Diary of a Network Geek

Tools to get fun jobs done!

I figured that after all the yammering I did about cool case mods a couple of weeks (months?) ago, I should throw this onto the blog – Yoshi, the resident case mod freak at Tech TV, has put up an article about tools to use for case modding. Not only is it a good introduction to what goes into a case mod, but it’s a pretty good review of the reasonable tools available to get the job done. (We’re not talking laser cutters here. Just regular Joe stuff.)
Also, as an aid to new case modders, there’s also an article about Yoshi’s ammo case PC. One of the cool things about this particular project is the motherboard he used. The VIA EPIA Mainboard came with a mounting bracket that also made a handy template for cutting the custom holes in the ammo case for all the periferals and attachments, except the power supply. If you’ve never done a case mod, trust your Uncle Jim, that can be a big deal.

So, now you’ve got the info to get started on your own case mod. If anyone does one based on this post, drop me a note and I’ll put it up as an entry on the Diary of a Network Geek blog!

Maybe this is why they get such big salaries…

According to this article on AustralianIT, demands for tech execs are big and getting bigger. At least in Australia. Though, according to the article, “The US Semiconductor Industry Association is expecting double digit growth in 2004”. Hmm, really? Well, I wonder how many of the jobs will go overseas to pay for the salaries of the executives?

I think…

Way back when I started this blog, before I even started using MovableType, I was out of work and looking for a job. One of my first interviews, which I don’t think I even mentioned on this site, was with Kaiser Aluminum. I remember crossing a picket-line to get to the interview, which was bad enough, and then finding nothing but envrionmental protest stories when I did a search on the web for more information. Well, they decided that I didn’t have enough Windows experience at the time and decided to take a pass on me. Honestly, at the time, I was a little relieved that I wouldn’t have to decide if was okay working with a company that had as much union trouble as they seemed to have at the time. It turns out, they may have been in worse shape than even I suspected!
I heard on the news yesterday that Kaiser Aluminum had filed Chapter 11 and was possibly going to stick it to their employees by reducing retirement benefits. Yikes! Talk about trouble waiting to happen! Anyway, it was a nice reminder that sometimes things really do work out for the best.

Who are they kidding?

The article on AustralianIT is titled “US tech firms defend ‘offshoring’ “, but it’s just a defense of greed. Overpaid tech executives want to ship more jobs overseas based on cost and nothing more. That’s all well and good, but what about their overpriced salaries? Are they willing to cut costs there? Nope. They’re willing to batter the American Worker, but not trim the biggest fat of all, their own damn salary.

Think I’m making a big deal? Think that those execs “earn” that kind of multi-million dollar scratch? Check out this article on Dollars and Sense about the gross disparity between what US executives are paid and their foregin counterparts. Here’s an article about the differences in Finland in particular that’s a little more current. And, another article on Forbes that’s more current still. So, while folks like you and me make the corporation actually run, the top executives that do little more than make decisions about what broad moves the company will make, or who are mainly whipping boys for the press and shareholders, make orders of magnitude more than we do. Why? Because they can. But, maybe, if we hold them accountable, they won’t be able to do that any more. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll have to make cuts that hurt themselves for a change and look out for their workers.

Well, a guy can dream…

I know why the PERL developer cries…

Sometime ago, I wrote an entry about PERL on Netware. At the time, I wondered why no one used PERL for Novell System administration. Now, I know. Novell has virtually no documentation on how PERL interacts with Netware. There are a few, simple example scripts and a couple of suggestions for things to do with it, but that’s about it. How frustrating! Here I am, having actually gotten a little bit of PERL savy and to what end? My favorite server OS supports it, technically, but they offer virtually no information about how to actually make use of it! Argh!

Ah, well, now that they’re getting into the Linux arena maybe we’ll start to see more support for Open Source and “hackerish” tools, like PERL. I sure hope so…

Wow, I’m becoming a Unix admin!

Now, this might not be a big deal for old-time Unix geeks, or anyone who prefers to work with Micro$oft products, but I think it’s cool. Last week, I was wrestling with a little problem that I solved with a judicious application of XWindows.
We run Oracle 9ias at my office and to get it to print graphics we have to do a kludge work-around. Not that we’re special, everyone who runs Oracle 9ias has to do it. What we’ve been doing is using a pair of Windows workstations running a Windows-base X terminal. Well, over the weekend those workstaions locked up and the DBA couldn’t get them restarted without physically rebooting them. So, Wednesday he came to me and told me he wanted a Linux solution to the problem.
After a bit of Googling, I found what I hoped would be the answer, but I didn’t have time until Thursday to try it out. Here’s what I did, in a nutshell:
1. On my Red Hat 9 workstation, I opened a terminal and ran “xhost +”
2. On the Solaris 8 test server running Oracle 9ias, I telnetted in and ran “display=my RedHat 9 workstation IP address:1.0″ and then “export display”
3. Then, still on the 9ias server, I ran”Xterm” and it popped up on my XWindows session on my RedHat workstation!

Woot! So, I know it might not be a big deal to an old Unix hand, but to this old Novell geek, it was pretty cool. Oh, and it works, too. Now, I just have to figure out how to script all that so it runs automagically……

Okay, maybe not even ready for America at all…

If you’ve read this blog much, you know I have a degree in Marketing, not Computer Science. You also know this means that I often find silly marketing things funny. Well, today is no exception. Ad Age has a page of Ten Ads America Won’t See that’s worth a look.
Some of them are so culturally relevent that they seem strange to people outside their demographic. Some are just plain wierd! But, they’re all fun, in their own way…

Well, actually, that should be lack of privacy alert…

Now, keep in mind that I’m a fiscal conservative and have always, so far, voted Republican as you read this. Remember that I’m not a screaming liberal that wants to outlaw guns, okay?
Over the Christmas holidays, George W. Bush signed into law the most dangerous bill since the Patriot Act. According to this article on WiredNews, the new Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 allows the FBI “to obtain records from financial institutions without requiring permission from a judge.” So, basically, that means if you look “funny” to an FBI agent, that agent can get every financial detail of your life, without a search warrant or subpoena and the financial institution supplying the info is not allowed to even tell you. Remind you of anything? Yep, this is the same thing that happened with libraries taken to the next logical step. See? Those librarians were right to be worried. And we should have been, too.
What disturbs me about this is that ol’ George W., whom I voted for in the last election, slipped this by at a time when most folks are pressed for time and might have missed it. Basically, he knew it was a violation of our civil liberties and decided too many people would raise a fuss about it, so he slipped it in on the “down-low”.
So, how does that commercial run? “What’s in your wallet?” No matter what it is, the government can find out about it now. Oh, I know, I know, if I haven’t done anything wrong, what do I have to worry about? Right? Well, how soon before expressing a dissenting view, like mine, is a crime against the State? How long before our “right” to free speech is infringed? Remember, it started small, just like Nazi Germany. First, a few little rights were shaved off. Then, a few more. The next thing they knew, soldiers were showing up to collect guns. Then, they were showing up to collect “enemies of the state”. Is it too late to stop that slide here? I pray to God it is.
Remember this and vote in your next local election. Don’t let all our rights get stolen away in the name of “security”. Remember what Ben Franklin said, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

WOW! Talk about a blast from the past!

So, I’m just sittin’ there, minding my own business, trying to look casual while reading e-mail and the boss walks in and starts firing questions about Netware licensing at me. Naturally, I’m suspicious from the start, but I listen and answer questions as best I can.
Not too long ago, we bought a company on the East Coast that had, well, an “interesting” mix of technology in their IT department. It seems a couple of these sites are have problems with the number of licensed connections available. The office has about 30 people, but they only have a 10 user license. Talk about 10lbs. of crap and a 5lbs. bag. But, wait, it gets better!! They’re running, yep, you guessed it, Netware 3.2. Oh, God, what did I do in a past life to deserve this?
Well, wailing and gnashing of teeth aside, I’m gonna’ have to deal with this. Somehow. Without spending any money. Yeah, right.
So, I dig into Uncle Jim’s Magical Bag O’ Tricks™ and pull out not one, but two copies of unserialized server.exe that I had from way, way back by way of a guy who was a developer at a Novell channel partner or some such. (Don’t worry, he’s since turned rogue and been seduced by the Evil Micro$oft Empire, so I’m not getting him in trouble.) But, you know what? The boss says to me, “That just doesn’t sound ‘right’.”
What’s this? A boss who actually cares about doing things the Right Way™ ? Whoda’ thunk it!
So, the work may not always be challenging and the pay can always be better, but at least I have a pretty damn good boss these days. That’s something. Hell, somedays, it’s the only thing.

Well, now, this sounds interesting…

The other day there was an article on Slashdot about a college student trying to set up cheap wireless access at a local coffee shop. This caught my eye for three reasons.
First, it was a nice little display of ambition to see a college kid setting this up for a local business. (I’m assuming the little capitalist was going to get paid.)
Second, I thought it was pretty good marketing for a little, local “mom and pop” coffee shop to be offering wireless Internet access.
Third, the suggestions and reactions of the Slashdot crowd were both helpful and typical of the “get something for nothing” crowd I expect to find only on Slashdot. I mean, these people were all offering real world experience on how to set it up. And, some folks even provided suggested hardware and places to buy it. But, most of the folks were suggesting that it should be free. Why? Well, because only hardcore geeks would want it anyway. Hunh? Try again!

First off, wireless access at coffee shops has been a big news story for months in the regular print media. Second, why should it be free just because the target market is small? In some cases, that should mean that the prices are actually higher. Elitism has its price, children.
So, while I think it’s great that the article generated a lot of information, I don’t think the “you pay, but I should get it free” model will work well. Especially for a small business who usually run tight on expenses already.
Still, it would be a neat idea if he can get it implemented.