Entries Categorized as 'blog entries'

Connect to Windows VPN Server (pptp) with Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Date April 29, 2008

Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 came out last week, and I thought I’d take a moment to do a new post about connecting to a workplace VPN that uses Windows Server’s built in PPTP ability.  Not a lot has changed, so you can also refer to the older article here.
The process is simple, but oftentimes discovering [...]

Quick Tip: Wordpress Theme Generator

Date March 24, 2008

I was getting a little bored with the layout of Tip o’ the Day, so I clicked around a bit on del.icio.us for articles tagged with ‘wordpress’. I came across this pretty useful Wordpress Theme Generator. Check it out!

Prevent Accidental Deletion with rm -rf *

Date March 13, 2008

Spotted this tip on the programming subreddit, and I thought it was too clever not to post.
Creating a file named -i will prevent an errant rm -rf * from wiping out the directory containing it. How? The * expands -i to your command line, and your rm -rf * becomes rm -rf [...]

Open Source Gaming: Nexuiz 2.4 Released!

Date February 29, 2008

After a long wait, the latest edition of the fast-paced free and open source FPS, Nexuiz, has been released! Major updates include a new menu system, additional maps, more efficient use of memory, updated textures and graphics, and lots more.
For screenshots, video, and download see:

The Nexuiz Homepage
The Nexuiz Media Page

Download Nexuiz 2.4

How do I [...]

Whois Spam?

Date February 15, 2008

Just ran a whois on Google.com and I notice a bit of hackerspam:

Whois Server Version 2.0
Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.
GOOGLE.COM.ZZZZZ.GET.LAID.AT.WWW.SWINGINGCOMMUNITY.COM
GOOGLE.COM.ZOMBIED.AND.HACKED.BY.WWW.WEB-HACK.COM
GOOGLE.COM.YAHOO.COM.MYSPACE.COM.YOUTUBE.COM.FACEBOOK.COM.THEYSUCK.DNSABOUT.COM
GOOGLE.COM.WORDT.DOOR.VEEL.WHTERS.GEBRUIKT.SERVERTJE.NET
GOOGLE.COM.VN
GOOGLE.COM.UA
GOOGLE.COM.TW
GOOGLE.COM.TR
GOOGLE.COM.SUCKS.FIND.CRACKZ.WITH.SEARCH.GULLI.COM
GOOGLE.COM.SPROSIUYANDEKSA.RU
GOOGLE.COM.SERVES.PR0N.FOR.ALLIYAH.NET
GOOGLE.COM.SA
GOOGLE.COM.PLZ.GIVE.A.PR8.TO.AUDIOTRACKER.NET
GOOGLE.COM.MX
GOOGLE.COM.IS.NOT.HOSTED.BY.ACTIVEDOMAINDNS.NET
GOOGLE.COM.IS.HOSTED.ON.PROFITHOSTING.NET
GOOGLE.COM.IS.APPROVED.BY.NUMEA.COM
GOOGLE.COM.HAS.LESS.FREE.PORN.IN.ITS.SEARCH.ENGINE.THAN.SECZY.COM
GOOGLE.COM.DO
GOOGLE.COM.CO
GOOGLE.COM.BR
GOOGLE.COM.BEYONDWHOIS.COM
GOOGLE.COM.AU
GOOGLE.COM.ACQUIRED.BY.CALITEC.NET
GOOGLE.COM

Seems you get similar results for queries on youtube.com, yahoo.com, etc. What’s going on here?

Bare-Bones VMs — A Little Ridiculous

Date January 25, 2008

I have a couple of VPS servers at Slicehost. I highly recommend them — simple admin interface, good prices, and good performance. We’ve only seen a tiny amount of downtime in over a year, due to a DDoS attack at their datacenter. But I digress…
Many VPS hosts are in the practice of [...]

Screen Sharing, CLI Style

Date January 23, 2008

Windows users can use RDP or VNC for tech support, troubleshooting, or presentations — as well as the myriad services available commercially over the web. For graphical purposes, Linux folk also have the option of remote X11 or VNC. But what about command line screen sharing on a machine with no X server [...]

DevClicks - Bookmarks and Articles for Developers

Date January 23, 2008

A friend of mine just launched Devclicks.com. It’s intended to be a simple social bookmark repo for developers. From tools and tips to guides on languages and new programming techniques, devclicks already has quite a bit of content. Swing by and check it out, create an account, and add your own links [...]

Quick Tip: K3b On Ubuntu with Gnome

Date January 22, 2008

Serpentine just doesn’t cut it for me when it comes to creating audio CDs, so I installed my favorite CD burning app, K3b and fired away.
To install:
# sudo apt-get install k3b
One of the features I like in K3b is the ability to preview audio tracks within the playlist editor, but if you haven’t installed and [...]

Blackout: FCC Rules Mandate that this Program be Blacked-Out in your Area

Date January 21, 2008

Flipping through the channels in my area, I came across this and paused for a moment trying to figure out what possible rule would mandate its removal from the air.

(forgive the crappy image)
I was unfamiliar with channel 74 in my area — It’s Cox Sports, or MASN2, referring to George Mason University. After a [...]