Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park

Long name... nice park.  With temperatures approaching the mid-30's this past Sunday I figured I'd take a late morning walk in the woods.  I checked my trusty copy of Hiking Missouri and settled on Babler State Park.  I've been here numerous times before for some day hiking as well as just a picnic on the grass.  Even though the park gets a fair amount of use in the spring and summer, there are enough miles of trail to spread out the hikers so it doesn't feel crowded.  But, this being January I wouldn't have to worry about crowds.  I saw a few folks running on the roads through the park and a few cars parked at various parking areas, but didn't encounter another person on the trails.

I started with the Virginia Day Memorial Nature Trail that starts just across the road from the visitor center.  The ground was soggy and extremely muddy through about 80% of the trail.  I was surprised to find a good coating of ice still covering the small trickles and even the larger stream.  I took the "Long Loop" making this about a 2 mile hike.

Next up I drove to the Alta Shelter and headed across the road to the Hawthorn Trail.  This is another nice loop trail of about 1.125 miles.  There are nice views of the houses and barns in the valley below from the southwest side of the trail.

Just a short jaunt, but 3 miles was all I had time for before heading home to watch some playoff football.

Check the gallery for more pics.  I still wasn't up to taking the SLR, but I did at least bring the Sony DSC-T7.

Three Down, Two to Go

Tuesday I completed the third of five exams needed for my MCITP certification.  The exam was 70-642 Windows Server 2008: Network Infrastructure.  I didn't spend quite as much time studying for this as I had for the two previous exams (Active Directory & Windows Vista).  Instead, I took about a week to read the Training Kit from Microsoft (pictured) and then a few days hammering away at the practice tests included on the CD with the book. Fortunately for me, my confidence was higher with this test than with the previous two because of the material covered.  I was already familiar with the networking concepts covered from my previous experience so it was more a matter of learning what to expect on the exam.

Once I achieved a comfort level of consistently scoring on the high 90's on the practice exams, I went online to find more study resources.  I spent another couple of days studying with these third-party practice exams and then sat for the test.  I felt very well prepared and comfortable with the information on the test.  There were only a couple of "surprise" questions that I felt unsure of and I just did my best to eliminate the impossible answers and then take an educated guess from those that remained.

Next up is 70-643 Windows Server 2008: Application Infrastructure.  I plan to start studying this week...

Snow Hiking

On Sunday I took a little time to head out to Castlewood State Park to do some hiking.  This park has some of the best terrain for hiking and biking in close proximity to St. Louis.

  The weather had finally improved (all the way up to 18F) with the sun shining, so I thought I'd put in a few miles on the trails.  There were a lot of mountain bikers out and even a few runners.  Check out the gallery for the photos.  Since my primary focus was on getting outside and hiking, I didn't take a "real" camera with me.  The shots in the gallery are all taken from the iPhone.

I put in about 5 miles and had a great time walking along the Meramec River.  Just as I was finishing the loop for the River Scene Trail I spotted an American Bald Eagle circling high above the bluffs.  I stopped for a few minutes at an overlook and just watched him for a while.  Unfortunately, without an SLR I couldn't get a decent picture.

A Word About Password Management

It's something of a quandary. You're not supposed to use the same password for multiple sites or programs in order to limit your exposure if someone compromises that password. In other words, if someone finds out your gmail password, will it also work on your banking site? That could be really bad news. So, when you do the right thing by making unique passwords for all your various accounts scattered about the Internet it can become something of a chore to remember them all.

I'll admit, there were some passwords that I just never remembered.  Each time I visited one particular site, I had to use the "forgot password" link to remind myself.

Fortunately, there are several good programs out there to automate the task of remembering your passwords and keeping them all safe.  This is not meant to be an exhaustive comparison of them, but rather what I've used and how it's made my surfing life easier.

Back in the good ol' days, I actually had (still have) a black book with passwords and web addresses written in it.  Convenient for when you're at home sitting beside the computer.  But, what about when you're traveling?  Or using a friends computer?  It's definitely not a good idea to write all your passwords down in one place and then carry that information around with you.  The risk for exposure is just too great.  However, I do believe that writing down some of your more important passwords and keeping them together in a central, SECURE location can have merit.

One of the first password managers I used was Keepass.  It's open-source and multi-platform; two of my favorite things.  It had a lot of cool features such as organizing logins in a hierarchical tree and choosing your own encryption algorithm.  I still use it, but mostly as a back up.  At the time I made a switch it was lacking browser integration and auto-fill, so logging into a website meant launching Keepass, logging in, finding the login information and then copying and pasting it to the web form.  I understand that newer versions have improved and I probably should go back and give it another look.  The version I still use is a PortableApps version that installs on a USB key; handy for taking your passwords on the go.

The aforementioned "switch" from Keepass was to RoboForm.  I LOVE RoboForm.  It's by far the best Windows password manager I've used.  That's also one if it's only drawbacks... it's Windows only.  However, besides passwords it allows you to store complete online identity information as well as credit card data.  Everything is securely encrypted and unlocked using a master password.  Another nifty feature is the built-in password generator.  Whenever you create a new account on a website and it asks for a password, you can simply generate a new, highly-secure, and unique password that will be automatically remembered.  Browser integration is tight with the ability to Autofill a form or to "Autofill & Submit" to save one more step.

RoboForm also has a portable version.  RoboForm2Go installs on a USB key and can auto-launch.  I use it daily at work.  One of the only knocks on RoboForm I can think of is that the export functionality is lacking.  HTML export is pretty much the way you have to go to get to our next app.

Upon switching to a Mac, I immediately missed the lack of an OS X version of RoboForm.  Fortunately, it didn't take long to find 1Password.  1Password is now my "default" password management tool.  Like RoboForm it also provides for storing online identities and credit-card/purchasing information.  However, it's designed for OS X.  The browser integration is seamless.  I don't even think about it being there... it's just how I use the Internet.  When a site needs my password, I click the "1P" button next to the URL and it automatically logs me in (after initially providing the master password, of course).

A "Strong Password Generator" is also included with 1Password for ensuring that you can create unique passwords for all your online activities.  But, perhaps my favorite feature is the addition of the mobile version of 1Password.  I use it on the iPhone, there's a Palm version, too.  The mobile app gives you access to all your passwords while you're on the go.  Obviously, this approach lacks browser integration, but it means that no matter where I am or which computer I may use I always have my passwords with me.  Just remember to sync the mobile version with your Mac periodically to keep it up to date.

I can definitely recommend all three of the applications mentioned.  I think it really depends on your operating platform and your intended use.  I continue to use RoboForm because of it's seamless browser-integration, ease-of-use, and portability on the Windows side.  However, 1Password is definitely my preferred password manager.  If my life was all-Mac, it would probably be the only password manager I used.  And lastly, I keep a copy of Keepass Portable around as a "just in case" backup and if I happen to be surfing on my Ubuntu server and need a password.

A syncing solution (even third-party) between 1Password and RoboForm would make my life simpler as the last time I tried it was kind of a pain... eport HTML from RoboForm and then import that into 1Password and tweak everything to make sure the import is OK.  Ideally, a portable, multi-platform version of 1Password would be outstanding.

Recap/Links:

Keepass |  http://keepass.info (FREE)
RoboForm/RoboForm2Go |  http://www.roboform.com (Free to Try, $29.95 - $39.95)
1Password | http://www.1password.com (Free to Try, $39.95)

Disclosure: I have an affiliate agreement with 1Password whereby I receive a commission for any sales generated through my affiliate link.

The Absinthe Ritual

Ever since moving into our house a little over a year ago, I've been in the process of stocking the bar.  I feel like I've pretty much got the staples covered; Bourbon, Rum, Gin, Vodka, Scotch and enough mixers to satisfy the froo-froo drinkers.

Recently I decided I needed a bottle of absinthe to add to the supply.  If you're not familiar, absinthe is a distilled, anise-flavored spirit.  Absinthe was once believed to cause madness and for that reason was banned in the United States in 1912.  Fast-forward to 2007 when absinthe was once again allowed to be distilled and distributed in the United States.  I figured it was about time for me to give it a try.

It's not something that's available at every liquor store... I checked a few.  But, I finally found it at one of our larger upscale grocery stores with a fairly impressive alcohol selection.  They had only one brand, Lucid, so that would have to be my first experiment.  The 750ml bottle of Lucid sold for $64.99.  Definitely a bit on the pricey side, but not outrageous.

After acquiring the absinthe itself, I learned that I needed a proper glass and spoon for the "ritual" of preparing the drink.  That part was a little bit trickier.  Finally after posting a few queries to Twitter, I received a response.  Someone suggested Randall's on Jefferson.  After a quick visit to the city, I acquired a couple of absinthe grilles, they didn't have spoons or glasses, but they did have a few different varieties of absinthe for my next adventures.

I found some suitable glasses (at least to me) at a place close to home from where I usually find all my bar glassware.

At last, properly equipped, it was time to sample the green fairy.  First I opened the bottle of Lucid and gave it the "sniff test".  Fantastic.  It's a complex mix of herbal smells, but the anise is particularly noticeable.  I poured a "dose" of absinthe into the glass (about 1.5 ounces).  It's a lovely light green color, different from some of the others I've seen that are almost luminescent in their green-intensity.

A cube of sugar is added to the grille that has been balanced atop the glass.  Using a sports bottle (classy, I know) I dripped the ice-cold water across the sugar cube and into the glass.  As the water drips into the absinthe, the components of the spirit that are not soluble in water cause a clouding of the drink called the "louche".  This results in an opaque white colored liquid.  From the various sources I've read, the ratio of water to absinthe is anywhere from 3:1 to 8:1.  I opted for a conservative 3:1 mix and will experiment more in the future to see how the taste changes.

And finally, the most important part... the taste.  The flavor was far more subtle than I anticipated given the strong aromas from the absinthe.  The taste was like a mild black licorice with some floral aromas.  Personally, I'm a fan of black licorice and black jelly beans, so I found it enjoyable.  The wife?  Not so much.  She sampled the drink and was definitely not a fan.  I'll convince her to try some other brands and ratios in the future to see if there's anything she might like, but it's possible that it's just not something she'll like.

If you want to know more about absinthe, wikipedia is a good place to start for some general background.  Also be sure to checkout my newest photo gallery for larger images of the photos in this post as well as some more.

If you have any recommendations for me to try next, please leave a comment.