Entries by Rixter

Has it really been two years? Well, no sense describing where I've been... no-one in there right mind would ever want to go there.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” - John Kenneth Galbraith

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

-From All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

Let us offer Respect to Richard Wayne Penniman, the One True King of Rock n' Roll.

“ Then there is the other kind of Christmas with present piled high, the gifts of guilty parents as bribes because they have nothing else to give. The wrappings are ripped off and the presents thrown down and at the end the child says—”Is that all?” Well, it seems to me that America now is like that second kind of Christmas. Having too many THINGS they spend their hours and money on the couch searching for a soul. A strange species we are. We can stand anything God and nature can throw at us save only plenty. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much and would have it on its knees, miserable, greedy and sick. ”

- John Steinbeck 1959, Letters of Note

"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately no one knows what they are."

-- W.Somerset Maugham

Back when I was poor as a churchmouse I knew where every penny went out and kissed every penny that came in like it was a long-lost friend, mostly using Quicken. But Quicken gradually became less and less the app I wanted to run and eventually I dropped it. In the '00's I kept trying to get GnuCash working but finally gave up, it always came out badly in the end. I'm trying again now, and after a day of setup it looks OK. One checking account, credit cards, retirement and I haven't done a few other small accts yet but that should be easy after what I just went through. GnuCash has gotten a lot better since the last time I tried it and the reports are nice. More importantly the various accts that you set up interact much more easily than they used to. It runs on GNU/Linux, *BSD, Solaris, Microsoft Windows and Mac OSX. It doesn't cost a single cent to install. Another win for Open Source!

Playing with this generator was a lot of fun.




Taken on: Friday, February 15. 2019
Copyright:

How many of us still have a landline? The recently released study from the Center for Disease Control says that 34% of US households have only a wireless phone. That's an incredible number. And yet, I'll also guess a lot of us would like to have an alternative to both cellphones and landlines. I know of plenty of people who can't afford a regular cell plan and use pay-as-you-go phones, at least when they can afford to replenish them. When they can't, they do without. And even those of us that can afford to use cell for everything sometimes wish we didn't have to, especially when we have a job, a business or a teenager that eats up the minutes as fast as they are credited. Okay, let's fix it!

I love my OBihai 100. It plays nice with Google voice who currently provide free VOIP service to the continental US, and a number of other providers. If (when?) Google ever starts charging for this valuable service they will go in with a lot of good will from all of us who have enjoyed the free lunch and a proven track record. I've had mine for a few months without a single dropped call or any of the usual VOIP issues. Best of all, calls between two Obihai end points are always free, so if you buy two units you can place one at a relative or friends house and really save some money. This is a favorite tactic for international callers. Read the reviews at NewEgg and Amazon and be surprised at the high ratings these devices have received. The OBi 100 is the least expensive model and the one I currently own. It has a single ethernet port and a single FXS RJ-11 analog phone port into which you will plug an ordinary wired or cordless telephone set. In combination with a regular VOIP provider or a Google Voice account you'll be ready to start making and receiving calls. I have a cheap cordless set with answering machine plugged into my unit with the idea that if Google voice fails to pick up an unanswered call, the answering machine will get it. This arrangement would also serve well if I start using one of the many VOIP vendors that can work with the device. Any vendor that supports SIP protocol should work, but anyone who has worked with VOIP knows that you can't be sure until you try. A list of known compatible VOIP providers is shown at the end of the review.  It should be adequate for most peoples needs and can support 2 VOIP accounts providers on one device. The web-based setup and administration screens on the devices and at Obihai.com are not dummy-simple but can be gotten through by a careful and patient consumer with good reading comprehension and a willingness to read help files and perhaps use Google to do further research. I've never had to call their support team but have heard good things. An app is available to allow you to run the Obihai client on your cell phone, for extra fun, confusion and bragging rights.

The OBi110 as the next step up differs from the 100 only in the addition of a FXO RJ-11 analog port which allows use of a regular POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line as an alternate gateway. I can think of a few folks who might have need of such a thing, IE: those who already have a preferred vendor for overseas calls or who might need to make occasional calls out on a phone switch for some reason. It costs about US $10.00 more than the OBi-100.







The next step up is the OBI202 Router. Besides being able to function as a router either for a subnet on your current network or as a main router for a small home network, the 202 can connect using a wireless USB dongle costing about US $25.00 as its uplink, turning it into a true road warrior tool. I wish more routers supported this sort of connectivity. The OBi202 goes for about US $72.00 as this is written, and supports 2 Google Voice and 4 SIP providers. The router function only provides 2 ethernet ports so if you are going to use it as your main router you will need a small switch and possibly a wireless access point for a good home or small office experience. Personally I would recommend using it as a subnet router and leaving something more capable to handle the main networks routing needs.



SUMMARY

After this device is configured it's been very trouble free and even travels well. I have driven to other peoples houses and simply plugged it in and started making calls. SIP is not very secure so do use some caution if using these devices on the road or under insecure circumstances. There is no less expensive way to get good VOIP service and Obihai is regarded as the very best option for interfacing with Google Voice accounts. Do your research and I think you'll agree. I'm not affiliated with Obihai in any way and did not recieve any compensation or free hardware for writing this review.

Every budding dictatorship begins by muzzling the artists,

because they’re a mouthy lot and they don’t line up and salute very easily.

— Margaret Atwood