super-structure

So here’s a kind of weird thing I cannot figure out: using OpenDNS on our home router killed my corporate VPN.

I’ve been a fan of OpenDNS for some time. I do think it’s faster than Comcast’s DNS servers and it is certainly more secure. It’s also pretty handy when you just have a typo in a domain name, which I do often. I’ve only ran into one issue where I couldn’t get to a site I was actually trying to visit (and that is weird - just like a part of the internet you know should be there is gone).

Until today.

I added the OpenDNS servers on my Apple Airport Base Station. It rebooted quickly and everything seemed normal. My Windows machine was able to reconnect to the VPN with no trouble. However, I could not connect to the Microsoft Exchange server nor the Office Communicator server. The entire rest of the internet worked just fine, just those two (highly critical) items did not work at all.

I should note that I was able to connect to the Exchange server via my iPhone or a web browser, so it wasn’t down during this time. Further, resetting the DNS entries on my router corrected the problem almost instantly.

I really fail to see how the DNS server could affect connecting to something over a VPN, but it clearly has some issue. So, I’m stuck with Comcasts slow (and possibly unsafe) DNS servers for now. But, at least I have a VPN!

We keep ourselves pretty busy these days. Well, we certainly manage to fill the time with something and hopefully most of it is worth the time we spend on it. So, this one is a week late, but with good reason. There’s always a few highlights, though:

1. Footrace - Independence Day morning Angela and I participated in a Fourth of July 5k/10k in downtown Nashville. Running is always a good way to see a city and this was a really nice race (even with a bit of rain on us). I did the two loops to make a 10k which (sadly) marked the longest run I’ve been on in about 15 months. Angela and Ainsley did the 5k which both mommy and daughter seemed to enjoy as well. Here’s to getting back into shape!
   
2. Running with Ainsley - We recently got a bike trailer/ running stroller combo. Since we don’t yet have a baby-sized helmet, we’ve only used it for running on a couple of occasions. However, it’s really great for us all to get out and run together. One of the tough things about trying to keep in shape with a little one in our lives has been having to find the time for us to go out separately so the other could watch her. This handy little gadget solves that problem, whether we want to run or bike. It’s too bad we don’t bring the dogs with us. I’ll tell you why though: imagine trying to run while holding a pair of ropes which are attached at the other ends to a pair of missiles, each with a missing tail-fin. That’s what it’s like to run with two terriers.
3. Nashville Zoo - We got a family membership to the Nashville Zoo on Saturday and spent several hours walking around. It’s really nice (and this after having gone to the San Diego Zoo back in April).
   
   

   We were in such a Zoo mood, we even went up to Opry Mills to eat at the Aquarium Restaurant afterwards. Dave & Steph came out to hang out with us for a while, as well.

   

4. Fireworks - It’s the fourth of July and that means firework displays. The one in Nashville is really nice. Frank & Sandi go to see them with us on their way back to Alabama.
   
5. Lisa Loeb - She has a new album out called Camp Lisa and it’s - yep! - a collection of camp songs. She is doing some in store shows at Barnes & Noble and we got to see her this past Monday evening. My brother Dave also came out to see her and to hang out with us (he’s a big fan).
   

Ah, you didn’t think I had been doing nothing all this time, right? Of course not. Here’s a few things that have been occupying my free time:

1. Chasing the Baby - She finally figured out crawling a couple of weeks ago. People had told me that one day she’d just get it and then she’d be crawling everywhere and getting into everything. Somehow I had assumed that this would be a phase spread out of a week or two, at least. No, it literally happened that fast. One evening Angela sat her down, and she just suddenly crawled over to my guitar and started trying to pull it over onto her. She’s been into everything can reach since that moment.
2. "The Wire - Season Three" - This show is just as good as everyone says it is. It’s a wonderful balance of personal stories and commentary on modern life. Heavy, of course, but not without a sense of humor. However, you cannot watch this around your 10 month old daughter. As a matter of fact, the swearing and violence is even a bit too high for Angela. Therefore…
3. Wii Fit - Though we have a couple of other Wii games that we play a lot, as well (Mario Kart Wii and Dr. Mario), Wii Fit is really a different experience. Though it uses a lot of game-like conventions, it actually is taking a gaming console and changing how you can use it. When (and it’s not as often as I need, anymore) I go running, I can put that on my training calendar. Regardless of what exercise I do or do not do, the game monitors and tracks my weight loss progress. The exercises it offers are real and the feedback is truly helpful to improve balance, flexibility, and strength. Now, if we only had a bigger living room to do those push-up/side planks in!
4. "Star Trek - Enterprise" - Despite the network’s many horrible choices for programming (Wrestling? Seriously? WTF, SciFi!? At least your stupid B movies and reality shows have something to do with your channel’s original line-up.), they do manage to get some great syndicated series. Enterprise was my favorite ST since Next Generation, by far. I watched the first couple of seasons but unfortunately fell out of it (it was pre-TiVo for us). Now I can catch up. Too bad these weren’t in HD, though.
5. Dungeons & Dragons - 4th Edition - Yeah, I know. The fantasy kick continues. It’s kind of hard to explain. A part of me feels like I never really got to play D&D with a serious group as a kid. When I tried, the rules were cumbersome and we never got through anything. Now, I’ve found some folks who live around here, are my age and have similar interests, and who kindly let me come join a game. It’s been an absolute blast. I’ll expand on some of this in the near future, but if you’ve ever thought about playing a table-top RPG (and probably even if you haven’t), the new edition of D&D is really a fantastic game.

It seems that a month of high gas prices have been enough to weaken the American resolve of driving the biggest vehicles on the planet. Most reasons for why we drove larger vehicles than, say, our European or Asian counterparts was that we had more space and longer distances to travel. I think it’s pretty clear that relatively cheap fuel was the reason. It simply didn’t cost us much to drive a vehicle capable of carrying nine people but with all the seats but on empty.

Now that times have changed, GM — of all companies — appears to be blinking and changing course as a result. They have announced they are going to axe the Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon as soon as next year. With Hummer sale down a whopping 60% in May, they appear to be poised to kill of that badge once and for all. For the past two decades, with SUV sales being so hot, car companies like GM have put a lot of effort into selling those vehicles. Those chickens have long since hatched and, with GM’s total sales dropping 27%¹, apparently just got their necks wrung. I’m not trying to pick on GM. In fact, I want to point them out as an example of a company that seems to be thinking about what the roads will look like in the next decade or two. They deserve some credit for killing off some of the gas-guzzling dinosaurs and putting some R&D work in to some alternate vehicles. I get the impression that it is more than just greenwashing with them, now; they seem to feel a real threat to their business in the long run.

And to be honest, if it took only about six weeks of high gas prices to make this kind of change, we may see much more of this in the near future; not in decade or more. I hate the cost of high gas prices as much as anyone. However, I once again have to admire the side effects of what the can do for reducing carbon emissions.

1. I’d be mistaken if I didn’t ackowledge that the total economic picture in America is worse than a year ago. Not just gas prices, but across the board. However, the two are pretty tightly linked and economic downturns are just as assured to happen eventually as rising gas prices.↵

NASA had put the odds at around 50% of having a successful landing near the North Pole of Mars. Their track record of Mars missions thus far wasn’t even that high (55% of missions had been lost). However, with amazing successes like the two rovers who have simply kept going, that coin-toss of chance seemed okay.

Today, after what was described as an excruciating seven minute time of decent, NASA reported a successful landing. What’s more, they even have the photos to show for it.

Congratulations to the University of Arizona and NASA teams. Everyone is looking forward to some more great science from this mission.