jc blog - tales of a modern-day nomadic hunter-gatherer

Follow jcomeau_ictx on Twitter This is the weblog of Intrepid Wanderer. You never know what you might find here; graphic descriptions of bodily functions, computer programming secrets, proselytizing for the antichrist, miscellaneous ranting and kvetching, valuable information on living off the land... if you don't share my rather weird interests you may want to try slashdot instead.

You can consider my Del.icio.us links an extension to my blog, as are my LifeTango goals and my other to-do items. My to-buy list is also public, but only for sharing any useful ideas that might be there; I'm not requesting charity, neither do I offer it.

You can find me easily in google searches, as jcomeau, jcomeau_ictx, or jcomeauictx. There are lots of other jcomeaus, but AFAIK I'm the only jcomeau_ictx out there so far.

If you want to comment on anything you see here, try the new Facebook comments, reachable by clicking the "[comment]" link at the end of each post. If for some reason that isn't working, go ahead and email me, jc.unternet.net. You know what to do with the first dot. Make the 'subject' line something reasonably intelligent-looking or it goes plunk! into the spambasket unread.

This RSS feed may or may not work. Haven't fiddled with it in forever. RSS Feed


2012-09-29-1852Z

Did my whole B-street jog barefoot today. Feet aren't getting tougher, I'm just getting more adept at avoiding the sharp aggregate. My Achilles tendon was whinging on the steep downhill but once the grade allowed me to fall into a good stride there was no more pain from it. [comment]

2012-09-28-1706Z

Yep, it worked! A few minutes after power-cycling, it's already up to about half charge. Thanks, Interwebz! [comment]

2012-09-28-1657Z

My iPod hasn't charged over 20% in several days. Sapient, in this forum thread, says to turn it off and back on. Hoping that's correct! [comment]

2012-09-27-0412Z

A day or two ago I blogged about using fire as a means of striking out against evil, but warned that it might hurt the poor and middle class as much as it would the ruling class. I'm now leaning towards a window war, as advocated by Mike Vanderboegh, as a more targeted and less lethal means of warning the rulers to cease their transgressions. Since I'm advocating it, I won't be able to participate directly. Google thou, and let thy conscience be thy guide. [comment]

2012-09-26-2329Z

When you post an ad on FaceBook, you notice a huge spurt of activity in the first few minutes after the ad is approved or modified (I added other countries and got another spurt), then nothing. Something really suspicious about that, as if they were deliberately manipulating the price or some other parameter such that the ad no longer shows. I'm using the $50 they offered me after I started creating an ad and abandoned it; if I were risking my own money I'd be pissed.

[comment]

2012-09-26-0837Z

Symptom: Apple device (in my case, iPod Touch) doesn't charge on Linux. The fix could be as simple as: sudo /etc/init.d/udev restart. Figured this out after Googling for half an hour or so and seeing all kinds of complicated "fixes". [comment]

2012-09-26-0703Z

Two more things I had to change on the router:

root@OpenWrt:~# cat /etc/resolv.conf /etc/hosts
nameserver 192.168.42.123
# This file is autogenerated, use /etc/hosts.local instead
127.0.0.1 localhost.
213.73.89.138 download.berlin.freifunk.net

I also changed /etc/hosts.local, but it presumably doesn't take effect until reboot. The purpose of fixing the Freifunk address is due to DNS giving me an unusable address every other attempt at downloading a package. [comment]

2012-09-26-0555Z

Always forget how to route traffic from a router I'm configuring over an Ethernet cable to the Internet over wifi, so here are the steps for my reference next time... maybe it will help someone else also.

On the router:

route add default gw 192.168.42.123 (the eth0 IP of the Linux box)

On the Linux box:

sudo sh -c "echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward"
sudo iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o wlan0 -j MASQUERADE

That should do it, unless I've forgotten a step. [comment]

2012-09-25-2049Z

Google finally fixed SSL access from a 1.1.4-firmware iPod! It only took them, what, a year and a half? Thanks d00dz! [comment]

2012-09-23-1859Z

At Obexer's having coffee and a donut, plus my Internet fix. Had a bunch of weird dreams last night, but can't remember enough of any of them to blog. Jogged about two miles barefoot this morning, another mile with sandals, then walked the rest of the way here. Nice bike paths along the northwest part of Lake Tahoe, but they end about a half mile north of Meeks Bay. [comment]

2012-09-22-0441Z

Thinking about the possibility of fighting the next revolution with fire. Overload emergency services; make a bunch of rich people homeless; put insurance companies out of business; all with minimal loss of life. Easy to start multiple fires without coordinating with others. The toxic smoke would be awful though. And houses of the poor and middle class wouldn't be exempt.

But then there would be a clean slate to start over, building underground and letting other plants and animals flourish on the surface. [comment]

2012-09-21-2345Z

Donner Party at my place next weekend, all invited. Bring a side dish, we'll draw lots for the main course. [comment]

2012-09-20-1255Z

The dream from which I just awoke was in a geeky cafe that served drinks in something like test tubes. Customers were supposed to take their own dishes to a tray near the kitchen, and every time I go there some nerd has run an extension cord across the narrow space through which one must pass, and I'm always catching it with my leg and almost dumping his computer on the floor. But he's apparently used to it and never even looks up.

Oh, and there's a urinal in one corner of the dining room, in plain sight of everybody there. Couldn't miss that symbolism. Can't remember anyone ever using it. [comment]

2012-09-19-0619Z

Way more noise than signal? So how did it even determine there was a signal there? Obviously I've got to learn more about wifi at the lower layers.

root@tinorwfptl:~# wl ap 0; wl scan; sleep 3; wl scanresults; wl ap 1
SSID: "cos2"
Mode: Managed	RSSI: -81 dBm	noise: -70 dBm	Channel: 1
BSSID: 00:0F:66:BA:AD:93	Capability: ESS WEP ShortSlot
Supported Rates: [ 1(b) 2(b) 5.5(b) 11(b) 18 24 36 54 6 9 12 48 ]
[comment]

2012-09-19-0323Z

Tried running barefoot for a ways today, but the asphalt aggregate on Hill Blvd. is so sharp it hurt my feet too much, and I had to put my sandals on. But it's a start, and hopefully I can train my feet this way to land properly so as not to aggravate my Achilles tendon. From what I'm reading, it will never be the same again. [comment]

2012-09-18-2238Z

The coffeecup I bought last Friday or so, and left downtown, is still here today. The difference? I tied a string around the handle so I can hang it on a tree branch. [comment]

2012-09-18-0340Z

Did some roll practice in the park today after viewing this tutorial. I did OK but need lots more practice. [comment]

2012-09-16-2354Z

Got through the 5K in 29:50, despite the painful right Achilles tendon, due to the information on this page. Then went for a pleasant paddle at Drake's Estero; saw seals, otters, pelicans, and a bat ray, among other wildlife. [comment]

2012-09-16-1324Z

Pre-race coffee in Starbucks, can't find a local place open. Found out last night part of what I've been doing wrong that caused my Achilles tendonitis; I've been doing "barefoot" running style all wrong. Got to relearn from the start. [comment]

2012-09-15-2148Z

Shouldn't have jogged out to pick up my race packet. Now my achilles tendon is shot. [comment]

2012-09-14-0051Z

Finishing off a quart of Gallo, a Guatemalan beer of which I consumed huge quantities on Lago Atitlán. It's called Famosa here in Estados Bandidos so as not to conflict with the trademark of the purveyor of fine wines.

The coffee mug lasted less than 48 hours outside the Bovine Bakery. I don't know if it was claimed by someone under "finder's keepers" or trashed by some overzealous street cleaner, but it's rather disappointing.

Re-seasoning my cast iron pan after letting it rust for over a year. Looks as though it might work again. [comment]

2012-09-10-0227Z

Fixed my broken drill today, by cutting a 3/8" bolt to fit where the plastic piece had broken. [comment]

2012-09-09-2114Z

I recently had an email conversation with an intermittent client in Italy, and mentioned the economic woes there. He had this enlightening response. Keep in mind that this guy is a business owner and a tech professional.

Yes, Italy has a lot of problems.

"There is no work" they say.

For me it is a word game.

We should say: "there is no people who want to work".

What Italians want is a job with 14 paid months, a nice desk with armchair, phone, aircon and computer...and nothing to do :)

A lot of people of my generation managed to get those jobs.

When they retire, those jobs are cancelled, because we cannot afford them any more.

However that idea that regular job should be as the job above stays.

All the dirty work: waiter, construction worker, cleaning, etc is done by foreign immigrants who (strangely enough) make ends meet for their families.

Lately I tried a nice young man at his first work experience.

At the 3th day he didn't show in the morning.

I called him and the conversation was:

"Hi Sam, what's on ? Why arent' you at the office yet ?"
"Sorry, I wanted to call, but I forgot. I cannot come to work today"
"Are you sick ?"
"No, I have some errand to do"

The conclusion is: work is something you do when you have really nothing else to do :)

Not a whole lot different from the US is it?

[comment]

2012-09-09-1826Z

I honestly believe that those first 6 months of 2009, when my goal was to get at least 10% of my sustenance from hunting and gathering, was critical to my awakening. I quickly found that I could provide close to 100%, even in the NM desert, and it made me aware of the bounty surrounding me and of how unnecessary is the whole huge infrastructure of government, business, banks and the like. [comment]

2012-09-09-0835Z

At the Della Fattoria (Italian: "from the farm") dinner at Weber Ranch this afternoon/evening, I was enjoying the main course, Niman Ranch tri-tip with roasted organic chicken, when my already-split molar decided to split again, and all the resin came out, leaving the two "real" parts of the tooth with a huge gap in the middle. Now I have no mating molars on the upper and lower jaws. [comment]

2012-09-07-0538Z

Roger Pion has pled not guilty to the charges against him, a good move as he has a lot of support nationwide. Hopefully few Americans agree that a violent overthrow is the only option left to us, because there are several.

The first and best, in my opinion, would be to elect our revolution. Write in Ron Paul, or vote Gary Johnson, or Jill Stein, or Rocky Anderson. Any of these votes will send a message to the ruling class that we're tired of business as usual, no matter which of the two chosen peanut-heads wins. And if by some miracle a third-party candidate wins, it could begin a new era in American politics.

If that fails, it will probably be due to fear or apathy, the electorate believing that only a vote for the "lesser of two evils" is a workable option. And since the country is pretty evenly split over which is the lesser evil, the evil we get stuck with for another 4 years is a toss-up; but will not be good for us or for the country.

Our options then would be to make ourselves heard with the least possible destruction. Property damage such as Pion allegedly committed could be useful. If after several incidents like that, the powers that be still seem intent on crushing our freedoms, initiating wars we don't want, and piling more debt upon our children's children, then we would have to escalate to hurting certain individuals, such as the most corrupt judges, politicians, bankers, police. But why kill someone when blinding him or breaking a bone will suffice? Once you've killed someone you can never make it right with that person.

Has violent overthrow ever really accomplished anything? Doesn't it always end up with a "new boss, same as the old boss"? Let's keep the violence, if any, to an absolute minimum. Otherwise many innocents will be killed, because violence is the home ground of the state. Let's send a message, and when the message is understood, the worst of the evil will be voluntarily stopped.

[comment]

2012-09-07-0242Z

Molasses brew is pretty good after 48 hours, too sweet before then.

Forgot to mention, I've been feeling achilles tendonitis in my right heel for a couple of weeks or so. Trying to cut down on inflammatory foods, hoping to get the pain under control before the Clo-Cow 5K. [comment]

2012-09-07-0108Z

Raw eggs for breakfast, raw slab of salmon for lunch. Stomach not complaining, not about that anyway; maybe bitching a little about the coffee overdose. But I'm getting some paid hours in today. [comment]

2012-09-06-0647Z

Interesting comments on the story of Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo's arrest. I ordinarily wouldn't take sides but I'm still pissed off with Carrillo for selling out to Dutra, casting the deciding vote for their stinking asphalt plant at the southern gateway into Sonoma County; so any dirt I can dig up on the scumbag is fair game. [comment]

2012-09-06-0128Z

My new wlan0-map.sh script invoked by /etc/network/interfaces makes use of Bash "process substitution" and arrays to load the list of available APs with a single call to wl scanning. Now I wait about 3 seconds, instead of up to several minutes, to get connected to a known AP.

[comment]

2012-09-03-0831Z

I don't get Susanne Posel's apparent fixation on tying Julian Assange and WikiLeaks to the CIA, as in this article from about a month ago. And I haven't seen WikiLeaks or Anonymous outing her, so either they consider her someone to be ignored if they're aware of her at all, or the charges have some truth and they are just hoping nobody will back her up and she will be marginalized. Her claims of coming martial law are not without merit. Perhaps she is simply mistaken. [comment]

2012-09-02-2030Z

Just before I got AccuTimeCard working, I was getting an Exception 'Caused by: java.lang.SecurityException: class "org.apache.log4j.Category"'s signer information does not match signer information of other classes in the same package'. The only real difference in my start script and TimeCard.bat was the order of jars in the classpath, so I changed it to match the batfile and it worked. Apparently org.apache.log4j must come before org.apache.commons.logging, or the error is triggered. [comment]

2012-09-02-1957Z

Got vWorker's AccuTimeCard working under Linux finally! After the last apt-get upgrade, Wine supports enough of the system calls that, despite some screen glitches, start.sh placed in .wine/drive_c/windows/profiles/jcomeau/Local Settings/Application Data/Exhedra/AccuTimeCard/ (as installed by running the Windows installer) now works under Java 6.

[comment]

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