three cats and nodog / tri katoj kaj nehundo
[Recent Entries][Archive][Friends][User Info]
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Anderson" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
|
11:31 am
[Link] |
encryption and backups
Warning: total geek post
I'm recovering some data here and there slowly. I've found some sources for some of the contact information I used to have and I just downloaded all of my LJ entries to my new work computer. I did have a hard drive of all of my MP3s/OGGs from 4 months ago, and luckily, it included all of the videos that I'd transferred from VHS to a digital format.
I've also been a bit obsessed over the last couple of weeks with making sure that nothing like this catastrophe could ever happen again. I had been worried about having my data on the net, because I didn't want someone else to be able to "root" around in it. Well, I've been looking at several different solutions, and finally I think I have two tools that meet my needs.
The first tool is an encrypted, incremental backup system called Duplicity, which is particularly cool in that one's files can be recovered with standard unix tools if, for whatever reason, Duplicity itself disappears from the face of the planet. This lets me put a copy of my files on the net without worry about what other people can see.
The other tool I'm using in EncFS, which is an encrypted filesystem which is mountable in userspace. I'm currently using this for the drives I mount and want to have synced instead of just holding a copy of the backup. At the moment, this is less important for me, since I only have one work laptop that I'm carrying back and forth to home, but I think I'm about to have a laptop at home as well. Syncing machines will be more important at that point.
Finally, I am going to go ahead and encrypt my home directory on my laptop(s). This isn't done yet, but it's in the works.
And, of course, I keep kicking myself for not having done at least the Duplicity thing at some point in the past.
Current Music: Thelonius Monk - Monk
|
|
10:06 am
[Link] |
assessment
Okay, so I just spend a short while assessing my situation with the stolen computers, and though I'm desperately sad about the missing photos and source code, and the loss of my PhD research may close off some career options, I'm going to be okay. I also believe that I am at very little risk in terms of what the thieves can do with my data, mostly because I don't think that they'll want to try to break into a linux system, and even if they do, I obscured and encrypted the data that I felt was extremely confidential.
There is the matter of photos at this point, though. There is a chance that someone could get access to some photos of myself and my friends that are sensitive in nature. I have been particularly careful with any photos like these in the past, but they are now out of my hands. If by slim chance these thieves don't format the drives immediately, and by slim chance someone gets to my home directory, then it is possible that they will be able to access those photos.
I apologize right now to anyone this affects if the slim chance comes to pass. If you're concerned about photos I may have had of you, email me and I'll try to remember specifically.
|
|
04:01 pm
[Link] |
nightmare come true
Over the weekend, I went to Vienna with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) gosaru and ddf, but when we returned, we found that one of my worst nightmares had come true. Along with ddf's laptop, someone stole both my personal and work computer and the harddisk that I back up everything on. EVERYTHING IS GONE. I felt like I was made of plastic and my entire world had been ripped out from under me. I've lost all of my dissertation research, all of my email and contacts, all of my calendar info, all of my pictures, all of my journals. All of it. Gone. I've found a copy of my music from 7 months ago and the VCR movies I converted just before leaving, but I have no way of getting back all of the class notebooks that I scanned in and the source code that I wrote. Yesterday was a very bad day, and today is not much better, as the police can't really do much of anything except take my info and hope.
|
|
01:11 am
[Link] |
junior - learning
Two quickies:
I just saw Junior (the ridiculous breakdancer) perform an art dance/spoken word/break dance piece at a theatre about 2 blocks from my house. It was INSANE! Here are two videos for those who haven't see him before.
http://vodpod.com/watch/1396991-forumtr-video-b-boy-junior-break-dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ivCnnjKfw
And second, because I found out today that my boss, who has two patents, two books, two kids, and a professorship, is only 4 years older than me, I got a little bit of an existential kick in the teeth. It led me to the following realization.
Being a lifelong learner brings with it focussing more on what you're going to be than what you already are.
Here's raising a water bottle to speaking French.
|
|
08:52 am
[Link] |
more randomness - now with birthday sushi
( pics of this and that, including... HAIR! )
|
|
10:34 pm
[Link] |
catchup
Okay, so it's been a while since I updated. Recently, I've been kind of hunkered down in Mons, spending a lot of time studying French and working. I've been spending more time with French speakers, too, which has been great!
( I have a bunch of pictures worth sharing that don't have a particularly long story with them, so here are a bunch of old )
|
|
12:21 pm
[Link] |
trial by fire
This is a 17 page article in The New Yorker that took me an hour to read, but it is a well-told, informative, and disturbing story which is worrisome argument against capital punishment. I highly recommend the read unless you are a closed-minded supporter of the death penalty (in which case, I don't think it would be very enjoyable to read).
Texas could become the first state to acknowledge officially that, since the advent of the modern judicial system, it had carried out the “execution of a legally and factually innocent person.”
|
|
02:43 pm
[Link] |
goin' to Carolina in my mind
Just before heading to Italy, I went to Souch Carolina for a short trip. One of the main reasons was that my mother's family has gotten together at Pinestraw Mills (my immediate family's lakehouse) on the July 4th weekend over the last several years and I didn't want to miss out on that.
( relatives, and the other reason )
|
|
05:37 pm
[Link] |
Italian detritus
( the final images from Italy )
|
05:26 pm
[Link] |
Acquario di Genova
So, I'm back in Belgium from Italy, but I still have two more Italian entries to make. It turns out that Genova has the second largest aquarium in Europe. It was pretty big and has some nice fish as well as other creatures.
( fish and creatures )
|
|
01:55 pm
[Link] |
walk around Genova
Yesterday, I finally took a Saturday to walk around Genova, the town that I'm living in for the month. I ran across reliefs, royal palaces, big churches, big gates, and one historical site of great importance to Americans.
( the evidence )
|
|
11:27 am
[Link] |
Camogli to San Fruttoso
We decided to take another hike along the coast last weekend. This seems like a trivial enough decision, but the hike became ridiculously intense. There were several places where chains were installed into the rocks and that chain was basically the only thing keeping you from tumbling down the mountain.
( Another amazing hike! )
|
|
10:38 pm
[Link] |
Italian work
For those keeping up, I'm currently in Italy. My lab, TCTS/Numediart, has moved from Mons, Belgium to Genova (Genoa in English), Italy for four weeks. ( Italian work scene )
|
|
09:50 pm
[Link] |
Cinque Terra
Okay, I know that I haven't written in a while, and I have a lot to catch up on, but for now, I'm only going to write about a hike that I did on Saturday. Just to give a little context, my lab has moved to Italy for a one month long workshop.
( unbelievable )
|
|
12:28 am
[Link] |
Ducasse de Mons
Unfortunately, when I set up to go to Amsterdam with J and A, I hadn't even moved to Belgium yet, and didn't know that this weekend was the Ducasse Festival. The wikipedia page looks really neat and describes the event in pretty sterile terms.
( not like wikipedia )
|
|
11:33 pm
[Link] |
Amsterdam
It's been awhile since I've been to Amsterdam, and since J and A were traveling around Europe, TJ and I decided to meet them there. Good food, good company, and good times!
( some illicitry )
|
|
02:13 am
[Link] |
In Bruges
Last weekend, a few coworkers/friends and I decided to go to Bruges. I didn't really know much about the town exctept that it's a really popular place to go. It's in the Flanders region of Belgium, and luckily my friends speak Flemish, although almost everyone we encountered spoke English as well.
( Bruges in pictures (some by Alexis) and few words. )
|
|
12:32 am
[Link] |
Surprise Paris
Another long weekend following on the tails of last weekend, so I decided to be a trooper and head to Paris. The trip was a bit last minute, so I wasn't really mentally prepared. When I exited the metro at Place Monge, I suddenly realized, "Hey, I'm in Paris!" My very hospitable guide for the weekend, Belonia, was most gracious with her time in showing me a ridiculous number of sites around town.
( More Eiffel Tower than you can stand! )
|
|
09:15 pm
[Link] |
late to the party
Just now, for the first time I figured out a song on guitar by simply listening to the song and playing around on the guitar. It is such an electric feeling to do that, and then be able to play one of my favorite songs! Along with that, I'm trying to wrap my head around singing a bit, too, although I am well aware that I suck at singing. At the moment, I don't care though, because I'm improving, and that's all that matters.
Current Music: David Byrne - "Crash"
|
|
01:20 am
[Link] |
Berlin
I had a long weekend the 21st through the 24th of May (Labor Day weekend, for Americans). I decided to head to Berlin as the major trip of the month for me, and I had a blast!
( This entry is HUGE! )
|
[<< Previous 20 entries] |
