Thu, 2010-05-06
Confusing Apache error message permalink
If you get the following error message:
[crit] [client 10.0.0.1] (13)Permission denied: /foo/bar/.htaccess pcfg_openfile: unable to check htaccess file, ensure it is readable, referer: http://example.org/
check that the permissions on the directory enable the web server user to read/access it, to fix it do something like:
find <dir> -type d | xargs chown <apache user>
find <dir> -type d | xargs chmod u+rx
Fri, 2010-02-26
About me: permalink
I'm a computer hacker (in the original meaning of the word), a caver, a fell-walker, an occasional astronomer and cyclist and an even more occasional Land-Rover owner.
mail me at alan@wylie.me.uk
Note that sending unsolicited marketing e-mail to an individual in the UK is an offence under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 and that the collection and processing of personal information is regulated by the Data Protection Act.
(Updated April 2010)
I've found a new job.
Sun, 2010-01-31
Links permalink
Some organisations I belong to:
The Vibram Mountaineering Club
The Karabiner Mountaineering Club
The Astronomy Centre
My excellent ISP: Zen Internet
A very nice Bed and Breakfast in Coniston:
Oaklands Guest House
and one in Robin Hood's Bay:
North Ings
And some of my favourite websites:
News:
Slashdot
SANS - Internet Storm Center
The Register
Linux Weekly News
ADSLguide
Cryptome
MelonFarmers
National Secular Society
Anti-Spam
RFC-Ignorant
The Spamhaus Project
Linux
ROCK Linux
Gentoo Linux
Comics
XKCD
Abstruse Goose
User Friendly
Dilbert
UNSPEAKABLE VAULT (Of Doom)
The Joy of Tech
Irregular Webcomic!
Questionable Content
Something Positive
Freefall
Full Frontal Nerdity
Misc
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Tue, 2010-01-05
Unsolicited Bulk Commercial e-mail from Janglemail / Blurbjangle permalink
Full story here
Thu, 2009-12-31
umount: /mnt/tmp: device is busy permalink
If you are trying to unmount a device, you get the error "device is busy", but lsof/fuser don't show any process holding the device open, it could be that a file on the device is associated with a loop device.
try
# losetup -a /dev/loop/0: [0821]:25280514 (image) offset=55273881600 # losetup -d /dev/loop0 # umount /mnt/tmp
Sat, 2009-12-05
Laser-Scan Fastrak permalink
A photo of the Laser-Scan Fastrak display and digitiser, circa 1985
Sat, 2009-11-28
The Hine Line of Maryport permalink
Here are some scans from the Magazine "Sea Breezes", September 1959
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Briar Holme
Briar Holme Memorial
Henry Scholefield
Myrtle Holme
Rydal Holme Painting
Rydal Holme
Rydal Holme Officers
Sun, 2009-11-15
Mallorca photographs permalink
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Wed, 2009-11-04
Cova Tancada permalink
Transcribed from an old and faded printout, with map.
When driving to the Alcudia peninsula from Peurto Pollensa, in Alcudia go through the first set of traffic lights, at the second set you turn to go straight on, this is achieved by turning right then immediately left onto the Mal Pas road. This road is not signposted and is easily missed. At the roundabout (tree with a small wall around it) where the Bodaga Del Sol is, turn right and follow the road, it eventually becomes a track, carry on until you reach the hunting lodge, a white and yellow building, park here.
A track off to the right normally tapped (sic) off is followed up hill and
into the open. The track then passes throught a wooded area, at a small dip a
vague 'Y' where a track descends can be seen, go down and across the small
stream (dry) follow the track to the cliffs and descend as the path dictates,
there are steps in places, the cave entrance looks out over a beautiful
turquoise sea. This old show cave is a very large chamber full of calcite,
take your camera and <ends>
More Cova Tancada, Alcúdia, Mallorca permalink
See also the previous post:
Having now visited the cave, it was well worth the walk and slightly difficult scramble down.
We walked in from the car park at the Campament de la Victòria, but there
were cars that had driven up past the golf course and parked here:
where a chained off track leaves the track which runs up to
the Coll Baix.
N 39.8556, E 3.18125
Follow the chained off track east as it rises, then bears round to the right and the slope eases. At this point, there is a footpath leading down to the left. The main track continues on, and is the one that is being followed in the opposite direction in the description in the previous post. Follow the footpath to the left. It goes round the head of a valley, crossing a dried up stream, then heads east towards the coast.
Eventually, it heads north and then descends north-east into another valley, crossing the dried up stream bed and then following the north side of the valley towards the sea. Then the path drops very steeply: at one point there are metal poles embedded in the rock with rope strung between them. See the photographs here, which include photographs inside the cave. The cave is in the cliffside, about 30m above sea level, at N 39.85406, E 3.19120 and is very well decorated. We went on to the end of the cave, where we could hear the noise of the sea down a small, muddy hole.
The cave was very warm and humid inside: don't wear heavy clothing. It's an old show cave,
and there are no difficulties in getting through it.
Sun, 2009-11-01
The Barque Robert Hine. permalink
Scanned images of a pamphlet describing my great great grandfather's experiences in Patagonia in 1873
Tue, 2009-09-29
More Google Goofs permalink
Another google goof: Previous google goofs: (updated 29-Sep-2009)
Fri, 2009-04-10
Google Goofs permalink
Another google goof: (update 10-Apr-2009) Having just been using a makeshift marlinspike to undo a knot in my SRT footloop, I came across (previous goofs)
Wed, 2008-12-17
permalink
Netgear DG834 hints
Stop iptables blocking the snmp port:
$ telnet 192.168.0.1 Trying 192.168.0.1... Connected to 192.168.0.1. Escape character is '^]'. BusyBox v0.61.pre (2006.08.31-06:27+0000) Built-in shell (ash) Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.(for 4.01.20)
# iptables -L Chain INPUT (policy DROP) target prot opt source destination DROP udp -- anywhere anywhere udp dpt:161 ACCEPT udp -- anywhere anywhere udp dpt:161 ACCEPT all -- anywhere anywhere ACCEPT all -- anywhere anywhere .... # iptables -D INPUT 1(for 4.01.28)
# iptables -I INPUT -p udp -s 82.68.155.88/29 -j ACCEPT (you will need to modify the IP mask for your own allocation) # exitWalk the MIB tree: (short)
$ snmpwalk -Os -c public -v 1 192.168.0.1 system sysDescr.0 = STRING: NETGEAR DG834 ADSL Gateway sysObjectID.0 = OID: enterprises.4526.3.2 sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (4620667) 12:50:06.67 sysContact.0 = STRING: alan@wylie.me.uk sysName.0 = STRING: alan sysLocation.0 = STRING: alan sysServices.0 = INTEGER: 4(long)
$ snmpwalk -Os -c public -v 1 192.168.0.1 ...Generate an mrtg config
# /usr/bin/cfgmaker --global 'WorkDir: /var/lib/mrtg' --global 'Options[_]: # bits,growright' --output /etc/mrtg-netgear.conf public@192.168.0.1
Mon, 2008-09-15
Alum Pot photos permalink
Photos of the Vibram M.C.'s trip down Alum Pot and Long Churn/Dolly Tubs
Videos are now up on YouTube
Tue, 2008-08-05
The UK law on Spam permalink
For the benefit of the clueless and wilfully ignorant (Donald Knox-Richards, this means you), the section of Section 22 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 that regulates the sending of bulk e-mail states:
(3) A person may send or instigate the sending of electronic mail for the purposes of direct marketing where -
(a) that person has obtained the contact details of the recipient of that electronic mail in the course of the sale or negotiations for the sale of a product or service to that recipient;
(b) the direct marketing is in respect of that person's similar products and services only; and
(c) the recipient has been given a simple means of refusing (free of charge except for the costs of the transmission of the refusal) the use of his contact details for the purposes of such direct marketing, at the time that the details were initially collected, and, where he did not initially refuse the use of the details, at the time of each subsequent communication.
My emphasis on the word "and": section (c) applies in
addition to the previous sections, and any bulk marketing e-mail sent to a
UK individual where there is no prior relationship is illegal, whether or
not a means of refusing to be spammed in future is provided.
Sun, 2008-06-01
Donald Knox-Richards, Elius Books and spam permalink
I've just received (in contravention of Section 22 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003) a (google groups archive) spam e-mail from someone purporting to be "Donald Knox-Richards", mentioning books and John Thaw. The advertised web site was Elius Books, for which the whois record is:
$ whois elius-books.co.uk
Domain name:
elius-books.co.uk
Registrant:
Elius Books (Internet) Limited
Registrant type:
UK Limited Company, (Company number: 6163685)
Registrant's address:
6A Wellgreen Road
Childwall
Liverpool
L25 1QP
GB
Relevant dates:
Registered on: 15-May-2008
It's an unusual name, so I googled for it, and turned up this BBC
news report about someone of that name being jailed for fraud relating to a
book he wrote about John Thaw.
There's also a press release from the DTI, headlined JUDGE THROWS THE BOOK AT BANKRUPT PUBLISHER.
Other links: Ivorysky
Elius
Books' previous spamming antics, dating back to 1999
Sun, 2008-03-16
Satellite Direct getting bad publicity again permalink
this time a BBC Watchdog report
previous mentions:
July 2007
Jan 2007
Dec 2006
Dec 2006
Nov 2006
Mon, 2008-02-25
How to convert the Motion JPEG video files from a Canon DIGITAL IXUS 60 to a more compact format: permalink
mencoder -oac mp3lame -srate 24000 -ovc x264 -o file.mp4 -x264encopts bitrate=500 MVI_0001.AVI