What are "high cubes" - I don't have such a setup, but would love one if I ever own my "dream home" (40 acres, a well, and off-the-grid somewhere in AZ). I have even given thought about building the house using old shipping containers. At best, though, I will likely have such a shop. Now, I know about 20 and 40 foot containers, but I have never heard of a "high cube" - are these containers that are taller than the standard (what is it - 7, 8 foot?)...?
Or ask an older person (ie, > 60 years of age) who remembers a meat market of old: Lean and tasty are not the two words that go together when I think of "pork". There is a reason why people are "discovering", once again, wild boar, and while it does have something to do with being "in" and "chique", it also has a lot to do with taste...
People have tried to come up with solutions - I remember one inventor who tested (in San Diego, I think) a series of small wind generators driven by the wind whipped up as cars passed by on the freeway. I don't know what the results were (obviously not as good as the inventor hoped - that, or so good that various interests had him "disappeared" - heh)...
I wouldn't be surprised if bacteria couldn't be coaxed to produce hydrogen, however, I have never heard about that nor read anything on it - looks like I need to do some research.
However, I do know that you can get ordinary pond scum (algae) to create hydrogen - in fact, this has been known about for years (there is an old Mother Earth News article about it) - you basically do something like starve them of oxygen and feed them sulphur or something, and they output hydrogen for a while, then it stops - you then return conditions to normal for a bit, then reverse them again to start production back up.
The trick is getting production volume up - IIRC, the amount produced is very, very low - too low for industrial production, anyhow. I think, though, that it isn't too low, given enough pond area, for it to be unfeasible to someone wanting to live off-grid who has some acreage available and doesn't mind the stink.
To me, this is proof of two things. One of them is that so-called "gun control" does not work. This is sort of a truism in the pro-gun camp but this is the real proof in the proverbial pudding. The other is that the government knows precisely what the second amendment is for - protection from the government - and is working specifically to dismantle it. If you can carry your guns into a courthouse, that puts pressure on the judge to work in the best interests of the community and we can't have that, can we?
You have that absolutely correct. We won't know the outcome, though, until it is too late. Furthermore, whatever way it does go will likely prove to be the "bloodiest" in all of American history (probably even surpassing the Civil War).
Personally, I hold very liberal views. I am not registered as a Democrat, however. I believe in the purpose and intent of the second ammendment. I believe in the right to carry arms. I believe in gun control - my gun, and I control it. I also believe in an individual's (male or FEMALE) right to choice - IN ALL MATTERS. Your body, your land, your property, your choice. Just be prepared to accept all consequences and responsibilities for your actions. Unfortunately, many people can't or won't - I say these people are weak of mind and will.
I was once a card-carrying member of both the NRA and the ACLU (I get very interesting mail, now, and I am sure i cause a few people's heads to explode), but with the heavy slant of the NRA toward one specific segment of the population (namely, republican conservatives), and their seeming unwillingness to actually exercize their second ammendment freedoms and knowledge to protect the other ammendments (ie - why the hell can't the NRA get along with the ACLU?) - I dropped support of them for support of the ACLU alone. Unfortunately, I am rapidly getting to the point where I want to drop them, too - because while they support fighting against attacks on the other ammendments and our freedoms, you rarely (not that I can recall - if someone has links, please respond!) they never want to support the rights of the second!
Gah! Where is my organization which supports ALL RIGHTS for ALL PEOPLE?
Murder deprives you of your life, and it is thus the highest of crimes.
Unless the State performs it or you are told to do it by the State, then it somehow becomes ok. How can we simultaneously say we are better than mere animals by being human, yet we continue to behave in herd ways? Either murder is wrong or it isn't, you can't have it both ways. Only murder in personal or close family self-defense has any measure of credibility. The State tries to twist this logic into "but the State is your Family" (to get the individual citizen to do things which would otherwise be crimes, such as the death penalty or warfare). If that is so, it is one of the most f'ing dysfunctional families I have ever set eyes on - and I really want no part of it!
Most people are not acquainted with the cows/chickens/fish/etc that they eat.
I have personally helped feed and care for one cow, two pigs, a few rabbits, and several chickens which ultimately in some manner or another ended up in my belly. I also witnessed their deaths and slaughtering. In the case of the chickens, I helped to pluck the carcasses clean of feathers with my mother. I didn't live on a farm, but in a house which was on county property (surrounded by the city) on which the property owners were allowed livestock. I still eat and enjoy meat.
Being "personally acquainted" nor witnessing slaughter has little to nothing to do with whether one can slaughter and eat another animal. All it takes is whether one can objectify that animal as "food".
Or for that matter, as "enemy of mine".
At the risk of Godwin'ing myself, how many Germans during WW2 simply looked the other way as their neighbors (who at one time they were friendly with), who were jewish, were led away by the authorities, never to be seen again? How many German soldiers ended up fighting/shooting neighbors or friends simply because they were "on the other side"?
You see, it isn't that hard to objectify anything, especially if it is as "food" or as "enemy" - even the Germans at the time knew this, a lot of people did, a lot of people still do. Once done, slaughter for food (or killing for the state) becomes much easier. But it is one of those topics that is considered too taboo to think about or discuss.
It is all about one's (in)ability to consent, and thus no adult should be sexually active with an individual that is under the legal age to consent.
Here's an idea to ponder:
An adult molests a child of age 10, gets caught, and goes to jail for a period of a couple of years. Afterwards, s/he is let go and put on a registry. The victim (now age 12) finds out, looks up the person's name on the registry and where they live, tracks them down, shoots the person, and kills them. Meanwhile, at this same moment (bear with me), another 12 year old gangster-wanna-be breaks into an occupied house, shoots and kills the owner, then steals their new Playstation.
Both children are later caught.
The question is: what happens to both children within our judicial system, why does it happen, and why so often does it turn out to be hypocritical in the application of justice?
Perhaps so. But that doesn't explain why, if that same child who was molested (but the perp not caught) went and killed a man for his car to joyride in, our justice system would likely "try them as an adult". Why is it that children can be "pure and innocent" and "can't consent to sexual things" - yet if they kill someone, somehow they magically become adults with "full rights" (yeah, except for that pesky "right to vote" to help change the laws that put them away, of course), and can be sentenced to death? Methinks we as a society want to have our cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, as many despot rulers have found out to their detriment in the past, that only works for so long...
I don't think it's because a parent doesn't know, but because a parent doesn't want to know. Denial, in other words. Unfortunately, too many people are stuck on this planet who think (for some biased reason) that sexuality only occurs one way, and all other ways are "deviant". They refuse to see sexuality as a continuum lying on a Bell curve. If their children happen to fall toward one extreme or another, these unfortunates drop into denial mode, instead of facing up to the truth. Families can become ruined as a result.
It is really unfortunate when these same adults (not necessarily parents, mind you, but it does happen - which is really unfortunate for all parties involved) are "sexually deviant" themselves - closeted gay/lesbian or what-have-you. They fall into a trap of continuously denying their own sexuality as "wrong" or "against god". Some do it in secret and shame (and are eventually found out anyhow). Some work to change laws and society (the idea being that if they can define it as completely wrong, they will somehow, magically, change themselves into "right"). Most end up dead, by their own hand or by others.
Ultimately, it boils down to honesty and responsibility - to both yourself and others. If you can't be honest to yourself and others about yourself (provided being honest doesn't get you killed - I can give a pass for that rationale - a lot of gays die from hate crimes, even today), how is that any different from being a lying sociopath? Unfortunately, there are a lot of lying sociopaths out there...
You know the whole don't talk to strangers thing has always bugged me. I'm antisocial by nature hearing don't talk to strangers just reinforced it though. Life isn't safe. Kids need to learn to socalize with strangers and what is and isn't proper to talk about and in what forums it is and isn't proper.
Yeah, that whole thing bugs me, too - I mean, how are you to ever have a friend otherwise? To gain a friend you have to start with a stranger. What parents really mean (but are too chickenshit to talk about it, unfortunately), is don't talk to strangers older than yourself - somehow conveniently forgetting that real sociopaths were once children (scary children, albeit) too. At any rate, they probably don't speak of it because then it would bring up the question of why, and thus you would have to get into the whole sticky and hard-to-discuss issue of child predators and molesters, which might lead to discussions of sex, which of course is almost universally taboo (probably because of the social taboo surrounding sex and children - ie, if it is wrong for an older stranger to say anything of a sexual nature to a child, it must therefore be wrong for the child's parent to discuss it as well - and doubly wrong if that parent is the male member of the family, and triply wrong if the child is female!). Thus, the whole discussion is avoided, at the expense of the child's welfare when "out of sight" (or out of mind) of the parents. But at least the parent's psyche avoids damage!
Maybe if supposed adults would quit acting like children and instead speak as adults with their children about adult matters, their child might learn something, they themselves might learn something, trust could be fostered all around, and maybe some of these problems we are currently having in society regarding children and sex could be abated, or in some cases, removed entirely. Of course, this requires a populace much more rational and intelligent than what we have, so this is a moot point, I suppose.
Briefly I played with the thought of creating a personal webpage or maybe even a blog, but the entire concept revolves around publishing your private life to strangers!
Remember, "on the internet, nobody knows you are a dog", as the old time-worn (but true) adage is known. I know of and have seen several very interesting web sites (some of them art pieces unto themselves) of which, despite exploring them in depth, I had no idea of the creator or owner, let alone their personal history, outside of what I maybe could glean from a whois search (and ordinary joes out there haven't the slightest clue that this is even possible). In the case of simpler web-hosting systems like MySpace or (gack) Geocities, you can make even less known about you (and if you know what you are doing and don't mind using the archaic automated email-update system many registrars still have, you can do the same with your DNS info - heh). Combinations of getting free web-hosting (perhaps by hanging a server off your employer's network), knowing the IP address, and using a dynamic DNS service - you can easily host an entire website and server almost completely anonymously (I can think of only one way to be 100% completely anonymous, at least until the server is found and seized, and that would require hanging the system off of a hijacked open wireless router/hub found while war driving and using a dyn-dns system to attach to that - encrypt the harddrive and make the system small enough to hide running on solar power - yeah).
Even if you have your little web-slice through an existing provider, at most the worst they will know about you may be your email address and your user ID - your actual website doesn't need to contain much if anything about you personally, plus what personal info you do give out doesn't need to be accurate. The website I run is pretty "open", and while it does have a fair bit of personal information on it, it only has what I choose to release, not every little detail of my life. True, my current (or a potential
I have a backup solution I use at home which saved my butt once after I fubar'ed my server with a bad Debian update (was trying to do an update to Woody, but they had already switched things over to Sarge, and things got really messed up). While it isn't something that would be scalable for business (ah, who am I kidding - do not use this in a real IT department, please!), it has worked pretty well for me at home on my small network.
Basically, each workstation runs a cron job (or under Windows, task manager, IIRC) at a certain time at night (each WS is staggered to start at a different time to avoid overloading the small server on the network or hard drive throughput), which kicks off a batch file to mount a SMB share and copy the certain directories (mainly documents and development stuff, along with things like workstation email and such) off the workstation and over to the SMB server (which also functions as a web and database server). Then, at a different time (after all the workstations have copied), the server kicks off its own cron job to copy those directories, and others on the server (database images, config files for smb, apache, php, mysql and postgreSQL, mainly) and create an ISO9660 image of those files. This ISO image is then stored in another directory, along with the last 7 days of ISOs. Periodically I make a backup of the last ISO to a CD or DVD.
This works well for my purposes at home. At one time, I had things set up so that the server would automatically burn the ISO to a CD, but due to the location of my server (in a non-climate controlled, dusty attached workshop at my house), the CD burner didn't last long and died, refusing to burn CDs properly. Instead, I just burn the images from my workstation by mounting the directory as an SMB share.
This system has served me well for almost two years now, and like I said, it saved my butt. After I hosed my server (Debian Woody, remember), I ended up installing Mandrake 10.1 on it (all gui options turned off, mind you - just running CLI here), then took my last backup CD image and copied the data over from that (along with restoring my MySQL database from the dump on the ISO). A couple of evenings of work and I was done, and had the new system up and running perfectly as if nothing had happenned (and I got an upgrade to everything as well!). The scary thing was the fact that I had never done a "full test" of my backup strategy (in a business IT environment, this is a big no-no) - but it passed with flying colors. My backup system continues to run, with minor tweaks and additions here and there, but it has proved itself "under fire", and I am fine with it so far.
I won't pretend to know the situation, because you were there and I wasn't, but from your description it doesn't sound like the problem was a "home-grown RAID array" which triggered the mess. What triggered the mess was a failure to follow a good process for the move. The fact that they didn't allow the copying of the home folders to each user's desktop was the first mistake, the second mistake was just shutting off the power instead of performing a proper shutdown. While a real RAID array sub-system would likely have handled that much more gracefully (even so, in such a situation you still wouldn't just cut the power), and a proper backup solution for the data instead of copying the data to the desktops would be preferred, the improper steps (for shutdown and data retention) the company took ultimately caused the end result, and not the way the system was implemented. With all that said, though, it does sound like the system ultimately was a fragile one, and it is amazing you came up with such a unique method of restoring the fubared data. Good points for Open Source!
Then again, having them all in silos ready to go with one guy with his thumb hovering over the button...
I hope you're joking here, and that you really know how missle silos and operations to launch actually occur.
FWIW, there isn't a "single man in a silo" like you are positing, nor is there just a button to launch. In American silos, there are two men in the silo for launch control. Upon orders to launch, they open a special locker, pull out some codes, and verify that the code in the launch order matches that in the locker. These codes are rotated on a regular basis, and the code-to-launch comes from an equally rotated (kinda like a one-time-pad of codes) set of codes in the "nuclear football" the President carries around. If both codes match, each man pulls out a key from the locker/packet. Both of these men have guns (IIRC) - in case one doesn't want to launch, the other can threaten to shoot him. They must both insert the key into their stations (which are far enough apart so that one man can't insert and turn both keys) and turn them at the "exact same time" (I am sure there is some leeway here, on the order of a second or so, just for practical reasons). When both are inserted and turned, the final launch sequence can begin (yes, there is a button here for this purpose - but it requires all the other steps to occur before it will work).
This is the gist of it - I have vastly simplified it, and possible gotten a few details wrong. Note that this scenario doesn't play out on boomers (nuclear missle subs), IIRC, but the codes must match all the same. Also, I don't think the USSR used this kind of system either, but they did have something similar (even so, from what I have read, it is amazing they never accidentally launched).
Also of note, when simulations are run, they are run in such a way that the men in the silo have no idea that what they are doing is for real or a test. They must run through the steps all the same (they are alerted at the end - but there is a tense time period where they don't know if WW3 is starting or not). I am sure if it is a test, and one or both fail to launch, they are likely booted out of the position, after debriefing (I would imagine even if they do "press the button" and pass the test, they still get debriefed and/or psych counseling), to be replaced with some "fresh recruits". Ultimately, they want people in there who will launch without question or remorse. The scary thing is, I doubt that people like this are difficult to find. It is probably only the fact of all the other security precautions that WW3 didn't start as an accident (and yes, I know of the few times we came close due to one reason or another).
First off, take a deep breath and calm down. You need to be calm, you need to think rationally.
Once you are calm, you can begin to prepare. You need to be methodical, you need to think about you and your immediate family. Sure, think about the rest of your family and friends, educate them as much as possible, but when the screws get tightened, realize that it is up to you and yours in the immediate time, and no one else.
Basically, look into everything you can to prepare for an "earthquake, tornado, or hurricane" - ie, civil defence. If you can prepare you and your family to "survive" such a natural disaster, you are well on your way to preparing for a man-made one. Think about what people did and didn't do to survive hurricane Katrina. Think about what the government did and didn't do. Notice how long it took the government (at all levels) to properly respond. Notice how they are still "responding". Notice that you and yours don't figure into this response...
Basically, prepare for the possibility of at least one week's worth of no power, water, or food - 2 weeks worth is better. Anything after that is a dream unless you have a lot of money and/or space - because basically, every six months you need to recheck your supplies and plan, and replace that which has "gone bad" and is no longer suitable to the task needed (mainly water, batteries, and food supplies). This can get expensive, quickly. Keep note of possible supplies already on hand (like, if you have a pool, the water in it could be used to survive with, provided it can be distilled in some manner), and stock up on those (keeping a full pantry of items will help). Stockpile fuel and batteries (propane for stoves, mainly). Look into getting some deep-cycle RV batteries and a few cheap solar panel battery chargers to keep them topped up.
Another opportunity (too late for this year, but start now for next year) would be to see if you can prepare and "survive" at Burning Man - if you can manage to plan and prepare for a trip of that magnitude, and not purchase anything on the trip there (difficult to do on your first trip - so keep a log of what you buy, what you use, and what you don't use, and what you wish you had - for the next year), and not sponge off of other participants (note: sponging is beggary, but learning to share and gift again in adulthood IS a survival skill) - then you have had a "real world" experience, albeit nothing as intense as surviving the aftermath of a nuclear exchange or a natural disaster.
Finally - purchase the series of books or CD's of "The Survivor" series (four books, shouldn't cost more than $100.00 (?) for the set), compiled by Kurt Saxton. Please note something about these compilations: they contain copies and extracts from many, many different sources - old PopSci, PopMech, and other 1930's-1960's era how-to publications, among other things. They are excellent and full tomes of information unobtainable from any other source outside of Army and other military field guides (find and purchase these, as well). Interspersed throughout these clippings are "articles" written by Kurt Saxton himself. On first impression of these writings, you get a very bad impression that Kurt Saxton is blatently racist. This may still be true, I have never met the man myself (I don't even know if he is real, or still alive, to be honest). However, if you read the articles in full, with an open mind and set of eyes, you quickly see what he is really against: lazy and dishonest people of all stripes and colors who never do anything for themselves and instead sponge off of others. Regardless, those articles aside, the rest of the books are chock full of how to do everything imaginable - living off the land, going off-grid, surviving in the wilderness, building toys and such to keep kids entertained, distilling and refining your own fuel, building wind generators, etc.
Finally, a note about guns: depending on how you feel about them, your knowledge level of them, and your gener
Re:do Linksys Routers/Firewalls help?
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The BBC's Honeypot PC
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· Score: 2, Informative
kisrael, I am with 'Geekmeister on this, too - check for updates. The best way to do this is to google " exploit" - so, for your case, you would google "Linksys exploit", and see what returns. I have personally bought three different used NAT routers from Goodwill (each cost under $10.00 used!), and before hooking them up, I checked for exploits (I currently use a homebrew P90 Freesco box) - all of them had an available exploit, and only one of them had an update to correct the exploit. On two of them, the exploit was of the nature of "easily accessible admin password" or similar (one stored the admin password in a text file that was unprotected on the hardware). I originally bought them with the thought of replacing my Freesco NAT router, but so far I haven't felt comfortable doing so. What I am thinking about doing is hanging them off my network and trying to access them myself using the exploit. If I can get in easily, then anyone can, is how I figure it.
I must own the freaking trifecta, then. Honestly, I own an Atari Video Music system - picked it up at a garage sale many years ago for fifty cents. Faux wood grain paneling, faux leather, cheesy "chrome" knobs, and the ever oh-so-popular 1970's au-natural colors of the buttons (gold, rust, and avocado!). I plugged it in once to verify that it still worked (yep!), and now it sits in a box somewhere in my house. Maybe when (if?) I get around to restoring my Altair, I will add some form of sound output and "interface" the two, just for S&G...
Very interesting idea - your website is something I will be looking at in more detail later. You mention there that this system could be scaled to the size needed for a "single dwelling". Questions: just how big would this "single dwelling" system be, and what would be its output (ie, how do you define "single dwelling")?
I would imagine that if it could be built no bigger than a "single dwelling" solar cooling tower system (similar in scope to what you mention in "Water Spray Down Draft Towers" - except with the singular purpose of cooling air for a dwelling), it would feasible for those wanting to live "off the grid". Anything bigger would likely be cost prohibitive (actually, even at the size mentioned such a device would still be kinda expensive - but if it could be built for under $50,000.00, it would be competitive with existing solar panels and other alternative electricity generation solutions).
Finally - if it can be built to a size for a single dwelling, is this something you are pursuing? Are you looking at building a "proof-of-concept", or do you know of others who are doing so?
My guess is that most of the population doesn't live within walking distance of Walgreen.
Unless "most of the population" lives "out in the sticks" or BFE (which I doubt, otherwise it wouldn't be called "the sticks" or BFE), I really doubt it.
I live in Phoenix, Arizona - the greater metro area is pretty big. Certainly not as big as LA or NY, but pretty large, and growing constantly (which sucks, IMHO, because I enjoy our desert beauty). There seems to be a Walgreens on every corner. Indeed, I have seen Walgreens move to opposite corners of an intersection - most of the time because they were in a strip mall that was going south. Furthermore, if it isn't a Walgreens, it's an Osco or CVS.
I have a Walgreens within walking distance from my home. Closer to home is an Albertsons with an Osco inside it. Across the street from the Walgreens is a Fry's grocery store, and on the other side is a Circle K. On the last corner is an Autozone.
I am sure there are many people who don't live near a Walgreens, even in the Phoenix area. Most of these people are likely living in new subdevelopments in areas which were once considered "the sticks" not too long ago ( It is really funny to see this herd mentality. Many of these people came to the Phoenix area or moved to these new subdevelopments to "get away from the 'city'", but in the end they end up recreating exactly that which they were trying to escape. The truth is, they can't live without it. If they could, they wouldn't move a mere 20 miles or so away - they would be out in scrubland 100 or more miles out, with their own well (or water tanker/truck), septic system (and/or methane digester), solar/wind/water system for electricity, DirecTV for entertainment/broadband, and cell phones for other communication (or nothing at all, depending on how far out they are). It galls me to see this, as these people are doing nothing more than wasting natural resources, of which we don't have as much as people think we do here in the desert (duh, that's why it is a desert). We're beginning to fight with Nevada and California for water already, and it is only going to get worse. If people were intelligent (I can dream, can't I?), they would congregate within cities in the desert, and build vertical instead of sprawling horizontal, while attempting to use and preserve the natural environment, instead of raping it. The most intelligent would attempt to implement more of Paolo Soleri's arcology and desert living ideas. We need think in more of a "hive" mindset when it comes to living, cities, and scarce resources, especially here in the Phoenix area - because even a city can become a ghosttown if the water runs out.
True - that would be quicker, but I understand where the parent is coming from...
Honestly, it is most fun when you have a witness. A friend of mine is the same way as the parent, but to a worse degree: when I knew him in high school (he was a freshman), he was a major "bible thumper" - carried his bible around everywhere, could quote things to you front and back and side to side. Not only that, he was a member of Mensa at the time. Even today, now that we are both much older, he still has what I would gauge as a 160 IQ or so. He isn't xtian any more, but he still retains the knowledge, plus a ton of extra stuff on all manner and sorts of philosophy, science, computers, etc.
I haven't had the opportunity, but from what I have heard through third parties, it is very fun to watch him debate/argue/discuss with your typical "holier-and-smarter-than-thou" - watching them crumble, seeing their brains turned to mush - its like watching an Amiga crash to a GME, with all the "bells and whistles" to go along. I mean, when he is done with them, they are likely wondering about their own existence, let alone that of some invisible being in the sky.
He isn't atheist, either - agnostic, at most - and perhaps in some ways, spiritualistic in ways (he once gave me a book on "chaos magick" to read - from later discussions with him, he seems to think such a thing is plausible)...
Slashdot Mirror
Crazy, huh? A lot of people have no clue about "night-sky radiation" and why you can make ice this way...
What are "high cubes" - I don't have such a setup, but would love one if I ever own my "dream home" (40 acres, a well, and off-the-grid somewhere in AZ). I have even given thought about building the house using old shipping containers. At best, though, I will likely have such a shop. Now, I know about 20 and 40 foot containers, but I have never heard of a "high cube" - are these containers that are taller than the standard (what is it - 7, 8 foot?)...?
Or ask an older person (ie, > 60 years of age) who remembers a meat market of old: Lean and tasty are not the two words that go together when I think of "pork". There is a reason why people are "discovering", once again, wild boar, and while it does have something to do with being "in" and "chique", it also has a lot to do with taste...
People have tried to come up with solutions - I remember one inventor who tested (in San Diego, I think) a series of small wind generators driven by the wind whipped up as cars passed by on the freeway. I don't know what the results were (obviously not as good as the inventor hoped - that, or so good that various interests had him "disappeared" - heh)...
However, I do know that you can get ordinary pond scum (algae) to create hydrogen - in fact, this has been known about for years (there is an old Mother Earth News article about it) - you basically do something like starve them of oxygen and feed them sulphur or something, and they output hydrogen for a while, then it stops - you then return conditions to normal for a bit, then reverse them again to start production back up.
The trick is getting production volume up - IIRC, the amount produced is very, very low - too low for industrial production, anyhow. I think, though, that it isn't too low, given enough pond area, for it to be unfeasible to someone wanting to live off-grid who has some acreage available and doesn't mind the stink.
So society has said - wink, wink...nudge, nudge.
You have that absolutely correct. We won't know the outcome, though, until it is too late. Furthermore, whatever way it does go will likely prove to be the "bloodiest" in all of American history (probably even surpassing the Civil War).
Personally, I hold very liberal views. I am not registered as a Democrat, however. I believe in the purpose and intent of the second ammendment. I believe in the right to carry arms. I believe in gun control - my gun, and I control it. I also believe in an individual's (male or FEMALE) right to choice - IN ALL MATTERS. Your body, your land, your property, your choice. Just be prepared to accept all consequences and responsibilities for your actions. Unfortunately, many people can't or won't - I say these people are weak of mind and will.
I was once a card-carrying member of both the NRA and the ACLU (I get very interesting mail, now, and I am sure i cause a few people's heads to explode), but with the heavy slant of the NRA toward one specific segment of the population (namely, republican conservatives), and their seeming unwillingness to actually exercize their second ammendment freedoms and knowledge to protect the other ammendments (ie - why the hell can't the NRA get along with the ACLU?) - I dropped support of them for support of the ACLU alone. Unfortunately, I am rapidly getting to the point where I want to drop them, too - because while they support fighting against attacks on the other ammendments and our freedoms, you rarely (not that I can recall - if someone has links, please respond!) they never want to support the rights of the second!
Gah! Where is my organization which supports ALL RIGHTS for ALL PEOPLE?
Unless the State performs it or you are told to do it by the State, then it somehow becomes ok. How can we simultaneously say we are better than mere animals by being human, yet we continue to behave in herd ways? Either murder is wrong or it isn't, you can't have it both ways. Only murder in personal or close family self-defense has any measure of credibility. The State tries to twist this logic into "but the State is your Family" (to get the individual citizen to do things which would otherwise be crimes, such as the death penalty or warfare). If that is so, it is one of the most f'ing dysfunctional families I have ever set eyes on - and I really want no part of it!
I have personally helped feed and care for one cow, two pigs, a few rabbits, and several chickens which ultimately in some manner or another ended up in my belly. I also witnessed their deaths and slaughtering. In the case of the chickens, I helped to pluck the carcasses clean of feathers with my mother. I didn't live on a farm, but in a house which was on county property (surrounded by the city) on which the property owners were allowed livestock. I still eat and enjoy meat.
Being "personally acquainted" nor witnessing slaughter has little to nothing to do with whether one can slaughter and eat another animal. All it takes is whether one can objectify that animal as "food".
Or for that matter, as "enemy of mine".
At the risk of Godwin'ing myself, how many Germans during WW2 simply looked the other way as their neighbors (who at one time they were friendly with), who were jewish, were led away by the authorities, never to be seen again? How many German soldiers ended up fighting/shooting neighbors or friends simply because they were "on the other side"?
You see, it isn't that hard to objectify anything, especially if it is as "food" or as "enemy" - even the Germans at the time knew this, a lot of people did, a lot of people still do. Once done, slaughter for food (or killing for the state) becomes much easier. But it is one of those topics that is considered too taboo to think about or discuss.
Fuck taboo...
Here's an idea to ponder:
An adult molests a child of age 10, gets caught, and goes to jail for a period of a couple of years. Afterwards, s/he is let go and put on a registry. The victim (now age 12) finds out, looks up the person's name on the registry and where they live, tracks them down, shoots the person, and kills them. Meanwhile, at this same moment (bear with me), another 12 year old gangster-wanna-be breaks into an occupied house, shoots and kills the owner, then steals their new Playstation.
Both children are later caught.
The question is: what happens to both children within our judicial system, why does it happen, and why so often does it turn out to be hypocritical in the application of justice?
Age of consent? Pffft...
Perhaps so. But that doesn't explain why, if that same child who was molested (but the perp not caught) went and killed a man for his car to joyride in, our justice system would likely "try them as an adult". Why is it that children can be "pure and innocent" and "can't consent to sexual things" - yet if they kill someone, somehow they magically become adults with "full rights" (yeah, except for that pesky "right to vote" to help change the laws that put them away, of course), and can be sentenced to death? Methinks we as a society want to have our cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, as many despot rulers have found out to their detriment in the past, that only works for so long...
It is really unfortunate when these same adults (not necessarily parents, mind you, but it does happen - which is really unfortunate for all parties involved) are "sexually deviant" themselves - closeted gay/lesbian or what-have-you. They fall into a trap of continuously denying their own sexuality as "wrong" or "against god". Some do it in secret and shame (and are eventually found out anyhow). Some work to change laws and society (the idea being that if they can define it as completely wrong, they will somehow, magically, change themselves into "right"). Most end up dead, by their own hand or by others.
Ultimately, it boils down to honesty and responsibility - to both yourself and others. If you can't be honest to yourself and others about yourself (provided being honest doesn't get you killed - I can give a pass for that rationale - a lot of gays die from hate crimes, even today), how is that any different from being a lying sociopath? Unfortunately, there are a lot of lying sociopaths out there...
Yeah, that whole thing bugs me, too - I mean, how are you to ever have a friend otherwise? To gain a friend you have to start with a stranger. What parents really mean (but are too chickenshit to talk about it, unfortunately), is don't talk to strangers older than yourself - somehow conveniently forgetting that real sociopaths were once children (scary children, albeit) too. At any rate, they probably don't speak of it because then it would bring up the question of why, and thus you would have to get into the whole sticky and hard-to-discuss issue of child predators and molesters, which might lead to discussions of sex, which of course is almost universally taboo (probably because of the social taboo surrounding sex and children - ie, if it is wrong for an older stranger to say anything of a sexual nature to a child, it must therefore be wrong for the child's parent to discuss it as well - and doubly wrong if that parent is the male member of the family, and triply wrong if the child is female!). Thus, the whole discussion is avoided, at the expense of the child's welfare when "out of sight" (or out of mind) of the parents. But at least the parent's psyche avoids damage!
Maybe if supposed adults would quit acting like children and instead speak as adults with their children about adult matters, their child might learn something, they themselves might learn something, trust could be fostered all around, and maybe some of these problems we are currently having in society regarding children and sex could be abated, or in some cases, removed entirely. Of course, this requires a populace much more rational and intelligent than what we have, so this is a moot point, I suppose.
Briefly I played with the thought of creating a personal webpage or maybe even a blog, but the entire concept revolves around publishing your private life to strangers!
Remember, "on the internet, nobody knows you are a dog", as the old time-worn (but true) adage is known. I know of and have seen several very interesting web sites (some of them art pieces unto themselves) of which, despite exploring them in depth, I had no idea of the creator or owner, let alone their personal history, outside of what I maybe could glean from a whois search (and ordinary joes out there haven't the slightest clue that this is even possible). In the case of simpler web-hosting systems like MySpace or (gack) Geocities, you can make even less known about you (and if you know what you are doing and don't mind using the archaic automated email-update system many registrars still have, you can do the same with your DNS info - heh). Combinations of getting free web-hosting (perhaps by hanging a server off your employer's network), knowing the IP address, and using a dynamic DNS service - you can easily host an entire website and server almost completely anonymously (I can think of only one way to be 100% completely anonymous, at least until the server is found and seized, and that would require hanging the system off of a hijacked open wireless router/hub found while war driving and using a dyn-dns system to attach to that - encrypt the harddrive and make the system small enough to hide running on solar power - yeah).
Even if you have your little web-slice through an existing provider, at most the worst they will know about you may be your email address and your user ID - your actual website doesn't need to contain much if anything about you personally, plus what personal info you do give out doesn't need to be accurate. The website I run is pretty "open", and while it does have a fair bit of personal information on it, it only has what I choose to release, not every little detail of my life. True, my current (or a potential
Basically, each workstation runs a cron job (or under Windows, task manager, IIRC) at a certain time at night (each WS is staggered to start at a different time to avoid overloading the small server on the network or hard drive throughput), which kicks off a batch file to mount a SMB share and copy the certain directories (mainly documents and development stuff, along with things like workstation email and such) off the workstation and over to the SMB server (which also functions as a web and database server). Then, at a different time (after all the workstations have copied), the server kicks off its own cron job to copy those directories, and others on the server (database images, config files for smb, apache, php, mysql and postgreSQL, mainly) and create an ISO9660 image of those files. This ISO image is then stored in another directory, along with the last 7 days of ISOs. Periodically I make a backup of the last ISO to a CD or DVD.
This works well for my purposes at home. At one time, I had things set up so that the server would automatically burn the ISO to a CD, but due to the location of my server (in a non-climate controlled, dusty attached workshop at my house), the CD burner didn't last long and died, refusing to burn CDs properly. Instead, I just burn the images from my workstation by mounting the directory as an SMB share.
This system has served me well for almost two years now, and like I said, it saved my butt. After I hosed my server (Debian Woody, remember), I ended up installing Mandrake 10.1 on it (all gui options turned off, mind you - just running CLI here), then took my last backup CD image and copied the data over from that (along with restoring my MySQL database from the dump on the ISO). A couple of evenings of work and I was done, and had the new system up and running perfectly as if nothing had happenned (and I got an upgrade to everything as well!). The scary thing was the fact that I had never done a "full test" of my backup strategy (in a business IT environment, this is a big no-no) - but it passed with flying colors. My backup system continues to run, with minor tweaks and additions here and there, but it has proved itself "under fire", and I am fine with it so far.
I won't pretend to know the situation, because you were there and I wasn't, but from your description it doesn't sound like the problem was a "home-grown RAID array" which triggered the mess. What triggered the mess was a failure to follow a good process for the move. The fact that they didn't allow the copying of the home folders to each user's desktop was the first mistake, the second mistake was just shutting off the power instead of performing a proper shutdown. While a real RAID array sub-system would likely have handled that much more gracefully (even so, in such a situation you still wouldn't just cut the power), and a proper backup solution for the data instead of copying the data to the desktops would be preferred, the improper steps (for shutdown and data retention) the company took ultimately caused the end result, and not the way the system was implemented. With all that said, though, it does sound like the system ultimately was a fragile one, and it is amazing you came up with such a unique method of restoring the fubared data. Good points for Open Source!
I hope you're joking here, and that you really know how missle silos and operations to launch actually occur.
FWIW, there isn't a "single man in a silo" like you are positing, nor is there just a button to launch. In American silos, there are two men in the silo for launch control. Upon orders to launch, they open a special locker, pull out some codes, and verify that the code in the launch order matches that in the locker. These codes are rotated on a regular basis, and the code-to-launch comes from an equally rotated (kinda like a one-time-pad of codes) set of codes in the "nuclear football" the President carries around. If both codes match, each man pulls out a key from the locker/packet. Both of these men have guns (IIRC) - in case one doesn't want to launch, the other can threaten to shoot him. They must both insert the key into their stations (which are far enough apart so that one man can't insert and turn both keys) and turn them at the "exact same time" (I am sure there is some leeway here, on the order of a second or so, just for practical reasons). When both are inserted and turned, the final launch sequence can begin (yes, there is a button here for this purpose - but it requires all the other steps to occur before it will work).
This is the gist of it - I have vastly simplified it, and possible gotten a few details wrong. Note that this scenario doesn't play out on boomers (nuclear missle subs), IIRC, but the codes must match all the same. Also, I don't think the USSR used this kind of system either, but they did have something similar (even so, from what I have read, it is amazing they never accidentally launched).
Also of note, when simulations are run, they are run in such a way that the men in the silo have no idea that what they are doing is for real or a test. They must run through the steps all the same (they are alerted at the end - but there is a tense time period where they don't know if WW3 is starting or not). I am sure if it is a test, and one or both fail to launch, they are likely booted out of the position, after debriefing (I would imagine even if they do "press the button" and pass the test, they still get debriefed and/or psych counseling), to be replaced with some "fresh recruits". Ultimately, they want people in there who will launch without question or remorse. The scary thing is, I doubt that people like this are difficult to find. It is probably only the fact of all the other security precautions that WW3 didn't start as an accident (and yes, I know of the few times we came close due to one reason or another).
Yeah, keep telling yourself that while on "the down low"...j/k
...for a 'C'-average student (and proud of it, no less!)?
Once you are calm, you can begin to prepare. You need to be methodical, you need to think about you and your immediate family. Sure, think about the rest of your family and friends, educate them as much as possible, but when the screws get tightened, realize that it is up to you and yours in the immediate time, and no one else.
Basically, look into everything you can to prepare for an "earthquake, tornado, or hurricane" - ie, civil defence. If you can prepare you and your family to "survive" such a natural disaster, you are well on your way to preparing for a man-made one. Think about what people did and didn't do to survive hurricane Katrina. Think about what the government did and didn't do. Notice how long it took the government (at all levels) to properly respond. Notice how they are still "responding". Notice that you and yours don't figure into this response...
Basically, prepare for the possibility of at least one week's worth of no power, water, or food - 2 weeks worth is better. Anything after that is a dream unless you have a lot of money and/or space - because basically, every six months you need to recheck your supplies and plan, and replace that which has "gone bad" and is no longer suitable to the task needed (mainly water, batteries, and food supplies). This can get expensive, quickly. Keep note of possible supplies already on hand (like, if you have a pool, the water in it could be used to survive with, provided it can be distilled in some manner), and stock up on those (keeping a full pantry of items will help). Stockpile fuel and batteries (propane for stoves, mainly). Look into getting some deep-cycle RV batteries and a few cheap solar panel battery chargers to keep them topped up.
Another opportunity (too late for this year, but start now for next year) would be to see if you can prepare and "survive" at Burning Man - if you can manage to plan and prepare for a trip of that magnitude, and not purchase anything on the trip there (difficult to do on your first trip - so keep a log of what you buy, what you use, and what you don't use, and what you wish you had - for the next year), and not sponge off of other participants (note: sponging is beggary, but learning to share and gift again in adulthood IS a survival skill) - then you have had a "real world" experience, albeit nothing as intense as surviving the aftermath of a nuclear exchange or a natural disaster.
Finally - purchase the series of books or CD's of "The Survivor" series (four books, shouldn't cost more than $100.00 (?) for the set), compiled by Kurt Saxton. Please note something about these compilations: they contain copies and extracts from many, many different sources - old PopSci, PopMech, and other 1930's-1960's era how-to publications, among other things. They are excellent and full tomes of information unobtainable from any other source outside of Army and other military field guides (find and purchase these, as well). Interspersed throughout these clippings are "articles" written by Kurt Saxton himself. On first impression of these writings, you get a very bad impression that Kurt Saxton is blatently racist. This may still be true, I have never met the man myself (I don't even know if he is real, or still alive, to be honest). However, if you read the articles in full, with an open mind and set of eyes, you quickly see what he is really against: lazy and dishonest people of all stripes and colors who never do anything for themselves and instead sponge off of others. Regardless, those articles aside, the rest of the books are chock full of how to do everything imaginable - living off the land, going off-grid, surviving in the wilderness, building toys and such to keep kids entertained, distilling and refining your own fuel, building wind generators, etc.
Finally, a note about guns: depending on how you feel about them, your knowledge level of them, and your gener
kisrael, I am with 'Geekmeister on this, too - check for updates. The best way to do this is to google " exploit" - so, for your case, you would google "Linksys exploit", and see what returns. I have personally bought three different used NAT routers from Goodwill (each cost under $10.00 used!), and before hooking them up, I checked for exploits (I currently use a homebrew P90 Freesco box) - all of them had an available exploit, and only one of them had an update to correct the exploit. On two of them, the exploit was of the nature of "easily accessible admin password" or similar (one stored the admin password in a text file that was unprotected on the hardware). I originally bought them with the thought of replacing my Freesco NAT router, but so far I haven't felt comfortable doing so. What I am thinking about doing is hanging them off my network and trying to access them myself using the exploit. If I can get in easily, then anyone can, is how I figure it.
I must own the freaking trifecta, then. Honestly, I own an Atari Video Music system - picked it up at a garage sale many years ago for fifty cents. Faux wood grain paneling, faux leather, cheesy "chrome" knobs, and the ever oh-so-popular 1970's au-natural colors of the buttons (gold, rust, and avocado!). I plugged it in once to verify that it still worked (yep!), and now it sits in a box somewhere in my house. Maybe when (if?) I get around to restoring my Altair, I will add some form of sound output and "interface" the two, just for S&G...
I would imagine that if it could be built no bigger than a "single dwelling" solar cooling tower system (similar in scope to what you mention in "Water Spray Down Draft Towers" - except with the singular purpose of cooling air for a dwelling), it would feasible for those wanting to live "off the grid". Anything bigger would likely be cost prohibitive (actually, even at the size mentioned such a device would still be kinda expensive - but if it could be built for under $50,000.00, it would be competitive with existing solar panels and other alternative electricity generation solutions).
Finally - if it can be built to a size for a single dwelling, is this something you are pursuing? Are you looking at building a "proof-of-concept", or do you know of others who are doing so?
Unless "most of the population" lives "out in the sticks" or BFE (which I doubt, otherwise it wouldn't be called "the sticks" or BFE), I really doubt it.
I live in Phoenix, Arizona - the greater metro area is pretty big. Certainly not as big as LA or NY, but pretty large, and growing constantly (which sucks, IMHO, because I enjoy our desert beauty). There seems to be a Walgreens on every corner. Indeed, I have seen Walgreens move to opposite corners of an intersection - most of the time because they were in a strip mall that was going south. Furthermore, if it isn't a Walgreens, it's an Osco or CVS.
I have a Walgreens within walking distance from my home. Closer to home is an Albertsons with an Osco inside it. Across the street from the Walgreens is a Fry's grocery store, and on the other side is a Circle K. On the last corner is an Autozone.
I am sure there are many people who don't live near a Walgreens, even in the Phoenix area. Most of these people are likely living in new subdevelopments in areas which were once considered "the sticks" not too long ago (
It is really funny to see this herd mentality. Many of these people came to the Phoenix area or moved to these new subdevelopments to "get away from the 'city'", but in the end they end up recreating exactly that which they were trying to escape. The truth is, they can't live without it. If they could, they wouldn't move a mere 20 miles or so away - they would be out in scrubland 100 or more miles out, with their own well (or water tanker/truck), septic system (and/or methane digester), solar/wind/water system for electricity, DirecTV for entertainment/broadband, and cell phones for other communication (or nothing at all, depending on how far out they are). It galls me to see this, as these people are doing nothing more than wasting natural resources, of which we don't have as much as people think we do here in the desert (duh, that's why it is a desert). We're beginning to fight with Nevada and California for water already, and it is only going to get worse. If people were intelligent (I can dream, can't I?), they would congregate within cities in the desert, and build vertical instead of sprawling horizontal, while attempting to use and preserve the natural environment, instead of raping it. The most intelligent would attempt to implement more of Paolo Soleri's arcology and desert living ideas. We need think in more of a "hive" mindset when it comes to living, cities, and scarce resources, especially here in the Phoenix area - because even a city can become a ghosttown if the water runs out.
Honestly, it is most fun when you have a witness. A friend of mine is the same way as the parent, but to a worse degree: when I knew him in high school (he was a freshman), he was a major "bible thumper" - carried his bible around everywhere, could quote things to you front and back and side to side. Not only that, he was a member of Mensa at the time. Even today, now that we are both much older, he still has what I would gauge as a 160 IQ or so. He isn't xtian any more, but he still retains the knowledge, plus a ton of extra stuff on all manner and sorts of philosophy, science, computers, etc.
I haven't had the opportunity, but from what I have heard through third parties, it is very fun to watch him debate/argue/discuss with your typical "holier-and-smarter-than-thou" - watching them crumble, seeing their brains turned to mush - its like watching an Amiga crash to a GME, with all the "bells and whistles" to go along. I mean, when he is done with them, they are likely wondering about their own existence, let alone that of some invisible being in the sky.
He isn't atheist, either - agnostic, at most - and perhaps in some ways, spiritualistic in ways (he once gave me a book on "chaos magick" to read - from later discussions with him, he seems to think such a thing is plausible)...
Can you provide a source to what he actually said? I mean, you say he is being misquoted - I would like to see what he actually said...