September 23, 2002
More in the former communist bloc
Another interesting day, wandering around with my brother and my dad. Still no internet access, though I got my dorm room. Trouble is, it is not wired. The building itself is, but it is up to the tenant to drill holes in the floor and run the cat5 out under the floor to a switch on the floor. How unamerican!
Not having a laptop means that I had to hack the computer downstairs in the hostel. I found a bug with it that allows a javascript popup window to stay open and stop the counter from going after you deposit coins. So 1,00 euros buy you unlimited access! Vedy goot.
Unfortunately, I still can't hook up my digital camera, nor can I really surf..surfing feels weird in this place, the machine is in a huge open area and people look at me funny, typing in English.
My father, brother, and myself went to sort of acquaintences in Dresden for dinner. My dad met this couple on the 'net (of all places). They made us a good vegetarian meal, and told stories of living in Munich and what life was like in East Germany around the time of the collapse of communism there. My how things have changed! They have two children with Harry Potter posters in their bedrooms. It's pretty bizarre.
Tomorrow perhaps, rock climbing? We might head to the Saxony Alps and try some climbs. No guidebooks, we'll just wing it. My dad and brother have a new philosophy on rock climbing...no guidebooks at all. They're coming of the opinion that planned routes are lame, it's like going to an amusement park and saying you rode space mountain. So have a lot of other people. Maybe that's why there is a climb in the Gunks is called Disneyland? Climbing up some random cliff face that maybe nobody has done before might be more fun. Even if you can't tell people it was CCK. What we wonder about is the rather strict Saxony climbing regulations on their limestone. Supposedly no metal gear is allowed, and the Saxons have mastered the art of jamming knotted rope into cracks for protection. I guess my dad has some idea how this works, but I'm rather clueless still.
I'll write again if we live.
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Further back...
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Previous Trips...
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Hiking Mount Whitney, 2007 
Spring Break in West Virginia, 2005
New Year's in Paris, 2003-2004
Coming to America, 2003
Protesting in Berlin, 2003
Prague Bier-Tour, 2002
Dresden, 2002
Recent Reading
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Stealing the Network
I first bumped into the Stealing the Network series when reading the exploits of Joe Grand, one of the book's many hacker authors.
The 'Stealing the ...' series of books follows a rather disparate group of computer hackers as they help a former NSA spook (many of them unwittingly) gather the money he needs to retire.
The stories themselves are not fantastic fiction. The writing is uneven and choppy, the characters are stereotypical and not very well thought-out. What is fascinating about this book series is the technical accuracy of the exploits (at some points *too* accurate, with screen shots and step-by-step instructions).
It's a great series to read if you're a system administrator, or just getting into the wonderful field of computer security.
Rated 
by reid
on March 06, 2011
by reid
on March 06, 2011
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Close to the Machine
Ellen Ullman is one of those authors that somehow avoided my radar. Until now...
Close to the Machine is less a book than a collection of loosely related personal anecdotes from Ellen's time as a very rare thing -- a successful female bisexual independent computer programming consultant.
In the course of her work and relationship life, she learns hard lessons about programming, running a business, being lonely, and loving the wrong people. I found it particularly poignant being a crypto-nerd with difficult times in relationships and a more-or-less NDA'd, secret work life.
This book is a must-read for anyone into running their own business, programming, or anyone dating a person that is a business-a-holic or programmer.
Rated 
by reid
on November 23, 2009
by reid
on November 23, 2009
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The Long Trip Home
I had the joy of dining with the author in Florida. We went to a little Brazilian BBQ where he spoke with our waitstaff in (what I can only assume was) flawless Portugese.
Brian Wyllie spent 1969-1971 living in Brazil working for the Peace Corps. His recent book outlines his trip back to the United States via Bolivia, Peru, and the Carribean chain, by way of bus, train, and sailboat. The format comes spattered with observations from the modern day, and makes me think, "this must be what John McPhee's journal looks like."
The trip sounded like a fantastic one, but I was left wanting more detail...where did the gun (being snuck through customs in a variety of places, no doubt) come from? And how did Geneve's hair smell? Alas, we'll have to wait for another book to find the answers.
Rated by reid
on April 16, 2009
by reid
on April 16, 2009
huh?
Posted by: dum blonde on April 15, 2003 11:18 PM