The Comms Room

10:00 PM

I'm no where near a Sr level guy, I won't ever claim to be.

Not saying you shouldn't know or, even like yum/apt/etc. But you need to be able to operate, when you aren't on your favorite distro.

freiheit

@MarkHenderson ed is the standard text editor

Cole

I need to brush up on my linux stuff, the past 5 months I've been knee deep in Active Directory and W2K/NT hell

Mark Henderson

@freiheit I'mma let you finish but edit.com is the best text mode editor of ALL TIME YO

freiheit

@MarkHenderson If you use something that doesn't come in one of the standard channels in the distros, you'd better know how to package it up, build a channel, automatically enable that channel for all our systems, and pull that package onto all our systems.

TheCleaner

10:01 PM

Linux admin requirement? You have to be able to answer any question in a monotone voice (unless it has to do with superheroes) as if you yourself invented everything and are shocked that you are having to waste your time even answering a question at all.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@TheCleaner don't forget the neckbeard. Gotta have that.

Adrian

@freiheit If you can't figure out Nano, you might not have a pulse.

TheCleaner

And they are required to drive POS cars that barely run but have the most amazing home networking and A/V setup on the planet.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@Cole read the job description. If they want someone to script himself out of a job, better know scripting. If they need an apache wiz, better know that. Too many things to know.

freiheit

@Adrian If you're interviewing for a linux admin position, I expect an opinion about which editor you prefer. If you like nano, that's sorta weird but acceptable. If you can't name nano, you're a lost cause.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

10:05 PM

@freiheit heh. People squirm when you ask "emacs or vim?" Too afraid of being in the wrong camp :)

Cole

The position is much inline with what I did at my last job, and I liked that

Lots of autonomy

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@Cole then be able to give examples of good things you did there, things that needed improvement and problems you solved.

Cole

@DennisKaarsemaker sweet, I can do that. Also have a kick ass reference from my manager there

Dennis Kaarsemaker

Even if they don't specifically ask for examples, you can use that experience to give realistic answers

Adrian

@freiheit Yeah. And you're right, if they can't name any editors other than nano, I'm a little concerned.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

10:07 PM

@Adrian so, emacs of vim?

freiheit

@Cole chmod (symbolic or octal is fine), including knowing what all the bits do. If you don't know why /tmp is 1777, you may be too junior...

Adrian

I miss nano's old name though. I still catch myself typing 'pico' at the prompt every once in awhile.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

Keep in mind, I can still tell HR to hold off >:)

Cole

@freiheit oh I know about sticky bits

Mark Henderson

@Adrian Did it grow bigger did it?

Dennis Kaarsemaker

10:08 PM

@Cole been talking to @voretaq7 again, have you

Adrian

@DennisKaarsemaker Ha! Definitely a Vim guy.

freiheit

@Cole Ok, what does the 01000 bit do on a directory?

Zoredache

@MarkHenderson Nano isn't pico, it is completely re-written. there was a licensing issue.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@Adrian attaboy.

Adrian

@Zoredache Well, they did a good job. In the 4-5 years I went in between using it, I couldn't tell that they had rewritten it.

Mark Henderson

10:09 PM

@Zoredache Ah those crazies and their licenses.

@freiheit Oh oh oh I know, it fucks it up

Cole

@freiheit i think it only allows owners to delete their own files..?

I hope? fuck.

Zoredache

@Adrian The annoying thing, is that nobody ever got around to making a full port of Pine, which is what pico was part of.

freiheit

@Cole yes, but rename, too.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@Zoredache meh. Mutt will do.

Cole

@freiheit at least I wasn't wrong haha

completely

Adrian

10:11 PM

@Zoredache used Pine heavily for many years. Still miss that one now and again too.

Cole

I'm going to have to review this stuff, it's been a bit

freiheit

@Zoredache Learn to use mutt already

Zoredache

@DennisKaarsemaker AFAIK, mutt didn't exist in 1995.

Cole

DFS Y U NO WORK AT A DIFFERENT SITE

Zoredache

@freiheit I have, I still liked Pine better.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

10:11 PM

@Zoredache I didn't even have a computer in 1995 :-)

freiheit

@Zoredache elm did. The elm keystrokes work on mutt.

Zoredache

@freiheit The ISP I was using at the time didn't have ELM, and I was a poor high school student, and couldn't afford a SLIP/PPP connection.

freiheit

@Zoredache mutt's packaged with a "Pine.rc" you can drop into your .muttrc to get some of the pine keybindings... Still won't do the pine/pico editor integration trick, though.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@freiheit export EDITOR=nano

Michael Hampton

I can't remember the last time I've seriously read mail in a terminal. I think it was back in the 1990s.

Adrian

10:15 PM

One thing I really don't miss? BITNET.

Kevin Soviero

I need to make a decision, and I don't know what to do. I started an IT consulting firm two months ago to work with other IT consultants as their Linux/open source resource. I have burned over $5,000 doing so. I still have no clients, but many promises and leads, and I'm completely out of money. I am now in the process of being hired by Rackspace... What do I do? Take the job and possibly regret giving up on my dream for the rest of my life, or stay self-employed.

freiheit

@DennisKaarsemaker I vaguely recall pine doing a thing where a portion of the screen when in the editor was the to/from/subject stuff in a sort of special editing mode. It's been 20 years, though, so my recollection is hazy. I think pine didn't actually call pico, pico was a part of pine that got extracted out into a separate project later.

Cole

@KevinSoviero why not both?

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@freiheit could be. I very briefly used pico over a decade ago and seem to recall the same.

Kevin Soviero

@Cole Both?

Cole

10:16 PM

I have a friend who built up his consulting business on the side over 4 years while working for another company, and once it was grossing enough money he quit his day job

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@ewwhite does the same too, doesn't he?

Adrian

@KevinSoviero Yeah, is there any kind of Non-Compete or paperwork where your assigning your IP to Rackspace?

Mark Henderson

@KevinSoviero What happens if you run out of money? Do you have a family to support? Kids/etc? Do you have a wife or girlfriend who works and is happy to support you?

Cole

Rhode Island Soft Systems

Rhode Island Soft Systems (also known as R.I. Soft Systems and RISS) was a U.S. software development and new media company based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The company was best known for developing screensavers, computer games and programming tools for Microsoft Windows. Early history Rhode Island Soft Systems was founded in 1990 by Eric Robichaud. Originally conceived as a side venture to Robichaud’s full-time work as a computer programmer with CVS Caremark Corporation, Robichaud’s first product was a DOS screensaver called BLANK-IT. Additional products were created, and by 1994 Robic...

Kevin Soviero

@Adrian I don't know yet, haven't gotten that far.

Cole

10:17 PM

One of my best friends :)

Kevin Soviero

@MarkHenderson I live at home with parents, so just an inconvenience. RS may be a good opportunity though.

Joel E Salas

@KevinSoviero How old again?

Kevin Soviero

@JoelESalas 20

Adrian

I had one of those with IBM. Wasn't willing to assign copyright on my personal website. Held up my in-processing by 3 weeks compared to my other co-workers while Legal decided if they could still hire me.

Cole

Christ, I wish I was 20 again

Joel E Salas

10:19 PM

@KevinSoviero I think you're fine, just remember that Rackspace will stunt you a bit

Mark Henderson

@Cole I don't

Adrian

@Cole Bleh. No. 20 was miserable.

Mark Henderson

Being a teenager sucked, and being younger than about 23-25 sucked

Cole

I'd have started my transition earlier

but then again, I didn't really know...or was ready for it at 20

Kevin Soviero

@JoelESalas Stunt?

Adrian

10:20 PM

@KevinSoviero Limit your exposure.

Mark Henderson

@KevinSoviero Slow you down/hold you back/limit your growth

Cole

26 isn't turning out to be so bad

Mark Henderson

@KevinSoviero Honestly though, if I were looking for a consultant, someone who works/worked at rackspace would look better to me than someone who had no industry experience outside of their own consulting

Kevin Soviero

@MarkHenderson Hm...

Ok

Joel E Salas

@KevinSoviero Furthermore, you're 20. You literally don't have enough years on the planet to have enough experience to do a really good job.

Kevin Soviero

10:22 PM

I'll just do both at the same time... Assuming RS allows that sort of thing in their contract.

Joel E Salas

Why? Because you have to work at a real job and deal with real business needs before you understand how to position and sell your product

Cole

fuck I hate infoblox

Kevin Soviero

@JoelESalas I disagree...

Joel E Salas

You're solving people's problems and making sure they can spend more time with their families/working on their golf swing/whatever they do

and you have to be able to get at that core need before you can sell anyone anything

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@KevinSoviero dude you're just getting started. Go work for rackspace for a few years to get some perspective about how the business world and compiting at bigger scale works. Then get back into consulting if you still want it.

Kevin Soviero

10:24 PM

@JoelESalas That doesn't really apply, since I'm just acting as a subcontractor. The primary IT consultant does all that, they just bring me in for a part of it. The email server, router, captive portal, what have you.

Cole

Hm, Newcastle Bombshell pale blonde ale!?

Joel E Salas

@Cole I don't want to drink it, but I do have the weirdest boner now

3

Adrian

Small wonder that the ladies at StackExchange won't drop in here to discuss anything. =D

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@JennyD drops in from time to time

Cole

@JoelESalas I....oh

Kevin Soviero

10:28 PM

@DennisKaarsemaker The problem is that I've quit two other jobs within the first few months because I hate being told what to do... It's a character flaw, I know.

Adrian

@DennisKaarsemaker Ah! Didn't know she was .SE staff. She always seems to stop in before US West Coast hours.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@KevinSoviero as a contractor you get told what to do too

WesleyDavid

@Adrian She's not staff, I think @DennisKaarsemaker just meant "Any female that is a SE regular"

Adrian

@KevinSoviero Gotta work on that one, dude.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@Adrian she's not stack exchange staff. Didn't realize you meant staff and not visitors.

WesleyDavid

10:29 PM

@DennisKaarsemaker Kitty thinks your thoughts for you.

Kevin Soviero

@DennisKaarsemaker Yes, but if I turn down a contract, I don't instantly become completely unemployeed. ;)

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@WesleyDavid purr purr

Adrian

@DennisKaarsemaker Well, this is true. My fiance has said before that if it weren't for all the tech chatter in here, she'd hang out as well. But since she's a social worker, the tech stuff doesn't interest her much. =)

WesleyDavid

@DennisKaarsemaker How well I handle being told what to do is directly related to how close to my full hourly rate some place pays me.

Kevin Soviero

@WesleyDavid Completely agree

WesleyDavid

10:31 PM

@Adrian Well, we also talk about sexual deviancy, substance abuse, animal fetishes, and human torture, so as a social worker she should really enjoy it here.

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@WesleyDavid stop thinking my thoughts for me. Bad kitty!

Adrian

@WesleyDavid The only people I've ever met that drink more than IT workers is social workers.

freiheit

@WesleyDavid Don't forget about the alcoholism

WesleyDavid

@freiheit Covered under substance abuse.

freiheit

@WesleyDavid I love alcohol too much to abuse it.

2

Adrian

10:32 PM

It makes for very interesting interactions between mental health case workers and substance abuse case workers. Especially since the former so frequently end up as clients of the latter.

freiheit

gently pets some booze

Adrian

I have a bottle of Absinthe in the cupboard that I can't wait to try. My sweetie says I have to save it for a special occasion.

pout

Cole

I love beer

beer loves me

Mark Henderson

What do you tell a woman with two black eyes? Domestic violence is a crime. She should leave her abusive partner and seek help.

Tweeted by AntiJokeCat on January 19, 2013 at 10:01 PM

Adrian

We're one big happy family....

Mark Henderson

10:34 PM

@Adrian It's shit

I've tried Absinthe all the way from the cheap shit up to the 80%+ stuff that you need to fucking prepare and set on fire before it's palatable

freiheit

@Adrian Wednesday night without killing a co-worker is a special occasion, right?

Cole

Every night is a special occasion

Adrian

@freiheit Dunno. I haven't had serious problems with co-workers since $padawan[-2] left $job[-2].

Cole

Adrian

Hmm, that should be nested.

Cole

10:36 PM

need MOAR beer

Mark Henderson

@Cole You keep yours on the top shelf ;)

Easy access

freiheit

@MarkHenderson I disagree that it's shit. But most absinthe isn't really even as good as Ouzo Plomari... the expensive real stuff just isn't worth it.

Cole

Don't mind the Dos Equis or the Angry Orchard - not mine

The girlfriend's

Adrian

Cole

@MarkHenderson aye

I'm seriously going to murder this whole box of cheez-it's

Adrian

10:37 PM

System Comic is our household's new favorite. I think my Lady likes the comic even more than I do.

freiheit

@Cole the Angry Orchard I was willing to forgive, even if it's cider. Cider is fine now and then, though I'm not familiar with that one. The XX, though? murder eyes

Mark Henderson

@freiheit Never had it. Not really into herb liquors - except for jager bombs/depth charges

freiheit

@MarkHenderson I like licorice/anise flavors a lot. I'd pick the black jellybeans out of the jellybean mix to eat just them

Kevin Soviero

I used to think real coffee was that brown sludge that scares kids, and that anything else is just a hippie milkshake. Then I tried a mocha, now I'm pro hippie milkshake.

Cole

@freiheit hey she likes it.

freiheit

10:38 PM

@MarkHenderson I often do rye whisky, a splash of sweet vermouth and a splash of anise liquor on the rocks... (Pretty much a lazy man's Sazerac)

Joel E Salas

@KevinSoviero Real coffee is an iced expresso

Dennis Kaarsemaker

@Adrian the cyclists in here will like it too

Kevin Soviero

@JoelESalas Never had one.

Cole

If that means she'll get drunk and have sex with me all night, DOS EQUIS IT IS

I forgot I had "Everything" Pretzel Crisps...and pepperjack cheese. nom

WesleyDavid

Real men mix boiling water and coffee grounds in their mouth before rocketing it out their nose into a sieve and drinking it again!

freiheit

10:42 PM

@Cole Ok, fine. But I'd still be trying to get her to try better beers now and then. ;)

WesleyDavid

Just ask @MarkHenderson - He taught me.

Michael Hampton

@WesleyDavid Really? That would have been good to know a couple of months ago!

21

Q: How can I grind coffee without a coffee grinder?

I usually buy prepackaged ground coffee for my drip coffee maker, but recently I accidentally bought a bag of whole bean coffee and threw away the receipt. Can I salvage this bag of coffee without purchasing a coffee grinder? I have seen the suggestion of using a blender or perhaps a food proce...

Cole

@freiheit I got her to try one of the lighter Jack's Abbey beers. She liked it. She'll drink Blue Moon - she tried a Harpoon IPA and was not a fan of that

freiheit

@Cole Blue Moon is evil megacorp beer

Cole

I don't like it personally

Adrian

10:46 PM

@freiheit Truly. I need to figure out a way to transport growlers on my scooter without shakin the beer up. =/

freiheit

@Cole There's a beer or two in the Blue Moon line that tastes ok, but I'm boycotting Anheuser-BuschInBev and MillerCoors due to evil anticompetitive behaviors and most of their beer being indistinguishable watery crap.

@Adrian On my bicycle I'd simply use my panniers for that, and avoid bumps. 2 panniers, 2 per pannier... More requires some padding, but could be done.

Mark Henderson

@MichaelHampton What did you end up doing?

Adrian

@freiheit Yeah, half our streets, including the one I live on, are 40 year old concrete slab construction. At least you're not likely to fall asleep behind the wheel.

freiheit

@Adrian big squishy tires would probably help. You could carry a couple in a backpack or messenger bag, using your body as the shock absorber for the beer...

@Adrian Or.... Ok.... I know this sounds really crazy, but stay with me... When you get home with the growlers, stick them in the fridge for an hour before you drink them.

Adrian

@freiheit Hmm. This is true. I don't have a dirtbike. I'll put this on the list of reasons why I need one though. =)

@freiheit WHAT!?!?!?!?!

Hee =)

Cole

10:59 PM

@freiheit I'm going to be in Golden, CO in two weeks - thought about going to the Coors brewery but meh

gWaldo

User sends email with this subject: "i was wondering you might have the answer to this quesiton?"

and I'm tempted to set the user on fire.

voretaq7

@TheCleaner I stomped on the last one because there was no useful troubleshooting information. Screaming "HALP! HALP! IT MAKES AD QUERIES" and not telling us anything useful about the conditions under which this happens is the poster child for "unanswerable in its present form". /cc @MarkHenderson

Michael Hampton

@MarkHenderson I used a hand food processor. It wasn't that great, but it was still better than nothing.

voretaq7

that said, it is certainly a legitimate problem, and I'd love to help then solve it - but right now the only solution I can offer them is "turn the Mac off."

freiheit

@Cole Fort Collins is where you want to go for brewery tours

Cole

11:04 PM

@freiheit damn, over an hour

Adrian

@freiheit sigh I have friends there too.

Cole

Ok I'm done working for tonight

They can suck it

Adrian

@gWaldo That Mike Montiero video you linked to is fantastic.