Arion's random thoughts/2021-12-09T09:00:00-05:00Technologist, geek, and tinkerer25 Years of Arion.Net2021-12-09T09:00:00-05:002021-12-09T09:00:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2021-12-09:/misc/25-years-of-arionnet.html<p>Arion.Net is 25 years old this month. At the quarter century mark, I am feeling quite nostalgic and it’s time to capture some of how Arion.Net came into existence.</p>
<p>I registered Arion.Net in 1996 shortly after I started grad school at <a href="https://www.cmu.edu">Carnegie Mellon University</a>. As a …</p><p>Arion.Net is 25 years old this month. At the quarter century mark, I am feeling quite nostalgic and it’s time to capture some of how Arion.Net came into existence.</p>
<p>I registered Arion.Net in 1996 shortly after I started grad school at <a href="https://www.cmu.edu">Carnegie Mellon University</a>. As a student at the <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/ini/">Information Networking Institute</a>, I figured what better way to understand the Internet than to create my own presence. At this time, you really had to self-host everything. There was no <span class="caps">AWS</span>, no Google Cloud, no Azure, and no <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name_registrar"><span class="caps">DNS</span> registrars</a>. There were fledgling ISPs but nothing within easy reach of individuals. Also, as a poor student, my goal was to learn as much as possible while outlaying the smallest amount of funds needed. My goal was to discover, and at a minimum, these were the topics I wanted to explore:</p>
<ul>
<li>How does <span class="caps">DNS</span> work?</li>
<li>How do I go about registering a domain?</li>
<li>How do I run a name server? How do I create and host a zone file?</li>
<li>How do I host a simple web site?</li>
<li>How do <span class="caps">MX</span> records and mail services work?</li>
</ul>
<h1>Domain registration</h1>
<p>I set out looking for a domain name to register. I suppose it is rather vain that I chose <em>Arion</em> but since I was looking to create my own presence, I figured why not? Also, as a relatively obscure and unique word, I assumed it would be available to register. Short domain names, even in 1996, were starting to become rare. To my surprise, there was an <code>arion.com</code> already registered. From my recollection, it was a company in Japan. (Apparently the registration for <code>arion.com</code> lapsed in 1999 and I should have been monitoring this so I could grab it, but meh.) Anyway, <code>arion.net</code> was more suitable in the end — I was studying information networking!</p>
<p>In 1996, there were only a handful of top-level domains. These were documented in <a href="https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1591"><span class="caps">RFC1591</span></a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>World Wide Generic Domains:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span class="caps">COM</span> - This domain is intended for commercial entities, that is companies. This domain has grown very large and there is concern about the administrative load and system performance if the current growth pattern is continued. Consideration is being taken to subdivide the <span class="caps">COM</span> domain and only allow future commercial registrations in the subdomains.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span class="caps">EDU</span> - This domain was originally intended for all educational institutions. Many Universities, colleges, schools, educational service organizations, and educational consortia have registered here. More recently a decision has been taken to limit further registrations to 4 year colleges and universities. Schools and 2-year colleges will be registered in the country domains (see <span class="caps">US</span> Domain, especially K12 and below).</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span class="caps">NET</span> - This domain is intended to hold only the computers of network providers, that is the <span class="caps">NIC</span> and <span class="caps">NOC</span> computers, the administrative computers, and the network node computers. The customers of the network provider would have domain names of their own (not in the <span class="caps">NET</span> <span class="caps">TLD</span>).</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span class="caps">ORG</span> - This domain is intended as the miscellaneous <span class="caps">TLD</span> for organizations that didn’t fit anywhere else. Some non-government organizations may fit here.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span class="caps">INT</span> - This domain is for organizations established by international treaties, or international databases.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>(The <span class="caps">RFC</span> goes on to also describe <code>.gov</code>, <code>.mil</code>, and <code>.us</code> as well as the two-character international country code domain names.)</p>
<p>Arion.Net was available and I set about registering it. This was a manual process, which required filling out the “Domain Template” form. This form was available at <code>ftp://rs.internic.net/templates/domain-template.txt</code>. That <span class="caps">FTP</span> server is still alive but the template isn’t there anymore. Here’s <a href="/assets/internic.txt">a copy for posterity</a>. (As a side note, you can download the current <a href="ftp://rs.internic.net/domain/root.zone.gz">root zone from that <span class="caps">FTP</span> server</a> if you are interested in knowing every top-level domain live on the Internet!). As described in the above <span class="caps">RFC</span>, the use of the <code>.net</code> domain was for <em>computers of network providers</em>. While a bit of a stretch, this still seemed appropriate for me. There wasn’t any enforcement of the use of this domain so on my application I put some language about providing “hosting services” even though I didn’t really intend on doing anything more than hosting a web site for a friend or two.</p>
<p>I found my original application and the initial two-year registration fee was $100. I specified my name and my parent’s address at the time for the administrative, technical, and billing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIC_handle"><span class="caps">NIC</span> handles</a>, since it was my only permanent address. I used the name <em>Arion Information Services</em> on a whim as the Organization Name. There was no <span class="caps">DNS</span> privacy back then and as the Internet continued to explode I did get a steady trickle of junk snail-mail to my parent’s address with this name. A few years after I registered Arion.Net, I updated my <span class="caps">NIC</span> handles to reference a <span class="caps">PO</span> Box address to put an end to that. Eventually the registrars figured out that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_privacy"><span class="caps">WHOIS</span> record privacy</a> was something people would value and started offering services to shield personal info from data mining.</p>
<p>The application required me to specify the name servers that would be hosting the Arion.Net zone. This was important because I needed to run my own name server. On the original application, I listed:</p>
<div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><code>Primary Name Server
7a. Primary Server Hostname....: rhetoric.ini.cmu.edu
7b. Primary Server Netaddress..: 128.2.237.169
Secondary Name Server(s)
8a. Secondary Server Hostname..: mcbain.ini.cmu.edu
8b. Secondary Server Netaddress: 128.2.237.176
</code></pre></div>
<p>(hat-tip to any Simpsons fans for <a href="https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/McBain">McBain</a> reference)</p>
<p>I hadn’t wrapped my head around the concept of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System#Circular_dependencies_and_glue_records">glue records</a> at the time (hey, this was all new to me!) so you can see that I really shouldn’t have listed the name servers like this. It would have been better to just list <code>ns1.arion.net</code> and <code>ns2.arion.net</code> with those <span class="caps">IP</span> addresses instead of their <span class="caps">CMU</span> network names.</p>
<p>After waiting a week or so, Arion.Net was live! Its anniversary date is still visible in its <span class="caps">WHOIS</span> record:</p>
<div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><code>$ whois arion.net
[ ... ]
Domain Name: ARION.NET
Creation Date: 1996-12-09T05:00:00
</code></pre></div>
<h1>Life after initial registration</h1>
<p>One of the computers I hauled with me to <span class="caps">CMU</span> was an old 486 desktop tower computer. I ran an early Linux distribution on it which came with all of the software and tools needed to host a domain. Combined with a static <span class="caps">IP</span> address from <span class="caps">CMU</span> and plenty of bandwidth, I had all I need to host Arion.Net.</p>
<h2>Name services</h2>
<p>I set about configuring the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIND"><span class="caps">BIND</span></a> name server software with a zone file that had a few simple records. It was a very simple zone since everything pointed to this single Linux host! My registration listed two name servers, but I only really operated one. The other name and <span class="caps">IP</span> address was a secondary machine I had at <span class="caps">CMU</span> but I never used it for hosting Arion.Net (things ran fine with only one name server online). I ran my own name server for Arion.Net from 1996 through 2000.</p>
<p>Every two years I paid domain registration fees directly to <a href="https://www.networksolutions.com/">Network Solutions</a>, since they were an authorized monopoliy for the top-level domains at the time. I found an old invoice from 2000 that shows a 2-year renewal fee of $70:</p>
<p><img alt="Network Solutions invoice" src="/images/arionnet-invoice-2000.png"></p>
<p>You can read about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Solutions#History">the fascinating history of Network Solutions</a> on Wikipedia. Eventually the monopoly was broken and the market for domain registration services matured. I moved domain registration and <span class="caps">DNS</span> hosting of Arion.Net to a small startup called <a href="https://easydns.com">EasyDNS</a> in Canada. Twenty years later, they are still handling domain registration for me.</p>
<h2>Web services</h2>
<p>My Arion.Net server ran a simple web site using the <a href="https://httpd.apache.org">Apache <span class="caps">HTTP</span></a> software. The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/19981212022838/http://www.arion.net/">earliest capture</a> from <a href="https://web.archive.org">The Wayback Machine</a> was on 12/8/1998, a few years after it had been running. At that time, Arion.Net had a few static pages. Here’s what it looked like in the early days:</p>
<p><img alt="Arion.Net in 2001" src="/images/arionnet-2001.png"></p>
<p>Hey, at least I didn’t have an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Under_construction_animated.gif"><em>under construction</em> <span class="caps">GIF</span></a> or any <a href="https://www.tutorialspoint.com/html/html_marquees.htm"><em>marquee</em> text</a>!</p>
<p>The first big change really came when I implemented <a href="https://www.drupal.org">Drupal</a> in 2003. I ran Drupal for more than 10 years but it was riddled with constant security vulnerabilities and required lots of maintenance. In the end, it was overly complex for my needs so I moved to a simple static-site generation platform called <a href="https://blog.getpelican.com">Pelican</a>.</p>
<h2>Mail services</h2>
<p>My Arion.Net server also run email services and I self-hosted email for more than 20 years using a variety of solutions. The last email platform I used was <a href="https://www.zimbra.com">Zimbra</a> before deciding that it was time to move on. I finally threw-in-the-towel on self-hosting and moved to Microsoft’s Office365 services a couple of years ago.</p>
<h1>25 years later</h1>
<p>I was initially inspired to register a domain and learn about hosting from a friend at <span class="caps">CMU</span> named Paul Clip. Paul was a year ahead of me at the <span class="caps">INI</span>. He helped me with some of the initial logistics of domain registration and gave me advice on how to configure <span class="caps">BIND</span>.</p>
<p>While I may not update the content on Arion.Net with any regularity, it will continue to be the place where you can always find me. Perhaps I’ll write another nostalgic post when it turns 50.</p>CONF T2016-09-24T00:00:00-04:002016-09-24T00:00:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-24:/geekplates/conf-t.html<p>Typing “conf t” is the way to enter configuration mode on a Cisco router/switch. This says you want to enter configuration commands on the terminal (“t”).</p>IRC-66672016-09-24T00:00:00-04:002016-09-24T00:00:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-24:/geekplates/irc_6667.html<p><span class="caps">IRC</span> is the Internet Relay Chat.. the original and old school chatroom technology. The default <span class="caps">IRC</span> server port is <span class="caps">TCP</span>/6667.</p>IT GUI2016-09-24T00:00:00-04:002016-09-24T00:00:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-24:/geekplates/it-gui.html<p><span class="caps">IT</span> <span class="caps">GUI</span>.. as in Information Technology Graphical User Interface? Not sure why someone would put this on a plate.</p>MCRSFT2016-09-24T00:00:00-04:002016-09-24T00:00:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-24:/geekplates/mcrsft.html<p>Microsoft. Pretty straightforward.</p>REBOOT2016-09-24T00:00:00-04:002016-09-24T00:00:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-24:/geekplates/reboot.html<p>Reboot.. as in the way to fix any problem with a Windows computer :)</p>Rethinking Arion.Net2016-09-23T23:30:00-04:002016-09-23T23:30:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-23:/misc/rethinking-arionnet.html<p>Arion.Net has been through a number of changes over the years. My first web site was pretty rudimentary when I put it up in <em>1996</em> (<strong>!!!</strong>). Until recently, I was running <a href="https://www.drupal.org">Drupal</a>. It served me well for a good ten years. In the early days I would post occasional articles …</p><p>Arion.Net has been through a number of changes over the years. My first web site was pretty rudimentary when I put it up in <em>1996</em> (<strong>!!!</strong>). Until recently, I was running <a href="https://www.drupal.org">Drupal</a>. It served me well for a good ten years. In the early days I would post occasional articles but as time went by it became neglected. I continued to patch and update but last year the final nail was put into Drupal’s coffin. The version I was using went completely out of support. I wasn’t really interested in upgrading and I never really needed the power of Drupal. While I think I did a good job securing Drupal, it’s history of vulnerabilities has been <a href="https://www.drupal.org/security">pretty</a> <a href="https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=drupal">bad</a> and <a href="https://threatpost.com/drupal-patches-three-vulnerabilities-in-core-engine/120816/">continues to this day</a>. For a replacement, I started looking into static website generators. Since I wasn’t doing a lot with dynamic content (besides some hacks to support my <a href="{static}/pages/geekplates.md">Geek Plates</a> and a dynamic IPv6 badge) generating static content seemed to be the best way to go. Since I know enough Python to be dangerous, I gravitated to the Python based solutions and settled on <a href="http://getpelican.com">Pelican</a>. I found a decent theme and started hacking away. I did a good bit of customization to the default templates and found a good way to show my Geek Plates in pure <span class="caps">CSS</span>. So far I’m pretty happy with the results but no promises on updating content any more regularly :-)</p>SYSTEMS2016-09-18T23:07:00-04:002016-09-18T23:07:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-18:/geekplates/systems.html<p>Systems.. The proper version of <strong><span class="caps">SYSTMS</span></strong> that I saw a number of years ago..</p>WEB5032016-09-18T23:07:00-04:002016-09-18T23:07:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2016-09-18:/geekplates/web503.html<p>503 is the <span class="caps">HTTP</span> (‘web’) error code for <em>The service is unavailable</em>. Not sure why you’d want to put that on your car.. unless you want to be clear you don’t do ride sharing?</p>No Selling Stuff!2007-05-25T04:28:00-04:002007-05-25T04:28:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2007-05-25:/misc/no-selling-stuff.html<p>I came across an amusing sign at a gas station in Nashville, Tennessee.</p>
<p>I don’t know why, but I just found this sign funny:</p>
<p><a href="/images/Photo_052107_001.jpg"><img alt="Photo 052107
001" src="/images/Photo_052107_001-tm.jpg"></a></p>
<p>It was on the window of a quick-e-mart shop at a gas station in
Nashville, Tennessee.</p>Turkey Vultures2007-05-25T03:57:00-04:002007-05-25T03:57:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2007-05-25:/misc/turkey-vultures.html<p>I’ve spent the last couple of months working on site at a client’s
location. I’ve spent most of the time in a conference room up on the
12th floor of the client’s building. The view from the conference room
is nice, but I was kind of …</p><p>I’ve spent the last couple of months working on site at a client’s
location. I’ve spent most of the time in a conference room up on the
12th floor of the client’s building. The view from the conference room
is nice, but I was kind of freaked out during the first week in the room
when several <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_Vulture">turkey
vultures</a> landed on the
ledge just outside of the large glass windows right behind where I was sitting.</p>
<p>Although there was a nice thick piece of glass separating them from me,
they were still only a couple feet away and they are a little menacing.
Anyway, I came to enjoy watching them throughout the days. Below is a
short video that shows the up-and-close view I had of them. Enjoy.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of pictures as well..</p>
<p><a href="/images/Photo_032007_002-2.jpg"><img alt="Photo 032007
002-2" src="/images/Photo_032007_002-2-tm.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/Photo_032007_003-2.jpg"><img alt="Photo 032007
003-2" src="/images/Photo_032007_003-2-tm.jpg"></a></p>Game of Tag2006-02-26T21:44:00-05:002006-02-26T21:44:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2006-02-26:/misc/game-of-tag.html<p>I normally don’t blog about myself much — I mostly blog about my
projects, etc. However, <a href="http://www.nervous.net/" title="Nervous.Net">Rick</a>
tagged me. I don’t know where this whole “tag, you’re it” thing started.
Oh well. Guess I’m on the hook now to respond. Read more to see how I
answered …</p><p>I normally don’t blog about myself much — I mostly blog about my
projects, etc. However, <a href="http://www.nervous.net/" title="Nervous.Net">Rick</a>
tagged me. I don’t know where this whole “tag, you’re it” thing started.
Oh well. Guess I’m on the hook now to respond. Read more to see how I
answered the “fours”.</p>
<p><strong>Four jobs I’ve had</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="dquo">“</span>Landscape Architect” (i.e., move dirt with a shovel)</li>
<li>Sales guy at Egghead Software</li>
<li>Software tester at Commodore</li>
<li>Ethical Hacker</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four movies I can watch over and over</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/" title="Spinal Tap">Spinal Tap</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/" title="Star Wars">Star Wars, Episode
<span class="caps">IV</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/" title="Its a Wonderful Life">Its a Wonderful Life</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/" title="Spirited Away">Spirited Away</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four <span class="caps">TV</span> shows I love(d) to watch</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/">The Simpsons</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112196/" title="The Tick">The Tick</a> (animated)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286486/" title="The Shield">The Shield</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090525/" title="Trust me, I know what I'm doing!">Sledge Hammer</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four places I’ve been on vacation</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Tokyo/Kyoto/Hong Kong</li>
<li>Paris/Nice/Monaco</li>
<li>Dover/Zeebrugge/Amsterdam/Berlin/Copenhagen/Gdansk/Helsinki/St.
Petersburg/Tallinn/Stockholm (one hell of a cruise!)</li>
<li>Orlando</li>
</ul>
<p>Four favorite dishes </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.krispykreme.com/" title="Yummy">Krispy Kreme</a> donuts (best
served hot!)</li>
<li>Sushi (unagi and salmon are my favorites)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.benandjerrys.com/our_products/flavor_details.cfm?product_id=35" title="Yummy">Ben <span class="amp">&</span> Jerry”s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch</a></li>
<li>Anything with strawberries</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four websites I visit daily</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.digg.com/" title="Digg.com">Digg.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.tuaw.com/" title="TUAW">The Unofficial Apple Weblog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.cnn.com/" title="This is CNN"><span class="caps">CNN</span>.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four places I’d rather be</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Lying under a tree on a cool summer day</li>
<li>Cruising on <a href="http://www.blueridgeskyline.com/" title="Skyline Drive">Skyline Drive</a></li>
<li>Walking around in Shibuya</li>
<li>Hawaii (never been there, but how can it be bad?)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four I’m tagging</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wiredmind.net/blojsom/blog/mbriggs/" title="WiredMind: Matt">Matt</a></li>
<li>…uhh, most of my friends don’t blog, and those that do have
already been tagged…</li>
</ul>Welcome Wifi Guests2006-01-14T13:09:00-05:002006-01-14T13:09:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2006-01-14:/misc/welcome-wifi-guests.html<p>Hello! Some of you reading this entry may have been directed here
because you connected to the wireless network I have running at my
house. If you joined the <em>arionnet</em> unprotected network and then tried
to visit a web site, you might have been surprised to see this page.
Don …</p><p>Hello! Some of you reading this entry may have been directed here
because you connected to the wireless network I have running at my
house. If you joined the <em>arionnet</em> unprotected network and then tried
to visit a web site, you might have been surprised to see this page.
Don’t worry, I didn’t hack your computer or anything! However, you have
been subjected to the restrictions of my wireless network. I’m not quite
ready to allow anyone to have unfettered access to the Internet through
my system. So in the meantime, please feel free to view the rest of
<a href="http://www.arion.net/" title="Arion.Net">Arion.Net</a> and send me an <span class="caps">IM</span> or
email to say “Hi!”.</p>
<p>For those of you that are interested in the technical details of this
wireless network thingie, read on for more info.</p>
<p>So, you want to get the low-down on this wireless network? Here goes!
You are connected through a <a href="http://www.linksys.com/" title="Linksys">Linksys</a>
<span class="caps">WRT54GS</span> access point. This access point runs an embedded version of the
<a href="http://www.linux.org/" title="Home of Tux, the Penguin">Linux</a> operating
system. The version of Linux that is preloaded on the <span class="caps">WRT54GS</span> is for
consumers and has a nice pretty web interface for configuration.
However, <a href="http://www.dd-wrt.com/" title="DD-WRT">several</a>
<a href="http://www.portless.net/menu/ewrt/" title="Portless.net">other</a>
<a href="http://www.hyperwrt.org/" title="HyperWRT">groups</a> have produced alternative
versions of Linux that can be installed on this device. I’m running
<a href="http://openwrt.org/" title="OpenWRT">OpenWRT</a>. OpenWRT provides a
<a href="http://www.debian.org/" title="Debian">Debian</a>-like environment with a
slim-lined base system and the ability to add additional software and
features through a <a href="http://wiki.openwrt.org/OpenWrtDocs/Using" title="ipkg">package-management
system</a>.</p>
<p>The reason that visitors on my wireless network are redirected to
<a href="http://www.arion.net/" title="Arion.Net">Arion.Net</a> for every web request
made is through the magic of a “captive portal” program called
<a href="http://www.chillispot.org/" title="Chillispot">Chillispot</a>. Chillispot
divides users into two categories: authenticated and unauthenticated
users. As you might have guessed, unauthenticated users can’t do much
besides browse <a href="http://www.arion.net/" title="Arion.Net">Arion.Net</a>. All
requests are redirected back to my web server. Authentication is handled
through a radius server. I have
<a href="http://www.freeradius.org/" title="FreeRadius">FreeRadius</a> running on my
firewall. It makes the decision about who is allowed full access to the
Internet and who is not.</p>
<p>So, there you have it. If you would like to request authenticated access
through my wireless network, send me an <span class="caps">IM</span> or email and I’ll consider it.</p>New Post After Long Hiatus!2006-01-14T12:47:00-05:002006-01-14T12:47:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2006-01-14:/misc/new-post-after-long-hiatus.html<p>Hey. After seeing that the last article posted was in December of 2004
(!!!) maybe you thought I’d given up on my web site. Not so fast! I’ve
been busy with work, life, and everything in between. However, I’ve got
some new content to post soon. Look for …</p><p>Hey. After seeing that the last article posted was in December of 2004
(!!!) maybe you thought I’d given up on my web site. Not so fast! I’ve
been busy with work, life, and everything in between. However, I’ve got
some new content to post soon. Look for updated Geek Plates (yes, I’m
still collecting them!), notes on my Wifi network at home, and other
general geek-type stuff.</p>Airport Oddity2004-12-08T06:52:00-05:002004-12-08T06:52:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-12-08:/misc/airport-oddity.html<p>Who would have thought that a snack pack of pistachio nuts would
actually contain pistachio shells. Crazy talk!</p>
<p><img alt="pistachios.jpg" src="/images/pistachios.jpg" title="pistachios.jpg"></p>
<p>While I was sitting in the lovely airport in Manchester, New Hampshire
waiting for a flight back to Washington on the day before Thanksgiving I
decided to pick up an (overpriced) snack …</p><p>Who would have thought that a snack pack of pistachio nuts would
actually contain pistachio shells. Crazy talk!</p>
<p><img alt="pistachios.jpg" src="/images/pistachios.jpg" title="pistachios.jpg"></p>
<p>While I was sitting in the lovely airport in Manchester, New Hampshire
waiting for a flight back to Washington on the day before Thanksgiving I
decided to pick up an (overpriced) snack from the newsstand. I found a
bag of pistachios that looked pretty good. About half way through them I
noticed a very strange warning label on the back:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><span class="dquo">“</span><span class="caps">CAUTION</span>: <span class="caps">CONTAINS</span> <span class="caps">PISTACHIO</span> <span class="caps">SHELLS</span>”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Wow, I guess I should be careful! How did they get in there?!?!</p>Passed Out in Style2004-10-01T20:24:00-04:002004-10-01T20:24:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2004-10-01:/misc/passed-out-in-style.html<p><a href="/images/passedout-with-gucci.jpg"><img alt="Passed out with Gucci
shoes" src="/images/passedout-with-gucci-tm.jpg" title="Passed out with Gucci shoes"></a></p>
<p>I’ve been using a new <span class="caps">RSS</span> program on the Mac called
<a href="http://freshsqueeze.com/products/pulpfiction/" title="PulpFiction">PulpFiction</a>
(no relation to the movie) to read several news feeds. One of the
interesting feeds I stumbled across was from the web site
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" title="Flickr">Flickr</a>. Flickr is a online picture
database where people can upload personal images and …</p><p><a href="/images/passedout-with-gucci.jpg"><img alt="Passed out with Gucci
shoes" src="/images/passedout-with-gucci-tm.jpg" title="Passed out with Gucci shoes"></a></p>
<p>I’ve been using a new <span class="caps">RSS</span> program on the Mac called
<a href="http://freshsqueeze.com/products/pulpfiction/" title="PulpFiction">PulpFiction</a>
(no relation to the movie) to read several news feeds. One of the
interesting feeds I stumbled across was from the web site
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" title="Flickr">Flickr</a>. Flickr is a online picture
database where people can upload personal images and then
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/" title="Flickr Tags List">tag</a> them with
keywords. I’ve subscribed to a few <span class="caps">RSS</span> feeds of tags I thought would be
interesting (such as
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/tokyo/" title="Flickr: Tokyo">tokyo</a>,
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/japan/" title="Flickr: Japan">japan</a>,
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/hongkong/" title="Flickr: Hong Kong">hongkong</a>,
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/washingtondc/" title="Flickr: Washington, DC">washingtondc</a>,
and
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/graffiti/" title="Flickr: Graffiti">graffiti</a>).
A few weeks back I stumbled upon the picture above in the tokyo
category. I laughed out loud for a while. Only in Tokyo would you find a
woman passed out on the street on a Sunday morning wearing
<a href="http://www.gucci.com/" title="Gucci">Gucci</a> shoes.</p>J-Dorama2004-08-27T00:11:00-04:002004-08-27T00:11:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2004-08-27:/misc/j-dorama.html<p>Ok. I admit it. I’m hooked on J-Dorama. What is J-Dorama you ask? Well,
J-Dorama shows (or JDrama, whichever you prefer) are prime-time <span class="caps">TV</span>
dramas shown in Japan. J-Doramas usually consists of ten to twelve
1-hour episodes about a group of people and their relationships. Most
have a central …</p><p>Ok. I admit it. I’m hooked on J-Dorama. What is J-Dorama you ask? Well,
J-Dorama shows (or JDrama, whichever you prefer) are prime-time <span class="caps">TV</span>
dramas shown in Japan. J-Doramas usually consists of ten to twelve
1-hour episodes about a group of people and their relationships. Most
have a central theme as well, but it usually just provides a backdrop to
the interpersonal stories. Since each show is 10-12 episodes in length,
watching each one to completion provides a sense of closure. Once a show
is over, thats usually the end of the story — with the really popular
ones occasionally spinning off to a ‘special’ or movie.</p>
<p>I don’t really watch any prime time <span class="caps">US</span> <span class="caps">TV</span>; I never got into <span class="caps">ER</span>, <span class="caps">CSI</span>, or
other similar shows since I guess I didn’t find them very interesting.
However, my fascination with most things Japanese has lead me to
J-Dorama. I guess I have my friend Eric to thank, since he got me
started. Last year, he mentioned that he used to watch old videotapes of
J-Dorama shows in college. When I told him that I had been downloading a
lot of <a href="http://www.animesuki.com/" title="Anime Suki">fan-subbed anime</a>, he
asked if there were any places online to find fan-subbed J-Dorama, He
was interested in getting a copy of one of his favorite shows called
<a href="http://www.jdorama.com/drama.380.htm" title="Shomuni">Shomuni</a>, a story about
a group of office ladies and their comedic struggles within a large
company. After some digging, I found a copy of it — along with lots and
lots of other interesting shows. This is when I also discovered
<a href="http://www.jdorama.com/" title="TITLE">J-Dorama.com</a>, a virtual clearinghouse
for all dramas that have been produced in the last 15 years. After
watching Shomuni and enjoying it, Eric recommended that I check out
<a href="http://jdorama.com/drama.115.htm" title="GTO"><span class="caps">GTO</span>: Great Teacher Onizuka</a>. It
is a story about an ex-motorcycle gang member who has cleaned up his act
and decided to follow his lifetime dream of being a high school teacher.
It may sound corny, but the show is fantastic. Of all of the shows I’ve
watched, <span class="caps">GTO</span> is still my favorite. Here’s a list of some of the other
shows I’ve enjoyed:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jdorama.com/drama.601.htm" title="Good Luck !!">Good Luck !!</a> - a
story about an airline pilot in training and the relationships he
has with his mentor and a female mechanic whose parents died in a
plane crash many years ago.</li>
<li><a href="http://jdorama.com/drama.36.htm" title="Beautiful Life">Beautiful Life</a> -
a heart-wrenching story about a young woman who is physically bound
to a wheelchair and a man who brings her happiness.</li>
<li><a href="http://jdorama.com/drama.461.htm" title="Hero">Hero</a> - a story about an
unconventional public prosecutor in Tokyo and his assistant.</li>
<li><a href="http://jdorama.com/drama.583.htm" title="Star no Koi">Star no Koi</a> - a
story about a famous but mediocre actress who falls in love with an
average salaryman who is able to help her realize her potential.</li>
<li><a href="http://jdorama.com/drama.279.htm" title="News no Onna">News no Onna</a> - a
story about a female news anchor woman for a large <span class="caps">TV</span> station whose
coldhearted nature is softened when she is forced to assume custody
of her late husband’s son.</li>
</ul>
<p>I suppose that the reason I’ve been hooked on J-Dorama is that all of
the shows deal with universal human interest issues but since they come
from another country I find it fascinating to see the subtle differences
in culture and lifestyle. So far, I’ve enjoyed every show I’ve watched.
And the list of shows I still have to watch is always growing, thanks to
<a href="http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/" title="D-Addicts">D-Addicts.com</a>. While the
fan-subs are great, I wish a distribution company would pick up some of
these shows and produce formal releases here in the <span class="caps">US</span>!</p>An XBOX’s Full Potential2004-08-20T16:49:00-04:002004-08-20T16:49:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2004-08-20:/misc/an-xboxs-full-potential.html<p><a href="/images/xbox.jpg"><img alt="xbox" src="/images/xbox-tm.jpg"></a></p>
<p>Microsoft’s <a href="http://www.xbox.com/" title="XBOX"><span class="caps">XBOX</span></a> provides a great
platform for the inner hardware-hacker in me. But by ‘hardware-hacker’ I
mean taking stuff apart and soldering a couple wires. I’m definitely not
a <em>real</em> hardware hacker, like some of the guys I know. However, I do
enjoy playing around with a piece …</p><p><a href="/images/xbox.jpg"><img alt="xbox" src="/images/xbox-tm.jpg"></a></p>
<p>Microsoft’s <a href="http://www.xbox.com/" title="XBOX"><span class="caps">XBOX</span></a> provides a great
platform for the inner hardware-hacker in me. But by ‘hardware-hacker’ I
mean taking stuff apart and soldering a couple wires. I’m definitely not
a <em>real</em> hardware hacker, like some of the guys I know. However, I do
enjoy playing around with a piece of hardware in the
take-it-apart-and-then-reassemble-it Lego mentality.</p>
<p>After reading some articles a couple years back about how Andrew
“bunnie” Huang first <a href="http://hackingthexbox.com/" title="XBOX Hacking">reverse engineered the
<span class="caps">XBOX</span></a> and all of the cool
things that were possible with an ‘unlocked’ system, I decided to buy
one and hack it. This involved buying a ‘modchip’ (I choose the
<a href="http://www.teamxecuter.com/" title="Team Xecuter">Xecuter</a> model) and
soldering it to the <span class="caps">XBOX</span>’s motherboard. Doing the actual soldering was
pretty straightforward, except one wire that was very difficult (the
infamous
<a href="http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/preparing-d0.php" title="d0, oh my!">d0</a> point).</p>
<p>A hacked <span class="caps">XBOX</span> allows you to run non-Microsoft approved/certified
home-brew software (even
<a href="http://www.xbox-linux.org/" title="XBOX Linux">Linux</a>!). Over the past few
years, several fantastic programs have been written to be run on
modified XBOXs. My favorite is the <a href="http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/" title="XBOX Media Center"><span class="caps">XBOX</span> Media
Center</a> (<span class="caps">XBMC</span>),
which turns an <span class="caps">XBOX</span> into an all-in-one multimedia center for viewing
pictures, movies, listening to music, and so forth. I like <span class="caps">XBMC</span> so much
that I went out an purchased and modified a second <span class="caps">XBOX</span> to put in my
bedroom instead of buying a normal <span class="caps">DVD</span> player. Hell, how else could I
get a network-enabled <span class="caps">CD</span>/<span class="caps">DVD</span>/<span class="caps">AVI</span>/DivX/<span class="caps">MPEG</span>/<span class="caps">MP3</span>/Picture viewer for about \$180?</p>
<p>I’ve helped a bunch of my friends acquire and mod XBOXs as well. After
most people see the cool things that can be done with an unlocked <span class="caps">XBOX</span>
they usually break down and buy one and modify it. Since my soldering
skills are pretty weak, my friend Wayne has helped with a lot of the
soldering, since what takes me about 30 minutes only takes him about 30
seconds. The picture for this article shows one of my XBOXs and my
friend Andrew’s <span class="caps">XBOX</span>, after it had been successfully modified.</p>Cycling Craziness in NYC2004-07-15T10:25:00-04:002004-07-15T10:25:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2004-07-15:/misc/cycling-craziness-in-nyc.html<p>My good friend <a href="http://neuron.nervous.net/" title="Nervous.Net">Rick</a> is an
avid bicyclist. I suppose that isn’t very out of the ordinary. However,
he lives in New York City and when I saw him last he said that riding
his bike is his primary means of transportation. After seeing how crazy
the people in …</p><p>My good friend <a href="http://neuron.nervous.net/" title="Nervous.Net">Rick</a> is an
avid bicyclist. I suppose that isn’t very out of the ordinary. However,
he lives in New York City and when I saw him last he said that riding
his bike is his primary means of transportation. After seeing how crazy
the people in <span class="caps">NYC</span> drive and the wide variety of dangerous vehicles (like
the taxi cabs with the tank-like armor bumpers), I was concerned about
his health. I wouldn’t be able to visit him as often if he was
permanently lodged into the hood of a large delivery truck. After
conversing with him and
<a href="http://n9.typepad.com/" title="Lines of Flight">Robb</a>, another friend in <span class="caps">NYC</span>
who bikes around town, they assured me that most drivers are aware of
bicyclists and that riding is quite safe. However, Rick forwarded me
this
<a href="http://www.appelsiini.net/~tuupola/misc/red-web.mpg" title="Crazy Bicyclists in NYC">link</a>
(<a href="/assets/red-web.mov" title="Crazy Bicyclists in NYC">local copy</a>) today
which now makes me think that the people driving cars are the ones who
should actually be concerned.</p>Separated at birth2004-06-19T00:48:00-04:002004-06-19T00:48:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2004-06-19:/misc/separated-at-birth.html<p>One of my good friends
<a href="http://www.mavensecurity.com/" title="Maven Security Consulting">David</a> has
an uncanny resemblance to someone famous. Every time I get together with
him I always give him a hard time by telling him that he looks just like
<a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B7umyxdkb8ols" title="Dave Mustaine">Dave
Mustaine</a>,
the lead singer of the heavy metal group
<a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&opt1=1&sql=megadeth" title="Megadeth">Megadeth</a>.
I dunno. Maybe I …</p><p>One of my good friends
<a href="http://www.mavensecurity.com/" title="Maven Security Consulting">David</a> has
an uncanny resemblance to someone famous. Every time I get together with
him I always give him a hard time by telling him that he looks just like
<a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B7umyxdkb8ols" title="Dave Mustaine">Dave
Mustaine</a>,
the lead singer of the heavy metal group
<a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&opt1=1&sql=megadeth" title="Megadeth">Megadeth</a>.
I dunno. Maybe I’m smoking crack, but if David had long hair and shaved
the goatee, I think he’d be the spitting image of Dave.
<a href="/images/separated-at-birth.jpg" title="David and Dave">See</a>
for yourself.</p>Romulans in Detroit?2004-06-13T23:58:00-04:002004-06-13T23:58:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2004-06-13:/misc/romulans-in-detroit.html<p><img alt="Romulus" src="/images/romulus.jpg"></p>
<p>I took another trip to Detroit a few weeks back (yes, I enjoy visiting
depressing <span class="caps">US</span> cities) and found something I didn’t expect:
<a href="http://www.fact-index.com/r/ro/romulan.html" title="Romulans">Romulans</a>. It
looks like the city has been overrun! I guess that means the
<a href="http://www.fact-index.com/r/ro/romulan_neutral_zone.html" title="Neutral-Zone">neutral-zone</a>
is actually near the Detroit airport. I better inform the Federation …</p><p><img alt="Romulus" src="/images/romulus.jpg"></p>
<p>I took another trip to Detroit a few weeks back (yes, I enjoy visiting
depressing <span class="caps">US</span> cities) and found something I didn’t expect:
<a href="http://www.fact-index.com/r/ro/romulan.html" title="Romulans">Romulans</a>. It
looks like the city has been overrun! I guess that means the
<a href="http://www.fact-index.com/r/ro/romulan_neutral_zone.html" title="Neutral-Zone">neutral-zone</a>
is actually near the Detroit airport. I better inform the Federation!</p>Blogging2004-06-13T23:32:00-04:002004-06-13T23:32:00-04:00Ariontag:None,2004-06-13:/misc/blogging.html<p>It has been quite a while since my last entry here. I guess the reason
is that this page really isn’t a blog — its more of a content
management system for me. I only post articles when I have something
useful to say or point out, not to document …</p><p>It has been quite a while since my last entry here. I guess the reason
is that this page really isn’t a blog — its more of a content
management system for me. I only post articles when I have something
useful to say or point out, not to document my life.</p>
<p>There are some blogs out there that I enjoy reading but in general I’m
not much of a blog person. I like reading the blogs of my friends and
those blogs where the author has a theme and consistently good entries.
However, most of blogspace seem to be a wasteland. I suppose the reasons
I’m not much into blogging are the same reasons I can’t stand Reality
<span class="caps">TV</span>. Reality <span class="caps">TV</span> is filled with random ramblings, forced situations, and
superficial people who annoy me. I guess I’m just not interested in
reading about where someone had their dog pedicured today, how bored
they are, or how much their work sucks.</p>
<p>Anyway, I guess this entry itself is kind of hypocritical. Oh well. Back
to some real content soon…</p>Cherry Blossoms2004-03-28T23:28:00-05:002004-03-28T23:28:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-03-28:/misc/cherry-blossoms.html<p>I went one of the events of the <a href="http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.com/" title="Official site: NCBF">National Cherry Blossom
Festival</a>
today: the Lantern Lighting ceremony. Although this event was one of the
first of the festival, it looks like the trees are already in full
bloom. It was a beautiful spring day and the trees were breathtaking.</p>
<p><a href="/images/cherryblossom.jpg"><img alt="cherryblossom" src="/images/cherryblossom-tm.jpg" title="cherryblossom"></a></p>Burbclaves2004-03-27T20:48:00-05:002004-03-27T20:48:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-03-27:/misc/burbclaves.html<p>Today I came to the realization that Northern Virginia is full of
burbclaves. I guess I always knew I lived in one, but today I was given
solid evidence. I spent the afternoon walking around the new
neighborhood going up near my house. This new neighborhood seems to be
the …</p><p>Today I came to the realization that Northern Virginia is full of
burbclaves. I guess I always knew I lived in one, but today I was given
solid evidence. I spent the afternoon walking around the new
neighborhood going up near my house. This new neighborhood seems to be
the epiphany of a burbclave. So, what is a burbclave you say? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Stephenson" title="Wikipedia: Neal Stephenson">Neal
Stephenson</a>,
in his cyberpunk-esq book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash" title="Wikipedia: Snow Crash">Snow
Crash</a>,
describes a future where neighborhoods don’t really exist any more. In
their place are self-contained city-states that are corporate run. He
gave them names like <em>Mr. Lee’s Greater Hong Kong</em>, <em>Nova Sicilia</em>, and
<em>New South Africa</em>. So, while I was wandering around the snaking side
streets that interconnected the rows and rows of generic-townhouses,
McMansions, and drab apartment buildings, the corporate presence and
homogeny of this new neighborhood was uncanny. With one entrance and a
grand ‘Welcome to blah blah blah’ sign, the only burbclave item missing
was the Rat Thing… What is the Rat Thing? I don’t think I can do it
justice in a summary, you’ll just have to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553380958?v=glance" title="Amazon.com: Snow Crash">read the
book</a>.</p>Memory Dongle That Wouldn’t Die2004-02-02T14:14:00-05:002004-02-02T14:14:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-02-02:/misc/memory-dongle-that-wouldnt-die.html<p><img alt="usb-dongle" src="/images/usb-dongle.jpg" title="USB Dongle"></p>
<p>A couple of years ago I bought a memory dongle. You know, one of those
little devices you can plug into a <span class="caps">USB</span> port on your computer and it
shows up as a disk drive. It is damn convenient and I always carry it
with me. For a while, it …</p><p><img alt="usb-dongle" src="/images/usb-dongle.jpg" title="USB Dongle"></p>
<p>A couple of years ago I bought a memory dongle. You know, one of those
little devices you can plug into a <span class="caps">USB</span> port on your computer and it
shows up as a disk drive. It is damn convenient and I always carry it
with me. For a while, it was attached to my keychain, but the little
clip that held it in place snapped. So, ever since I’ve been carrying it
around in my pants pocket. So, I’m sure you can imagine what happened
recently. When I was doing laundry last week I heard this nasty sound
coming from the dryer. After the cycle was finished, I found the little
memory dongle inside. I figured that there was no way it could have
survived the soap, hot water, spinning, rinsing, and drying. But on a
whim, I decided to plug it into one of my old computers. To my surprise,
it still worked! Amazing! I guess if it ever gets dirty, I now know that
its washer-safe. :-)</p>Japanese Tattoo Art2004-01-26T10:56:00-05:002004-01-26T10:56:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-26:/misc/japanese-tattoo-art.html<p>My friend Brian sent me <a href="http://www.soufoaklin.com/tattooartist.html" title="Tattoo Artist">this
link</a> to a
very funny news article. Thinking about getting a ‘cool’ Asian tattoo?
Think again! The tattoo artist in this article has decided to take
matters into his own hands and label people appropriately with skin-art.</p>
<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Sakai, an award-winning tattoo artist, was
tired …</p><p>My friend Brian sent me <a href="http://www.soufoaklin.com/tattooartist.html" title="Tattoo Artist">this
link</a> to a
very funny news article. Thinking about getting a ‘cool’ Asian tattoo?
Think again! The tattoo artist in this article has decided to take
matters into his own hands and label people appropriately with skin-art.</p>
<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Sakai, an award-winning tattoo artist, was
tired of seeing sacred Japanese words, symbols of his heritage, inked on
random white people. So he used their blissful ignorance to make an
everlasting statement. Any time a customer came to Sakai’s home studio
wanting Japanese tattooed on them, he modified it into a profane word or phrase.”</p>
<p><span class="caps">LOL</span>! Ahhh, poetic justice…</p>A Civil Engineer’s Sense of Humor2004-01-15T23:47:00-05:002004-01-15T23:47:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-15:/misc/a-civil-engineers-sense-of-humor.html<p>No, this picture <strong>was not</strong> doctored. This is a real exit off of I-75
in Detroit, Michigan. Can’t imagine they weren’t aware of what a lot of people would think when seeing this sign..</p>
<p><a href="/images/bigbeaver.jpg"><img alt="Big Beaver
Road" src="/images/bigbeaver-tm.jpg" title="Big Beaver Road"></a></p>Lovely Detroit2004-01-15T23:29:00-05:002004-01-15T23:29:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-15:/misc/lovely-detroit.html<p>I spent the last couple of days in Detroit. What a lovely place. Here’s
a picture that sums up my experience in Motor City:</p>
<p><a href="/images/motorcity.jpg"><img alt="Detroit" src="/images/motorcity-tm.jpg" title="Detroit"></a></p>
<p>Snow, Cars, Traffic; repeat.</p>0DAY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/0day.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>0 Day” has several meanings online - mostly in the hacker/warez community. Refers to a new exploit or a new file.</p>10100112004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/1010011.html<p>Wow. A plate in binary! Uber-geeky. Lets see.. its 7 characters (size limit for plates), so we’ll assume there is a leading 0 to make it 8. Now, its 8 bits.. which would be 1 byte.. so.. as a decimal number it would be “83” and as a hex …</p><p>Wow. A plate in binary! Uber-geeky. Lets see.. its 7 characters (size limit for plates), so we’ll assume there is a leading 0 to make it 8. Now, its 8 bits.. which would be 1 byte.. so.. as a decimal number it would be “83” and as a hex value it would be “53”. 0x53 hex is “S” <span class="caps">ASCII</span>. Hmm. Someone clue me in as to the significance?!</p>10S MSTR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/10s_mstr.html<p><span class="caps">IOS</span> Master? As in someone who is good with the Cisco router operating system? Wonder if he/she has a <span class="caps">CCIE</span> :-)</p>186K MPS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/186k_mps.html<p>186,000 miles per second is the speed of light. Don’t think his car had warp drive though.</p>1NFO MGR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/1nfo_mgr.html<p>Information Manager… You know, like that guy in the movie Office Space who said he was a “people person.”</p>1S&0S2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/1s&0s.html<p>One’s and Zero’s. Get it? Ahhhh….. binary humor….</p>2BLDYGO2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/2bldygo.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>To boldly go where no one has gone before!” (car had Star Trek stickers too).</p>3COM2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/3com.html<p>Well, <span class="caps">3COM</span> makes network equipment. If the owner of this plate doesn’t work for 3Com, I guess they really love their equipment.</p>3DES2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/3des.html<p>Triple-<span class="caps">DES</span>. This is an encryption algorithm.</p>3G-DEMON2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/3g-demon.html<p>I agree, the cell phone companies are full of demons.</p>4DEBIAN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/4debian.html<p>Debian is (<span class="caps">IMHO</span>) the best Linux distribution. Guess this guy has seen the light as well.</p>4TOBMUP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/4tobmup.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Four to beam up”. Heh.</p>777ACL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/777acl.html<p>When you “chmod 777” you give everyone access to your files!</p>A-CCIE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/a-ccie.html<p>Another router dude tooting his horn (figeratively).</p>A HREF2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/a_href.html<p>Yay, we have achieved hypertext linking on license plates!</p>AFK BRB2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/afk_brb.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Away from keyboard”, “be right back”. Dude, you are driving!!!!</p>ALTESC2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/altesc.html<p><span class="caps">ALT</span>-<span class="caps">ESC</span>, one of the magic key sequences under Windows.</p>AOL-STK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/aol-stk.html<p>Observed on a Corvette. <span class="caps">AOL</span> Stock? Guess this guy cashed out before <span class="caps">AOL</span> announced the biggest loss in corporate history this year.</p>B&WIDTH2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/b&width.html<p>Clever use of the “&” to produce “bandwidth.” The thing that all geeks crave the most.</p>BLCKBRY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/blckbry.html<p>Crackberr… er, I mean Blackberry.</p>BRN2HAK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/brn2hak.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. And yes, he was definitely born to hack! You’ll find him on <span class="caps">IRC</span> as Pimpshiz. :-)</p>BSD 13372004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/bsd_1337.html<p>Ok, *<span class="caps">BSD</span> is pretty leet…</p>BUGFIX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/bugfix.html<p>Observed on a new <span class="caps">VW</span> Beetle. Ok, that’s pretty clever.</p>BYT BLDR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/byt_bldr.html<p>Byte builder? That’s my guess. Dunno what else it would be.</p>BYTE WAR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/byte_war.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. How else would you fight a war except for one byte at a time…</p>C1PHER2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/c1pher.html<p>Cipher (‘sI-f&r), n., a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning. Well, the plate had a “1” instead of a “i”, but close enough.</p>C PROMPT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/c_prompt.html<p>Man, if this guys is still using <span class="caps">DOS</span>, I really feel sorry for him. Dude, snap out of it and use a modern <span class="caps">OS</span>!</p>CAR JPG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/car_jpg.html<p>Seen on a Mini Cooper. And the owner painted a “dot” between the <span class="caps">CAR</span> and <span class="caps">JPG</span>. Cute.</p>CBLDAWG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cbldawg.html<p>Cable dog? I suppose this guy fetches patch cables as one of his duties at work.</p>CD LINUX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cd_linux.html<p><span class="caps">CD</span> is the “change directory” command in most Unix-like operating systems. So, change to Linux!</p>CODE HKR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/code_hkr.html<p>Code hacker. Hack on, dude.</p>CODEHKR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/codehkr.html<p>Code hacker. And no, its not a dupe. The other one is “<span class="caps">CODE</span> <span class="caps">HKR</span>” with a space!</p>COM12004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/com1.html<p><span class="caps">COM1</span> refers to the first communication port on a <span class="caps">DOS</span>/Windows computer. You usually hook modems or mice up to these serial ports.</p>CORDLS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cordls.html<p>Cordless. Always preferable…</p>CPUTR WZ2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cputr_wz.html<p>Computer wiz. Clever. Licence-plate-creater-wiz as well it seems.</p>CRAV T32004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/crav_t3.html<p>Ahhh… bandwidth… It satisfies <em>all</em> cravings. (for those curious, a T3 connection is approx. 8237 times faster than a dialup modem)</p>CSCONVL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/csconvl.html<p>Cisco/Novell? I guess this guy is certified for <span class="caps">CISCO</span> and <span class="caps">NOVELL</span>. However, if he truly has a Novell certification these days, he might be certifiable.</p>CYBERDAD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cyberdad.html<p>Well, if you have soccer-moms, you must have cyber-dads, right?</p>CYBERMN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cybermn.html<p>Cyber-man? Sounds like a super hero… and why not…</p>CYBPUNK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cybpunk.html<p>Cyberpunk. A genre of science fiction that usually involves computers, hackers, and futuristic stuff.</p>CYBR WAR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cybr_war.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. My co-workers could mount quite a private war… And if the cyber thing doesn’t work out, they are well armed too.</p>CYBRCOP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cybrcop.html<p>In addition to referring to a cyber-savvy cop, there is also a product made by Network Associates called Cybercop that works as a remote network scanning tool.</p>CYBRNUD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cybrnud.html<p>Cyber Nude? Maybe this belongs to some famous Internet porn star?? Submitted by a friend, don’t think he got a look at the driver though.. :-)</p>CYBRVXN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/cybrvxn.html<p>Cyber vixen, eh? I wonder if the driver is like “Lora Croft”.</p>DATACOM2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/datacom.html<p>Data communication. True, dat.</p>DBDOCTR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dbdoctr.html<p>Database doctor. “Now, Mr. Oracle. Turn your head and cough.”</p>DIJITL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dijitl.html<p>Digital. Get it? Kewl speling.</p>DLIVR8R2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dlivr8r.html<p>Yes! The Deliverator! This is a reference to the pizza delivery car that the main character (Hiro Protagonist) drove in the book Snow Crash.</p>DOGBRT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dogbrt.html<p>Ok. This is a little bit of a stretch, but I’m everyone knows about the Dilbert comic strip… Its based on the idiosyncrasy of high-tech management… Dogbert is one of the characters.</p>DOT BMB2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dot_bmb.html<p>Dot Bomb. As in a failed Dot Com. Why would someone put this on their plate? I guess they were able to afford personalized plates with their severance package…</p>DOT DLL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dot_dll.html<p>I think Windows should include a new dynamically linked library called loser-with-a-custom-plate.dll</p>DOTCOM-R2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dotcom-r.html<p>Observed on a red Mustang. I guess there are a few computer geeks out there that drive bitchin’ stangs…</p>DR4MACS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dr4macs.html<p>This plate was on the car of a Macintosh lover. Man, the car was <em>plastered</em> with Apple stickers.</p>DR SYN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dr_syn.html<p>Nice… a <span class="caps">SYN</span> packet is the start of a <span class="caps">TCP</span> handshake.</p>DR UNIX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dr_unix.html<p>Doctor Unix. He probably gets mad when you call him “Mister Unix.”</p>DSKTOP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dsktop.html<p>Desktop, duh.</p>DT COM2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dt_com.html<p>Dot Com.. Observed on a Porsche. I guess this guy was able to cash out before his Dot Com blew up. Bastard.</p>DTHV8DR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/dthv8dr.html<p>Continuing with the Star Wars theme, I present to you: Darth Vader.</p>E-CHIK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/e-chik.html<p>Well, if I can’t find a <span class="caps">WEBCHIC</span>, maybe I’ll find an E-<span class="caps">CHIK</span> instead.</p>E-GEEK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/e-geek.html<p>An e-geek? Is there any other kind?</p>E-HACKER2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/e-hacker.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. I suppose he’s not a golf player or a cab driver.</p>E-MALE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/e-male.html<p>Ugh. Yes. Some dork actually has this license plate. Hopefully someone will spam his Inbox.</p>E-THIEF2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/e-thief.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. Hopefully he won’t get E-<span class="caps">CAUGHT</span> or E-<span class="caps">IMPRISONED</span>.</p>ELECCHK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/elecchk.html<p>Electric chick = elecchick? Sure, why not.</p>ELSIF2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/elsif.html<p>Computer science logic geekness… If…then…else…else if… While most programming languages use ‘else if’, Perl uses the ‘elsif’ keyword.</p>EPRINT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/eprint.html<p>e-Print? Um, ok.</p>ETREE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/etree.html<p>Uhhh. I dunno… what makes an E-<span class="caps">TREE</span>… a techie-treehugger?</p>EXENET2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/exenet.html<p>I can only guess this is referring to “extranets” which are wide area networks that interconnect offices and stuff.</p>FATADMN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/fatadmn.html<p>Fat admin. This plate was very fitting. It was on a Jeep parked at a <span class="caps">BBQ</span> restaurant, and the dude that got out was quite large.</p>FIREWAL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/firewal.html<p>Firewall, and I hope not a reference to that horrible Harrison Ford movie.</p>FORTIVO2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/fortivo.html<p>For TiVo?</p>FSCK ME2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/fsck_me.html<p>Fsck me? Fsck you!! Ahhh, <span class="caps">UNIX</span> humor. (‘fsck’ is a ‘file system check’ command)</p>FUXOR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/fuxor.html<p><span class="caps">LOL</span>. This is geek slang for f@#$ing something up — you <span class="caps">FUXOR</span> it up. Made it past the <span class="caps">DMV</span> screening :-)</p>GEEK GUY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/geek_guy.html<p>Classic.</p>GEEKS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/geeks.html<p>Doesn’t get any more straightforward than this. This is the poster-child of <span class="caps">VA</span>-Geek license plates.</p>GO2WEB2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/go2web.html<p>Huh? Go to what web? Yeah, I ‘go to web’ often. I like to browse. So what? If you want me to ‘go to’ a certain web site, we need more info, bud.</p>GOOGLE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/google.html<p>Its everywhere!!! Even on the roads!!!</p>GOT CODE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/got_code.html<p>Got milk too???</p>GOT TECH2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/got_tech.html<p>Like “Got Milk?” I suppose.</p>GOTROOT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/gotroot.html<p>A play on the milk campaign (got milk?). If you have root, you are cool. If you hacked into a system and then got root, you are cooler.</p>GREP BIG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/grep_big.html<p>Grep is a Unix command to search for a keyword within a file. Seen on a Ford Expedition. I guess that’s the ‘big’ part. </p>H8WNDWS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/h8wndws.html<p>Hate Windows? Hmmm.. Well, I kinda like windows (you know, the kind that open and air flows through), but I do hate windows (you know, the buggy <span class="caps">OS</span>).</p>HACK IP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/hack_ip.html<p>Gotta hack something :-)</p>HACKERS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/hackers.html<p>This is a pretty classy geek plate. As long as the owner isn’t making the statement that he/she actually liked the movie “Hackers.”</p>HACKERZ2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/hackerz.html<p>Ok. Pretty straight forward. There was only one person in the car though. So I guess it was more like “hacker.”</p>HAXOR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/haxor.html<p><span class="caps">HAXOR</span> is computer slang for hacker. This is pretty high up on scale of uber geek plates.</p>HAXXOR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/haxxor.html<p>…as in slang for “hacker”</p>HCKRCOP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/hckrcop.html<p>Hacker Cop? Protect and Serve… files and computers that is..</p>HKR HNTR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/hkr_hntr.html<p>Hacker Hunter? Quick, run for the hills!</p>I0SLVR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/i0slvr.html<p>I’m guessing this is a play on “Hi Ho Silver!” from the Lone Ranger.</p>I BYTE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/i_byte.html<p>Not sure if its “I” or “1”. One byte would make more sense though, eh? Observed on a Porsche Turbo.</p>I O SVR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/i_o_svr.html<p>Input/Output server? Is there any other kind?</p>IAM ROOT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/iam_root.html<p>I am Ironman… I am the Walrus… I am root? Why not.</p>ICEWEB2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/iceweb.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Ice” or “eye-see”? In anycase, web related.</p>ICMP 32004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/icmp_3.html<p><span class="caps">ICMP</span> 3 is the code for “destination unreachable”. Clever, eh?</p>IF ELSE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/if_else.html<p>Conditional statement in most programming languages: <span class="caps">IF</span>… <span class="caps">THEN</span>… <span class="caps">ELSE</span>…</p>IH8WNDZ2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ih8wndz.html<p>I hate Windows! Wow, this person is really making a political statement. Lets all rise up against the Washington State dictator! I urge you all to <span class="caps">CTRL</span>-<span class="caps">ALT</span>-<span class="caps">DEL</span>!</p>IHACK4U2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ihack4u.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. Given the right incentives, I guess he’ll hack for you. Just don’t ask him to “crack” for you. </p>IMACCIE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/imaccie.html<p>A “<span class="caps">CCIE</span>” is a “Cisco Cerfitied Internetwork Expert.” This is a <em>really</em> tough certification to pass, so I guess the guy has the right to toot his own horn about it. Well, maybe not.</p>IMG SRC2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/img_src.html<p>More <span class="caps">HTML</span> geekness - image tag.</p>IN2UNIX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/in2unix.html<p>Ahhh. Another Unix lover.</p>INET GOD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/inet_god.html<p>Boy, if we all didn’t pray to the Internet God every day, just imagine the chaos? Fire and brimstone flowing through the <span class="caps">CAT</span>-5 cables! Oh my!</p>INIT 02004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/init_0.html<p>You can shut down a <span class="caps">UNIX</span> computer by switching it to run level 0. This is the command you type.</p>IP ENGNR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ip_engnr.html<p>Pretty straight forward. An engineer who designs <span class="caps">IP</span> networks I suppose.</p>IP VOICE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ip_voice.html<p>Rather than Voice over <span class="caps">IP</span>?</p>IPSWTCH2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ipswtch.html<p>Not sure if this refers to a network switch, as in a box that you plug computers into, or refers to switching your network to <span class="caps">TCP</span>/<span class="caps">IP</span> (from something else?)</p>IT SUX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/it_sux.html<p><span class="caps">IT</span>, or information technology in general, does suck. Often.</p>IWEB4U2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/iweb4u.html<p>I web for you? <span class="caps">WTF</span>? I guess this person is a web developer. I bet they are envious of <span class="caps">IHACK4U</span> :-)</p>JAVA GUY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/java_guy.html<p>Nothing like a steaming cup of joe… or a few lines of code in the morning.</p>JAVAWZD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/javawzd.html<p>Java wizard. Or as my friend John calls them: “Java mountain hippies.”</p>JEDIAMI2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/jediami.html<p>Yoda backwards you speak. Powerful the force is.</p>LAN LORD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/lan_lord.html<p><span class="caps">LAN</span> stands for Local Area Network. But I think the owner was trying for a bad pun on “land lord”. Nice…</p>LANMGR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/lanmgr.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span><span class="caps">LAN</span> manager” as in someone who manages a Local Area Network.</p>LINUUX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/linuux.html<p>You got too many U’s in there buddy!!</p>LINUXER2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/linuxer.html<p>What the hell is a Linuxer? I’ve heard of a Linux user, but this?</p>LNXCHK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/lnxchk.html<p>Linux chick? Or maybe Linux check?</p>LOL STFU2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/lol_stfu.html<p>Two common abbreviations seen online: “laughing out loud” (<span class="caps">LOL</span>) and “shut the f*@# up” (<span class="caps">STFU</span>).</p>LTTL BIT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/lttl_bit.html<p>This one has been a source of argument. Was this intended to be a geek plate or not? I’m including it anyway :-)</p>LUV BYTZ2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/luv_bytz.html<p>Hmmm. Geek or not geek.. Well, with “bytz” it seems like the owner is trying for “bytes”, so I’ll throw this in the geek column…</p>MAC4ME2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/mac4me.html<p>I’m guessing this person is a Macintosh fan, but I didn’t see any Apple stickers on the car. It was a Volkswagon though.</p>MAC ONLY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/mac_only.html<p>Mac zealots have to drive cars too I guess…</p>MADHCKR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/madhckr.html<p>I’m not sure why this hacker is mad. I wonder if he is mad as in crazy or mad as in angry. We’ll never know I suppose.</p>METATAG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/metatag.html<p>Ugh… Talk about puns. This is definitely high up there on the list of super-geek plates. <span class="caps">HTML</span> (the hypertext markup language, you know, the language web pages are constructed with) can have <span class="caps">METATAGS</span> that instruct your browser to do certain things. Ok. In case you missed the pun, license plate …</p><p>Ugh… Talk about puns. This is definitely high up there on the list of super-geek plates. <span class="caps">HTML</span> (the hypertext markup language, you know, the language web pages are constructed with) can have <span class="caps">METATAGS</span> that instruct your browser to do certain things. Ok. In case you missed the pun, license plate = tag. Get it?</p>MLN FCLN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/mln_fcln.html<p>Millennium Falcon. Wow. Not quite computer-related, but still pretty geeky. If you don’t know the <A HREF="http://imdb.com/title/tt0076759/" TITLE="Star Wars">movie</A> this is from, then you are just dense. :-)</p>MODEM2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/modem.html<p>Modem. Old skool.</p>MOZILLA2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/mozilla.html<p>Err, wonder if a geek rock band has ever done Mozilla as a cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s cult classic? Go Go Mozilla!</p>MRLINUX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/mrlinux.html<p>Hmm. Well, I doubt this person’s last name is really “Linux.”</p>MY LINUX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/my_linux.html<p>My linux, your linux, his linux, her linux. Plenty of linux to go around.</p>MY XW1NG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/my_xw1ng.html<p>Even more Star Wars: X-Wing Fighter!</p>MY Y2K2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/my_y2k.html<p>I saw this on a Mazda Millenia. So, I suppose it doesn’t have to necessarily be geek related, but hey, I don’t think the driver would mind if I call him or her a geek :-)</p>NCRYPT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ncrypt.html<p>Encrypt. I wonder if someone else has <span class="caps">DCRYPT</span>? Would be the perfect pair for someone who has two cars :-)</p>NCRYPTD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ncryptd.html<p>Encrypted.</p>NET ADMN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_admn.html<p>Network Administrator. Someone’s gotta police the packets…</p>NET DAWG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_dawg.html<p>Here rover… That’s a good boy… Fetch the packets for me…</p>NET FREK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_frek.html<p>I wonder if he/she is super-freaky?</p>NET GEEK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_geek.html<p>Hmm, well I’d say all geeks are net geeks by nature…</p>NET NERD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_nerd.html<p>Heheh. At least the guy knows he’s a geek. And is damn proud of it! I say “Amen, brother!”</p>NET PLYR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_plyr.html<p>I wonder if this person thinks they are a “player” or they just like to fool around with networks.</p>NET PWR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_pwr.html<p>Net power!!!!</p>NET SPLT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/net_splt.html<p>Net Split. If you have ever used <span class="caps">IRC</span> (the Internet Relay Chat system), you know exactly what this is. A ‘net split’ occurs when the main <span class="caps">IRC</span> servers lose connectivity with each other.</p>NETBUG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/netbug.html<p>Observed on a new <span class="caps">VW</span> Beetle. We had the ‘love bug’ virus. Don’t think the driver of this vehicle was contagious though…</p>NETMGMT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/netmgmt.html<p>Network management? Bah, its much more fun when you let the packets just go where they want to.</p>NETSEC2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/netsec.html<p>Network security. Yes, network security is a good thing(<span class="caps">TM</span>).</p>NETSTUD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/netstud.html<p>Yes. Its sad.</p>NETWORK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/network.html<p>Wow, another uber classic geek plate. Amazing that I saw hundreds of other geek plates before this one.</p>NEUSTAR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/neustar.html<p><span class="caps">NEUSTAR</span> is the company that operates the .biz and .us domains. This guy must work there. Guess he’s an executive, since the plate was on a nice <span class="caps">BMW</span>.</p>NJINEER2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/njineer.html<p>Engineer — get it? Clear phonetic spelling.</p>NO URL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/no_url.html<p>Hmm. Why?</p>NOSPAM2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/nospam.html<p>Unless it comes from a can.</p>NT MCSE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/nt_mcse.html<p>Okokokok. This is referring to the Microsoft certification called the “Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer” or as I life to refer to it: the “mindsweep certified solitaire expert.”</p>NTADMIN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ntadmin.html<p>A Windows <span class="caps">NT</span> system administrator? Well, I won’t hold it against him.</p>NULL PTR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/null_ptr.html<p>Null pointer. In programming languages (usually C), a null pointer is often the result of an error condition.</p>OC-482004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/oc-48.html<p>An <span class="caps">OC</span>-48 is a pretty biefy Internet backbone connection.. Well, with <span class="caps">OC</span>-192, I guess its not that great. :-) I wonder what kind of bandwidth this guys gets in his car?</p>OH LINUX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/oh_linux.html<p>That’s for sure.</p>OK STFU2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ok_stfu.html<p>No, you <span class="caps">STFU</span>.</p>OPENBSD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/openbsd.html<p>OpenBSD is probably the most secure (out of the box) Unix-like <span class="caps">OS</span> out there. I wonder if this guy has biometrics in his car.</p>OPN SYS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/opn_sys.html<p>Open systems are cool. Heh Heh.</p>OPNSRC2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/opnsrc.html<p>Open Source.</p>ORACLE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/oracle.html<p>Database. Duh.</p>ORCLGUY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/orclguy.html<p>Oracle guy. There is a pretty big Oracle office in Reston, <span class="caps">VA</span>. I’d guess this guy works there.</p>OSPF2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ospf.html<p>For a description, see “<span class="caps">OSPF</span> 0.”</p>OSPF 02004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ospf_0.html<p>Ok, this one will need a little explaining. <span class="caps">OSPF</span> stands for “open shortest path first” and refers to a <span class="caps">TCP</span>/<span class="caps">IP</span> routing protocol that is used mostly within corporate networks where <span class="caps">RIP</span> (another routing protocol) just can’t cut it.</p>P2PTEK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/p2ptek.html<p>Peer-to-peer tech? I’ll bet this guy frequents SuprNova…</p>PERL GOD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/perl_god.html<p>Larry Wall would be ashamed at this blasphemous self-proclamation. Observed on a purple <span class="caps">PT</span> Cruiser.</p>PERL GUY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/perl_guy.html<p>The guy driving this car was wearing a Red Fedora hat. Gee, you think he likes the Red Hat Linux distribution???</p>PERL HKR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/perl_hkr.html<p>Perl hacker. Should get to know <span class="caps">PERL</span> <span class="caps">GUY</span>.</p>PERLHKR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/perlhkr.html<p>Perl Hacker. Perl is an interpreted programming language that is used widely throughout the Internet. Its very cool. In case you are wondering, this nifty geek-plates site is generated by running a Perl script. :-)</p>PIXL8R2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/pixl8r.html<p>Pixelater? Don’t quite get it, but I guess this person deals with graphic design and pushes a lot of pixels around.</p>PKTLOSS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/pktloss.html<p>Packet loss. The result of an overburdoned network.</p>PRL HCKR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/prl_hckr.html<p>Perl hacker. Perl seems to be the ultimate hacker language: you can do a lot of damage… on purpose, and also by accident.</p>QUAD DMG2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/quad_dmg.html<p>One of the cooler plates I’ve seen. My friend Eugene has this plate. Now, if you’ve ever played the computer game Quake, you’d get this reference right away. If not, “quad damage” is a special privilege you can pick up during the game to deal out 4 …</p><p>One of the cooler plates I’ve seen. My friend Eugene has this plate. Now, if you’ve ever played the computer game Quake, you’d get this reference right away. If not, “quad damage” is a special privilege you can pick up during the game to deal out 4 times normal damage against your enemies.</p>RAID52004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/raid5.html<p><span class="caps">RAID</span>, or redundent array of inexpensive disks, it a technology for using several hard drives together as a single unit for speed and redundency purposes. <span class="caps">RAID</span> level 5 is one of the more advanced configurations.</p>RED HAT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/red_hat.html<p>Red Hat is a Linux distribution. See www.redhat.com for more info!</p>RED HAUT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/red_haut.html<p>Gee…since “Red Hat” was already taken, this guy had to result to spelling it differently. If you ask me, that’s <span class="caps">LAME</span>. However, he could be some German guy that makes hats. Who knows?</p>RUN BSD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/run_bsd.html<p>Sure, whatever.</p>SECURSW2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/secursw.html<p>Secure software? Hmm… Hope this guy doesn’t work for Microsoft :-O</p>SETUID 02004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/setuid_0.html<p>Under <span class="caps">UNIX</span>, if you log on as a normal user, you can’t do some of the cooler things that the administrator can do. So, if the administrator wants to let normal users run certain programs that only an administrator could run, the programs can be marked as “setuid 0 …</p><p>Under <span class="caps">UNIX</span>, if you log on as a normal user, you can’t do some of the cooler things that the administrator can do. So, if the administrator wants to let normal users run certain programs that only an administrator could run, the programs can be marked as “setuid 0.”</p>SLVRWEB2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/slvrweb.html<p>Ok.. ‘<span class="caps">WEB</span>’ in the name. What the hell is a ‘silverweb’ though???</p>SMTP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/smtp.html<p>Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, delivering yer mail.</p>SMTPBOY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/smtpboy.html<p><span class="caps">SMTP</span> is the simple mail transport protocol. And yes, some guy at my apartment complex has this license plate.</p>SPAMSUX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/spamsux.html<p>Yes, yes it does.</p>SPOOF2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/spoof.html<p>Kewl elite hackers often try to “spoof” network packets so that their attacks appear to be coming from different places. Spoofing is often used in denial of service attacks to mask the true source of the attack.</p>SQLKING2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/sqlking.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Bow down and pay homage to the king of queries!!!”. I’ll bet he’s a tyrant.</p>SRCH NGN2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/srch_ngn.html<p>Search engine. Wonder if this person works for Google or something. Why else would they put this on their plate?!</p>STRTREK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/strtrek.html<p>Star Trek. Or Street Rek, but I’m guessing its the first :-O</p>SU ROOT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/su_root.html<p>When you need administrator access under the <span class="caps">UNIX</span> operating system, you have to log in to the “root” account. Or, you can switch to it using <span class="caps">SU</span> (su = switch user).</p>SYBR PNK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/sybr_pnk.html<p>Cyberpunk. A genre of science fiction writing that deals with futuristic computer and human interaction. One of the pioneers of the genre was William Gibson. My favorite author is Neal Stephenson. </p>SYN ACK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/syn_ack.html<p>In the <span class="caps">TCP</span>/<span class="caps">IP</span> protocol, when you initiate a <span class="caps">TCP</span> connection (like a web request), your computer sends a “<span class="caps">SYN</span>” packet, the remote system sends an “<span class="caps">ACK</span>” packet, and then your computer sends a “<span class="caps">SYN</span> <span class="caps">ACK</span>” packet. You follow that? Good. There will be a quiz later.</p>SYSOPS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/sysops.html<p>Sysops are “System Operators” — usually associated with the old days of modem bulletin boards.</p>SYSTMS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/systms.html<p>Systems.. Kinda bland.</p>T1E F1TR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/t1e_f1tr.html<p>More Star Wars: Tie Fighter!</p>TAR XVF2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/tar_xvf.html<p>Tar is an archiving program for Unix systems ([T]ape[<span class="caps">AR</span>]chive). xvf = Extract, verbose, filename. This plate probably confuses lots of non-geeks.</p>TCP 232004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/tcp_23.html<p><span class="caps">TCP</span> 23 = telnet port. But why?</p>TCPDUMP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/tcpdump.html<p>Tcpdump is a network sniffer for Unix. </p>TECHGUY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/techguy.html<p>Again, stright forward.</p>TEK LORD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/tek_lord.html<p>Observed on a mulletized Jeep.</p>TEKMOM2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/tekmom.html<p>The ultimate anti-soccer mom? Perhaps.</p>TELSOFT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/telsoft.html<p>Dunno, but “tel” as in “telecommunications” and “soft” as in “software”? Maybe?</p>THXAOL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/thxaol.html<p>Well, some people might hate America Online. But this license place was observed on a Ferrari, so I’m sure this guy did just fine when he cashed out his <span class="caps">AOL</span> stock.</p>TOY YODA2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/toy_yoda.html<p>Ok. This one holds the record for most-geekiest. Car was a Toyota and the dude had two toy Yoda dolls in his back window. Also has “Jedi Academy” sticker in window.</p>TPS RPTS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/tps_rpts.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Um, yeah.. Peter.. if you could finish your <span class="caps">TPS</span> Reports, that would be great.” If you don’t know the <A HREF="http://imdb.com/title/tt0151804/" TITLE="Office Space">movie</a> that <span class="caps">TPS</span> Reports are from, you are missing out!</p>TRACERT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/tracert.html<p>Traceroute. Handy little program to trace the route that network packets take.</p>UID 02004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/uid_0.html<p>In the <span class="caps">UNIX</span> world, the administrator account (“root”) is user number 0. <span class="caps">UID</span> refers to “user <span class="caps">ID</span> number.”</p>UNIX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unix.html<p>Ahhhh.. the epitomy of geek license plates. Simple. Sweet. Geek.</p>UNIX DR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unix_dr.html<p>Unix Doctor. He’s probably good at re-attaching inodes and killing zombies.</p>UNIX GOD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unix_god.html<p>Well, we all have to pray to someone. Might as well be the <span class="caps">UNIX</span> God. He hath bringith the command line… and it is good.</p>UNIX GUY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unix_guy.html<p>Classic geek plate.</p>UNIX RWX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unix_rwx.html<p>The <span class="caps">UNIX</span> part is obvious. But <span class="caps">RWX</span>? Well, that would be <span class="caps">READ</span>-<span class="caps">WRITE</span>-<span class="caps">EXECUTE</span>. Standard filesystem permissions.</p>UNIXGRU2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unixgru.html<p><span class="caps">UNIX</span> Guru? Probably works for <span class="caps">SCO</span>…</p>UNX4EVR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unx4evr.html<p>Unix Forever. Amen to that.</p>UNX WZRD2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/unx_wzrd.html<p>I suppose that anyone who works with <span class="caps">UNIX</span> is doing some wizardry.</p>USE OSX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/use_osx.html<p>I agree.</p>USR FRLY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/usr_frly.html<p>When a software program is easy to use, it is said to be “user friendly.” On a side note, there is a geek comic strip called User Friendly. See www.userfriendly.org for a chuckle.</p>VBS LAME2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/vbs_lame.html<p><span class="caps">VBS</span> is Visual Basic Script, a Microsoft scripting language responsible for just about every email virus out there. Yes, its <em>very</em> lame.</p>VIA NET2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/via_net.html<p>Well, its got “net” in it, doesn’t it? So it must qualify as being geek-related.</p>VPNDUDE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/vpndude.html<p><span class="caps">VPN</span> = virtual private network. I guess this guy rounds up the packets instead of the cattle.</p>WAR DIAL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/war_dial.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. If you’ve seen the movie Wargames, I’m sure you are familiar with the art of war dialing: sweeping telephone number ranges in search for computers with modems.</p>WARP COR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/warp_cor.html<p>Warp core… from Star Trek? As Scotty would say: “The warp drive is a hopeless pile of junk.”</p>WE LOL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/we_lol.html<p>We laugh out loud? I sure hope so!</p>WEB DR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/web_dr.html<p>Web Doctor?</p>WEB DUDE2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/web_dude.html<p>Uh, like, surf’s up!</p>WEB DVA2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/web_dva.html<p>Web Diva. Wonder if she tours…</p>WEB GUY2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/web_guy.html<p>Pretty straight forward.</p>WEB HXR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/web_hxr.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my co-workers. Not much more to say, he hacks the web. Which is made easy as long as people use Microsoft web servers.</p>WEBAOL2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/webaol.htmlWEBCHIC2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/webchic.html<p>My only question is, where can I find my own web chic?</p>WEBCODR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/webcodr.html<p>Web coder.</p>WEBMSTR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/webmstr.html<p>Pretty stright forward: web master.</p>WEBSRFR2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/websrfr.html<p>Aren’t we all…</p>WIN PRO2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/win_pro.html<p>Windows Pro? Err, don’t think that takes much. Kinda like being a pro at breathing.</p>WINSOCK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/winsock.html<p>In the early days of Windows systems (and I suppose its still true today) all programs that communited via <span class="caps">TCP</span>/<span class="caps">IP</span> used the “winsock” programming APIs. Don’t ask me why anyone would ever want to put this on their license plate though.</p>XML THIS2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/xml_this.html<p>Wooh there. Hold on. Don’t tell me what I can and cannot <span class="caps">XML</span>! (<span class="caps">XML</span> refers to the eXtensible Markup Language. It is a meta-language that can be used to describe the syntax and format of other languages like <span class="caps">HTML</span>. Does that make sense? Didn’t think so.)</p>XSPL0IT2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/xspl0it.html<p>Exploit. pwnd.</p>Y2KCHIP2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/y2kchip.html<p>Huh? Is this guy mad that the chips in his computer aren’t year 2000 compliant?</p>YOONIX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/yoonix.html<p>This plate belongs to one of my old co-workers. <span class="caps">UNIX</span> but spelled funny. I wonder if anyone in West Virginia has “<span class="caps">YALNIX</span>”?</p>YTWOK2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/ytwok.html<p>Another plate with the year 2000 theme. Hope these guys realize that <span class="caps">Y2K</span> came and went.</p>ZRODFX2004-01-13T23:12:00-05:002004-01-13T23:12:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-13:/geekplates/zrodfx.html<p><span class="dquo">“</span>Zero Defects”. A goal, but never obtainable.</p>Insanity Test2004-01-05T21:15:00-05:002004-01-05T21:15:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-05:/misc/insanity-test.html<p>My friend Dave sent me a link to a web site titled the <a href="http://people.cornell.edu/pages/slp29/insane.html" title="Insanity Test">Insanity
Test</a>.
Check it out for a <em>laugh</em>. Oh, I guess you won’t get that pun until
after you visit the site.</p>
<p>In any case, I admit it, I did laugh within about 2 seconds of …</p><p>My friend Dave sent me a link to a web site titled the <a href="http://people.cornell.edu/pages/slp29/insane.html" title="Insanity Test">Insanity
Test</a>.
Check it out for a <em>laugh</em>. Oh, I guess you won’t get that pun until
after you visit the site.</p>
<p>In any case, I admit it, I did laugh within about 2 seconds of visiting
the site so I guess I’m insane. Oh well.</p>Auuuhhhnollld2004-01-04T20:51:00-05:002004-01-04T20:51:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-04:/misc/auuuhhhnollld.html<p>Yes. <a href="/images/arnold.mov" title="Arnold">This</a> is the
governor of California. Anyone else scared? Not me, I don’t live there.
However, California’s <span class="caps">GDP</span> rivals that of many countries, so I hope he
doesn’t screw up.</p>
<p>Oh, for more hilarious Japanese commercials staring American
celebrities, make sure to check out
<a href="http://www.japander.com/" title="Japander.com">Japander</a>.</p>New Years Eve in NYC, kinda.2004-01-02T14:22:00-05:002004-01-02T14:22:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2004-01-02:/misc/new-years-eve-in-nyc-kinda.html<p>I was actually in Times Square in New York City on New Years Eve.
Honest! Here’s a picture for proof!</p>
<p><a href="/images/ts123103.jpg"><img alt="Times
Square" src="/images/ts123103-tm.jpg" title="Times Square"></a></p>
<p>If you want to know how I ended up there, well my company got a frantic
call from one of our clients and I had to be there to …</p><p>I was actually in Times Square in New York City on New Years Eve.
Honest! Here’s a picture for proof!</p>
<p><a href="/images/ts123103.jpg"><img alt="Times
Square" src="/images/ts123103-tm.jpg" title="Times Square"></a></p>
<p>If you want to know how I ended up there, well my company got a frantic
call from one of our clients and I had to be there to help them in the morning.</p>
<p><em><span class="dquo">“</span>Why didn’t you stay for the ball-drop?!”</em> my friend Brian asked after
I spoke with him later in the day. Well, when I was in the city I
thought about it for a few seconds, but I really didn’t feel like it.
First, I wasn’t prepared — it gets damn cold when you are just standing
around and I wasn’t dressed for it. Second, being stuck in the city at
3:00am or so didn’t sound very pleasant. Finally, I was staying with my
friend John at his house in <span class="caps">NJ</span> and he was already planning a party. I’ll
take a nice quiet party with good friends any day over standing around a
bunch of rowdy strangers freezing my ass off.</p>Ode to the Christmas Tree2003-12-26T14:32:00-05:002003-12-26T14:32:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2003-12-26:/misc/ode-to-the-christmas-tree.html<p>On Christmas day, my mom gave me a card with a very touching poem by
<span class="caps">E.E.</span> Cummings. I thought I’d share it…</p>
<blockquote>
<p>little tree<br>
by <em>e.e. cummings (1894-1962)</em></p>
<p>little tree<br>
little silent Christmas tree <br>
you are so little<br>
you are more like a flower<br>
who found you …</p></blockquote><p>On Christmas day, my mom gave me a card with a very touching poem by
<span class="caps">E.E.</span> Cummings. I thought I’d share it…</p>
<blockquote>
<p>little tree<br>
by <em>e.e. cummings (1894-1962)</em></p>
<p>little tree<br>
little silent Christmas tree <br>
you are so little<br>
you are more like a flower<br>
who found you in the green forest<br>
and were you very sorry to come away?<br>
see i will comfort you<br>
because you smell so sweetly<br>
i will kiss your cool bark<br>
and hug you safe and tight<br>
just as your mother would,<br>
only don’t be afraid<br>
look the spangles<br>
that sleep all the year in a dark box<br>
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,<br>
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,<br>
put up your little arms<br>
and i’ll give them all to you to hold<br>
every finger shall have its ring<br>
and there won’t be a single place dark or unhappy<br>
then when you’re quite dressed<br>
you’ll stand in the window for everyone to see<br>
and how they’ll stare!<br>
oh but you’ll be very proud<br>
and my little sister and i will take hands<br>
and looking up at our beautiful tree<br>
we’ll dance and sing<br>
“Noel Noel” </p>
</blockquote>Honda Memorial2003-12-01T17:03:00-05:002003-12-01T17:03:00-05:00Ariontag:None,2003-12-01:/arionnet-content/honda-memorial.html<p><img src="/images/honda.jpg">Back in the day, I had a Honda Civic. Alas, it has been put to rest. This is the sad (but amusing) story of my old Honda — the history and “features” of my infamous vehicle. My good friend Dave was available to help me document the last days of this fine vehicle.</p><h3>The Honda Memorial</h3>
<p><a href="/images/honda-view-side.jpg"><img alt="Side View" src="/images/honda-view-side.jpg"></a></p>
<p><em>This web page is dedicated to my first car, a 1981 Honda Civic.</em></p>
<h3>History</h3>
<p>I believe my parents first acquired the Honda in 1986 or 1987. My parents used
it as a second car and since it was a hatchback, it was used whenever we
needed to move anything. I remember that we always would use the old Honda to
haul a Christmas tree back to the house every December. (In fact, if you look
at some of the pictures below of the interior carefully, you may see some pine needles!).</p>
<p>The car was titled in my mom’s name, however, I eventually inherited it and
became the primary driver. I started driving the Honda regularly when I first
got my drivers license. Starting with my Junior year in high school, I drove
the Honda every day….. little did I know that I would be driving it for the
next 9 years. I drove it all through high school, college, and briefly after I
finished graduate school! The car was never very attractive (often referred to
as “puke brown colored”), but it sure was a solid vehicle!</p>
<p>During my 9 years of driving the Honda, it slowly deteriorated. However, with
this deterioration came many new “features” for the car. The pictorial below
shows off some of these special features and gives some more history about
this wonderful vehicle!</p>
<p>First, lets start out with some pictures of the fabulous vehicle!</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-view-front.jpg"><img alt="Front View" src="/images/honda-view-front.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-view-rear.jpg"><img alt="Rear View" src="/images/honda-view-rear.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-view-rear-right.jpg"><img alt="Rear View, Right" src="/images/honda-view-rear-right.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-view-rear-left.jpg"><img alt="Rear View, Left" src="/images/honda-view-rear-left.jpg"></a></p>
<h3>The Engine</h3>
<p>The Honda was quite a vehicle. I mean, with its 4 cylinder engine and
approximately 1335cc of displacement, who could ask for more power behind the
wheel? For those of you not familiar with the term “cc”, its a measurement of
engine displacement in cubic centimeters. Note, not may cars are measured in
“cc” units. However, its very common for motorcycles. In fact, many
motorcycles have engines that approach the size of my old Honda! I’m not sure
how much horsepower the Honda had, but I’m sure it was less than 100hp!</p>
<p>Opening the front hood revealed the massive powerplant (yeah, the 1335cc
engine). During the years that I drove the Honda, a small hole appeared in the
hood near where the air filter was. When I first realized this, I had idea for
adding some humor to the car. My plan was to get one of the toys from “Alien”
and stuff it through the hole in the hood so that it looked like it was coming
from the engine, but alas, I never got around to it. Oh well…</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-engine-1.jpg"><img alt="Engine View" src="/images/honda-engine-1.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-engine-2.jpg"><img alt="Engine View" src="/images/honda-engine-2.jpg"></a></p>
<h3>The Rust</h3>
<p>While the Honda was in <span class="caps">OK</span> shape when I first started to drive it, it did
develop a <em>slight</em> rust problem as the years progressed. The first picture
below shows the model number (Civic Hatchback 1300) and some of the rust. The
second picture is my favorite. It seems that at some point, one of the prior
owners of the Honda had “Ziebart Rustproofing” performed on it. Seemed as
though it worked pretty good, eh? Anyone have an e-mail address for Ziebart? I
should really sent this picture to them……</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-1300cc.jpg"><img alt="One Powerful Engine!" src="/images/honda-1300cc.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-ziebart.jpg"><img alt="False Advertising?" src="/images/honda-ziebart.jpg"></a></p>
<h3>Interior</h3>
<p>The interior of the Honda wasn’t really luxurious, but it was functional. As
you can see from the pictures below, the seats had covers. After having the
car for a year, the plastic and foam of the seats had deteriated so much that
there was a lot of exposed metal. The seat covers became a necessity because
of that. As you can see from the picture in the center, the door handle is
missing. It broke off early in the Honda’s lifetime. In order to close the
door, I had to grab ahold of the door by the window trim. If you look closely
in the detailed picture, you can see the imprint from where I would grab the
trim to close the door.</p>
<p>The hatchback area can be seen in the third picture. With the front two seats
positioned at a comfortable setting they basically touched the rear seat area.
Therefore, I kept the rear bench folded most of the time. However, the back
seat was used once in a while. In high school, a bunch of us used to go off
campus during lunch. I was often nominated to drive (not sure why actually).
At one point on one of our lunch time excursions, I was able to fit the
<strong>entire</strong> defensive line of the football team in the Honda! That’s right,
five really big guys (myself included).</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-open-door.jpg"><img alt="Open Door" src="/images/honda-open-door.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-drivers-door.jpg"><img alt="Driver's Door" src="/images/honda-drivers-door.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-cargo-area.jpg"><img alt="Cargo Area" src="/images/honda-cargo-area.jpg"></a></p>
<h3>From The Drivers Seat</h3>
<p>The Honda was spacious for a sub-compact. Even though I’m a pretty tall guy
(6‘2”), I has plenty of space in the drivers seat. The first picture below
shows the view from the drivers seat. Although the speedometer says the Honda
could reach 85mph, I could never get it above 75 (it started to shake really
bad above that speed). There were always some loose cables dangling down near
the gas petal. I don’t know what they were for, but I didn’t bother them so
they didn’t bother me.</p>
<p>The second picture shows the rear view mirror. If you look closely, you can
see that there are two screws holding it up. Yeah, it broke off sometime in
the early nineties. All attempts to use glue to refasten it failed miserably
so I had to resort to drilling two holes through it and screwing it back to
the ceiling.</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-from-drivers-seat.jpg"><img alt="View From The Driver's Seat" src="/images/honda-from-drivers-seat.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-rearview-mirror.jpg"><img alt="Modified Rear-View Mirror" src="/images/honda-rearview-mirror.jpg"></a></p>
<h3>Removable Glovebox</h3>
<p>The three pictures below show a “feature” of the glovebox of the old Honda.
That’s right, it was removable. The pictures below show my good friend Dave
demonstrating how this feature worked. I suppose it wasn’t always that way though.</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-glovebox-1.jpg"><img alt="Glovebox, part 1" src="/images/honda-glovebox-1.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-glovebox-2.jpg"><img alt="Glovebox, part 2" src="/images/honda-glovebox-2.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-glovebox-3.jpg"><img alt="Glovebox, part 3" src="/images/honda-glovebox-3.jpg"></a></p>
<h3>Rear Windows</h3>
<p>Alas, the rear windows of the Honda were broken. I mean, they were still
attached to the car, but the latches that held them closed were broken. If you
look carefully at this picture, you can see my attempt to fix this with some
duck-tape. It never really work very well. Whenever I closed the front door
while the windows were rolled up, I could hear the back windows rattle from
the air pressure.</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-rear-window.jpg"><img alt="Rear Window" src="/images/honda-rear-window.jpg"></a></p>
<h3>The End</h3>
<p>Well, we’ve come to the end of the tribute to my Honda. It was a great car.
Just think, I could park it on the streets of Philadelphia and still sleep
good at night. I mean, who would want to steal it? Near the end of its life,
my parents mechanic was afraid to put it up on a lift because he thought the
frame was so rusted it would just crumble. The car sat idle in my parents back
yard for the last year of its life (where the pictures were taken). Amazingly
enough, my parents found a non-profit organization to donate it to (that
actually wanted it!).</p>
<p><a href="/images/honda-front-tire.jpg"><img alt="Front Tire" src="/images/honda-front-tire.jpg"></a></p>