My son likes tools. I hope that he keeps getting better at using them and he’ll know more by the time he’s 12 than I do now. To get him started I needed a real workbench for him, which is his own. I’ve been planning this for a while, and finally got it done. Here …
Continue reading Start-em early, workbench for my 2-year-oldI was looking for a script like this and for some reason was unable to find one. I’m sure every sysadmin has something like this, but maybe not. It’s helpful for cases when you have only one server without any kind of load balancing and one day it simply runs out of memory (or disk …
Continue reading Monitor linux server memory/filesystems and email/reboot when lowI first thought this was a joke, but it isn’t. Someone actually ran a study about how well people can detect bullshit. And the result is a wonderfully-written paper (which I’ll copy here, because the original will probably get its URL changed). I haven’t finished reading it yet (my attention span isn’t what it used …
Continue reading On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshitI wanted to build this for a long time. I hate looking through random boxes for a socket that’s 1mm larger or smaller than another socket which almost fits the nut I’m taking off :) Part of the problem is that all the large socket sets you can buy have some sizes missing. Even the …
Continue reading DIY portable socket organizerSince I expect this to be a long post, I’ll give you the answer at the top: both are in-effect critical sections, you should avoid performing unnecessary operations there at all cost. Or else it will cost you and other people days, months, years of wasted time. POSIX Signals I’ll start with a story about …
Continue reading What does a POSIX signal handler and an SQL transaction have in common?Everyone disables SELinux, it’s annoying! Hah! I’ve been saying that for years and years, but the quote above isn’t mine, it’s from Scott McCarty‘s security talk at LinuxCon 2016. The room was full of other Linux Pros and the statement was followed by way more nods than grimaces :) SELinux zealotry reminds me of the …
Continue reading Everyone disables SELinux, it’s annoying!I vaguely remember there was a time when I had a one-page resume. I also remember that time didn’t last long. I’m baffled when I get resumes how many of them are two bullets long, especially in our industry (software). Lots has been said and written about how it helps your professional career to work …
Continue reading Awesome Student ChecklistSometimes I don’t understand the world. One of the things I couldn’t understand is why it is so difficult to find an online clock that is simple and can be resized. For years I would google “clock” and variations of that, and all I would get back was crappy small digital clocks on pages 80%-full …
Continue reading Test/Exam clockHah! I didn’t even make that one up: Do What the Fuck You Want to Public License. It should have been “whatever” not “what”, which kind of sucks, makes it look like an illiterate 15-year-old american came up with it. I found it because uMap (an awesome piece of software I’m sure I‘ll write about …
Continue reading WTFPLThis sewing machine came with the house I bought, and it came with a manual. But it’s missing the bobbin case. I couldn’t find any information about it, not who made it, not where to get parts, nothing. But I found someone who really wanted the manual, cause they had the machine with no manual. …
Continue reading Beaumark 2300, 3100, and 3300 sewing machine manual