Longevity = Portability, Security, Mass acceptance?

OK, so I'm basically wondering why I am frustrated ( spiritually! )... one possible answer is I haven't *created* anything in a long time. I add value to projects and script now and again in relation to work, but most of what I do is related to 'Risk Management' and 'Information Security' from a process, network and application / system standpoint... thus it's mainly advice, recommendations and some design and architecture ( this bit does involve 'creating' usually... )

I haven't done any art, cartooning, flash, web pages, video etc in a long, long time ( last was probably http://indigo.ie/~nodecity )... I have sort of decided to go back to proramming [something I used to hate in University...http://www.cs.ucd.ie/ ] but am finding more uses for it these days... usually however, I 'script' with perl for some quick and dirty stuff.. e.g. text parsing + regexp and bolting together other apps and scanning scripts to automate real time network reports etc...

Firstly, what struck me was that if I was going to create something I should get the most 'bang for my buck', and it should be cross-platform, interoperable, open source/standards and have a great deal of flexibility ( from GUI development to low level access to memory etc [speed and efficiency must be taken in to account here also..). It should also be beautiful, concise, intuitive and easy to hack on - easy to prototype on... after reading Paul Graham's take from 'The Python Paradox' http://www.paulgraham.com/pypar.html and Eric S. Raymonds take in 'Why Python' http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/3882 I decided to put some time and effort in to the Python language. I first had to do some bits and pieces on my new Mac Mini to get Python playing happy with an extra toolkit called Tkinter ( TK Interface ) to allow for some GUI programming...

Secondly, I started thinking about OS choice again... perhaps NetBSD or my beloved OpenBSD would make more sense? [Again depends on function || hardware and / or also desktop (FreeBSD) / server / intranet / internet / extranet / ] Maybe go back to Fedora Core? Try out Solaris 10 ?

Then perhaps standardise on a window manager like twm ( as it somes with X ), FVWM or go for something lightweight and extensible like Fluxbox, shell-wise sh / bash but what about rc anyone? ( Guess that breaks the 'lowest common denominator' thrust? ) .....
I guess when you come full circle you have to really look at the title of the post.... I am looking for longevity and a perceivable 'Return on Investment' on the time and energy I am going to invest both professionally and personally.. and subsequently many factors [ some external / market related ] come in to play...

Anyway for your and mine own viewing pleasure; some interesting links for posterity:

- Python http://www.python.org/
- DivX based Python video tutorials http://ourmedia.org/node/11134 and Dive Into Python http://diveintopython.org/ not forgetting O'Reilly's http://python.oreilly.com/
- Tkinter http://www.pythonware.com/library/tkinter/introduction/ and http://wiki.python.org/moin/TkInter
- DJB stuff.. http://cr.yp.to/ focus especially on his software... qmail, djbdns, daemontools and ucspi-tcp

Note: I also recently switched to Camino http://www.caminobrowser.org/ as my browser [on Mac OSX] as Firefox 1.0.4 kept crashing!

Note: Camino now seems to be grumpy with Blogger http://www.blogger.com/ :( , back to Safari http://www.apple.com/safari/ which is not fully supported by Blogger either? Double DOH! Anyone wanna' run three browsers?

Lands I have visited....

Some very interesting Internet research sites and handy stuff you may not have seen before (some *very* techy and some not! ) :

• [research] CAIDA Coopertaive Association for Internet Data Analysis http://www.caida.org/
• [research] Internet II http://international.internet2.edu/partners/
  
• [security, flows] Arbor Networks PeakflowX http://www.arbor.net/
• [security, flows] SILK System for Internet Level Knowledge http://silktools.sourceforge.net/
• [security, flows] Flow-Tools http://www.splintered.net/sw/flow-tools/
• [security, flows] Argus Audit Record Generation and Utilization System http://www.qosient.com/argus/
• [security, flows] nProbe http://www.ntop.org/nProbe.html
• [network / enterprise management] OpenNMS http://wiki.opennms.org/
• [network / enterprise management] NetDisco http://www.netdisco.org/
• [network / enterprise management] Nagios http://www.nagios.org/
• [network / enterprise management] http://www.enterprisemanagement.com/
  
• [network, BGP] Netlantis http://www.netlantis.org/ [Not back up fully yet...]
• [network, INFORMATION] http://www.networksorcery.com/
  
• [netblocks] RadB http://www.radb.net/
• [research] Registrar Stats http://www.registrarstats.com/
  
• [live cd's / dvd's] http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php
• [organisations] Nanog http://www.nanog.org/
• [research] NetCraft http://news.netcraft.com/
• [news] BBC World Service http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/wservice/wmp.shtml?6hi#
  
• [news] Slashdot http://www.slashdot.org/
• [news] The Register http://www.theregister.co.uk/
• [news] Kuro5hin http://www.kuro5hin.org/
• [encyclopedia] Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/
• [news] Shirky.com http://www.shirky.com/
• [security, news] SANS Internet Storm Center http://isc.sans.org/
• [security, research] CyberInsecurity paper http://www.ccianet.org/papers/cyberinsecurity.pdf
• [secuirty, research] The Shrinking Perimeter paper http://www.verdasys.com/site/content/pr_040222.html
• [archive] Wayback Machine http://www.archive.org/

Make me better... "on the shoulders of giants"..

It struck me that most blogs I read only have X number of postings on the front page - and as with Google these days, it's very rare to go past the initial front page. This doesn't quite hold true if you have been a long term reader of a blog or get updates from Bloglet http://www.bloglet.com/ , but the point being 'less' is 'more'... quality over quantity per se..

I hereby set myself the challenge to keep this blog at one page, almost like a Wiki... but it's still a blog OK? This means reduced graphics, shorter explanations and more links to let you guys go 'walkabout', to read around the edges -> as most things have been said before anyway...

So I have some filters on my Gmail namely 'Efficiency / Productivity' and 'Reading List', and I thought I'd share some of them with you..

Efficiency and Productivity

• How to Write Micro Content http://www.useit.com/alertbox/980906.html
• WikiWikiWeb based TiddlyWiki Remote http://phiffer.org/tiddly/
  
• Read this for a deep, deep insight into the workplace http://www.changethis.com/ go to the 'View Manifestos' link and then make sure you read Slacker@Work and How to Manage Smart People . Then maybe spend some time at http://www.slackermanager.com/
• Motivate yourself and 'develop personally' ;) with http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/ , I particularly enjoyed reading How to Become and Early Riser and then went to http://headrush.typepad.com/ and goofed around with a focus on Users aren't Dangerous and F**k the Rules
• The aptly titled http://www.lifehacker.com/ just too cool for school !
• The Josh Kaufman "Personal MBA" Program http://www.joshkaufman.net/archives/2005/03/the_josh_kaufma_1.html ( could kinda' be in the 'Reading List' section ! )
• GTD 'Getting Things Done' based excellent blog http://www.davidco.com/blogs/david/ and a brief startup list http://merlin.blogs.com/43folders/2004/09/getting_started.html to get you going with a nice PDF workflow etc http://www.davidco.com/pdfs/gtd_workflow_advanced.pdf
• 43Folders 'A bunch of tricks, hacks & other cool stuff' http://www.43folders.com/

Reading and Listening List

• O'Reilly Radar http://radar.oreilly.com/ , Wired and Wired Magazine respectively http://www.wired.com/ , http://www.wired.com/wired/
• Joel on Software 's reading list.. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/navLinks/fog0000000262.html
• Professional Integrity nowhere better explained as in 'The Fountainhead', by Ayn Rand
• Really great chat's with the big guys like Paul Graham, Steve Wozniak, Tim O'Reilly and Bruce Shneier on ITConversations http://www.itconversations.com/
• Keep an eye on Plan 9 and the GNU's HURD , let's not forget the 'to be' Open Sourced Solaris 10

• Solaris 10 sounds great and is possibly a more designed version of the below.
• UML ( User Mode Linux ) http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/
• FreeBSD's JAIL http://docs.freebsd.org/44doc/papers/jail/jail.html

• Some interesting blogs / essays I like, [Security, General] Bruce Shneier http://www.schneier.com/blog/ , [Security, Microsoft] Robert Hensing http://blogs.technet.com/robert_hensing/default.aspx , [Security, Microsoft] Tim Rains http://blogs.msdn.com/tim_rains/default.aspx , [Hacking, Programming] Paul Graham http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html , [General, Techy] Robert Scoble http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/ , [General, Techy] Steve Gillmor http://blogs.zdnet.com/Gillmor/

Fun Stuff

• Happy Tree Friends http://happytreefriends.atomfilms.com/index.html
  
• Boing Boing http://boingboing.net/
  
• PodCast Alley http://www.podcastalley.com/
• Paradise Engineering anyone? http://www.bltc.org/
• MSN Messenger through most firewalls http://webmessenger.msn.com/
  

Here's a thought.... or two.... or three...

• learn Chinese ( Mandarin / Cantonese )
• play squash competitively
• learn to properly defend yourself
• take a night class in something interesting
  
• your body is a nutrient /drug filter, only put nutrients and good drugs in to it ! http://moodfoods.com/
  
• spend time developing your mind and soul
• as you are the center of your universe, learn about yourself
• want less, expect more
• be patient, sometimes doing nothing is something
• do not watch random tv, specific channels or programs only, dl programs...
• read the classics
• look for the good in people, if you can't find any... move on...