March 2012

There were 66 posts published in March 2012 (this is page 1 of 7).

Making FreeNX always suspend

I’m running my Rivendell radio automation software on a virtual host, connecting to it using FreeNX. It works very well for the most part, but there’s been one little piece which could cause disaster: the FreeNX server’s habit of asking me if I want to suspend or terminate my session. Because my music will stop if the session terminates, I don’t ever want that option. I want it to always suspend.

I spent a few minutes tonight tracking down the best way to do this. It turns out the /usr/bin/nxdialog script is being called. By patching this script, I can force the suspend option every time. Problem solved!

Below is the code that does the magic:

— nxdialog.orig 2011-10-24 11:45:14.000000000 -0400
+++ nxdialog-mine 2012-03-30 21:41:33.000000000 -0400
@@ -415,6 +415,11 @@
exit 0
}

+always_suspend()
+{
+ return 3
+}
+
#
# main case statement
#
@@ -427,7 +432,7 @@
${dialog_interface}_yesno
;;
yesnosuspend)
– ${dialog_interface}_yesnosuspend
+ always_suspend
;;
panic)
${dialog_interface}_panic

You can also download the raw patch here.

Police in the neighborhood

Hallie and Travis pose with Officer J.A. Kryskowiak, July 2010

Police are in my neighborhood and I couldn’t be happier about it. You see, they’re not leaving to go on another call, they live in my neighborhood. I know of at least two officers who’ve chosen to call my neighborhood home.

Why is this so great? Because as I learned on my ridealong a few years ago, no one knows neighborhoods like cops do. Cops like to live in places that have don’t have crime. Like everyone else, cops like to “leave it at the office” when they’re off duty. They want time when they can relax and just be themselves. And, any criminals thinking of committing a crime are going to think twice when they see a police car ont he street.

When an officer I know asked if there were any available homes in my neighborhood, I knew my neighborhood was in good shape.

Red Hat’s OpenSource.Com gets infographic-ed

Looks like Red Hat’s OpenSource.com has been infographic-ed. An infographic from “Education News” was posted today with the following comment:

We often talk about the higher education bubble and it being on the verge of bursting but what does that really look like? How does a “bubble” form and what causes it to burst? The following two part infographic does a great job explaining just that by showing where higher education has been, where we are, and without change where we will be. To me, it further highlights why open source technology and open source principles have such an important role in education reform from lowering costs to demonstrating a better way for educating our youth in the 21st century and beyond.

I’m betting the ubiquitous Tony Shin emailed OpenSource.com and personally asked them to post it.

Scratch another Honda Odyssey

Remember four years ago when the transmission in my 2002 Honda Odyssey disintegrated? Remember when Honda jerked us around and I said I’d never buy another Honda again?

I should’ve stuck with that.

On my way to work this morning, the transmission died in our 2003 Honda Odyssey. You know, the one that Leith Honda assured us wasn’t susceptible to the low coolant flow problem like our prior Odyssey. I was heading west on Wade Avenue at Ridge Road when the transmission began slipping. I was fortunate enough to hobble the car over to Kelly’s office nearby, rather than get stuck out on I-40 which is what could’ve very easily happened.
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Who is the Route 29 Batman? This guy

Courtesy Montgomery County Police Department

I saw the picture on Facebook of Batman getting pulled over on Route 29 in Maryland, so naturally I wanted to find out more.

What a touching story. This Batman really IS a superhero!

Police pulled a man over on Route 29 in Silver Spring last week because of a problem with his plates. This would not ordinarily make international news, but the car was a black Lamborghini, the license plate was the Batman symbol, and the driver was Batman, dressed head-to-toe in his full superhero uniform.

HOLY MOVING VIOLATION!

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USPS postage labels receipt scam

Got another phishing email, this one with the title “USPS postage labels receipt.” It comes from the lovely and talented “Alma Parks.”

From: “Alma Parks”
Subject: USPS postage labels receipt.
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:59:59 +0100

Acct #: 3199501

Dear client:

This is an email confirmation for your order of 3 online shipping label(s) with postage. We will charge you the following amount:

Transaction Number: #1148147
Print Date/Time: 03/16/2012 02:30 PM CST
Postage Amount: $28.32
Credit Card Number: XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
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Treyvon Martin and what we don’t know

I’ve been thinking of writing about the Treyvon Martin tragedy. Then I realized that no one cares what I say.

No one cares because everyone has already made up his mind. This is exactly what many accuse George Zimmerman of – of being judge, jury, and executioner of Martin. It reveals the level of mistrust that still exists in America, and how everyone’s prejudices are brought out without those that harbor them even realizing. It’s a huge wound that has once again been ripped open.

I may one day write more about this sad incident but for now I choose to remain unswayed by the emotion raging on all sides. I want to see the facts first – to get as close to the truth as I can – before I make up my mind.

That’s supposed to be how justice in America works.

Doggone and back

Nyla, a.k.a "Chimmy"

We were circled around the chimnea in the driveway last night, mesmerized by its flames and enjoying the chat with our neighbors. A man walked down the street with a dog on a leash, which is certainly nothing new as it happens all the time in my neighborhood. When he walked up our driveway, though, our curiosity was raised.

“Anybody know where this dog lives?” he cheerfully asked.
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Young Americans not driving? Why would they?

I was mulling over the last post about young Americans not feeling the need for cars and I think I have one idea why.

It used to be that if you were a kid curious about the world we live in, you’d have go out and explore it. This usually required a car of some sort. Things are radically different now. Through the magic of the Internet (and 500+ channel cable/satellite TV), the world now comes to the kids! Kids nowadays can find out far more information on places and people than I ever could as a kid growing up. Outdated, dead-tree encyclopedias and magazines only take one so far.

While there’s still no substitute for actually being there, technology today can get one pretty close. With so much exploring available at their fingertips, kids can take their time deciding where they want to go.