R Keith Smith BlogJournalhttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010-07-27T14:06:08ZSquarespace3 Down... 98 To Gohttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/7/25/3-down-98-to-go.htmlR Keith Smith2010-07-25T19:26:47Z2010-07-25T19:26:47ZStrange as it may seem, my wife's favorite music is Country.  I say "strange" because prior to 2007 she had very little exposure to American Country music and really no idea what it even was.  Now that she's discovered it, that's mostly what she listens to all the time.

So, last week I decided to treat her to a concert.  We saw Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, and Jeron & The Long Road to Love at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights.

She had a great time... and I got to cross another item off my list: 29. Go to a Concert.  YeeHaw!

http://dayzeroproject.com/user/keithsmith

]]>Out of Sync Password Listshttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/7/24/out-of-sync-password-lists.htmlR Keith Smith2010-07-24T13:55:28Z2010-07-24T13:55:28ZYesterday at work I was having trouble with a password.  I was pretty sure I was entering it correctly, but it was being rejected.  No problem, I thought, I'll just whip out my 1Password application on my iPhone and double-check the password to make sure.  That's when I discovered the problem.  The password I was looking for wasn't in the app on my phone.  In fact, five or six other (somewhat related) passwords were missing as well.

My first instinct was to curse the app, but as is nearly always the case, the true source of the problem is human error.  When I upgraded my iPhone 3G to the iPhone 4, I made sure to install 1Password and do a sync from the master database on my MacBook Pro.  Everything worked as expected.  But, what I had forgotten to do was to perform a final sync from my iPhone 3G to the master database.  So the password list I transferred to my new phone was a little bit out of date and didn't include the new passwords that I had entered into the app while using the old phone.

Now the iPhone 3G has been passed along to the wife.  I can't remember if I removed the 1Password app when I was "cleaning" it before giving it to her.  I also can't remember if I've already synced it with her MacBook Pro.  If I didn't delete the app, it will be a simple matter of performing a password sync from her phone and then another from mine.  If I deleted the app but didn't sync to her computer, I think I can restore it by syncing with iTunes on my computer.  And finally, in the worst case that I did delete the app AND sync to her computer, then I'll just have to figure out how much trouble I want to go through to get those passwords back.

Overall, I think it's a good lesson-learned in making sure your password lists are secure and synchronized across whatever devices you're using.  This might also be a good time to go take a look at LastPass.  I've been hearing good things about it.

]]>99 to gohttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/7/18/99-to-go.htmlR Keith Smith2010-07-18T18:35:14Z2010-07-18T18:35:14ZAs I mentioned earlier, I completed my MCTS: Exchange Server 2007 certification.  That's another item crossed off the 101 in 1001 list (24. Get MCTS: Exchange certification).

2 down... 99 to go.

]]>101 in 1001http://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/7/11/101-in-1001.htmlR Keith Smith2010-07-11T15:02:56Z2010-07-11T15:02:56ZSpurred by a stray tweet flying by in the stream, I decided to have a look at http://dayzeroproject.com to see what this 101 in 1001 was all about.  It's basically a "to do" or an accomplishment list.  You list 101 things that you want to do within the next 1001 days.  They can be almost anything, but should be something that stretches or improves you in some way.

The list is not prioritized, but rather an entropic collection of things that I thought of or was inspired to add.  Some that I added are easy; "Go Hiking".  Others, not so much; "Visit India".  But who knows, I've got almost three years to tick them off one by one.

The first thing I checked off the list was #21 Install storm door at front.  Since we moved into our house a couple of years ago, we've had only an entry door at the front.  The storm day came with the house only it was in the garage with all the glass busted out of it.  It's been on our project list for some time.

Finally, we found a door we liked at Lowe's and hired a friend's dad to help me install it (really the other way around).  Even this seemingly simple item from the list turned out to be more challenging than expected.  The instructions were pretty clear for every step of the installation project save the part about securing the glass in the door.  After a short break and some Bud Light Wheat, I figured it out.

One down... One Hundred to go.

Source: Keith Smith's 101 in 1001 (http://dayzeroproject.com/user/keithsmith)

]]>Microsoft Exchange Server 2007http://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/7/4/microsoft-exchange-server-2007.htmlR Keith Smith2010-07-04T14:02:31Z2010-07-04T14:02:31ZLast week I checked another item off the to-do list.  Now, along with my MCITP: Enterprise Administrator I'm certified MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.  I used the self-paced study guide from Microsoft Press and some practice exams.  In all, I prepared for about 10 days before sitting for the exam.  I have no background with Exchange and it showed when I took the test.  I didn't score as highly as I would have liked and I don't feel like I was adequately prepared for the test.  I think spending a bit more time with a couple of other sources would have been helpful.  However, the important thing is that I passed and can move on to my next goal... CISSP.

My Certs

 

]]>Poker and Oblivionhttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/6/16/poker-and-oblivion.htmlR Keith Smith2010-06-17T01:49:23Z2010-06-17T01:49:23ZIt's been quite a while since I posted anything poker related so I thought I would take a minute to recount the story of my visit this past weekend to Harrah's (or Harrah's Harrahs as my group calls it, but that's another story).

First off, this won't be a bad beat story even though I've been known to tell a few.  But, it's not about a great session either.  In fact, it was a busto session.  The story, though, is about the 2 seat.

I arrived at Harrah's at about 4pm on Sunday and they were just opening a new $1/$2 No Limit table so I sat right down.  Within the first 6 hands I watched the guy in the 2 seat call every single bet he faced and get felted for $200.  Within another 3 orbits I saw the exact same thing again.  He never folded once.  He won about 2 hands.  He was busted when he shipped it with one-pair-no-kicker against 2 pair.  Unfortunately for me and the rest of the table, he chose not to reload again.

Taking his place was a young kid with a haircut that I guess is in style these days and a Hollister t-shirt.  He couldn't be worse than the last guy, right?  He wasn't.  As a table we played for a couple of hours with nothing really out of the ordinary happening.  The guy in the 3 seat was being pretty aggressive, but with $1 and $2 blinds and no starting hands, I didn't really feel the need to take a stand.  Instead, I thought I'd wait for a hand and chip up.

The 3 seat opened under the gun for $10.  This was his fourth opening raise within the last ten hands, so it was no surprise that a couple of middle position players called.  As the 10-seat, I looked down at on the button.  I decided to call and play it cautiously.  The BB (Hollister) called as well and we took a flop 5 ways.



OK, I'm starting to like my hand even though it's possible I'm out-kicked.  Hollister checks to the pre-flop raiser.  The 3-seat puts out a rather weak $15 continuation bet into a pot that's already at $50.  Both of the middle position players flat call.  I might make a raise here with a mediocre hand, but I think there's a good chance my A8 is good and this is a totally non-threatening board with multiple players putting money into the pot.  I don't want to lose any customers so I flat call from the button.  The BB closes the action with a call and we get the turn.



Jackpot.  The nuts.  Surprisingly, Hollister leads out for $10.  WTF?  $10?  There's $125 in the pot and he bets $10?  Oh hells, yes.  That's either a strong Ace he's trying to get some more value out of or a really weak Ace and he's hoping to control the bet size.

The 3 seat raises to $30.  Both middle position players insta-muck to the raise.  I'm definitely just calling here.  I'm hoping I can get the kid to put in another $20 before I get some more money from the 3-seat on the river.  Instead, Hollister snap-shoves for $152 total.  The 3-seat tanks and folds.  I can't call fast enough.

Hollister shows for a flopped full house that is now dead to a chop.  He doesn't seem to pay any attention when I table A8 and get ready to drag the roughly $450 pot.  The river...



Hollister audibly groans!  He thinks he's just been counterfeited by the river.  He doesn't even realize he just hit a 2-outer to keep his stack.  The guy in the 5 seat explains it to him.  He doesn't seem to understand.

I guess it could technically be a bad beat, but what struck me more than my atrocious luck on the river was the reaction of the 2-seat.  He was genuinely oblivious.  I should have been stacking his money, but instead he would continue to play.  And he would keep playing longer than me.

Some time later I flopped an open-ended straight flush draw against what I was pretty certain was an overpair.  I called a flop and turn bet and then made top pair (Jacks) on the river forcing me to payoff the value bet from KK.  My stack was now in pretty bad shape.  I had about $70 on the table and another $200 in my pocket, but I didn't feel like reloading.

By this time, Hollister had moved to the 5 seat.  Just in time for my last hand.  It went something like this...

The 4-seat (Some LAG) limped UTG.  Hollister called.  The 7-seat (a solid player) limped.  I came along from the cutoff with KdQd.  Both blinds called/checked and away we went.

The flop:


The LAG in the 4 seat bets $10.  Hollister and the 7-seat call.  I've got just one option.  Ship it for $65.  LAG doesn't think long before calling.  Hollister calls.  And then the 7-seat drops the hammer.  $165 to go!  The LAG calls off his last $80 or so and Hollister pushes in a stack of reds with an okie-dokie easiness.  Clearly KQ is no good and I know I'm headed for the exit unless I can improve.  The turn:


Hollister checks.  7-seat bets $150.  The kid wastes no time calling again, leaving himself about $23 behind.  The river



Hollister shrieks with joy and tables !  The dealer asks him if he'd like to bet and reminds him to protect his hand.  He pushes in his last $23.  The 7-seat mucks!  I fold as well and disgustedly, the LAG flips his cards into the muck!  I guess they both had AK.  Again, though, it was the kid's reaction that surprised me the most.  When the 3rd heart hit pairing the board, he was certain that his flush was good.  It never crossed his mind that with all that action someone could have had TT, JJ, QQ.  What's more surprising was that he was right.

I hope he's there the next time I play.

]]>Extreme!http://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/5/2/extreme.htmlR Keith Smith2010-05-02T19:59:03Z2010-05-02T19:59:03ZInstalling the Apple Airport Extreme Base Station


Airport Extreme Base StationI replaced my trusty D-Link 802.11g wi-fi router with a new Apple Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS).  Part of the reason for the upgrade was to take advantage of the increased performance from moving to 802.11n.  But, the most compelling reason I went with the AEBS was for its ability to make attached USB disks and printers available to clients on the network.

Presently I'm running a Ubuntu server as something of a NAS.  This headless setup is running netatalk to make the hard disks in the Ubuntu box available as Apple shares.  The same machine also runs TwonkyMedia Server to allow streaming video to the XBox360 in the basement family room.  Since adding an AppleTV to the mix and running XBMC, I haven't used the media streaming capabilities of the XBox360 for anything other than NetFlix.  So, I figured now would be a good time to replace this full-blown computer with an Airport Extreme.

Setup

Setup with the Extreme is pretty straightforward.  There's a WAN port, 3 LAN ports, a USB port and a power connector.  Following the instructions from Apple, I first connected all the cables.  WAN port to DSL modem, LAN ports to local computers, USB to a powered USB hub which is, in turn, connected to 2 external Hard Drives and an Epson RX680 all-in-one (this will the subject of a future post).

The next order of business was to use Apple's Airport Utility to configure the new wireless router.  The utility automatically detects the base station and walks you through the configuration process.  First you assign a password to the device that will be used for configuration and disk sharing by default.  Next, I created a new network (SSID) to completely replace my existing network.  This meant reconfiguring all the wireless clients, but that's not a big deal.  Next, select the wireless security type.  WPA2 Personal, thank you.  Set the password and continue.

Guest Network


Another feature that sold me on the Airport Extreme was the ability to create a 2nd "guest" network.  This network has a different SSID and password for wireless security.  This means you can share this network's configuration information with your friends when they're visiting.  They'll be able to have Internet access, but the guest network is completely shielded from the primary network meaning they can't access any devices on your network.  This is a great idea.

After enabling guest networking and making the appropriate configuration changes, it's time to select your internet connection type.  The choices are LAN or PPPoE.  Since I'm using DSL, I chose PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet).  This is where I encountered my first challenge.  The settings for PPPoE seem simple enough.  Username... check.  Password... check.  Service Name... I assumed this meant the provider, kind of like how you name a connection in Windows.  This was a very bad assumption.

The configuration changes are applied to the AEBS and it reboots.  It rebooted to a blinking amber light.  Airport Utility showed the device had been reconfigured, but there was an error "No PPPoE server could be found".  Not good.

I rebooted the AEBS.  I rebooted the DSL modem.  I rebooted the computer.  Each time I came back to the same PPPoE error.  I did a hardware reset on the AEBS and went through the entire setup process again thinking maybe I missed something obvious.  The result was exactly the same.

This is about when I started laughing to myself about how I tell my friends how much easier Apple equipment is to setup and configure.  The D-Link I was replacing may have been an ugly black brick with not so much as 2% of the style points of the Airport Extreme, but it installed flawlessly on the first try.  This time, however, I was 90 minutes into a 5 minute job.

I tried rebooting everything again.  I left everything powered off for 5 minutes and tried again.  Still the same.  I decided to give AT&T a call to see if they could offer any advice.  It took only a few minutes to get connected to a person, Daniel.  Daniel seemed very nice and like he genuinely wanted to help me.  He also seemed like he had heard of computers before, but wasn't quite sure how or why they were used.  He told me AT&T didn't support wireless routers (as I had assumed), but that he could walk me through the basic troubleshooting steps for the DSL to see if we could find the problem.

About 10 minutes into the troubleshooting, he had me connect the computer directly to the DSL modem (a Speedstream 5360).  I have never connected directly, so I had to setup a new connection on the MacBook Pro.  This was the Eureka moment.  In the PPPoE configuration settings for a new network connection, the settings read like this:

Username:
Password:
Service Name: (Provided by ISP if needed)

...if needed.  If needed!  Damn it!  Could it really be that simple?  I interrupted Daniel's script reading to tell him I had something I wanted to try before we rebooted the DSL modem for the 5th time.

I reconnected the AEBS and went back to the Airport Utility.  I cleared the Service Name that I had entered previously and rebooted the DSL modem.  Once the DSL modem had rebooted, I rebooted the AEBS.  And?  Voila!  A beautiful solid green light.  Wow... all of that because I put an unneeded value in the "service name" field?  It would have been nice if there had been a note (like on the local connection) that said something to the effect of "If you don't know what this is, don't make shit up".  I still have no idea why this caused the problem, or if it truly did.  Maybe it was just a giant coincidence.

Regardless, I was finally back online... or almost.  I had now lost connection to my wireless bridge in the basement that hosts the XBox360 and the Dish Network DVR.  That would be a task for another day.

]]>Book Giveawayhttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/4/27/book-giveaway.htmlR Keith Smith2010-04-27T15:28:23Z2010-04-27T15:28:23ZI have a couple copies of my book that I'm going to give away.

Giveaway The First...

I have made a list identifying my top 25 all-time favorite comedy films.  It's highly unscientific and I would likely have a different opinion if I re-made the list now, but it's saved and will remain as I listed them.  The first person to add a comment to this posting that can name 3 of the top 5 wins a book.

The Rules:

  • 1 entry per person per day (Multiple entries will be deleted and disqualified)
  • You can't win if you won during the last giveway (Seriously, if your table is still unsteady after using the last copy of my book that you won to shim under the leg, then it's probably time for a new table rather than another copy of my book).

If I don't have a winner by 4:00pm CST Friday (which I think is unlikely) then I'll randomly select a winner from all the entries.

~

]]>Backpacking the Big South Forkhttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/4/23/backpacking-the-big-south-fork.htmlR Keith Smith2010-04-23T15:48:09Z2010-04-23T15:48:09ZWebsitehttp://www.liquidsilence.com/journal/2010/3/22/website.htmlR Keith Smith2010-03-22T20:10:51Z2010-03-22T20:10:51ZWrapped up a new website last week for some friends of mine.  Check out this site devoted to their horses and their farm.  http://www.acadiana-stables.com.

Acadiana Stables

]]>