Figments and Perceptions Unleashed by LogicX

I haven't seen a comprehensive post on how to create your own OSX global StartupItems, so I decided to write a guide:

I use StartupItems for two purposes:

1. autossh tunnel, as a portable security prevention method
2. synergy+ remote control for my MacMini media center

A few things have changed since earlier versions of OSX, but lets just go over the whole process of setting it up, using autossh as an example (replace autossh with the name of your service)

1. You'll need root access to create items in /Library/StartupItems - so be sure you have administrative privileges, and open up a Terminal window.
2. Under /Library/StartupItems you'll create a structure like this:
   drwxr-xr-x   4 root  wheel   136 Mar  7 09:59 autossh
   $ cd autossh/
   $ ls -la
   -rw-r--r--  1 root  wheel  563 Mar  6 23:29 StartupParameters.plist
   -rwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  156 Mar  7 09:59 autossh
3. StartupParameters.plist looks like this:
   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <!DOCTYPE plist SYSTEM "file://localhost/System/Library/DTDs/PropertyList.dtd">
   <plist version="0.9">
   <dict>
   <key>Description</key>
   <string>AutoSSH Tunnel</string>
   <key>Messages</key>
   <dict>
   <key>start</key>
   <string>Starting AutoSSH Tunnel</string>
   <key>stop</key>
   <string>Stopping AutoSSH Tunel</string>
   </dict>
   <key>OrderPreference</key>
   <string>Last</string>
   <key>Provides</key>
   <array>
   <string>autossh</string>
   </array>
   <key>Uses</key>
   <array>
   <string>Network</string>
   </array>
   </dict>
   </plist>
4. autossh itself (as referenced in StartupParameters.plist) contains the code to execute.  In my example it is:
   #!/bin/sh
   . /etc/rc.common
   ConsoleMessage "Starting ssh tunnel"
   /opt/local/bin/autossh -f -M 6661 -N -R 8823:localhost:22 -D 8080 username@hostname
5. Two very important steps remain. chown -R root:wheel /Library/StartupItems and running this command for each item under /Library/StartupItems:
   sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Library/StartupItems/autossh
   Your item will now not be quarantined on reboot. Enjoy!

I intended to mention this a while ago, after Josh Bob had his laptop stolen; but better late than never.  A few recommendations I'd like to share about laptop security:

1. Turn on encryption: Windows, OSX, and Linux (and open-source cross-platform solutions) now have options to encrypt systems or user folders: Take advantage of it! If your machine is stolen, at least they can't get your sensitive information.
2. Backup your data: And do it without requiring effort! I highly recommend Dropbox
3. Install laptop tracking software, I recommend the free open source cross-platform PreyProject (Especially since they just implemented my wifi geolocation improvement)
   If doing so; you'll want to create a passwordless guest account, that someone could use if the machine were stolen: Making it more likely they'll continue to use the computer, giving you time to track it down.
4. Use different passwords: This is a pretty obvious one, but I use a combination of free services: Clipperz, XMarks, and Firefox's Password Manager with Master Password to protect my passwords, and make it easy-enough to use different credentials for most services.

Taking a few preventive steps will keep your data protected, and you too can be empowered like Josh in recovering your machine!

Pro-Tip: I also use autossh to always keep a reverse SSH tunnel open to the machine: If it were ever stolen I can remotely control it.

I just completed a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Victory through the South Caribbean.  This was my first experience cruising since learning I had Celiac Disease 2 years ago.  I really didn't know what to expect, but I'm happy to report I made it through the vacation with minimal issues.  I felt it worth sharing my experience.  Overall I give Carnival a 7/10.

A little background: Having only recently been diagnosed, and living in a create area (Cambridge, MA) -- I haven't been quiet as stigmatized as many who are initially diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  I have a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market across the street from where I live, and I Love Burton's Grill, BerryLine, Kick-Ass Cupcakes, Zing Pizza, Cafe Zing, Stonehearth Pizza, P.F. Changs, and UFoodGrill -- just to name a few of the establishments I frequent often!  This sets a very high bar for gluten free delicacies - to which I'm unsure any cruise line could compete.

My adventure started months before the cruise -- I filled out Carnival's allergy information form and faxed it in.  A few weeks before I cruised I proactively faxed it again, and worked with our carnival assigned travel agent to ensure it was received by the ship.  I brought along a number of my own snacks just in case - and for use on excursions.

As soon as I got on board I visited the dining room and spoke to the Maître d' about my issue.  Despite it being on my form that I was also lactose intolerant, I was often served food comprised of milk products or coated in butter: I was thankful I brought as my lactaid pills as I did! It was a little confusing for the first two days, to figure out exactly where I could eat, and how to go about getting food I could be sure was gluten free.  The evening dining room staff had my paperwork, knew of my issue, and did a great job of getting me gluten free food w/o much work.  The only issues I encountered there were occasionally being served my gluten free bread out of the normal bread basket, sitting next to gluten containing breads, and some of my desserts were rather bland (banana slices in honey, lime sherbet).  Only on the last meal did I discover they could handle gluten free deep frying and breading: when I insisted to speak to the Maître d' and be reassured that the fried shrimp and french fries I'd just been served were infact Gluten Free.  They were delicious and I had no symptoms - Success! Now I only wish I'd known earlier: The assistant Maître d' who took my order every night previously shot down any meal request which clearly had gluten in it.

Every other meal of the day, or between-meal snacks were a much more difficult challenge.  Breakfast in the dining room does not have assigned seating, and so I had a different waiter each day.  I had to be sure they had my information, and each morning it had down that I should be served gluten free bread and gluten free pancakes.  The bread got tiring after a week of 3-4 slices being forced on me at every meal: and at breakfast I often couldn't eat it as it had been served contaminated, next to the normal bread, and served with the same tong.   The pancakes were nothing to write home about: rubbery and bland.  I had to insist to be served some eggs; and only after the 4th day did I finally feel confident enough to try the bacon (after having been told a number of times by different staff that it was deep fried, then being told it was baked).

Meals outside the dining room were the most challenging: its served only as a lunch buffet on the top deck, and its impossible to determine which hot food items are gluten free or not.  Each time I wished to eat I ended up having to flag down a kitchen staff member, have them page the assistant Maître d' on duty, explain my issue: have them page the chef, and then have him prepare a special plate of food for me.

This became both a tiring process, and a long one: with disappointing results. I would always get my food right as the rest of my party was finishing eating their food, and I often received a piece of meat, steamed vegetables, and white rice.  Yes it was gluten free -- but it was also taste free.

I had one gluten free slipup on the trip when I came back on board in the late afternoon, and the only things open were the 24/7 burger stand, and the pizza stand.  I waited in line and ordered two burgers w/o buns - with lettuce tomato and onions.  I believe I got hit with gluten from the staff members wearing gloves who were handling buns, and then grabbing my lettuce with the same gloves: Put me out of commission for that evening and half the next day. (Later in the trip I ordered the same thing through the head chef.  It was prepared separately, and I had no issues.)

The biggest thing I missed on board was no gluten-free pastries -- I'm very use to gluten free brownies, cupcakes and other items I miss so much, and was disappointed that Carnival didn't experiment with offering me this, considering I couldn't choose my dinner, but had to be offered whatever the chef prepared for me for dinner dessert.

Carnival definitely made an effort to accommodate me, but I look forward to seeing if other cruise lines offer a better selection of gluten free offerings!

I randomly was listening to Live - I Alone as it came up on Pandora, and I remembered a parody song I heard once.  I couldn't find any record of it on the Internet (after intense searching), but I eventually found it in my mp3 collection.

So I decided to contribute this knowledge to the Internet.  I thought for a while it was a Weird Al song, but turns out its not.  No attribution, and as I said, I couldn't find anyone talking about it through googling.

Please do comment if you know more about it than I.

Download Live Sucks - (I Alone).mp3

Update 3/25/2010: Last June I bought my Genuine RoughHouse R50 scooter here in Boston from the Great guys at Scooters Go Green in South Boston.  A new scooting season is upon us, and I must say I really love my scooter! You can Follow the guys at Scooters Go Green on twitter: They've been doing some community activities and giveaways!

Scooter-Genuine RoughHouse 50

Look for a future update regarding the Zoombak: I've had some challenges with it killing my battery, and not powering on unless the butting is expressly pushed: I really wish that it would power-on upon charge; which would solve me all sorts of problems, having it hidden inside my scooter!

Original Post:

While deciding how to deal with protecting my scooter from theft, I decided that I didn't want to deal with the inconvenience of dragging around a huge, expensive lock, and always tying up my Rough House -- so I did some research and came across the Zoombak GPS.

I've since gotten it in, set it up, and hidden it in my scooter, and it works great!

Here's the basic setup:

1. ~$100 for the physical hardware
2. It captures your GPS location information for free from the sky, but then needs to relay that information over the cellphone network (uses T-Mobile) back to their servers.
3. Because it uses the cell network, you need to pay a ~$10/mo fee which covers that, and usage of their website.
4. The device can be charged and last 5 days at a time, or you could buy the Auto Installation Kit and get it hooked up to your battery. (I'm working on this with the guys at Scooters Go Green later this week - I'll keep everyone updated!)
5. It only updates every 15 minutes unless you visit the website and enable 'continuous tracking' mode - 60 minutes of 5-minute updates.
   Whether on normal 15-minute updates or continuous mode, you can see a map over time of points where it has registered your scooter as being located.
6. You can setup 'alert zones' - To get notified via SMS or email if your scooter enters or leaves a zone. Ex: 'If my scooter leaves work between 9:30-4:30, page me' (aka gets stolen).

I purchased the GPS Universal, and the Auto Installation Kit is on its way.

Some helpful links:

• Zoombak (their website)
• Zoombak ZMBK300 (Amazon Review of what I bought)
• Coupons from RetailMeNot ex: 50% off accessories.

If you're in Boston Help contribute to the Free Scooter Parking Google Map effort thats on-going

I've been a little disappointed with the lack of consistently accurate information regarding Tufts Business Plan competition, from before we entered, through the completion of it.

We initially read on the website '$50K in cash and services', and emailed to find out more information.  We then learned that its $20K in cash and $30K in services.  I feel this is very important information for a startup to know, as they need to allocate their limited resources appropriately to try to attain the resources they need to get started.

Through casual conversation with an advisor at the arranged lunch meeting (who later turned out to be a panel judge), I learned that the judges can (and have in the past) decide to allocate the cash and service resources among the teams, not allocating them just to a single winner.

Definitely a fine idea - give the right resources to the right people -- Help as many teams as you can.   I just wish this had been more formally relayed.

I was there at the awards ceremony, and I barely caught what my own winnings were, much less the divisions of cash and services among the other teams.  I would've loved to see the breakdown of exactly who got what -- I hope they're able to put them to good use!

Its been two weeks since the completion of the competition, with no press releases from Tufts, no updates on the competition website, but googling just now, I did come across this article from the day after the competition.

Unfortunately this article continues the trend of misinformation.  I take issue with the following points from the article:

"A design for paint that can peel from surfaces took top honors yesterday in one of two competitions run by the Entrepreneurial Leadership program, and the three Tufts students who designed the product won a $50,000 grant from the School of Engineering’s Gordon Institute." - Two Tufts Alumni (one present), One Tufts Grad student, and one Cornell student.  They won $10,000 in cash, and I didn't catch their other prizes.

"The two winning groups each received grants, legal services, storage space and capital network mentoring." - I don't believe thats the case due to the way they distributed the winnings.  For instance, we (Stateless Creations) received office space and legal services.

"The paint design group beat out four other finalists who presented their business plans yesterday to a panel of judges. In the other contest, four finalists vied for the top prize." - Due to the fact they named 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams, some of which received more value in prizes than others; I would've stated this much differently.

"Michael Mintz, Kunal Gupta, and Matthew Hnatio, three students at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, presented their plans for Peelable Paint." - Michael and Kunal are alumni.

Hopefully others in the competition will help post their own, most accurate information, and set things straight for future teams and years when trying to learn more about the competition.

1. Kerwood Oak's Peelable Paints - They had a great product demonstration, and explained good market use, and reasonable pricing.
2. JobVid.com - Very enthusiastic presenter, who has put a lot of time and effort into his site.
3. Stateless Creations - We Won $25K in Office Space, and $5K in Legal Services.

The biggest limiting factor for us was that we did not have a physical product to present yet.  This is understandable -- thats exactly why we entered: to get some startup funds to do that step.

We'll have to figure out some other way to get the funds we need to move forward; but we learned a lot entering this competition, met some really excited teams, made some good contacts; and hopefully will find another source of funding to keep moving forward.

Congrats to all the teams.

Special Shout out to Julia with Cadenza on the Social side, which received some funds -- I hope to see them going somewhere soon with their idea!

We're doing final preparations for the Business Plan competition on Wednesday.  The Business Plan was submitted this past Wednesday, the powerpoint presentation was submitted today.  We have a lot of practice ahead of us!

Tufts published a press release today, regarding the competition.

We're quoted as:
Stateless Creations, presented by Gordon Institute graduate students Michael Schroll along with Nicholas Zervoglos, Peter Burke and alum Brian Gillis - Stateless Creations proposes to develop the technology that would allow users to make designs using toy building blocks and then upload the design online.

We now have a logo:

Going to work on a placeholder website at www.StatelessCreations.com and Business Cards for Wednesday.

Wish us Luck!

On Wednesday we had a lunch meeting at Tufts for all those who are finalists, plus a number of advisors.

My team didn't really know what to expect going into it.

It was a rather informative session where each team had to go around, give their elevator pitch, then field questions and feedback from the advisors (and some other teams too). We weren't prepared with our elevator pitch -- having it on our weekly meeting schedule for about a month now; so I had to come up with it on the fly while the two teams before me went.  I was pleased with the result, and have written up what I said for future use.

It helped give us good insight to our competition (though not all teams attended), and we received some valuable advice from the advisors.  We also learned more about the next steps of the competition, and that the winner will be determined the same day - right after the completion of the presentations.

I won't go into more detail about the competitor's ideas -- as I consider it a private session (As opposed to my last post which consisted of information each team posted publicly on YouNoodle about their companies).

We're eager to work toward our 15 minute presentation for 3/25, which will be here in no time!