jam-master jim's New Writeups

ssh-agent (thing)

2004-10-19T19:56:14Z

ssh-agent is a program that can be used in UNIX-like operating systems such as Linux, OpenBSD and Darwin. It's purpose is to manage and facilitate public key authentication for a user's processes throughout their session, hence making secure remote access much simpler and more flexible.

Without `ssh-agent`

A couple of decades ago, most remote access on UNIX machines was done via the 'r'-generation of tools; rsh, rlogin and rcp. This made life very easy for users - they could seamlessly access computers on the other side of the world without even pausing to enter a password. Unfortunately, it also made things very easy for malicious hackers who could exploit the basic security mechanisms to gain unsanctioned access to other computers.

With the new 's'-generation of tools based around ssh, security was much improved as all network traffic is encrypted. However, ssh brought it's…

Kirikiti (thing)

2004-10-16T18:57:42Z

it's not just cricket

Kirikiti is a game descended from the English sport of cricket. It is widely played throughout the Samoan islands and although there are no official teams, leagues or rules, Samoans are extraordinally competitive so that the inter-village matches are actually taken quite seriously.

Equipment

Just as the leather and willow used to make cricket equipment are abundant in England, kirikiti equipment uses a lot of freely available natural materials.

The bat: A Samoan kirikiti bat is a very substantial object. It is carved as one piece from the wood of the kapok tree, and is at least 3'6" long (1.1m). In cross section, the bat is shaped like a quadrant, with the straight sides up to 6" (15cm) in length. It tapers to the handle, which is cylindrical and about 1" (2.5cm) in diameter. As if a massive chunk of wood wasn't imposing enough, the bats are…

G (thing)

2004-10-10T23:35:44Z

Alongside Planck's constant and the speed of light in a vacuum, the gravitational constant, G, is one of the most important and fundamental constants in our universe. However, since Isaac Newton introduced it in 1686, the value of G has been always been a little controversial. Despite centuries of physicists working on finding ever more accurate values (after the speed of light, the gravitational constant was the first to be measured scientifically), G is still the least accurately known physical constant. As an example, by the late 90s, Planck's constant was known to an accuracy 10000 times greater than G!

To make things worse, new experiments started to produce results wildly different from this "accepted" value, in some cases, up to 1% away from previous results. Some experiments showed G had a space and time variation of over 0.5% - this was fundamentally opposed to accepted theory. Was Newton wrong?
Not in this case; it's just that G…

Samoa (place)

2004-10-10T04:58:23Z

Independent Samoa is literally the last place on earth. In fact, from the westerly tip of the westernmost island in the Samoan archipelago, it is possible to see tomorrow! As well as these claims to fame, Independent Samoa is also one of the most beautiful, friendly and inexpensive places to visit in Oceania, with a rich and diverse past.

Culture

I suppose it is quite fortunate to us outsiders that a lot of Samoan culture and custom is driven by a need to impress and appease visitors.
As an example, in Samoa, it is customary for a family to serve a guest first, then eat any food and drink they might leave. This results in mounds of delicious food to be presented to the loweliest tourist - it's rude not to eat as much as you can!

The full swathe of Samoan culture is much too large to explore here, especially as it shares so many facinating similarities with other cultures, from Japan to South America. However, there a few…

Breaking The Girl (idea)

2004-10-09T19:49:56Z

CST Approved

Breaking The Girl is track three off the Red Hot Chili Peppers' massively successful 1991 album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The guitar part (on which I will focus) is unlike most of the others on the album, as it is played on an acoustic guitar, and uses more conventional chord-based ideas.

The Peppers' guitarist, John Frusciante, actually plays the song on a 12-string acoustic instrument, detuned one semitone: Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb. A 12-string guitar is not essential - some chorus will help a 6-string guitar emulate the sound to some extent. Also, detuning is not necessary unless you want to play along with the CD, and even then, you could also put a capo on the 4th fret and transpose the tab given below.

At some points in the song, there are evidently two guitar parts. I will tab them both as necessary, although you can get away…

Bill Brandt (person)

2004-09-07T17:41:32Z

...everything is allowed and everything should be tried.

-- Bill Brandt

Bill Brandt's photographs remain some of the most instantly recognisable and iconic images of the last century. From his journalistic early work right through to the surreal nudes and portraits of his later years, Brandt always seems to manage to capture the essence of a scene, unveiling its beauty in ways that would pass by a casual observer. He also manages to infuse many of the photographs with his mischievous sense of humour, twisting everyday scenes into amusing caricatures and farces.

Brief Biography

Bill Brandt was born on 2nd May 1904 in Hamburg to an English father and German mother. During the First World War, his English heritage meant he was bullied, which left Brandt reticent and bitter. This, combined with the later rise of Nazism, meant he was loathe to admit his birthplace,…