After reading next month’s Bicycling magazine’s broomwagon article about kids commuting, it gives me a deep sense of nostalgia. It reminds me of my own childhood riding to school after I moved to the States and my grandma had given me some money to buy a Toys R Us bicycle. I even remember the brand: Huffy. It was a piece of shit, but black, and got me to school and back home. I really enjoyed it until I got hit by a truck. The wheel was tacoed and I totaled the bike. I then got another one from the insurance payoff, and enjoyed riding again. But had I ridden faster, I wouldn’t have gotten it jacked by two overweight Mexicans. Hey, when they threaten to stab you, you give them your bike!

On the eve of my acquiring another bike (because my beloved Mellow Yellow was–you guessed it–stolen), it feels good to reminisce about the past and how I’ve always enjoyed riding to work/school, even if there are better ways to go (like driving).

I prefer to brave danger at every corner, negotiate tight traffic jams, and waving with a smile to other cycle-commuters on the road. I don’t care if they ride with or against traffic, wear a helmet, or even wave back. I always try to wave and smile, as long as it is safe.

Age has also taught me to obey traffic rules. The problem with weekend group rides is that you’re caught up in this huge peer group, with peer pressure and everything, and if the ride leader runs a red light, you’re forced to run it as well, or get dropped. When I commute, I have no such pressure. It is me, and the road, and traffic. I enjoy the ride more, I admit, although I try not to stay out long. I still ride on the weekends, and I rather ride with others, but that is just one of the issues that I tend to ignore.

My new ride I’m getting is quite different from what I’ve owned up to this point. It may be considered the most comfortable ride yet.

I really believe that comfort is the most important quality that a bicycle should have. Even if it weighs close to 100 lbs with all sorts of camping gear, if it’s comfortable, there is nowhere that I can’t get to on two wheels and two legs.

With the backup server “Hinako” running a RAID array with 4 drives, I began to see how much better it is to have redundancy.  She was fitted with 4 250GB hard drives, and the plan was to hook her up to the network and perform periodic backup tasks.  That was done about a month ago.  She is running the new CentOS 5, with RAID 1/0/5 arrays to manage the filesystems contained within.  She also is running an additional LVM layer on top of the RAID 5 array, just as icing on the cake.  One thing that surprised me was that the root directory was able to be contained within this LVM group, without much complaint.  /boot, however, was the only partition to be left RAID 1.

Fast forward to today, after much success with Hinako, I decided it was time to have “Jo” share in the RAID party.  Initially I tried to install Arch Linux, but noticed that GRUB did not like my drive arrangements.  I believe I could have made it work eventually, but I preferred to have a working system before the sun set.  Using the Arch installer, I made the array, and rebooted to Zenwalk and installed it on top.  It is restoring from backups as I write this.  The array arrangement is different from Hinako, in that I am not using LVM.  I wanted to see how it would turn out; I ended up having to create md devices for every filesystem I wanted to include, a total of 7.

If this sounds tedious to you, it is.

I documented my experiences here: http://wiki.zenwalk.org/index.php/Software_RAID

Inexplicably, after a nice long 55 mile ride last weekend with Colin, the cycling bug has bitten me once again. It’s amazing how much better I feel now that I’ve rekindled my exercise routine. My goal for the weekend: a Diablo loop that doesn’t result in a sprained knee.

I also reconsidered getting a tandem cycle for Lisa and I. It occurred to me that however much I wanted the experience myself, I knew that she wouldn’t enjoy it at all. She’s just not the kind of person who would love a week in the elements, braving sun, wind, rain, and who-knows-what else nature decides to throw at us. I’m beginning to realize that I will eventually have to fulfill my desire for multi-day bicycle touring without her. Which really saddens me because I can’t stand being away from her for any longer than an 8-hour workday. I guess I’m just going to have to rent/buy an RV for her to drive to our destinations and meet me there. A touring sag wagon of sorts.

I was initially going to get one of these:

But maybe I’ll just settle for this one:

Or this one:

My computer gives me a fortune everytime I log into it. I thought this was particularly applicable:

Lackland’s Laws:
1. Never be first.
2. Never be last.
3. Never volunteer for anything.

It turned out that one of the motherboards I got from the two computers I brought home from work was bad. Some sort of power input problem. My friend Eva and I had initially thought it may have been a bad power supply (it was new), but after having tested that on one of her computers that she knew was operational, it was apparent that it was the motherboard.

I had gotten two Dell computers, one OptiPlex GX150 (a Pentium 3 933MHz), and another Dimension 4300S. The Dimension was a Pentium 4 1.6GHz and I had initially swapped the two motherboards from these machines so that I had the quicker of the two in the OptiPlex minitower (the Dimension was a desktop form factor) as a backup server. Unfortunately, I had not tested the Dimension’s operation before I swapped the motherboards, so I introduced some variables that would make my life difficult later on. A slight oversight on my part.

After having tested them yesterday, we concluded that I had to make a decision. With only one motherboard operational and two cases, I could either go with continuing to build the firewall and DNS server I’ve been working on, or build the backup server I’ve been planning on for a while now.

I ultimately decided on the backup server, Hinako, and on to the pics!

The OptiPlex has been completely rebuilt with:

• An FSP 400 Watt ATX power supply (this Dell mobo apparently is standards-compliant),
• A Promise SATA TX4 controller with no RAID capability since this would be software-based,
• 4 Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 250GB hard drives for a total of 1TB (will become around 750MB after the RAID5 array is built),
• A new Masscool CPU fan and heatsink that was supposed to be for the Dimension’s form factor, but I decided to keep using it since it has these really cool blue LEDs, and
• 384MB or recycled RAM I had collected over time, and from the Dells themselves.

The Dells came with no hard drives, but that was not a problem since I didn’t want small drives anyway. Hinako will be sporting CentOS 5 running a RAID5 array, and probably using rsync 2.6.9 to keep Josephine (my desktop) synchronized with it.

My DNS project has reached a new stage: an operational BIND 9 daemon running under OpenBSD 4.0. The machine that this is running in is a free Dell desktop computer I got from work when they parted out their systems during a company-wide upgrade programme. Thanks to the following website for the help:

http://www.kernel-panic.it/openbsd/dns/dns2.html

The server is able to resolve machines running within the same subnet. I have yet to test it beyond the confines of the makeshift network I made (i.e. internet) to see if it will query nameservers on the net. I also haven’t tested its functionality behind a router yet, although I don’t expect that to be difficult as the router can be configured to query domain name servers elsewhere on the network. Hopefully, the router will be able to query across subnets.

The system is a Dell Optiplex GX150 motherboard encased in an Dimension 4300S DFF case. It is equipped with a modest Intel Pentium 3 CPU running at 933MHz, with 192MB of RAM. The operating system is stored in an antiquated 30GB IDE drive. It is also equipped with an extra 3Com NIC, in addition to the one already built-in. I will eventually disconnect the CD-ROM drive to save power. I have already disconnected the floppy drive to achieve this goal.

The next step is to write up a configuration for a firewall. The very capable PF packet filter application is much easier to understand and implement than the Linux-equivalent ip_tables. Ultimately this machine, nicknamed “Akane” after the feisty character in Ranma 1/2, will serve as the frontline defender for the new network I’m designing.

When Lisa and I first met, she introduced me to the Mongolian Chicken dish, served at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant across the street from the faculty offices at San Jose State.  “Little Palace” was a small kitchen behind a doorway without a door (reminiscent of my time served in Florida), a soda machine against the back wall under the menu sign hanging 7 feet from the floor, a bar half with fast-food servers on the right, a cash machine in the middle, a folding counter (so they could get out), and a well-used tea kettle on the far left, with no more than 4 tables in the dining area that could possibly sit no more than 12 people at once, including those standing in line for take-out.  The words “Little Palace” hung on a wooden sign about 6.5 feet from the floor just above the fast-food servers, and that was the way I learned of the restaurant’s name.

Their Mongolian Chicken was possibly their best known dish.  At lunchtime, students would flock over and order at least that, if not more of the same for takeout.  I remember the day when Lisa took me there; it was a cold winter day, but the spice of the dish made it better.  We took takeout that day, and walked over to the school’s cafeteria to finish our meal.  It may have been the only time I was at that particular dining hall.  Possibly not.

Since that day, I’ve looked forward to tasting the simple delicacy.  It was found nowhere other than “Little Palace.”  Most restaurants serve Mongolian Beef, but not Chicken.  During the time I spent at San Jose State, I must have gone to that restaurant at least once a week, if not more.  But after graduating and moving from the area, we’ve frequented the charming hole-in-the-wall less and less.

Yesterday, on a trip south I decided to pay them a visit.  I remember the last time we tried a stop they were closed.  We assumed that it was for vacation or just bad timing.  This time, however, I took a closer look at the inside of the restaurant.

To my bitter disappointment, the hanging menu was gone, but most everything else still lay as it was the last time we were here.  The counter was quite dusty, and the cash machine was also not present.  The chairs were put on the tables as if to prevent them from collecting dust … appearing as if they were planning on coming back and wiping the tables clean so we could eat there again … never more.

Walking back to the car, I felt like I had lost something.  I almost felt like crying!  I believe it was such a dear part of my life that I couldn’t accept the fact that it was now gone.  “Little Palace” is now a memory of a time that reminds me how we struggled for financial survival.  I look at ourselves today and we seem much healthier than we were then.  Does this mean that the past is a distant memory, like “Little Palace”?

One of my pet peeves is the Christiano-evangelistic belief that animals and women are lower forms of life.

I have heard this statement all my life, “they don’t deserve to … because they’re animals, we’re people.”  Another variation is, “men should exercise authority in the house because we’re men; women should not extend their authority beyond what is necessary.”  I believe that this type of thinking is centuries past us.  I also believe that women should be respected for their opinions because they’re human beings too.  And as for animals, well, just because they can’t communicate with a Christian doesn’t make them less of a child of your “God.”

Why do we seem to be stuck in the past?  I’m positive these beliefs are contributors to what we call a “glass ceiling.”  It is also because of the belief that animals are as such, that we victimise them without thought, without remorse.

I have seen the effect that such views have on people’s opinions of themselves.  My dad had such judgments, and my mom almost bought into it.  Remember ValuJet 592?  The captain was a woman.  My mom asked me, “Are women really flawed?  Was your father right?”  Why did she even have to ask such a question?  Given the fact that Captain Candi Kubeck was not the one to blame, she was also the first female captain to perish in an aircraft tragedy.  This happened in 1996.  How many crashes have we seen up until that point?

Perhaps I’m being unfair; Christians aren’t the only ones to blame here, because I’m positive that women get less than fair treatment elsewhere in the world.  But Christians are those whom I have to deal with in my part of the world.  It’s really disappointing to think that despite their modern way of life, it has not really affected their antiquated belief system.

I don’t need to go into specifics about women having an effect on our world.  Nor do I have to go into specifics about animals either.

What do you think?

My friend Mike and I took a flight on his Lancair to see how the Kings Canyon fared over the lack of storms this season.  Pics can be found here.

Girl and boy, many many years ago, went to the same school together.  In the course of that snapshot of time, they became friends, closer friends, and eventually lovers.  High school sweethearts, of sorts.  The boy loved the girl more than anything in the world, and promised himself that no matter what, there would be nothing that would come between his love for her.  They shared much time together, went on secret dates with one another, even survived a meeting with the girl’s parents!

But youth, like most other good things, came to an end for them.  Events separated them.  Time passed.  Girl became woman.  She looked forward to a future of her own, unencumbered by her past, and hopeful for a bright life.  She moved away from her hometown and began a career.  In the course of time, she met her future husband.  They fell in love, married, and had 3 children.  Not long after in the grand scheme of things, her husband died a sudden death.  Her grief guided her, while her children’s needs would encourage her to continue her life as she was, alone, with the three she loved dearly.

And the boy became a man.  But he never moved on, in the whole sense of the words.  His life became his path, alone.  He made a living for himself, a way to spend his waking hours imagining that his girl was still with him.  Perhaps he had moved on, and just had never found the time for romance.  We will probably never know.

Fast forward a few more years.  Time had taken its toll on the two of them, still separated but not far from each other.  On his 60th birthday, the man decided to find her long-lost love from his past.  He searched for her far and wide, not realizing that she had been living only a short distance away.   He eventually learned that her husband had died early on in their marriage.  And eventually she learned that he had been looking for her.

Mutual friends make great networks!

Their long awaited marriage soon followed, despite her children’s protests.  Of course, no one can blame one’s children for being jealous that their mother had found a love she had lost.  Perhaps a little selfish, but it’s a natural human emotion.  Nevertheless, time had once again brought these two people, who had not seen each other for a generation, back into each other’s arms.  Just one more example of how timeless true love can be.

Oh, and they lived happily ever after.

*    *    *

This story is based on a true event between 2 of Lisa’s dad’s friends.  They had come to visit us recently, and despite a very tight schedule, I thought this story was worth having them here.  They were very learned old people, one of them even using a mobile w/ a hands-free device!  It’s hard to find an old Chinese person having the wherewithal to learn how to use these modern devices.  I personally miss the dial phone.  They came from New York, but I wish they lived here.  I hope they know they’re welcome here anytime!