Author: Lorin Olsen

Remote Desktop – Sights AND Sounds

Lorin Olsen

Remote desktop support is nothing new. I’ve used remote desktop tools for PC support for a number of years. But the tools are becoming more readily available. If you are using Mac OS/X or Linux (or event Windows) then you should actively consider VNC. It is freely available for most platforms.
But my main system is a Windows XP Professional installation. So I’ve been running the Microsoft RDP system rather than VNC. Don’t get me wrong. I love VNC and its capabilities. But I’ve already paid for the Windows XP license. And since the client is freely available on all Windows XP systems, this became the easiest means to provide remote desktop capability to both myself and Cindy.
Setup is easy.

  1. Turn the service on. From the sytems Properties function, you will find a Remote tab. On that tab, you can select the checkbox that enables the service.
  2. Configure the Windows firewall on your system. If you have a different firewall, make sure you configure it to allow TCP port 3389. BTW, if you don’t have a firewall on your system, shame on you! Please see the teacher for a remedial lesson on basic PC security.
  3. Configure your broadband router to forward the relevant ports. This is a relatively simple task – depending upon your broadband router. I have a Linksys WRT54G (running HyperWRT 2.0). I simply added TCP port 3389 to my port forwarding list. Of course, I forward it to a fixed IP address. But the details to set that up are discussed elsewhere.

So why did I even spend the time to write this stuff down? After all, I have had this stuff going for over six months. Well, I was logged on at home and heard the alarm for incoming email. So I launched Thunderbird and checked my email at home. Then I realized something. I _heard_ the mail notice. I was very curious whether all sounds get passed through the RDP connection – by default. So I launched iTunes at home. I picked a song. I then hit “Play.” To my minor surprise, I started to hear the music wafting through the speakers on my laptop. I have no idea how many network links exist between “here” and “there.” But I am sure that there are quite a few.
Bottom Line: Networking is great. And it is becoming thoroughly transparent (i.e., commoditized). With no special gear, I am managing my home PC and getting sounds as well as sights. I have no intention of using this feature. After all, it’s not my bandwidth to burn. And I also have an iPod Shuffle. So I carry some of my music with me. But this is still quite cool!
-CyclingRoo-

OpenNMS 1.1.5 Is Available!

Lorin Olsen

In addition to my day job, I help a friend of mine with his systems monitoring business. Without going into too many details, Tony is CEO of Midwest Internet Solutions. His corporation provides WiFi installation and management services to over four dozen hotels throughout the Midwest. He monitors and supports over three hundred access points thoughout that network.
At this point in time, all of the monitoring and support for his company is done by exploiting the OpenNMS platform. From this single platform, Midwest Internet Solution monitors service availability across an eight-state infrastructure. At the same time, SNMP performance data is collected from all of the routers and access points through the network. When outages are identified, trouble tickets are initiated. In some cases, this results in a truck roll. In others, it results in simple system restarts. But this entire infrastructure is “mission-critical” for his company.
Well, the wizards on the OpenNMS team have released their next revision (unstable) of the code base. This version is the second release candidate for the 1.2 version of the product. This version demonstrates significant improvements in performance – especially for the polling sub-system. Furthermore, even more of the code base has been moved towards the ultimate goal of a 100% Java code base.
So why is this announcment important? Well I am thrilled that IT service management is becoming even more commoditized. No longer must an organization rely exclusively upon complex (and expensive) service desk tools like OpenView or Tivoli. While these tools are indeed useful, not everyone needs these kinds of solutions. Indeed, many companies just need a good monitoring and dispatching tool.
And OpenNMS is a great example of how “open source” technology is becoming a disruptive technology for the service management disciplines within IT.
-CyclingRoo-

“To Stop Hillary, Draft Condi”

Lorin Olsen

Dick Morris is a very interesting chap. He is a political maven with chameleon-like capabilities. He worked dutifully for President Bill Clinton. In the latter stages of Clinton’s Presidency, Mr. Morris had a very visible “falling out” with the then first family – especially Mrs. Clinton. While he was never warm to the possiblity of a Gore Presidency, he was still considered a pundit for the Democratic Party.

But during the last election, that all changed. He worked alongside Sean Hannity as a complicit “former Democrat” tacitly favoring (wink-wink, nod-nod) President Bush. And now he is “proposing” Condi for President. I guess his days as a Democratic pundit are complete.

Nevertheless, he raises some very interesting points. He notes the obvious potential that Ms. Rice carries as a candidate for President. He points out the transforming potential of such a candidacy. Will the Republicans consider such a tactic? Would Ms. Rice even be interested? Who knows.

But it is impressive to consider that the first Secretary of State (Thomas Jefferson) also became the President of the United States. And what an irony it would be to see Ms. Rice continue that Jeffersonian tradition. Thomas Jefferson labored to see his Declaration of Independence include freedom for all persons in the nation. Wouldn’t it be a fitting tribute to President Jefferson to see the last remaining vestiges of antiquated cultural prejudice swept aside?

I do not know enough about Ms. Rice (or her political positions on key issues) to state whether or not I would join such a draft movement. But to even consider it speaks to how far this nation has progressed. May Mr. Morris’ thoughts be a calling to the spirits of all Americans. There is nothing that can prevent an American from achieving historic and amazing things. Let’s pray that this simple message can be shared by each and every American.

-CyclingRoo-

"To Stop Hillary, Draft Condi"

Lorin Olsen

Dick Morris is a very interesting chap. He is a political maven with chameleon-like capabilities. He worked dutifully for President Bill Clinton. In the latter stages of Clinton’s Presidency, Mr. Morris had a very visible “falling out” with the then first family – especially Mrs. Clinton. While he was never warm to the possiblity of a Gore Presidency, he was still considered a pundit for the Democratic Party.

But during the last election, that all changed. He worked alongside Sean Hannity as a complicit “former Democrat” tacitly favoring (wink-wink, nod-nod) President Bush. And now he is “proposing” Condi for President. I guess his days as a Democratic pundit are complete.

Nevertheless, he raises some very interesting points. He notes the obvious potential that Ms. Rice carries as a candidate for President. He points out the transforming potential of such a candidacy. Will the Republicans consider such a tactic? Would Ms. Rice even be interested? Who knows.

But it is impressive to consider that the first Secretary of State (Thomas Jefferson) also became the President of the United States. And what an irony it would be to see Ms. Rice continue that Jeffersonian tradition. Thomas Jefferson labored to see his Declaration of Independence include freedom for all persons in the nation. Wouldn’t it be a fitting tribute to President Jefferson to see the last remaining vestiges of antiquated cultural prejudice swept aside?

I do not know enough about Ms. Rice (or her political positions on key issues) to state whether or not I would join such a draft movement. But to even consider it speaks to how far this nation has progressed. May Mr. Morris’ thoughts be a calling to the spirits of all Americans. There is nothing that can prevent an American from achieving historic and amazing things. Let’s pray that this simple message can be shared by each and every American.

-CyclingRoo-

HyperWRT 2.0 released!

Lorin Olsen

For those not following Avenger’s work, you may have missed this announcement yesterday. Here’s my summary: Avenger’s released 2.0 final. For you folks with the Linksys WRT56G/GS, there are new bits for you. For those who are clueless about what I am talking about, Robert Cringely had a great article discussing the importance of this device and Cisco/Linksys’ courage in releasing the source.
So why this firmware mod? You could certainly use the bits from Sveasoft – assuming you want to pay to access them. Without getting into too many knotholes, the Sveasoft Alchemy firmware is not yet available for public use. Yes, it’s based on GPL code. But it is not yet “released.” I respect their right to put a fence around their development efforts. Therefore, I recommend Avenger’s code. In this case, Avenger has added power boost to the basic Linksys firmware. Why do you need a power boost? You may not. But some folks do – including me. I get far better wireless coverage in my house now that I have signal output control on my wireless router. Thanks, Avenger!
This version is rock steady. I’ve been running it for almost 24 hours! Go grab it if you need it.
-CyclingRoo-

Songs That Matter

Lorin Olsen

What a mess! KC is getting hit by another winter storm. This time, the snow is falling at the rate of 1″ per hour. At 1:30 P.M. CST, I decided it was time to head home. There wasn’t much snow on the ground yet (about .5″) but that’s enough for me and the Batmobile. What’s the Batmobile? Long story. As a kid, I was known as “the Bat” because I was as blind as a…. I don’t drive. But I do ride a bike. Therefore, the bike is the Batmobile. I ride it to/from the office.
Well, the ride home was yucky but manageable. If I had left any later, I would be stuck at the campus. But since I subscribe to the “discretion is the better part of valor” addage, I bugged out before it got too bad.
So I’m at home. I’ve got iTunes blowing out a party shuffle from the main collection. BTW, I agree with those folks who swear that “shuffle” isn’t that random. Otherwise, how would “shuffle mode” result in three Switchfoot songs within an hour. But whether true or not, I’m loving the tunes. And now to the point…
Rick asked me to create a mix of “Songs That Matter.” Great idea. But Rick refused to give any guidance on the task. So I’m assembling this one based upon songs that matter to me. I’ve limited myself to thirty-five songs or less. I’m trying to shorten the list. But this is hard. Here is the list thus far (in no particular order):

  • (Don’t Fear) The Reaper, Blue Oyster Cult
  • Airbag, Radiohead
  • All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
  • Bouncing Around the Room, Phish
  • Burning Down the House, Talking Heads
  • Call Me, Blondie
  • China Girl, David Bowie
  • Crash Into Me, Dave Matthews Band
  • Dog Eat Dog, Adam & The Ants
  • Dust in the Wind, Kansas
  • Hotel California, The Eagles
  • I Want to Know What Love Is, Foreigner
  • Jeremy, Pearl Jam
  • Just a Girl, No Doubt
  • Killer Queen, Queen
  • Losing My Religion, R.E.M.
  • Material Girl, Madonna
  • Money, Pink Floyd
  • Money for Nothing, Dire Straits
  • Mr. Roboto, Styx
  • Mysterious Ways, U2
  • Nights in White Satin, The Moody Blues
  • Piano Man, Billy Joel
  • Purple Rain, Prince & the Revolution
  • Reelin’ in the Years, Steely Dan
  • Riders on the Storm, The Doors
  • Roxanne, The Police
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
  • Smooth, Santana
  • Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin
  • Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
  • Take on Me, a-ha
  • Tiny Dancer, Elton John
  • White Wedding, Billy Idol
  • You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette

So this is the list, Rick. Take your shot at it – if you can.
-CyclingRoo-

News from the Blogosphere

Lorin Olsen

Today is a waiting day. I still wait for the EarJams to be shipped. And I am waiting to get a call from a friend in Boulder. And I am waiting for the Kansas City Star to print the details from last night’s game. So I started wandering around checking out some science links.

Why amble about for science links? Well, part of my job is to identify and categorize distruptive technology trends that we can exploit. So I’ve started to check out some good science blogs. The first place I checked was The Science Blog. Man, is this site cool. I ran across an entry about solar cells being used as retinal implants. Well, CyclingRoo is legally blind. Indeed, I have retinal problems causing much of my troubles. So this entry really caught my attention. Apparently, the field of retinal implants is exploding. The subjects in this test are now able to see light (where none was visible before). Other subjects report that they can read the LED’s on alarm clocks. OK. This isn’t much for most of you. But it is amazing to me. Maybe sometime in my life, I will be able to see. But if not now, then in the eternal. One day, I will see clearly!

I also ran across another great site: The Scientist. While there is way too much to comment upon, I would direct your attention to the notes on stem cells from the spleen. I am not a doctor. Nor do I play one on T.V. But this is really interesting. Apparently, the spleen has been found to be a possible new source for stem cells that produce the Hox11 protein chain. OK. OK. I am as befuddled by this as the next person. But I am heartened that new sources of stem cells may exist beyond embryonic sources. If such stem cell sources can exist until adulthood, maybe we can stop cheapening life by equating it to a harvestable source of scientific collateral.

Finally, I stumbled across CNet’s discussion of Google Maps. The folks at Google really have it going on! I have been impressed by Yahoo! Maps. But this one really rocks. I love the fact that I can mouse around and move the map itself. Oh, the joy of simple pleasures. I can’t wait to see the integration with all the Google search content. This will be amazing. And if there is a disruptive trend to be identified, it is this kind of thing. All of this information will be free (unelss you hate seeing ad copy). Rand-McNally will be struggling against this. Even MapQuest will struggle since they don’t have the content to relate to the maps. Only Yahoo! may be able to keep up.

Whew. There is the fifteen minute roundup for today. Ciao, for now.

-CyclingRoo-

Oh, I forgot one of the most important things! Dana had another good night at basketball. She scored 17. Unfortunately, I don’t know her other stats as they weren’t in the paper. And since I wasn’t there, I couldn’t speak about assists, rebounds, and/or steals. But I know that they won the game. And this was Coach Millard’s 400th career win. Pretty darned good. So Ron has seen 400 wins. He’s celebrated the 10th anniversary of his state championship win. And he is celebrating his 30th year in coaching. Wow. I pray that this brings him some sunshine during an otherwise challenging year. Keep Ron and his wife in your prayers as she is being treated for cancer. May God have mercy on her body and her spirit!

No Apologies for the Delays

Lorin Olsen

OK. It’s been a few weeks since I launched this site. And a lot has happened. But if I don’t write it down when it happens, then why write it down later? Well, I won’t answer the rhetorical question myself. Here is what’s going on…
Last week, I finally received my iPod Shuffle. I had ordered the device the day that I launched this blog. I could say that I waited for my Shuffle before I resumed blogging. But that would be a lie.
First Thoughts on the Shuffle
Wow. Small, clean and crisp look, good sound. Five years ago, I bought a Sensory Science (long since out of business). It had 128MB of flash. It was extremely expensive then. And I did use it for a couple of years. But it was large. And the means to move data were crude. So when the Shuffle got announced, I decided to drop the $149 for the 1GB version. I am storing ~260 songs on the device. I have turned the flash drive on, and then off. It’s not that the flash device doesn’t work. It works great. But I want to use the device for sound first. I can already tell that that I will probably dedicate 25-50% of the Shuffle for file storage. But that will wait.
What were the downsides? First, the headphones didn’t work well. The left ear bud was woefully underpowered. So I called customer service at the Apple Store. Here is a synopsis that I sent to them:

Folks, you’ve hit a home run with me. I had to wait for the Shuffle. OK. It’s a popular product. But customer support was magnificent. I can’t tell you how much more I think of Apple because of my customer service experience. I want to thank the agent on the phone. I want to thank the agent’s management for instilling such a wonderful customer focus in their employees. And I want to thank the executives who have chosen to invest in the customer experience as an integral piece of the brand experience. For years, I have felt that the Apple “cult” was somewhat corny and kitschy. But after working (even briefly) with Apple’s customer support, I am now more willing than ever to consider Apple products as replacements for other products. Thanks for being competitive where it counts – in the customer experience. This is what brand identity is all about! 🙂

Second Thoughts on the Shuffle
Now that I have the new ear buds, I still think that the bass experience needs help. So I decided to use a little “coin of the realm” to boost the experience. I wasn’t about to buy something too expensive. After all, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money since I already had spent a few shillings on the Shuffle itself. So I went ahead and plunked down some change on Griffin EarJams. I should see them in a few days. But these gizmos are “inside the ear” resonating chambers. They fit over the existing Apple ear buds. But they are inserted into the ear canal itself. While I’m a little concerned about that, I’ll be careful when I use them.
I’ll report more on them once received. But for now, I just love the Shuffle. So I’ll spend the next few days learning more about iTunes. As a devoted Linux user, I am troubled that I am using a Mac OS/X app that’s been ported to Windows. But I’ll survive the humiliation – if y’all promise not to tell anyone!
-CyclingRoo-

So Why Now, and Why the Name?

Lorin Olsen

My name is Lorin Olsen and I’m a middle-aged father of four, husband of one and child of the One. I have worked and played on computers since I was a teenager in the mid-70’s. Since that time, I have learned a lot – about computers, about people and about God. And one of the most important things that I have learned from being a child and a parent is that you must share your experiences with your mate, with your children and with your friends. If you don’t share what you have learned, then no one can buld upon what value you have brought into the world. This is true of computing, parenting and being.
So this is my inaugural post. As the title indicates, I intend this blog to be a compendium of ruminations and (hopefully) thoughtful meanderings. I expect to travel many subjects.
– In the computing domain, my interests are consumed with community-based computing (i.e., open source), systems management, computer performance measurement and systems security / privacy.
– On a personal level, I spend most of my time watching and learning from my children. I have four kids – each with a wealth of gifts as well as challenges. My eldest daughter is a college student at Central Missouri State University. My second daughter is an aspiring (and inspring) basketball player for her high school (Shawnee Mission South in Overland Park, Kansas). My third daughter is a scholar and a musician. And my youngest son is an all-around good fellow with a heart for service and a penchant for soccer.
– On a political level, I am a socially conservative Republican who believes in what the Founders wrote. There is a great marketplace of ideas. And we are invited (nay, commanded) to speak our minds in that marketplace. While the din form such a marketplace can be deafening, it is always thrilling!
– And in many ways, the most important part of me is the spiritual legacy that I will carry with me from this temporal realm into the eternal realm. I am a loud and proud follower of Jesus Chirist. He is the author and finisher of all things. As King of Kings, he set aside His eternal glory and died – in order to redeem me from my own sins and transgressions. Because of His generosity, I have the right to share His love with other people. And my heart has always been drawn to those who have sought God but have been distracted. At some point, I will share my complete testimony. But for now, know that my journey to Jesus brought me through many meandering streams of conciousness. So my heart yearns to reach those who have stumbled down the paths that I have walked.
And finally, someone will ask why I use ‘Roo-minations as a title for this blog. That is a long and complicated story. But here is the short version. Two-and-a-half years ago, I collapsed in an eye doctor’s office. My heart went into ventricular fibrilation – a serious, and deadly, heart rythm. Fortunately, a trained staff kept me alive with CPR until I could be transported to a hospital. As a precaution against this happening again, I received an implantable cardioverter/defibrilator (ICD). This device is deisgned to deliver an electrical charge if/when my heart rythms become abnormal. But such jolts are alarming and jarring. Indeed, folks who have been jolted by an ICD “jump” – noticably. Among those with ICD’s, we are known as “electric kanagaroos.” So as a “‘lectric ‘roo,” my idle musings must be called roo-minations.
So much for the pleasantries of a blog launch. I hope that I can keep this current as well as relevant.
Ciao, for now.
-CyclingRoo-