Everything Great is *Nixbased

Last New Year’s Eve I posted my resolutions on this blog. I guess it’s time to review those resolutions and see just how little (or how much) I followed through. Last year’s resolutions were as follows (Pass or Fail)

• Focus on the end result of what I am trying to do. Pass

I did really well with focus, though most of my projects were put on the back burner that is a positive step in focusing more on the projects that can be successful.

• Get in shape. FAIL

Like most people whom made this resolution I failed. I have thought about it a great deal and do plan to do something about it, I just didn’t make it a main focus. This is rather upsetting and I need to fix it.

• Advertise and make the sales. FAIL
  

I’m counting this as a fail even though I followed through on part of it. I have done a large amount of studying on marketing and quite enjoy the approch of experts like Seth Godin but I didn’t put into practice what I learned.

• Hold myself to a higher standard. PASS

In everything I have been doing including day to day activities I have been holding myself to a higher standard, even though I have failed some of last years resolutions, the things I have done have been top quality and the things I have not done I am not letting go of so easily.

• Get rid of all the unneeded material possessions. PASS

I have rid myself of a great deal of materiel possessions. The computer graveyard has been stripped down and organized and everything I own I have used in the last 6 months. The task as outlined was completed but I am still finding that I do not have enough room in my house. This year I just may have to look more at organization and making due without some of the items I only use on occasion to make room for others which are necessities.

2008 in review

It feels like 2008 was one of the worst years I have experienced thus far in my life.I became a single father, had even more trouble after that in the relationship department and did not do well financially. I did learn who my real friends are no matter how far they may live from me, when the chips fell all I needed to do was see who was there to lend an ear when I needed it. Thanks to those who were, Tim, Karen….really you two made a huge difference and if I can ever help with anything don’t hesitate to ask. Of course upsides exist within these negatives and thinking in a negative manner will not further my improvement in any area. I’m still here and still kickin’ which means it’s time to make some changes
in 2009.

Resolutions for 2009!

• Get in shape

This one mirrors the goal set last year but has moved up the ranks to become #1. I failed last year but I am not going to fail again.

• Do something with The Rack.

This month my reptile forum “The Rack” will have been around for a year. It has been slow and the co-founder has lost interest in being online let alone helping to keep the site up and running. This year assuming I get the domain name transferred in time, I would like to make something happen with it. I am currently working on an upgrade of a friends site TeguTalk.com and have noticed its growth since October 2007. It averages over 70 posts a day currently and I really want to see that on The Rack. It has potential I just need to tap into it.

• Launch the PC business I have been focusing on and bring it to a point of profit by the end of 2009

I’m almost ready to launch and not much more can be said about this goal, maybe I can use some of those advertising tips I learned in 2008.

• Get organized

I need to look more at organization and scheduling in my life. Implementing more parts of the GTD method maybe part of doing this but the end result is simply to get more organized to produce more space and become more productive.

• Find the right path

Plain and simple I need to get my life together with a clear direction. This maybe via further education, more networking with others, a combination of both or some other factor I have not quite found yet but it needs to happen this year. Without direction I can’t really know where I am headed.

So Welcome 2009, this year will be better than the last.

Since the dawn of time the way the beard has been viewed from civilization to civilization and time period to time period has differed. In ancient Greece it was a sign of virility, in ancient India a symbol of wisdom, and within the Germanic Lombard tribe it was a religious tribute to Odin. During the American Civil War Generals sported full beards more often then not and prominent political figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Alexander MacKenzie were unshaven during their time in office.

The beard was, at these times not only socially acceptable but often expected. It became a sign of manliness. However as time progressed and the media began to depict men as clean shaven the beard growing trend began to die. The long standing positive attributes associated with the bearded man gave way to the misconception that only the unhygienic and lazy members of the male gender were the only ones whom would grow prominent amounts of facial hair.

However the social stigma associated with growing a beard in the 1980’s and 90’s seems to have been lessening over the past couple years. The beard is becoming fashionable again as men are feeling the need to reclaim their masculinity in an overwhelmingly feminine culture. Everyone from professional models and stars to your everyday man are now trying their hands at growing beards in all shapes and forms.

Though psychological studies have suggested that a beard impacts negatively on how women see men as possible partners one must not discount the past when beards were popular and the existence of personal preference, some women like them and some do not. When psychologists conduct studies which generalize the emotions and interpretations of an entire gender it is time to wonder if the psychologists conducting such studies and psychology its self are any more credible then religious zealots preaching their misguided beliefs without concrete proof. In my opinion based on my experiences with the opposite sex as a bearded man, it is all about personal preference.

Though the bearded look does not suit every man and some men do not have the genetics to grow a great beard it it a very masculine ability and a great way to feel more manly without the risks which come with partaking in some other primal instincts and urges (think rape and pillage). If you can grow a great looking beard, can understand the basics of a proper neckline and don’t end up looking like a serial killer I say give it a shot and see how it goes. You maybe surprised by how great you look and the feeling it gives you.

If you don’t feel a full beard is best for you or that growing such would possibly end with your closest family and friends fondly calling you “patches” for years to come I recommend you check out this:

Keep in mind at first your beard will feel much more coarse then when it is grown out and any cutting does make the hair more blunt edged than not doing so. As the beard grows it becomes rather soft and will not give your significant other “beard rash”. A few sites do exist which feature communities of men whom are growing beards and these communities can often answer any questions you have on the subject. To find these communities a Google search should do the trick.

So if you are a man the time is now, try some styles and let me know, what style of facial hair is right for you?

So tonight is the eve of a new year. This post is a short and sweet version of my goals for this year.

• #1) Focus on the end result of what I am trying to do.

This is an important one for me. Instead of going off and doing something unimportant like playing a video game I need to put 100% into what I am doing to reach financial stability. I have a bunch of projects and I need to focus on one at a time, getting them done and available to the world.

• #2) Get in shape.

I used to be in great shape but as of the past few years I have let this take a back seat. It is time I got off my ass with no excuses and put what I know about fitness and nutrition to work. When I take care of my body I am able to work at a higher efficiency then when I don’t so the bottom line is that it is time to find a solution to working out here at home. Back to the farmboy training!.

• #3) Advertise and make the sales.

Advertising my businesses and products has always been my downfall, it is time to really learn and put into use the tricks in the advertising industry to get the sales I want.

• #4) Hold myself to a higher standard.

I have been letting myself off way to easy on some of my failures recently. It is time for this to stop. I will hold myself to a higher standard then anyone with everything I do.

• #5) Get rid of all the unneeded material possessions.

I have way too much stuff that I do not need nor use. I am lacking space in my small house and I really need to donate, sell or trash anything I haven’t used in the last 6 months. Getting rid of the clutter is step one in the “Getting Things Done” method of organization and I really need to embrace this. Time to strip down all those old comps and say goodbye to all the unneeded junk.

Is it just me or is their too much information out there? When looking up anything on the net we go take a gander at Google and browse through the results reading everything we can. When the subject we are searching is really significant in our lives we sometimes even join online communities related to that topic. The problem is the advice within various communities seem to shape the views of many people therefore creating so many opinions on the same subjects that a new person looking for answers related to that subject don’t know who or what to believe.

Just look at ant subject at all, on any given subject there are thousands even millions of webpages, books, videos and personal opinions. It’s overwhelming. Even attending higher education gets us no closer to the truth on many occasions. If a degree held the answers then a common curriculum would exist for each subject between all educational facilities. The fact is to find an answer to any question a person must research to find others opinions then actually try each suggestion and see what fits their situation the best. After all, even the experts disagree.

I want to someday be a writer; I want to write about reptiles and captive care. The entire reptile industry is filled with contradicting opinions and those who just “follow the leader” so to speak. When I entered the community as a hobby many moons ago I decided that I would not be a follower, I would try differing opinions and see which best suited various situations. I have since made some small innovations in the community and helped many with their setups. That being said for every 1 person I help I find two more whom are willing to argue that something I have tested and found to be a bad idea is superior to the advice in which I give. So what’s my point? My point is that when researching anything remember to try different options before discounting them or arguing with others, remember that opinions often differ but attitude and the way you present yourself are what people remember most.

Last night I was browsing along and all of a sudden I have no Internet connectivity. As usual I check that the modem is showing that it is connected to my ISP, that my router (which ISP’s are too lazy to support so we all lie to them and say we’re directly connected) is running properly and handing out internal IP addresses to my network via DHCP etc. I then notice that my router shows it has acquired a 10. Address and that only 1 DNS server is listed instead of 3.

Immediately I know they have suspended my account. This isn’t surprising since I download ALOT via BitTorrent. It’s been 3 years with this ISP and I had forgotten what my bandwidth cap is and considering I download so much monthly I was curious. So I call the ISP. I get told it’s been suspended and transferred to the security department. The voice on the other end identifies his self as “Norm” and proceeds to tell me my account was suspended for downloading copyrighted material. After telling me that I play dumb and say I do not download copyrighted material. He then lets me know the real reason, my cap is 60GB a month and I have downloaded 192GB this month thus far.

Now why couldn’t he be honest in the first place? They didn’t know or care if the files I were downloading were copyrighted. Granted they had good reason with that amount of bandwidth that they were but no hard evidence, they were just concerned for the network bandwidth.

I continue to act like someone who is clueless about computers, asking him to walk me through setting up my email account given to me by the ISP (which I never use but they send warnings there). At that point I’m really playing it up. I tell him again that I don’t download movies etc. and that nobody here has access to the computer to which he replies it is probably a virus. He asks what anti-virus I am using and I tell him that I am using the one from the ISP’s website. (He assumes I’m using Windows and they don’t support Linux so now was not the time to be honest). He re-enables my account and tells me that I have 1GB of bandwidth to last me until the end of the month (this is bull as I’ve heard of others with this ISP being told the same and them going over similar to them saying theirs a 60GB cap and me being able to download more then that on a monthly basis).

This is an example of social engineering and playing into the person’s worldview. They deal with people like this everyday so a story such as the 1 I presented is believable and doesn’t get questioned much. I assume others do the same and that it works with other ISPs. Similar I know works with other large corporations.

As for those with morale objections, the company overcharges for their service because they know they are the only cable Internet provider available. They have lied to me many times over the years about refunds and service people showing up and even telling me there was an issue on my end when the issue was with a local node. If they provided the service at a fair price and were honest I would be mindful of my bandwidth cap. Some people will always disagree with this way of thinking but in business that’s how I expect it to go. If I am not fair to my customers I expect them to tell me and I will fix the problem. If I do not fix the problem I expect them to take advantage of me anyway they can.

I have decided to join the fun and attempt to read 52 books in 52 weeks. The 52 in 52 2007 post over at Roblog inspired this idea.. I am starting late considering that the year is half over but nonetheless in this case I will still do it. It just won’t coincide with years start to end. I actually decided to start last night by reading Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary by Linus Torvalds.

I may consider The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle part of 52 in 52 because I am already reading it but that depends on how quickly I get through the reading material I choose and how many books I have read by the end of 52 weeks. If anyone wishes to join me please do so. I can always use more suggestions on what books to choose.

The weather is getting warmer and this means more time spent outdoors, especially for those in colder climates such as myself. This year as part of getting back to being someone I feel is closer to my true self this means spending more time on the beach, taking my Bearded Dragons out in their homemade screen enclosure to get more natural sunlight and just spending time with the family trying to find interesting outdoor activities we can all enjoy.

I have a Bar-B-Que to attend to tomorrow which I never look forward to as it involves conversing with family members who are not interested in what I have to say nor interesting themselves. I may avoid it due to the temperature and the fact it shows no potential for helping my growth as a person in any way.

Much thought has went into what needs to be done to advance my position in life, very few answers have presented themselves thus far but one thing that I have always found helps is to read. I read as much as possible and offer some tips below for those who are wanting to advance their intellect at all times via reading:

Always carry a book at all times: When people tell me their children are very smart or advanced I always look for a book in the children’s pockets. If no book exists it is hard for me to fathom that they are quite as smart as their parents would like me to believe. This may seem too general to be true but it is a logical thought and well proven opinion that those who enjoy reading are also those who will learn more and retain more information.

Enjoy an audio book in times when dead tree copies can not be read: At work (if you have a job that permits) or while driving are great times for this.

Vary the genre of material in which you read: This will keep you interested and help you hold conversations in many different groups of people. It will also help you grasp different styles of writing and understand different opinions or points of view.

Look for the diamond amongst the rough: Many great books and authors have been forgotten over the years or overshadowed by the mass marketing of many titles today. Look for these books as they may give you some of the best reading experiences you will ever remember.

Encourage those around you to read as well: This is probably the hardest sell in today’s society. Many people have forgotten what it is like to actually sit down with a good book. How you approach this depends on the person being approached and what mindset they are in so unfortunately you are on your own on this one.

Read reviews before picking up a title which you feel interests you: I find reading reviews others have provided on titles I am considering reading always helps me choose books which hold my attention. This is not to say that you should shy away from books with poor reviews but use your judgment and if possible find others who have similar reading tastes to your own (but remember it is still important to explore other genres).

Some people will advise you to join book clubs but personally that isn’t my scene. I’m sure there are other tips but those should get you started.

Happy Reading.

Lately I’ve been watching a bit too much TV. The upside to this is the programming I choose to watch is of the educational variety such as Planet Earth and Man Vs. Wild. I also hear a series called Survivorman is good but have yet to see it available in torrent or streaming media form. I don’t have cable or satellite and only watch a limited amount of TV such as the shows above and UFC so paying $40+ a month just isn’t cost effective. I do however support shows I watch by buying the DVD releases when they are available.

I really love the outdoors and shows, which focus on real world facts. I don’t see a point to watching shows, which add nothing useful to my intellect. The odd episode of House or The Simpsons (seasons 1-9) is fine for putting your mind on autopilot but in the grand scheme of things I try to avoid stuff like that.

One thing that helped form my interest in educational outdoors type shows is the odd glimpse of reptiles in their natural habitat. It really does give a different perspective then captive housing. If anyone knows where I can find Survivorman episodes let me know.

So I finally decided that this domain which I formally used as my security consulting companies website address would be changed into a personal blog. The reasoning behind this is that I am moving in many new directions in my life. Network penetration testing was at one time a passion, something I enjoyed so deeply that I formed a business and career around it. However, as of today I have lost the spark that once was. I have came a long way since the days of old, becoming proficient in numerous programming languages and working my way into thousands of systems over the years. I have enjoyed the security field both in a professional and hobbyist context. It is time for me to return to those hobbyist roots

As I move beyond the technological realm into various other interests in my life I plan to document it here. Currently I am working on a forthcoming venture into the reptile feeder business. Reptiles have been a large focus of mine for a long time and I feel that going in this direction will help me take my life down the road I have long wanted to travel. Though I agree with most that it is a strange time to change careers, with a 5-½ month old son and a wife to support, I am positive that it is the right move. George S. Patton once said, “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

Approaching technology as a hobby again instead of a profession feels good. The monkey is off my back and the weight off my shoulders. Thank you to everyone who has helped me learn what I know and so what I have done. Now we shall see what I am really made of.