', but I'll reserve final judgement for a bit yet.
Meanwhile, I'm dead tired, hungry, thirsty, and direly in need of some 'quiet time'. So, with that, I bid you goodnight.
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(2006) 
