October 05, 2005
Entropy Takes Hold
It's been a struggle to stay afloat the last couple of week as the universe's more potent force seemed to dictate the goings-ons. My neighbor (whichever one it is, but the keeper of the wireless network "ABH") decided to move his/her wireless access point some time ago, making it impossible for me to establish a connection with my laptop anymore. I've finally gotten back online, through a method that I may detail later...
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| Accentuating the postive: hosting a sushi dinner at my house |
The bad news of the week seemed to hit all on Wednesday: my new glasses broke (somehow a titanium weld fell apart), the muffler fell off my truck without warning, and I did a 'not good' job on my first dry-run for the SAB. Funny that I've still had this way of looking at life with a smile on my face, even when the e-room started falling apart Wednesday night...
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| What would I do without water? |
Life hasn't been all breaking and losing lately, which I suppose has something to do with the positivist view. Last weekend I got to do a little paddling around on the Seneca river near the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. Chugging the whitewater boat around on the flat was actually really nice, and a really nice workout. I've been considering buying a boat lately, maybe this will be the edge-pusher?
We'll see; raises are coming soon, I might very well have a little extra money to toss around...
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| Your moment of Zen: Paul (my housemate) "paddling" with Amalia |
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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