Welcome to my site. Here you will find some info about me, the things I do and a listing of upcoming (and past) presentations and lectures. While I initially expected most of my posts to be about Open Source/Free Software (hence the name), these days it's mostly rants and ramblings about running.

another big lie: obscurity == security

Posted June 10th, 2008 by eric

I was doing some research today, keeping up on new developments in HIPAA compliant software. (HIPAA is U.S. law which regulates the portability, privacy and security of healthcare information)

On the site of a software company that is selling a "secure email system" that they claim is HIPAA compliant, I found the following completely ignorant statement about the relationship between security and free/open source software

"Why does SafetySend use Proprietary Code and Technology?
Because any code or technology that can be purchased is vulnerable.

meet the new cat, sorta like the old cat

Posted May 13th, 2008 by eric

It's been a long and lonely 4 months since Partners-the-cat died. In some ways it might still be too soon to get a new cat, in others it is the perfect time.

A friend took in a pregnant cat recently and we're in line to get one of the kittens. A cute grey tabby female kitten, as soon as it is old enough to leave its mother, will be joining our family.

The thought of getting the kitten left us really excited to have feline energy around the place again; we figured that the kitten should have a friend.

failed 2006 net neutrality legislation gets a second chance

Posted May 11th, 2008 by eric

This past Thursday, Rep John Conyers introduced HR 5994, which is almost exactly the same as HR 5417, the Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2006.

The idea of the bill is to ensure a level playing field on the internet and to tie that to existing anti-trust laws, providing a way to enforce net neutrality.

Barcelona travel journal

Posted May 9th, 2008 by eric

A brief rundown of my recent trip to Barcelona. I've also uploaded a set of photos taken during the trip by Rick Jungers.

day one:
after 8 hours on a plane we land in Barcelona; I run in and get a transit map while Rick smokes a post-flight cigarette; we're talking about which bus to take and trying to figure out where at the airport the bus stops and the bus pulls up and stops right next to where we are standing. We rush, putting out half smoked cigarettes, and run to the bus which takes 15 min to depart.

it just gets more confusing

Posted May 8th, 2008 by eric

Customer service that's so bad it really is comical. Here's the most recent insanity from the "customer care" staff at hotels.com in regards to censorship of negative reviews:

I apologize for your continued frustration in regards to this issue.

Unfortunately, we do not have any control over which reviews get posted on the website. I can advise that since the process was redesigned there are several kinks still being worked out. I thank you for your patience during this process.