Saturday, March 31, 2007

FTP Error, resolved, but not ideal

[Since the goal of the original version of my web log, [an error occurred . . . ], was to find/fix/learn from errors, I figured it would be hard for me to go wrong by writing a post that returned to that original formula.]

For months, I'd been using the command line FTP client on my OS X iBook to manage the files on my personal web space at Cox Communications. Then, all of the sudden, something changed and my command line FTP tool no longer worked. I could connect to the FTP server, but whenever I issued a command to list my files (i.e. ls), I would get the following message and wind up disconnected.

ftp> ls
500 Illegal EPRT command
200 PORT command successful

421 Service not available, remote server timed out. Connection closed

After spending several hours on failed troubleshooting attempts and fruitless Google searches, I finally wound up installing a graphical FTP client that was mysteriously able to make the connection without any problem. It was a short term workaround, but I wasn't happy with it. I don't want to use a GUI for my FTP needs; I like using the command line tool.

Months later, I think I've found a somewhat better fix, although it still has implications I'm not crazy about. I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, so I Googled the "500 illegal EPRT command" error message. After browsing through numerous results, I eventually found this item that talked about using FTP over encrypted SSH connections. Although a lot of the article was over my head, I did manage to infer a few things-- namely, the OS X firewall was preventing the connection from being properly made, and the ipfw utility could be used to modify the firewall rules and resolve the problem.

So, I read the Unix man page on ipfw . . . and I honestly believe I felt a blood vessel in my brain explode. Maybe it's just too early and I haven't had enough caffeine, but I couldn't begin to keep all that info straight. At this point, I began to improvise a bit. Since I knew it was a firewall issue, I went into my iBook's Sharing pane in System Preferences. After a little trial and error, I discovered that if I started the FTP Service on my machine and then enabled the FTP ports through the Firewall, I was able to use my FTP command line tool again!

I still get a long delay and the Error 500 message with the first ls command issued, but it no longer disconnects me and all subsequent commands seem to respond without any delay. The downside, of course, is that I'm now running a service on my computer that allows remote connections to my computer, which someone could theoretically exploit. What I really need is a way to allow FTP ports through the Mac OS X firewall without running the FTP Service.

I suspect that's what ipfw will allow me to do. I'll go back and try reading the Unix man page again, but only after I get some espresso tea espresso in me.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Under Construction

Just a heads up for all two of my readers . . . this web site is going to be undergoing some renovations over the next few days weeks. Even though I keep my work and this blog completely separate, it's hard for me to advocate for web standards at my work place when I know I have a personal web blog that isn't using valid HTML.

Until now. ;)

That's right-- last night I ran my blog through the World Wide Web Consortium's HTML validator and either fixed or removed anything that generated an error. As of today, the front page of this site consists of valid HTML (Transitional). I'd actually been hoping for Strict, but blogspot makes mandatory use of iframe tags which forces me to use Transitional instead. Perhaps when I finally get my own shell account with web hosting I will be able to change this site over to Strict, but for right now I'm happy.

So, now that you understand my motivation for doing all this work, you are probably asking your self:

"What does this mean for me, the reader?"

It means that I'm going to be experimenting with different technologies that affect the look and feel of this web. While I'm experimenting, there will be good results and bad results.

To give you a small example, try this in Firefox:

1) Click on View on the pull down menu.

2) Select Page Style. A secondary menu should pop up.

3) Choose any other color besides "White."

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Panda's have . . . pr0n?! Who knew?

To quote Dave Barry, "I am not making this up."

(courtesy of Boing Boing, by the way, lest I forget)

There is a zoo in Thailand that hosts two pandas, a male and a female. The zoo would like for these two pandas to breed. In order to encourage this, they have separated the two and are showing the male panda . . . (wait for it) . . . panda pornography.

No, I'm not kidding.

I never even knew there was such a thing as "panda porn." Do you think it comes with an awful sound track? Are there panda fluffers? Is there a panda porn star named "Bam Bam?"

And, most importantly, do zoo officials really believe showing the male panda pornos is going to increase his chances of successful procreation?! I'm trying to imagine that pick up line: "Hey, baby-- wanna help me try out something I saw in a porn flick last week?"

If these zoo officials really want to give Chuang Chuang a fighting chance to "score", give him a fancy sports car, a credit card and one night in Bangkok. Hey, come on now-- it's freakin' Thailand! If Lin Hui (his partner) doesn't put out, he could probably find a panda prostitute there without too much trouble.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Stream of Consciousness

It's been a productive, but slightly hectic weekend. I took Friday off to get some things done because I'd worked for two Sundays prior to that. I managed to take my old Pentium 133 boxes to the local recycling center. In a small way, it was a little sad-- because those were the boxes I used to teach myself FreeBSD. But the fact of it is that when I moved my network to a completely wireless set up, those machines couldn't play a role, and it just wasn't worth the money and hassle to adapt those machines for a wireless network. I tried to give them away, but no one wanted to learn FreeBSD in order to get a free machine, and XP/Win2K were just too resource intensive to run on those old beasts. So, out they went.

I also wound up doing four loads of laundry, so now I actually have clean short sleeved tshirts for the spring and summer weekends that will be here in the not too distant future. I managed to get all my tax info together and mailed off to the tax preparer. We're going to file electronically this time around, and I've asked for direct deposit-- so hopefully I will get my refund sooner. I have this sneaking suspicion that the home improvement projects
will begin again in earnest now that the nice weather is here, and that refund will be spent very quickly. I also managed to clean out all the clutter that had accumulated in my car, and got the salt and grime washed off of it.

The theme for this weekend appears to be: less is the new more. ;)

See, this is what I hate about blogging. I'm re-reading this post, trying to pretend that I'm a third party. Why should I care what some schlub I've never met in real life did this weekend? There's nothing about this particular post that is redeeming or valuable. It's just some dude recounting his less than eventful weekend. Thank God this is Blogger and not Twitter, otherwise we'd get by the minute updates about his growling stomach!

Give me something I can use. Tell me something I didnt' know, so I can turn it around and improve the quality of my life somehow. That's what I, as a blog reader, want to see.

Okay, a fair enough criticism. Let's try this again.

A few weeks ago, I bought new air valve caps for my tires. See, I'm lousy at the whole "check your tire pressure on a regular basis" crap. Months can go by before I will dig out that pressure gauge and check the tire pressure on my car. Part of it is that I don't usually think about it, or if I do manage to remember it, the weather is bad-- and who wants to get down on their knees when the ground is still wet from the recent rain. What's so nice about these particular valve caps is that they tell you with a color indicator when one of your tires is under-inflated. If you see a green ring at the end of the valve cap, all is well. If you don't see one, then you need to add air to the tire in question. It's quick and easy. I can give my four tires a quick visual inspection just by walking around the car one time in a full circle. Because it is so easy, I actually find myself checking the tire pressure this way more often than I ever did with the tire pressure gauge.

I have to admit, I was concerned and skeptical at first. $14 for valve caps?! Then, to make matters even worse, I read a bad review about some of the products. But I think these caps work pretty well and I think I'm even seeing an improvement in my car's overall gas mileage.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

What if . . . ?

I saw a small news feature recently about a request to exhume the body of Harry Houdini. Apparently a nephew of the magician has reason to believe that his famous ancestor died as the result of poisoning rather than an accident.

Now, imagine this . . . they dig up the coffin, open it up, and there's no body inside or the body that is found inside isn't his.

Think about it-- with all the urban myths about celebrities who faked their deaths and are living out the rest of their lives on some tropical island, who would be better prepared to pull off such a stunt than a master magician like Harry Houdini?

Prediction: somebody is probably working up a screenplay treatment on this right now.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Rethinking Security

I've recently found myself reconsidering my paradigm on security. The traditional model is to put so many defenses on your house/car/web server/whatever that anyone contemplating breaking in decides the effort and risk is too great . . . and moves on to another target. For example, a would be burglar sneaks into my back yard, triggers the motion light sensor, and runs away when the back yard is suddenly brightly illuminated. He then goes and finds a different house that doesn't have the motion light sensor.

Strangely enough, ever since my house was burglarized last December, that last part of the paradigm has bothered me in a quiet, unsettling way. It smacks of "I'm safe, and screw everyone else."

A superior paradigm should be, I think, a system that responds to efforts to gain illegitimate entry with "proactive pursuit." For example, the same burglar sneaks into my back yard, triggers the motion sensor-- but this time, no bright lights come on to scare away the burglar. Instead, the sensor triggers a security surveillance/remote notification system which records our would be burglar's identity and their illegal activities. Hell, if you wanted to get downright Batman about it, you could design a system that allows the burglar to break into the house, and then locked them in until the police arrived. ;)

Although I made that last suggestion in jest, there are actually some police departments that use "honey pot" cars to catch car thieves. It's not very practical for houses, of course. But computers should be even easier to turn into "proactive pursuit honey pots" than cars. It's just a matter of having the right tools and knowing how to install and configure them.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

ISBNSpy

As if I didn't already want to purchase a basic data plan for my cellphone, there's a new web based app that can save me money at the bookstore.

It is called ISBNSpy and it is brilliant in its simplicity. You are in the bookstore and you see a title that interests you. You fire up your cellphone's web browser, go to the ISBNSpy website and enter the ISBN number. The website finds the item on Amazon and let you know if the price is cheaper or more expensive than the book you are holding in your hand.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Sometimes it is easy to say "No."

I got an (informal) job offer today from a different office of the same organization I pretty much walked away from about six months ago. It's a little bizarre, frankly, almost like being asked out on a date by your ex-girlfriend's sister.

I was polite, but I made it pretty clear I was happier where I was now.

Sometimes it's best to stay single, you know? ;)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Trivia Tuesday #3

Last week's answer: Starburst.

This week's question: What does Error Code 404 stand for?

Saturday, March 10, 2007

VCR vs. DVR

 VCRDVRWinner
Capacity6-8 hoursabout 50 hoursDVR
ProgrammingOn-Screen/VCR+ codesOn-Screen, Digital GuideDVR
Number of TunersOneTwoDVR


It's funny-- for a long time, I didn't see the point of DVR (Digital Video Recorder) units. They just seemed extravagant to me, what with paying a monthly service fee and all. But now that I actually have been using one, I think I'm "won over." I think the feature that has impressed me the most is the ability to watch one program (or a previously recorded program, even), while you are recording a separate program. The other features are nice, but that's the biggest time saving feature for me personally.



Now, if I could just find some way to get the videos archived from the DVR and on to my iBook. ;)

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Tuesday Trivia, #2

If it's trivia, it must be Tuesday!

Last week's answer: Pitch Black. (Or "The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black" if you want to get formal and technical about it.)

This week's question: What candy features flavors such as: baja dragon fruit chew and subzero limon chew?