jc blog - tales of a modern-day nomadic hunter-gatherer

Follow jcomeau_ictx on Twitter This is the weblog of Intrepid Wanderer. You never know what you might find here; graphic descriptions of bodily functions, computer programming secrets, proselytizing for the antichrist, miscellaneous ranting and kvetching, valuable information on living off the land... if you don't share my rather weird interests you may want to try slashdot instead.

You can consider my Del.icio.us links an extension to my blog, as are my LifeTango goals and my other to-do items. My to-buy list is also public, but only for sharing any useful ideas that might be there; I'm not requesting charity, neither do I offer it.

You can find me easily in google searches, as jcomeau, jcomeau_ictx, or jcomeauictx. There are lots of other jcomeaus, but AFAIK I'm the only jcomeau_ictx out there so far.

If you want to comment on anything you see here, try the new Facebook comments, reachable by clicking the "[comment]" link at the end of each post. If for some reason that isn't working, go ahead and email me, jc.unternet.net. You know what to do with the first dot. Make the 'subject' line something reasonably intelligent-looking or it goes plunk! into the spambasket unread.

This RSS feed may or may not work. Haven't fiddled with it in forever. RSS Feed


2014-09-28-1650Z

the batch of watercress kraut went bad and I had to throw it out. either I need to add a lot more salt (added another 1.5tsp to the original 1 and it still wasn't enough) or I need to follow the known-good strategy of adding the watercress to an existing batch.

toe still painful though the scab is smaller. that infection just won't quit. and my elbow was doing fine on Big River a couple days ago until the return trip, when fighting a stiff wind caused the joint pain again. I should really quit paddling for a month or two. [comment]

2014-09-25-0230Z

my prototype expanding sail got a few steps closer to completion today. and yes, I'll remember all you schm^H^H^H^Hfine folks when I'm rich and famous.

also replaced the wrist seals on the drysuit I got for $100 plus shipping on eBay. if I didn't botch it, I will have gotten a damned good deal. I'll likely be testing in off the Mendocino coast over the next few days. [comment]

2014-09-24-0527Z

I rarely run a security audit on my servers. here's one:

root@hetzner2 ~ # grep -v cron /var/log/auth.log | grep Failed | awk '{print $11}' | sort | uniq -c
    473 116.255.183.148
      1 122.141.251.42
    153 122.225.109.118
    166 122.225.109.195
    247 122.225.109.211
    197 122.225.109.216
    287 122.225.109.219
    279 122.225.109.220
     78 122.225.109.98
      4 193.104.41.10
      1 209.239.114.179
    208 211.72.184.100
   6546 219.138.135.62
    278 219.138.135.66
      2 221.131.71.123
   2391 222.186.34.119
     12 27.254.33.142
      8 61.152.108.18
    113 61.174.51.194
    240 61.174.51.199
    449 61.174.51.207
    230 61.174.51.219
    271 61.174.51.222
      5 61.234.104.167
      2 a
      8 abc123
    381 admin
     12 adrian
     32 aion
     29 alex
     14 angel
     16 anna
     27 apache
      9 asp
     23 asterisk
      9 asteriskpbx
     14 ben
      1 bwadmin
      2 cmsftp
      2 cpter1
     13 cyrus
     18 daniel
      2 dasusr1
     16 david
      2 db2admin
      2 db2fenc1
      4 db2inst
     19 db2inst1
     12 debian
     24 deploy
     28 deployer
     17 dev
      2 devdata
     34 developer
     23 ec2-user
      6 eric
     26 ftp
     14 ftp1
     28 ftpuser
      2 ftpuser1
      1 george
      6 getmail
      2 gfep
     59 git
      1 gitlab
      4 gitolite
      1 gitorious
      4 gitosis
      3 gituser
      1 gouveia1
      1 gpadmin
      3 guest
     23 hadoop
      2 haibis
     14 hannes
      1 hbistc
      1 hduser
     10 henny
      3 hexiao
      2 hmsftp
      1 homes
     16 hostmaster
      2 hqq
      2 hsm
     17 hudson
      3 icinga
      1 ims
     21 info
      2 informix
     15 ispconfig
      2 jannik
     22 jason
      2 jbc
     24 jboss
     49 jenkins
     35 jira
     18 joomla
     15 juan
     11 kartel
     14 kevin
      1 kubota
      1 laci
      1 liangxiao
      1 linux
      1 lisendong
      2 lshapps
      2 lshora
      1 machenglong
     20 mailer
      1 mantis
     15 martin
      1 mas
      1 mc
     50 minecraft
      1 minidlna
      1 mircte
      1 mlog
      1 mobilenetgames
      1 mongodb
      1 moni
      9 moodle
      1 mpos
      1 mumble
      1 muraki
      2 mxque
      5 mysql
      4 mythtv
      2 nag1os
     40 nagios
      1 nagios1
      1 nagios2
      1 nagios3
      1 nagios5
      1 nani
      1 nexus
      2 nginx
      1 nicole
      1 nitin
      2 niuchao
     17 noreply
     16 no-reply
      1 notice
      1 openbraov
     31 openbravo
      1 openvpn
      6 oprofile
     31 oracle
      1 oracle1
      1 oracle11g
      1 oracle2
      1 orsap
      1 orsapinf
     23 otrs
      3 patrol
     13 pedro
      1 pervuhina
      3 pgsql
      6 pi
      2 portal
      7 posp
     28 postgres
      1 praveen
      1 public
      1 qma
     12 qtss
      3 rashed
      1 ravikanth
      6 recruit
      4 redis
     35 redmine
      1 report
      1 resim
      1 righa
     11 rsync
      2 rts
     21 share
      6 support
     18 svn
     62 teamspeak
     41 teamspeak3
     10 test
      7 test1
      2 test123
      1 test1234
      5 test2
      6 test3
      5 test4
      6 testuser
     14 tom
     26 tomcat
     11 tomcat5
     13 tomcat6
     11 tomcat7
      2 trade
     44 ts
     38 ts3
      2 ubnt
     19 upload
     25 usuario
      5 usuario1
      6 usuario2
      2 web
     25 webadmin
      2 weblogic
      2 webuser
     24 wordpress
      9 wp
     20 www
     12 wwwrun
      8 xyz
     39 zabbix
[comment]

2014-09-23-0041Z

couldn't find a 15mm cone wrench in either bike shop, Big 5, or Dick's. bummer.

wildgathered some watercress on the way home, and am attempting to brine pickle it by itself. previously I've added it to sauerkraut with good success, but this is the first time I'm trying it by itself. [comment]

2014-09-22-2241Z

again someone left behind their chips and salsa at Lola's, but the addition of a $3.25 Victoria plus my $2.05 chicharrón put the total at around $5.50. still an affordable and filling lunch, however unhealthy. [comment]

2014-09-22-1805Z

can anyone explain to me the issue with FairTax and interstate commerce? an online friend just brought it up, and it's bugging me. I want to be able to continue advocating for it, but if it expands the federal government's powers I can't. [comment]

2014-09-22-0554Z

heelwheels exist! I don't need to reinvent the wheel, heh heh. now just got to finish my expanding sail prototype! [comment]

2014-09-22-0355Z

made some simple biscuits with my leftover pastured lard and butter (about 1 cup), 2 cups whole wheat flour (unbleached white probably better, but I used what I had), 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp baking powder, and a cup of water (milk called for), baked at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. I put another part of the batch in my Dutch oven, atop an inverted rattan tray, on the stovetop with high heat for 10 minutes, and then wrapped in my down vest as a haybox. both cooked okay, but those in the Dutch oven were ruined thanks to some old vegetable oil I had left in it to keep it from rusting; the oil turned to tar and the rancid smoke permeated the biscuits.

I also bought an organic avocado to eat the pit, besides of course the flesh, along with the grass-fed Estancia beef with which I made burgers. I didn't have to smash it with a hammer; I was able to slice through it, and flake it with a zester. I ate the leftover pieces and they were quite bitter. the flakes turned a dark orange in just a few minutes. I can't say as to how much nutritional value there is, but at least I'm not dead yet. [comment]

2014-09-22-0146Z

got the sore toe soaked in Tomales Bay today, and the scab softened and mostly peeled off. it looked really yucky, infected. when we got home, I chewed a piece of narrow-leaf plantain and applied it with a band-aid, as a poultice. let's see how this works.

bought an organic avocado at Petaluma Market. going to try and mash up the seed and eat it, after finding out on Facebook the other day that it's not only edible, but a superfood. [comment]

2014-09-18-2100Z

urban foraging report: piece of chicharrón con carne at Lola's, $1.55; corn chips someone left behind, a fig from the tree at Rainier and Maria, and some plums from the footpath along the creek approaching G & G, all free. scored some good deals on Estancia grass-fed beef and ground lamb. [comment]

2014-09-18-0727Z

so, got my 10 cu. ft. acetylene cylinder filled for $24 plus tax today at Praxair in Santa Rosa. on the way back, the bus developed an air leak and we had to wait a half hour or so for a replacement bus close to SRJC. finally got home to dinner at about 2000: carnitas and rice. yum. [comment]

2014-09-18-0031Z

mission accomplished. on the way back to Petaluma. [comment]

2014-09-15-2224Z

finally found the Carpobrotus fruit at the prime ripeness, here at Doran: it has a sweet, gooey center with hundreds of tiny seeds surrounded by the salty flesh of the plant. the dried fruits, which are way more numerous, are more salty than sweet, and have some spiciness. neither had the bitter flavor I always used to notice while eating the leaves. [comment]

2014-09-15-0050Z

finally finished rebuilding the freewheel on my Kinetic bike, Copout in Blue. however, the damned thing still doesn't work; it "freewheels" both directions.

cooking up some meatball sauce and will put the spaghetti on shortly thereafter. having a little Tin Roof zinfandel while it's cooking. tomorrow we start our little campout at Doran. [comment]

2014-09-13-0431Z

made popcorn tonight in the Bennington microwave popper I scored at a thrift store for about $3 some years ago, for the first time in a long time. this experiment was to use organic virgin coconut oil while popping, and add the butter and salt afterwards. came out excellent. ingredients: organic popcorn, organic extra virgin coconut oil, Kerrygold butter, sea salt. basically guilt-free popcorn. [comment]

2014-09-12-1402Z

guess I didn't have to buy a ticket. Caltrain accepts Clipper. $7 to Mountain View. [comment]

2014-09-12-1354Z

4th street sidewalk closed at Catalina; take 5th to Caltrain. [comment]

2014-09-12-1126Z

coffee: $1; slice of pepperoni pizza: $1; 2.5 oz bag of potato chips: $1. I'd forgotten how tasty and affordable a 7-11 breakfast can be. [comment]

2014-09-12-1019Z

the Petaluma public restroom on Putnam Plaza is open in the wee hours of the morning. I had expected it to be locked. however, the light didn't come on. luckily I have a headlamp. [comment]

2014-09-11-2355Z

going to the south bay tomorrow to pick up some welding supplies. anybody wanna meet for coffee or a beer? [comment]

2014-09-11-0928Z

wrote a Bash/ImageMagick script to generate "memes" (what I call netmemes) spoofing USA Uncut's "the opposite of what America does" blather. like those 4chan spoofs of the Brady Campaign's anti-gun propaganda, my idea is to outdo them in their socialist zeal, making graphics that they'll likely accept as their own, but hopefully will come back to bite them in the ass. my first, as generated by the script with no args, has Nicos Anastasiades bragging about seizing money from all bank accounts in Cyprus. it expects the image from Wikipedia to have been downloaded into ~/downloads/ before running. [comment]

2014-09-10-1903Z

voting is a hot topic. lots of anarchists eschew the whole concept, claiming that is simply perpetuates an evil system, but their arguments seem to fall apart when it comes to voting down new taxes and such. boycotting those votes has immediate consequences in the form of new state power.

but let's for the moment assume voting can help and decide how to vote effectively. whipsawing between the two evils of Democrat and Republican candidates has over time eroded all of our rights. both David Friedman and Thomas L. Knapp have mentioned the Socialist Party's "spoiler" strategy as being successful at getting both major parties to adopt their platform, plank by plank. I believe that can work for freedom-minded people as well; voting one's conscience, and making lackadaisical "allies" lose elections, will eventually pressure them into taking our concerns seriously. what else will? [comment]

2014-09-07-0034Z

add to my resume that I can overhaul a Pavoni espresso machine. the group gasket had hardened to where I basically had to chisel it out, and the snap ring had rusted solidly to the top of the group cylinder. I had to first pry out the brass washer and then pound against the remainder of the snap ring to free it, after liberally applying Liquid Wrench. finally the damned thing works without leaks. oh, and I had to clean both screens with a needle, punching out the scale and/or coffee grounds in every goddamned hole. probably less than it takes to fill the Albert Hall though. [comment]

2014-09-06-2232Z

one of the quickest and least resource-intensive ways to mitigate poison oak rash: soak a washcloth and wring it out. stick it in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds on high, and quickly apply to the affected area. rapidly alleviates the itching. [comment]

2014-09-06-2225Z

so all this time I thought I had to wait until my Tracfone service was almost over before I could reorder and add 90 days. but after reading the FAQ I decided to see if the rollover were really true. ordered 3 60-minute cards from Pinzoo, entered the codes in one after the other, and now I have 275 service days remaining. cool! I won't have to worry about coming back from Mexico just to extend my service. and it cost less than $60 for 9 months. I use the phone so rarely, I don't even care about the minutes. [comment]

2014-09-05-0252Z

so after 24 hours of WD-40, the freewheel stopped binding. but shortly thereafter, it also stopped engaging; now it spins both ways. can't fucking win with this shit. got to move beyond bicycle technology; it sucks rocks.

almost fucking killed myself today tooling down B street with the drysuit in a box for shipping back to the seller. the box was in a big duffel, which started rubbing against the rear wheel. when I figured that out, I swung it up and over the handlebars. promptly I lost control of the bicycle and swung out into the traffic lane. luckily no cars were passing by, so I'm still alive, but my sandal was ripped off by the force of my foot striking the pavement, my left sock was ripped to shreds, and my big toe has a nasty scrape. [comment]

2014-09-04-0328Z

noticed this morning my balls were itching horribly and then realized that they hadn't been for a long time. remember when I was posting about it being a chronic thing? well, at some point it must have stopped; and due apparently to the urushiol contact dermatitis, it's back.

tried both camphorweed (just rubbing the leaves against the rash) and red pepper flakes in heated coconut oil today. the camphorweed, directly, didn't seem to do anything. the capsicum oil took a while to act, but did reduce the itching after maybe a half hour, and lasting for over an hour. worth more exploration IMO. [comment]

2014-09-03-0500Z

used the hot water treatment to relieve the itching. my successful (unchallenged) edit to the Wikipedia article could be one of the greater contributions towards mitigating human suffering I've managed so far. [comment]

2014-09-03-0410Z

tried cayenne pepper powder on my itchy contact-dermatitis skin. doesn't seem to help, so far. [comment]

2014-09-02-1249Z

for 3 days now the downtown Starbucks's ATT wifi hasn't worked on the Android browser; neither the Connect button nor the ad link worked, and the ad at the top of the page didn't even attempt to load. but Firefox was able to connect.

the poison oak finally hit; it's all over my lower back. resisting the urge to scratch, but at times I forget and give in. [comment]

2014-09-02-0259Z

another experiment today, less life-threatening than yesterday's. bought about 1.25 pounds of Progressive Pastures London broil, a bunch each of organic leeks, organic carrots, and organic broccolini, and a half pound of Kerrygold butter, all at Petaluma Market. cut the beef into big chunks and marinated it for a half hour in equal parts homemade kraut juice and soy sauce. then browned it in the skillet with butter, on all sides; added back the marinade, and topped it off with a bottle of Anchor California Lager. salted and peppered, heated it to boiling, then let it simmer on low for about 2.5 hours. partway into that, I added the chopped-up veggies along with the kraut that got into the mix with the juice.

I also made a loaf of whole wheat bread, my usual ad-hockery with the 6 vital ingredients: water, yeast, flour, salt, oil, and sugar. I first tried some of my xylitol but the yeast didn't seem to act on it, so I added some cane sugar. used butter for the oil. baked for a half hour at 350 Fahrenheit.

the stew smelled horrible for the first hour at least but tasted good. it started smelling better towards the end. all in all, it was a tasty and fairly healthy meal. and I've got leftovers to last me till tomorrow night. [comment]

2014-09-01-0201Z

hiked and climbed a cliff to get from Doran beach to the mouth of Estero Americano. got some photos if they came out, might post to Facebook later. [comment]

view blog for 2024-03
view blog for 2024-02
view blog for 2023-10
view blog for 2023-09
view blog for 2023-08
view blog for 2023-07
view blog for 2023-06
view blog for 2023-05
view blog for 2023-03
view blog for 2023-02
view blog for 2023-01
view blog for 2022-12
view blog for 2022-11
view blog for 2022-10
view blog for 2022-09
view blog for 2022-08
view blog for 2022-07
view blog for 2022-06
view blog for 2022-05
view blog for 2022-04
view blog for 2022-03
view blog for 2022-02
view blog for 2022-01
view blog for 2021-12
view blog for 2021-11
view blog for 2021-10
view blog for 2021-08
view blog for 2021-07
view blog for 2021-06
view blog for 2021-05
view blog for 2021-04
view blog for 2021-03
view blog for 2021-02
view blog for 2021-01
view blog for 2020-12
view blog for 2020-11
view blog for 2020-10
view blog for 2020-09
view blog for 2020-08
view blog for 2020-07
view blog for 2020-06
view blog for 2020-05
view blog for 2020-04
view blog for 2020-03
view blog for 2020-02
view blog for 2020-01
view blog for 2019-12
view blog for 2019-11
view blog for 2019-10
view blog for 2019-09
view blog for 2019-08
view blog for 2019-07
view blog for 2019-06
view blog for 2019-05
view blog for 2019-04
view blog for 2019-03
view blog for 2019-02
view blog for 2019-01
view blog for 2018-12
view blog for 2018-11
view blog for 2018-10
view blog for 2018-09
view blog for 2018-08
view blog for 2018-07
view blog for 2018-06
view blog for 2018-05
view blog for 2018-04
view blog for 2018-03
view blog for 2018-02
view blog for 2018-01
view blog for 2017-12
view blog for 2017-11
view blog for 2017-10
view blog for 2017-09
view blog for 2017-08
view blog for 2017-07
view blog for 2017-06
view blog for 2017-05
view blog for 2017-04
view blog for 2017-03
view blog for 2017-02
view blog for 2017-01
view blog for 2016-12
view blog for 2016-11
view blog for 2016-10
view blog for 2016-09
view blog for 2016-08
view blog for 2016-07
view blog for 2016-06
view blog for 2016-05
view blog for 2016-04
view blog for 2016-03
view blog for 2016-02
view blog for 2016-01
view blog for 2015-12
view blog for 2015-11
view blog for 2015-10
view blog for 2015-09
view blog for 2015-08
view blog for 2015-07
view blog for 2015-06
view blog for 2015-05
view blog for 2015-04
view blog for 2015-03
view blog for 2015-02
view blog for 2015-01
view blog for 2014-12
view blog for 2014-11
view blog for 2014-10
view blog for 2014-08
view blog for 2014-07
view blog for 2014-06
view blog for 2014-05
view blog for 2014-04
view blog for 2014-03
view blog for 2014-02
view blog for 2014-01
view blog for 2013-12
view blog for 2013-11
view blog for 2013-10
view blog for 2013-09
view blog for 2013-08
view blog for 2013-07
view blog for 2013-06
view blog for 2013-05
view blog for 2013-04
view blog for 2013-03
view blog for 2013-02
view blog for 2013-01
view blog for 2012-12
view blog for 2012-11
view blog for 2012-10
view blog for 2012-09
view blog for 2012-08
view blog for 2012-07
view blog for 2012-06
view blog for 2012-05
view blog for 2012-04
view blog for 2012-03
view blog for 2012-02
view blog for 2012-01
view blog for 2011-12
view blog for 2011-11
view blog for 2011-10
view blog for 2011-09
view blog for 2011-08
view blog for 2011-07
view blog for 2011-06
view blog for 2011-05
view blog for 2011-04
view blog for 2011-03
view blog for 2011-02
view blog for 2011-01
view blog for 2010-12
view blog for 2010-11
view blog for 2010-10
view blog for 2010-09
view blog for 2010-08
view blog for 2010-07
view blog for 2010-06
view blog for 2010-05
view blog for 2010-04
view blog for 2010-03
view blog for 2010-02
view blog for 2010-01
view blog for 2009-12
view blog for 2009-11
view blog for 2009-10
view blog for 2009-09
view blog for 2009-08
view blog for 2009-07
view blog for 2009-06
view blog for 2009-05
view blog for 2009-04
view blog for 2009-03
view blog for 2009-02
view blog for 2009-01
view blog for 2008-12
view blog for 2008-11
view blog for 2008-10
view blog for 2008-09
view blog for 2008-08
view blog for 2008-07
view blog for 2008-06
view blog for 2008-05
view blog for 2008-04
view blog for 2008-03
view blog for 2008-02
view blog for 2008-01
view blog for 2007-12
view blog for 2007-11
view blog for 2007-10
view blog for 2007-09
view blog for 2007-08
view blog for 2007-07
view blog for 2007-06
view blog for 2007-05
view blog for 2007-04
view blog for 2007-03
view blog for 2007-02
view blog for 2007-01
view blog for 2006-12
view blog for 2006-11
view blog for 2006-10
view blog for 2006-09
view blog for 2006-08
view blog for 2006-07
view blog for 2006-06
view blog for 2006-05
view blog for 2006-04
view blog for 2006-03
view blog for 2006-02
view blog for 2006-01
view blog for 2005-12
view blog for 2005-11
view blog for 2005-10
view blog for 2005-09
view blog for 2005-08
view blog for 2005-07
view blog for 2005-06
view blog for 2005-05
view blog for 2005-04
view blog for 2005-03
view blog for 2005-02
view blog for 2005-01
view blog for 2004-12
view blog for 2004-11
view blog for 2004-10
view blog for 2004-09
view blog for 2004-08
view blog for 2004-07
view blog for 2004-06
view blog for 2004-05
view blog for 2004-04
view blog for 2004-03
view blog for 2004-02
view blog for 2004-01
view blog for 2003-12

Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional

Valid CSS!