They still do gun shows in NH

So my brother and I drove down to Concord to see what was what.  They drew a pretty good crowd.  Parking lot was full of pickups and SUV's.  Virtually no econoboxes.  The crowd was older, my generation, few young guys.  They had dealers dealing in rifles and handguns and shotguns.  Lot of ammunition for sale and being bought.  Lots of holsters and fancy knives, some WWII surplus stuff, including jerricans.  Did not find anything to buy, the few rifles I might have liked were way out of my price range.  

Getting an IP address. With or Without DNS

The entire world now talks to itself using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, usually abbreviated to TCP/IP.  Back in the distant past other protocols were used, NETBUEI, DECNET, and such.  They are all dead now, and TCP/IP rules.  Protocol is a set of rules for doing business.  For instance protocol for using the plain old telephone goes like this.  Lift handset. Dial 1 plus the area code for long distance,  otherwise dial just seven digits.  TCP/IP, since it is used by computers is more complex, but it deals with the same issues. 

    Part of TCP/IP is the IP address, a long string of digits that works like a telephone number.  Each computer has to have an IP address, and all the IP addresses must be unique.  Two computers may NOT have the same IP address, for obvious reasons.  In the old days, you typed the IP address into your computer.  The network administrator for your site gave out IP addresses, kept track of the ones in use, and reissued IP addresses used by old computers that were taken out of service.  As you can imagine, the Network Administrator’s job got harder and harder to do in outfits that might have thousands of desktop PC’s on the Internet.

   So they invented an automatic program running on the server, to take care of it.  Each time a desktop powers up, it asks the TCP/IP server to give it a new IP address, which it keeps until it powers down.  This server program is called Domain Name Server (DNS) or Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP). Since Windows XP goes back to the bad old days of typing in IP addresses by hand, it still supports that, as well as DNS/DHCP.  You, proud computer operator get the choice of which, or both, to use.

  Normally all this complexity just works, and your computer goes on line every time you power it up.  But sometimes, for obscure and undocumented reasons,  DNS fails, your computer does not get an IP address, and you get a little message down on the task bar about “limited or no connectivity” and “IP address” .

  What to do? 

Windows Repair

Built into Windows is a repair program.  It will reset the hardware by powering it down and then up again, and then go thru the “ask-the-server-for-an-IP-address” song and dance again.  This works a good deal of the time, (but not always).  To start repair, left click on the channel’s icon down on the task bar.  This will open up a “status” window that will tell you what’s broke and offer more information tab.  Click and you will find another tab labeled “Repair”.  Click on it and hope.  It may take a while, it gives the server plenty of time to get its act together and issue an IP address.  If it doesn’t work, you will have to wait about a minute to get the bad news.  If it does work, you are home free, at least for today.

IPCONFIG

 This is essentially a manual way of doing what Repair does, with some benefits of extra information.  IPCONFIG is a DOS program, you launch it  from the DOS window.  Get the DOS window open from the Windows Run option on the Start menu.  Microsoft renamed DOS to CMD, for the Run option.  That helped everyone, a lot.  Thanks MS. 

   Like all DOS programs, IPCONFIG works off switches on its command line.  Switch /ALL makes it list out all the I/O channels (Ethernet, Wireless, etc) on your machine.  It gives the IP address (if it has one),  serial numbers, and other stuff.  Switch /RELEASE hangs up your internet connection, turns in your IP address, and takes you off line.  Switch /RENEW  does the “ask-the-server-for-an-IP-address” song and dance.  I don’t know what IPCONFIG does with no command line switches, so I don’t run it that way.  Doing IPCONFIG /RELEASE  followed by IPCONFIG /RENEW is equivalent to doing the Windows Repair. 

Alternate Configuration

 And, sometimes the server is feeling cranky and just won’t issue an IP address no matter what.  My “server” is a little 4 port Belkin wireless router, it works fine on Trusty Desktop, but just won’t issue an IP address to AntiqueLaptop. 

    You can configure the channel ask for an IP address, but if that doesn’t work, just use an IP address that you assign.  And this works on the Belkin router, why I don’t know.  To set this up, left click on the taskbar icon of your channel.  Get the status window.  Click on “Properties”  lower left.  This will display a list of all the drivers, protocols, and other bits of software that make the channel work.  Scroll thru the list and find “TCP/IP”  Click on the properties button that comes up with the selection of TCP/IP.  This accesses the properties of the TCP/IP software.   On the “General” page of TCP/IP properties, you want to check  “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain a DNS Server address automatically”. That will make your computer attempt to do the DNS song and dance.  If that dance should fail, it goes to Plan B, “Alternate Configuration”.  Check “User Configured”.  The other choice “Automatic Private IP address” is undocumented, but I believe it only works in XP Professional, which few of us have.  Below the “User Configured” are boxes for IP address, sub net mask,  Default Gateway, and Preferred DNS server.  Fill them in.

   What to Use?  For my Belkin router 192.168.2.4 works for IP Address.  Trusty Desktop, who gets his IP address from DNS (the router) is 192.168.2.2.  And he is the only other computer in the house, so I figured the .4 IP address ought to work and not conflict.  If you have a different router, different IP addresses might work.  You gotta do some snooping around.  Sub net mask is 255,255,255,0.  Both Default Gateway AND  Preferred DNS Server is 192.168.2.1, again I got that from Trusty Desktop.     

And, Lo and Behold, Antique Laptop is now back on the net. 

Congress is OK on bailing out Ukraine.

At least that's what NHPR is reporting.  A Ukraine subsidy bill, offering $1 billion in aid has passed the House and a Senate committee.   The NHPR guys then went on at length about a controversy.  The Senate committee attached a rider containing "reform" of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)  NHPR reported that Democrats liked the IMF reforms and Republicans did not.  And the House bill lacks the IMF reforms and so a House Senate reconciliation and a revote on the final compromise might be necessary.  And that will be a big deal.  And NHPR does not approve.
   Of course, NHPR didn't bother to say just what these IMF "reforms" might be.   IMF has been in business of bailing out broke countries since the end of WWII.  They seem to do a fairly decent job over all those years. 
   I wonder what "reforms" might be necessary?  I can think of a lot of "reforms" that I would not approve of and few that I would approve.  The "reforms" that spring immediately to mind would attach more conditions to bail outs.  While we have 'em on their knees, let's make 'em do our will.  You gotta do multi cultural things, green things, put in a minimum wage, protect US intellectual property, meet US environmental standards, yadda, yadda, or else, no bailout.   Do things our way, or starve. 
   One other thing the NHPR boys didn't bother to report.  The I in IMF stands for International.  How does the US Congress get to change the rules of an international organization?  We all know that the US calls most of the shots at the IMF 'cause we still have more money than anyone else, but still, out of pure politeness, we ought not to be rewriting the rules in our national Congress.

Cannon Mt Ski Weather

I measured an honest 12 inches on my deck this morning.  For those of you who don't know, my deck is within walking distance of the Peabody Slopes chairlifts, so it's pretty representative of what they got at Cannon.  The snow started mid day yesterday and had put down 4-5 inches by sunset.  It snowed all night, and it's still snowing this morning.  Temperature is good and cold, 9 degrees so we are getting nice light powder.  Very little wind, so the snow is staying on the trails rather than blowing away into the woods.  Conditions at Cannon will be the best all year.  Don't miss it. 

Missing 777 Flt 370

So where could it be?  If it crashed at sea, we ought to spot floating wreckage.  If we are looking in the right place. 
   There is evidence that the plane changed course 90 degrees or more to the west.  At 600 mph, it could go a long long way in an unexpected direction.  The 777 is designed for long range trans oceanic flight, and can carry enough fuel to stay up for 10-20 hours.  Which means it could be nearly anywhere on earth. 
  Air traffic control radar mostly works off transponders.  These are descendants of WWII IFF units.  When struck by a radar transmitter pulse from the ground, the transponder replies with  simple code with perhaps 25 watts of power.  That is humungously stronger than the "skin paint" return of the transmitter pulse reflected off the aircraft skin.  It gives a good bright solid pip on the ground radar screen and also gives an ID and the altitude.  Air traffic controllers work with the transponder pips, and may not see or may ignore the much fainter skin paint pips.  Turning off the aircraft's transponder makes it very difficult to see on ATC radar.  Flight 370's transponder pips disappeared off radar.  The 777 has two transponders, it is unlikely that both of them failed at the same time.  Either someone switched them off, or the plane blew apart in midair, or it crashed into the sea, (or both).  Nothing less would silence the transponders. 
   There are reports that a military ground radar saw the missing plane, flying way off its planned course.  If the plane was hijacked, all they had to do is fly at 1000 feet or so and few to no ground radars can see them.  I remember USAF air defense exercises.  A target aircraft would be sent way up north, then turn around, and fly back south into US-Canadian airspace.  The radars were supposed to pick him up and vector fighters onto him. This particular morning, a bright and sunny morning, fine flying weather, the radar operators were calling back to SAGE HQ and complaining that they could not see the target.  SAGE would ask the target to "come up another 1000 feet".  Target was not visible to ground radar until he was a 9000 feet. 
  I'm pretty sure a 777 at 1000 feet would not get picked up on today's ground radar. 
  If it crashed at sea, we ought to find wreakage.  If it crashed in the jungles, we might never find it.  We lost an F-111 Aardvark somewhere in Laos during the war.  We never did find the wreck.  It just knifed thru the triple canopy jungle, the leaves closed up behind it, and it was gone.  Granted that a 777 is bigger than the Aardvark and ought to make a bigger ground footprint, but who knows. 
   Final possibility.  They might have landed the plane in one piece, somewhere.  A good pilot could probably get a 777 down on a very short strip.  Might blow a few tires, but the plane ought to survive.  And now we have to beginnings of a James Bond movie. 

Winter not dead yet

It's snowing up here.  Coming down pretty good.  The TV news is doing the winter storm warning (warning is more heavy duty than a mere watch).  I'm forecast to get a foot.  We'll see if that works out. 

Game of Thrones Season III

Netflix just got the Season III discs of Game of Thrones.  I don't get HBO so I have to wait for the show to get to Netflix.  It's pretty good, a swords and sorcery fantasy, set in an imaginary medieval world.  They have some interesting characters, who they haven't killed off yet.  It's decent light entertainment, better than the average cop show.
  But I do have some advice for the show's producers.
1.  Get a real sound man.  I can't hear much of the dialogue.  The dialogue lacks needed volume, and is often blurred by the score or the sound effects.  I notice that on the "commentaries" (actors voice overs explaining how cool they are) are perfectly understandable.  If you can do it for "commentaries" you can do it for the main thing.
2.  Don't costume everyone in the same color of drab homespun gray-brown .  I know it's realistic, but when you costume everyone the same it is hard for the audience to tell who's who. 
3.  Turn up the lighting.  Too many scenes are dark interiors, so dark we cannot see what's going on.  Go back to that old Hollywood trick, where a single candle is lit, and the movie lights come on, and we can see what's happening. 
4.  Say the character's names aloud, so we can identify them.  I've actually read the books, but it was a while ago.  Scene after scene characters would come on stage, and I would scratch my head asking myself "who's that?"  Scene would end and I'd still not know the name.  I still don't remember the name of the strapping armored lady who drives Jaime Lannister along to King's Landing.