Aspiring Evil Genius @ Work

It was an outdoor readerboard run by a program written in 1983. Now all I need to do is find a replacement PC with an 8-bit ISA slot that will run DOS for several years. I'm tempted to use an embedded system with FreeDOS on flash and a USB2.0 to ISA adapter.

DOS batch files were a big time saver backin the day - you know 1/1/1980 or somewhere around then. They still save me keystrokes, so I'll share the ones that I write every time I get a new system:

ii.bat - ipconfig OR ipconfig/all (to retrieve your IP address, subnet, gateway, etc.)

pp.bat - ping google.com (confirms connectivity to the Internet and DNS services)

4222.bat - tracert 4.2.2.2 (confirm connectivity to one of the oldest DNS servers on the Internet, done *without* actually using DNS. If this works and pp.bat *does not* you have a DNS failure and confirmed it in 5 seconds with 2 batch files)

nn.bat - netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid (like netstumbler in DOS to show received signal from all visible wireless access points, ranked by signal strength)

You can use any text editor to create a batch file, but for simplicity and reliability make sure it's in your user's home directory (not 'Documents'). However, in a pinch you can do the following:

copy con 4222.bat <ENTER>

tracert 4.2.2.2^Z<ENTER>

That will create the file 4222.bat, as above.

You can get fancier with variables for inputs to do things like running multiple commands with pauses in between or inserting a different domain instead of 'google.com' (not all web servers respond to ICMP), but then I wouldn't remember the syntax when I have to write them on the fly with copy con on a new machine.

-- Got one you want to share?

I didn't exactly *finish* the first time - and it still helped a BUNCH.

The biggest issue for me is that The Network Operations Company does so MANY things with so few employees. Keeping track of what we're doing, who we're doing it for, who is working on it and where else we can apply what we're learning/doing/building is always a struggle. Add the struggle of most of our staff working part-time, and I end up with a lot to track.

The premise of GTD (my paraphrasing) is that if you have a system to keep track of everything that's going on - and the very next thing that needs to happen to reach each goal or outcome - then you can stop worrying about missing something and let your brain be more productive. When I shift from working with our graphics guy to getting an update from a coder to taking a tech support call to getting sign-off on a new project all in the space of 10 minutes or less, it would certainly help to have access to my whole brain. And no, that's not an ususual 10 minutes in our office - that's normal.

Well, it's the frenzied version of normal that keeps our office interesting.

If you are interested, Google 'gtd' and see just how pervasive this methodology has become. http://davidco.com

I've been a father for 13 years; I figure I'll get it right in another 30. My oldest daughter is just as interested as her peers in the benefits of technology, but by default they never seem interested in how it works. Prior to starting the 8th grade, she has:

• Her 4th cell phone
• Her 2nd digital camera
• Her 2nd MP3 player
• A strong dislike for content filtering
• One email address (you can't have it, pervert)
• 40+ Twitter followers
• More friends and activity in facebook than me (private account)
• A solid grasp on why you have to get permission from friends before posting their photos
• An understanding of why we don't want her to have a MySpace account
• And now a blog - if you want to call Posterous a blog

I'm every bit the 'clean a shotgun in front of the boyfriend' type, so I wanted to ensure that as each new piece of tech came up, she and I both understood what they meant in the life of a pre-teen/teen girl. I made a point of finding a way to get her to apply critical thinking skills to what technology she used and how she used it.

Posterous in particular is well suited to teen use because:

1. You can give a unique URL while minimizing the personal details in your profile
2. It's easy to create and manage multiple accounts (private + public)
3. I can subscribe to her account to follow what she's posting and watch for too-personal details
4. Since there's no personal info or domain registrar details it's safer for her to post pictures
5. It would be a lousy platform to arrange hook-ups

Technology is far too pervasive today to prevent kids from using it. I think we're much better off putting our effort into working side-by-side with them to make good choices about how to use what is available to them.

Not only is this a rant (you're forewarned) appropriate to Sunday, but it's the kind of thing that many people often listen to half of and dismiss the subtle logic - so if you're not in the mood to pay attention, skip it.

If you believe in God and you knew that God said 'never wear socks on the outside of your shoes' you probably wouldn't.

If you don't believe in God, but heard that he said 'never wear socks on the outside of your shoes', the only reason you would ever have to do so would be to flaunt your disblief - and in doing so you would reinforce the belief of others who would scorn your irrational fashion choice.

So where is the logic in using 'God', 'Jesus' or 'Jesus Christ' as a casual part of speech? If you believe God gave the world 10 Commandments, you're violating one of them for... What? Verbal seasoning? If you don't believe then you might as well use 'Santa', 'Tooth Fairy' or 'Easter Bunny' to pepper your exclamations.

I'm not easy to offend, but taking the Lord's name in vain will do it every time. It's not only a spiritual affront, it's irrational and logically unsupportable.

Think 'I couldn't care less' (thank you semi-literate TV writers) or irregardless (double-negative, not in any dictionary), only with a bit of damnation attached.

Hmmm. I should mention that's not nearly as subtle as some of what I say.

MC Hammer/Mormon Jesus cartoon mashup, while it lasts: http://bit.ly/xfEgN Sorry, I love musical mashups.