mikeg's blog

Dear Congress...

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:44:30 +0000

Dear Congres,

Stop.

Seriously, just FUCKING STOP.
I read this one today and just couldn't believe it guys:

A bipartisan group of senators will introduce legislation to stop the FAA from closing any control towers to meet its sequester cut requirements. "The Protect Our Skies Act, which is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 18 Senators, would prohibit the Department of Transportation (DOT) from closing any air traffic control towers, including those that are operated by the FAA," says a news release issued by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla), one of the bill's sponsors.

(Via AvWeb)

So, basically in your infinite stupidity you all went ahead and created a law that imposes budget cuts so draconian that they say it's inconcievable that it woud ever be allowed to go into effect, then when you pull the trigger on this massive bazooka pointed at the nation's head and realize essential services are getting cut as a result your answer (rather than doing something sane like passing a reasonable budget) is to start legislating agencies into an impossible situation: Cut your budget, but don't cut any of the services you provide.

Frankly I'm not a huge fan of the tower closings (a bunch of towers at fields I would like to visit would be going away under the FAA's plan, and I think it would turn the airspace over Connecticut into a marvelous knot), but I'd rather the FAA make those cuts rather than wiping out more center and approach controller positions, eliminating maintenance inspectors, or countless other options with potentially more devastating safety implications than closing 150 towers.

So my dear esteemed congresscritters, I would like to know two things:

Exactly what economics program did you all flunk out of?
Exactly when did you all become experts on the national airpsace system?

You all seem to be laboring under the misguided assumption that you can cut a budget without cutting services.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the FAA is a service agency, and those services are (a) essential, and (b) provided by people. If you want them to cut their budget they're going to have to cut the least essential of those services, and that - I'm sorry to say - pretty much means "Towers". The other option is to make deeper cuts to approach control and centers, which at least in my little corner of the airspace system are already working above capacity.

You also seem to think you know better than the FAA how to run the nation's airspace. First you stomp your feet like petulant children and DEMAND that the FAA integrate unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) into the airspace, now you pitch a hissy and try to micromanage the way they deal with this budget crisis you idiots created.

Frankly - you're full of it, and messing with things you don't understand, so PLEASE just fucking STOP - you're making it worse!

Just sit on your hands and resist the urge to try to legislate anything until your term is up and we can replace you with something more useful (like perhaps a stuffed wombat.

No love,

Me.

Political Correctness, Sensitivity, and Censorship in the Information Age

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 02:39:01 +0000

So anyone who knows me knows that I hate censorship in any form. I'm the guy that wears the "I Read Banned Books" shirt, and considers it to be a required reading list (yeah I'm still working my way through it myself).

So you can imagine I was just a little bit miffed when I found out that @violetblue's talk at BSides SF was apparently cancelled because it offended someone's delicate sensibilities (particularly since they can't have possibly known the content of said talk as it HADN'T BEEN GIVEN YET). I was even a little miffed at @BSidesSF for basically caving to PC-Pressure (unjustly as it turns out, so I'm glad I didn't lay into them), but I just quietly commented on the WTFery of such censorship and moved on...
...until tonight when I read @violetblue's blog post on what went down.

I beg of you, please go read that blog post before you read mine. Violet Blue took the time to compose a sound, well-reasoned retort to the folks that quashed her talk. What I'm presenting here is a seething ball of anti-censorship politically-incorrect fuck-the-world unmitigated rage.

Update: Please also read The Ada Initiative's side of the story as well (thanks to Rob for pointing it out, I didn't find it in my 30 seconds of Googling). The Ada Initiative has done some very good things, and they do raise many valid points. I don't think censorship was (or is) their intent, it's just an unfortunate side effect of cultural hypersensitivity surrounding certain issues...

I fully expect this blog entry will piss some people off. Frankly I don't care. Try not to get any wharrgarbl on me if you feel the need to respond.

Continue reading "Political Correctness, Sensitivity, and Censorship in the Information Age"

Das fliegenwagen

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Those of you who are of of the loop (reading this blog rather than following me on Twitter) are probably unaware of the fact that I went out and bought a plane. I've been rotating my training using my plane (N8031W) and the flight school's aircraft, and recently switched over to mine full-time. I've been slowly working down my list of squawks and stuff I want to do to the plane. Since it might be of interest to the one or two people who read this who are also into aviation, I figure I'll throw a few figures and numbers out there. Purchase price of the aircraft (1965 PA28-180 "Cherokee 180C"): $35,000 (including getting it from TX to NY).
Misc. parts, maintenance, etc. since I bought the plane: About $3,500
Cost difference in training since switching to my plane: $0 (because of maintenance, buying parts, and because I've been flying more often).

Continue reading "Das fliegenwagen"

The SOPA/PIPA Protest

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:00:05 +0000

The following is a list (woefully incomplete) of sites that took action against SOPA/PIPA:

Google (blacked out their logo)
Slashdot (blacked out their logo)
XKCD (Protest Comic)
WBAI Radio (CSS switch: Content blocks in reverse video)
I Can Has Cheezburger? and the Cheezburger Network (Banner)
TV Tropes (Banner)
EFF (Banner & CSS Switch)
The Tor Project (Censor bar across site)
Craigslist (Main page blacked out. Banner on regional pages)
Ars Technica (CSS Switch & Banner)
Not Always Right (CSS Switch & Banner)
Reddit (12-hour outage, 8AM-8PM Eastern -- US Workday)
Questionable Content web comic (Special Comic)
The Mozilla Project (12 hour outage, 8AM-8PM Eastern ; Firefox start page made black)
English Wikipedia (Offline)
2600 (and various local 2600 groups) (Offline)
The Oatmeal (Offline & Funny Picture)
SMBC Comic (Comic blacked out)
Explosm (Site blacked out)
Wasted Talent (Site blacked out)
Wordpress (Main site blacked out)
Nyan Cat (Site blacked out. No Nyan Cat.)

…and of course bsd-box.net, which was offline.

Continue reading "The SOPA/PIPA Protest"

Bye Bye GoDaddy

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:06:51 +0000

As I write this all of my domains are in the process of being transferred from GoDaddy (who I've used since they first hit the scene years ago) to NameCheap (I considered going with Gandi, but wanted to avoid pricing in Euros because my credit card company sucks so hard they blow).

Most of you know that I've been generally dissatisfied with GoDaddy from an image standpoint, but have generally let the inertia of "I don't want to go through the domain transfer process" carry me along. That all changed today -- I can overlook their shitty business practices. I can excuse their slut-tacular commercials as "sex sells (even domain names)", but I draw the line at supporting the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, H.R. 3621) - This is an absolute piece of shit legislation that threatens the most fundamental principles of free speech by stripping away even the minimal end-user and content-provider protections of the DMCA. Further in chosing its technological weaponry SOPA also manages to jeopardize the DNS system, one of the most basic technical underpinnings of the internet as we know it.

That anyone can support this legislative disaster in the making baffles me. That a technology company can do so is unfathomable. Mr. Parsons has literally gone to congress, pointed an elephant gun at his testicles, and said "Go on, pull the trigger. I like the pain."

I am not usually a fan of Reddit, but they have a nice thread about GoDaddy supporting SOPA, and the ensuing mass exodus of even folks like me who were sticking with GD because of inertia. I have also reproduced GoDaddy/Mr. Parsons' statement supporting SOPA in its entirety below the break. They also mention the BYEBYEGD NameCheap coupon that inspired the title of this post.

Continue reading "Bye Bye GoDaddy"

Dear ImageMagick: FUCK YOU.

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:36:58 +0000

Dear ImageMagick,

FUCK YOU.

No Love,

-Me.

Continue reading "Dear ImageMagick: FUCK YOU."

Dear FAA/Aeronav...

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:54:03 +0000

Holy Hairballs - A Blog update! Dayum it's been a while!

So, what the hell do I want to talk about? Well, I want to expound for a bit on the FAA/AeroNav proposal to start charging for digital chart data. And, because this is my blog, I can!

Really everything I want to say can be said by an appropriate LOLCat:

Continue reading "Dear FAA/Aeronav..."

TheSteve is Dead, Long Live TheSteve

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:49:24 +0000

So as anyone who has not been living under a rock knows, The man I affectionately refer to as TheSteve (Steven Paul Jobs of Apple, Inc. fame) has died. He leaves behind a legacy that includes one of the most remarkable corporate turnarounds in modern American history, catapulting what was a foundering Apple Computer into what we know today as Apple, Inc. - Maker of the iEverything.

TheSteve was an iconic figure - Famous (infamous) for his perfectionism and capricious nature, and gifted with the ability to know what the masses wanted before they knew themselves. Products like the iPod and iPhone stand as a testament to that vision.

I'm not going to further eulogize the man - Hundreds of people have done so far better than I ever could - Instead I'm going to re-open this blog by commenting on some of the commentary.
This entry may grow, or it may just remain the big two that caused me to write it - as always my blogging is totally mood-dependent.

Continue reading "TheSteve is Dead, Long Live TheSteve"

Apple is killing the XServe?

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:30:54 +0000

Apple Inc. announced today that the XServe is being discontinued effective January 31, 2011.
I believe this is a HUGE mistake on Apple's part as they have no other product which effectively fills this market space.

I'm not one of those "email the CEO because you changed the color of my case" shareholders, but this decision has occasioned my first email to The Steve. I have reproduced that email here to share my thoughts with the rest of you.

Continue reading "Apple is killing the XServe?"

Free LOLs courtesy of the media

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:09:59 +0000

Presented without further comment. Thanks to the WBAI Evening News (originally aired on August 20, 2010 - WBAI New York, 99.5FM)

Bring Forth My Amusement!

Dear Senator Schumer...

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:04:54 +0000

One of my dearly beloathed Senators (Charles Schumer) has apparently taken up the plight of the iPhone 4 victims as a righteous cause. While I agree that Apple screwed the pooch on their RF design here, I find it somewhat disconcerting that Sen. Schumer has chosen this to focus on. Please allow me to engage in a brief bit of snark:

Sen. Schumer's letter to Apple:

July 15, 2010

Dear Mr. Jobs,

I write to express concern regarding the reception problem with the Apple iPhone 4. While I commend Apple's innovative approach to mobile technology and appreciate its service to millions of iPhone users nationwide, I believe it is incumbent upon Apple to address this flaw in a transparent manner. According to Consumer Reports' review, released Monday on its website, the iPhone 4's signal-strength problem is a hardwire glitch triggered by gripping the device in a particular manner. This finding, according to Consumer Reports, "call[s] into question” Apple’s recent claim that the problem is “largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software." Consumer Reports declined to recommend the iPhone 4 because of this hardware design flaw.

Given the discrepancy between Consumer Reports' explanation of the reception problem and the explanation provided by Apple in its July 2 letter to customers, I am concerned that the nearly two million purchasers of the iPhone 4 may not have complete information about the quality of the product they have purchased. The burden for consumers caused by this glitch, combined with the confusion over its cause and how it will be fixed, has the potential to undermine the many benefits of this innovative device. To address this concern, I ask that Apple provide iPhone 4 customers with a clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem and make a public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge. The solutions offered to date by Apple for dealing with the so-called “death grip” malfunction—such as holding the device differently, or buying a cover for it—seem to be insufficient. These proposed solutions would unfairly place the burden on consumers for resolving a problem they were not aware of when they purchased their phones.

I also encourage Apple to keep its promise to provide free software updates so that bars displayed accurately reflect signal strength; I further urge Apple to issue a written explanation of the formula it uses to calculate bar strength, so that consumers can once again trust the product that they have invested in.

I look forward to Apple's swift action on this matter, and once again laud Apple for its innovative efforts and service to millions of Americans.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

Continue reading "Dear Senator Schumer..."

Inverse Coherence - An exploration of my brain from the inside out.

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:09:22 +0000

This is a fair warning: Everything below the break is unedited and incoherent, possibly repetitive, and really I don't know why I'm posting it.

This is a ride through my mind, stream of consciousness style - I could probably sell tickets, and very few have seen the whole show (most aren't around anymore). We're not going all the way on this tour - I think there was still some safety rope somewhere, but enjoy it for what it is - You may even see the boundaries of my mind, though I'm not even sure where they are myself.

For the sake of your sanity, anything written in (parentheses) can (and SHOULD) be skipped in evaluating a sentence. Come back to them later for insight, inanity, and [Insert: Something else beginning with "i"].

Feel free to comment on it, and don't let it upset you -- Remember, it's only my brain: You don't have to live with it.

Continue reading "Inverse Coherence - An exploration of my brain from the inside out."

Wikileaks, Lamo & Manning (Oh My!)

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Wow, a blog post? Yeah, this one didn't fit in 140 characters...

So much hay has been made recently about Adrian Lamo (@6) "outing" SPC Manning for leaking the Collateral Murder tape & other somewhat embarrassing (you could even say downright shameful) activities that the US Government has been engaging in. Both sides are throwing their fits and I'm saddened to see that mud slinging has already begun, so here I stand in defense of... well... everyone.
For those who want my $0.02, here is is:

Don't crucify The Leaker for following his conscience.
Don't crucify Lamo for making a judgment call & doing the same.

For those interested in more, here's my $19.95 plus postage, handling and applicable taxes:

Continue reading "Wikileaks, Lamo & Manning (Oh My!)"

InterMapper & RT: You two play nice now…

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:30:00 +0000

This is going to be one of my rambling sysadmin-y entries talking about stuff that's probably of little general interest. Fair warning given.

There are two components that I would consider essential to proper system administration: GOOD Monitoring and Issue/Incident Tracking. It is imperative that you know when a problem arises (preferably before anyone else notices) and that you keep track of the problems you have encountered in order to spot troublesome systems and redesign them to stop bugging you.
Those of you who have worked with me know I have my prejudices in both of these areas, and that for the last few years I've settled on two pieces of software to fill these roles: InterMapper for monitoring and RT for issue tracking.

The major caveat of this pairing is that the two have no formal integration: InterMapper will happily send emails, and RT will happily accept emails and turn them into tickets, but RT doesn't know when InterMapper is telling it about the same problem twice, or that a previous issue has been cleared. The end result of this lack of integration is that you have a bunch of RT tickets for the same issue which need to be manually merged and resolved, and this manual bit bugged me enough that I actually took the time to fix it!

Continue reading "InterMapper & RT: You two play nice now…"

F the CC - Joe Biden's F-Bomb

mikeg@bsd-box.net (mikeg) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

So the Vice President of the United States of America said "Fuck". On the air. Twice.
Big fucking deal.

I've been prodded by a few people about this, so here's my 90 second commentary:
Joey-B dropped the F-Bomb twice during daytime programming hours (well outside the 10pm - 6am "Safe Harbor" for cussing up a storm on the air).
The last time I checked the FCC was to levy a fine of $7000 for each violation (i.e. every time a word slips out over the air), scalable up to $32500 based on other factors, like a history of prior infringements (and we clearly have at least two violations here).

So I have a few quetions.

Is the FCC going to fine all the broadcasters who carried this speech live-live (no delay) and/or those who carried it with a net & failed to hit the bleep button fast enough?
Is the FCC going to fine either Joe Biden (personally) or the US Government (as an entity) for producing/distributing profane material?
Will we ever get rid of our nation's irrational fear of the word FUCK and the sight of breasts?

... seriously folks, it's just a word. Get over it and move on.