With a little help from my friends

It’s birthday season. I know a lot of people whose birthdays are this month. Besides me, there are some of my best friends, some of my pretty okay friends, and also some friends of friends who were born in July. This is a story of one of the latter… or, rather, the last.

Well, okay. I have a friend named Jarian whose has a girlfriend with the similar-sounding name Gerri. She’s come into Jarian’s and my greater social circle to an admirable degree. (I guess if one wants to be someone’s lover, one really does got to get with that person’s friends.) Her birthday is in July, and so is mine. Her party was at the same time that I planned to have birthday-related plans. I didn’t mean to steal guests away from her luau-themed pool party, but it’s Saturday, and my birthday’s on Sunday, so it’s also convenient for me. Needless to say, I wouldn’t be able to go to her birthday-related festivities… or so I thought.

She said that her actual birthday was the upcoming Tuesday (two days ago) and that she would be celebrating by going to Bonefish Mac’s with some people on that night. She invited me to that, and I was all, okay, that’s cool. So I went, and it was pretty cool. My friend Nick was there also, probably so he’d be able to go to my party. After dinner, we went to the beach, which is basically the default thing to do if you have a bunch of young types who don’t know what to do at night. Unfortunately, the beach is fiercely windy at night, but we still had fun playing ball for a while.

Gerri turned 16, meaning that she was, like, 15 and three quarters when I met her. That’s kind of weird. I mean, I wasn’t 16 very long ago, but there’s kind of a big difference between being 15 and being 18. I wouldn’t have guessed that she was so young, so I guess I’d say that she acts a little older than she is. Or maybe I act younger than I am?

Yesterday, Nick came to my house, and we did something we hadn’t done in a long time. We jammed. Back in the day, we would play right into my tape recorder, but now I have digital multitrack technology, so we can overlay layers of sound. Oh, it is big fun, and I’m rather pleased with the results. We recorded all Beatles songs: “Please Please Me,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” I can’t wait for Nick to hear the mixes.

Right after that, Nick and I went to Mike’s house and hung out for a while. We canoed in the canal, played video games, shot some hoops, and did other stuff to pass the time until the evening rolled around. I think the original plan was to go to a huge mall, but we got some other people together and went to Chili’s instead. And then there was the after-dinner outside-the-restaurant chatting, which is always good for some laffs. I had a good time.

Here are (according to someone) the 15 Funniest Police Blotters. They all look pretty real.

In the US presidential election of 2000, it became clear that the winner of the popular vote might not win the presidency due to that thing called the electoral college, which does the actual voting for president. Each state has a certain number of electoral votes based on its population, and the candidate who gets 270 votes is the winner. I’ve long assumed that each state had to assign its votes in a winner-take-all fashion, but that’s not necessarily the case. Each state can decide how it assigns its electoral votes. It turns out that this may be the key to abolishing the electoral college, an idea that a majority of Americans have favored for at least 60 years. Rather than changing the constitution (a notoriously difficult process), it’s just a matter of convincing enough states to assign their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact has been submitted in almost every state legislature, and four states have already approved it. If states with a total of 270 electoral votes approve the agreement, it will go into force among them, ensuring that America’s voters directly choose the president.

And finally, here are (according to someone) 8 of the World’s Most Unusual Postage Stamps. They are pretty unusual.

The horror

People all the time be asking me: “Why can’t I get iTunes to work? Can you fix it?” Answer: No, I can’t. I’ve never used iTunes, and I don’t know how it works. What’s that? It ate half of your songs? Well, don’t look at me. I can guess and guess, but you should try to know (to the extent possible) how your own software works. If something comes up, hone your Google-fu and search for an explanation.

I recognize that many popular programs such as iTunes are not free software, so their technical documentation is necessarily limited. That leads to the conclusion that you should use free software instead. When a program is released as free software, all of its inner workings are made available to you. The developers typically keep a database of bugs for users and developers to view, add to, discuss, and fix.

Anyway, if you’re not happy with iTunes, ask yourself why you’re using it. I’d venture to guess that all of the features that Apple’s iTunes has other programs have as well. Me, I use Rhythmbox. It’s a GNOME program, so you need to be using GNOME to run it. (If you’re not sure, then you’re not.) For the other 98% of you, try going to Wikipedia’s comparison of media players to see which audio player is right for you. And if you have a recommendation, post a comment.

When my friend Luke came over last week, he brought two DVDs for me to borrow. One was 2001: A Space Odyssey, which I watched the next day. The other was Apocalypse Now Redux, which I watched today. It went on a little too long (over three hours); I was able to guess which sequences were cut out of the original version. That didn’t stop me from enjoying the movie, though. Nothing like a good war film to remind you why war is terrible. Plus, it left me thinking at the end, which I suppose a good movie is supposed to do.

Recently I wrote about an unfortunate incident at a peaceful protest in Eugene, Oregon. One man was tasered and two others were arrested. The Register-Guard now reports that a government agent was spying on the rally and ordered local police to interfere. The silver lining, if any, is that the city will review allegations of misconduct on the part of the police officers, but that’s not to say that such behavior by federal authorities or local police departments is acceptable.

Sometimes we forget about Africa, the continent in which poverty, malnutrition, and disease are relatively rampant. Here’s a map to put the size of Africa into perspective. It’s larger than China, the contiguous United States, India, Western Europe, and Argentina combined.

Here’s a ’50s educational film: Crimes of Carelessness.

The fifth of July

For the Fourth of July, I went to my friend Nick’s house for a barbecue. His whole family was there, as usual. And it was pretty crazy, as usual. There are a lot of kids in that family.

First, Nick and his cousin were playing Rock Band. I don’t understand the appeal of it. If I could play a game that would actually improve my guitar skills for real, that would be awesome. More people (and kids) arrived, so we went out to the cul-de-sac to play ball. Some of the kids started shooting bottle rockets, but it wasn’t dark yet. After the food was served, there was some more video gaming inside. It was raining, so Nick and I played some songs on the guitar, and everyone sang along. As the rain let up, we went outside to shoot a bunch of fireworks. Then, it was getting late, and people started to leave. I had a fun time.

I’ve been trying to synthesize everything people have been telling me about basic communication and relationship skills that everyone is supposed to have. Hopefully this is the last I’ll have to say about this for a while.

As previously stated, I am cool. I just have a hard time showing people how funny, insightful, and suave I am. The other problem is that (as Casey said), by indiscriminately asking girls on dates, I am creeping them out. I even began to notice this myself with the last one. I need to be more attuned to whether they like me and not rush to date them. So that leaves a few simple steps:

1. Show her how great I am. (Actually contribute to a conversation, including talking to her. Be outgoing.)
2. Recognize when she believes it. (Watch for subtle verbal cues, body language, and/or unsolicited sexual acts.)
3. Ask her to “hang out.” (Not a “date” because those are scary.)

I feel good about breaking this process into simple steps. Am I on the right track, normal people?

Wal-Mart is now Walmart. They have a new logo to boot. It makes me forget that they’re a horrible company!

Mouse Print is a blog that examines the “fine print” in ads and packaging to catch businesses in the act of deceiving potential customers.

Finally, check out some cool prehistoric cave paintings.

2008: A Personal Odyssey?

My friend Luke came over yesterday. We played guitars a bit, and he brought 2001: A Space Odyssey for me to borrow. I had seen the first half or so of it before, but I found it slow and boring. Now I’m older, and I have a larger TV, so I decided to give it another go today. All I can say is: what a film. It really is a work of art, the same way a painting is. It’s painstakingly done and open to interpretation. You can’t ask for much more than that in an artistic movie. Also, I have The Blue Danube stuck in my head.

I came across this list of 20 Ways to Attack Shyness. I found it especially useful because I am a dude who can sometimes be characterized as shy. From there, I found this other site called succeedsocially.com. Now, I am a dude who knows he has a problem and sometimes tries to seek help. I am also a dude who reads Dinosaur Comics to the point that it affects his informal speech patterns, but that’s beside the point.

I am a cool guy. People I meet on the Internet can sense it right away. To them, I’m someone they want to discuss deep things and/or make out with. People I’ve gotten to know well in person know it’s true too. It’s the people I’m just meeting in person that I have a hard time convincing. I have a hard time showing the real me succinctly through my actions. I’m not very assertive. This I am working to change.

What else could I change while I’m at it? I mean, it’s one thing to talk to people more when you’re in a group, but it’s quite another to get out more and clean up your appearance. We (well, some people) draw a line. Improving your social skills so people will like you is one thing; improving your appearance so people will like you is going too far. Why? Could it be that it really doesn’t matter how you look? I’ve heard that, but I’m not sure if it’s true.

On the one hand, Everyone Is Special® and You Shouldn’t Try to Be Someone You’re Not™. On the other hand, I’m kind of unkempt-looking. Which is better? On the Internet, no one knows I wear t-shirts and jean shorts every day. They can’t see how frizzy my hair is, and I can go a few extra days without shaving. But they like me, or rather, they like my mind. In real life, am not very convincing. That’s why maybe I need to get a haircut and get rid of my old clothes so I’m not tempted to wear them.

The Succeed Socially site lists two “dorky” hairstyles to avoid. One is that crew cut thing everyone had in the ’50s. The other is “long straight hair that parts in the middle and goes down to around the bottom of your neck.” That is my hairstyle. I like it because it kind of looks good on me. On the other hand, it’s not very masculine, and I’m convinced it would look ridiculous on almost anyone else. Also, it’s always frizzy. I’ve talked about it recently.

As for the clothes, I think I’d have to wear more collared shirts and explore the world of non-denim pants. I’d just have to dress a little more formally, I guess. I’ve tried buying those styles before, but I fall back on my more comfortable t-shirts and shorts. That’s why I should get rid of them and make formal the new comfortable.

But however important looks may be, they are still secondary to actions. If only I had known that before I started to diet and exercise, I could have saved myself a lot of effort. Although looks can play a role in how we perceive others, a skinny person is not an attractive person. An assertive person is.

So maybe someday I’ll have a girlfriend.

One Ask Jordon today:

danielle: what do you do if ur sister bullyin you and says she would be in jail for ur murder ?

Tell your parents.

Since tomorrow is The Fourth of July, here are some America-related links:

They’re going to be rolling out a new citizenship test soon. Here are 20 of the harder questions. I got 100%.

Here’s a list of controversial invocations of the “USA PATRIOT” Act.

The houses of Congress vote on a lot of bills every day. (Well, every day they’re in session.) But they don’t read the bills that go up for voting. So for any given bill, most members of Congress don’t even know exactly what they’re voting on. These are the people we’re trusting to pass laws. A Read the Bills Act is in order.

Hidden in plain sight

Here’s something more people need to know: when you delete a file from your hard drive, it could still remain there, inaccessible through normal means, for a long time. Here’s an analogy: Think of a hard drive like a book in which each file occupies one or more pages. The pages may or may not be in order, so there’s a table of contents to let you know what’s there and how to find it. Deleting a file only removes it from the table of contents. When files are added later, they are added to pages that aren’t listed in the table of contents, an act which may or may not overwrite old, de-listed files. Well, it’s something like that.

These deleted files aren’t normally accessible. But there are programs that scan hard drives for unlisted, “deleted” files. If you’re going to be selling a hard drive or flash drive, the security implications are enormous. There are numerous accounts of people buying old hard drives or camera memory cards on eBay and using “undelete” utilities to find photos and even credit card numbers. Today I decided to try out one such program to find files I had deleted from my flash drives. The program I used is called Magic Rescue, and it’s available as magicrescue in Ubuntu‘s repositories and probably other Linux distributions. So this is a Linux program, but there are similar tools for other operating systems.

Magic Rescue works by scanning a drive for certain file types that you specify and outputting any that it finds into a separate folder (which should be on a separate drive to prevent the program from duplicating the same files over and over again and entering an infinite loop). It works on any filesystem or lack thereof. To use magicrescue, you need to know the device name of the drive you’re going to work on. It should be in /dev. For me, it was /dev/sdb1 whenever I had one flash drive plugged in. I was able to find this by going to the GNOME Partition Editor (gparted), but there’s probably a better way. In any case, do find out the right device name before you run the program, or else infinite loops might happen and the world will explode. You might also want to unmount the drive. I’m not sure if it’s necessary, but it couldn’t hurt.

The folder /usr/share/magicrescue/recipes contains “recipes,” or brief scripts for recognizing certain types of files. If you need a recipe that’s not there, you might be able to find it on the Internet or, if you’re really good, write it yourself. Some of them require programs that you may not have; to extract JPEGs, you need jpegtran (which I was able to get by installing libjpeg-progs). You use the -r flag to specify any or all of the recipes when doing a search. The -d flag says where you want to place any files that Magic Rescue finds. The final argument is the location of the drive being searched. Here’s what I ran when I searched a “blank” flash drive for some file types that I’d be likely to put on there:

sudo magicrescue -r avi -r gimp-xcf -r gzip -r mp3-id3v2 -r msoffice -r zip -r png -r jpeg-exif -r jpeg-jfif -d ~/found-new /dev/sdb1

Maybe it wasn’t necessary to include the -r a million times? But it worked anyway, and I found some pretty interesting stuff. It tended to find more recent files, which, in the case of one of my flash drives, were projects from my senior year of high school. Many different revisions of a few Microsoft Office files were retrieved, which gives some indication about how they’re saved. My camera’s memory cards revealed more secrets. Again, most of the photos it found were recent, but I recognized one as being from April 2005. I went back to my folder of April 2005 photos just to be sure, and… it wasn’t there. I knew I had taken 62 photos that particular day, and here was a final 63rd that the camera never told me about.

So you see, deleting files doesn’t delete them for good, and in fact, they can remain for years. So you’re going to want to get rid of them for good. Luckily, this is possible. Just as there are programs that can scour drives for deleted files, there are others that can overwrite them so they would be very hard (if not impossible) to recover. The GNU utility for this is called shred. (Windows has a similar tool whose name escapes me.) shred can obscure individual files or an entire drive by writing random data or zeroes. By default it does this 25 times.

I took one of my “blank” flash drives (that had 45 recoverable files on it) and used shred to overwrite the whole drive with random data five times and once more with zeroes. Again, the drive had been unmounted. And again, if you try this, be very, very sure of which device you’re shredding.

sudo shred -n5 -z /dev/sdb1

This took about 10 minutes to complete on a 64 MB flash drive. Once it was done, there was absolutely nothing on the drive, not even a filesystem. When I ran Magic Rescue on it again, it found nothing. I reformatted it to make it usable again, and it was ready to go, as though the old files had never existed. (Just to be sure, I ran Magic Rescue again after reformatting, and it still didn’t find anything.)

So before you give away that old computer or camera, remember that reformatting the hard drive or memory card isn’t enough. Your data could still be retrievable using simple tools. You have to actually overwrite the old data, preferably a large number of times, so your sensitive financial information and/or drunken party photos don’t get into the wrong hands.

Back in the ’50s, being a paperboy was a big deal. Check out the Cleveland Press‘s Carrier’s Handbook from back in the day. Later, the newspapers figured out they could save money by just throwing papers out of a truck.

As most older Americans can tell you where they were when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, longtime South Floridians can tell you what they were doing on January 19, 1977, when it snowed here for the first time in recorded history. Wikipedia has a comprehensive list of snow events in Florida.

How much do you know about the Nobel Prizes? Here are 12 Things You May Not Know About the Nobel Prizes.