U Asked 4 it

Google Analytics has this great feature that lets me know what keywords people used when they wound up here via a Google Search engine result. It's a great way to find out what people are looking for, which means you can do a better job of giving them what they want.

1) Jonah Chanticleer's blog

(comes from the following keywords: jonah+chanticleer, "jonah+chanticleer," an+error+occurred+blog+jonah)

Congratulations! You were looking for my blog, and you've found it. So, go ahead and use the "Add Bookmark" feature of your web browser so you can return again any time you like. Or, if you are feeling really precocious, take advantage of the RSS feed on this site.

2) Error 500

(comes from the following keywords: 500+illegal+eprt+command, what+does+error+500+has+occurred+mean, 500+illegal+eprt+command+service+not+available)

This is actually two different items.

If you are getting the error message, "500 Illegal EPRT command" while trying to use FTP, chances are your OS X firewall is preventing you from making a full and proper connection. I am not an expert on firewall configuration tweaking, by any stretch of the imagination, but you've basically got two choices: enable the FTP service on your Mac OS X machine (which increases your potential vulnerability) or learn how to use ipfw to fine tune your firewall configuration.

The other possibility is that you are trying to run a cgi script on your web server, but the cgi is doing something that prevents your web server from generating the output you want. It's hard to suggest any solutions without knowing more about what language you are using (e.g. Perl, etc.) but every language has its quirks and idiosyncrasies. In Perl, for instance, you had to "prime" the web server for output before actually printing any output, or the script would throw error 500 codes all over the place. Find a good reference book on the language you are using and it should help you work it all out.

3) BBC America's Closed Captioning ad campaign

(comes from the following keywords: bbc+america+closed+captioning)

It's a British thing-- you wouldn't understand. (Although the one that mentions the Queen is much funnier.)

4) Linux and Networking

(comes from the following keywords: broadcom+for+puppy+linux, "damn+small+linux,+wpa2")

Oy! I said I was pro-Linux-- not a Linux pro! ;)

All right, here's the deal-- there's a company named Broadcom and they make chips that are used in some makes of wireless networking adapters. Problem is, the folks at Broadcom aren't friendly to Linux developers and refuse to share information with them. This means it's harder to get Linux working with those kinds of wireless adapters. But it's not impossible. Some very clever Linux folks have come up with workarounds to get partial support.

Now, before you go rushing off to try out that link-- you might want to read a little further. Linux distributions have something known as kernels. This is sort of like the "core guts/heart" of the operating system. There are versions of kernels, such as 2.4 and 2.6. My understanding is that Damn Small Linux uses kernel 2.4 while Puppy Linux uses kernel 2.6. The reason I'm mentioning this to you is because I didn't find it necessary to do anything above and beyond the basic configuration steps to get my Broadcom-based wireless adapter up and running in Puppy Linux. If memory serves me correctly, the Broadcom partial support is built into kernel 2.6, but not into kernel 2.4.

Which brings us to Damn Small Linux and WPA2. Whew! I'm going to have to punt on this one, folks. I couldn't get DSL to work with my broadcom based adapter at all, let alone with WPA2 encryption. My advice is, if you're just starting out with Linux and want as little frustration as possible-- consider using Puppy Linux instead. If you insist on using DSL, you'll probably learn a lot more about the underlying mechanisms, but you're going to be spending lots of time reading about Linux and resorting to trial and error. Consider yourself warned.

5) The "Secret email list" scandal at Wikipedia

(comes from the following keywords: durova+wikipedia+-circus)

I've already said my piece about this, so I've got nothing more to add-- except why is it that every time I see a promotional photo in print of Jimmy Wales, I'm reminded of that weird eye thing that Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo do in "Feel This Audiobook?" If he's trying to appear more dramatic by making his eyes wider, someone please tell him to stop-- otherwise folks are going to think he's got hyperthyroidism.

6) Google Analytics code validation problems

(comes from the following keywords: google+analytics+code+not+valid, google+analytics+code+valid, google+analytics+script+not+valid)

Good news! The latest revision of Google Analytics code has been written so that it will pass Strict validation. No, really-- no need to thank me. ;)

7) iTunes Smart Playlist errors

(comes from the following keywords: itunes+smart+playlist+error)

I'd like to be able to use the smart playlists in iTunes to easily copy any podcasts I haven't heard onto my iPod automatically. This should work easily-- and no, it's not just the whole "type" versus "genre" glitch, either. The actual podcasts show up in my smart playlist, but will not copy across to my iPod when the Autofill feature is invoked.

It's worth noting that if I build my smart playlist to include both podcasts and new music that I've purchased from iTunes, that the music purchased from iTunes will actually transfer over while the podcasts will not. I have no idea what that means, but I think it's a clue.

8) Lojack for Macs

(comes from the following keywords: lojack+for+macs+installation+error, mac+os+stolen+call+home+lojack)

There are plenty of write ups about how to hack your macintosh so you can maximize the chances of recovery if it is ever stolen. Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to rely on having an iSight camera or software that doesn't work with OS X Panther. I wound up opting for Lojack. The software installation had a little snag involving Java, but creating a brand new account and giving it administrator privileges on my iBook seemed to resolve that problem.

9) The panda's gone!

(comes from the following keywords: panda+error+code+404)

Don't worry, he's not gone-- the web cam just doesn't have night vision. ;)

10) Sudoku and the DC Examiner

(comes from the following keywords: examiner+sudoku, what+happen+to+sudoku+in+the+examiner+dc, sudoku+puzzle++examiner, what+is+sudoku+pacific, sudoku+classic+error, sudoku+pacific+vs+classic, sudoku+solution, sudoku+pacific, %226+star%22+sudoku)

One of our local newspapers, the DC Examiner, features a daily pair of Sudoku puzzles. The first puzzle is a "Pacific Sudoku" while the second is a "Classic Sudoku." Generally speaking, I find the Pacific Sudoku puzzles easier than the Classic ones. I'm not sure why this is, but my theory is that the Classic Sudoku puzzles are built differently (perhaps by hand?) and lead would-be solvers down very specific paths, while the Pacific puzzles feel more like mass-produced, computer generated puzzles. I could be completely wrong, of course, but that's my impression of the matter.

About two weeks ago, the entire games page (including the Sudoku puzzles) was nowhere to be found in the DC Examiner. I think they had to make some room for their Top 10 Stories of 2007 segments, and the Games page was the quickest and easiest one to dispose of-- so don't panic, it's still here. Just be aware that if they ever need to make room again, that your puzzles are probably first on the chopping block, so you might want to stock pile a few.

If you're looking for the DC Examiner's sudoku puzzles online, I'm afraid you might be slightly disappointed. Although they seem to put all their news stories up in HTML format, you have to resort to searching the PDF copy to find the Sudoku puzzles. Find the page labelled "Diversions" and that should take you right to the puzzles. Although I am tempted to recreate the sudoku puzzles and post them here along with the solutions as a convenience/traffic draw, I suspect they would probably view it as some form of copyright infringement and send a cease and desist order. So, the best I can do is point you in the direction of their web site, with instructions on how to locate the puzzles in their PDF files. Sorry!

As far as solving Sudoku puzzles goes-- the "best" way is with good old fashioned pencil and logic. Of course, there are times when logic and a pencil can only get you so far, or you need the solution in a hurry. The best Sudoku solver web site I've ever seen hands down is P. Hull's page. This tool is amazing-- I've seen it solve diabolical puzzles that desktop programs fail to solve, and the whole thing is done in measly old Javascript.

11) Cheryl Crow

(comes from the following keywords: +cheryl+crow+nails+it+in+one+lyric)

Seriously, I had no idea Cheryl Crow was that popular. I just had that one lyric stuck in my head.

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.