Joey

Wisdom from Steve

Not that you’re supposed to have “cheat days” on a fast, as it generally defeats the point…but I swung by Facebook briefly, and loved what my friend Steve Goad had to say…he’s one of the few folks who has insightful, original posts…like this one:

Have you prayed for your enemies today?
Have you prayed for political candidates you disagree with?
Have you prayed for the illegal immigrant?
Have you prayed for the thief, the murderer, the rapist?
Have you prayed for the terrorist?
Jesus said “Love your enemy, and pray for those who persecute you.”
Instead of cursing them… pray for God to bless them, and show them love… even as God has shown us love.
If all Christians did this… I believe amazing things would happen in our world.

And y’know what? He’s absolutely right.

January 13, 2016 by Philosophy and Faith 2

Dear Canon

Dear Canon,

I generally love your printers. Your copiers are a different story. In addition to being problematic work emailing via SSL on non-standard ports, it’s 2016…and changing the IP address requires a full restart of the copier, a problem solved by Windows in 1999. Firmware updates, please!

January 12, 2016 by Computers and Tech Microblog 0

Funny

Via Reddit:

A priest and a rabbi buy a car. The priest walks out and sees the rabbi sprinkling water over the hood. “What are you doing?” Asked the priest. “I’m blessing the car,” said the rabbi. “Oh, as long as we’re doing THAT…” The priest walked into the garage. He later came back out with a hacksaw and cut 2 inches off of the tailpipe.

January 9, 2016 by Uncategorized 0

Altaro’s ‘Gotcha’

A client at work has had an issue with the Windows Server Backup application destabilizing his server. I’d like to actually poke around and resolve the issue, but with the time factor involved, I decided to try out the excellent Altaro backup program. It’s pretty, it’s intuitive, and given that he only has two virtual machines, the free version perfectly fit his needs…or so I thought.

Protip for everyone: “Offsite Backups” are one of the features that are not included in the free version. Initially I thought that statement simply referred to WAN-based file transfers, but it apparently also applies to hard disk rotations, so it you use multiple hard disks for backup, you’ll be stuck getting the paid version. That being said, at $395 for the standard version, it’s one of the least expensive server backup programs available.

January 7, 2016 by Computers and Tech Microblog 0

Judgment

I write this blog entry from the checkout line at a local supermarket. My grocery list consists of: a bag of granola cereal, a box of Star Wars cereal, and three of those $0.50 Jell-O cups. My cashier will likely judge me as she rings me up, and deservedly so.

Perhaps I only sense this vibe because I was a bit judgmental when I was a cashier, and this is simply karmic projection.

January 5, 2016 by Microblog 1

Reader Interaction Poll / Ask Me Stuff / Topic Suggestions

It’s been amusing that I’ve talked to a number of people who have indicated that they’ve read things on my blog. My stat counter isn’t incredibly useful with respect to visitor numbers, since all the bots and site scrapers are included, yet precisely four different people have commented on things here since I’ve started the blog. Moreover, what was intended to be a blog with a bit more diversity of topics has turned into an admittedly soapbox-like pulpit where I spend more time complaining about technical things than not. My ‘Food and Cooking’ category still doesn’t have an entry in it, though I have a planned entry for it.

Having said all that, I’m open to topic requests and suggestions, questions to answer, and matters to research. I can’t promise I’ll honor every request (points to ToS), but I figure that most of my loyal readers would be interested in a change of pace from the technical rants and rallying cries for adherence to the Bill of Rights, so I’d at least be interested in knowing what sort of content you’d like to read.

January 4, 2016 by Microblog Uncategorized 0

…Spreadsheets are no better.

So, I’m certain you’ve read my prior post regarding how shopping for self-hosted chat/collaboration software is a pain, right? Well, browser-based office suites aren’t much of a picnic, either…

OnlyOffice was my frontrunner, even if it did require 6GB of RAM on my server. Yes it’s shiny, yes it’s got a Linux base to it, yes it does users and groups and has a web server and a database server powering it…but Lotus 1-2-3 required 192K of RAM (yes, Excel had a predecessor that single-handedly transformed desktop computing, you young whippersnapper), so a thirty thousand fold increase in RAM requirements would understandably seem a smidge excessive…but even with eight CPU cores and 8GB of RAM allocated to it, the software *lagged*. Not just ‘a smidge sluggish’, I mean ‘one-minute-per-page-load’ sluggish. I want to try it on my laptop at some point, but I’d rather rant on my blog at the moment. Suffice it to say, OnlyOffice didn’t last long.

FengOffice was my next attempt. It had a slim installation, ran just fine in 1GB of RAM, simple interface, good administration…and a patent inability to use relative URLs. Thus, it kept trying to direct me to 192.168.0.146, even when I accessed it externally through an opened port and used a dynamic DNS address. I went so far as to reinstall it using the DDNS URL when prompted…but even then it did a reverse DNS and forced itself to be tied to the external IP address, rather than the URL, which made no sense…something that further astounded me when I did a port 80 redirect. So, Feng is great for internal use, but external use clearly requires a static IP. We’re working on that.

eGroupWare seemed to have a spreadsheet module involved…but it didn’t…and I think the people who made the software went out of their way to make it as ugly as conceivably possible. Now, to be fair, their installation process was all of three cut-and-pastes on a plain Debian install, so props to them for having the simplest installation here (Really OnlyOffice? creating an OVA or including a VMDK file in the zip archive was *that* hard?). While Lotus 1-2-3 may have been the spreadsheet that brought a computer to every desk, eGroupWare brought flashbacks of Lotus Notes…and if you’re blissfully unaware of what it’s like to use Lotus Notes, thank your IT department for showing you love and care and concern and respect.

ZK Spreadsheet Server is what I’d love to go with…if I could. It’s a one trick pony that is *beautiful*…I mean, it is the most visually appealing spreadsheet software I’ve ever used. Every useful thing that Johnny Ives has ever said was distilled into what would make this software be desirable to use, and then implemented perfectly, with no middle management getting in the way. Moreover, the Windows installation couldn’t be simpler – a single executable Installshield wizard that installs a service that has a small config panel. Couldn’t be simpler. Unfortunately, Mr. Ives clearly had no say over the website. The site indicates that the download is simply an evaluation, but nowhere does the website list a price, or have a ‘buy now’ button, or anything to that effect. I have no idea how much this thing actually costs, or how it’s licensed. Also, there didn’t seem to be any way to assign users and groups, so a login ends up being a direct path to making a spreadsheet…not the best for security.

I probably should have spent the last six hours editing and uploading the podcasts and just using our access to Excel Online via our free Office365 subscription.

But where’s the fun in that?

January 3, 2016 by Computers and Tech Uncategorized 0

The devolution of web design, and frustration with chat software…

First and foremost, happy new year to everyone. Here’s to hoping that 2016 isn’t as bad as 2015…I mean, let’s be real – for 2015, Dave Barry didn’t even have to try.

That being said, it’s time for a rant.

I’m looking to get some form of chat/collaboration software up and running for a church where I do some tech work. There’s a relatively new trend in web design that’s quite annoying: the single scrollable site. Now, a part of the problem is that no one actually puts any content on sites like this, it’s just some shiny graphics and a vague sentence or two. Now, when I land on one of these hipster pages, it tends to inform me that it’s not the product I’m looking for.

As most of you know, I’m a bit old school, so data lives on my servers, period…except for e-mail in this one particular case, because when Microsoft offers free hosted Exchange for nonprofits, there’s no conceivable way to argue that. Here’s the list of products I’ve looked into so far…

Skype for Business: quirky, its integration features aren’t what they should be, desktop installs aren’t as streamlined as they could be, having issues with the mobile app.
Trillian for Business: won’t give me a price on their website for the self-hosted version.
Convo: won’t give me a price on their website for the self-hosted version.
HipChat: wants $1,800/year for 25 users, for software that lives on my server…but $600 for the version that they host? How is it triple the price to *not* deal with the infrastructure?
Unison: won’t give me a price on their website for the self-hosted version.
Campfire: ‘meh’ product, no self-hosted option.
Glip: No self-hosted option.
Brosix: Not the prettiest UI and no self-hosted option, but at $1.70/user/month, if we’re stuck going for a cloud-based option, they’re in the running.
OpenFire: Requires third party mobile app; XMPP-only protocol would require a lot of work to secure properly, browser-based UI hasn’t been updated since 2008.
MatterMost: Promising, but relatively lengthy install process and mobile apps are still pending.
Rocket.Chat: This was the one that I was really, REALLY hoping would do the job – it’s free (love the price!), self-hosted (love the control!), runs on Linux (love the freedom!), and took about half an hour to spin up – incidentally, it was the first time I’d ever used a Docker container. However, I ran into two problems: first, the mobile apps wouldn’t work properly. Second, user accounts are backwards: anyone can go to the login page and create an account, and the admin user can’t create users or groups. I need the opposite – to be able to create users, and only users I create can log in. So, that got put on ice until they get all that stuff worked out.

I also configured Yammer, until I realized it was just a private Facebook with no real-time chat capabilities. Same for eXo.

And this, friends, is how I spend my New Year’s Day…because this is the cost of being old school.

January 1, 2016 by Computers and Tech 0

The No Fly List and Gun Control: Sounds reasonable, until it isn’t

I do plan on writing blog entries on more things than privacy and liberty soon. I’ll pick another topic for an entry soon, promise…

So, I’m a bit late to the party on this; I’m sorry…but I’d still call it relevant.
Disclaimer: keep the comments civil; no name calling of anyone.

After the San Bernardino massacre, President Obama made a statement regarding the need to extend gun control to the people on the No Fly List, one underscored by Hillary Clinton – and most people on the left, and even a decent number of the moderate-right said, “seems legit” – including myself.

Then, I thought a bit more about it: what does it take to get on and off the no-fly list? Is their oversight? Due process? Transparency? Accountability?

No, nope, nu-uh, and none.

Here is the legalese version, straight from Uncle Sam:
https://theintercept.com/…/march-2013-watchlisting-guidance/

And here is the fairly-bias-free article that summarizes a lot of it:
https://theintercept.com/2014/07/23/blacklisted/

Basically, if any of the three-letter-agencies think you’re a terrorist, related to a terrorist, have the same name of a terrorist, have someone make a clerical error, or fly to Saudi Arabia on a regular basis, you can end up on the No Fly List. You won’t get a letter about it, and you’ll only find out because you’ll have to show documentation to prove you’re not the T. Kennedy they’re looking for, and produce it quickly, in order to avoid missing your flight…and getting OFF the No Fly List involves filing a lawsuit to validate your innocence, rather than a trial to prove your guilt.

Senator Ted Kennedy, Iraq-war-veteran Daniel Brown ended up on it, professor Walter Murphy (critical of the Bush administration during his term), and many children under the age of five have landed on this list.

So, the folks in Washington wish to give the No Fly List power against buying guns…when the criteria for getting on that list involves a 166-page document that was leaked (rather than formally publicized), and has no practical means of due process or accountability to get either on it or off it.

So, at least for me personally, I can’t get behind the notion of giving the No Fly List even more power. Let’s address THAT issue, then discuss whether it should be used to restrict the sales of firearms.

To those who would say, “but firearms should be banned for everyone!”, let’s roll with that for a second. My ultimate concern isn’t whether people should or shouldn’t fly on planes or buy guns. What is an even more grave danger in my mind is this: It seems equally likely that ‘No Fly List people can’t buy guns’ will extend to ‘nobody can buy guns’, as it is for ‘No Fly List people can’t buy guns’ to turn into ‘No Fly List people can’t vote’…

December 27, 2015 by Philosophy and Faith 0

pfSense Adblocking tutorial

This is more a bookmark for me than anyone else. I’m torn on the topic of ad blocking. I do want to support websites that provide useful content, but at the same time, I’ve seen far too many misleading and malware-laden ads on reputable websites to not have my guard up. So, as I’ve got a pfSense box up at box up at my house, as well as my mom’s, and two parents who are far more likely to erroneously hover over a malicious ad than buy a product based on an ad (though I must say, I’ve never actually had to do a major malware cleaning on either of their computers so far), my greater concern is for them, so ad blocking is something I am okay with.

Thus, I shall implement this at my next opportunity:
https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=19756.0

I look forward to the task. Now if only I could find a tutorial for having a pfSense box create multiple isolated LANs….

December 26, 2015 by Computers and Tech Microblog Tutorials 2