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A Short Networking Quiz

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 in General by Will

1) An essential characteristic of UDP is that it is

a) unreliable
b) undecipherable
c) unconscionable
d) unwieldy

2) This characteristic is a result of which quality of UDP?

a) guaranteed
b) ordered
c) archaic
d) stateless

3) Which essential service of the Internet relies on UDP?

a) WINS
b) NFS
c) DNS
d) FTP

4) What happens when you increase the “connection timeout” in a firewall for UDP packets from 40 seconds to 60 minutes? (Hint: the connection timeout value determines how long entries are retained in the table the firewall maintains in order to track state.)

If necessary, review http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Datagram_Protocol

A $50 Gift Card

Saturday, December 12th, 2009 in General by Will

$50

Frankly, I don’t understand why people buy gift cards. I understand why they give them, but not why they buy them.

Gift cards are given because giving the card, instead of cash, shows that you spent some time and effort thinking about the gift. The selection of which store can even indicate that you know a little something about the recipient. I tend to receive Barnes & Noble cards, for example.

What’s puzzling is why people buy gift cards. Many entail fees, declining value over time, and expiration dates. Is the benefit of a good impression sufficient to cover these additional costs?

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Who Do You Include on Your Christmas Card List?

Thursday, December 10th, 2009 in politics by Will

Our dear leader has suggested that we include our senators on our Christmas card list. That’s an excellent idea! (But I don’t think we printed enough.)

This year, when you’re writing holiday cards to your friends and loved ones, there are two more people who need to hear from you: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Chuck Schumer.

With the Senate deep in final negotiations — and a compromise just introduced that increases choice and drives costs down — your senators need to understand how urgent reform really is.

So we’ve come up with a unique way for you to get the message across — by sending your senators a card with your holiday wish for the season.

Send a holiday card to your senators, telling them that your wish this season is for them to pass health insurance reform.

Perhaps we shall. Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand might like a picture of our extremely cute children accompanied by a desperate plea to leave well enough alone.

Why Do I Use Facebook?

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 in communication by Will

It’s quite simple, really.

I use Facebook because I know people who use Facebook.

  1. If I say something witty, they can read it, and comment, or laugh silently to themselves, which I imagine is more often the case.
  2. If they say something witty, I can read it, and laugh; if they say something stupid, I can read it, and correct them. (Note: someone is wrong on the Internet.)
  3. The comments I do receive are from people I know, not spambots.

That last item is the only reason I’m feeding posts on my website into Facebook.

I’m not averse to sharing some information publicly. I am, however, wary of something that pretends to be intimate and personal — a few friends gathered together at a bar — and yet is not.

Rose Hill

Monday, December 7th, 2009 in Place by Will

I should probably return to Rose Hill for a visit, but I fear I will be saddened if I do.

In the Spring 2009 issue of FORDHAM magazine, the University presented sketches of construction started on the Rose Hill campus, and planned for Lincoln Center (c.f. Curbed.)

I suppose that Sasaki has tried their best with the residence halls and McGinley replacement to reflect the Gothic Revival architecture that made Rose Hill so striking, but it doesn’t seem so from the pictures. They could still be an improvement over some of the more modern facilities, McGinley and Mulcahy in particular — or not.

I will not be contributing anything to the fund drive for this. But we might park in the college’s lot if we visit the Botanical Garden.

(By the way, I find it odd that Pei Cobb Freed & Partners chose music from The Mission for the promotional video for their Lincoln Center plans.)

Selected Spelling Sentences

Friday, November 13th, 2009 in family, humor by Will

The Little Sister is in the second grade this year. One of their weekly assignments is to write sentences using the words they are learning to spell. She has quite a way with them.

I don’t really go in the deep side of the water because I might sink.

We do not have a king to rule our country. We have Barack Obama.

When I get water in my eyes I blink.

My favorite drink is Shirley Temple. What’s yours?

Did you know that left wing is in hockey?

My brother wakes up cranky.

I love to go on the swing.

In Anne of Green Gables the word hang was used.

Steamed Artichokes

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 in food by Will

Look for artichokes that are hard through, with the petals tight together. It’s OK if the petals have begun to open, but you do not want the base of the artichoke to be soft.

Cut 1″ off the top of the artichoke. This removes the sharp points.

Trim the stalk to within 1″ of the base of the artichoke.

Peel the outer layer from the stalk.

Rinse under cold water, spreading the petals so that the water can run into the flower.

Place base-down in a pot. If necessary, use a coffee cup in the center to keep the artichokes from flopping over.

Add sufficient water to cover the stem.

Add peppercorns to the water.

Cover the tops of the flowers with chopped garlic.

Drizzle olive oil over all.

Cover.

Bring water to a boil, then simmer until the petals pull freely from the artichoke and are to taste, approximately 45 mins. to an hour.

— Concetta Visioni Clorofilla.

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The Cooper Union demonstrates that the reality rarely matches the promise

Sunday, November 1st, 2009 in Place by Will

A while back I expressed some trepidation regarding the Cooper Union’s trendy new building. Well, they’ve finished constructing it, and they’ve exceeded my expectations dramatically.

It’s even uglier than I expected.

But what I find most amusing is that the glistening outer shell in the sales brochure architectural elevation drawings doesn’t glisten.

Before:

After:

Ha!

These videos from WABC and WCBS give a sense of being in the building.

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In Memoriam

Friday, September 11th, 2009 in General by Will

Back before Twitter, there was jogger.jabber.org.

September 11th
10:40:10 AM
R.I.P. WTC :-(
10:06:15 AM
Looks like most of the news sites have been /.d. Guess no one has learned their bandwidth lessons.
10:05:26 AM
a0551 —–
wbx
AP-PENTAGON EXPLOSION, 1ST ADD
“I saw the tail of a large airliner. … It plowed right into the Pentagon,” said an Associated Press Radio reporter. “There is billowing black smoke.”
09:12:02 AM
A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center. Picture on www.cnn.com

Many people started writing that day.

The Case of the Wrong Way Driver

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 in sadness by Will

On July 26th, Diane Schuler left Sullivan County, New York, on her way home to Long Island. Around 1:30 p.m., she entered the northbound Taconic State Parkway from an exit ramp, and proceeded to travel south. A few minutes later she collided head-on with another vehicle, killing herself and seven others.

If she was driving from Sullivan County to Long Island why did she crash there?

Investigators have since located the cell phone Mrs. Schuler used to call her brother. It was found resting on a barrier just past the toll booths on the Tappan Zee Bridge. Apparently she pulled over to make the call. Mrs. Schuler’s niece spoke to her dad. And then someone left the phone on the barrier.

Getting from the Tappan Zee Bridge to where she entered the Taconic involves a sequence of probable mistakes: taking Saw Mill Parkway north instead of I-87 or the Sprain Brook Parkway south; deciding to take the Taconic south after missing the Taconic’s junction with the Saw Mill; then entering the Taconic from an unmarked exit ramp, before seeing the signs for the entrance ramp.

But why did she turn there?

I have to wonder if she was following instructions from a computer.

The other option is that she intentionally drove north from the Tappan Zee before deciding to turn around. I think that’s less likely than computer error.

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Competitive Pricing of Substitutes in Transportation

Monday, September 7th, 2009 in economics, transportation by Will

Nate Silver has an interesting, if partial, analysis of statistics comparing modes of transportation based on the National Household Travel Survey. He wonders why Americans prefer to drive long distances than fly, and calculates the costs to be generally cheaper if one flies.

Today the Poughkeepsie Journal did the same thing for the costs of commuting by car or rail. (Unfortunately the website doesn’t include the charts.) Rail is cheaper, but the comparison leaves out the cost of time.

Both comparisons depend on a variety of factors, including, among other things, the number of passengers, the length of the trip, whether you’ll need a car to get around at your destination, the bulk and mass of your cargo, and so forth, none of which are really taken into account. For us, trips generally involve six passengers and gear. This rapidly decreases the value proposition of plane or train travel since we’re dividing the total cost by six, making our own personal mass transit more affordable.

It doesn’t help that Amtrak’s prices this year are the same as last year’s, while JetBlue’s have gone down.

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In the long history of Man’s inhumanity to Man, it is ever so

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 in General by Will

While reading In Our Image: America’s Empire in the Phillipines, I came across mention of a disturbingly familiar topic. War is hell.

From The New York Times, April 15, 1902, the following (also at wikisource).

WASHINGTON, April 14.—The Senate Committee on the Philippines began the week with the intention of making an investigation of the charges to the effect that the “water cure,” so-called, is practiced on the insurgents, and Charles S. Riley of Northampton, Mass., formerly a Sergeant in Company M, Twenty-sixth Volunteer Infantry, was the first witness Called with that end in view.

Mr. Riley said that he had been in the Philippines from Oct. 25, 1899, to March 4, 1901. In reply to questions by Senator Rawlins, he said he had witnessed the “water cure” at Igbaras, in the Province of Iloilo, on Nov. 27, 1900. It was administered to the Presidente or chief Filipino official of the town. He said that upon the arrival of his command at Igbaras the Presidente was asked whether runners had been sent out notifying the insurgents of their presence, and that upon his refusal to give the information he was taken to the convent where the witness was stationed and the water cure was administered to him.

This official was, he said, a man about forty years of age. When he (the witness) first saw him he was standing in the corridor of the convent, stripped to the waist and his hands tied behind him, with officers and soldiers about. The man, he said, was then thrown under a water tank which held about 100 gallons of water, and his mouth placed directly under the faucet and held open so as to compel him to swallow the water which was allowed to escape from the tank. Over him stood an interpreter repeating one word, which the witness said he did not understand, but which he believed to be the native equivalent of “confess.” The Presidente agreed to tell what he knew, was released, and allowed to start away. He was not, however; permitted to escape. Water was brought in a five-gallon can, one end of a syringe was placed in it and the other in the man’s mouth. As he still refused a second syringe was brought and one end of it placed in the prostrate man’s nose. He still refused, and a handful of salt was thrown into the water. This had the desired effect, and the Presidente agreed to answer questions.

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Procrastination has its Virtues

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 in family by Will

I’m presently working on remodeling the upstairs bathroom, and have been for some time. In order to do this on the cheap, I planned to replace the doors and trim on the existing cabinets. However, the cabinets were not symmetrical. In order to fix that glaring flaw, I removed the cabinets, disassembled them, cut them to match, and then reassembled them. I waited until that was done before ordering the counter and the doors.

That procrastination seems to have paid off. When we went to place the order for the doors at Home Depot, we ran across vanity and top sets which cost less than ordering the doors and top, and would give us better-looking cabinets.

Now we just need to agree on which one.

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Benefits

Sunday, August 30th, 2009 in General by Will

Health care as an employer-provided benefit arose in response to salary caps and payroll taxes [citation needed]. It was a way to compete for employees by increasing the employee’s effective salary without having to pay all of the cost. Employee benefits, as part of the total compensation package, are still used to compete for quality workers. Compare, for example, the descriptions of the benefits offered to work for these three companies. Two are fast-rising stars. Two are publicly-traded. One ranks seventh among the most profitable companies in America.

For which would you wish to work?

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Modern Architecture at its Peak

Sunday, August 30th, 2009 in Place by Will

The full measure of an architectural style can be taken when there is no life in the buildings, when what purpose they served has left, and we are no longer distracted by the people and things which graced these places.

Brian Ulrich photographs, among other things, empty retail stores. These ruins don’t hold up as well as, for example, those of Rome.

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Dear Diary

Saturday, August 29th, 2009 in Books by Will

I’m reading George Orwell’s diary and Samuel Pepys’s diary one day at a time in Google Reader, as the entries are published. The two diaries are a study in contrasts. Pepys’s is detailed, run-on, and full of name-dropping, politics, and plague. Orwell’s is about gardening and the weather, spiced with observations of Morocco. Lately though it has taken on a different character, as he has included clippings from newspapers with his comments.

70 years ago in August, Europe was fast approaching war.

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Observations Made While Waiting for an Oil Change

Saturday, August 29th, 2009 in communication by Will

Are the anchors on Fox News trained in rhetorical technique, the use of logical fallacies, and paranoid sarcasm? Or do they just come by it naturally?

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Parrots

Friday, July 24th, 2009 in communication by Will | Comments closed

The differences between American media and the BBC World Service in treatment of the financial situation with the automotive industry, or anything really, are just striking. I’ve been listening to WNYC on my drive to the office, so hear NPR’s Morning Edition, followed by Marketplace Morning Report and then the BBC World Service Newshour. I noticed earlier in the year — after NPR had a short discussion with Barney Frank where they asked him no questions, and he told them no lies — that the interviews on the BBC had more of the nature of a debate. Two guests of presumed opposing viewpoints are invited to discuss the issue of the day, and the host engages with them in a somewhat antagonistic fashion. If a claim is made, he asks for support of the claim.

This tool of the British government is less like a brain-dead parrot than our ostensibly independent media. What purpose does it serve for the media to regurgitate the latest press release?

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Electronic Medical Records

Friday, July 24th, 2009 in economics by Will

On Marketplace this morning, they mentioned that Obama wants electronic medical records.

  1. Why is it any of Obama’s damn business?
  2. I haven’t noticed a reduction in paperwork as a result of computing.
  3. There are normal computing issues magnified by the sensitivity of the data.

Earlier some doctor interviewed on another NPR program said he would love medical records, and that they would save him money — and that the government should pay for them because the tools are too expensive.

Excuse me?

If they are too expensive for you to buy in order to reduce your costs then they are not saving you money. The only way the cost-benefit analysis comes out in your favor is if you don’t have to pay for it.

And so I view this, like many other things, as simply yet another power grab.

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DirecTiVo, your return can not be too soon

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 in rant by Will

Our DirecTiVo was dying. Every now and again, frequently at times, it stopped, hung. Maybe it waiting on a bad block on disk. Maybe it was just the heat. But the only option offered by DirecTV was a replacement with their dreaded DVR.

My first impression was positive. The guide responded quickly. The on-screen display is unobtrusive.

But on closer inspection, this was designed by a committee of retarded monkeys with no sense for how the ability to control the television changes how we use it.

The remote is cluttered. Do I really need three power buttons?

Why are you starting from sleep at the Game Lobby? I have never willingly selected that, so don’t even bother showing it to me.

Speaking of sleep, what’s the deal with the screen saver? Trying to keep my cathode ray tube from burning in the Game Lobby?

But now that I have a chance to sit down and completely reprogram all of the shows I’ve chosen to record over the past eight years when there is absolutely no reason why I should have to do that, I wonder WHY THE FUCK DirecTV can’t make a searchable version of the TV guide so that I can find the shows I want to record you fucking incompetent pieces of shit.

How about making one that displays the show that’s actually playing on my TV?

This is why all efforts at interactive television have failed miserably.

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