Is It Down?

Yesterday there was an outage of 8×8 (eight by eight) which is a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) Phone Provider. I didn’t know if it was that site’s internet or specific to their account or the whole system. I came across two things that I thought I would share.

First, if you rely on a service for your business you should always know of their status page for their service. Comment below if you have others you would like me to add.

8x8-logo - ACP CreativIT
8X8 – https://status.8×8.com/
Microsoft to end device limits for consumer Office 365 subscribers |  Computerworld
Office 365 – https://status.office.com/

Zoom – https://status.zoom.us/



Google – https://status.cloud.google.com/

Second, there is a website, iOS and Android app for Downdetector which is user submitted outages for a plethora of service providers. Check it out!

Pin on IPHONEOS 14

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/downdetector/id816223770

Google Play Store picks up a new icon and notifications - TalkAndroid.com

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.serinus42.downdetector&hl=en_US&gl=US

HP 3 Monitor Daisy Chain

Specs HP Z24f G3 60,5 cm (23.8") 1920 x 1080 pixels Full HD Silver Computer  Monitors (3G828AA)

While it is not a new concept, I just had the pleasure of setting up 3 monitors via DisplayPort daisy chaining. Using a Lenovo ThinkCentre M92g and two HP z24frg3 monitors plus another HP monitor, I was able to connect DP out from desktop to 1st monitor, DP out from that to 2nd monitor, DP out to a 3rd monitor. Windows 10 automatically handled the screen extension just fine and dandy. We did try a 4th monitor but the video card wouldn’t pick it up. STILL 3 monitors using daisy chaining is a HUGE benefit for cable management and port savings. You can see on this picture below the DP in and DP out. This monitor is about $250 each.
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-z24f-g3-fhd-display

Do Not Do This

Pssssn
Photo Credit: https://howtoremove.guide/p-s-s-s-s-n-wireless-network/

Do NOT join this network if you see it. Once you do it will brick your iPhone and will need a Reset Network Settings to fix. iOS Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
(NOTE: if you need to click ‘Reset Network Settings” you won’t lose any data or files on your phone except you will lose any saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords.)

Photo Credit: Jason Lamb

There is a bug in the text parser in iOS that tries to interpret the % as an escape character. %20 is often used in URLs and JavaScript to identify space between words. You can see a full list of URL encodes here: https://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_urlencode.ASP

You can play with this 074%097%115%111%110%032%076%097%109%098%032%105%115%032%065%087%069%083%079%077%069%033 and decode it here: http://www.unit-conversion.info/texttools/ascii/

Start this video at 22:58 to hear Steve talk about this vulnerability.

You can check out Steve Gibson’s show notes from this episode here: https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-824-notes.pdf or the written transcript of that episode here: https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-824.htm

Also read: https://howtoremove.guide/p-s-s-s-s-n-wireless-network/

My Story – Why

I am creating this template to start writing will will eventually be an autobiography. The purpose of this will be to eventually publish, probably self publish. I would like to leave a legacy for my kids and grand kids to be able to read about my life and things I remember about my childhood and everything that leads up to today (or at the time of the writing). I will try to be as brutally honest as I can and will try not to won’t worry about embarrassments along the way. Follow this and the other post to read along as I post new. https://jasonlamb.me/blog/cat/my-story/

I plan to write a little bit as often as I can instead of large chunks that will take me long to write. This way I can keep moving. I will write in a stream of conciseness and then organize it later chronologically or some way that makes sense.

I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave comments for suggestions or memories or anything I can add or make better.

Website Retool and Updates

UPDATE 5/23/23: Still testing the store. Still posting some random posts. Enhancing site security.

Update 12/1/22: I have added a new domain to my collection: jasonlamb.co

Update 10/1/22: I have added a store. It isn’t much right now but I hope to sell things on this site and thought I should get it up and running to have it in case I needed it. Testing now… If you want to play too then go buy my logo for $0.01.

Update 9/15/22: I have added a new short link site using jasr.me. For example jasr.me/fb goes to my Facebook page.

Update 8/15/22: I have fixed jasrasr.com which previously had to many redirects due to cloudflare misconfiguration and hostinger. MY BAD

Continue reading

Online Dating

From the start I need to say I am not cynical about dating or finding that special someone to laugh with, love, and be loved by.  I am not looking for a one night stand, friend with benefits, hook-up, or any games…I’m looking for something real that last.

Since this is my website and it is about me I thought I would talk about my for a second. I have been single off and on for the last 5 years and have experienced many things in the online dating environment. I NEVER thought I would get involved with online dating but I was mistaken.

I have been told I am doing it all wrong. I have been told I am too picky. I feel like if I was less picky I would go out with anyone. I do feel like I am doing something not right. I have not been in a relationship since last December (2016). Below you can see what attributes I look for in a girl. If you think you meet those the reach out to me.

From what I have found, it is hard to get someone to meet you in person. I don’t think I am a creepy guy. I try to be a gentleman, sincere, and honest in my questions and comments. If I match someone on any dating app the first and most important thing I am thinking is when can I meet you in person? Is that bad? If I met you in public I wouldn’t first send you an app update. We would just start talking, but in person. I see online dating as just a tool for meeting someone in person. If that is what I am using it for then how is that wrong?

DUH!

I’ve been told, “I don’t want to meet you in person because I don’t know you yet”

DUH! – That’s why we should meet in person. Anything I tell you with black text on a white screen could be a total lie. You need to see my face when I talk to you to tell if I’m being truthful. It is much harder to lie to someone in person. But there are many other things that can be gained from an in-person meeting. You can get a sense of chemistry between two people. You can see them in person and not just a few of their best pictures they post on a dating app. You get a sense of their mannerisms and how they act, their sense of comedy, whether they laugh at all. Laughter, to me, is very important. I don’t want you to laugh at my jokes. I want you to find the same things funny. I want to make you laugh and have a good time, most of all. I want it to come natural.

I want the Pam to my Jim

I want to have a good time and great conversation. If you can hold a good conversation on a first date and don’t stay silent make me do all the talking then that shows me I can actually talk to you. If I am looking for my long-term friend then I need to be able to talk with you about anything, anytime, anywhere. It can’t be awkward to have a conversation with you.

I have to be attracted to you. If we matched on any app I have seen a picture of you. If I have your phone number then I have tried to find you on Facebook. I have swiped on your face because I find you attractive. I want to meet in person because I want to make sure you look like your picture(s). I’ve been on dates that girls apologized for not wearing makeup. I told them that was ridiculous. I want to meet you like how you look normally. If you don’t normally wear a lot of makeup then you are just trying to put on a first date face. I would rather find you attractive without your makeup because ideally makeup just enhances beauty but doesn’t create it. You should be confident with your face just the way it is. Confidence is very attractive to me.

All of that said, am I too picky? I just want to get it right. I have made impromptu decisions on dating before and I end up enjoying life for a short amount of time and then eventually back in the same boat and wishing I made a better choice from the get go. I know you don’t realize that at first. It is hard to see the right thing then you feel so strongly about someone. I just want to find the right girl whom I feel strongly about. I truly love people and want to find and love that one special girl who I know is out there.

“Will the real next Mrs. Jason please stand up, please stand up, please stand up?”

Motivation

I need to write more and more often. Less TV time, more blog time. This is my motivation, my accountability, my desire.

“Make it so.”

-Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Silly Adulting, New Year’s Resolutions Are For Kids

New Year’s Resolutions Are For Kids

I don’t like making New Year’s Resolutions because like everyone else they usually don’t happen. I jokingly did make a resolution last year on NYE. After spending the whole night playing 7th wheel, I decided that sucked so I wasn’t going to do that again this year. I did have someone to kiss on NYE. I was happy! I had my brother and his girlfriend in town from California (no, they weren’t the ones I kissed).

Better Adulting…

I work a lot and try to stay off the computer when I am home but that has only forced me to spend too much time in front of the TV. I am seriously debating cancelling my TV service. I didn’t have TV for years. I would just pay for internet and that was it. I added AT&T U-verse when I moved to this new apartment because it was actually cheaper to get TV, Internet, and my mobile phone bundled than the previous Time Warner Internet and AT&T Phone. Believe me, I did the math several times to get the best deal. Because of this, I stopped streaming TV to my computer and started recording on my DVR.

Side note, I am not really sure sometimes when to include a comma so I think I put too many in my sentences. If that is grammatically incorrect then please feel free to tell me. I know I have some Grammar Nazi friends who will gladly point out my flaws.

I have always been a fan of Security Now podcast by Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte on Twit.TV but wanted to try some additional car listening stuff. I love music but I love learning more. I started listening to Joe Rogan Experience and while he throws plenty of F bombs around he has some really interesting guests. The one thing I recently heard him say was that to change things you need to change your focus. My focus has been on working, coming home, feeding and letting out the dog, and then sitting down in front of the TV. I keep my weekdays busy with a small group, trivia, volleyball, and of course my son. But, I have been spending way too much time on the couch. I pay for a gym membership that I haven’t stepped foot in for about 7 months. It kills me that I don’t go back. I hope that by writing more on here that I can redirect my focus effectively and get back into a healthier routine and not so many hours in front of the tube. For those who are too young to remember ‘the tube’ does not reference YouTube. (shameless plug for my own YouTube channel) I just got distracted by several videos on this channel.

Before I forget, I would like to give a shout out to my fellow IT comrade and friend Messy. I am not sure if he wants hit full name shared because I don’t see it on his blog. His blog is 1amm3.com which stands for I AM ME. He writes about his thoughts as I do on here. I helped him get his blog started and he has encouraged me to put more time into mine. I have been doing my own website since December 2004 but this last year I have been encouraged to write more on here and I attribute that to Mr. Messy. Go read his stuff, very interesting.

I just realized it is 12:30 and I need to go to bed. I have been writing this blog and migrating files all night since I got home. I did stop to eat so that’s good.

The last thing I wanted to say is that while I hate New Year’s Resolutions, I did tell myself I wanted to write on this blog daily. So far there have been two blog entries in 17 days so maybe my daily will turn into weekly, but I do want to get my thoughts down on here to keep myself accountable to doing better things. I want to have a better life style over all and that means starting with keeping track of my thoughts on my blog. I don’t even care if any one reads.

And since it is 12:30am, I am not going to take the extra time to add pictures to this one, sorry.

 

Website Migration

So I have had my own website for years and have moved it once before to a new host because the previous one had interesting definition for “unlimited” disk space. Image if you advertised UNLIMITED DISK SPACE but shut off a website after it reached 40 gigs? I presume you would love a ton of business. Well, they lost mine. I went to Luck Register which is a reseller of GoDaddy. I have been very happy with them. Last year I was told that the hosting platform I was on was outdated and I started getting notifications from WordPress that I could have a faster website which really mean more reliable if you get it off this antiquated hosting if you move it. I decided to do buy a new hosting package and have been paying for two for a year. I know the move would be a daunting one so I put it off and put it off. I am not at the point that I am tired of paying for two hosts and need to migrate the one to the other. I know this process would suck and boy does it ever! I have plan playing with this for the last two days and just when I think I am getting somewhere something fails.

I was getting frustrated so I decided to take a break and write this on here.

This was not meant as a bashing of PowWeb but more of a praising of LuckRegister and GoDaddy. They have both been very good to me over the last few years and their prices are inline as well. I only got connected to LuckyRegister because I was looking for competitive prices to GoDaddy. Little did I know at the time that they are a reseller of GoDaddy and offer lower prices on .COM domains than GoDaddy because they buy them at wholesale and resell them at prices lower than GoDaddy’s resale. The cool thing is that any support I need I just call GoDaddy and I am taken care of.

Now that I have vented about that, I think it is time to get back to migration attempts…