Diary of a Network Geek

Strange addresses watch my web page.
Who on the other side of disneyOC3-gw.customer.alter.net would be interested in my web page? Does Disney run Novell? Is an imagineer looking for Linux tips? I just can’t imagine what the interest might be, myself. Though, it is cool that I seem to have a fan in South Africa. Never been there, but it always looks beautiful in the documentaries. Besides, that’s where Charlize Theron is from, right? So, that’s all good.
Again, though, who the devil at Winn-Dixie.com would be interested in little, ole’ me? Is this another Novell site? I have a feeling that there are a lot of big Novell shops that are rather “stealth”, if you take my meaning. Of course, I get hits from all kinds of state and local governments, too, but I expect that considering how highly entrenched Novell is in the government sector. Though, I have to admit that the hits I get from .MIL always make me wonder. Is the NSA actually monitoring my communications? Or, Army Intel? Or even, the CIA? In any case, I think it’s great that so many people in the Washington, D.C. area are interested in my website.
Contrast those sites with the all the anonymous browsing sites that hit my page, though. I find that very interesting, indeed. After all, if the United States military isn’t embarassed to be browsing my website and blog, who would be? It certainly can’t be anyone from big business, since, in part, that’s who I cater to here. Is there a closet Novell geek out there who’s afraid his boss might find out? Or, perhaps, she’s afraid that her husband might catch her at something? Oh, whoever you are, just come on out of the closet and say hello! What could be the harm? (Oh, if you’re interested in using any of those free anonymous browsing systems, you can find a decent grouping of them here. Thank you, anonymous fan, whoever you are, for giving me that bit of information!)
Naturally, I find it particularly interesting that a device labeled “virgo-gw.customer.alter.net” seems to like hitting my website. Gee, do I have a secret admirer who just happens to be a Virgo? Well, what the heck, it can’t be worse than any of the Capricorns I’ve known! Say, just what is compatible with a Sagitarius like me? Ah, well, it doesn’t really matter, I guess, since I don’t believe in that hokum. Still, it is fun to speculate, isn’t it?

Orrin’s at it again….

Look, I mainly see myself as a Republican. Okay, maybe a “Reform” Republican. A Republican with a social conscience? Anyway, in spiet of my Republican leanings, Orrin Hatch and his cronies piss me off. Didn’t we learn enough about theivery at Watergate? According to this story on WiredNews, no, we didn’t.
One of Orrin’s staffers has been caught with their hand in the Democratic cookie-jar. Obviously, this kind of thing goes on more than we’d like to think in Washington, but most of the time the crooks are better at not being caught. Of course, we have lots of evidence that Orrin’s not exactly tech savy, so maybe he didn’t understand what his staffers were doing. Hmm, maybe not. I’d like to believe that he’s just that ignorant, but I can’t quite make myself go there. So, now, he’s distanced himself from that staffer while the Senate “sergeant at arms” launches an investigation. Of course, that poor sap will be crucified for Orrin’s career, but the question is, how much did Orrin know?

Damn, it’s really looking like it’s time to vote Libertarian. And, after my birthday, I’ll be old enough to run for President. Hmm, maybe in a couple of years….

Now, that’s a news flash!

I work with a guy who just doesn’t see why privacy, especially from a government’s prying eyes, is important. Luckily, there are a lot of folks who get it. And, apparently, they can make their voices heard.
According to this article on Wired News, the DOD has altered the parameters of a proposed tracking and information system in response to concerns over privacy. Also, according to this story on Wired News, the Total Information Awareness program is not going to get funeded. Not even changing the name to the Terrorist Information Awareness program could put enough shine on that rotten apple to sell it. And a good thing, too. If the Patriot Act got a little dicey with our personal liberties, this would have been an out-right invasion of privacy.
But, now that the war on Iraq is won, though not over, cooler heads seem to be prevailing in Washington. About time. Remember what Ben Franklin said… “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. “