2008 – Page 14 – Made by Mikal

A Stainless Steel Rat is Born

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 7, 2008
Post category:Book

This was another book I read as a kid and had fond memories of. When I found it at Powell's books for under $4 I just had to pick it up. Harrison seems to focus on "pulp science fiction" -- all of the stuff I have seen from him has been short and easy reading, as is the case with this book. What do you do if you're stuck on a farming planet, smart, and bored out of your brain? Apparently the answer is to turn to a life of crime for entertainment. That's what James DeGriz does, and he is a great anti-hero while he's at it. Great book. [isbn: 0553279424]

init script

Post author:mikal
Post published:April 13, 2008
Post category:Mythtv

Jake Graft pointed out in a comment that I had forgotten to put the init script from the MythTV book online. My apologies. #! /bin/sh # # mythbackend # PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin BACKEND=/usr/local/bin/mythbackend BACKEND_NAME=mythbackend MYTHUSER="myth" test -x $BACKEND || exit 0 set -e case "$1" in start) echo -n "Starting MythTV: $BACKEND_NAME" su ${MYTHUSER} -c "$BACKEND -v all -d -l ${MBE_LOGFILE}" & echo "." ;; stop) echo -n "Stopping MythTV: $BACKEND_NAME" killall $BACKEND echo "." ;; *) echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop}" >&2 exit 1 ;; esac exit 0

In Australia, alive

Post author:mikal
Post published:January 27, 2008
Post category:Travel

So, after a somewhat traumatic 30 hour journey from America, I am now in Australia happy and well. I'm surprised by how not-jetlagged I feel, which is nice as well. Qantas in Melbourne were actually much better than Qantas in LAX about the missing bag. They were friendly, sympathetic, efficient and gave me $100 AUD cash to buy new clothes. So, I'm here and I'm alive.

“Other than the fact our child will be bright, text-based and sarcastic, we will otherwise be a normal family.”

Post author:mikal
Post published:January 15, 2008
Post category:Link

Because there are fewer and fewer of us, I must help keep our lineage alive. I am looking for someone to help me do this. I need a woman (obviously) who is willing to raise a child with me in the method of Unix. Our child will be introduced to computers at a young age, and will be setting emacs mode before any other child can even read. I earn a sufficient income to support a family in modest comfort. Other than the fact our child will be bright, text-based and sarcastic, we will otherwise be a normal family. We will even go to Disney World and see Mickey Mouse. http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/nyc/485967082.html Via IRC.

More nuclear bunkers

Post author:mikal
Post published:January 5, 2008
Post category:Travel

Its clear from my past posts that I am interested in cold war bunkers. I just watched "Lost Worlds: US Nuclear Bunkers". That's re-ignited my interest in US nuclear bunkers (as well as cold war history in general). I like the idea of the Lorton Bunker (under a correctional facility 20 miles form Washington DC, and abandoned in only 2001), and I've talked about the Greenbrier bunker before. It's a pity its four hours drive from Arlington, VA: View Larger Map The Greenbrier was secret for 30 years, and kept constantly stocked will all the supplies needed for three weeks of sealed living for 1,100 people. Finally it was leaked by one article in the Washington Post. After the article, the site had to be decommissioned. Next, they talked about the Palm Beach Florida bunker built for JFK. Tours of that bunker are cheap too -- only $10 each. This bunker is only a decontamination shower, and a single room, but I guess you wouldn't complain if you'd just been nuked. Finally, there is Cheyenne Mountainwhich used to offer tours, but apparently doesn't any more.