Diary of a Network Geek

I passed my test this time!

So, now, I'm fully certified to work on Netware 6. What a shame that the place I work at now won't be doing that. *sigh* The worst thing is that I've been a CNE since 1993 and now, after ten years of certification, when my next CCR rolls around, I'll have to decide if it's worth updating. It always has been so far because I've always worked with Netware, but now... Well, frankly, there's less and less Netware out there, compared to, say, Linux and Windows. I don't know that I'll keep working with Netware anymore. I love it, don't get me wrong, but there's just not a big market for it anymore. Or, at least, there's not a big market for Certified Netware Engineers anymore. Heck, I get more calls for my Citrix experience than my Netware certification!
Ah, well, at least I passed this time, so I shouldn't have to worry about it for a couple of years. Next up, though, is Security+. Then, maybe, CISSP, or, heaven forbid, a Microsoft certification.

If you've ever flown on JetBlue, your privacy has probably been violated.

According to this article on WiredNews, JetBlue sold private information regarding passengers to a defense contractor, Torch Concepts. Of course, they won't say what it's for, exactlly, since it's a "top secret government project", but they sure didn't notify anyone that it had been done. What's more, they claim it has to do with security on military bases. How does private information of non-military personnel on a commercial airline have anything to do with anything on a military base?
Keep an eye on this one, folks. Something isn't right here.

They've finally done it!

I've been following this story for a bit now and, frankly, I'm surprised that they've come through so quickly. But, according to this article on iWon, the techs over at Entegris have working fuel cells. They say that they're years from production in the US, but, still, they have a working model. Now, it's just a matter of time.

So, my geekly readers, your dreams of 10 hours of laptop time without interruption may soon be a reality.

Well, the trademark holder of the Dewey Decimal system is suing a hotel for copyright infringment, anyway.

According to this article on Newsday, the Online Computer Library Center, who holds the trademark on the Dewey Decimal system, is suing the Library Hotel which overlooks the New York Public Library. The Library Hotel apparently uses the Dewey Decimal system to label floors and rooms. They even go so far as to match the books in the rooms to the Dewey Decimal system category that mark the rooms. Frankly, I think it's a neat idea. Unfortunately, they didn't get a license for the system before going into operation.
And this is the bit that surprised me when I first heard it on NPR, the Online Computer Library Center, who is non-profit, charges libraries a license fee that starts at $500/year to use their system! Who knew! Not my wife, who, ironically, is distantly related to Admiral Dewey, the inventor of the Dewey Decimal system. What a racket! I really need to invent a system like this...

Your privacy has taken another hit!

According to this article on Wired News and this article on Yahoo News, a Federal court in Oklahoma has declared the National No-Call list illegal saying that the FTC overstepped their bounds in making such a list. However, as a reporter on MSN pointed out, this doesn't have to be the end of it. Call your Congressman, and your Representative, and make it known that you want this to happen! They can make this No-Call list a reality, if you force them to take it seriously. Don't give up! Don't let those damn telemarketers win!!

A victory for the American Worker!

Rejoice, my Worker Comrades! According to this article in the Houston Chronicle, Congress has no plans to extend the higher level of H1-B visas currently active in the US. That drops the number from 195,000 to 65,000. That's 130,000 jobs reclaimed for American Workers! At least, that's what will happen if they don't act before October 1. Let's hope they don't!

Let me add, though, that I'm all in favor of legal immigration to the United States. I'm not a racist, as I've been accused, but a nationalist. Indeed, a patriot. If people from other countries want to come here, become citizens and get jobs, that's great! In fact, I welcome it! We're a great melting pot of diversity here, and I like it like that, but I'm against the idea of American companies sending jobs overseas. We should keep American jobs for Americans, no matter where those Americans were born.

Web-based comics are the future!

At least, according to this article on the Sydney Morning Herald, they're the "rebirth" of comics. Of course, they've been around for quite some time, but they're just catching on with some folks. And, the OZComics 24 Hour Challenge seems to have been what made the Herald make that decision. This contest was so popular that the server got "slashdotted"!
But, it ought to be safe now, so go check it out.
And, enjoy your Friday afternoon!

But, that was what happened.

I took my CNE 5 to 6 Update test today, and failed. Just barely, but still, I failed. I was just too stressed out about not haveing the money to take the test again, which I really can scrape together. And, I was worried about a recurring plumbing issue that I'm having a hard time resolving. I'll give it one more shot before I call a plumber.
In the mean time, I've updated my Self Test Software quiz engine and tests for Novell's 5 to 6 update. And, I'll start studying again. I need to really bust my butt on this, though, because I only have until the end of October to get this done. *sigh* It's gonna' be a long month.

At least, on the Internet.

Or, so it seems, so far, at least. No, really! According to this article on InfoWorld, the House has passed a bill that ensures the Internet will never be directly taxed. See for yourself! There's a copy of the bill online.
Of course, I'm cynical, so I'm sure they'll either kill this in the Senate. Or, years later, they'll repeal it and tax every packet that flows over the Internet. Mark my words, the blood-sucking politicians will never let a stream of revenue this good slip past them.

Oh, now this is cool!

And, frankly, better advertising for Linux than crashing SCO's website. I was sure that this was really a Beowulf Cluster, but, according to this article at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, it's a real super-computer. It was designed by HP and runs over 2,000 Intel Itanium II processors! Wow! That's some horsepower! Watch that penguin run!!