tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185543702024-02-28T00:28:50.259-08:00SanaburritoThe personal blog of Adrian Sanabria. Things I want to share may include music, cars, computers, education, math, family or any of the other 100 things I try to cram into my already busy life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-43944851144235608072013-09-18T05:36:00.000-07:002013-09-18T05:36:18.355-07:00I never met a walk I didn't likeChattering, lunging, running kids on the way to school<br />
<br />
I never met a walk I didn't like<br />
<br />
Days too warm or days too cool<br />
<br />
I never met a walk I didn't like<br />
<br />
Dog charging, barking - sniffs hand, is nice<br />
<br />
I never met a walk I didn't like<br />
<br />
Meet new client, back soaked in sweat<br />
<br />
I never met a walk I didn't like<br />
<br />
Wind blowing, bit of rain<br />
<br />
Doesn't bother, doesn't pain<br />
<br />
I never met a walk I didn't likeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-57121440294181882452013-06-25T20:24:00.000-07:002013-06-25T20:24:19.578-07:00Baking Soda is sooooodamazing.<i>NOTE: I'm recently getting back into blogging, and I have a large cache of half-written, mostly written and (like this one) fully written posts that I never got around to finishing or posting. Here's the first oldie, from about 3-4 months ago. I was VERY close to changing the cheesy title, but it is late, so enjoy:</i><br />
<br />
Seriously. Until recently, I had never tried using baking soda to clean.<br />
<br />
Between cooking in restaurants for 4 of my teenage years, being an enthusiastic cook most of my life, having two children and doing a lot of my own car maintenance over the years, I'm no stranger to cleaning all sorts of crazy messes. Over the years, I've come to think that the more caustic and chemical-laden the cleaning solution is, the better the cleaning power.<br />
<br />
Recently, my wife has gotten into cooking with clay pots, with delicious results. However, because clay pots are porous and absorb the flavor of whatever you soak them in, you can't clean them with soap. Instead, baking soda was the prescribed cleansing agent.<br />
<br />
I was dubious at first. Surely baking soda is much too benign and simple to have any sort of cleaning power, right? I mean, there has to be some threat of cancer to even <i>begin</i> to have any serious game here.<br />
<br />
WRONG<br />
<br />
This stuff is ridiculous. Pour a little pile of the white stuff, and mix it with small amounts of water until it becomes a paste, and it will remove the most caked crap off of any pan, dish or skillet. Forget the scrub/scour pads - you'd have to go steel wool to get even close to the amount of time this stuff saves. I'd still recommend a pre-soak with the bad stuff though.<br />
<br />
I may be the last idiot on earth to come to this realization, but if I've helped at least one man, woman or kid clean a really dirty dish more easily, I'll be happy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-55693236981878134982013-03-27T13:22:00.000-07:002013-03-27T13:22:27.610-07:00My Cat is a Badass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We noticed our cat was walking and sitting a little funny the other day, and kept licking a spot on his chest. He had what looked like a puncture wound, so we took him to the vet to get him checked out. They couldn't really tell us what happened, but gave him an antibiotic shot and some pain meds for later.<br />
<br />
Later, after bringing him back home from the vet, my wife texts me:<br />
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<br />
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<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Rebecca Sanabria: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">Looks like a fight of some sort. Helena spotted a bunch of his fur in the front yard</span> <span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">3:45 PM</span></div>
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<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Me: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">I bet he kicked the other cat's ASS</span> <span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">3:54 PM</span></div>
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<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Me: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">Front yard forensics FTW!</span> <span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">3:54 PM</span></div>
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<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Rebecca Sanabria: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">Yeah. He's getting too old for that shit, though. </span><span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">4:01 PM</span></div>
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<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Me: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">Bullshit. Milo is Colonel Fucking Tigh.</span> <span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">4:06 PM</span></div>
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<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Rebecca Sanabria: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">....Who lost his eye....</span> <span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">4:06 PM</span></div>
</div>
<div class="gc-message-sms-row" style="background-color: #f8f8f8; border: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.890625px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Me: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">That will just make the other cats fear him more. They'll call him Scar.</span> <span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">4:07 PM</span></div>
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<span class="gc-message-sms-from" style="color: #333333; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight: bold;">Rebecca Sanabria: </span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">Yar!</span> <span class="gc-message-sms-time" style="color: #999999;">4:16 PM</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-84914404017395407722013-01-16T20:31:00.002-08:002013-02-20T18:30:59.106-08:00Books on Lunches<br />
Since my kids were little, they've loved books. To be honest, this was less of an option in our home and more of an eventuality. Since my kids have been going to school, I've been writing messages to them on their food containers. Partly, this is because I was required to put their name on all items, and I get bored. I was also inspired by my <a href="https://twitter.com/wyrmladi" target="_blank">wife</a>, who likes to write them notes.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/neilhimself" target="_blank">Neil Gaiman</a> is one of my favorite authors, and I was thrilled when he started writing books for children, as he did so just as my children were old enough to read them. One of my favorites is the warm and mysterious <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRvqO1MjIs" target="_blank">Instructions</a>.<br />
<br />
I love to come up with puzzles, solve puzzles, and watch others try to solve puzzles. Instructions was already a mysterious book by nature, so I decided to begin writing bits of the book on my kids' lunch items. I was curious to see how long it would take for them to realize which book it was. Instructions is very distinctive, so of course, they realized on the first day. Despite having figured out the puzzle, they wanted me to continue, so I did.<br />
<br />
We're up to the tenth page, and there is plenty of time left in the school year. Though I never intended to write this entire book a page at a time onto their lunch, I should have time to transcribe the remainder of the book on cheese sticks, sandwich containers and bottles. We might even have time to do another short book before summer comes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoV5yKFRNqUNVFineTrYuMk3dXjHlywueeqd1ZhzgTIi14XVXhW-XkVuP5mVBYPqrrr_z4k9Gu67pHqHZxnpYbCmM1wKnmhBrHIOR49U-bB-Krc8p9hiHZWwPyBZ0_i6tbRYKrFg/s1600/20130108_071904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoV5yKFRNqUNVFineTrYuMk3dXjHlywueeqd1ZhzgTIi14XVXhW-XkVuP5mVBYPqrrr_z4k9Gu67pHqHZxnpYbCmM1wKnmhBrHIOR49U-bB-Krc8p9hiHZWwPyBZ0_i6tbRYKrFg/s400/20130108_071904.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-22168834602907246822012-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:002012-11-11T08:49:59.858-08:00UpdatingI'm a big fan of streaming media, and subscribe to both Netflix and Hulu. Nearly every device we have in the house can stream Netflix videos now, and many can also stream Hulu.<br />
<br />
However, I've noticed a recent phenomenon has been making it difficult to watch content when I want. The other day, I went to watch Netflix on my TV, which has a Netflix app built in. Instead, I get this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmYEfBtI_zrT6Qxs9eKxr-7ViYc9azCxtXTRHIw4ZCtPgjCvngMs68cv-Gp6ADSIia2FENOspu6rde51YPGOBaDZ0hOwIvidusYI-AYC5v00ddm2atKa8yaK0j6a-x5fEWAqcQA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-10+at+11.15.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmYEfBtI_zrT6Qxs9eKxr-7ViYc9azCxtXTRHIw4ZCtPgjCvngMs68cv-Gp6ADSIia2FENOspu6rde51YPGOBaDZ0hOwIvidusYI-AYC5v00ddm2atKa8yaK0j6a-x5fEWAqcQA/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-10+at+11.15.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Well, crap. How about my PS3 downstairs, connected to my projector?</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35-VXQMImITgNUb6yXcd3ZYwOz0I57UN59HyMnb13sTVS1fTbuVAcIBSrscn2MlK5lgjmAPTkHa1kcMrKsNpulJqKitXIGuJvSLUQ_Lrf-89RB7MPA1a7HU3w7B7f64anvzn9rw/s1600/ps3update.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35-VXQMImITgNUb6yXcd3ZYwOz0I57UN59HyMnb13sTVS1fTbuVAcIBSrscn2MlK5lgjmAPTkHa1kcMrKsNpulJqKitXIGuJvSLUQ_Lrf-89RB7MPA1a7HU3w7B7f64anvzn9rw/s320/ps3update.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Hmm... How about the XBox360?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavfqwBggpIlEKxV2jq2qLBZIRdRt-cyhpQL2_2XxA5Zd7kbz43i8v1H7MoXzGYuejauwn_hHnyU9swU33shCIEAvfPdYqzp1bvpWg6uGduZ3_Ez1WycahGjbNALq1-QtMXfA8nw/s1600/sshot-2011-12-06-20-19-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavfqwBggpIlEKxV2jq2qLBZIRdRt-cyhpQL2_2XxA5Zd7kbz43i8v1H7MoXzGYuejauwn_hHnyU9swU33shCIEAvfPdYqzp1bvpWg6uGduZ3_Ez1WycahGjbNALq1-QtMXfA8nw/s320/sshot-2011-12-06-20-19-25.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Uhhh, no. I don't. I want to <i>watch something </i>right now. Forget it. I'll just watch on my laptop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioVyzdfRLpu40HD1MA41ZK9Hm1omptlZdn05r7eM11fhhGAhRGpD7ZMilDhGrVuGz6Bt16aLz12lGuVcQ9fvAo1HFITNACDhQMaJJNIxlC0hzv4MxaXV9eTqBgatl-MzRTxf4nw/s1600/0911_Microsoft_Silverlight_Update.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioVyzdfRLpu40HD1MA41ZK9Hm1omptlZdn05r7eM11fhhGAhRGpD7ZMilDhGrVuGz6Bt16aLz12lGuVcQ9fvAo1HFITNACDhQMaJJNIxlC0hzv4MxaXV9eTqBgatl-MzRTxf4nw/s320/0911_Microsoft_Silverlight_Update.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>I give up</b>. I'm reading a book.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-30967806585992781582012-05-14T10:29:00.000-07:002012-05-14T10:29:05.565-07:00Mobile App Notification OverloadThis short post is to share a solution I've come up with to an overload of notifications and a relatively short supply of battery power.<br />
<br />
I love apps, social media, reading updates and getting news. Managing all these on the latest generations of smartphones can be tricky though. It is easy, even with just a few apps installed, to become buried in updates and notifications, all vying for your attention. Clutter on your phone is only the beginning of the issues, however.<br />
<br />
When you have a fancy Samsung Galaxy Nexus like mine, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?ix=acb&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=galaxy+nexus+reboot+issues" target="_blank">crashes and reboots</a> could be an issue. All those notifications you might depend on are gone once the phone reboots. What if you choose to read your twitter updates, and then get interrupted by a phone call, or need to check a more important notification? Again, you've lost your reminder that you have new items to check. Then there is the quickly draining battery as five, ten or maybe twenty or more apps are using your 3G/4G connection to check for new updates.<br />
<br />
Perhaps one of the biggest issues is just general stress and anxiety that can result from a growing list of items and many people's need to empty that list.<br />
<br />
I thought, it would be ideal to consolidate all these updates into one list. One list that I could check at my leisure. As soon as I thought it, I realized the solution was right in front of me: email. For many of these notifications, I'm already receiving emails, duplicating the effort to notify me and grab my attention. Here's the solution I came up with that's worked well for two weeks so far:<br />
<br />
<b>Step 1:</b> Turn on email notification for everything you want to be alerted to. For me, this included Facebook, Twitter DMs, Replies and Retweets, LinkedIn, text messaging (via Google Voice), calendar reminders (via Google Calendar), weather alerts, Google+, and many more. This mostly had to be done through the web interface for these services.<br />
<br />
<b>Step 2:</b> Turn OFF device notifications for all the services listed in Step 1.<br />
<br />
<b>Step 3:</b> Some people may want to create some email rules, tagging or other system to categorize this new influx of emails, if the volume of messages is large, or interferes with normal email use. Perhaps just have one label/category for all notifications. Personally, I let them all pour into my inbox, and as soon as I've take action on an item, I delete the email.<br />
<br />
<b>Step 4:</b> Enjoy longer battery life on your phone, and (mostly) one stream for all your notifications.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Example Scenario</h3>
Someone replies to a tweet I posted.<br />
<br />
1. I read an email notification on my phone that I received a reply on Twitter, and I want to reply back.<br />
2. I open my mobile Twitter client, reply back and close the Twitter client.<br />
3. I delete the email.<br />
<br />
Have you had similar issues? Have you come up with a different approach to handle this same situation? Let me know in the comments, I'd like to hear about how you handle it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-42906284244438267472012-04-12T06:24:00.000-07:002012-04-18T19:47:57.634-07:00What the iPhone and Playstation have in Common<h3>
There's wrong, and then there's WRONG.</h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Note, I'm pulling a story out of ancient history for this post (ancient history = 6 years ago in this case). This is not hot off the presses, like some of the stories I post on my security blog. This one is all posterity.</i></blockquote>
<br />
There are industry analysts, and then there are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Dvorak" target="_blank">writers that pretend to be</a>. In case you are afraid you're confusing the two, here's an older example to help you spot the difference.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-should-pull-the-plug-on-the-iphone" target="_blank">Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone</a> <-- NOT an analyst.<br />
<br />
Now, it is easy to point and laugh now that the iPhone is the best selling single model of smartphone on the planet, but consider what we knew then.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/3rareiphoneviews.jpg/800px-3rareiphoneviews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/3rareiphoneviews.jpg/800px-3rareiphoneviews.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't Sell These, Apple! You'll be sorry!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Those of us that had closely watched Apple's rise from the ashes of the mid-nineties knew better. Mr. Dvorak should have also. Back when 3rd party licensing diluted the brand, and a lack of vision was dragging the company and its products into obscurity, the Newton and its' small but loyal following were the only ray of hope in those days.<br />
<br />
Steve Jobs came back in 1997, and the company's transformation occurred almost overnight, in relative terms. By 2006, when this article was posted, Apple had already returned to profitability, and most importantly, had already stepped outside the personal computer. They had sold almost 100 million iPods by this point.<br />
<br />
During the Chicago Bulls' 90's winning streak, did Phil put Jordan on the bench because he had a crazy plan or idea? Right.<br />
<br />
Was it so hard to see in 2006 that the iPhone was a small step away from an iPod? Sure, the iPod hit the scene in the infancy of the portable music player industry, and Dvorak's argument is that the phone/smartphone markets were already crowded. His argument focuses on Apple's ability to make profit on <b>hardware</b>. The business model he (and others) failed to see had already succeeded in the video game console industry.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/PS2-Versions.jpg/677px-PS2-Versions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/PS2-Versions.jpg/677px-PS2-Versions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gamble, or sure thing? <br />
We know the truth now, but back then...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Starting with the Playstation 2 in 2000, Sony took a risk in selling advanced gaming hardware at a loss. In other words, it cost Sony more to build a PS2 than they sold it for. This was a calculated risk, based on the knowledge that licensing fees from game developers should help make up the difference, and that the market price of components would quickly drop over the next year or two. Sony again made this gamble with the PS3, with some estimates setting the manufacturing cost at over $1000 per unit that sold for $600 apiece. This was less of a gamble, as the PS2 was an enormous hit, and after 12 years, is <i>still</i> on the retail market. That's incredible staying power for an electronic device in this age. The truth of the matter is that, if the product is successful, profit will be made on software <i>and hardware</i> for the majority of the device's lifecycle. Sony has been making profits on every PS2 and PS3 made for years now. Apple makes <i>hundreds</i> of dollars on every iPhone sold, on top of <b>30% of every app sold</b>.<br />
<br />
Apple was making the same "gamble". It wasn't a gamble though - Apple already knew it had a healthy fire burning, and the iPhone was a near-guarantee to stoke the blaze higher than ever before. At the time of Dvorak's article, it wasn't yet clear that Apple was banking on the iPhone's App Store (again, software, not hardware) being the big money maker. What we did know at this time was that Apple could do no wrong. Their product ideas, with the exception of the cube, had all been successful, and their one non-PC gamble was the most successful of all. There was every reason to expect another non-PC revolution with the iPhone. With the media player market already in the bag, Apple knew what they were doing, knew how to make a mobile device, and knew how to <i style="font-weight: bold;">sell it</i>.<br />
<br />
And they did. Sorry, John.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: A pre-iPhone release <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aRelVKWbMAv0" target="_blank">Bloomberg story</a> has been making the rounds. Its author comes to similar conclusions to Dvorak's, though for different reasons.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-11676841761051044752012-03-28T06:34:00.000-07:002012-03-28T14:23:06.113-07:00Travel Notes: Of Birds and TeethOne of my favorite things about travelling is walking in an unfamiliar place. I think it is the best way to really get a feel for a place. The sights, sounds and smells just can't be experienced the same way from a car.<br />
<br />
Today, I'm engaging in a ritual that I only get to enjoy twice a year. <i>I have an appointment with my dentist.</i><br />
<br />
Twice a year, I drive all the way out to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_City,_Tennessee" target="_blank">Fountain City</a> to get my teeth cleaned. In Knoxville with the generous number of dentists per square mile we have, driving 30 or 40 minutes just for a cleaning is a bit much, so I created a little ritual to make it worth my while.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNaLKrflqPz5i5MolXjesNywgak1tvdZepVyd3R2z9KW0yNBPMuFYi3RFH7uGhQAWNEBiH7MJBQAY8KzHDQjIByh-DXQOXdXrUBkIn21zEkyMBUybNX28tEp0OivVa73baKL1_w/s1600/IMG_20120314_114726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNaLKrflqPz5i5MolXjesNywgak1tvdZepVyd3R2z9KW0yNBPMuFYi3RFH7uGhQAWNEBiH7MJBQAY8KzHDQjIByh-DXQOXdXrUBkIn21zEkyMBUybNX28tEp0OivVa73baKL1_w/s200/IMG_20120314_114726.jpg" width="150" /></a>I show up to get my teeth cleaned by my dental hygienist (who happens to be a dead ringer for Kristen Bell) shortly before lunch. My dentist's office happens to be located right on the edge of what most people call "the duck pond", though it is formally called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_City,_Tennessee#Recreation" target="_blank">Fountain City Lake</a>". If I have no cavities, or other issues, I schedule my next appointment, head outside and walk past my car. A single block of businesses separate the duck pond from the public library and Fountain City Park. After short stroll, I arrive at the <a href="http://creameryparkgrille.com/" target="_blank">Creamery Park Grille</a>.<br />
<br />
I have lunch and an ice cream to go. By the time I wander around the duck pond, dodge some hungry geese and arrive back at my car, my ice cream is gone and I'm relaxed, happy and ready to head back to work. You chose a good location for your office, Dr. Sterling.<br />
<br />
Even if you don't need your teeth cleaned, it is a great place to take a walk, get some ice cream or let the kids blow off some energy in the park.<br />
<br />
P.S. The birds bite.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-57602727506350782972012-03-07T06:59:00.000-08:002012-03-07T07:05:12.589-08:00A New Age of Business and ManufacturingWe're entering an age where anyone with a good idea and some marketing savvy can their product made and business off the ground nearly overnight. <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>, for one, has helped some amazing products go from idea to reality in under a year.<br />
<br />
The common problem I've been seeing is not been exposure for these new companies and products, it has been scaling to meet the demand. Interest in a new product or company can go from zero to pandemonium in a matter of days or even hours. In the last week, alone I've seen this happen twice.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi</a>, is a small DIY computer similar to Arduino, but designed and marketed toward a different user base. Instead of interest building gradually like the Arduino, it exploded as soon as a finished product was announced, due to incredibly affordable pricing. At $35, everyone wants a piece of the action.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/" target="_blank">Dollar Shave Club</a> recently announced their new monthly shaving supply service, complete with a funny video designed to go viral.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZUG9qYTJMsI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
The problem is, I'm interested in both, but I can't get either. The initial lot of a few thousand Raspberry Pi boards sold out in a few hours, and the Dollar Shave Club video's "viralness" has guaranteed an unusable website for now, maybe even for a few more days. It is unfortunate to succeed so completely in generating interest and sales, but then be unable to fulfill them.<br />
<br />
I'm no expert in sales and marketing, but I'm sure there is a sizable chunk of spontaneous purchases lost forever when the product isn't available for purchase at the height of its viral popularity. I suspect that a large number of sales of these products <i>depend</i> on the fact that it is popular. Half the reason people are buying is for the right to say "I was one of the first", or "I've been a _____ user since day one". There is definitely a perception of cool when you are the first person you know with the new gadget or service everyone is talking about.<br />
<br />
From what I've seen, the ability to rapidly scale upwards is available, but business need to take advantage of it. For manufacturing, companies turn to China to do anything quickly. That's why the Raspberry Pi isn't made anywhere else. For services that rely on a website to do business, there are hosting services that will allow you to ramp up resources dynamically as you need them, and only pay for what you use.<br />
<br />
In other words, small startups can plan for success without spending a ton of money up front.<br />
<br />
I've made myself some reminders to check out Raspberry Pi and Dollar Shave Club again when they might be available, but I'm not sure I'll still want them then. By then, some new hot ideas might have my attention instead.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-91291909009524438192011-11-08T20:08:00.000-08:002011-11-08T20:08:18.582-08:00Training for a winter 5kAssuming "training" means going out and running a random distance at a random time. This was the first time I've run in a while, but I'm feeling the pressure from a 5k I've signed up for on December 10th. It is a charity 5k (as most are) to boot, so I don't feel I can squirm out of this one and feel good about it.<br />
<br />
I read the non-fiction running book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Superathletes-Greatest-Vintage/dp/0307279189/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320810178&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Born to Run</a> a few months ago, and was finally fully convinced of what I've suspected for years. Slapping the ground with running shoes is bad for me.<br />
<br />
I got hooked on Vibram's <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Five Fingers</a> "shoes" three or four years ago, but wasn't convinced I could run in them. I told myself I was too heavy, and needed to lose 20 pounds before I could start running in them. I was afraid of injuries. So, despite wearing my Five Fingers while working in the yard, to the airport and even in the ocean, I still favored my conventional running shoes whenever I'd go out for a run, or to do a 5k.<br />
<br />
The problem was, after pounding the pavement (quite literally) for two miles or so, one foot would fall asleep. Another quarter mile, and both feet would be completely numb from the shock of slamming into the pavement. I mentioned this to my father, and he revealed to me that he had the same problem before giving up on running because of persistent knee issues. It was more obvious than ever to me that I either had to lose the running shoes, or make some drastic changes to my running style. Past efforts to do the latter have all been pointless in my case.<br />
<br />
Backing up a bit, Five Finger shoes appeal heavily to geeks like me for two reasons. First, they buck conventional wisdom, both in looks and function. Second, the solution to "shoe problems" they offer is well reasoned, backed by scientific data and dead <a href="https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Occam%27s_razor" target="_blank">simple</a>. About four years ago, I first saw them on my sister-in-law's feet at the beach, and didn't think much of them, beyond the fact that they looked odd. About six months later, I stumbled upon them again, but mentioned in the context of running injuries. It was argued that barefoot running was what our legs were designed for, and these "gloves" for our feet Vibram was making allowed us to run with the confidence of foot protection in urban and trail environments.<br />
<br />
For several years, I was convinced that barefoot, or as close to it as possible while keeping the foot safe, was the solution, but feared my foot couldn't handle my weight in a run. After reading Born to Run, I lost the fear, and decided to try it. Even if I only ran very short distances to start out, I was determined to ditch the running shoes and not look back.<br />
<br />
Here I am. I just ran two miles with my Five Fingers. I barely broke a sweat. No strain in my knees, no stress or numb sensations in my feet. Most of my muscles from the knees down will be sore tomorrow, but that's okay. They've got some catching up to do.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-43001359403376131942011-07-21T11:44:00.001-07:002011-07-21T11:44:56.924-07:00This Month's Projects<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(192, 161, 84); "><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8074502266502846878" style="width: 518px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; position: relative; ">I'm working on a few projects this month, trying to focus on teaching myself some more programming. Once I'm a bit deeper into them, I'll post with more information, but for now, I can say:<div><ul style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4; list-style-type: disc; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">One will be a Java class that does some subnet math.</li><li style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(119, 119, 119); border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">The other will be a bit of Python that processes a special type of Twitter account :)</li></ul><div>--Adrian</div></div></div></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-57835200750134781112011-03-09T17:43:00.000-08:002011-03-09T18:40:14.036-08:00Kids and the Internet<div>I've decided to start teaching my son (7) how to use a computer and the Internet, to an extent. I've seen how not to do this firsthand and heard plenty more horror stories. <i>There are some things on the Internet you cannot unsee</i> - especially when you're <b>seven</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally, I've been talking to some of my daughter's teachers about designing a "kid friendly/proof" computer for use in the classroom. Being a computer guy, I set to design the simplest possible solution that would work with the least amount of maintenance. Though I use Windows XP (with user permissions heavily locked down) and Google Chrome, this approach will work with any platform, as the only software needed is available on most major platforms.</div><div><br /></div><div>I use a twofold approach:</div><div><ol><li>I filter all content with a web proxy. <a href="http://www1.k9webprotection.com/">BlueCoat's K9</a> what I use, as it is free for home use. I start out by configuring K9 to block <b>everything </b>(commonly known in the security industry as <i>whitelisting</i>). I then allow the bare minimum that I want my kids to have access to, one URL at a time. Right now, I have only Google Maps, Wikipedia, Nineplanets.org, Fraboom and Hasbro.com whitelisted. I also highly recommend turning off the "barking" feature in K9 every time a page is blocked, as it will eventually drive you mad.</li><li>I monitor the kids whenever they're accessing the Internet with the computer. Wikipedia is a great reference resource, but it covers ALL knowledge, including many subjects children are not ready for yet.</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>Right now, my kids just use the Internet when they want to find out more about a subject (Wikipedia, Nineplanets), play (Hasbro, Fraboom), or learn more about geography (Google Maps). With this design, I can expand later as I need to. </div><div><br /></div><div>It can be tricky to get some sites working 100%, as they pull content and data from multiple domains in the background (Google Maps requires around 10 domains to be whitelisted). If anyone is interested in getting the K9 filter from me, let me know in the comments, and I'll post it.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-41838123245994638722010-05-14T10:44:00.000-07:002010-05-14T10:53:19.698-07:00Handy Blackberry Apps<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been meaning for a while to share some Blackberry Apps I’ve found useful. I’d also like to hear about any you find useful also!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Google Voice</b> (<a href="http://www.google.com/mobile">http://www.google.com/mobile</a>) – Lets you call people with your Google number set as the number they see. The nicest feature though is FREE SMS messaging!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Google Sync</b> (<a href="http://www.google.com/mobile">http://www.google.com/mobile</a>) – Lets you sync your Google calendar and contacts with Outlook.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Google Maps and Search</b> (<a href="http://www.google.com/mobile">http://www.google.com/mobile</a>) – Allows you to search based on your GPS location, and obviously, Maps helps you get where you want to go, though it is still occasionally inaccurate.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">EveryTrail</b> (<a href="http://www.everytrail.com/bbapps">http://www.everytrail.com/bbapps</a>) – Tracks your location while you drive, run, bike, ride a horse, whatever. It will record your entire trip, including altitude changes, average speed, total distance covered, etc... You can also upload the trip to the EveryTrail website, Facebook and other social media sites from your phone, and can replay the trip later on the website.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">DriveSafely</b> (<a href="http://www.drivesafe.ly/download/">http://www.drivesafe.ly/download/</a>) – Text-to-speech for emails and SMS. Just remember to turn it off after you get out of the car, or it may start loudly reciting the email your wife just sent you while you are in the middle of a meeting.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Pandora</b> (<a href="http://www.pandora.com/blackberry">http://www.pandora.com/blackberry</a>) – Is awesome. If you don’t know what Pandora is, you don’t need this app.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">WorldMate Live</b> (<a href="http://www.worldmate.com/blackberry/">http://www.worldmate.com/blackberry/</a>) – The app is a bit of a beast, but it is very handy if you travel a lot. You just forward your itinerary email (most websites, like Orbitz, and travel agents will email you an itinerary) to <a href="mailto:trips@worldmate.com">trips@worldmate.com</a>, and voila, you have all your hotel and airline ticket/confirmation numbers on your phone. It will also remind you when trips/flights are approaching. You can manually add items and book flights/hotels with it also. Oh, it will also tell you what the weather is at your destination. Did I mention the app is a beast? And there are more features in the paid version!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Urbanspoon</b> (<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/blackberry">http://www.urbanspoon.com/blackberry</a>) – A kind of restaurant slot machine. Tell it what kind of food you want, or how much you want to spend, and it will find you a restaurant based on your current GPS location.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">UberTwitter</b> (<a href="http://www.ubertwitter.com/bb/download.php">http://www.ubertwitter.com/bb/download.php</a>) – This is my favorite Twitter app for Blackberry (so far, there are some other good ones in the works).<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">FourSquare</b> (<a href="http://foursquare.com/blackberry/beta">http://foursquare.com/blackberry/beta</a>) – I’ve fallen out of the habit of using it, because I’m usually too busy when I’m travelling to mess with it, but it could certainly be fun at tech/security events. Some places will give you discounts for being “the mayor” as well.<o:p></o:p></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-85141575409556859122010-03-25T15:40:00.001-07:002010-03-25T15:40:23.627-07:00Flattery will get you everywhere, Ms. Brown.
<div class='posterous_autopost'>I popped into a Kayak Coffee just to see how decent coffee chains are is in the midwest (not bad, BTW). While waiting for my order, an eccentrically dressed older lady chats me up, and tells me I look like Sylvester Stallone. She asks if I'm Greek or Italian (I've had this conversation a few times before), and I point her in the right direction. She goes on giving complements, we speak a bit in spanish, and my order comes up. I mention I'm in town on a business trip, and I'm about to end the conversation and leave. She pounces (metaphorically) and tries to hock her CD, which I totally overlooked. <p /><div>She wants $15 for a burned CD with the title and artist scribbled with a sharpie? Pleeeeease. The CD labels her as a Jazz, Gospel, and "Chanter". I'm curious, so I pull out a twenty and hand it to her, expecting a five in exchange. Instead, her face lights up, and she exclaims her thanks, and announces that she can now have dinner tonight. Now I know I've been swindled. I trudge out to the car with my honey latte, and pop the CD into the dash of my rental. It has one looooooong track. She sings acapella throughout this solitary track. It is obviously the voice of the woman I spoke to in the coffee shop, Ms. Barbara Brown. She has a strong, clear singing voice, though it is the voice of an amateur, perhaps a lifelong church-goer and choir singer. The quality of the recording is <i>surprisingly </i>good. </div> <p /><div>After listening to a few minutes of the CD, I'm not sure whether she's a bit crazy or not. She sings in the same key throughout, but there are no real lyrics. She simply repeats the same, chanting, melodic exercise, using a variety of religious words in different languages. She may be equal parts crazy, and skilled swindler.</div> <p /><div>Maybe the kids will like it. Perhaps I can upload it if anyone wants to hear what I got myself into. You leave me with odd mementos, St. Louis.</div><p /><div><SIGH> Back to work.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://adriansanabria.posterous.com/flattery-will-get-you-everywhere-ms-brown">Adrian's posterous</a> </p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-56873134423402486572010-03-24T11:45:00.001-07:002010-03-24T11:45:37.865-07:00Just heard something I haven't heard in a restaurant in a long time...
<div class='posterous_autopost'>"Smoking, or Non?" <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://adriansanabria.posterous.com/just-heard-something-i-havent-heard-in-a-rest">Adrian's posterous</a> </p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-43693069191298893192010-03-19T12:15:00.001-07:002010-03-19T12:15:49.916-07:00Checking bags in Cleveland
<div class='posterous_autopost'>I tried to take my larger bag through security, intending to check it <br />at the gate (and therefore not paying the fee). They looked at the bag <br />and started shaking their heads. "They let me check it at the gate in <br />Knoxville", I said, a bit defensive. They laughed and said, "we follow <br />the RULES here" before sending me back to the airline counters to <br />check my bag and pay my $30. <p /> True story. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://adriansanabria.posterous.com/checking-bags-in-cleveland">Adrian's posterous</a> </p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-51996724083389561052010-03-15T06:00:00.001-07:002010-03-15T06:00:26.439-07:00Bye Tennessee, see you Friday. Don't have too much fun when I'm gone.
<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://adriansanabria.posterous.com/bye-tennessee-see-you-friday-dont-have-too-mu">Adrian's posterous</a> </p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-47455625048052831022010-02-22T13:05:00.001-08:002010-02-22T13:05:16.101-08:00My Son's Reading Obsession
<div class='posterous_autopost'>I'm working in my home office, and my son wanders in. He mumbles to himself as he looks through the large built-in bookcase for something to read. "Hmm, Dinosaurs, no... Introduction to Physics... OK", I hear him say, as he wanders off with <i>Introduction to Physics </i>in his hands. Now, if he understands any of it by the time I finish working for the day, I'll REALLY be impressed. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://adriansanabria.posterous.com/my-sons-reading-obsession">Adrian's posterous</a> </p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-72097852278236349792010-02-13T17:22:00.001-08:002010-02-13T17:22:47.291-08:00At the 2010 Chinese New Year Celebration
<div class='posterous_autopost'>Helena wan't feeling well, so it is just me and Enzo. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://adriansanabria.posterous.com/at-the-2010-chinese-new-year-celebration">Adrian's posterous</a> </p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-42802538121818023102010-02-13T09:03:00.001-08:002010-02-13T09:03:21.670-08:00Listening to my old band's latest CD
<div class='posterous_autopost'>Weird to listen to, as it has been a long time since I played with <br />them. I bring the bass on 4 songs, if I remember correctly. <br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/johnadamthomasandthelonely45">www.myspace.com/johnadamthomasandthelonely45</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://adriansanabria.posterous.com/listening-to-my-old-bands-latest-cd">Adrian's posterous</a> </p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-23978208156885004192010-02-12T06:49:00.000-08:002010-02-12T07:52:12.134-08:00Antivirus has failed for long enough!I just read on a LinkedIn discussion, about how Kaspersky created some fake executable files, and then created REAL detections for them. Within ten days, 14 other AV vendors had blindly <a href="http://www.eset.com/threat-center/blog/2010/02/02/kaspersky-virus-total-and-unacceptable-shortcuts">added</a> <a href="http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2010/02/sw_tests_show_problems_with_av.php">detection</a> for these files as well!<br /><br />I've been a strong anti-AV advocate for as long as I've been using computers. In corporate environments, I feel it is a necessary evil, as you have little control over what risks individual users might take. On personal machines, however, I've always felt that AV is more of a disruption than the potential risk of getting a virus. What do I hate so much about AV software?<div><br /></div><div><ul><li><b>It Doesn't Work</b> - I've set up my friends and family with a variety of AV software over the years, and they <i>still get infected</i>.</li><li><b>Performance</b> - Depending on whether you have an AV client with a small footprint, like the new <a href="http://www.cloudantivirus.com/">Panda Cloud</a> AV software (which I recommend if you<i> </i>are looking for a good free AV client), or a full big-vendor suite, there will be a performance cost. It doesn't seem to be much with the smaller clients, but I've seen the larger ones make a computer completely unusable.</li><li><b>Add-Ons</b> - Speaking of big AV suites, some of these come with an unbelievable amount of crap that you neither asked for, or needed. They even have the gall to include software that "improves your PC's performance". You could be installing VPN, Backup, Tune-up, Email proxy/scanning, web proxy/scanning, web filter, firewall, encryption, file shredding, and who knows what other software, when all you wanted was anti-virus. I've seen systems with 30+ active processes belonging to the anti-virus vendor suite. </li></ul><div><br /></div><div>I am the "Virus Sanitation Engineer" for my family and friends. Do I put AV software on their machines? Absolutely. Do they still get infected with malware anyway? Absolutely. I think that a few precautions can make AV software largely unnecessary.<br /><ul><br /><li><b>Use a Web-Based Email Client</b> - Not only do all web-based email clients scan attachments and emails for malicious files or content, but most malicious content sent via email will not execute when opened in a browser.<br /></li><li><b>Delete or Ignore Anything you Don't Explicitly Trust</b> - I know you're curious, but really, don't click it. Don't open it. Just delete it. If you are <i>really</i> that curious, take precautions before checking it out.<br /></li><li><b>GMail</b> - GMail also has a nice feature that can help protect you: Weary of that Powerpoint presentation or Excel attachment that has been forwarded to you from people you don't know? Open it in Google Docs. Any malicious office macros embedded in the document won't run.<br /></li><li><b>Don't Use Internet Explorer</b> - There may be a day when it is safe to use, but we're not there yet. Until then, use <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/">Firefox </a>with the <a href="http://noscript.net/">NoScript </a>add-on installed (best scenario), or Chrome. Or Safari. Or Opera. Just not IE. The last TEN infections I cleaned up for friends and family computers <i>were all due to Internet Explorer use</i>.<br /><br />Though it isn't a 100% guarantee you will never get infected, these four simple suggestions have worked extraordinarily well for me, and my wife (who was already doing what I suggest here before I even met her!).<br /><br />As for the enterprise, I'm hoping whitelisting and other technologies that work on a principle of trust, rather than maintaining a database of known malicious software, will eventually be able to replace antivirus software.<br /><br /></li></ul></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-3190002841954378822010-02-02T16:48:00.000-08:002010-02-02T17:12:12.036-08:00Penny Arcade Censored<a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/">Penny Arcade</a> has long been one of my favorite comics. In fact, I'm shocked to notice that I've now been reading Penny Arcade for more than seven years! Anyway, I've printed out some of my favorite comics to use as bookmarks over the years.<br /><br />Tonight, my son (a <span style="font-style: italic;">voracious</span> reader) noticed I was using a comic as a bookmark and took interest in it. Many Penny Arcade strips are <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">not </span></span>for children, and perhaps not even for the weak-hearted. I tried taking the, "oh you wouldn't get the humor, you'd have to understand x and y for it to be funny" route. He was not discouraged, and continued trying to sneek peeks at it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/03/24/">This particular strip</a> just had some bad language in it, and I thought he might actually be old enough to get the humor, so I decided to make a quick sanitized version.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL57gu7wIVFrH-Nf0c6JkXfiK2V3_9pe-yDa2NcwT12R8hnjVjblcWhXaPXHDQuAG_Wd1TR1iD7gXCHntRS-wz1hQeLIi90Rmd-VM5qfGgOverqxUMnh22PCZySWvnk4gYOc6EQ/s1600-h/215213694_L5Keo-L-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL57gu7wIVFrH-Nf0c6JkXfiK2V3_9pe-yDa2NcwT12R8hnjVjblcWhXaPXHDQuAG_Wd1TR1iD7gXCHntRS-wz1hQeLIi90Rmd-VM5qfGgOverqxUMnh22PCZySWvnk4gYOc6EQ/s400/215213694_L5Keo-L-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433817125750940914" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-75233854215690907232009-12-28T18:21:00.000-08:002009-12-28T19:58:38.115-08:00The Thing About Perpetual Motion Claims......is that they never seem to fail to reel in the suckers.<br /><br />For almost a thousand years, we have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_perpetual_motion_machines">recorded records</a> of individuals striving to create endless energy for free. Fossil fuels overshadowed the need for free energy for a time, and the scientific acceptance of the first and second laws of thermodynamics as fact put a damper on perpetual motion claims.<br /><br />Around this same time (the mid-1800s into the 1900s) we begin to see a trend where charlatans see perpetual motion claims as a quick and easy scam to separate potential investors with their money. In the early days, water was often the mystical source of free energy. Nowadays, it is almost exclusively magnetism. These "inventors" (charlatans) often try to convince investors that the laws of thermodynamics do not apply to magnetism, or even boldly claim that the laws are wrong or incomplete. Whatever the case, the plan is often the same:<br /><ol><li>Make a perpetual motion claim</li><li>Put together a convincing proposal (sometimes including a clever "prototype" that hides an external power source, or battery)</li><li>Start raking in the dough.</li><li>Go into "development" for several years, producing nothing but vapor and hopeful press releases.</li><li>Raise more funds, repeat.</li><li>They run off with the money, get convicted of fraud, or fail to successfully demonstrate the technology publicly, and fade away from public view.</li></ol>In many cases, the inventor making the claim is depressed or mentally unstable. In the case I've been following lately, a small Irish company is propping up the scam.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.steorn.com/">Steorn</a> is an Irish company that used to design and create websites. The dot-com bubble burst, and they decided to create perpetual motion technology, while still creating the occasional bed-and-breakfast home page. This company has pulled out all the stops in an attempt to continue stringing along potential investors over the last 10 years. They have secured millions in loans over the last decade, and are now, supposedly almost ready to commercialize a technology that can create, inexpensive free energy for everyone without using natural resources (solar, wind, waves, rivers, geothermal, etc...).<br /><br />For myself, the interest is in how long they can prolong the charade. As someone who has worked in the information security industry for many years, I am used to seeing <a href="http://attrition.org/errata/charlatan.html">impossible claims</a> come and go. I have seen vendors and individuals claim to have uncrackable encryption, unbreakable operating systems, unhackable systems, and other "perfect solutions" to the ever changing and increasing challenges we face in the security industry.<br /><br />Steorn Ltd. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steorn">Wikipedia page</a>) attempted to publicly display their technology in London in July 2007. As with many other perpetual motion scams, the public demonstration experienced "technical difficulties" and was canceled (a greenhouse effect supposedly destroyed bearings). Shortly thereafter, Steorn announced open availability of several demo units for scientists to independently test and validate the technology. The response was huge, and a handful of respondents were selected and required to sign non-disclosure agreements (not surprisingly). This "jury" of respondents concluded in June 2009 (also not surprisingly) that the technology did not work. Steorn responded that the issue was just a little bug in the design, that it was now fixed, and that they are going commercial with their technology in the coming year.<br /><br />How thick can you get?<br /><br />Steorn currently (as of December 2009) has a public demonstration underway in Dublin, in which a small device is connected to a rechargeable battery, and is supposedly <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">creating more energy than it is consuming</span></span>. They have gone to great lengths with multimedia this time, with videos on their site showing the demonstration, a <a href="http://www.steorn.com/demo/rig/">diagram</a> showing a basic electric motor powered by a D-cell battery, and even a viral media campaign including a <a href="http://freeenergytruth.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, and some YouTube videos of average joes who have duplicated and validated Steorn's multimillion dollar project using zip ties, skateboard wheels and particle board.<br /><br />Without further ado, this is the face of someone who has discovered the magic of free, endless energy. Witness his excitement. Witness him reading prompts from his monitor. Witness his inability to turn off his webcam. Count how many times he says "legit" and "doubt".<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/62kcKoSnk8w&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/62kcKoSnk8w&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Here are <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-gXQagKSNc">three videos</a> of people <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDS03F5mX7g">spinning random circular objects</a> with an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvYaBZcWn6k">electric motor</a>, claiming to be Steorn's "Orbo" technology.<br /><br />Here is the company's CEO, Sean McCarthy in 2006, describing the jury process for the technology that completely failed because of a bug they've now fixed. He is an expert salesman/conman, getting all of the potential investor's fears out in the open so that he can address each one individually. Even after the entire process he claims will prove they are creating energy from "nowhere", they continue on selling vapor. They now offer a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/25/steorn-gives-up-on-free-energy-starts-charging-for-usb-powered/">$400 USB magnetometer</a>, and access to "free energy for everyone" to developers for a fee.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jAk3tiaOewo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jAk3tiaOewo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-37623926927927830662008-08-11T18:48:00.000-07:002008-08-11T18:57:36.266-07:00Lorenzo starts school!Lorenzo started school today - an exciting time for us all, but we were nervous too. How will he do? Will he throw a monster fit the first day? Will he freak out? No, he didn't do any of those things. He did fine. The worst was that he was too nervous to eat, ended up throwing away most of his lunch, and went all <a href="http://www.qu-i-x.com/hungry.html">Hungry Mungry</a> when he got home.<br /><br />He remembered bits and pieces of his day, but had a hard time remembering any names or anything in too much depth due to the overwhelming amount of information he was fed today. I'd like to write more, but too much going on.<br /><br />Perhaps I'll update with a photo of him ready for his first day of school later.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18554370.post-86152964323695905562007-11-06T19:10:00.000-08:002007-11-06T20:05:13.719-08:00My son has a mild Transformer ObsessionIt is okay, though. I had a severe Transformer Obsession, and I turned out OK, see? We had a little Transformer "photo shoot" the other day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Getting them ready<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BuHIGCAt2uBSpPjdwyPcAutR0rz3q0e9F4Fa552AZ6t2ePjlEg-dkIy4rNt7C1orOgHu-640rLR0ljS8wne51HtthWSMezxaKc_Jip9QOZ-9kndrNpi_zE6_oX_7gauJVjkwCg/s1600-h/November2007+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BuHIGCAt2uBSpPjdwyPcAutR0rz3q0e9F4Fa552AZ6t2ePjlEg-dkIy4rNt7C1orOgHu-640rLR0ljS8wne51HtthWSMezxaKc_Jip9QOZ-9kndrNpi_zE6_oX_7gauJVjkwCg/s320/November2007+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129931273404154322" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Vehicle Mode</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheUctwbjs316QDcH3-Ymkh2jhz_MT0uoABv83SGvdavu1d-GvXOrVk13DfM5-242n4pKLjTn6eYEe2zDlkJdE2F0c9iGdMNg2qw6KGuWcRpBbV6QSvr8iNWB-GRe_r2q_K7ATQg/s1600-h/November2007+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheUctwbjs316QDcH3-Ymkh2jhz_MT0uoABv83SGvdavu1d-GvXOrVk13DfM5-242n4pKLjTn6eYEe2zDlkJdE2F0c9iGdMNg2qw6KGuWcRpBbV6QSvr8iNWB-GRe_r2q_K7ATQg/s320/November2007+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129932570484277730" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />And Robot Mode<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8vY_2JZpQt0RgPKIUJV9klQztPgeJ0wVxt-i0TaTOC5vHfWeD8ZSfAQCBAjgTbcm7_E47R4ZunT_mACxsmqGK8S-_4Kq9Vgy37XjTsgS99ngxzDJXcInfHRz-SEXbj2REV_twA/s1600-h/November2007+014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8vY_2JZpQt0RgPKIUJV9klQztPgeJ0wVxt-i0TaTOC5vHfWeD8ZSfAQCBAjgTbcm7_E47R4ZunT_mACxsmqGK8S-_4Kq9Vgy37XjTsgS99ngxzDJXcInfHRz-SEXbj2REV_twA/s320/November2007+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129933970643616242" border="0" /></a><br />We used the opportunity to round up all the myriad weapons and easily removable parts that had gone missing over the past few months. I'd estimate we probably rounded up 20-30 parts, and are only missing 3 or 4, which amazes me. In some cases, it took some research to get everything transformed...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7RRM6ukFolcjR178Ftbg6Q_pW4muKakVI3zJknhcrlpOSBYpTE89siLhfqRXEqnTMgC68mjULieR4_O9cTu9ntpVdm3ffiQPlBd1qt_jM4soR4_cuNHv2_A3O9nN29Aa1-UdHw/s1600-h/November2007+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7RRM6ukFolcjR178Ftbg6Q_pW4muKakVI3zJknhcrlpOSBYpTE89siLhfqRXEqnTMgC68mjULieR4_O9cTu9ntpVdm3ffiQPlBd1qt_jM4soR4_cuNHv2_A3O9nN29Aa1-UdHw/s320/November2007+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129935319263347202" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Aaaaand this is what it looked like approximately 30 seconds later<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy14_QmajLiD1YYSwBaBw_4MBjsDrtuG3XVhIwSdv-rRffkRYTYDperzlPZYC_BhADlqahzxitJ8Z3FWEQJbcN5iE8Lt1n2PBO7iSAHspwzyFP79YHzAYc4IojtlZ3Nl7tYxZFg/s1600-h/November2007+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy14_QmajLiD1YYSwBaBw_4MBjsDrtuG3XVhIwSdv-rRffkRYTYDperzlPZYC_BhADlqahzxitJ8Z3FWEQJbcN5iE8Lt1n2PBO7iSAHspwzyFP79YHzAYc4IojtlZ3Nl7tYxZFg/s320/November2007+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129940348670050834" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Transform and blow out!<br /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510183486137499086noreply@blogger.com1