dannyman.toldme.com


Technical, Technology

Better Unix Through System Graphs

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/10/27/unix-viz-good/

Unix people tend to be comfortable in their non-visual command-line world. But sometimes a picture says an awful lot:

Nice Delivery Flood

Read that as “around 11:40, someone sent a mass e-mail through the server. It took twenty minutes to process, peaking at 916 deliveries per minute.”

What’s more, the vast majority of the deliveries were successful, and some failed. That looks like a legitimate bulk mailing to a fairly well-maintained list, and not some random virus or brute-force spam attempt. Server resources are not being wasted on nonsense.

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Politics

Yuppies versus Hooligans

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/10/18/yuppies-versus-hooligans/

I was brought up to believe that gentrification is kind of a sad thing. The old-time working class families are pushed out by young, clean-cut, materialistic people who don’t know how to keep it real.

Brian told me there was another car fire this Saturday by Ekhart Park. I made a Republican face and said “Mark my words — we will gentrify you out of this neighborhood! You can run, but you can’t hide. Your people will be moved out beyond Aurora!” (more…)

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Technology

C’est tout! Au revoir, dannyland.org!

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/10/15/au-revoir-dannylandorg/

[English version available further below]
 
Cher client,
 
Vous recevez ce message car vous êtes contact des domaines listés
ci-dessous (voir tout en bas de ce message).
 
Ces domaines sont arrivés à échéance il y a 30 jours et aucun payement
n'a eu lieu pour leur renouvellement.
 
Aussi, ces domaines viennent d'être définitivement détruits, et sont
donc maintenant disponibles à l'enregistrement au public.
 
Merci d'avoir utilisé nos services.
 
========================================================================
 
Dear client,
 
You are receiving this email because you are contact of the
domains listed below.
 
Your domains have expired 30 days ago and no payment has been received
for their renewal.
 
Thus these domains have been definitively destroyed and are now
available again for anyone to register.
 
Thank you for using our services.
 
=================================================================
 
Liste de vos domaines / List of your domains:
 
Expiration           Creation             Domain(e)
2004-09-15 04:00:00  1996-09-16 00:00:00  DANNYLAND.ORG
 
 
--
Gandi
http://www.gandi.net/

My incoming spam has been reduced considerably in the past month.

But 1996 is pretty respectable for a domain name. :)

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Technical, Technology

Dumbest Update Ever

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/10/12/dumbest-update-ever/

Dumbest Update Ever, brought to you by Microsoft.

Apparently, NT will have trouble if it is installed on a disk that is too large, or, it’ll just completely lose its nut at a date in the future, when a Microsoft update will destroy the ability of the system to function, without wiping and reinstalling it. (more…)

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Politics, Religion

If You Think Bush is Inept …

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/30/35-children/

From Yahoo, Baghdad Bombings Kill 35 Children.

Thirty five children and seven adults were killed by a car bomber as American soldiers passed out candy to kids during the unveiling ceremony of a sewage treatment plant.

“We hate Americans! We hate candy! We hate sewage treatment! We hate children!”

You know, I never thought I’d say this, but “Dammit, that bullshit better be all over Al Jazeera.” If they’re going to cover American atrocities from stray smart bombs, they sure as hell better carry insurgent atrocities from stray dumb bombers.

The explosions killed 42 people and wounded 141, including 10 U.S. soldiers. The wounded included 72 children under the age of 14, said Dr. Mohammed Salaheddin.

Taking pot shots at American soldiers and beheading contractors, that can all sort of be rationalized, but driving a car bomb in to a crowd of your own children!

The only way that kind of loss can make any sense is if the disgust that people feels somehow helps slow down the violence so the Iraqis can get on their way through the elections, and come up with some sort of decent government that can get the Americans to go home.

This is just disgusting. This is 9/11 style terrorism that reminds us all why we are all opposed to murdering religious fanatics. Just as 9/11 spelled the end of the Taliban, I hope this spells then end of some of the bullshit being perpetrated in the name of Islam.

We may think Bush is inept, but he picks enemies with even less finesse.

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Good Reads, Politics

“Daily Show” Viewers are the Best Informed

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/29/daily-show-uber-alles/

If you are a fan of Jon Stewart, then this is the best article ever. It turns out, according to an Annenberg survey, that viewers of the “Daily Show” are better-informed on election issues than people who read newspapers four days a week.

60 percent of “Daily Show” viewers answered all six questions correctly. Just 42 percent of those who read a newspaper four days a week aced the test. Only 40 percent of those who watch network news four days a week got every answer right.

(more…)

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Politics

Bush as Dean

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/28/bush-as-dean/

You know everybody is sort of slowly accepting that maybe George Bush will get re-elected after all, and they might as well plan for another four years of darkness and incompetence. I don’t feel that way.

A month before the Iowa primaries Kerry looked like a pathetic loser unable to compete with the tough, say-it-like-it-is Howard Dean. Dean looked unstoppable, and inevitable, while Kerry looked doomed to a normal life. Dean is now a footnote. (more…)

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Good Reads, Politics

Iraqi GIs Prefer Kerry

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/21/soldiers-prefer-john-kerry/

A good read from The Christian Science Monitor:

“9 out of 10 of the people I talk to, it wouldn’t matter who ran against Bush – they’d vote for them,” said a US soldier in the southern city of Najaf, “people are so fed up with Iraq, and fed up with Bush.”

(more…)

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Politics

The Race is Close

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/17/bush-kerry-polling-close/

It is getting exciting today over at electoral-vote.com:

The poll also concluded that without Nader, Kerry is leading Bush nationally by 48% to 45% and with Nader by 46% to 45% with Nader at 3%. Among likely voters, it is Kerry 47%, Bush 47%, Nader 3%. The Harris national poll (Sept. 9-13) puts Kerry ahead 48% to 47% and the Pew poll (Sept. 11-14) puts Bush ahead 47% to 46%. In contrast, Gallup (Sept. 13-15) has Bush ahead 55% to 42%.

(more…)

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Good Reads, Politics, Testimonials

Read This: Notes from the RNC

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/16/rnc-notes-nyc-detention/

2600 has posted Notes From the RNC – The 8/31 Experience, a long recounting of the thirty three hours that one journalist experienced in detention, after being penned in by the NYPD for standing on the wrong sidewalk at the wrong time. It is definately worth a read by any American. (Thanks, Mike!)

I’ve been lucky enough to talk to a few people, both online and in person, who were also swept off the streets during the convention. We shared stories and experiences and it became obvious that we really needed to do this. A tale of injustice, even one that is dwarfed by others, needs to be told.

(more…)

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Politics

If Bush had his way . . .

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/16/bush-way/

George Bush has this line in his stump speech:

“If John Kerry had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power!”

I think John Kerry could weave this in to his stump speech:

“If George Bush had his way, Osama bin Laden would still be at large!”

It makes me grin. (more…)

2 Comments


Technology

Dealing with Business Bullies

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/13/business-bullies/

We occasionally get intransigent customers who want things fixed but do not want to cooperate with us. I had to politely tell one off last Friday. Today a self-important customer wanted to blame us for the failure of a third-party web server. After explaining what I saw, he responded that I “had no idea” how important he is. No big deal. I wrote back, explained with a little more detail, and closed with:

I would further request that you maintain a professional tone when interacting with our staff. We take pains to ensure consistent support to all of our customers. A condescending tone on your part does nothing to yield results, and only builds animosity in relationships with your business partners. I thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

As someone who has played the part of smarmy know-it-all bully, I can tell from experience that when someone calmly confronts you head-on, gives you a competent explanation, and then requests that you behave yourself, well, unless you got some seriously sociopathic issues, that works really damned well.

But, we’ll see. I could have laid it down a bit more politely …

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Politics, Technology

Touch Screen Voting: Just Say No

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/09/touchscreen-voting-just-say-no/

California is suing Diebold, the nation’s largest manufacturer of touch-screen voting machines because the company lied about the machines’ security. According to the LA Times:

The system’s key vulnerability is that county election workers or others with access to the machines could type in a two-digit code and create a second set of results that would then be forwarded to the state as the county’s official tally.

I am curious what purpose that feature may have, beyond the obvious application of election fraud. (more…)

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Good Reads, Politics

Humiliated, Angry, Ashamed, Brown

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/05/humiliated-angry-ashamed-brown/

http://69.93.170.43/

The tale of Ian Spiers, one brown American, trying to take a few photographs, in a time of fearful paranoia. Very much worth a read.

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Good Reads, Technology

Lindows: Dell is Microsoft’s Pawn

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2004/09/03/dell-microsoft-pawn/

The Register reports on allegations made by Lindows that Dell’s occasional efforts to sell Linux-based desktop systems are squashed because of special business relationships between Dell and Microsoft.

Although the Department of Justice has ruled that Microsoft must supply Windows licenses to top OEMs at the same price, there are other financial incentives that Microsoft can make, including Office licensing and promotions programs, that can add up to as much as $30 per PC, or about 25% of Dell’s profits. Very creepy reading.

A cursory visit to Dell’s web site reveals that Microsoft Windows is the only option to be had on an inexpensive PC. Caveat emptor!

Attempts to contact Dell for comment have not succeeded.

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