Bob Metcalfe created the very first LAN. Here’s a Picture of the worlds First ethernet cable.
Bob went to the Bay Shore Public High School in Long Island NY, It’s not far from where I live now. Bob’s lead a fairly interesting life and has had quite a few accomplishments. Check out his wikipedia page (linked to with his name above)
Weekends for the summer have started off with a bang this year. We’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with friends and family. This past weekend we BBQ’d with a few friends in Malvarine LI (saturday). On Sunday we met up with some other friends in Brooklyn, they just had a baby so we finally got to meet her. She’s a beauty. When we got back to Ronkonkoma, we hosted a get together of our own. We drove out to the lake for a bit and then had dinner at Pollo Rico, a nice Columbian place out by us.
It’s nice to spend time with friends and family. I’m headed out at 12:30 to have a cigar at Manhattan Cigar. My friend Tony is a ragular there.
It’s been a while since I’ve made an update here, so this is as good a time as any. Since this site has been a way for friends and family to keep track of whats going on with me, I owe a little “fill-in”.
From previous posts you know that my wife and I purchased a new home. We’ve been working on the house when we have time. There are plenty of projects to do, but no real major overhauling. I’ve painted our den, and put a first coat on the living room. I love the color choices we’ve made. Here’s the living room color: Harbor Haze, I can’t find the color for the den on-line *sigh*. I’ve spent some time cleaning gutters, moving furniture, hiring landscapers/oil companies/sprinkler system people, etc. and of course cleaning.
While not working on the house, I’m enrolled in school this summer. I’m taking “UNIX/Linux Systems Programming”. It’s a lot of UNIX/C programming. Edging ever closer to my degree.
I’m working on the DC3 Challenge, though with everyting else going on, I haven’t had the time I’d like to dedicate to it. It’s basically an exercise in computer forensics that the Govt. does each year.
I start teaching the Red Hat class again this summer. We kick off the week of the 16th (holy crap, that’s next week!!)
The Gym, I’ve been working out regularly at World Gym. Just lifting weights and cardio stuff. I’m looking for a place to start boxing again, but I haven’t found a good place for MMA or Boxing near the new house yet. I’m generally critical of Boxing gyms, having worked out at Gleason’s Gym for a few years. As for MMA type gyms, they have odd schedules. The scheduled classes are during work hours. The last classes seem to always start at 7:00pm. That’s about when I’m getting off the train. I’d be able to make it to like one class a week, and they want to charge $150 a month. It hardly seems worth it. The other thing I’ve come across was MMA gyms that are really just cardio arobics classes for women. They don’t train as fighters and they don’t spar. The tip off on these places is the sign in the front window. If they advertise “Children’s Birthday Parties”, you may as well just drive on past. I’ll keep looking, sooner or later a place to train will click with me. In the meantime, World Gym is a great place to hit the weights and stay/get in shape.
I think that’s about all thats been going on with me. We haven’t booked any vacations yet, but we will over the next few weeks.
US: H-1B workers outnumber unemployed techies
Momorial Day Weekend is always a big event on Long Island. It marks the beginning of the Summer Season. Long Island kind of rocks all summer long. We have tons of beaches, BBQ’s, Lakes, Fishing, Boating, Hiking, Biking .. etc.
We had a great weekend. On Friday, we spent some time with some of my old High School friends in Flushing. We sat outside around the ol’ chiminea (outdoor fireplace), had a beer or two and smoked expensive cigars. It was great company and we didn’t get home till close to 3:30 in the morning. It was nice to get together with the boys.
Also this year, Rosie and I jumped on the Bridgeport Port Jefferson Ferry and took the quick trip to Ct. from our house. We BBQ’d, sat around other outdoor chimineas and went to the beach there over the weekend, and came back on the ferry Sunday Night.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the outdoor fireplaces, so on Monday, we picked one up ourselves. They aren’t terribly expensive, we got this one. I set it up last night, and sat out in the backyard next to my fire under the stars. It was quite nice.
For the last few semesters, I’ve been in the same class with a few other fellows. We’ve decided to undertake the DC3 Challenge this year. It seems like it’ll be a fun project to work on.
I’m taking Linux Systems Programming over the summer this year. I’m trying to finish up my course work by the end of the Spring Semester. Judging by the the syllabus for the class, it will be quite an educational Summer. I have a lot of experience as a UNIX/Linux C programmer, but we will be covering some interesting topics including pipes, sockets, shells, signals, etc. I’m really looking forward to this, it should be quite interesting.
worth a read:Outlaw Legends: Secrets of Russian Hackers
I keep saying that Russian and Chinese hackers are getting away with a lot more then they should. Nobody in the US is hacking anymore; perhaps we need a few good technical people here to start hitting back.
I went to my very first Long Island Ducks baseball game last night. They play in the town of Central Islip, a few towns away from us. While the Ducks are a professional baseball team, they are not apart of the MLB, you can check out the wikipedia on them which describes it a little better. Anyway, I had a great time. The ballpark was small enough that every seat in the house was a good one. You felt like you were right on top of the game. One of the nicest ballparks I’ve ever been in. I think I may actually like the Ducks better then the bigger NY teams (Mets/Yankees). The players probably aren’t on steroids. I’d started losing interest in MLB when all the steroid alligations started becoming public. MLB’s position of wrist slapping peeves me off. Players caught using steroids should be banned from the game. Period. We watch the sport because they are supposed to be the best athletes playing a stratigic game. Anyone can take performance enhancers. It’s cheating and it’s an unfair advantage.
Watching the Ducks play, one gets nostalgic for old time baseball. When players played because they loved the game, not because they were going to make millions in endorcement deals. These guys aren’t getting millions of dollars playing ball, but they play hard and they are good. If you like baseball, the tickets are cheap (in the $10-$15 range) and it’s a nice evening out. Here’s the Schedule, if you’re interested in taking in a game let me know, I’ll go with you. I’ll probably take my parents to a few games this year too. I think they’d like it. My Dad is a baseball (Yankees) nut. He loves a good game. Mom enjoys watching too.
The last few weeks have somewhat surprised me. I’ve become quite the do-it-yourselfer. Painting, cutting molding, patio furniture, cleaning gutters, potting plants, etc. There are endless little jobs to do around the house. It’s actually kind of fun. It makes me feel creative. I’ve watched a lot less TV since we’ve moved in.
Another thing I’ve taken to is sitting out in the yard. It.s so peaceful out there. It’s kind of like being in your own little world. I’ve got to get a bar-b-queue and a fire pit. critical path.