Highlights of 2013: Volunteering

The year 2013 was a busy year for volunteering. Most of my attention was devoted to Little Raleigh Radio, both as a boardmember and as a volunteer. We obtained equipment and set up a studio on St. Mary’s Street. I configured a music server and helped integrate it into the studio. We worked together in the fall to locate suitable transmitter sites and filed our FCC application.

Then the filing window closed and we saw we were one of five groups to apply for our frequency. Not only that, we were the youngest organization to file, meaning we almost certainly lose out to the others when the FCC grants its license. We’re still plotting our next steps but it’s depressing to see this opportunity slipping away with little we can do about it.
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Happy New Year 2014

I’m really looking forward to 2014. I see it as the year that I kick things up a notch in many ways, the first of which is to better myself as a person. I hope you achieve the goals you set for yourselves as well.

De-cyst

Operating Cyst-em

Operating Cyst-em

Above is an X-ray of my upper jaw, taken in July 2013. Back in 2000, dentist Dr. Brown expertly performed a root canal on my Tooth 14. Not long afterward, though, a cyst of some sort (the dark circular area above the root in the X-ray) began developing above the affected tooth and took up residence inside my jaw. My dentist, Dr. Bill Sowter, is amazed that I don’t jump out of his chair whenever he taps the area, yet it doesn’t hurt at all.

Friday morning I go under the capable knife of Dr. Gerald Upton when he cuts into my gum and removes the cyst. Because he will have to really stretch my mouth in order to work in the area, he will be giving me general anesthesia for the surgery. I’m not thrilled with the pain and recovery time I’ll be facing but this thing has been lurking in my jaw for almost ten years and I’d rather have a say in when it decides to start hurting.

Dr. Upton will also be performing an apioectomy which will keep the root of the tooth from harboring bacteria.

I’ll be recovering for a week or two afterwards, with my ability to eat affected for a few days. Probably won’t be a lot of fun, but my family will take good care of me, I’m sure. Kelly jokes that I’ll be removing my alien implant and E.T. will no longer be able to find me but I’m guessing this won’t be a problem.

Wish me luck!

The NSA Uses Powerful Toolbox in Effort to Spy on Global Networks – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Germany’s Der Spiegel claims the NSA’s TAO unit routinely intercepts computer and electronic shipments of targets and surreptitiously plants listening devices and/or backdoors in them.

One of the two main buildings at the former plant has since housed a sophisticated NSA unit, one that has benefited the most from this expansion and has grown the fastest in recent years — the Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO. This is the NSA’s top operative unit — something like a squad of plumbers that can be called in when normal access to a target is blocked.

According to internal NSA documents viewed by SPIEGEL, these on-call digital plumbers are involved in many sensitive operations conducted by American intelligence agencies. TAO’s area of operations ranges from counterterrorism to cyber attacks to traditional espionage. The documents reveal just how diversified the tools at TAO’s disposal have become — and also how it exploits the technical weaknesses of the IT industry, from Microsoft to Cisco and Huawei, to carry out its discreet and efficient attacks.

via The NSA Uses Powerful Toolbox in Effort to Spy on Global Networks – SPIEGEL ONLINE.

Highlights of 2013: Family time

Swanson-Bolles reunion

Swanson-Bolles reunion


This year had some wonderful family moments. One of the highlights was the five days we visited Kelly’s cousins at their lake house in northern Wisconsin over the Fourth of July week. There were over fifty of Kelly’s relatives there, with more kids than you could shake a stick at, and the fun never stopped. It. Never. Stopped. Whether it was jet skiing on the lake, the swimming, the fishing, the catching up, the incredible conversations, the games, the music, or the laughter, it was a delight to spend those days getting to know my wonderful wife’s family. It was pretty-much unforgettable.

We also managed to skip town for a few days in beautiful Abingdon, VA, at the end of summer, where we rode along the Virginia Creeper Trail again and explored Southwest Virginia. We had a fantastic cottage right at the foot of the Creeper Trail and Travis and I had fun racing out to the busy railroad tracks next door whenever a train would pass by. That’s my idea of a vacation: lots of outdoor time spent exercising and exploring.
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Judge on NSA Case Cites 9/11 Report, But It Doesn’t Actually Support His Ruling – ProPublica

Whoopsie. Methinks His Honor didn’t want to let a little thing like basic research interrupt his holiday celebrations.

In a new decision in support of the NSA’s phone metadata surveillance program, U.S. district court Judge William Pauley cites an intelligence failure involving the agency in the lead-up to the 9/11 attacks. But the judge’s cited source, the 9/11 Commission Report, doesn’t actually include the account he gives in the ruling. What’s more, experts say the NSA could have avoided the pre-9/11 failure even without the metadata surveillance program.

via Judge on NSA Case Cites 9/11 Report, But It Doesn’t Actually Support His Ruling – ProPublica.

How A Wealthy, Clean-Cut ‘Duck Dynasty’ Tricked The World For Publicity : Political Blind Spot

Once again we’re reminded that there is no such thing as reality TV. This show is manufactured, just like the Phil Robertson controversy. Way to be played, America.

Fake Dynasty

Fake Dynasty

Sources close to the show have time and time again leaked details that the show is literally scripted. Because of non-disclosure agreements, cameramen, and others who wish to go public with this information have proven unable to do so. As a result, without a name attached to such leaked information, many of these claims of inauthenticity are seen as lacking credibility.

But as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” One thing that the so-called “Duck Dynasty” family cannot deny are family pictures taken before their fabricated “reality” show was scripted for them. These pictures all showcase a family devoid of backwoods attire: no camouflage, no face paint, no headbands, and no beards.

via How A Wealthy, Clean-Cut ‘Duck Dynasty’ Tricked The World For Publicity : Political Blind Spot.

Opinion: What ‘House of Cards’ gets wrong – Joshua Braver – POLITICO.com

Kelly got me hooked on the Netflix series “House of Cards.” I spent the post-Christmas days going through all 13 episodes from Season 1. While I’m anxiously awaiting next month’s release of Season 2, I found this gem explaining what House of Cards. It’s good to keep this in mind after watching (though it does have some plot spoilers – be warned!)

I pity the writers of House of Cards.Sure, the lurid political drama, which debuted on Netflix earlier this year, has become an Internet sensation, with a dream lineup of actor Kevin Spacey and director David Fincher. Plus it’s now nominated for nine awards at the Emmys this Sunday, including outstanding drama series.

But the show’s writers have an impossible task — which makes for some far-fetched plot twists.

via Opinion: What 'House of Cards' gets wrong – Joshua Braver – POLITICO.com.

Highlights of 2013: Blog news

This year was full of blog-related news. Early on, I had to migrate my site from one hosting provider, VPS Farm, to another, RootBSD. VPS Farm offered wonderful service and had tools built to allow me to maintain my site anytime I wanted. RootBSD has been a good hosting provider as well, with near-rock-solid performance and a friendly, knowledgeable staff. Most of this transition was behind the scenes for most of my MT.Net readers, thankfully.

My blog showed up in a number of places. Earlier this summer, my friend Scott Huler linked to a post I wrote about our solar PV installation (more on that in a minute). The post brought quite a bit of traffic to my site and made me think of ways I might make money with my blogging. I approached Salon regarding a blogging position they had and reactivated the dormant Google AdSense ads I once had on my blog. Now the advertising revenue pays for about half of my hosting fees. I’m not living large but it’s better than nothing!
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Highlights of 2013: Edward Snowden

I went back and forth on including Edward Snowden on my list, since I normally like to include just things that I’ve been directly involved with. There’s no denying that the spying revelations brought forth by Edward Snowden has affected me, if in no other way than to sour me on the state of American affairs. Tapping German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone? Go for it. Terrorists in Yemen plotting a bombing? Vector that Hellfire straight through that phone. But UNICEF? Brazilian oil companies? Innocent American citizens, who ostensibly have the right to be free from suspicion and unreasonable searches? Way, way, WAY over the line.

Fortunately one federal judge has seen the light and declared this collection is “likely unconstitutional.” Another one said it’s legal “because 9/11.” I saw a post somewhere today asking if we’ve reached the point where anyone spouting “because terrorists” to excuse their overreach can now properly be told “shut the hell up!” I’m thinking we have. In fact, I’m thinking we reached that point a long, long time ago.
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