tech

Four years ago, I wrote about a script that I had been working on called Authban (though I didn't name it at the time): http://blog.vollink.com/2011/09/geek-attack-vectors-and-twitter.html I first started running a custom script to block IP addresses that tried too many times to login to ssh back in 2010.  At the time, the script (and my home web host) was running on an Ubuntu virtual server.  The name, Authban, surfaced in early 2011, as I organized the script to do more than just block ssh....

A long, long time ago, I obtained a Midi Workstation, called an Ensoniq KS-32.  I'm still thankful for the great deal I got on it.  I'm also greatful that the guy I bought it from didn't break my leg, since I didn't finish paying that really good price for 3 years.  Despite some harrowing times (orange juice dumped into it), it still functions to this day. One note about the KS-32, is that the settings are stored on-board in RAM, or Random Access Memory....

I have an Ensoniq KS-32 keyboard that was released 20 years ago.  I think that mine is only 17 years old, though (I'm the third owner, but I have owned it since 1998).  Anyway, it's a great board, and it has treated me very well for a very long time. There had been a low battery warning for, probably the last 10 years or so.  My response was to just never turn it off, which worked until I had to turn it off for a while....

Xerox Alto Mouse (1973) The computer mouse has been a basic part of computing for about 20 years now (25 if you were a Mac early-adopter, and even longer if you are a Xerox Alto power-user).  Up until recently, innovations with mouses have been about adding more buttons, and scroll wheels.  Now, with Smart-Phones becoming more and more popular, things like multi-touch and gestures are being added too....