Tag: recommendations

Smokeping and Caddy 2: hard but worthwhile

On By Paul HubbardIn Computer science, Site newsLeave a comment

Spent a few semi-pleasant hours today to get this working:

That’s Smokeping, proxied by Caddy2 on my love-it-to-bits Raspberry Pi4 web server.

Smokeping lets you track not just the yes-we-are-connected / no-we-are-not, but latency and packet loss and jitter. My network and ISP are generally solid, but this is an easy tool to have around. Once, that is, you have it installed.

I run Debian on my Pi, natch, and the wondrous Caddy to serve files and reverse proxy the various web apps. Not to mention automatic SSL certs from LetsEncrypt and the least verbose configuration possible. Smokeping, alas, uses the now-uncommon CGI interface, so gluing it all together took a while. Let me leave some notes for anyone else in this situation.

Basic install

apt install fcgiwrap
apt install smokeping
service fcgiwrap start

The /etc/smokeping/config.d directory has a bunch of edits you’ll need. In General:

cgiurl   = https://ping.phfactor.net/smokeping.cgi

Note that Caddy prefers CNAMEd virtual hosts, so I’m using ping.phfactor.net. You’ll need that in your DNS. Here’s the Caddyfile entry:

ping.phfactor.net {
	log {
		output file /var/log/caddy/ping.log
	}
	root * /usr/share/smokeping/www
	encode gzip
	file_server
	@cgi {
             path *.cgi
    	}

        reverse_proxy @cgi unix//var/run/fcgiwrap.socket {
    	    transport fastcgi {
                split .cgi
            	env SCRIPT_FILENAME /usr/share/smokeping/smokeping.cgi
            }
        }
    # Ensure CSS and JS files are served correctly
    @static {
        path /css/* /js/* /img/*
    }
    handle @static {
        file_server
    }

    # Try serving static files before falling back to CGI
    try_files {path} /{path}	

}

Kinda ugly. Might be some cleanup possible there. I also had to modify the HTML template file /etc/smokeping/basepage.html to remove the /smokeping/ prefix from the CSS and JS URLs:

   <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/smokeping-print.css" media="print">
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/smokeping-screen.css" media="screen">

...

<script src="/js/prototype/prototype.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="/js/scriptaculous/scriptaculous.js?load=builder,effects,dragdrop" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="/js/cropper/cropper.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="/js/smokeping.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

For now, I’m using the basic function of ICMP pings, but Smokeping supports more advanced tests such as SSH login and others.

Note that Safari seems a bit confused by Smokeping graphs, and caches old ones longer than it should. Chrome and Firefox do it right. Odd.

The results are pretty cool though.

Status games

On By Paul HubbardIn PoliticsLeave a comment

Mother Jones today has an excellent story on Arlie Russell Hochschild’s book “Stolen Pride.” This quote in particular:

“We live in both a material economy and a pride economy, and while we pay close attention to shifts in the material economy, we often neglect or underestimate the importance of the pride economy. Just as the fortunes of Appalachian Kentucky have risen and fallen with the fate of coal, so has its standing in the pride economy…https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/09/jd-vance-arlie-russell-hochschild-hillbilly-elegy-stolen-pride-excerpt/

So close! What’s she’s describing is status. Rank in the community, real or perceived. Will Storr wrote an excellent book about it, “The Status Game” that I highly recommend. (My local library had it.)

The MJ story is excellent and well worth your time. The Storr book is longer; this review might help you decide if you’d find it worthwhile.

Asobu ceramic lined insulated mug

On By Paul HubbardIn Coffee, recommendationsLeave a comment

So years ago I discovered double wall glass mugs.

Nearly perfect but just too fragile, leading to lots of orders:

They are nearly ideal. Zero flavor retention, easy to clean, great for hot coffee and ice cold beer and tea and sparkling water. I get the 18oz version in two packs. Plus they insulate well so no condensation and I can savor.

But they break so damned easily. Which is why I’ve repurchased so many times.

A while ago the Wirecutter recommended a glass lined bottle from Purist and I bought one. It’s as promised but the shape is too deep to hand wash and the lid is impossible to clean internally. so off I went.

And yes I firmly believe that coffee flavor is best from a wide opening shape and glass or ceramic. Reddit agrees… mostly.

The main features I want are insulation, glass or ceramic lining and large at 16oz or so. Two full cups from my French press. I found this Asobu:

It’s… excellent. Super slick coating, insulated well, a breeze to clean, coffee tastes great. Nice and wide so the aromas are good.

The shape is a lot like my Yeti that I still have.

And Yeti does have ceramic lined mugs now, but only 4 and 6 ounce:

The Asobu is very well made:

I’ve had it a few days, rigorously testing with coffee, tea, sparkling water, beer, mint tea and it’s great. Super slick ceramic, nice cork, wide and stable, good value at $30. Worthy of my YouShouldBuy category!

Asobu White Infinite Mug, 16oz.

Farer Resolute II 36mm

On By Paul HubbardIn WatchesLeave a comment

Sometimes you buy a watch because it’s just right. Proportions, dimensions, luminosity, legibility, price, movement, style. This one preoccupied me for a couple of months and arrived last week.

Really enjoying wearing it.

Downsides so far – the lumed numerals blur in the dark into blobs, so the initial legibility decreases a bit. I miss having a date available. Since it has unidirectional winding, there’s noticeable rotor spin that you can feel and hear.

Overall strong positive. At 36 by 10.8, it’s super comfortable. I love the design and style. Legibility is excellent as is timekeeping. At 1100 with bracelet (always buy the bracelet!) the value is good for a Swiss made watch this well detailed and finished.

There’s a larger 38mm version, but for me, with the all-dial case, 36 is perfectly sized.

Farer page is here. No relationship, just a happy customer.

Clothing for tall men

On By Paul HubbardIn recommendationsLeave a comment

This is a topic for a small percentage of people, but the Internet is vast so I’ll post it for others who’ll find it useful.

By way of context, I am 6’10” (208cm) and 260lb (118kg). I’m looking for daily clothes for office work mostly, and exercise gear as well with a strong focus on longevity and environmental impact. I do have a couple suits and a tuxedo but those mostly sit idle so they’ll be discussed as a side topic. Let’s go!

My go-to, trusted brands for daily wear

  • Eddie Bauer – pay attention to fit descriptions (classic versus relaxed) but many of my clothes are EB. Their modular winter coat was great for Midwestern winters.
  • Land’s End – similar notes here. For a while, they were owned by Sears and you could try stuff on, but even as web-orders they are solidly reliable.
  • LL Bean – ditto, though I think a slightly smaller selection of tall sizes.
  • String King – this is an awesome find. A lacrosse brand from Los Angeles, but they make custom t-shirts, hoodies and quarter-zips. You tell the site your measurements and they ship it to you, complete with your name on the tag. I’ve got on t-shirt from them, in the poly blend, and its holding up well and seems an excellent value, so I plan to shop here again.
  • Levi’s – the 541 athletic fit is my daily. I take each pair to a local tailor to add two more belt loops on the back, since they are made with only a single rear loop, and then I wear the hell out of them. 2% Lycra/elastane. Wrangler and Carhartt also make tall sizes and I’ve a pair of each, but save them for yardwork, mud and camp outs as I find them less comfortable than the Levi’s.
  • J. Crew – I’m only a bit of their clothing. Sometimes excellent.
  • Darn Tough – their merino-blend socks are expensive at ~20/pair but they work superbly, last a long time and are fully guaranteed for life. Despite having size 15 feet, I prefer their XL size to the fit of the XXL.
  • Ex Officio – their give and go travel brief is expensive at $26 but last. I have a couple of weeks’ worth and they’ve held out well.

New discoveries I’ve not yet purchased

  • American Tall – sizes up to 7’1”. I’ve a nephew who likes their clothing.
  • Navas Labs – recommended by family.
  • Tommy Bahama – I’m not really the Parrothead type that I associate with the brand but their tall size listing actually looks promising.
  • The Gap – I’ve few from them but they’re well regarded
  • Norrøna. Similar to Patagonia in that they don’t sell tall sizes, but my 6’2” sibling tells me that their torsos and sleeves are long enough. Premium prices and reputation. They also have a mountain bike lineup with longer torsos and sleeves.
  • A relative (6’2”) strongly recommends the European brand Devold. Their stuff is well made, proportioned for tall folks despite not being labeled as such and is durable and well made. A quick search found this importer, so I may give them a try.

Exercise clothing

  • AeroTech Designs makes mountain biking jerseys and shorts. I’ve their long-sleeve merino jersey and it’s great.
  • The tech shirts from Eddie Bauer are my go-to here. Since learning that microfibers from polyester are a significant pollutant, I’m searching for merino replacements but haven’t found one yet. Contact me if you can help!
  • Patagonia does not make tall sizes but they seem to make their cycling jerseys long in the torso since cycling requires a bent-forward position. I have two pairs of their Dirt Craft shorts and the 3/4 sleeve merino jersey, and they are worth every penny and fit pretty well.
  • Kitsbow makes high-end outdoor and cycling clothing to order, in America. It’s beautiful stuff and quite expensive. They now have a few tall items! I’ve one of their hot-weather jerseys (Superflow Cooling Tee) (took a chance on a non-tall XL size) and it’s damned good at wicking. I admire them as a company and, if you read up on them, I think you might also. They recently introduced a used-gear store called Experienced Gear.
  • Cognative MTB (great name, also US-based) now has unhemmed 39″ inseam riding pants! In green and black. Bought a pair, getting them hemmed, they look good.
  • I’ve been using Endura riding pants based on posts on the very helpful Clydesdale forum for big heavy riders. They make good stuff.

Information sources

I skim via RSS as explained here, and two sites I’ve come to trust are Dappered and Put This On. String King and Taylor Stitch, for example, were both via Dappered.

Formal wear

Back when I was doing more business travel, a friend recommended Sam’s Tailor, on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. I’ve been there twice, and gotten a suit, two blazers, several dress shirts and some dress pants. It’s been years since I was there though. My tuxedo was a random purchase on a trip to Singapore, and the price and experience were meh so I’d recommend Sam’s there also.

Note that Sam’s does women’s clothing too – I took one of my wife’s favorite shirts along and they made a couple copies in silk for her.

I hope that this list helps someone else out. Do contact me or leave a comment, please.

DIY MagSafe stand

On By Paul HubbardIn recommendationsLeave a comment

So there are fifty to one hundred dollar stands that hold a MagSafe puck for your phone on your desk. Save your money – this is a 20 dollar stand with a MagSafe attached using two 3M Command Strips.

Less classy

I got the stand from Amazon(non referral link). Tablet Stand Adjustable, Lamicall. The strips are “Command Poster Hanging Strips Value-Pack, Small, White, 48-Pairs (17024-48ES)” which are eight dollars for 48, I used two here to hold the puck firmly. The magnets in the puck are strong, so this provides enough adhesion to keep it in place when I pull the phone away.

Simple, cheap, and the 3M strips remove cleanly for when things change. I can now just drop my phone here as I work and it’s visible and topped off. The AirPods also work well.

Worth a read: 99 problems

On By Paul HubbardIn essays, Law, Law enforcement, PoliticsLeave a comment

Ever wondered about your rights? Can, for example, you say no when the police ask to search your car?

Caleb Mason is here to help. (PDF)

This is a line-by-line analysis of the second verse of 99 Problems by Jay-Z, from the perspective of a criminal procedure professor. It’s intended as a resource for law students and teachers, and for anyone who’s interested in what pop culture gets right about criminal justice, and what it gets wrong.

http://pdf.textfiles.com/academics/lj56-2_mason_article.pdf

The song is often known for it’s crude language. I had avoided it, but according to Jay-Z and this article, it’s a reference to a K-9 search dog, not a woman or women. Also, you can’t refuse to exit the car, a locked trunk doesn’t require a warrant, and my home state is 2-party-recording consent.

Well worth a read. I’m no lawyer, but this was entertaining and informative.

Matt’s Off Road Recovery

On By Paul HubbardIn Random, recommendationsLeave a comment

When the Olympics come around, I’ll often watch sports I am 100% ignorant of, just to see the best in the world doing their thing. It’s the competence at work, the striving, that I find compelling.

Like the Olympics, where NBC will strive to deliver narratives about athletes and their paths, good video or books can take you into another life/job/existence. It allows us, the reader/viewer, to visualize another existence; you even see it in museum dioramas and I think it’s a deep human trait.

Since discovering the Vinegar extension for Safari, I’ve found it a lot easier to browse YouTube. I uninstalled the YouTube app, and now solely use Safari on both iPad and desktop; this app is so good. Anyway, that’s what led me to today’s topic, Matt’s Off Road Recovery.

MORR, as I’ll call it here, is a YouTube channel started in 2019. It’s a family business in Hurricane, Utah, that does off-road towing, primarily for vehicles that get stuck in Sand Hollow State Park. Sounds boring? It’s not. Let me explain.

First off, the people are outstandingly competent. Owner Matt, son Rudy and Lizzy, are damned good at the work they do. Sand, snow, crazy steep rock, snow, trailers – oh my god they can back a trailer on a mountainside that looks like Everest – clever use of winches, pulleys and rigging, combining vehicle vectors… it’s a visual feast of ad-hoc problem solving to revel in. And that’s before you detour into the build videos and related channels doing advanced vehicle work.

There’s a host of supporting characters to recognize and enjoy, and the creators have done solid, careful work in establishing recurring patterns & motifs as well as investing in cameras, drones and lights to make the contents better. Like the canonical genius Clickspring, MORR is good at both videos and the work they do.

Lastly, they clearly have gone to a lot of trouble to remain apolitical and kind. In the work they do, often towing people who made bad decisions, lacked skills or inadequate vehicles, it would be simple to mock the customers but they never do. In 2022, when our national media is mainly afire with hate and status games, this is a wonderful thing to find.

I have no interest whatsoever in becoming an off-road recovery person. At the same time, I greatly enjoy watching them do so, and maybe you will too. Hit shuffle on his recovery playlist and be taken to another life.

On a purely personal note, my family owned two Corvair convertibles, so it was amazing to me to watch them create a monster off-road towing rig out of a Corvair wagon. Mad props.

And yeah, I am tempted to buy some swag.

Gaming hardware – google Stadia on sale

On By Paul HubbardIn recommendationsLeave a comment

I’m much more in the buy-nothing camp than the Black Friday camp, so I debated posting this. Allow me to explain – like many, I gamed in school, with my office mate and friend introducing me to the fun of network games, particularly FPS such as Quake and variants. For years, the combination of parenting and terrible Mac support has deterred me, but recently I found this Dappered gift guide post in my RSS feed.

I used to be much more of a gamer. I truly enjoy it. And before I bought this for myself, I just hadn’t found as many windows to get back to gaming since becoming a dad. It happens. But the Stadia solves every issue I had with that “time” factor. It’s cloud-based, so my games are ready to go when I turn on my controller, which instantly connects to my TV via the included Chromecast Ultra. I can also play on any computer (pictured above) or on my phone. I’ve been able to fit in dozens upon dozens of hours of gaming because of the take-it-anywhere-ness of Stadia. There are no files to download, no waiting for the console to update after leaving it dormant for a few months, no more does that precious hour window get whittled down to 20 minutes. With Stadia, I pick up the controller and I’m playing in less than a minute. Take that, impossible-to-find PS5!

https://dappered.com/2021/11/the-dappered-gift-guide-for-the-dappered-dad-2021-edition/

That sounds appealing, and $80 bucks isn’t bad. However, right now Google is selling them for $22!

Twenty two bucks! Damn, that’s cheap.

Oddly, extra controllers are $60, so I just ordered two Stadias. I hope to be able to play against a kid or friend.

It could well be that Google will discontinue Stadia, they have a long history of axing projects so there is that risk. Still, for this price I thought it worth sharing and a reasonable risk. Can’t wait to try some games again!