Steve Gets A Life

careers vs jobs

i have a job right now, not a career. ive noticed the difference this weekend. went to a party down here in Redlands, populated mostly by Andria's highschool friends. i went through the whole "hi im steve, i do computer work, etc" thing. what i found myself saying was stuff like "oh, i just do IT stuff" or "no, i dont really use my degree(s)."

so what the hell. i talked it over with andria (which always helps) and came up with the fact that i need to think about getting a real job. id really like to get into the security buisness, which basically means looking for a job with the government. which likely means moving to DC or VA. which is strange.

i mean, should i go for the FBI/CIA crazy security thing? am i right for that kind of work? would they even look at me? i mean i expect they get a lot of applicaints from Ivy League, etc. why would they choose a guy who slid through UCIV? (err SB).
so then, what about private firms, doing internal security? hard to get into. basically you cant get an entry-level job doing security for a company. gotta find some kind of security-consulting firm. the only ones i know of are counterpane and ... hm. well there are plenty of groups but i dont know about actual companies.

and what about experience? do i need to start learning the intricacies (sp) and specifics of virii / encryption algorithms / remote exploits / intrusion detection systems? id like to think i know a thing or two about all of those, but not down to the nitty-gritty. but i know guys (well, one or two) that do. what are they doing? getting their PhDs. should i do that? i got an offer. i totally could go back. i mean, the door is open, but i dont think i want to go in.

anyways. the idea is that i need to just keep working this job till andria graduates. the only reason why i work there is convenience until she is done with school. i mean its a good job, but its just not my thing i dont think. i cant imagine being 35 replacing toner on the damn hp2500 laser printer all day.

or i could just open up a bike shop.

pulp tolkien

first found in a slashdot post, go check out some pulp tolkien

relaxation

awesome weekend of nothing.
the most stress i had this weekend was deciding which commentary to listen to my new Two Towers DVD.
did some sleeping in, plenty of lounging, andria gave me a haircut, we went shopping briefly, etc. very mellow, very nice.

turkey day coming up. more food, more travel, hopefully just as much relaxation, unfortunately more smog, though.
but first, two more days of work.

still haven't worked on any side projects. damn job.

printers suck

i think i probably spend 30% of my day working on printers. some days its closer to 75%. the trouble with printers is that there are so many possible problems, and nobody wants responsibility for it.
who should handle the problem?
apple? no, its HPs driver problem.
HP then? no, it works fine for us, you must have a configuration problem.
is it photoshop/illustrator/pagemaker/whatever then? maybe. go check every possible page setting in there, rotate the canvas, etc.
maybe its the connection between the application and the application? maybe the app is handling the image right, but doesnt see the driver?

argh.

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in other news, i think i figured out how to allow comments again.

monty schwarzenegger

finally, the question "What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow (european)" has been answered

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also note an article on mapping CA governer votes done by the same group.

virus free, for free

according to this article, you can go get free anti-virus and firewall software for your PC.

so unless you want to be like the guy in my previous entry, and you dont want to pay for anti-virus softare, go do it now.

the malware cometh

working on a student's machine. he came to me a week ago saying "i think my computer has a virus. its slow and porn pictures keep coming up."

"no problem," i said

so he comes in today with his machine. rambles a bit about how it used to be fast, etc. his virus scanner had expired long ago (even though all students are eligible to download NAV for free with unlimited updates from calpoly.edu), but he says he always installs the windows updates... sure.

so what did i find?

• no administrator password. whoa. the guy didnt even know there was an admin account (this is one of the biggest entry points for worms/virii/mal/spyware)
• no firewall enabled. not huge, but it helps to turn it on.
• no service packs installed. doh. here come the virii.
• plenty of strange programs and processes running. one even called couponsandoffers.exe (they could at least be subtle about writing this crap)
• within 10 seconds of plugging into the network, porno popups galore.

so i decided to run ad-aware and spybot. much to my amusement i found:

• over 300 entries found by ad-aware of malware, etc. then 21 more after updating definitions.
• at least 100 found by spybot. then 75 more after i updated its definitions.
• an unauthorized windows key (cant do a windows update without some tweaking)

plenty of scanning, installing, patching, some rebooting, and a good amount of laughing (cause it aint my computer) later, its running slightly faster, with far less unintended porn, and hopefully pretty well protected against future assaults. my two degrees are starting to pay off. oh wait, no they aren't. well my interest in computer security sure is. well, not paying off, just ... uh. well, crap.

at least this guy's machine runs better now. i feel good about that. sure feels better than just replacing toner in the printers all day, thats for sure.

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on iTunes: Hey Ya from the album "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" by Outkast

softwar

from the slashdot article reviewing the new book about Oracle's CEO, Larry Ellison:

And as for Microsoft, "When they felt threatened by Netscape, it was just another company with a known HQ that could go out and bomb. But that won't work with Linux, just as it didn't work with Apache. Apache creamed them, and so will Linux. Microsoft has lost the server war."

A supporter of open standards, Ellison does not like the cacophony of enterprise-scale products offered to the companies. "If Detroit ran like Silicon Valley, nobody would sell cars -- just parts", he proclaims. "Customers would have to figure out which were the best parts -- a Honda engine, a Ford transmission, a BMW chassis, GM electrical system -- and buy them and try to assemble them into a working car. Good luck. I know it sounds crazy, but that's how companies put together business systems today".

... and from the comments:

"sure they'd only sell parts, but you'd be able to get car parts, truck parts, tank parts, plane parts, train parts, crane parts, snowplower parts, tires, tracks, helicopter rotors, blueprints, jet fuel, nitrous oxide, spoilers, giant robotic arms, spray paint for the exterior, radar systems, chassis extensions, ROCKET LAUNCHERS, and reconfigurable engines. ANALOGIES SUCK."

so true

Family IT support solution

getting by on 4 hours

... of sleep. in one weekend. yup, thats how my weekend went.

• got into Santa Monica on thursday night
• worked friday from 8am - 8pm. basic stuff, not bad.
• got up at 4am saturday for race start, got awesome breakfast at IHOP on way back to site. felt bad seeing matt with one donut.
• worked till about 2am sunday. usually can swap shifts with assistant (matt) and take sleep breaks, but this event was so packed and so damn large, we were both on, both swamped the entire time.
• slept on a creaky cot, totally freezing for 3 or 4 hours. then spent 15 minutes by heater in medical tent thawing my toes.
• got back up, worked from 6am(ish) to 3pm, super high stress levels at points.
• drove to SB, hung out a bit, worked more till 7pm finishing up stupid data entry.
• drove to SLO, had a wonderful dinner, passed the F out at about 10pm.
• up this morning at 6:45am.

its an interesting job. pays well, and i get all the balance bars i want. and some other random junk.

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on iTunes: It's The End Of The World by Rem

hip-i-tude

You are the Consummate Hipster. Newbies bow to
you, everyone else just stares, as you swagger
down the street with "Little Green
Bag" stuck in your head.

What Kind of Hipster Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

secret stories

go check out this article about the "secret stories" of homeless kids in Miami (written in 1997). its an interesting read.

fight the man

i liked this article about a president of a university who threw a hissy fit when her letter didn't make the front page. the president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors didnt like that too much and let her know in a convincing manner.

potter, baby

the trailer for the 3rd film is out

and dont forget to check out the error for a funny tidbit.

been a while...

haven't blogged much this week. i guess ive been busy. work is going well, getting used to the hours (still tired when i wake up at 6:30 though). the only thing that kinda sucks is that i dont feel like i can make that much of an impact yet. like, the biggest thing i do is to make sure the printers work, replacing toner/ink, installing drivers, etc. while that may seem lame (ok it is), its pretty important to this group as all they care about is their printed out works, whether they are plotted or hand-drawn or ink-jet printed. so thats gratifying, slightly. there are bigger computing issues id like to tackle, but im swamped by these pesky day-to-day things and, frankly, its not in my job description. i would like to transfer to some other department that has more to do with infrastructure, but who knows how long id have to wait for that. i like my job for now. plenty of room to dork around with stuff, blog, etc.

"my first friend's wedding"

get it? like the movie? or not..

anyways, this weekend we went to andy and dorothy's wedding. it was a blast. it was the first wedding ive ever been to that wasn't a relative's. i sense a trend approaching...

like i said, it was a great time. i guess its time for a breakdown:

• picked up wes on the way to SB. he hadn't slept in over 24 hours, would proceed to stay up another 12 at least.
• dropped off andria with the girlies so she could play with makeup or do whatever it is they do in that room before a wedding.
• (wes and i) got picked up by andy and paka, had some krispy kreme, sushi for lunch.
• check in to the hotel to shower/change. wes somehow gets free drink coupon just for being military.
• use free drink coupon (well, i had to pay).
• back to site, find the bar there, order 16 kamikazis (sp?), 15 minutes before go-time.
• got andy to have a drink, about 2 minutes before he got hitched. mission accomplished.
• wedding ceremony. beauty. the ring bearer was awesome. buck toothed.
• reception. aww yea. paka busts moves all over the place.
• randall makes his entrance.
• rock on all night.
• next morning, informal breakfast. slept in and got the end of the food. nice.
• ice skating in the 'nard. very fun. its been a while, but got my legs back pretty quick. still cant hockey stop. never could.
• in-n-out.
• super monkey ball 2 at jen's house in SB. and popcorn. and crunch bars. and hot cocoa. rad.
• Elf. so funny. "franciscooo thats fun to say."
• back in SLO to discover our roof leaked. kinda lame, but couldnt spoil such a great weekend. nothing damaged too bad at all, dont worry.

so that was the schedule. i hope to blog more about favorite moments, etc. but its all still jumbled.

congrats, mr. and mrs. satomi. if you're reading this, it had better be at least December, cause no internet allowed on a honeymoon.

my first iMovie

check it out..

special thanks to Ken Burns and his effect.
(photos taken from a recent visit to Zodo's in Santa Barbara (ok, Goleta) )

cool videos

check out what these landscape architecture students did with imovie.

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on iTunes: Gravity from the album "Thirteenth Step" by A Perfect Circle

ipod comic

a pretty funny comic regarding the price of iPods.

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on iTunes: Bigger Than My Body from the album "Heavier Things" by John Mayer

poly "P"

in the last few days, the big "P" on the hill has undergone some transformations.

on monday, it became part of the Beta Theta Pi logo (they turned the P into a B, added more)

on wednesday, it became "neo" in commemoration of the matrix release. awesome. (made the P into a lowercase "e"). there is a picture in the student paper, but the website isn't working right now, maybe ill get an image later.

by thursday, "neo" had become "rpc." or "ipo" maybe. ...or maybe nobody cleaned up the "neo" after the wind messed it up. nah.

dorky cool

how to get color on your Terminal without stupid window clearing and messing up your background color.

also, synergy rules.

phpHelpDesk

dig it. got the helpdesk software up and going this morning and it looks like we're using it already. success.

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on iTunes: Its Only Love by The Beatles

making ISOs on Panther

what is an ISO? well, if you have a CD and you think you might want to make a copy of it someday (and you have tons of hard disk space), you can copy that CD to disk for future burns. you can also copy this ISO to a PC and burn it on your windows/linux/bsd machine :)
using the ISO format retains things like mac/pc interoperability, bootable CDs, etc.

well, i wasn't sure how to do this on Panther. I used Carbon Copy Cleaner before, but i thought there should be a way built-in. and there is.

this article shows how. here it is:
hdiutil makehybrid -o ISONAME /Volumes/CDNAME

• ISONAME is the name of the resulting ".iso" file (the .iso extension will be added by the program)
• CDNAME is the name of the mounted CD.

bugzilla on safari

if you're using bugzilla with safari, you might run into the problem where clicking a link downloads a copy of a page to the desktop instead of just opening it in the browser. this article explains the problem and how to fix it. i found that it was a bit off, so if their solution doesn't fit (its from Jan 15th), try this:

1. open buglist.cgi
2. search for my $serverpush
3. add the line && $ENV{'HTTP_USER_AGENT'} !~ /Safari/ so it looks like:
   my $serverpush =
exists $ENV{'HTTP_USER_AGENT'}
&& $ENV{'HTTP_USER_AGENT'} !~ /Safari/
&& $ENV{'HTTP_USER_AGENT'} =~ /Mozilla.[3-9]/
...

this solution should make bugzilla work with safari without breaking it for other browsers

Posted by Steve on November 4, 2003 01:58 PM