General – Your Catchphrase Here

Using Mac OS X FileVault 2 Whole-Disk Encryption with Long Passwords

I’ve been using KeePass for years to store my passwords for all the various sites, servers, etc. that I need to access. As such, I have liberated myself from having to remember any of them and can therefore choose entirely unguessable, randomly-generated passwords for highly-secure things like, for instance, accessing my online back accounts. IContinue reading “Using Mac OS X FileVault 2 Whole-Disk Encryption with Long Passwords”

Firefox Sync Non-start

I’ve been using the Firefox 4.0 betas recently, and I just noticed that Firefox Sync is available without a plug-in. I had never used Firefox Sync before, but I currently have 32 tabs across 4 windows currently open in my 3.6.10 install and it would be nice to be able to open them all inContinue reading “Firefox Sync Non-start”

SVG external stylesheet fails to load in MSIE and Adobe SVG Plug-in

I recently because aware of a problem in CHADIS where our SVG images weren’t styling correctly in print previews: everything was black-and-white, except for a particular image that seemed fine. This was observed in MSIE 8 with the Adobe SVG plug-in, and also in Microsoft’s new MSIE 9 platform preview. Actually printing the image hadContinue reading “SVG external stylesheet fails to load in MSIE and Adobe SVG Plug-in”

Trapped DVD after a failed Snow Leopard Install on a Mac Mini

I have an Intel-based Mac Mini running Mac OS X Tiger that I tried to upgrade to Snow Leopard. After a failed install (not enough memory), the DVD stayed in the drive and, after the reboot, the whole process repeated. I was able to get the DVD out! Read on for details…

LiveHTTPHeaders in Firefox 3.5

One of my favorite Mozilla Firefox add-ons has always been LiveHTTPHeaders: you can observe the HTTP headers being sent to and received from the server when a web page is requested. You can even have it record a bunch of requests as you click through a site to see the entire series of transactions. OneContinue reading “LiveHTTPHeaders in Firefox 3.5”

Thanks, old hippie lady (seriously)

The other day, I was driving around and I saw a long-white-haired old woman carrying a hub cap and what looked like several small bags of garbage. Around here, this is usually an indication of some kind of pathology, and is accompanied by a shopping cart, inappropriate stocking-cap hat in the middle of summer, aContinue reading “Thanks, old hippie lady (seriously)”

Finding a decent laptop

I’m tech geek, but I’m a cheap one. I’m willing to pay or quality, but I also am not one of those people who waits overnight in front of stores to get the latest Shiny Thingâ„¢ so I can show all my friends how cool I am. I casually look for things all the time,Continue reading “Finding a decent laptop”

I Got a Dog, B

This week, Katie and I got a new dog. He and his littermates (8 brothers!) were born on Saint Patrick’s day, so we decided to give him an Irish namd: Paddy. His mother was a rather large Puggle, which is a mix of a Pug and a Beagle, and his father’s breed is unknown. HeContinue reading “I Got a Dog, B”

Interesting new WWW attack vector

While I suppose that using javascript for evil purposes isn’t exactly a new idea, Bruce Schneier has written a piece (also covered on Slashdot and, I’m sure, other places) about three guys who have developed an attack that royally screw most users’ ability to use their Internet connection again. AJAX, the magic pixie dust usedContinue reading “Interesting new WWW attack vector”

Blog moved to virtual host

The whine of my rack server has finally gotten to me. So, in spite of the home heating advantages, after more than 2 years of hosting my own website, blog, and mail server in my home, it’s time to get it out of here. I found a relatively low-cost virtual hosting plan where I haveContinue reading “Blog moved to virtual host”