Author: Lee

Out of Shape

Since I’ve gotten married my weight has risen to a plateau of 275 pounds.  It’s amazing how you don’t notice these things until they creep up on you.
Lately my back has been hurting when I do anything but sit.  I’m also sure one of the reasons why I’m tired all the time is primarily due to the extra weight I’m carrying around.  I know I don’t have anyone to blame but myself, but the last several months have been exhausting due to our ever growing child.

I believe my “six pack protector” is mainly to blame for my back problems.  This time I’m not going to complain, I’m going to do something about it!  Last winter we bought a Nintendo Wii and Wii Active, a workout program.  While it’s not as effective as a real workout at a gym, I believe it will get me on the right track.

I started working out last night, and from that I can tell you for sure that I’m out of shape.  I tried the “easy 30 minute” routine, and my body gave out after half of the workout.  I’m still sore this morning.

I plan on giving my body a day of rest between workouts to help facilitate getting back to a healthy weight.  I hope this can be an inspiration to my wife as well.

For the last year or so, my oldest daughter has become somewhat of a couch potato (much like her father).  I want her and Amelia to know that when you do that there are consequences.  Had I kept a normal workout routine, or a more physical lifestyle I wouldn’t be in so much pain.

I hope this shows them that it pays to be active now instead of later.

Without Context

Over the weekend, I tested the capabilities of my newly operating LAN.  I read an article on lifehacker about a program designed to test the speed of your home network.  This article basically shouted “try me.”  And so I did.

While my LAN should theoretically be gigabit in speed, it has been almost impossible for me to find what exactly gigabit is.  The only absolute I can find is that the term gigabit means 1 billion bits.  The problem is finding the context of that.  What is truly considered a gigabit network?

This program creates a file on another computer on your network and calculates the data for you.  I sent 1 gigabyte files to my server and HTPC.  By sending this large of a file, it tests more than speed, but throughput of the network.  Every computer on my network has a gigabit network card except for my server, which has a 10/100 network card.  This is where I’m somewhat confused, as the results were somewhat similar for both machines.

Results:

Server

—Writing— —Reading—
Packet length : 1,048,576,000 1,048,576,000
Time to complete: 98.0580000 148.7040000
Bytes per second: 10,693,426 7,051,431
Bits per second : 85,547,408 56,411,448
————- ————-
Mbps: 81.5843658 53.7981491

HTPC

—Writing— —Reading—
Packet length : 1,048,576,000 1,048,576,000
Time to complete: 92.2800000 92.9600000
Bytes per second: 11,362,982 11,279,862
Bits per second : 90,903,856 90,238,896
————- ————-
Mbps: 86.6926727 86.0585175

What I’d really like to find out is if these numbers are “in line” with what a cat5e LAN with a gigabit router and gigabit switch should be.

While I’ve done a fair amount of “googling” this, I haven’t found any information that hits a home run.  Most of what I’ve found is out of date, or goes off on a tangent in a completely different direction.

If you happen upon this blog and are a network engineer, or knowledgeable on this subject, please let me know!

Broken Links and Duplicate Files

I recently noticed that I had somehow uploaded almost 900 duplicate photos on flickr somehow.  So I have been going through all of my pictures and deleting the duplicates.  In some cases, taking all of the metadata and information I have probably forgotten with them.

Because of this deletion, some of the links to pictures on this site have become broken.  It’s an unfortunate side effect.

While to some this may be a major disturbance, I use my pictures to illustrate things that may be hard to describe, or to emphasize certain aspects of my posts.

This reorganization will take some time, but the OCD is coming out of me with this one.  I just can’t help it.

Goodbye Yahoo!, Hello Google

I’ve been subscribing to Yahoo! Mail Plus since 2006, and while I enjoy it, I don’t enjoy the fact that I have to pay $19.95 a year to POP my mail to my various e-mail clients.  I knew I needed to make a switch somewhere, but didn’t know where to go.  I know there are many e-mail services out there such as hotmail, juno and gmail.

I’m kinda finicky about my e-mail provider, as I’m not a fan of web mail (I only use it when I have to).  That’s why I’ve been paying for Yahoo’s Plus service.  I used to be a big proponent of Juno.  If you don’t know the history of it, it’s quite fascinating.  It started as a e-mail only program.  You could write emails and send them, that’s it.  It would connect when you wanted to send or receive and then disconnect.  In the age of dial-up access, this was an efficient use of the phone line.  I used Juno from 1996 until about 2004, that’s when my inbox began to be clogged with so much spam that I spent more time cleaning the spam out than simply reading the e-mail that was intended for me.  That’s when I gave up my original internet handle, Cowboyman.
Starting August 1st, I will no longer be with yahoo.  I’ve had a gmail account for quite some time, I just haven’t used it much.  I will be full-on switching over to google for my email needs.  To keep the spam bots away, I won’t be divulging my entire email address for the world.  But for those of you that know my email address, it will be changing ever so slightly.

Instead of firstname_lastname@yahoo.com it will be firstname.lastname@gmail.com

If you’re my friend on facebook, you can see all of my info on my profile page as well.

Hacking Apple’s Time Machine

On my quest to learn everything I can about the “locked down” world I like to call OSX, I tried to setup Time Machine.  For those of you that don’t know, that’s Apple’s built-in backup utility.

My situation is somewhat unique, but I found many others on the interwebs trying to solve the same issue.  How to backup over wireless, and how to backup to a NTFS formatted drive or a network drive.  So I scoured the web and found many potential solutions, most of them contained incomplete information however.

The guide that finally pointed me in the right direction is located here.  It’s a surprisingly easy process and should be supported by Apple.  Why should you have to physically connect a drive to a laptop to back it up?  That just seems counterproductive to me.  Isn’t the whole point of having a laptop for mobility?

I’ll outline the steps below for those of you who are weary of clicking on links.

Step 1:

  • Open up Terminal (Applications, Utilities)
  • Enable unsupported volumes by entering the following code:
defaults write com.apple.systempreferences
TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

Step 2:

  • Mount your network drive (Finder, Go, Connect to Server)
  • On your Mac, open Disk Utility. Click “New Image.” Use the following settings:
  • Save As ComputerName_MACAddress (Must be Ethernet MAC Address and not Airport MAC Address)
  • Volume name can be whatever you want.  I named mine “Time Machine Backups”.
  • Change partition to “No Partition Map”
  • Change Image Format to “Sparce Bundle Disk Image”
  • Custom Volume size. Set the maximum you want to use on your remote location.  Don’t worry if you don’t have the room on your Mac.  I set mine to 200gb, the size of the hard drive on my Mac.  The empty file was a little over 300mb.
  • Save and then move this file to your network drive.

Open time machine and select the network drive you moved the sparsebundle file to.  Time Machine should now backup without any issues.

When you perform the first backup, have a wired connection and turn off your wireless.  My first backup was 50 gigs and took over 3 hours with a gigabit LAN.  I can only imagine how much longer it would take over a wireless connection.

This has been the first of what I’m sure will be many achievements in my learning and (in some cases) working around Apple’s master plan.

First Impressions

I finally stepped into the world of Apple.  While I thought it would be a new and exciting experience, I must say I’m somewhat disappointed.

I purchased a Black MacBook off eBay that came with many accessories.  The auction included a laptop bag, 500gb Lacie external hard drive, the original box and restore discs and an Apple keyboard and mouse.

It’s specs aren’t the best, but I don’t need them.  It has a 2.16 ghz Core 2 Duo Intel processor, 2gb of ram and a 200gb hard drive.  I plan on upgrading the ram to 4gb once I learn all I can on OSX and need to start working with VM Ware.

I must say that the design of and abilities of my MacBook amaze me, while some aspects of it downright disappoint me.

The first issue I had was with it’s “slot loading” disc drive.  This computer came with Tiger (10.4) so I purchased Snow Leopard (10.6.3), and my first task was upgrading to this OS.  While I’m still not sure if something is wrong with mine, or if this is a design flaw; my particular machine doesn’t particularly like to load or unload discs.  The only way I can get them to load is by pushing the disc in all the way using a foreign object.  Ejection is similar, as it only ejects about 1/16″ out of the machine.  I asked some of my co-workers about this and they confirmed that these drives are finicky at best.

My second issue is with the seemingly “closed” nature of the Mac OS.  While I’m basically a newbie, it doesn’t seem as friendly to someone who likes to customize everything like myself.  While there are options, they are limited.  Luckily I have vast experience with Linux, the second cousin twice removed to OSX; this makes my learning curve much more shallow than if I had no experience at all.

Let me restate for all the fan boys out there, these are just first impressions.  I haven’t had a chance to dig deep into this machine yet.  I’m diving head first into the mac world and only using a PC when required or when I can’t use it; such as at work or when I’m doing some work for my business.

I transferred my entire music library last night and eagerly anticipate setting up iTunes and seeing how similar the Mac version is compared to the Windows version.  I’m also going to start transferring all of my personal home videos using iMovie and iDVD.  Two programs I actually need to learn for my job at IU.

Since I have went on a technology “spending spree” of sorts, I am imposing on myself a probation from technology purchases.  The only caveat is if something fails and needs replaced.  I think I’ve put enough financial stress on my wife for a year or so in that department regarding this and my recent HTPC purchase.

Summer Luxuries

This summer is wildly different than the last couple of summers.  I’m actually working a regular schedule!  That means we have the means to do more!

I’m also taking my last semester at Ivy Tech, the school I have learned to despise.  Since I am transferring to IU, I didn’t have many choices because there are a limited amount of classes that transfer.  So I am taking Econ-101 and Hist-125.  Economics is well, economics; there isn’t much I can really say about such a dull class.  History is a different story however, as the focus for this class is “The History of American Technology.”  There is nothing that gets me as excited as history and technology, well I can probably name a few things but I must digress.

I also made the deans list for the Spring 2010 semester!

My econ class is online, and my history class was originally a “hybrid” class, which is essentially online; with the option of coming in for lectures and discussion.  I guess not enough people registered for my section and it was canceled and moved to a online section.  So no rushing to class for me this summer!  Score!

Interestingly enough, one of the first classes I will be taking at IU is a similar class, but it is in relation to how the computer changed America.  It is through the American Studies program.

I have had an average of 100 pages of reading per week thus far, and I expect that pace to stay the same.  For someone who only reads something if it’s necessary, that’s a mountain of reading.  Luckily I’m able to read and do my homework while at work, which opens up my time away from work for activities I’d much rather be doing.

Speaking of work, it seems as of the last few months that more and more people on campus are moving to Apple computers; the pressure for us to offer support for them has grown exponentially.  I haven’t seriously used a mac since the original Macintosh.  So with some preparation, I will be purchasing a macbook sometime this summer.  I hope to learn the systems inside and out in the only way I know how; enveloping myself in it.  Some think that it’s a large expense for just a learning tool, but I think it’s a small investment in my learning.  Plus it will elminate our current battles over who can use the laptop.  Even Amelia wants to play on what we call “the magic box.”

We’re currently talking (and planning) on adding a HTPC (Home Theater PC) to our endless collection of technology at home.  The key issue is price at this point, neither of us want to spend too much money.  With the lack of abilities a DVD player provides, a HTPC can offer us endless opportunities for whatever we want to do.  I have many movies that we can simply watch over our home network, plus with things like Hulu, Boxee and my new fave, Netflix – we’ll never have the excuse that “nothing’s on.”  With that in mind, I’m currently working on getting our LAN up and running.  I just have to install the box, an outlet, and connect the wiring.

I’ve all but completed the new website for LML Video Services.  I just need to raise the $60 I need to re-up my hosting package.  I built this website from scratch through my Computer Information Systems class last semester, and then tweaked it for “commercial” use.  It’s simple, just my style.  I’m currently trying to make the decision to leave PayPal and use Google for checkout options, but that’s still on the drawing board.  I also have a “Latest Updates” section that is essentially a blog.  I would like to use Word Press or some other blogging type script to update this rather than hand code it.  Unfortunately I cannot work on this until it is actually up and running.

Little Sis is All Grown Up

Late Thursday night we received an anticipated visitor, my little sister.  She’s been living in Phoenix, AZ for a few years now.  Besides the occasional call, I don’t hear from her much.

She came into town with a friend for her BFF’s wedding.  Being so far away from her family, her time was precious during her stay.  Besides trying to catch up with me and her new niece she hadn’t met yet, she had to try to see her uncle and her dad (who is currently in jail).

After a busy Friday, she and I and her friend went out to have a few drinks and play some pool.  Little did I know that Bloomington in the summer would be so busy!  We went downtown and there were lines out the doors.  So we went to the east side, and it was packed there.  By the time we rolled into Ellettsville, it was 1 A.M., there we found what we were looking for; a quiet location that wasn’t busy, with pool tables.

While we were there, we played pool and caught up on life.  It was a rare thing, and I wish we could do it more often.  I found out my sister has done some modeling, which I found odd, but I think she really looked well.  She had me copy 3 CD’s of her modeling pictures.  I never thought my rural farm girl of a sister would be into fashion!

I also found out she’s been dating a man of mixed race for about 9 months now.  I have always thought of myself as an open minded person, but it took me for a spin when I saw pictures of them.  It’s not that I have a problem with it, I just need some time to adjust.  The more important fact is that she’s happy, not what I think.  If he makes her happy, then I should be as well.

She left for Louisville, KY to see our mom last night.  She’s going to spend today and part of Tuesday with her before flying back to Phoenix.  I hope they have a blast together and get to reconnect, like we did.

She’s the only sibling I have.  While I haven’t really appreciated her in the past, I really appreciate and miss her now.  I wish she didn’t live so far away, but moving has done so much for her as a person that in my opinion it outweighs all of the negatives.

Hopefully when Amelia gets more self sufficient, we can take a family vacation out there to see her.  I also have 2 cousins who live in the Phoenix area, which is awesome!

She told us she’s on Facebook, which is great to keep up with her life.  She doesn’t want us to look at her page until she has it like she wants it though.  Just remember Gloria, I’m only a phone call away!

Clogged Drains

I’ve had a particular body problem for a little bit over a decade now.  This problem flares up on occasion and it’s not fun to deal with.

From what I’ve read, teenagers have these sorts of problems commonly due to hormonal changes, but I’m far from being a teenager!

My father actually failed his physical when he was drafted for the Vietnam War because of similar issues, so I sometimes wonder if this isn’t an inherited trait I have received from him.

What happens is my body’s natural drains get clogged.  I have boils that pool with puss and other disgusting things all over my body.  Mainly on the inside of my thighs and around my anus.

These boils cause severe pain, so severe that I sometimes result to using needles to relieve the pressure which causes the pain.  I go to the hospital when my home remedy doesn’t work.

Now I have a similar problem that might be related.  This has only happened one other time in my life, the fix you might ask?  Surgery without anesthetics.  The surgeon tried, but it wouldn’t take.  I am dreading it, and therefore holding it off until I know that’s the only solution.

My sweat glands are clogged.  Anytime I do sweat, it just collects in pockets in my armpits.  When this happens it is very painful to have my arms in their “normal” positions.  Everything on the internet that I can find recommends to not wear deodorant for a period of two weeks.  I am now working on that time period and will see if it solves it.

I have seen many doctors for these issues, and it seems like nobody wants to solve the problem – just treat the symptoms.  I’ve been given special antibiotics and special soap – all of which make the symptoms disappear, until my prescriptions run out.  By the time I can see the doctor again, it’s as if I never saw them in the first place.

I’m pretty sure I have MRSA.  In layman’s terms, an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection.  The biggest problem is finding a doctor who actually cares.  What a concept.

Goodbye Friends

Saturday I sold my mower and trailer.  I had listed them on craigslist.  They went to a really nice guy from the Cincinnati Ohio area.  I still can’t believe he drove that far to purchase such old equipment.

My mower was old and tired.  I had called it the “little mower that could.”  A reference to The Little Engine That Could.  It wouldn’t give up and was a very good mower, but time wasn’t on it’s side.  It was a mid 80’s model, and the almost 30 years of use was rearing it’s ugly head on the engine.  I had a oil leak that started to become something to watch last year.  It was the first time I had to add oil to it.  I had talked around to several people about repairing it, but nothing panned out.  In the end, we replaced it due to blue smoke billowing out of the top of the engine after mowing the front yard.

I purchased the trailer from a former boss of mine when I worked for Sternberg.  Part of my job description was to mow their frontage property on Dillman Road and Highway 37.  The trouble with this was the fact that it was about an acre of total land, and I was not provided with the proper equipment – just a run down push mower and weed eater.  As I wrote  previously I snagged a Independent Contractor gig out of them and made an extra $30 a week mowing this.

I only had one problem, and a serious one at that.  I had no way to get my mower to the job site!  When I mentioned this to my boss, he said he had a trailer that he’d sell to me with terms I couldn’t refuse.  I really wanted a trailer, so this made my month!

There was one caveat, my boss lived in Story, IN.  Which is in the middle of nowhere.  One Friday night Rachel and I drove out there to take a look at the trailer.  It was not in the shape you see it above.  The wheels were rusted, the tires were dry rotted.  There was no light kit, and the deck was barely there.

After getting it home (which I was surprised it made the journey).  I immediately put new wheels, lighting kit and deck on.  I got it inspected and applied for a title for it.  I also put a new coupler (what the trailer attaches with) on.  I also tried my hand at building some ramps with the materials I had left over (big mistake).  So I bought some ramp end caps and used some lumber for ramps.

I was very happy with the trailer!  It was very handy when we moved furniture or bought new furniture.  It was the perfect size for my mower as well!

Since we sold my truck last year, we haven’t had anything that is capable of towing (yet).  So the trailer has just sat.  I had tried to sell it previously, but wasn’t liking the offers I would get.

I would have kept the trailer, but the new mower we purchased is much larger than my little John Deere STX38.  With a 8 inch larger deck, and taller stance this thing makes my old mower look like a toy.  I figured it would be easier to sell them as a package – tow and go, then separate.

You both filled a need in my life, but your time has moved on.  I hope you make your new owner as happy as you made me over the years!