nc -zv 10.1.1.13 1-5000 2>&1 |grep succeeded

Where 10.1.1.13 is the host, and 1-5000 are the ports to scan.

Since nc is lightning fast and I’m running this on a local network, I immediately get the following output:

Connection to 10.1.1.13 22 port [tcp/ssh] succeeded!
Connection to 10.1.1.13 80 port [tcp/www] succeeded!
Connection to 10.1.1.13 443 port [tcp/https] succeeded!

A friend of mine is a resident of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I met him as he was studying medicine in Moscow, Russia and I was teaching English there as a university student. He subsequently had to drop out for lack of funding and return to his poverty-stricken home in Haiti. Then the earthquake hit.

He was able to email me from his phone, using what little mobile phone infrastructure that was left. The building his house was in had collapsed. He was alright, but his mother was in the house, and was now hospitalized. She was to die from her injuries about a month later. Remembering his emotional and sobbing phone call to me after that still moves and saddens me to my innermost core – I can only imagine the pain my friend must have and still be going though. Fortunately, I was able to help financial several times, but to him personally, and to two excellent aid organizations doing relief in Haiti Doctors without Borders and Direct Relief International. My employer’s bankruptcy ended that ability last August, however.

Despite that tragedy, he has an unshakable faith and an optimism that God will make some good come of this. He and fellow survivors camped out in the courtyard around their destroyed church after that, supporting and assisting each other. This makeshift community was even shown on Fox News here in the us, as one of their camera crews happened upon it.

My friend is quite an intelligent young man, and he dreams of starting a business there, partly to fill the vacuum of services and small businesses in the impoverished city, but also to aid and assist those who have given so much support to him in a time of deep sadness.

I have a good laptop that I would like to send him, and while it’s not a completely new laptop, it would be a good tool for his goals of doing business, or even just having better communications with the outside world. As logistics costs and risk of postal theft are a big concern, I need to find a good solution for sending this laptop to my friend (or even find a way to fund his purchase of a laptop there, if shipping, duties, etc. are cost prohibitive.) Unfortunately, since losing my job last August and struggling to make ends meet as a freelance programmer, I’m no longer able to financially contribute to this goal. If that changes, I will make this happen, but I feel bad about having to continually delay the process for want of logistical knowledge and funding.

[Edit: 11:48 MST - Formatting fixes]

It’s about perspective. If modern Americans were put in a 1820s Tennessee frontier town, very few of them would be able to survive the lack of entertaining diversions that modern life affords. Even fewer would be able to handle the literally backbreaking work that would be required to keep themselves fed, repair roofs on their cabins, or fetch water to cook with several times a day. God forbid they were to get sick. We have it really, really, damn good today… but our lives are still miserable and stressful.

Last week was Thanksgiving here in the US, and as many Americans, I traveled a long distance to be with family for the holiday. This year I decided to drive for a number of different reasons. However, I did not make the long drive between Boulder and Tacoma, WA myself. I used Craiglist’s Rideshare service, something which I had never done before. It turned out really well.

I also invited a new friend I met in Aspen along, as she had no other plans for Thanksgiving. So the three of us, as well as my dog Mikko had a great time en route to the Northwest and back. It took 38 hours out (we had to stay the night in Rock Springs, WY, as a blizzard closed I-80 in Wyoming), and about 25 hours back home (we drove all night, in shifts between sleeping in the backseat and driving, while the passenger’s seat rider would alert us if we looked too tired.)

One interesting thing about the trip was the fact that snow what on the ground everywhere, even Western Washington, which very rarely has snow at any time in the winter, let alone Thanksgiving. The one place that there was no snow – Boulder, Colorado, amazing as that may seem.

So we had a fun holiday visiting family, and stuffing ourselves with delicious turkey, potatoes, yams, stuffing, and of course my favorite part: Pie! Pecan and Lemon Meringue!!! Yum.

Unfortunately the CSU student who rode along was limited in how long he could stay, due to his work schedule, so we were only in Washington from Thursday morning to Monday morning. Making that drive was a lot of fun, but next time, I’d probably either find a way to stay longer than four days, or just fly.

A friend of mine asked me on Facebook to tell her the top 10 things I’d recommend doing in Moscow, Russia, during a short trip. I was there in September for 9 days, in addition to the year I spent teaching English, while a university student (in 2005). Here are my suggestions:

• The Kremlin, of course, and Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral. The Kremlin charges quite a bit for foreigners – if you have Russian friends, have them buy the tickets.
• You can see Vladimir Lenin in his mausoleum in Red Square. This is free, and a must if you’re a history buff.
• The state history museum at the entrance of the red square is also interesting.
• The Tretyakov Art Gallery is very awesome. You’ve seen the painting of the bear cubs playing on logs in the pine forest – it’s there.
• The Novodevichy convent and cemetery is very beautiful. The cemetery (along with the Kremlin wall) is one of the two places where many notable Russian figures are buried.
• Kolomenskoye park and Tsaritsino Park are scenic parks to visit during sunny weather.
• The G.U.M. mall, next to Red Square is fun to stroll through, it has some good cafes. Shopping there is quite pricey.
• Moo-Moo (you’ll notice the cow splotch color scheme) is a super delicious, cafeteria/buffet style restaurant. I miss their borsch.
• If you have a chance, check out the outdoor markets. They are full of all kinds of interesting things for sale. Beware of the merchants’ desperate hawklike ambushing of unsuspecting tourists. I highly recommend brining a local along. Try the Georgian flatbread (Khachapuri)-it’s amazing!
• For that matter, I highly recommend the experience of dining at a nice Georgian or Central Asian (usually Uzbekistani) restaurant. It’s like middle-eastern, but much better, as their location along the spice-route has given them some damn fine cuisine.
  Priyatnava Appetita!