Misc. Ramblings

I finally got around to installing the second router (actually the third but I'm not counting my wireless router).

As a review, I've been researching the possibility of hosting my own server. This is because paying pair.com, the present host of my web site, costs me several hundred dollars a year and, over time, system performance has degraded.

Partly it could be the server that my site is on is also serving over 125 other sites. While, no doubt, this keeps costs down, running my content management system - MovableType (MT) in such an environment leads to compromises. One of those compromises is that, in the opinion of pair.com, MT uses too much CPU resources. As an effort to keep this from degrading other sites, pair.com automatically kills some MT processes. One of those processes is the automatic re-generation of web pages managed by the MT program.

Be clear that I'm not blaming pair.com. I'm sure they instituted this situation to protect their services and hold costs down. If you aren't running MT, or are but don't have a lot of pages, pair.com will work just fine.

In the end, I may stay with pair, move to another host, or in fact host my own site. There are costs involved in whichever way I choose to go.

That all said, the suggested configuration came from Gibson Research Corporation (GRC) - of ShieldsUp! fame. They feel it best to use two properly configured firewall/routers, if you are going to open a port or ports so that, for example, you can host your own web or mail server at home. The theory is that you open a port from your external firewall/router for whichever services you need (eg., 80 for web) but keep all ports on the internal firewall/router stealthed and closed. Hence, should your server be hacked, said server cannot act as a relay into the rest of your home network since it is upstream of the second firewall/router. This assumes, of course, the second firewall/router is correctly configured. If not, like you open any ports on the second router, then you might as well just use a one router configuration.

In any case, my internal router, a Linksys BEFSR11, is your standard firewall/router and will be used to act as a firewall for the majority of my home network. The external firewall/router is a Netgear FVS318 and has just port 80 open and forwarded to my test web server (there's no content on the server so I'm not going to link to it yet). All other ports are closed. The Linksys is cascaded from the Netgear.

There may be several ways to configure the routers to work together. I only know of how to do it with the two I have. Even then, there may be a better way. If there is, feel free to let me know. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here. Use at your own risk. There be dragons here.

The two routers must not have overlapping IP addresses nor, if you are using DHCP, overlapping IP address ranges that they give out. Otherwise, your routers will not work properly, if at all. GRC recommends the external router use an IP address of 192.168.1.x and the internal use 192.168.2.x. For me, that means my Netgear uses 192.168.1.1 and my Linksys uses 192.168.2.1.

The first step is to ensure that the two routers are never on at the same time, or at least not on and linked, until you have everything configured so as to avoid default IP addresses that overlap. For me, this means having two PCs, one each plugged directly into each of the routers so I can access each setup utility.

In my present network configuration, the Netgear is the only firewall/router in use. Hence, I wanted to leave that alone until the last possible moment so I could always get access, in case anything went wrong. So I configured the internal Linksys first.

I won't go into the specific details because it will vary by make and model of router. Suffice to say I changed the IP address and DHCP ranges to reflect the 192.168.2.x addresses. I then did a similar change to the Netgear but using the 192.168.1.x range (it was set to 192.168.0.x).

I then turned off both routers, ran an Ethernet line from the Netgear to the Linksys, left the line from the Netgear to what will be my test web server, and removed all other lines from the Netgear and plugged them into the Linksys and attached 16-port switch instead.

This physically and electronically isolates the test web server from the other PCs on my home network. I then powered on the Netgear, waiting until it was fully powered and then turned on the Linksys.

I still have to do some testing but all seems to be working. I will let you know if any problems are identified. If not, my next step is to get the web server itself configured and running Apache/MySQL/MT followed by configuring a dynamic naming services to make up for the fact that I don't have a static IP address.

Aloha!

Technology columnist Walt Mossberg had a article last month about the tangle of proprietary cables, batteries, and chargers that the average gadget geek has to carry to keep his cell phone, laptop, PDA, and other electronic doodads charged and working.

Although some gadgets, due to their design needs, require such exclusive items, Mossberg contends, and I agree, that not everything needs to be that way. There is no reason why, for the great majority of such devices, they can't use standardized cables, chargers, and batteries.

For example, there are a few digital cameras that use standard AA-size batteries. Why don't the majority of them, except for maybe the ultra-compacts that are too slim to hold an AA size battery, use them?

Why are connectors so different? Even within a class of device or within a single manufacturer's line?

According to Mossberg, the answer seems to be greed. By locking you into a manufacturers silo, you have to buy everything from them. Once that occurs, said manufacturer can charge $20 for a cable that costs less than a dollar to make. Or $50 for a cell phone battery when the phone itself, with a plan, costs substantially less than that.

It seems to me that as long as customers continue to buy such items, companies will continue to make them. As for me, to the extent possible, whether it is our cordless phones or digital cameras, I now make sure they use standard batteries. If you would like to save a lot of money, perhaps you should too.

Aloha!

This one is for SWMBO. She spent hours watching these pandas via the Internet. Or perhaps I should say she watched the youngster's parents before the birth. We even watched a recent documentary on the effort by the zoo to mate the parents. After a couple of years of no pregnancy,  it came down to artificial insemination. According to the documentary, it is not hard to understand why these animals are so rare when you realize the females are in estrus once a year, for about 15-minutes. Add to that a young male who simply doesn't know what to do or when to do it and you end up with an estimated 1,500 of these creatures left in the world.

As an aside, the documentary showed the birth of the baby and speculated on how the fact that the baby came shooting out and hit what appeared to be a hollow tile wall perhaps actually helped the baby (sort of like slapping the newborn on the behind to get him or her to start crying and breathe). It's not clear to me that that was, in fact, a GoodThing, but I will leave it to the experts.

In three words, one of the great principles of business. Clearly, Dell Computers was one of the dieing. Yes, it is a huge corporation making a lot of money. But as its success led to a large company, it seemed to insulate itself from what its customers were saying. This is a sure, if not in this case swift, path to doom.

But recently, I noticed Dell Computers is trying to change. I see this in their new corporate blog (clog?). They (it?) should be applauded for that, even as it (they?), if I may be so bold to say since who am I to comment, learn what works and what doesn't in blogdom.

I have to ask, can a corporation write a blog? If it can, should it? I thought blogs were person to person, not corporation to person. To me, the best of breed are written by one person who has an opinion, not a series of guest writers. It is jarring to me to read different posts from different people. Yes, I know, newspapers are written by multiple authors and so are some other blogs (General Motors comes to mind, perhaps not the best corporation to emulate, nor for that matter are news papers), none of which bothers most people. But I think blogs work best when they are written by a person, not a corporation.

From the looks of it, as they were planning the blog, the principle they chose to go with was "lead with your strength." This is usually a good idea. The problem is how you choose to translate the principle into action.

In this case, it appears to me that Dell chose to create a series of interviews that come across, unfortunately, as amateur commercials. I guess the prototype was Robert Scoble's effective interviews of Microsoft personnel. But when you compare what Mr. Scoble did and what these interviews are, I get the feeling that I'm watching something rehearsed. Something almost un-natural. But whatever these are, they are not conversations nor even interviews. So much so I have to wonder if it was ever intended to be. Perhaps not.

I think the secret of Mr. Scoble's work was that the interviews appeared to be unrehearsed (whether they were or not I have no way of knowing) and represented the unedited conversation of interesting people doing interesting things. Do that long enough and consistently enough and you begin to build not only a conversation but that truly valuable relationship called trust. That Microsoft not only allowed but encouraged such conversations speaks volumes about the good side of MS (the bad side being personified by such things as, for example, Windows Genuine Advantage). Dell needs to do the same on the good side, but in their own way.

Dell didn't get to where it is without being smart so I'm sure it will learn and adapt. At least, I hope it will. We use nothing but Dell desktops here (laptops are another story, we use IBM/Lenovo, Sony, Dell, and Toshiba, among others) and like them. A lot. The few times we've had problems, our paid for customer support resulted in replacements within two business days. Being in the middle of the Pacific, you can't get much better than that.

But too many times I've heard of problems with customer support for home PC customers. The number of people having problems with Dell support has risen to a roar of blogs. Perhaps, finally, Dell is listening.

Aloha!

Or perhaps not. I don't know for sure yet but my credit card number has been used twice by someone else to open two accounts at an online dating service (I'm not going to name the service since it would only send more people to it). I've called the service to cancel the accounts and my credit card company to dispute the charges.

But I have to wonder what kind of security the dating service uses when it comes to accepting credit cards. The service's "Administrative Team" is supposed to call me with further details of what happened. I would like to know if the name used with my number was different from mine. If so, my credit card company says it may just be someone transposed a number, twice. But if that occurred, why was the charge accepted if the name didn't match the number (especially since I already have a fraud alert set on my credit history information because, as I've reported earlier, our State Attorney General's Office had the personal data of tens of thousands of state employees stolen from it). If they used my name and billing address, but a different mailing address, why was this approved? As I said, I'll have to wait to be called but if this was fraud, I will make sure there is an investigation as to who did this and press charges to the fullest extent of the law.

Aloha!

This item is for Hawaii residents and those interested in long-range planning.

This is not the place nor time to debate the role of planning. It seems to be me that there needs to be a balance between long-range plans and immediate needs.

Contrarily, some in Washington seem to say there is no need for planning. That is, even if you have a plan, you have to change it as soon as you begin implementation. So, why plan at all?

On the other hand, I am of the opinion that if you don't know where you are, where you want to go, nor how to best get there, all you will do is stumble blindly as you try various paths - most of which will not lead to your goal.

Here in Hawaii, we are traditionally described as being, for good or ill, relatively centralized and full of plans to do everything. That is, power tends to be concentrated in one place. For example, Hawaii's governor is said to be one of the most powerful state executives in the US in that she controls who sits on boards, commissions, various agencies, and even picks judges. Another example, our public school system, apparently unlike any other state in the union, is controlled by one board (albeit an elected one) and funded entirely through state tax revenues (rather than local taxes, which typically are property taxes). Hence, according to some, our state tends to be top down in management style.

Soon after the building boom that followed statehood and the coming of modern jet transportation in 1959/1960 began, consensus was reached that the state was growing too fast. Or, at least, we were growing in ways and in places that many did not wish to see such growth. Out of this realization came the Land Use Law (the first such plan in the nation), Hawaii State Plan (the first such plan in the nation), the State's Quality Growth Policy, and the State Functional Plans.

Since that time, at least the State Plan and State Functional Plans seem to have been relegated to the book shelf where they have collected dust, but not much else. But recently, our Legislature decided it was time to update the plans with an eye towards the year 2050. Towards that end, the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force Report warning, PDF) lays out a time table and task list to reach what is called a "more sustainable Hawai'i..."

For those who are interested, the kick-off event is next month on Saturday, August 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Dole Ballrooms, 735 Iwilei Road, Honolulu. If you would like to attend, please call the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs at (808) 585-7931, ext. 101. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

Have a Great Weekend, Everyone - Aloha!

A couple of quick judicial notes that seem to illustrate that what gets published isn't necessarily the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

According to this Honolulu Advertiser article:

When it was announced in the courtroom last month that the jury found him not guilty of abusing his son, Junior Stowers raised his hands and exclaimed, "Thank you, Jesus."

But instead of leaving the courtroom, Stowers was cited for contempt of court by Circuit Judge Patrick Border for the "outburst."

The second story is about a New York Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics ruling that it is permissible for New York judges to carry firearms into the courtroom. According to the AP article, via Seattlepi.com (I tried to find the ruling itself but was unsuccessful):

"From an ethical standpoint, there is no prohibition ... barring you from carrying a firearm while performing your duties on the bench," the committee said in a decision published in this week's New York Law Journal.

There has got to be more to this than what has been published so far for both stories. YMMV. Insert disclaimer and disclosures here.

Aloha!

Sorry, no post today. I have an early morning meeting and a bunch of other stuff to do. Tomorrow should be better.

Aloha!

It may be premature to know whether we are in the midst of an economic revolution. But if American industries are to not only survive, but grow and prosper, a revolution in management is what is required.

We saw what may be a reflection of revolutionary change with the creation of Dell's new website. Now, Ford weighs in with their own.

The Ford site seems to have as one of its goals a slicker, more polished look than Dell or the prototypical MSDN Channel9. But the concept is the same. That is, pull back the corporate curtains and begin a conversation with your customers. When they respond, and they will if for no other reason that it will be novel to them, not only must the company listen, it must quickly act on what it hears.

Towards that end, Ford is using well edited videos (unfortunately, either our connection or their server is flaky because I'm having problems with downloading) and thoughtfully written opinion pieces.

The first video is titled "Change or Die" (if this sounds familiar it's because I used the same title for my post on Dell).  Part of the opening segment are the following: "It's about innovation. It's about moving forward." The video tries to make the case that Ford began that way and such qualities, it infers, are part of its very DNA. So, don't give up on them. They "get" it. And yet. Do they?

I don't know. I do know I may never buy a Ford because the quality of design, manufacturer, and service does not appear to be up to Japanese standards. I drive a Toyota Corolla.  This is not an expensive car. It is easy to build good expensive cars. Americans do it. Europeans do it. Asians do it. But to build a good inexpensive car takes the successful execution of the three things at the start of this paragraph. Each of these things are under the control of management. Does Ford's management understand this and, more importantly, put it into action?

Time will tell. But at least the conversation has started.

Aloha!

Did you ever think the politicians who create the laws were a bunch of idiots misguided public servants and that a monkey novice could do better? Well, now comes something called wikocracy. What they do is place selected legal documents in a wiki and then invite people to modify the law, in any way you choose. You can make it better, or worse. You can delete whole sections or add new ones. You can totally change the aim of the law at a whim or propose you own new law.

Of course, as with many wikis, what you do can be undone by the next person. But, I guess, the hope is the collective work of many hands will, over time, improve the law and make it a model that politicians can use. Or it can be a complete waste of time. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

Aloha!

Yesterday, I talked about Ford's new website and how it seemed to be saying that Ford was listening to its customers and knew there are problems with its vehicles. Today, there's an article on MSNBC that quotes Forbes.com that says, based on a Consumer Reports survey, that customers of Ford's Ranger pick-up truck are the least satisfied with this truck of any vehicle made in the US.

The Forbes site lists the "worst of" models made in the US based on various criteria. If you are thinking about buying a new vehicle, you may wish to look at the article and determine whether their criteria matches yours. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

I've posted before on how every announcement I've seen on fuel cells always seemed to say it wouldn't be market ready for another 10 years. Well, this c|net article says a company called MTI Micro Fuel Cells will be conducting field tests next year on a hybrid lithium ion battery/methanol fuel cell for military applications.

The cells will be used in portable radar equipment and remote sensors designed to detect movement, vibrations, or sound and wirelessly send an alert.

Although the cells are still considered to be prototypes, at least it will be moving out of the lab and into the field. That said, it's still a long way off from being available at your local drug store.

The folks over at Debian announced one of their servers was rooted. The email kind of downplays the event but if you downloaded anything from gluck.debian.org, you may want to check your PC.

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At Tom's Hardware, they reviewed four color laser printers: HP2600n, HP3600, Konica Magicolor 5430DL, and the Lexmark C522n. Each printer has its good and bad points. For example, the HP2600n is affordable, but with recent 20 percent price hikes in toner costs, Tom says its cheaper to buy a whole new printer (which includes toner cartridges) than it is to purchase a new set of cartridges when they run out! Others are cheaper to operate, but don't give very good output or performance. Their bottom line is the "LaserJet 3600 represents the best compromise between ergonomics, quality, speed, and cost per page..." YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

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According to this Wired article (may not be safe for work), the, uh, adult toy industry continues to enlarge its line of products. One of the devices on display is a vibrator that grooves in time with your iPod. The faster the musical beat, the faster the vibrator moves. Of course, this vibrator is designed to be, um, inserted.

Another vibrator, this one intended for external use, looks like a short, squishy cone. A woman is supposed to either sit down on it, or kind of nestle it between her legs while face down. According to the article, it works quite well for its intended purpose. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

Have a Great Weekend, Everyone - Aloha!

It's the summer time and the living is not very easy. At least, not as it relates to electricity. People everywhere are reaping the results of refusing to build more power plants/conserve eneregy and are facing power outages. Again. Califonians are facing continuing blackouts. Even here, we have had recent power alerts in which consumption had to be reduced to avoid power outages.

Indeed, the founder of Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, in a Washington Post article in April of this year said the choice is to expand use of nuclear power or suffer the effects of global warming. Although this is not the place or time to debate global warming - the point is, according to Moore, the environmental movement must move off its opposition of nuclear because there is nothing else, in the foreseable future, that can replace coal or oil-based power plants.

Although nuclear has its own set of challenges, I don't know of anything better this side of fusion power (which probably won't be usuable in my life time). Yes, here in Hawaii we can and do use solar and wind power. Even hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels are being looked at for vehicles and electricity generation. Probably more than any other state, due to our isolation and highest fuel costs, Hawaii is trying to find alternatives. But for large scale generation of electricty, nothing seems to be as reliable as nuclear and each of the alternatives have serious problems.

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Speaking of problems, the National Weather Service says hurricane Daniel may be headed our way. It crossed over into our neck of the woods recently and is now being tracked by the Central Pacific Hurriacne Center. The current forecast says it should decrease in intensity to tropical storm level by the time it gets here later this week. But with MotherNature, you never know what will happen. For all we know, it could intensify back into a hurricne. Or not. The point here is to prepare now. Local folks need to get their emergncy kits ready. Even if Daniel isn't the BigOne, it's simply a matter of when, not if, such a storm hits us. When that happens, things will be very bad for a long time because help, for us living in the middle of the ocean, is a long, long way away.

Aloha!

In local politics, I heard an attack ad on the radio recently. I admit, I only listen to the radio to and from work so my hearing this one, versus the possibility of any other ad is rather limited. But to my knowledge, it is the first of the political season.

What, at first glance, is the surprising thing is that it came from incumbent US Senator Daniel Akaka. Before I go farther, I need to disclose that I will be voting for Senator Akaka's opponent, US Congressman Ed Case (even though I don't agree with him on all issues), so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

Usually, the person lagging in the polls is the one that comes out attacking. Thus, it seems logical when Congressman Case is the one calling for a debate with Senator Akaka. But it seems illogical, to me, for Senator Akaka to attack Congressman Case.

At least, it seemed illogical until a recent Survey USA tracking poll (note: I have never heard of these people and have no idea how accurate, precise, or reliable the survey is) shows Senator Akaka's approval rating plummeting 10 percent in one month while his disapproval ratings jumped from 29 percent to 41 percent during that same period.

Some are speculating that the abrupt change came as a result of the Time magazine article that called Senator Akaka one of the five least effective people in Congress. The article said:

By all accounts, Daniel Akaka is an affectionate and earnest man. As a legislator, though, Akaka is living proof that experience does not necessarily yield expertise. After 16 years on the job, the junior senator from Hawaii is a master of the minor resolution and the bill that dies in committee...

I don't know if this speculation is true, but regardless of the reason for the change in approval ratings (assuming here the change is reflective of reality), this could be the reason Senator Akaka has come out attacking. It does seem to make some sense that he would try to show that he is a man of action, fire, and daring (rather than inactive, somniferous, and timid) if his approval ratings were falling.

Whatever is going on, all I can say for sure is what I've said in the past; the fact that Congressman Case is challenging the incumbent senator makes for an interesting political season. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here

Aloha!

Dr. Pournelle quoted from a book recently about a joke involving three people stuck in a deep hole. The joke went on to say one of the three was an economist. When asked what was the best way to get out of the hole, the economist said: "First, assume a ladder." Likewise, the author of the book said, do economists say things like: "First, assume a free market."

I recently looked at a US Department of Energy article. Although it may be too early to say if a long-term effect is in play, it is interesting to note that while the price of gasoline in the US hit near record levels (unadjusted for inflation), crude oil stocks (one measure of demand) is up almost 2 percent over last year.

You would think, in a free market, that as price increased, demand would decrease. Yet, this doesn't seem to be occurring. What this says about the existence of a free market in gas prices I can't say. But if the price versus demand trend is true, there are two predictions that can be made.

The first is that prices will continue to increase. Why? Because demand is increasing and as long as that continues, so will price increases. Why customers continue to burn more gas than they did last year, even as prices are at near record levels is a question I cannot answer.

Secondly, unless they get more income, in order to pay for the more costly gas, customers will use money intended for other uses. Anecdotally, I think I see this when I go to many restraints and see empty tables and worried waiters. No, the local McDonald's and conversely, the high end restaurants, seem to be doing fine. But the middle class diners seem to be hurting. Perhaps we are also seeing it in a slow down in air travel (due to higher fuel costs leading to higher air fares) from Asia. Japan is one of Hawaii's most important sources of visitor income. Said visitor numbers seem to have begun to sharply decrease. If this continues, this will not be good for our visitor-based economy. And finally, it may also be seen in our shopping malls where I see fewer people that I did before.

I wish I had answers to these questions but I don't. What I can say is that, as gas prices continue to rise, certain sectors of our economy will begin to decline. YMMV. Insert disclaimer here.

Aloha!

Sorry, no time for a post today.

Have a Great Weekend, Everyone - Aloha!

There is a sports truism that says playing not to loose is not the same as playing to win. This is usually illustrated with examples of someone who was leading an event only to eventually lose to someone else.

I think It happens often enough that it seems to be true. Its almost painful to watch as the hapless individual self-destructs before our eyes. The thing is, it's not usually because he or she lacks the physical ability to win, it's that they seem to lack the mental toughness to be champions. They seem to lack the focus to quiet, or at least ignore, that part of their mind that whispers tales of self-doubt. So, either they become timid, and stop doing what they were doing to get the lead, or they become foolish and take risks that do not pay off.

Now compare them to "Eye of the Tiger" Woods. No matter what score he eventually ends up with, he is playing to win. Yes, so is everyone else on the golf course - or so it seems. But he is usually the one who, having scratched his way to the lead, uses both hands to keep a strangle hold on that prize. He has the ability to focus and block everything else out.

This past weekend, Hawaii's favorite 16-year-old golfer Michelle Wie was leading the tournament by two strokes with seven holes to go. In the end, she lost by one to the hard charging Australian Karrie Webb.

Although Webb has had her own problems in the past, I have to admire the pluck of this Aussie. I think she well represents the best of her country and, I hope, Michelle can learn from this experience and finally find her way to the winner's circle.

Aloha!