Technorama Ep 429: A Romulan, A Klingon, and a Priest walk into a bar…

Coming up in this episode…

IT Adventures
Coyotes
Urination

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Feedback

Listener question: What was your first computer memory?

MadMarv: My first memory of using a computer was in 1st or 2nd grade, and it was an Apple II or maybe an Apple IIc. The class got to use the computer for a week or so before it rotated through to the next class of kids. I got to play with a drawing program called Turtle and I gotten the hang of the program and made the best picture out of the class according to my teacher. Marv

What would you do with a Pi?

Ben Vaughn: Hey guys,I got my hands on two Raspberry Pi 2 boards. I ordered them the day after they were announced and they got to me about 3 weeks later.

I’m quite impressed with these little boards. I have them running Raspian, which is an ARM-port of Debian. If you logged in to one, you wouldn’t know the difference between the Raspberry and any other Debian-based system unless you ran a uname -a and saw the unfamiliar architecture:

Linux <hostname> 3.18.7-v7+ #755 SMP PREEMPT Thu Feb 12 17:20:48 GMT 2015 armv7l GNU/Linux

I am using them as full Linux systems, hosting DNS services (both caching and authoritative) and some experimental web server stuff. I am also using one as a simple file server, hosting as a “head” to my NAS for my other systems to run backups to via scp.

My goal is to use one of them to provide some home-automation type stuff, such as basement water detection, temperature monitoring, furnace and A/C control, etc. I also want to use one to help automate my home-brewing of fine ales.

Keep up the good work guys. It’s always fun listening to you.

Ben

On This Day In History for March 11, 2015

This is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 295 days remaining in 2015.

It was on this date in 1702 that the Daily Courant, England’s first national daily newspaper is published for the first time.
That same date in 1916, the USS Nevada (BB-36) is commissioned as the first US Navy “super-dreadnought”.
And on March 11, 1999 – Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

Several mathematicians including three French: Urbain Le Verrier born in 1811, Joseph Louis François Bertrand born 11 years later, Louis Bachelier born in 1870, and American Frank Harary born in 1921.
Today is also the birthday of two computer scientists, J. C. R. Licklider in 1915, and Ian Horrocks turns 57.
Keeping with theme of multiples… Two directors: Davis Horsley, who co-founded Universal Studios, was born in 1873, and Jerry Zucker who brought us such classics as “The Kentucky Fried Movie”, “Airplane”, “Top Secret!”, and “The Naked Gun” series – he turns 65.
Also turning 65 today is 10 time Grammy winner, Bobby McFerrin, the “Don’t Worry Be Happy” guy.
and finally, the nerdiest birthday of the list, Douglas Adams, would have been 63 today.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for March 11, 2015.

A couple post scripts… today is also Johnny Appleseed Day (United States), and Saturday March 14 is Pi Day!

News

Don’t pee on that wall!

Listener Birthday Calendar

11 – Andy Helsby of Absoblogginlutely!
11 – Ken Kitzman a.k.a kitzken
13 – Johanna Gonzalez a.k.a. MightyJo
14 – Pi Day (3/14)
16 – Michelle Lopez a.k.a. CntrySigns
18 – Gregory Lemon @ GregoryLemon.com

If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

Hacks & Strange Stories

Data Center of Doom! – Data Center Network Security is an Adventure, Get the Tools to Come out Alive.

Shout out to the chat room

Join us on the Google+ hangout every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET to see and hear the show raw and unedited. Just circle Technorama Podcast, Kreg, or me and you’ll see the announcement when we join the hangout.

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