"Stop making fun of us." - Microsoft

A picture that brings new meaning to Microsoft "Avenger".

read more | digg story

MacBook Complaints

Okay,

Recently I've been reading alot of stuff about the complaints people have had with the MacBooks. Now, I can't speak as to the whining noise that is heard (other than it may be a fan that is caught up...)

But the discoloration. I've heard alot about this 'mysterious miscoloration' that is taking place on the palmrest area of the MacBook.

Well, go take a look at this link, or even at the picture below.



Look at the discoloration. There are four major spots. Left and right. Where the wrists sit. On the mouse bad button, where the thumb rests from clicking, and near the space bar where the thumb rests to hit the spacebar while typing. The user in the picture is obviously right hand dominant. You can see the shape of the thumb on the mousepad button!!

Now, It's a WHITE computer. You have dirty hands. And you guys are complaining because of the discoloration? How about, 'wash your hands before using the computer'!? Whats up with that little tidbit?

I use a powerbook, its metal. But even the dirt on my hands transfers to the medium after months of use. I clean it, it goes away, end of story.

Use your brains people. It's not Apple's fault that there is a 'weird discoloration', if you people knew what soap was, you wouldn't have the problem.

"Stop making fun of us." - Microsoft

A picture that brings new meaning to Microsoft "Avenger".

read more | digg story

The World According to Nigel

Click on me to make me bigger!!

The World According to Nigel

Click on me to make me bigger!!

For Nigel

Nigel, buddy, this is for you.

Jamaica Trip

Okay, well, I got around to posting some of the pictures I took while I was in Jamaica last week.

Go here to view the pictures.

Click here for pictures

For Nigel

Nigel, buddy, this is for you.

Office Space Super Friends

Office Space Super Friends

I'm in Jamaica

Well all, I'm in Jamaica. It's nice down here (temperature wise), however, it looks like the country has seen better days. Of course, I'm in Downtown Kingston, not in Montego Bay, where I am told, it is much nicer.

Anyway.

Here's some pictures out of the window of my hotel.

http://tinyurl.com/gn22q

Enjoy.

Two more down

Well, I've been to two more Apple Stores. Ten now.

http://web.mac.com/joel.esler

Go see.

Two more down

Well, I've been to two more Apple Stores. Ten now.

http://web.mac.com/joel.esler

Go see.

Video of Lewis Black Demanding CNN To Take Down Banner... & They Do It

Interrupting his interview with CNN's Miles O'Brien and looking toward backstage, Black demanded, CNN to take down the banner from the bottome of the screen. CNN promptly removed the banner and the ticker from the screen for the remainder of Black's interview.

I hate the crawl too.

read more | digg story

Unbelieveable

This is an actual email.

Names have not been posted to protect the innocent.

"Looking for some information on the rule below. I'm not exactly sure what
it is looking for, but it seems to me that anything in SMTP_SERVES to
everything but HOME_NET with the syn flag set to a destination on port 25
will trigger this, it that correct? I am receiving a lot of noise form
this, but looking at the packet information, there's nothing there. I'm
really concerned with this type of alert because some of our exchange
servers are sending tcp syn's to destinations they should not send to,
i.e. other countries. Can I get some clarification on this specific rule?
I can't understand why an exchange server would send this type of data
unless it is also sending emails as well."


My god.

Video of Lewis Black Demanding CNN To Take Down Banner... & They Do It

Interrupting his interview with CNN's Miles O'Brien and looking toward backstage, Black demanded, CNN to take down the banner from the bottome of the screen. CNN promptly removed the banner and the ticker from the screen for the remainder of Black's interview.

I hate the crawl too.

read more | digg story

Unbelieveable

This is an actual email.

Names have not been posted to protect the innocent.

"Looking for some information on the rule below. I'm not exactly sure what
it is looking for, but it seems to me that anything in SMTP_SERVES to
everything but HOME_NET with the syn flag set to a destination on port 25
will trigger this, it that correct? I am receiving a lot of noise form
this, but looking at the packet information, there's nothing there. I'm
really concerned with this type of alert because some of our exchange
servers are sending tcp syn's to destinations they should not send to,
i.e. other countries. Can I get some clarification on this specific rule?
I can't understand why an exchange server would send this type of data
unless it is also sending emails as well."


My god.

Louis Black. For an hour.

Genius.

Louis Black. For an hour.

Genius.

Cell Phone Hate

Classic link.

My fravorite to excerpts, are what I was bitching about not too long ago in another blog post.

6. Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece when thou art not on thy phone. This is not unlike being on the phone and carrying on another conversation with someone who is physically in your presence. No one knows if you are here or there. Very disturbing.

7. Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than thou would on any other phone. These things have incredibly sensitive microphones, and it's gotten to the point where I can tell if someone is calling me from a cell because of the way they are talking, not how it sounds. If your signal cuts out, speaking louder won't help, unless the person is actually within earshot.

Awesome.

Hacker Goes Public with Unpatched Browser Bugs

"It doesn't really matter if Moore is doing this for publicity or to promote public safety on the Internet," said Gartner analyst Avivah Litan. "The fact remains that the browsers have too many vulnerabilities and we are all better off if Moore exposes them before the criminals exploit them."

Good thing Sourcefire published rules yesterday that catches these browser bugs.

read more | digg story

Cell Phone Hate

Classic link.

My fravorite to excerpts, are what I was bitching about not too long ago in another blog post.

6. Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece when thou art not on thy phone. This is not unlike being on the phone and carrying on another conversation with someone who is physically in your presence. No one knows if you are here or there. Very disturbing.

7. Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than thou would on any other phone. These things have incredibly sensitive microphones, and it's gotten to the point where I can tell if someone is calling me from a cell because of the way they are talking, not how it sounds. If your signal cuts out, speaking louder won't help, unless the person is actually within earshot.

Awesome.

Microsoft's iPod killer to provide free versions of all your iTunes tracks

To attract current iPod users Microsoft is going to let you download for free any songs you've already bought from the iTunes Music Store. They'll scan iTunes for purchased tracks and then automatically add those to your account. Microsoft will still have to pay the rights-holders for the songs, but they believe it'll be worth it to converts.

Microsoft is kinda using some shady techniques to grab market share from Apple. They can't compete fairly, so they are going to try and rip the market from Apple.

read more | digg story

David Bianco on laptop encryption - An Information Security Place

David Bianco on laptop encryption - An Information Security Place

Friend of mine David Bianco, found himself linked over to securityplace.blogspot.com, an interesting commentary on an interesting article, I encourage a read.

Microsoft's iPod killer to provide free versions of all your iTunes tracks

To attract current iPod users Microsoft is going to let you download for free any songs you've already bought from the iTunes Music Store. They'll scan iTunes for purchased tracks and then automatically add those to your account. Microsoft will still have to pay the rights-holders for the songs, but they believe it'll be worth it to converts.

Microsoft is kinda using some shady techniques to grab market share from Apple. They can't compete fairly, so they are going to try and rip the market from Apple.

read more | digg story

David Bianco on laptop encryption - An Information Security Place

David Bianco on laptop encryption - An Information Security Place

Friend of mine David Bianco, found himself linked over to securityplace.blogspot.com, an interesting commentary on an interesting article, I encourage a read.

How to install Mutt-ng on OSX

First. Go download Mutt-ng. I'm not going to help you with that.

after you download muttng, tar zxvf
cd

./autogen.sh

Next you wanna see the options you need to configure the box with... so type:
./configure --help

This will show you all the config options, now, I had to compile mine with imap support and with ssl support so I used...

./configure --with-imap --with-ssl --enable-hcache

After that gets done: make install

It will installl the Muttngrc file in /usr/local/etc

Go there and edit that to your config. If you need help doing that, go to the mutt-ng website and download the pdf, read.

kthnkx.

How to install Mutt-ng on OSX

First. Go download Mutt-ng. I'm not going to help you with that.

after you download muttng, tar zxvf
cd

./autogen.sh

Next you wanna see the options you need to configure the box with... so type:
./configure --help

This will show you all the config options, now, I had to compile mine with imap support and with ssl support so I used...

./configure --with-imap --with-ssl --enable-hcache

After that gets done: make install

It will installl the Muttngrc file in /usr/local/etc

Go there and edit that to your config. If you need help doing that, go to the mutt-ng website and download the pdf, read.

kthnkx.

Got Milk?

Okay, so... I saw this video one time on the internet, a guy named Dennis Brown tries to drink a gallon of milk in an hour.



I met him today. He works at one of my customer sites... It was awesome.

Got Milk?

Okay, so... I saw this video one time on the internet, a guy named Dennis Brown tries to drink a gallon of milk in an hour.



I met him today. He works at one of my customer sites... It was awesome.

Flagr

Okay, so there's this new site www.flagr.com out there that lets you mark where you have been...

I put in the past year.

Check it out

Flagr

Okay, so there's this new site www.flagr.com out there that lets you mark where you have been...

I put in the past year.

Check it out

Five Questions For Martin Roesch, Founder and CTO of Sourcefire

In 1998, Roesch created Snort, an app that sniffs out malicious traffic trying to enter a network. Snort's free source code has been downloaded more than 3 million times.

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Does secrecy hurt Apple? - Ars Technica

APPLE

Does secrecy hurt Apple?
Ars Technica - 5 hours ago
Robert L. Renck is something of a bear when it comes to Apple Computer, being one of relatively few analysts who maintain a "sell" rating for AAPL. In a financial note last week, he suggested demand for iPods may be sluggish for the current quarter. ...

What a tool.  I hope that Apple outsells all the bears that have aapl rated as 'sell'.  Bite me, bite Apple, and I hope your wrong as hell.

technorati tags:apple, stock, aapl

Limbaugh..... and the airport follies

Limbaugh detained at Palm Beach airport (AP)

AP - Rush Limbaugh was detained for more than three hours Monday at Palm Beach International Airport after authorities said they found a bottle of Viagra in his possession without a prescription.

Is this embarrasing?  I think it's funny as hell.

technorati tags:Limbaugh, funny

Providence, RI

Providence, RI --  This city, so far, sucks. The Marriott on Olms sucks. Don't be mistaken by it's nice lobby. The rooms blow.

Does secrecy hurt Apple? - Ars Technica

APPLE

Does secrecy hurt Apple?
Ars Technica - 5 hours ago
Robert L. Renck is something of a bear when it comes to Apple Computer, being one of relatively few analysts who maintain a "sell" rating for AAPL. In a financial note last week, he suggested demand for iPods may be sluggish for the current quarter. ...

What a tool.  I hope that Apple outsells all the bears that have aapl rated as 'sell'.  Bite me, bite Apple, and I hope your wrong as hell.

technorati tags:apple, stock, aapl

Providence, RI

Providence, RI --  This city, so far, sucks. The Marriott on Olms sucks. Don't be mistaken by it's nice lobby. The rooms blow.

Windows Live

Recently, I've been reading alot of FUD about 'Windows Live' and how freaking great it is/going to be.

I decided, you know, okay, i'll check it out...




Nevermind. I'll stick with Google.

Windows Live

Recently, I've been reading alot of FUD about 'Windows Live' and how freaking great it is/going to be.

I decided, you know, okay, i'll check it out...




Nevermind. I'll stick with Google.

Excel '0-day' thing

Okay, first off 'Excel' doesn't have a 0 day, it actually is a vulnerability in hlink.dll which is a Windows component that handles operations involving hyperlinks.

Not only would someone have to send you an excel spreadsheet with this hyperlink built in, but you would have to find it and click on it. (you would have to CONTROL-Click on it).

I suppose you could set up a macro to click the hyperlink (or execute the link) when excel is opened, but since Excel's macros are turned off by default... kinda defeats the purpose of it.

As a reminder, it’s important to make sure that you only accept and open files from a trusted source, as well as be careful what websites you visit.

So, while it's rare you will find me defending Microsoft (because, really, I don't really use their products... come to think of it, the only product I DO use is Excel), it seems like MS may have covered their ass this time.

Excel '0-day' thing

Okay, first off 'Excel' doesn't have a 0 day, it actually is a vulnerability in hlink.dll which is a Windows component that handles operations involving hyperlinks.

Not only would someone have to send you an excel spreadsheet with this hyperlink built in, but you would have to find it and click on it. (you would have to CONTROL-Click on it).

I suppose you could set up a macro to click the hyperlink (or execute the link) when excel is opened, but since Excel's macros are turned off by default... kinda defeats the purpose of it.

As a reminder, it’s important to make sure that you only accept and open files from a trusted source, as well as be careful what websites you visit.

So, while it's rare you will find me defending Microsoft (because, really, I don't really use their products... come to think of it, the only product I DO use is Excel), it seems like MS may have covered their ass this time.

Joy of Tech

Classic

Joy of Tech

Classic

denyhosts is in python.. but it still works

For awhile now i've been running a nice program by the name of 'denyhosts'. For those of you that have a server somewhere on the internet with port 22 open, you know what I am talking about when I say 'see all those brute force ssh attacks?!'.

People use the brute force ssh method to try and gain access to your machine. I did it once, just to see what would happen, on a honeypot, and they put an irc controlling bot on there. ghey.

denyhosts works by monitoring your /var/log/secure (or whatever file on your OS, it's /secure on mine -- running Fedora on this box), for brute force attacks to one of two things, either brute force to accounts that don't exist, or brute force to the root account.

The root account gets ONE bad try. (you can set these thresholds in the /usr/local/denyhosts/denyhosts.cfg), after that one bad try you are added to the /etc/hosts.deny file and are forever ignored. Unknown accounts, by default, get 5 bad tries, well I thought that was too much, so I changed that a bit).

After they are added to the /etc/hosts.deny, you can either configure 'denyhosts' to ignore them for all services "all:" or, by default just ssh "ssh:". It will then (if you tell it to, it doesn't do this by default), sync with some master denyhosts server, where, if you choose to, will upload your entry, and download all of their entries for inclusion into your /etc/hosts.deny. Denying all the hosts that others have uploaded as well. I have this option enabled, and now with:

# wc -l /etc/hosts.deny
2380 /etc/hosts.deny

2380 lines (figure some of that is commenting, so, maybe 2300+ hosts) are denied here. (that's alot of hosts)

You can also have it purge old hosts. after 'x' number of days (again, set in the cfg file) it will expire the old host. If they come back, they'll be readded.

It will send you an email as well to whatever account you want it to, to tell you tha someone has tried an attempt against your machine, and therefore has been denied, why last night I received this email:

From: DenyHosts
To: root@localhost.localdomain
Subject: DenyHosts Report
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:51:18 -0400

Added the following hosts to /etc/hosts.deny:

58.6.117.217 (dsl-58-6-117-217.qld.westnet.com.au)

This system seems to work pretty well. Give it a shot.

When Gates leaves

Original Link

mod_security and other fun tools

You're only minutes away from protecting your web sites from all manner of attack and spam. To do this, you need to download one piece of software, mod_security, install it on your web server and then configure it. Its not difficult or time consuming at all, and if you follow these instructions you should be ready to go in minutes!

Got Root : Setup of mod_security

No, I didn't follow this setup, but I ripped this of the "Got Root?" Website for an easy setup of mod_Security. I started playing with it awhile ago to see if I could use it to block all these wonderful attacks that I get constantly pointed at my site.

So... I installed it, with it's default ruleset, it started dropping all the virus and Rbot crap that is all around my network here at knology.net.

I run Snort-inline too with a bunch of stuff set to drop, so it was kinda cool to be able to control all this stuff coming at my webserver...

I jumped on Google and searched for "mod_security rules".. It brought me here..

Click here

I took these rules, (apparently they are updated often), and put them in my mod_security rules as well.

Talking to a friend of mine shortly after tho, he suggested that I put the rules in a seperate file and source them from the mod_security.conf file. I thought that was an excellent idea, so that's what I did.

kinda like: "include conf/mod_sec/modsecurity-general.conf" <-- this was his example...

This worked even better, and now, I'll probably script some kind of update to it so it updates daily and protects my apache install from lots of stuff...

So, back to playing with iptables, Snort-inline, and mod_security.

technorati tags:mod_security, iptables, Snort, Snort-inline, security

When Gates leaves

Original Link

Stuff that I basically think is really f'in dumb. pt 2

Okay, you people in the airport, that feel a need to talk on your cell phone IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY, LOUDLY... knock it off.

Today I was in the ATL airport (and in the Orlando Airport, and in the Augusta Airport), and I saw one of these turds. Pay attention to the queer in the red shirt.

(Right click on the below link and "Save As..." (Save the video on your desktop)
Click here for video

So this dude.. Has a bluetooth headset and a phone, but he's CARRYING his phone. The point of the bluetooth headset (yes I have one) is to not HAVE to carry your phone.. If you are going to carry your phone, put it up to your ear asshole.

Now, here's some action shots. Because this dude was apparently moving so fast, the pictures are blurred.



Now, you will notice from these shots (and the video) that the dude is pacing. back and forth, back and forth.. talking LOUDLY on his bluetooth headset, while holding this big ass verizon whateverthehell it is phone in his hand.



What a sphincter. K, i feel better.

Stuff that I basically think is really f'in dumb. pt 2

Okay, you people in the airport, that feel a need to talk on your cell phone IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY, LOUDLY... knock it off.

Today I was in the ATL airport (and in the Orlando Airport, and in the Augusta Airport), and I saw one of these turds. Pay attention to the queer in the red shirt.

(Right click on the below link and "Save As..." (Save the video on your desktop)
Click here for video

So this dude.. Has a bluetooth headset and a phone, but he's CARRYING his phone. The point of the bluetooth headset (yes I have one) is to not HAVE to carry your phone.. If you are going to carry your phone, put it up to your ear asshole.

Now, here's some action shots. Because this dude was apparently moving so fast, the pictures are blurred.



Now, you will notice from these shots (and the video) that the dude is pacing. back and forth, back and forth.. talking LOUDLY on his bluetooth headset, while holding this big ass verizon whateverthehell it is phone in his hand.



What a sphincter. K, i feel better.

Question...

What if I put a slinky on an Up Escalator?

Question...

What if I put a slinky on an Up Escalator?

Stuff that I basically think is really f'in dumb.

Okay, it has come time for me to just jot down a few thoughts about shit that I think it stupid. Hopefully this won't wind up being lame, I just feel that maybe, just maybe, if I write it down, then someone else will write it down, and then the madness will stop. Although since everything must balance, more madness will spring up in it's place.

Some things written here will be from some various stand-up comedy acts. I'm not trying to copy. I could care less with what they said, or you think. I just agree with what the comedian says, therefore -- blogged..

1. Referring to female Comedians as "Comedianns" (or whatever the hell they want to be called)
2. Telemarketers
3. Airline announcements.
a) "Pre-Boarding" -- How can you get on the plane before you get on the plane?
b) "De-planeing" -- Apparently they didn't want to say "getting off"
c) "Seat Area" -- How about "around your seat" -- "for any items you may have brought on board" -- wtf, am i going to check for items I DID bring on board? or May have?

4) Yellow (or any color really) racing stickers on cars. People, the stickers are on PROFESSIONAL cars because they have SPONSORS. Your frickin Honda Civic doesn't have sponsors, take the shit off.
5) People who play Golf (yes I do), but instead of putting their sunglasses on the top of their hat when they take them off, they put them either, on-backwards around their neck, or on-backwards on the back of their head. People -- PROFESSIONAL golfers do this so they don't cover up their sponsor on their hat. You don't have a sponsor, put your glasses on right. Moron.
6) Political Correctness -- Why can't we just say what we think
7) Doing things because you can, and not because you have a need to. Where I used to work (NOT WHERE I DO NOW -- although i still run into this alot) people used to write Snort rules to detect.... ANYTHING. They didn't need to write a rule to detect a ping, but they could, so they did.
8) People who use Windows, not because they have to, or because they don't know any different, but, people who know the difference and STILL use Windows, because they don't want to deviate from what they know. (IOW -- refusing to learn new things)


More to come as i think of stuff.

Texas De Brazil

http://www.texasdebrazil.com

Freaking good food. I suggest you check it out.

Texas De Brazil

http://www.texasdebrazil.com

Freaking good food. I suggest you check it out.

CISSP is overrated

CISSP does not give you the right to shoot your mouth off. kthnkx

Airport Extreme Powerbook, poor range

**USE AT OWN RISK, IF YOU DO THIS AND FRY SOMETHING, NOT MY FAULT, and DON'T ASK ME FOR HELP, I WROTE THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOU**

I have a 15" Powerbook, 1.67 Ghz. (not the HD screen model, the one before it). The Airport Extreme range really really sucks in it. I can't go to the other side of my house, and have it work.

I am also currently in a hotel where, apparently, the WAP is really far away from me or something, because I have one bar. So, I googled solutions.

I saw a bit about reset-ing my PRAM, so I did that. (Turn off computer, hold down Command + Option + P + R, and turn computer on, hold buttons until the Apple boot sound, and release). This will reset your NVRAM/PRAM and may help. I did that. I don't know if it helped at all, but I still only had one bar.

I saw a bit about reset-ing my PMU, so I did that. (Turn off computer, unplug, remove battery, and then press and hold the power key for 5 seconds -- i did it for 10.) This will reset your PMU. I did that. I don't know if it helped at all, but I still only had one bar.

So I googled some more. I found a solution online, that I am willing to share:

Hold down the Option key, and click on the AirPort icon in the menu bar.
select About AirPort...
The Apple Framework version is what you are looking for, mine was 421.13.0

However, the current Intel Framework is 426.1.0
That's quite a difference, so I thought to myself, where can I get the 426.1.0 Intel framework. OSX is universal binary, so that shouldn't matter... right? So this is what I did.

I went to Apple.com -> Support -> downloads, and I downloaded the 10.4.5 INTEL update. Now, after you download it, Apple is going to automount and run this thing, which, obviously, since your on a PPC, it can't do. Right click on the package and select "Show Package Contents".
You will see a file called "Archive.pax.gz".
Double click on it. It will untar/gz itself onto your desktop.

Shut off your airport, by clicking the icon in the menubar, and click "Turn Airport Off"

Open Terminal, type:
mkdir backup-framework
cd /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks
sudo mv Apple80211.framework ~/backup-framework/
sudo mv ~/Desktop/Archive/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Airport80211.framework/ .
(notice the period at the end, for move to current directory)

This will move the Intel 426.1.0 version that you just downloaded to your Airport80211.framework folder.
Now type:
open /Applications/Utilities/Disk\ Utility.app/

This will lauch Disk Utility (or you can go to finder, Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility) and click on "Repair Permissions on Disk" or whatever it says. So it will set all that stuff you just put there, as root. (As well as correct whatever else is wrong with your system).

Restart System.

Turn Airport back on.

Now, I noticed a couple things:
1. My computer booted in like, 2 seconds.
2. My Airport now had 4 bars, sitting in the exact same spot where I had 1.

Driver? Don't know. But it worked for me.

Airport Extreme Powerbook, poor range

**USE AT OWN RISK, IF YOU DO THIS AND FRY SOMETHING, NOT MY FAULT, and DON'T ASK ME FOR HELP, I WROTE THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOU**

I have a 15" Powerbook, 1.67 Ghz. (not the HD screen model, the one before it). The Airport Extreme range really really sucks in it. I can't go to the other side of my house, and have it work.

I am also currently in a hotel where, apparently, the WAP is really far away from me or something, because I have one bar. So, I googled solutions.

I saw a bit about reset-ing my PRAM, so I did that. (Turn off computer, hold down Command + Option + P + R, and turn computer on, hold buttons until the Apple boot sound, and release). This will reset your NVRAM/PRAM and may help. I did that. I don't know if it helped at all, but I still only had one bar.

I saw a bit about reset-ing my PMU, so I did that. (Turn off computer, unplug, remove battery, and then press and hold the power key for 5 seconds -- i did it for 10.) This will reset your PMU. I did that. I don't know if it helped at all, but I still only had one bar.

So I googled some more. I found a solution online, that I am willing to share:

Hold down the Option key, and click on the AirPort icon in the menu bar.
select About AirPort...
The Apple Framework version is what you are looking for, mine was 421.13.0

However, the current Intel Framework is 426.1.0
That's quite a difference, so I thought to myself, where can I get the 426.1.0 Intel framework. OSX is universal binary, so that shouldn't matter... right? So this is what I did.

I went to Apple.com -> Support -> downloads, and I downloaded the 10.4.5 INTEL update. Now, after you download it, Apple is going to automount and run this thing, which, obviously, since your on a PPC, it can't do. Right click on the package and select "Show Package Contents".
You will see a file called "Archive.pax.gz".
Double click on it. It will untar/gz itself onto your desktop.

Shut off your airport, by clicking the icon in the menubar, and click "Turn Airport Off"

Open Terminal, type:
mkdir backup-framework
cd /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks
sudo mv Apple80211.framework ~/backup-framework/
sudo mv ~/Desktop/Archive/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Airport80211.framework/ .
(notice the period at the end, for move to current directory)

This will move the Intel 426.1.0 version that you just downloaded to your Airport80211.framework folder.
Now type:
open /Applications/Utilities/Disk\ Utility.app/

This will lauch Disk Utility (or you can go to finder, Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility) and click on "Repair Permissions on Disk" or whatever it says. So it will set all that stuff you just put there, as root. (As well as correct whatever else is wrong with your system).

Restart System.

Turn Airport back on.

Now, I noticed a couple things:
1. My computer booted in like, 2 seconds.
2. My Airport now had 4 bars, sitting in the exact same spot where I had 1.

Driver? Don't know. But it worked for me.

Cisco VPN OSX

Every once in awhile my Cisco VPN Client for OSX gets kinda messed up and I have to "reset it".

I recently upgraded to 4.9.0 version of the VPN client, and I have only noticed this error once since then, but when I had <4.9.0, it was alot more prominent.

Cisco will come up with an error (I can't get the problem to replicate right now) but it says something about "Can't connect to Socket" or something similar, and the only way to fix it is to restart the computer or log out/in.

Well not anymore.

There is a way to fix it, you have to manually unload the kernel extension (kext) and then manually reload it. Since these commands are simple, but easily forgotten, I wrote a 3 second bash script to do this for me.

I placed it in my /Users/ directory, that way I can just start terminal, and run the command "./ciscoreset.sh", and it does the work for me.

Here's the script.

---- begin

#!/bin/sh
#written by Joel to hax0r (aka fix) Cisco's error problem with their
#kernel hook to reset the cisco function. If you have to use this alot
#try updating your Cisco VPN client.
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/CiscoVPN.kext
sleep 2
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/CiscoVPN.kext

---- end

(told you it was easy)

put that in a file, and 'chmod +x ' it, and that way, anytime you have a problem with your cisco vpn client, run this script. Viola.

Cisco VPN OSX

Every once in awhile my Cisco VPN Client for OSX gets kinda messed up and I have to "reset it".

I recently upgraded to 4.9.0 version of the VPN client, and I have only noticed this error once since then, but when I had <4.9.0, it was alot more prominent.

Cisco will come up with an error (I can't get the problem to replicate right now) but it says something about "Can't connect to Socket" or something similar, and the only way to fix it is to restart the computer or log out/in.

Well not anymore.

There is a way to fix it, you have to manually unload the kernel extension (kext) and then manually reload it. Since these commands are simple, but easily forgotten, I wrote a 3 second bash script to do this for me.

I placed it in my /Users/ directory, that way I can just start terminal, and run the command "./ciscoreset.sh", and it does the work for me.

Here's the script.

---- begin

#!/bin/sh
#written by Joel to hax0r (aka fix) Cisco's error problem with their
#kernel hook to reset the cisco function. If you have to use this alot
#try updating your Cisco VPN client.
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/CiscoVPN.kext
sleep 2
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/CiscoVPN.kext

---- end

(told you it was easy)

put that in a file, and 'chmod +x ' it, and that way, anytime you have a problem with your cisco vpn client, run this script. Viola.

Amazing Remote Control Airplane Flying

Never seen Remote Control Plane flying like this.

Another cool video. Remote Control Plane flying. Including stops and stalls in midair. Good stuff here.

read more | digg story

Unbelievable golf hole in one

Fuzzy Zoeller shoots a ball into the rough, but yet it is a hole in one. One of the most amazing golf shots you will ever see.

Check this out!

read more | digg story

Amazing Remote Control Airplane Flying

Never seen Remote Control Plane flying like this.

Another cool video. Remote Control Plane flying. Including stops and stalls in midair. Good stuff here.

read more | digg story

Unbelievable golf hole in one

Fuzzy Zoeller shoots a ball into the rough, but yet it is a hole in one. One of the most amazing golf shots you will ever see.

Check this out!

read more | digg story

The Da VInci Code

Well, I, along with the rest of America (apparently) have been biten by "The Da Vinci Code" bug.

I've read the Da Vinci Code, I've read every book by Dan Brown, I've read Holy Blood, Holy Grail (the basis of the Da Vinci Code). I've read two different "about the Da Vinci Code" type books, one called "Fodor's Guide to the Da Vinci Code" and another named "Cracking the Da Vinci Code". Both excellent. I am now reading "The Jesus Papers". I'll let you know how it turns out.

Tonight I saw the movie. Pretty good. They left some stuff out of the movie that was in the book, and some stuff that was in the movie wasn't in the book. However, it was a great movie, and followed the plot closely. I recommend it.

The Da VInci Code

Well, I, along with the rest of America (apparently) have been biten by "The Da Vinci Code" bug.

I've read the Da Vinci Code, I've read every book by Dan Brown, I've read Holy Blood, Holy Grail (the basis of the Da Vinci Code). I've read two different "about the Da Vinci Code" type books, one called "Fodor's Guide to the Da Vinci Code" and another named "Cracking the Da Vinci Code". Both excellent. I am now reading "The Jesus Papers". I'll let you know how it turns out.

Tonight I saw the movie. Pretty good. They left some stuff out of the movie that was in the book, and some stuff that was in the movie wasn't in the book. However, it was a great movie, and followed the plot closely. I recommend it.

The Story of Snort: Past, Present and Future

In this audio, Martin Roesch, the creator of Snort, tells the story of Snort in his words and that covers seven years of development. There are various technical details and interesting tidbits.

Some interesting Audio from Marty on how Snort was developed.

read more | digg story

How to Manage Really Smart People

Want great people to work for your security department? Here's what you do:

1. Hire Really Good People
What is a "good hire"? you can usually spot a fishy situation if you're paying attention. Someone who lies on a resume, doesn't have good references, doesn't pass a background check or just can't back it all up (give them a technical test in the interview!!) is not to be trusted. Don't hire them.

2. Set them Free
One you have the right people in the right place doing the things they are good at, leave them alone. Micromanagement pisses smart people off.

3. Give Credit
Never, ever take credit for what the smart guys do. It pisses them off, and they'll quit.

Is it possible that three simple rules can make you a great manager? yes. Hire the right guys, set them free, and give them all the glory. It works.


Poritions of this entry written by "C.J. Kelly" whose name and employer have been disguised.

How to Manage Really Smart People

Want great people to work for your security department? Here's what you do:

1. Hire Really Good People
What is a "good hire"? you can usually spot a fishy situation if you're paying attention. Someone who lies on a resume, doesn't have good references, doesn't pass a background check or just can't back it all up (give them a technical test in the interview!!) is not to be trusted. Don't hire them.

2. Set them Free
One you have the right people in the right place doing the things they are good at, leave them alone. Micromanagement pisses smart people off.

3. Give Credit
Never, ever take credit for what the smart guys do. It pisses them off, and they'll quit.

Is it possible that three simple rules can make you a great manager? yes. Hire the right guys, set them free, and give them all the glory. It works.


Poritions of this entry written by "C.J. Kelly" whose name and employer have been disguised.

Destin, FL

Okay, well, this weekend I'm in Destin, FL. Nice touristy town. Humid as all hell, but nice.

Shopping seems to be the name of the game down here, (even though I am down here for my brother-in-law's wedding), but lots of shopping.

Destin, FL

Okay, well, this weekend I'm in Destin, FL. Nice touristy town. Humid as all hell, but nice.

Shopping seems to be the name of the game down here, (even though I am down here for my brother-in-law's wedding), but lots of shopping.

Super Mario Bros.

If you are like me, you love Super Mario. Well here's a Japanese dude that can play it all on the piano. Pretty accurately too.

Super Mario Bros.

If you are like me, you love Super Mario. Well here's a Japanese dude that can play it all on the piano. Pretty accurately too.

Windows apps on OSX

I told ya! Click here Crossover office has windows apps running osx. (through x11, but they are working on native quartz)

Only a matter of time.

Windows apps on OSX

I told ya! Click here Crossover office has windows apps running osx. (through x11, but they are working on native quartz)

Only a matter of time.

Pretty Funny Comic

This is a pretty funny comic. Check this out:








Click to make larger

Pretty Funny Comic

This is a pretty funny comic. Check this out:








Click to make larger

Price Check Aisle 1

Can I get a price check?

Price Check Aisle 1

Can I get a price check?

A review on two OSX text editors

Well, being a text editing man myself (lots of shell scripts, perl progs, Snort.conf and rules files), I decided to test out a couple of 'markup' text editors for OSX. Now, what do I mean by 'markup'.

Basically, when I edit a file, the editor should mark it up with different colors and such to deliniate what I am trying to do, that way, if I forget to put a ";" in somewhere, the editor should turn all my text red (or whatever) in order to tell me "Hey, you screwed up".

I chose to test two: Vim and TextMate.

Vim -- I like Vim because, well, I am used to vi + vim on the redhat platform. Vi is very easy to learn, and vim is even easier and more powerful. You can perform powerful regular expressions to replace text anyway you want to, searching for text is a breeze, and editing is very simple as well (once you get used to the interface, there is a learning curve). Vim marks up shell scripts, html, perl, and even snort.conf and snort.rules files nicely. The Vim interface for OSX is a bit lacking (hey, what do you want, it's vim!!), but at least it makes it up through menu commands. (Yes you can still do the manual ":" editing.

TextMate -- Standard text editor, you can't do commands like ":" in it, it's Sans-serif fonts are a bit nicer on the eyes than the fixed-width fonts of Vim. It marks up shell, perl, and html scripts just fine. However it does lack the ability to color code Snort rules files. Which kinda sucks for me. It has a much better Gui++, but costs money--.

Verdict: Unless you are willing to pay the money for a product that doesn't mark up everything you want it to, stick with Vim. Besides, you should already be used to vim. (right?)

Amazing Pics of China\'s new 600+ foot dam

China\'s controversial Three Gorges Dam project hits a significant milestone on Saturday, when it is expected to reach its final height of 185m (607 feet). Here are some amazing pictures from the BBC.\r\n\r\nI am your dam guide, Arnie, please don\'t wander off the dam tour and please take all the dam pictures you want. Now are there any dam questions?

read more | digg story

Screenshot posting

I said periodically (meaning, whenever I remember) I'd post a screenshot.

We'll, here's one. Notice the background. I made it, it's cool. Click on the picture to blow it up to fullsize.

Amazing Pics of China\'s new 600+ foot dam

China\'s controversial Three Gorges Dam project hits a significant milestone on Saturday, when it is expected to reach its final height of 185m (607 feet). Here are some amazing pictures from the BBC.\r\n\r\nI am your dam guide, Arnie, please don\'t wander off the dam tour and please take all the dam pictures you want. Now are there any dam questions?

read more | digg story

Screenshot posting

I said periodically (meaning, whenever I remember) I'd post a screenshot.

We'll, here's one. Notice the background. I made it, it's cool. Click on the picture to blow it up to fullsize.

Apple's big glass cube

Tomorrow is Apple's big day to unveil their brand new store to the public, today they announced it to the press.

The big thing about the store is that it's all underground, 20,000 feet of it. The only thing above ground is a huge glass cube. It's has to be the coolest thing ever for retail. Similar to the glass pyramid in front of the Louvre, this is Steve Jobs's version of a Masterpiece.



Of course all of us Apple fanboys are up there taking pictures, and there are so many sites to view, however, I've went looking through all of these for you, to find the best one. Here.

So, go enjoy this site.. it looks good.

Apple's big glass cube

Tomorrow is Apple's big day to unveil their brand new store to the public, today they announced it to the press.

The big thing about the store is that it's all underground, 20,000 feet of it. The only thing above ground is a huge glass cube. It's has to be the coolest thing ever for retail. Similar to the glass pyramid in front of the Louvre, this is Steve Jobs's version of a Masterpiece.



Of course all of us Apple fanboys are up there taking pictures, and there are so many sites to view, however, I've went looking through all of these for you, to find the best one. Here.

So, go enjoy this site.. it looks good.

How To: Improve Your MPG By Up to 37 Percent

Edmunds.com tested a lot of lore on how to change your driving habits in order to save money on gas. Some of the results:

- 65 mph instead of 75 mph saves 12 percent
- smooth driving instead of aggressive driving saves 37 percent
- turning your car off instead of idling when you stop at a light or the drive-thru saves 19 percent

How to save some gas. Good article.

read more | digg story

How To: Improve Your MPG By Up to 37 Percent

Edmunds.com tested a lot of lore on how to change your driving habits in order to save money on gas. Some of the results:

- 65 mph instead of 75 mph saves 12 percent
- smooth driving instead of aggressive driving saves 37 percent
- turning your car off instead of idling when you stop at a light or the drive-thru saves 19 percent

How to save some gas. Good article.

read more | digg story

Mac Commercials, you have to see these

These are great. Apparently Mac is coming out swinging. Love these.

Networking one, and the virus one are the best

GetaMac ads

Technorati Tags: Apple, OSX, Security

Mac Commercials, you have to see these

These are great. Apparently Mac is coming out swinging. Love these.

Networking one, and the virus one are the best

GetaMac ads

Technorati Tags: Apple, OSX, Security

AP story on Apple "virus" very late, overhyped, and innaccurate

A recent front page Digg story, (which has since been buried), reported that "Macs are Virus Targets" - this report was based on a 3-month old story that wasn't then. Get the inside scoop here.

Totally agree!

read more | digg story

Restaurant Review (This is long) -- Part 3 of Hawaii

I'll try and post as many links as I can in here, so you can see the restaurant stuff itself. I'm pretty unbiased when it comes to restaurants, so I'll try and write it as general as possible.

Okay.. so in absolutely no order whatsoever.

1) Cheesecake Factory -- 2301 Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki
This was great. We ate there twice, both times dinner, and both times was excellent. I had the Orange Chicken one night, and my wife and I shared a different meal another another night (can't remember what it was). The Chicken was excellent. Everything from the bar was great, and the Dessert was excellent as well. I recommend either "ADAM'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP FUDGE RIPPLE", "TIRAMISU CHEESECAKE", or "TOBLERONE® SWISS ALMOND CHEESECAKE". All were excellent. Wait staff was great. 5 Stars.

2) Duke's Canoe Club -- Inside the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. Lower Lobby.
Excellent as well. I recommend the Australian Lobster Tail, the Wings, the Quesadilla, and for Dessert, you HAVE to get the Hula Pie. However, it is not for the faint of heart. It's GOOD, and HUGE. (So is the lobster. It's gigantic). The wait staff kinda sucked here. But I have eaten there in the past, and it was good, so I think it's just the one guy we had. 5 Stars.

3) Dave and Busters -- 1030 Auahi St. (Also known as Ward Center)
Ate there for Lunch. I think all the Dave and Busters are similar. So, it makes no sense to go into detail about it. I had a Chicken Cheese-steak, it was excellent (I recommend a bit of Ranch Dressing and Tabasco sauce in it.) However, I can't compliment the wait staff here enough, the dude who waited on us was awesome. Remembered everything the first time. 5 Stars.

4) Shore Bird Restaurant -- Inside the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, Kalia Road.
This was okay. Ate there for breakfast and lunch. The food was medicore. Breakfast was overpriced, and the wait staff really sucked. 2 stars.

5) Breakers Restaurant -- 66250 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI. (Kamehameha is pronounced "Kuh may huh may huh", and Haleiwa is pronounced "Hall ey eva")
Great. Ate there for lunch. It's a little surfers hole in the wall type of place, great wings. I had a pulled "Patacchia's Kalua Pork Sandwich". My wife had their wings. I recommend both. Great wait staff. 4 stars. (it is a hole in the wall, wear a t-shirt and shorts -- you should be wearing these anyway..)

6) Ocean Terrace -- Inside the Sheraton Waikiki
Stay away. Lots of food. Mostly cold, not cooked, the waiters hardly speak english (japanese), we had the buffet. It was not very good. Dessert was the best part. Roaches were crawling along the floor. WAAAy to expensive. 1 star.

Update: I actually took the time to voice a complaint to Sheraton about this. They promptly refunded my full total. So, I have to give them credit. This is what they had to say:
We recently received your comments of the dining experience you received at The Ocean Terrace Restaurant in The Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. I would like to personally apologize for not meeting your dining expectations, particularly on an occasion such as your third wedding anniversary. I will pass on all of your comments regarding the food to our Executive Chef, and will also follow up with our staff to properly identify your needs and overall dining experience while you were here with us. We look forward to addressing these areas of concern to ensure proper service levels are met for all future customers.

Because we were unable to accomplish our goal of a wonderful dining experience for you and your wife, I would like to take this opportunity to reimburse you for your dinner on that evening. We have located the charges on your [credit card] of $xx.xx and will be applying a credit to your account. All though this may not fully make up for your experience, our hope is that you will once again offer us the opportunity to serve you in the future.

Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any more questions or comments and I will be happy to assist you. From the staff and management of The Ocean Terrace Restaurant at The Sheraton Waikiki, we want to wish you a pleasant year, and look forward to serving you in the future. Thank you.

7) Cheeseburger Waikiki -- Downtown Waikiki, Kalakaua Ave.
It was "okay", nothing to write home about. Your typical "gourmet" burger joint. Wait staff was a bit slow, but the drinks from the bar were excellent. My wife got bitten by some kind of either ant or mosquitos while we were there, so she was kinda pissed. But the food was good. 3 stars.

8) House without a key -- Inside the Halekulani Hotel. Kalia Road.
Excellent, highly recommended. Make sure and ask (the wait staff should tell you), what the catch of the day is. On the day we went it was Mahi-Mahi Fish. (Dolphin Fish, no-- not Dolphin, Dolphin fish. Mahi Mahi is Hawaiian for "Strong Strong". Although the fish wasn't very strong (which was good). Excellent flavor. My wife hat the Filet Mignon, also excellent. Wait staff, live entertainment both excellent. 5 stars.

9) Chief's Hut -- Inside the Outrigger Reef On the beach.
Again, I recommend the nachos. Ate there for breakfast and lunch x2. Both were excellent. Its right next to the pool and a waterfall. Very nice. Wait staff was also excellent. 4 stars.

I ate at various other places too, but these were the ones that stuck out in my mind. Check them out (Except for the Ocean Terrace).

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation

AP story on Apple "virus" very late, overhyped, and innaccurate

A recent front page Digg story, (which has since been buried), reported that "Macs are Virus Targets" - this report was based on a 3-month old story that wasn't then. Get the inside scoop here.

Totally agree!

read more | digg story

Sightseeing (Part 2 of Hawaii Review)

Hawaii is beautiful. I love it there. I am going to post a bunch of pictures when I get them all done (edited, straightened...etc.)

But one thing I am mad about, is I didn't get a picture of the Oceanic flight plane they use for "Lost". I saw it, but didn't take a picture of it.

(it was only a section of the plane) But I should have grabbed a shot of it. Would have been cool.

However, in the meantime, while I am picture editing. Enjoy this nice wallpaper.


Click on it to make it bigger.

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation

Restaurant Review (This is long) -- Part 3 of Hawaii

I'll try and post as many links as I can in here, so you can see the restaurant stuff itself. I'm pretty unbiased when it comes to restaurants, so I'll try and write it as general as possible.

Okay.. so in absolutely no order whatsoever.

1) Cheesecake Factory -- 2301 Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki
This was great. We ate there twice, both times dinner, and both times was excellent. I had the Orange Chicken one night, and my wife and I shared a different meal another another night (can't remember what it was). The Chicken was excellent. Everything from the bar was great, and the Dessert was excellent as well. I recommend either "ADAM'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP FUDGE RIPPLE", "TIRAMISU CHEESECAKE", or "TOBLERONE® SWISS ALMOND CHEESECAKE". All were excellent. Wait staff was great. 5 Stars.

2) Duke's Canoe Club -- Inside the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. Lower Lobby.
Excellent as well. I recommend the Australian Lobster Tail, the Wings, the Quesadilla, and for Dessert, you HAVE to get the Hula Pie. However, it is not for the faint of heart. It's GOOD, and HUGE. (So is the lobster. It's gigantic). The wait staff kinda sucked here. But I have eaten there in the past, and it was good, so I think it's just the one guy we had. 5 Stars.

3) Dave and Busters -- 1030 Auahi St. (Also known as Ward Center)
Ate there for Lunch. I think all the Dave and Busters are similar. So, it makes no sense to go into detail about it. I had a Chicken Cheese-steak, it was excellent (I recommend a bit of Ranch Dressing and Tabasco sauce in it.) However, I can't compliment the wait staff here enough, the dude who waited on us was awesome. Remembered everything the first time. 5 Stars.

4) Shore Bird Restaurant -- Inside the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, Kalia Road.
This was okay. Ate there for breakfast and lunch. The food was medicore. Breakfast was overpriced, and the wait staff really sucked. 2 stars.

5) Breakers Restaurant -- 66250 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI. (Kamehameha is pronounced "Kuh may huh may huh", and Haleiwa is pronounced "Hall ey eva")
Great. Ate there for lunch. It's a little surfers hole in the wall type of place, great wings. I had a pulled "Patacchia's Kalua Pork Sandwich". My wife had their wings. I recommend both. Great wait staff. 4 stars. (it is a hole in the wall, wear a t-shirt and shorts -- you should be wearing these anyway..)

6) Ocean Terrace -- Inside the Sheraton Waikiki
Stay away. Lots of food. Mostly cold, not cooked, the waiters hardly speak english (japanese), we had the buffet. It was not very good. Dessert was the best part. Roaches were crawling along the floor. WAAAy to expensive. 1 star.

Update: I actually took the time to voice a complaint to Sheraton about this. They promptly refunded my full total. So, I have to give them credit. This is what they had to say:
We recently received your comments of the dining experience you received at The Ocean Terrace Restaurant in The Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. I would like to personally apologize for not meeting your dining expectations, particularly on an occasion such as your third wedding anniversary. I will pass on all of your comments regarding the food to our Executive Chef, and will also follow up with our staff to properly identify your needs and overall dining experience while you were here with us. We look forward to addressing these areas of concern to ensure proper service levels are met for all future customers.

Because we were unable to accomplish our goal of a wonderful dining experience for you and your wife, I would like to take this opportunity to reimburse you for your dinner on that evening. We have located the charges on your [credit card] of $xx.xx and will be applying a credit to your account. All though this may not fully make up for your experience, our hope is that you will once again offer us the opportunity to serve you in the future.

Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any more questions or comments and I will be happy to assist you. From the staff and management of The Ocean Terrace Restaurant at The Sheraton Waikiki, we want to wish you a pleasant year, and look forward to serving you in the future. Thank you.

7) Cheeseburger Waikiki -- Downtown Waikiki, Kalakaua Ave.
It was "okay", nothing to write home about. Your typical "gourmet" burger joint. Wait staff was a bit slow, but the drinks from the bar were excellent. My wife got bitten by some kind of either ant or mosquitos while we were there, so she was kinda pissed. But the food was good. 3 stars.

8) House without a key -- Inside the Halekulani Hotel. Kalia Road.
Excellent, highly recommended. Make sure and ask (the wait staff should tell you), what the catch of the day is. On the day we went it was Mahi-Mahi Fish. (Dolphin Fish, no-- not Dolphin, Dolphin fish. Mahi Mahi is Hawaiian for "Strong Strong". Although the fish wasn't very strong (which was good). Excellent flavor. My wife hat the Filet Mignon, also excellent. Wait staff, live entertainment both excellent. 5 stars.

9) Chief's Hut -- Inside the Outrigger Reef On the beach.
Again, I recommend the nachos. Ate there for breakfast and lunch x2. Both were excellent. Its right next to the pool and a waterfall. Very nice. Wait staff was also excellent. 4 stars.

I ate at various other places too, but these were the ones that stuck out in my mind. Check them out (Except for the Ocean Terrace).

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation

Hotel (Part 1 of Hawaii Review)

I stayed at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach. Now, to be fair, I stay at pretty nice hotels the majority of the time I travel, so it's kinda unfair for me to judge this hotel, but here goes.

1) The Elevators suck. Bad. They don't work efficiently, and you are constantly waiting for an elevator (I stayed in the ?Pacific? tower. (There are three). You have to swipe your card to get to the upper floors, and if you aren't quick, it will zip right past your floor (I stayed on the fifth floor). Then when the door opens, its not even lined up with the landing (elevator to floor). Kinda hazardous.

2) If you look at the above link there is a picture of the hotel room. THAT'S IT. That's the whole room, the only thing they don't show in this picture is the bathroom. Which, the majority of rooms, have a standup shower (no tub). And the shower is pretty small. Now, I am pretty skinny so that doesn't bother me, but if you are... 200 lbs+, you are screwed. It has one sink, and the toilet is not in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom.

3) If you look at the above link you will see a nice view of diamond head out the window. Caution, there are about, three rooms that have this view. If you are booked to stay here you better check which tower you are booked in, because if you aren't booked in the Diamond Head Tower, with a Diamond Head view, you either get a view of the street, or the building next to you. Horrible. BTW, the Diamond head tower? Completely under renovation. You can't stay there currently.

4) The "Shore Bird" Restaurant in the Hotel is okay. The breakfast buffet is a bit overpriced for what it is. But it was pretty good.

5) The "Chiefs' Hut" Restaurant in the Hotel was much better. Right next to a waterfall pool, this was very nice. I recommend the Nachos.

6) Every night they have live entertainment in the lobby. Which is pretty cool (BTW, I think just about every hotel has live entertainment), but there is a blind guy that plays bass. He is awesome. He plays the left hand reverse fingered, (from the top), and it is pretty cool. Good singer too.

7) Chief's Hut Bar, There is a bar there near the live entertainment. It's pretty good, although one night, the automatic blender was broken. Apparently the bar tenders aren't good enuff to actually use a REAL blender, so if the automatic blender is broken, no frozen drinks for you. Although the drinks, (when the blender worked) were very good, and well decorated.

8) There is a Starbucks and a Jamba Juice in the lobby. Both are good.

9) Hotel Internet -- okay. You have to watch the outrigger on this one. They pulled a fast one. There is FREE INTERNET ACCESS at this hotel, however, you have to get a code from the desk. If you don't get a code, you have to pay like 10 dollars a day. GET A CODE. They don't tell you that you need one, and they don't offer to give you one. You have to physically go ask. The Internet access is spotty at best, (I had to go out on the balcony, it's wireless.)

10) Pool -- The pool appeared nice, however it is the ONLY pool. I am used to hotels and resorts where they have a general pool, then there is a pool for adults only. There is only one pool. Therefore.. lots of kids.

11) Beach -- I sat on the beach with my wife the whole time. Very nice. Two lounge chairs and umbrella for the day, 30 bucks. Not too bad. (that's about the standard price up and down the beach) I recommend you go down the beach to the Sheraton Waikiki. The stand is run by the same guy (look for an older gentleman with white hair, very nice guy), the beach is a bit more secluded and quieter. Not as many people around, and peace and quiet. The stand sits back a bit and has a blue awning.

12) Fairfield. Now. Last but not least. Fairfield. I am a fairfield member, (I have a timeshare), and all these people want to do is sell you a timeshare. They hawk to anyone all day at any point. RIGHT in the lobby, you can't get around them. They are annoying as <insert expletive here>

Good time tho. Overall, the room sucked, but really... how much time do you spend in the hotel?

Recommendations? Stay in the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. I have stayed there before too, it is MUCH nicer.

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation

My Trip to Hawaii, a review

Well for those of you that know me, (or those of you reading this), know that I just went to Hawaii for a week.

First off, it was great. I have a couple things to say regarding particular hotels and various restaurants, so I am going to write a review of several things for anyone who is going to Google my blog, or Google any of the hotels.

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation

Sightseeing (Part 2 of Hawaii Review)

Hawaii is beautiful. I love it there. I am going to post a bunch of pictures when I get them all done (edited, straightened...etc.)

But one thing I am mad about, is I didn't get a picture of the Oceanic flight plane they use for "Lost". I saw it, but didn't take a picture of it.

(it was only a section of the plane) But I should have grabbed a shot of it. Would have been cool.

However, in the meantime, while I am picture editing. Enjoy this nice wallpaper.


Click on it to make it bigger.

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation

Hotel (Part 1 of Hawaii Review)

I stayed at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach. Now, to be fair, I stay at pretty nice hotels the majority of the time I travel, so it's kinda unfair for me to judge this hotel, but here goes.

1) The Elevators suck. Bad. They don't work efficiently, and you are constantly waiting for an elevator (I stayed in the ?Pacific? tower. (There are three). You have to swipe your card to get to the upper floors, and if you aren't quick, it will zip right past your floor (I stayed on the fifth floor). Then when the door opens, its not even lined up with the landing (elevator to floor). Kinda hazardous.

2) If you look at the above link there is a picture of the hotel room. THAT'S IT. That's the whole room, the only thing they don't show in this picture is the bathroom. Which, the majority of rooms, have a standup shower (no tub). And the shower is pretty small. Now, I am pretty skinny so that doesn't bother me, but if you are... 200 lbs+, you are screwed. It has one sink, and the toilet is not in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom.

3) If you look at the above link you will see a nice view of diamond head out the window. Caution, there are about, three rooms that have this view. If you are booked to stay here you better check which tower you are booked in, because if you aren't booked in the Diamond Head Tower, with a Diamond Head view, you either get a view of the street, or the building next to you. Horrible. BTW, the Diamond head tower? Completely under renovation. You can't stay there currently.

4) The "Shore Bird" Restaurant in the Hotel is okay. The breakfast buffet is a bit overpriced for what it is. But it was pretty good.

5) The "Chiefs' Hut" Restaurant in the Hotel was much better. Right next to a waterfall pool, this was very nice. I recommend the Nachos.

6) Every night they have live entertainment in the lobby. Which is pretty cool (BTW, I think just about every hotel has live entertainment), but there is a blind guy that plays bass. He is awesome. He plays the left hand reverse fingered, (from the top), and it is pretty cool. Good singer too.

7) Chief's Hut Bar, There is a bar there near the live entertainment. It's pretty good, although one night, the automatic blender was broken. Apparently the bar tenders aren't good enuff to actually use a REAL blender, so if the automatic blender is broken, no frozen drinks for you. Although the drinks, (when the blender worked) were very good, and well decorated.

8) There is a Starbucks and a Jamba Juice in the lobby. Both are good.

9) Hotel Internet -- okay. You have to watch the outrigger on this one. They pulled a fast one. There is FREE INTERNET ACCESS at this hotel, however, you have to get a code from the desk. If you don't get a code, you have to pay like 10 dollars a day. GET A CODE. They don't tell you that you need one, and they don't offer to give you one. You have to physically go ask. The Internet access is spotty at best, (I had to go out on the balcony, it's wireless.)

10) Pool -- The pool appeared nice, however it is the ONLY pool. I am used to hotels and resorts where they have a general pool, then there is a pool for adults only. There is only one pool. Therefore.. lots of kids.

11) Beach -- I sat on the beach with my wife the whole time. Very nice. Two lounge chairs and umbrella for the day, 30 bucks. Not too bad. (that's about the standard price up and down the beach) I recommend you go down the beach to the Sheraton Waikiki. The stand is run by the same guy (look for an older gentleman with white hair, very nice guy), the beach is a bit more secluded and quieter. Not as many people around, and peace and quiet. The stand sits back a bit and has a blue awning.

12) Fairfield. Now. Last but not least. Fairfield. I am a fairfield member, (I have a timeshare), and all these people want to do is sell you a timeshare. They hawk to anyone all day at any point. RIGHT in the lobby, you can't get around them. They are annoying as <insert expletive here>

Good time tho. Overall, the room sucked, but really... how much time do you spend in the hotel?

Recommendations? Stay in the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. I have stayed there before too, it is MUCH nicer.

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation

My Trip to Hawaii, a review

Well for those of you that know me, (or those of you reading this), know that I just went to Hawaii for a week.

First off, it was great. I have a couple things to say regarding particular hotels and various restaurants, so I am going to write a review of several things for anyone who is going to Google my blog, or Google any of the hotels.

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, Vacation