For Relaxing Times, Make it Suntory Times.

British Mosquito

2008-03-09T17:13:00.001-05:00

Interesting Cisco TAC Case

2007-09-12T17:09:00.000-05:00

I'm entering a new TAC case in for a toasty 4500 today and I find the options a bit odd...

iPhone insanity!

2007-06-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of technology and I usually buy a lot of cool new swanky stuff as soon as I can afford to. This guy however takes the cake. I'm pretty sure he's got to be one of the biggest squatters I've ever seen...literally. I have a feeling if you followed him around after his purchase, that the first thing he'd do was to sell the iPhone on ebay for top dollar. I've got the willies now after having looked at this for too long so...I'm going to go vomit now.
iFreak!

* Update *
Additional drama for the crazy man waiting for his iPhone
More iPhone craziness!

A common site this weekend

2006-10-01T20:37:00.000-05:00

Cracking WEP via aircrack-ng

2006-09-05T13:59:00.000-05:00

First, lots of credit needs to be given to the creators of madwifi-ng and aircrack-ng. These guys seem to have it all together and actually answer their trouble ticket problems when users send in questions. Now that isn't very often seen in open source projects and shows their level of support and commitment.

How to get at it...well I'll outline my setup and you can go from here if you'd like.

Dell Latitude D820 Core Duo T2600
3com 3cRPAG175 (A/B/G wireless with "XJACK" antenna)
Ubuntu Dapper Drake 2.6.15-26-686

First thing is to grab the relevant packages and enable your good repos if you are using Ubuntu. Enable the restricted packages in synaptics or manually edit your /etc/apt/sources.list file.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install aircrack
sudo apt-get install kismet (if you'd like it)
sudo apt-get install linux-source
sudo apt-get install linux-headers
sudo apt-get install sharutils

For those running other platforms, usually just google the package name and find the source and compile it manually. Also note that some of the packages will not compile right away and may need the -dev edition of your packages if it squaks about the packages being incomplete or missing parts in the config or make steps.

In general the commands to compile will be as follows

tar -xzf filename.tar.gz
cd filename
./configure
make
sudo make install

check your binaries and make sure they went in properly by trying out the commands at a blank prompt...an example

sudo aircrack-ng

It should prompt you with the usage of the aircrack-ng and it's arguements.

Next up drivers. Your wireless card must support some of the hackable driver sets. I have an Atheros card, and it uses the madwifi driver. NOTE TO ALL UBUNTU USERS. Madwifi-ng is not included with the current restricted modules of ubuntu. The drivers that come with Ubuntu are very ancient and do not support all the card or the software that you will like to use.

Next in my case I had to disable APCI support because there seems to be a bug that doesn't let the card be properly detected. So...

sudo /etc/init.d/apci-support stop

Next to remove the old modules from the restricted modules section...

sudo rm -rf /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/net
sudo rm -rf /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/madwifi
sudo rm -rf /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/madwifi-ng

Compile the madwifi-ng drivers in your home directory or wherever you'd like...

cd ~/madwifi-ng
sudo make clean
sudo make install

Insert your card and try it out.

ifconfig
wlanconfig
dmesg
lsmod

Check for ath0 and wifi0 as interfaces in the ifconfig and the wlanconfig. Dmesg look for the card being probed. lsmod look for the ath_pci being inserted with ath_hal and wlan.

I'm going to assume your drivers are up and running.

So we edit our kismet config to search with the wifi0 dev interface.

sudo gedit /etc/kismet/kismet.conf

change the line for source to
source=madwifi_g,wifi0,AtherosG

Start scanning by descending into a directory which you have rights to read and write into...

cd ~/
sudo kismet

It should fire up kismet without fail.

More will come in my next post. I'm tired and this has been a very testing experience....even writing a blog about it is mighty time consuming.

Cactuses!

2006-08-21T16:27:00.000-05:00

Cactus Convert

2006-08-02T23:53:00.000-05:00

Well today I officially became a cactus convert from the ways of my MRTG past. You can thank yourself Wes for contributing to my attempt. Perhaps if I can get this sorted out I'll include some fun insight into our Cisco network and show some of the advantages of owning higher end Cisco gear and what you can learn about your network through simple SNMP data. For now though I will try to not kill my new shiny ASA and update the firmware on it.

Louisiana man gets caught hacking into Korean Satellite

2006-08-01T08:09:00.000-05:00

A Prairieville man has admitted hacking into a national defense contractor
â��s computer system to access a Korean satellite known as KOMPSAT.

In a 3-year-old Baton Rouge federal court case just unsealed, Shawn Phillip Brady, 32, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of unlawful computer intrusion. He faces up to one year in prison.

read more | digg story

Scientology is funny

2006-06-20T11:51:00.000-05:00

Apparently a guy wrote his college journalism graduate studies program paper on scientology and posted his findings on his site codebot.org.

So now if you visit the original link to the story Linky

You get a nice cease and desist from the church of scientology which is utterly funny as all getout.

Let's show the kids how to use google cache now!
Google the original link:
http://www.codebot.org/articles/?doc=9471

You'll see that cute little thing that says "cache"...clicky!
Google Cache Linky!

How you love that?

Muslims

2006-05-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

http://www.zipperfish.net/free/yaafm12.php

OurTunes

2006-05-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

For those who enjoy borrowing other people's music while you are at the coffee shop and not being restricted by the person's wireless connection this may be a great program for you. OurTunes

Non-Catholics Rant

2006-04-13T08:28:00.000-05:00

Warning, this post is probably going to offend someone along the way, please try your best if you are easily butt hurt to avoid reading any further.

Recently I've just gotten fed up with non-Catholics. I've been a devoute Catholic all my life. I get up and go to church every week without exception because that is what we are supposed to do and I feel a need to do it. I was born and baptized as a Catholic and I will not convert to any other faith, becuase in esesence, all faiths that support the general Judeo-Christian belief are derivatives of Catholicism.

To explain further, the only group of Christains that are any different than Catholics are Jews. The Jewish people denounce Christ as anything more than a prophet, but they do not deny his role in the early Catholic church. Baptists/followers of Martin Luther are simply people who disliked the tradition of Catholics to follow in apostolic descent (read: the pope and his role as the direct descendent of St. Peter) and decided to make a new faith that very closely mirrors the beliefs of Catholicism, but leaves out the parts they did not care to follow. So you are a baptist, and you don't like the idea of confession to a priest...well that is all that has ever been expected of you, so why would you start visiting priests to recieve absolution now? Most baptist folks will all but tell me I am crazy for going visit a man to confess my sins. The mistake they make is in the assumption that the priest is hearing my sins and not God himself. To which they would pose the question, well if you are talking to God, why the priest...he's non-essential in this equation. To quote from a Catholic apologetics website:

The power to forgive sins was one Christ gave to his apostles (Luke 10:16; 2 Cor. 5:18-20). After he rose from the dead Christ said to the apostles, "'As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained'" (John 20:22-23).

We can be truly sorry for our sins--that is essential for forgiveness--but we can't forgive our own sins. We can't absolve ourselves. That is a power reserved to God alone. Through Christ that power was conferred on his apostles and their successors, the bishops, and their helpers, the priests. Confession is not an option. It is the ordinary (normative) means through which sins are forgiven.

The point is, as much as you would like to hope you can suffice to speak with God to make good for the sins you have committed, you are not capable of forgiveness in the sense that God wishes us to feel. If you have never experienced the healing power of receieving the sacrament of reconciliation, you perhaps will not understand. The feeling and emotions of a person admitting their humanity and the humility that it brings to you are beyond any personal bond you can have with God (un-assisted self confession with God).

One of the entire points of going to Church is to understand that we are a body of Christ and that we are as one in the community with each other as the hands are to the legs of a person. Self forgiveness and your own personal relationship to God are great, but the real mission and the real word of God calls us to be a people of service to God and others. We are not here to simply do our thing (go to church, give the money, ask for forgiveness, etc) and expect the reward to be there when we die. We are here to be humbled in the presence of our loving creator and to continually seek out how we can attempt to be more like him. Self-forgiveness does not encourage this thought process. It is introverted and it does not serve the community. It only serves to make you feel better about what you have done.

Next up for me to rant on about are non-denominationals and those who feel that Church is more of a "come and go as you please" type of establishment. Okay, these people are off the farm, applecart, whatever you can think of. They do often have similar beliefs that Catholics share. Here is the problem though, they are a Church of marketers that are just looking for people's money. The main premisis of most of these churches is that God and how you pray are all subject to your own way you wish to do it. So, if you don't feel like coming to church this week, fine. Don't wanna have to think about your responsiblity for prayer, fasting, or almsgiving during lent, that's fine too. See the crucial thing to get more money out of people is simply to do anything but make them feel uncomfortable. I've been to a non-denominational church and let me tell you, I feel more like I'm at a rock concert than a church. Lights, cameras, action! Loud music, lots of "energetic" speakers, talking about anything but how bad you are or how you should feel about things. There is not a drop of guilt that is laid on anyone for anything they have ever done. They feed you and give you drinks while you enjoin in the crowd. Heck this weekend on Easter Sunday the local non-denominational church is giving away ipods and bikes to kids! What in God's green Earth does this have to do with Christ's resurrection from the dead? His death and passing into life is far more important, but guess what ....kids love IPODS! Those are popular and very material...that'll get people in here. Do you see any Catholic church handing out ipods or bikes to their members for joining up? Do you see Catholics getting really anything ever at church? Perhaps we have a food drive for some cause where you pay a fee (donation) or you may get some free donuts after church but that's about all. We don't need food or freebies to get people in the door at the Catholic church. We only use the word of God and the beliefs we feel are the truth.

Enough of that, I'm sure that already aggrivated my friends. Point is nobody feels bad getting there or leaving. In fact most of what is retained is nothing more than the bookmarked areas in the bible that the preacher was pounding into those skulls full of mush. Do those really do you any good? Do the flashy lights and loud music do any good? For me the answer is a resounding no.

Going to church and participating in the mass is an experience that should be a weekly time for reflection, giving, and action. You should be reflecting on the liturgy of the word service when the scriptures are read and the homily when the priest shows you practical application of this in life. You should be giving what you feel you can to the church to support the church fiscally when we present God the gifts. We should also be acting, when we take part in rememberance of what Christ calls us to do. Christ said this IS my body (not a representation) do THIS in memory of me (not just on special days) and he says that I am the bread of life, he who believes in me shall not die...no one goes to the father, unless he comes through me. These all of course are references to taking and eating the transubstantiated body and blood of Christ on a regular basis.

These all are rules of the Catholic church. Rules are things people do not like becuase they feel boxed in like an animal and that they are forced to follow the straight and narrow. Rules are laxed in other faiths, but in the Catholic church, you are held accountable for your adherance to the rules. Rules do not work in churches where you are trying to maximize profit because grief, stress, and personal reflection do not make you want to take out your wallet. If anything people do not want the magnifying glass pointed at them and to have their lives scrutinized.

In closing, I think God calls us all to live a life where scrutiny isn't feared. If someone really wanted to know what I do behind closed doors, I'd gladly tell them becuase it isn't bad. I don't think the simple act of asking someone for forgiveness is that bad. Just the same I feel that rules are not a bad thing. Rules give me guidance on how I should best live my life, instead of religion becoming a subjectivist view of philosophy more than a faith.

Why buy the cow when you can get milk for free?

2006-02-22T10:19:00.000-06:00

A lot of mac users similar to myself have hacked their installs to allow installation of Apple's FrontRow on their older Macs prior to it being included with OSX 10.4 Tiger on an Intel based Mac. Following the Digg.com story, a nice tutorial was posted on how to accomplish this task here: Tutorial.

Upon doing this all was well, champagne was brought out and music was playing. One thing missing that would make this as great as the real deal that Apple gives the folks that bought newer Macs-- that cool little remote control. The suggestion by several was to use a product such as the following: http://www.salling.com/Clicker/mac/ I tried this stinking program out and it did work for what I wanted, but you could only click a certain number of times for the "free trial period" and I figured it really wasn't that important so I moved right along and deleted it.

Today I was playing around with bluetoothing my Cingular EDGE connection from my Sony Ericsson S710a to my Powerbook. This worked well. Those interested can follow the links here:
Linky
Linky2

This worked well as well and all was good in the world once again....yay.

Things also got even better as I was working on my bluetooth setup. I'll call this the poor-man's solution to not wishing to pay for Salling Clicker (ahem...rippoff).

So we begin, System Preferences>Bluetooth

Select the device you wish to configure as your remote control (my S710a)

Tick the use device as remote control option and remove the other ticks unless you also wish to configure those.

That is it...congrats you just saved yourself a few dollars. Turn on your phone and have it connect to the remote desktop function in your bluetooth options. You can get either the media player or desktop control set. Both of these are adequate and work well.

Odd things in trees

2006-01-18T00:23:00.000-06:00

So I get up in the morning and I'm walking out to the Z and I notice something odd in the tree in back of my apartment complex. I'd honestly like to know how this happened.

Who is your daddy and what does he do part II

2006-01-10T16:37:00.000-06:00

Looks like what I do has made the front page of the paper here locally in Baton Rouge. About a month ago I finished handing in the plans for this particular project to my boss (network design) for the camears. They seemed to get the story correct which is always great and seldom happens in the media.

The Advocate

***Edit*** Unfortunatly I realized today that the Advocate links are only good for one day and after that they seem to go into a pay-to-play Advocate archive. Sorry readers...next time or if I find the archive I shall repost it.

Suck it USC

2006-01-09T09:48:00.000-06:00

This is all.

How about an iMeat for Christmas

2006-01-03T10:25:00.000-06:00

Imagine waiting all Christmas season for a new iPod from Santa Clause. Santa makes his visit, leaves you what appears to be a brand new iPod. You unwrap it and all, then when you get the box open you instead find a piece of raw rotting meat in the box rather than an iPod. That is what has happened here

Feds visit student over communist book

2005-12-18T16:52:00.000-06:00

UMass senior visited by feds after requesting a copy of Mao Tse-Tung's book. Shayne, you better watch out what you borrow from the library.

read more | digg story

Big news coming soon

2005-12-13T22:24:00.000-06:00

Within the week I should have some life changing news for you guys. I can't wait to share it with you, but I want to make sure everything comes to pass before I open my mouth up. In great news, I now have internet access at home again so now I may be able to blog more often. Till the news pans out...I'm over and out.

I <3 outsourced tech support

2005-12-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

This cartoon pretty much sums it up for all IT working staff and how we feel toward outsourced tech jobs. Frothy

For Shayne: MPAA gives film about itself an NC-17 rating

2005-12-08T14:25:00.000-06:00

Looks like the MPAA does not want people to find out what a screwed up system they are. IFC to show film unedited in 2006.

read more | digg story

Hate spam? Fight back!

2005-12-07T09:27:00.000-06:00

Eat spammers bandwidth with a updated version of the Lad Vampire! Lad Vampire is a javascript page that repeatedly downloads images from scammers websites. The update includes improved visual indicators of the status of a site, a speed throttle, appends information messages to file names downloaded and saves your downloading stats!

read more | digg story

Reading List

2005-12-06T14:20:00.000-06:00

Just yesterday at work my boss came over and deposited this on my desk Bayou Farewell. Looks to be your stereotypical book about how silly the people from south of 1-10 tend to be. I was told that it was a must read so last night I got to reading and it isn't terrible as of yet. I'm only about 30 pages deep as I was rather tired last night. The book tries to explain how the coastland of Louisiana has been eroding for quite some time and in the wake of hurricances Rita and Katrina the book only further shows that more could have been done some time ago. I'll keep you updated on the book...if it ends up stinking I'll just give it back. Christmas party at work today, with a near half-day off from work. So this job does have some great benefits to working here at times.

Everyone is wrong sometimes I suppose...

2005-12-05T00:09:00.000-06:00

Well I guess this says it all ESPN Tigers lost the game this weekend for the SEC championship. Not to bring up excuses but man were we ever short on our starters. Addai was nearly a non-factor, JaMarcus and Early Doucet were injured, and Justin Vincent was also not at his best. To top this off, on defense we also were short Jessie Daniels at safety which was hit up for those first two touchdowns...sigh.

Better luck next time tigers.

Currently I am working to de-brick my failed install of sveasoft's newest bastardization of firmware called talismand. I won't even link to this stuff since it managed to brick this router hardcore. Let's just say to fix this you have to open up this router and start jabbing around in there with a screwdriver while it is plugged in. I will however direct you to a better than stock firmware for your WRT54G type Linksys routers located here at DD-WRT.

This is all for now...I am tired and going back home.

Fun Links of the day

2005-12-02T07:42:00.000-06:00

This is just great, but be warned isn't for children to be watching as it contains rather harsh language.
illwillpress.com

This is from the family guy:
Family Guy

Original:
PBJ Dance

Nice laptop/clothes bags, may come to own one soon:
Bags

Finally, this is the coolest thing (other than the Z and Skyline GT-R) that Nissan has ever created. It is paint that will automatically repair scratches. I REALLY want this on my Z as the thing is really low to the ground and tends to love getting scratches and rock chips. This is just simply amazing.
Physorg.com

That is all for today...unless I find something new and even more interesting to post.