Regardless of your stance on the legality of marijuana, the argument for why hemp should be universally used is pretty compelling.

VIDEO: Stem Cell Research vs. Iraq War

Microsoft’s LDAP browser. Very useful tool — especially in infosec since pretty much every security applicance out there can use AD authentication. Use this tool to get exact user DNs.

File: ldp.exe.bz2

LINK: My Ümlaut Page

**Note: I used my ümlaut page to make this post.

On the way to work today I was rather enthused because I had a solid 6 minutes to listen to some Lamb of God. I hadn’t heard any in a while and couldn’t wait to hear the über-heavy riffs that the band excels at.

As I changed lanes and stopped for lights, I kept moving through my Lamb of God playlist, looking for that one really heavy part that I knew would signify “a solid Lamb of God experience” before getting to work. I moved through track after track that was good, but I was searching for the track that just jumped out at me and said, “this is the one”.

That track never came. Before I knew it I found myself pulling into my office park. I had made it all the way to work and hadn’t found the elusive “best” song. What struck me, however, wasn’t that I couldn’t find what I was looking for, but that I hadn’t heard any Lamb of God at all. In searching for the ultimate experience I had robbed myself of any experience.

Tomorrow I’m going to just let it play.

For the past and present sysadmins out there this is truly horrific news. Microsoft has purchased Sysinternals. The Sysinternals site has always been a high quality, stable landmark in the world of system administration.

We can only assume that this is now over. It’s nothing against Microsoft specifically, really; bad things just tend to happen when good projects “go corporate”. Not always, but usually.

This video powerfully demonstrates how our roles in life effect how we treat one another. If you care about this planet at all, it’s very important that you watch the video:

VIDEO: The Stanford Prison

Once again the online gaming community shows what it’s made of.

I’ve been thinking lately about how I can improve myself, or, more accurately, what the barriers are to my growing at a higher rate. Interestingly enough, all indications point to a single source — self-control. I’ve thought for a while now that this was the case, but this article really laid it down for me. It’s true; it’s undeniable.

When I look at things I’d like to improve, they all hinge on my ability to tolerate mediocrity. And I suck at it. I have not succeded in life because I’m dedicated to success and am able to make sacrifices; I’ve done well because I’m pretty good at what I enjoy doing, and those things happen to be marketable. It’s luck, really.

To get to “the next level” I need to be able to grind. That’s what “regular” successful people do — they grind away at mandatory, tedious tasks until a goal is reached. Example? Diet. I am losing years off of my life because I can’t stand shopping and cooking. So instead I eat whatever’s within 6 feet of me when hunger calls.

Another example? College. Successful people grind away at often boring classes until they have a degree. I, on the other hand, started performing extremely poorly as soon as I figured out I loved computers. I couldn’t do the boring stuff anymore; I had found my obsession.

That’s lame.

I’m essentially not in control. I’m just really good at taking advantage of my abilities. If I didn’t have any abilities I’d be screwed because I am not good at grinding.

Exercise is another one. I don’t go to the gym often because I hate having to drive over there. It’s tedious. Not partaking of beneficial activities because they are boring is dumb. Really dumb. I really wish I could stop…not doing these things.

So what’s the answer? How can I get “into” these things. Shopping, driving to the gym, cooking a meal, etc. I desperately need the answer here. I know I can force myself to do these things once I get into the proper environment, but I need to be able to do them everywhere. The proper enviornment won’t always be there.

What’s the solution here? Is this teachable? I know the answer; I just want to know what you guys think…

I got to visit the Harvard campus while I was in Boston last week. It was rather ho-hum actually, but I had a very strong feeling leading up to it.

As I considered which campus to visit — Harvard or MIT — I was taken back by a rather strong pang of envy. I felt all of a sudden like I wanted one of those educations.

This happens to me every once in a while — I’ll get this feeling of, “Given what I’ve accomplished with my education, imagine what I could have accomplished with a degree from (Harvard | MIT | Stanford | CalTech).

This strikes me as quite…not me. I’m really not one for regrets or negativity of any sort, so I don’t see why this keeps springing up on me. It could have something to do with my still being a senior in college, i.e. not done with my bachelors. But even then my degree wouldn’t be from one of the amazing schools mentioned above.

Sadly, I think I’m experiencing some semblance of belonging-syndrome — the feeling that makes people want to join gangs, churches, and fraternities. Odd that it would happen to me this late, and only about prestigious universities…

Anyway, not quite sure how I’m going to deal with it. It’s not really bothering me that much or anything, but I dislike cognitive dissonance in my life. I shall seek it out and crush it.