2008-12-20 20:54 | fche blog stuart words of the day
A few memorable words from Brat Jr. upon his birthday.
Read more...2008-12-20 09:00 | fche blog politics negative-sum game of government benefits
Here’s a simple fact – a truism really – one might keep in mind when thinking about things a government may do for or give to one.
Read more...2008-12-11 20:26 | fche blog politics he never had political relations with, er, that man
It’s hard to believe that anyone would want to rewrite history in such an amateurish way.
Many need their own wayback machine to keep even our guardians of truth (the press) honest.
2008-12-08 19:04 | fche blog politics what is good for gm is good for america
... but not in the way you might think. One good thing about this proposed bailout is that it would give the peons a glance at what happens within centrally planned economies. When the US federal government micromanages a company to the point that it tells it how many buses to make at assembly plants idled by reduced car demand, or what sorts of transportation its executives are allowed to use, a clusterfubar will not be not far behind. The spectacle should knock back down the naive eagerness of those who think the feds can do better micromanaging something really important, like the health care behemoth industry.
2008-12-04 15:55 | fche blog tech systemtap myths
To counter some mistaken information and impressions, I’ve started collecting a list of some myths about systemtap. Enjoy, to the extent such debunking can ever be enjoyed.
2008-11-24 15:02 | fche blog stuart thump thump
There are few toddler noises more entertaining than a spontaneous bunch of thumps from some corner of the house to the centre, as brat #2 starts to take his own toilet training seriously and thus runs.
2008-11-16 15:29 | fche blog enun-dorsals entrepreneurs vs. CEOs
Congrats, I guess, to the winners, but it sure seems ironic that Ernst & Young could use a refresher on what it means to be an "entrepreneur".Read more...
2008-10-31 14:23 | fche blog politics inspiration politics
I wonder if some of those voting for their favoring inspiring leader candidate can still exercise a scientific detachment about it all.
Read more...2008-10-29 16:14 | fche blog tech unseen, not unsaid
Most of a video interview between yours truly and the linux kernel summit organizers has been posted.
UPDATE: I somehow missed the presence in the video clip of a question I thought was skipped in the final edit. I am sorry for my mistake:
There was an additional question whose gist I’d like to note here. I expect its exclusion was due to factors other than political correctness.
I was asked about solaris dtrace. For the record, I remember saying something like that it was a fine tool, and appeared to be well designed considering the rather different constraints imposed by that development community. I wished that both of “us” would live long and prosper.
2008-09-24 22:18 | fche blog seriously humour
As of yesterday, all three other members of my family (Juimiin, 36.9; Eric, 3.8; Stuart, 1.7) are able to utter the following phrase, correctly and upon their own initiative: “No, no, no, stop that joke!”. I seem to get that a lot.
2008-08-29 11:31 | fche blog politics quality of his thought
The prize line from Wednesday’s Milt Rosenberg / Stanley Kurtz talk show affair comes at 37:10 into the program
Rosenberg: Barack Obama appeared once on this program, before he went to the state senate. ... I thought him a very graceful, interesting guy, with a rather impressive speaking manner, but was not necessarily much impressed by the quality of his thought …
2008-08-02 16:54 | fche blog enun-dorsals wowing the wife
Juimiin is not a fan of video games.
Read more...2008-07-19 22:36 | fche blog tech bang
Not to worry, there were no injuries, just a flash/bang in the wrong place, and a bit of powder-singed skin, when my Glock 35 misbehaved during a match last night.
Read more...2008-07-16 07:38 | fche blog politics prisoner exchange
If this is the way palestinians do a prisoner exchange, perhaps israel should return the favour by executing hezbollah terrorists on their way back across the border.
2008-07-11 01:42 | fche blog politics triple entendre
Here’s a pictorial summary of the Iranian missile fauxtography incident.
2008-07-04 11:48 | fche blog flying one thousand hours
I just passed 1000 logged flight hours, over the six years I’ve been at it.
2008-06-29 08:36 | fche blog politics courting the truth
There were two great court decisions brought to my attention this week.
Read more...2008-06-16 14:45 | fche blog eric innate knowledge
Conversation overheard today between wife and 3.5-year-old brat:
he: “What does this `blah blah blah’ mean?” (in a comic strip speech bubble)
she: “It means that this character is saying something, but no one is paying attention.”
he: “Just like Frank [says blah blah blah]?”
she: nods knowingly
2008-05-30 09:41 | fche blog politics choose Italy
SUSAN SARANDON, who appeared in three films last year and won kudos for her TV movie “Bernard and Doris,” is still not a contented soul. She says if John McCain gets elected, she will move to Italy or Canada. She adds, “It’s a critical time, but I have faith in the American people.”
2008-05-23 09:29 | fche blog politics obama the pollster
“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said.
“That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen,” he added.
How is one to understand that, except as begging for others’ approval for americans’ driving, eating, and heating habits?
2008-05-12 15:58 | fche blog flying don't worry, we're happy
While this article does talk about a Piper Aztec, and its accompanying photo is that of our very own bird, we were not involved in this incident from a few weeks back. Thanks for worrying though. The good-wish flowers may be wilting now, but the get-well cards will be nailed to our postman forever.
2008-05-12 08:54 | fche blog tech sorry boss
Life aboard an aircraft carrier, in 50ish easy-to-read pieces. Try not to read it all in one sitting, during work time.
2008-05-09 20:14 | fche blog eric request/response
Internal household mail conversation with the 3.5-year-old:
2008-05-07 10:20 | fche blog tech in praise of delegation and teamwork
I recently realized a little thing about leading a technical team.
Read more...2008-05-01 12:37 | fche blog seriously phrase of my day
“effete geopolitical yakyak”
2008-04-26 15:33 | fche blog eric, stuart back seat conversation
A mildly tearjerking moment occurred between our 3.4 and 1.3 year old brats. It took both of them quite some effort.
Eric: “Stuart, can I have some raisins please?”
Stuart: ... thinks about it, hands one over
Eric: “Thank you.”
Later, the little rascal tricked the big one:
Eric: “Stuart, can I have some more raisins please?”
Stuart: ... thinks about it, hands one over, pulls it back at the last moment, and eats it with a grin.
Eric: ... not impressed
2008-04-23 15:12 | fche blog tech olpc conundrum
The current crisis in the OLPC project is painful to watch. Here are some of the complications, as I see them.
Read more...2008-04-17 09:42 | fche blog seriously use the shvarts, luke
I hardly know anything at all on the topic of the very lovely and talented Aliza Shvarts. She’s undoubtedly headed for great heights of fame and accomplishment — at least amongst her social clique.
One bit is less of a mystery though. If this picture is indeed hers, it helps explain why her disgusting stunt supposedly required artificial insemination.
2008-04-13 08:49 | fche blog stuart spelling
This morning, our 1.3-year-old brat assembled the word “M” “I” “L” “K” from big foam letters in his bedroom, then expressed a desire to go downstairs and drink some.
2008-04-09 10:58 | fche blog tech advice to prospective interns
In my day job, I am occasionally involved in hiring, and rarely even of those fresh out of school. Here are a few bits of advice that may improve your prospects with someone like I.
Read more...2008-03-24 08:00 | fche blog seriously in praise of awareness
It’s hard to outdo this article about the fashionable trend for “activism” in order to raise “awareness”. If you support “earth hour”‘s effort to cut electricity use 5-10% in certain locales next saturday night, let me make you aware of a simple mathematical fact. Even 10% savings over the course of the entire hour translates to a rather unwhopping 0.0011% savings over the rest of the year. Good job though, keep it up.
UPDATE during earth hour:
2008-03-15 15:16 | fche blog flying FJES
Interesting coincidence: my family’s first names’ initials, in decreasing order of age are: F, J, E, S.
One of the first airplanes I learned to fly in was called C-FJES.
2008-03-11 12:14 | fche blog enun-dorsals a customer has spoken
Echoing this EU Referendum article, I will send somewhat less money across the pond – and none to the New Scientist magazine.
Read more...2008-03-09 19:29 | fche blog tech why anti-snow car lasers don't work
When I was about ten (?) years old, I had the brilliant idea that cars should carry laser beams in order to melt snow they’re about to drive on. My father, an engineer, said just that it couldn’t work, but didn’t explain that day why not. To dash the dreams of future youth with the same idea, let me spell out now why not.
Read more...2008-02-24 19:34 | fche blog politics longest disservice
In an interesting turn of phrase, on the Fox News website, there is a featured article entitled World’s Longest-Serving Leaders After Fidel Castro. While in the west, “public service” is an acceptable synonym for working in some level of the government, it is surely an error to apply the term to dictators, such as just about all on that list. They do not serve – they dictate. It’s a whole different world – something not acknowledged by naively reusing local idioms.
2008-02-21 18:37 | fche blog politics in praise of the enemy
Fidel Castro’s recent self-eulogy (er, “resignation letter”), and its favourable presentation by the modern media is another delightful demonstration of the absurdity of some aspects of the modern left. The same journalist that praises Castro is invincibly ignorant of Castro’s explicit intent to nuke the USA (=> the journalist and/or her parents) during the Cuban Missile Crisis. (That’s according to McNamara’s first-hand account in The Fog of War),
It reminds one of modern gay/feminist/...ist activists allying themselves with islamists – not apparently realizing that their “allies” would have them killed if they only could.
2008-02-20 23:49 | fche blog enun-dorsals a thrilling billing
I received an invoice today from the local toll highway company. It is for $0.01.
Read more...2008-02-20 22:07 | fche blog eric no superman
In the “kids say the …est things” category, I was unable to convince our 3.2-year-old that I am a super man. Instead, “you are an ancient, gigantic man.”. Thanks, kid.
2008-02-10 22:47 | fche blog tech systemtap-based band-aid for linux kernel vmsplice exploit
So it turns out that once in a long while, slashdot serves to notify one of interesting news. If you are looking for a temporary band-aid to patch over this linux kernel security bug, consider the following systemtap script. While running, it will neuter all sys_vmsplice calls by overwriting one of the incoming parameters.
# stap -g -e 'probe syscall.vmsplice {
printf("blocking vmsplice (%s) uid %d pid %d exec %s\n", argstr, uid(), pid(), execname())
$nr_segs = 0
}'
blocking vmsplice (4, 0x00007fff25697ac0, 1, 0x0) uid 500 pid 32475 exec a.out
blocking vmsplice (4, 0x00007fff8c1da600, 1, 0x0) uid 500 pid 32476 exec a.out
blocking vmsplice (4, 0x00007fff71aaeed0, 1, 0x0) uid 500 pid 32477 exec a.out
blocking vmsplice (4, 0x00007fff215efa10, 1, 0x0) uid 500 pid 32478 exec a.out
UPDATE: If your systemtap doesn’t understand “syscall.vmsplice”, add this piece into
the script and try again:
probe syscall.vmsplice = kernel.function("sys_vmsplice") ? {
name = "vmsplice"
argstr = sprintf("%d, %p, %d, 0x%x", $fd, $iov, $nr_segs, $flags)
}
Hey, why not keep it running until you install a patched kernel and are ready to boot into it?
2008-02-10 14:24 | fche blog eric tear of the day
This morning, our 3.2-year old Eric was browsing through our picture album on the web. He took a closer look at this one:
He then asked: “What is the name of that baby?”. Then he answered “Stuart” (his 1.1-year old brother).
When I corrected him: “Eric Dreman Eigler”, he paused, looking puzzled. Then, with a little smile, the conclusion: “I was young, I was a baby.”.
2008-02-06 21:54 | fche blog tech not the systemtap logo
Combine a few minutes of sitting in a sleet blizzard with a panasonic toughbook tablet,
and this is what can result.
2008-01-30 19:08 | fche blog stuart first kiss
One day I will be sad to remind Stuart (age 1.1) that his very first kiss with a girl was with … his cousin Leigh.
To his credit, Leigh (age 1.0) forced herself on him. Repeatedly.
2008-01-22 14:01 | fche blog seriously Marines
People like these make me wish to be younger and more American.
2008-01-13 08:45 | fche blog eric, stuart brotherly conduct
Eric, aged 3.1, and Stuart, aged 1.0, are getting along better by the day.
Read more...2008-01-11 15:33 | fche blog seriously tonal fallacy
For those of us who communicate online on contentious subjects, debates often degenerate.
Read more...