I've created a password generator inspired by XKCD 936: Password Strength and xkpasswd.net. Have a look!
https://github.com/chleggett/chbspasswd
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
On Open Source
I haven't been feeling well lately. I have had a sinus infection and the steroid that I am taking is keeping me up at nights. On the plus side, I have had a few hours each morning to work on an open source application that I am developing.
It is nothing groundbreaking, just a simple utility that does a simple thing (more details later). I am releasing it under the GPLv3. I smile when I say that because this is my first open source project and I have been constantly impressed, since my introduction to Linux, that guys and girls all over the world write code and give it away freely to benefit anyone who can use or enhance it for their needs.
It is this willingness to share and collaborate that has changed the world so dramatically over the past few years. It is an exciting time to be alive!
http://opensource.com
It is nothing groundbreaking, just a simple utility that does a simple thing (more details later). I am releasing it under the GPLv3. I smile when I say that because this is my first open source project and I have been constantly impressed, since my introduction to Linux, that guys and girls all over the world write code and give it away freely to benefit anyone who can use or enhance it for their needs.
It is this willingness to share and collaborate that has changed the world so dramatically over the past few years. It is an exciting time to be alive!
http://opensource.com
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Just sit.
Well, I made it. Thanks to a heaping helping of good old fashion peer pressure, aka encouragement, I attended my first formal Zen service at the Atlanta Soto Zen Center (ASZC).
I have had it on my calendar every Sunday since we moved to Atlanta back in February. Now, that is not very long so, you may think "big deal, you made it within a couple of weeks".
However, my interest in sitting a formal practice goes back years. I attended a newcomers orientation with the group in Athens but, I could never bring myself to attend a service.
I had been intimidated by the three 25 minute periods of zazen separated by 5 minutes of kinhin.
How could I make it? The longest I had attempted on my cushion at home was 15 minutes.
The support that I received from my friends and the ASZC orientation were enough to give me the confidence to "get over myself".
Here's to my many mindful moments past, future, and of course present.
I have had it on my calendar every Sunday since we moved to Atlanta back in February. Now, that is not very long so, you may think "big deal, you made it within a couple of weeks".
However, my interest in sitting a formal practice goes back years. I attended a newcomers orientation with the group in Athens but, I could never bring myself to attend a service.
I had been intimidated by the three 25 minute periods of zazen separated by 5 minutes of kinhin.
How could I make it? The longest I had attempted on my cushion at home was 15 minutes.
The support that I received from my friends and the ASZC orientation were enough to give me the confidence to "get over myself".
Here's to my many mindful moments past, future, and of course present.
Monday, April 08, 2013
Panther Creek Trail to Yonah Dam
My brother-in-law, Steven, and I went on an excellent backpacking trip over the weekend. We hiked the Panther Creek Trail to Yonah Dam and back the next day.
The terrain to the main attraction, Panther Creek Falls, is well marked with moderate terrain and just a few technical spots. The trail beyond the falls is the opposite. It is marked but, only in the opposite direction and isn't well maintained or frequently used.
Unless you really want to see it, don't go all the way to the Dam. It is an extra 2 miles along a road (dirt for half and make a right onto paved for the rest).
The park there is day use only and posted no camping. We were able to find one (unofficial) place to camp on the way back to the trail but, it was far from ideal.
If you do want to go past the falls stop when you find Davidson Creek w/ a metal bridge and double back for camping or plan to camp in the parking lot or open “tree farm” field.
Happy trails!
The terrain to the main attraction, Panther Creek Falls, is well marked with moderate terrain and just a few technical spots. The trail beyond the falls is the opposite. It is marked but, only in the opposite direction and isn't well maintained or frequently used.
Unless you really want to see it, don't go all the way to the Dam. It is an extra 2 miles along a road (dirt for half and make a right onto paved for the rest).
The park there is day use only and posted no camping. We were able to find one (unofficial) place to camp on the way back to the trail but, it was far from ideal.
If you do want to go past the falls stop when you find Davidson Creek w/ a metal bridge and double back for camping or plan to camp in the parking lot or open “tree farm” field.
Happy trails!
Friday, April 05, 2013
On Tagging
Does anyone remember when the concept of "tagging" first hit the scene?
No, I am not talking about spray paint on a dumpster. I am talking about the list of comma separated words, hash tags, or whatever to signify what the thing that you are working on is about.
This post so far may be tagged: tagging, graffiti, pontification, etc. IIRC, it was hyped that tags were going to completely replace the folder metaphor.
Instead of locking an item away in one category e.g. "Bills" like you would in a physical filing cabinet. You would classify them with more granularity e.g. "Bills", "Power", "Georgia Power".
In actuality, they never replaced folders but, depending on the on the context, they can complement them. They can be used to great affect or, of course, be abused.
My worst abuse of tagging, by far, is within Evernote. At present I have 464 tags. It is as if they don't have a search feature and that I am trying to index it all myself. Now, there are several quirks (read peeves or bugs) that contribute to my trouble within Evernote. For example, if you begin to type a tag and misspell it, both the corrected and misspelled words become tags because it creates the tag before you click save on the note.
Within the last year or so, I have developed what I consider to be a productivity ninja habit of "Super Tags". I have a set of tags that I use everywhere. They are the collections of apps on my iPhone, folders for my web browser bookmarks, and becoming (hopefully) the main tags within Evernote as I wade through all of the detritus.
I don't plan to use these exclusively but, primarily and I will use as few sub-tags as possible.
At present, my "Super Tags" are: Health, Food, Travel, Productivity, Hobbies, Finance, Reference, Social, and Entertainment. I admit it, I have a tagging addiction.
Keep me honest on this blog to help keep them to a minimum.
No, I am not talking about spray paint on a dumpster. I am talking about the list of comma separated words, hash tags, or whatever to signify what the thing that you are working on is about.
This post so far may be tagged: tagging, graffiti, pontification, etc. IIRC, it was hyped that tags were going to completely replace the folder metaphor.
Instead of locking an item away in one category e.g. "Bills" like you would in a physical filing cabinet. You would classify them with more granularity e.g. "Bills", "Power", "Georgia Power".
In actuality, they never replaced folders but, depending on the on the context, they can complement them. They can be used to great affect or, of course, be abused.
My worst abuse of tagging, by far, is within Evernote. At present I have 464 tags. It is as if they don't have a search feature and that I am trying to index it all myself. Now, there are several quirks (read peeves or bugs) that contribute to my trouble within Evernote. For example, if you begin to type a tag and misspell it, both the corrected and misspelled words become tags because it creates the tag before you click save on the note.
Within the last year or so, I have developed what I consider to be a productivity ninja habit of "Super Tags". I have a set of tags that I use everywhere. They are the collections of apps on my iPhone, folders for my web browser bookmarks, and becoming (hopefully) the main tags within Evernote as I wade through all of the detritus.
I don't plan to use these exclusively but, primarily and I will use as few sub-tags as possible.
At present, my "Super Tags" are: Health, Food, Travel, Productivity, Hobbies, Finance, Reference, Social, and Entertainment. I admit it, I have a tagging addiction.
Keep me honest on this blog to help keep them to a minimum.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Resurrection and Demarcation
It has been 2 years and 3 days since my last post.
What happened? Well, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and a litany of other sites have pulled me and all of my friends who were "social bloggers" away to these platforms.
There are of course a whole world of bloggers who are still blogging as well or better than ever but, my use had been to keep up with friends and vice versa. There are better methods for that now.
So, why am I back, well, all of the phatic communication, has left me yearning for a chance to write in more than 140 characters.
I have chosen to keep my blog intact and to continue where I left off. I could have cleared it or come up with a clever new name or central topic but, I would rather keep my history as it is and write about "now" as it happens. Just think of me as:
a man on a path ...
What happened? Well, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and a litany of other sites have pulled me and all of my friends who were "social bloggers" away to these platforms.
There are of course a whole world of bloggers who are still blogging as well or better than ever but, my use had been to keep up with friends and vice versa. There are better methods for that now.
So, why am I back, well, all of the phatic communication, has left me yearning for a chance to write in more than 140 characters.
I have chosen to keep my blog intact and to continue where I left off. I could have cleared it or come up with a clever new name or central topic but, I would rather keep my history as it is and write about "now" as it happens. Just think of me as:
a man on a path ...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Done Weeks
I have decided to schedule quarterly "Done Weeks".
What have I done you ask, nothing ... and everything.
I just want to know what it feels like to be DONE instead of just frenetically DOING all of the time.
I have scheduled a proceeding "Doing Week" ahead of each "Done Week" in order to get all of my ducks in a row so that I can renegotiate all of my commitments (especially the ones with myself). This will allow me to sit and stare at a wall all week, if I choose to, without guilt of something waiting to explode.
I plan to unplug as much as a 21st century digital boy can during this week and I will see you all on the other side.
What have I done you ask, nothing ... and everything.
I just want to know what it feels like to be DONE instead of just frenetically DOING all of the time.
I have scheduled a proceeding "Doing Week" ahead of each "Done Week" in order to get all of my ducks in a row so that I can renegotiate all of my commitments (especially the ones with myself). This will allow me to sit and stare at a wall all week, if I choose to, without guilt of something waiting to explode.
I plan to unplug as much as a 21st century digital boy can during this week and I will see you all on the other side.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A day without email.
An interesting thing happened to me the other day. My work email was down for 14 or more hours.
What made this interesting was that I was one of only a small handful (2 or 3 out of 200+) of my coworkers who were affected. Which means that life goes on, business as usual, while I am stuck in email-less limbo.
The experience taught me a couple things. First, when you sneakernet a file on a USB key you have interesting conversations along the way. Second, as a friend of mine told me that day, I may have an unhealthly relationship with my email.
I generally feel like I am "on top of it". I have a practice in place that helps me to keep my email in control but, what about in perspective? I am not there yet.
How much of my email is signal and how much is noise?
How was business done "BE", before email? Can we turn back the clock a little to a time where constantly hitting refresh (which I don't do) isn't expected? ... and don't get me started on iPhoneitus (guilty) and Crackberry syndromes.
Brainworm implanted.
What made this interesting was that I was one of only a small handful (2 or 3 out of 200+) of my coworkers who were affected. Which means that life goes on, business as usual, while I am stuck in email-less limbo.
The experience taught me a couple things. First, when you sneakernet a file on a USB key you have interesting conversations along the way. Second, as a friend of mine told me that day, I may have an unhealthly relationship with my email.
I generally feel like I am "on top of it". I have a practice in place that helps me to keep my email in control but, what about in perspective? I am not there yet.
How much of my email is signal and how much is noise?
How was business done "BE", before email? Can we turn back the clock a little to a time where constantly hitting refresh (which I don't do) isn't expected? ... and don't get me started on iPhoneitus (guilty) and Crackberry syndromes.
Brainworm implanted.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Curves Ahead ...
You Are CURVES AHEAD |
 When you're confronted with a problem, you take it on immediately - but with your eyes wide open. You deal with stress well. You take things as they come, and you don't panic. In fact, you often enjoy challenging situations. Difficulty makes you feel alive. You are alert and observant. You notice every twist and turn in the road. |
Saturday, March 14, 2009
OMG
4 Terrapin + More than 12 hours = Completed take-home statistics midterm.
Affect of beer on grade ... unknown.
Affect of beer on grade ... unknown.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
710 step program ...
I am on the 710 step program to blogging recovery.
Coincidentally, I take 710 steps on the approximately 2 mile walking path that I have come up with on campus.
A couple of times a week I have been walking during my lunch hour. I leave my office and loop around the arch and back.
The careful reader will note that there are more than 710 steps in a 2 mile walk. The difference is that I am not talking about walking paces. I am talking about stair steps that I go up or down.
How did I come up with 710? I counted them.
P.S. "Soon" is relative.
Coincidentally, I take 710 steps on the approximately 2 mile walking path that I have come up with on campus.
A couple of times a week I have been walking during my lunch hour. I leave my office and loop around the arch and back.
The careful reader will note that there are more than 710 steps in a 2 mile walk. The difference is that I am not talking about walking paces. I am talking about stair steps that I go up or down.
How did I come up with 710? I counted them.
P.S. "Soon" is relative.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Everyone wish me luck ...
... I am taking the GMAT today. I have been quiet about it because I didn't need the extra pressure of everyone asking "how's the studying going?".
Also, wish me luck for turning a multiple of 10 older on Monday. You guess which one. I am looking forward to celebrating this weekend with good beer, good food, and great friends.
And finally of course, wish me luck that I can continue (I hope!) to be a good husband and soon to be father.
Also, wish me luck for turning a multiple of 10 older on Monday. You guess which one. I am looking forward to celebrating this weekend with good beer, good food, and great friends.
And finally of course, wish me luck that I can continue (I hope!) to be a good husband and soon to be father.
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