about

about badcomputer.org

the website

picture of my badcomputers

I've had some sort of a website up now for the last 7 years. Now that I have my own domain (for at least the next 5 years) I rather suspect I will be here until I decide to no longer maintain a website. As mentioned at the bottom of most pages, I try my best to use only standards compliant XHTML and CSS. Sometimes I forget to revalidate after changing/adding things, so if something doesn't validate please let me know and I will change it. The backend is all PHP and MySql. Really not much going on in the backend other than a page template and the comments feature on the main page. The 'uptime' stats provided at the bottom of major pages is created by a version of uptime I wrote in C as an exercise.

Getting back to CSS, one of the coolest feature is the ability to serve a different stylesheet to different media. For example, you may want to print one of my pages, but hesitate because of the background images. Well don't worry about it because CSS allows me to have a built in "printer friendly" page, by designing a second stylesheet for printing. Go ahead and try a print preview, you will see only a white background, and sensibly formatted text. Any page on the site...

One of the side effects of using compliant code is that Internet Explorer brutalizes the layout and makes my pages look like a pile of crap. I'm using only CSS1 code that became a standard in 1996?!?!? C'mon $MS, get your shit together. Additionally, IE doesn't know how to deal with transparent png images, something every other browser I've tried can do. To be honest my site is displayed properly by every single browser I've tried *except* IE. Even Dillo and Lynx do an excellent job of rendering my page, because they know their own limitations and play it safe. If you people are still using Internet Explorer, please, go get Mozilla-Firefox or Opera already. Me, I'll just stick to my Konq.

the network

I started with a simple Duron 950, and now badcompter.org has expanded to 8 different machines: (which combine for a total of 10 processors, 7806MB of RAM, 1281GB of disk space, 5 DVD drives, 4 CD burners, and 2 CDROMs)

virgo.badcomputer.org

Virgo is my main workstation. I built this computer from (new) parts in November of 2004. I mainly boot Gentoo for my daily work (and play), but this machine also boots FreeBSD 5.3, Slackware Linux 10, and SuSe Professional 9.1 for when the spirit moves me. The dual head is kick-ass, and the 2560x1024 resolution is huge. 'Virgo' is of course named after my astrological sign. This box has proven itself very worthy and has handled everything I've thrown at it. I can watch a fullscreen DVD in one monitor, and check mail or browse the web in the other. Though, on the downside it takes up a hell of a lot of desk space.

picture of eden
eden.badcomputer.org


Well again, I have to say that Apple makes some beautiful hardware. This thing is just a pleasure to look at. I just wish OSX was better. What can I say, I just don't like it that much. Too polished and cutesy. However, I keep this around because I use Final Cut to do my DV editing, and I sometimes use Inkscape on this box for drawing maps. The monitor is also beautiful, and it is a pleasure to watch movies on. This one dual-boots OSX Tiger and Gentoo Linuc PPC64.

nina.badcomputer.org

Nina is pretty much the first computer I ever bought for myself. I cannot remember the exact date, but it has to have been sometime in 2001. I upgraded the 512MB RAM that it came with, and swapped out the Duron 950 which is now in vyvyan with the 2200+ a couple years ago. This box has run many different Linux distros over the years, but now runs Arch Linux with a 2.6 kernel solely. As it stands now, Nina is a file and print server. I export my ~36GB of media files to all my other boxes using NFS. Attached is an HP OfficeJet printer that is available to the network through Cups. Generally this box isn't running X, but it makes a great internet 'kiosk' and secondary workstation for when I have guests that want to check their mail or whatnot. Nina is named after my favorite female jazz singer: Nina Simone.

vyvyan.badcomputer.org

Vyvyan is basically new parts put together with Nina's old Duron 950 that sat on a shelf for a couple years. I had to really look around for a mobo that could still do a FSB speed of 133Mhz necessary for the 950. This box is my web and mail server. For web I use Apache 2 and for mail I use Exim 4. Vyvyan runs Gentoo Linux with a hardened 2.6 kernel. Yes, I run Gentoo on a server, it has actually treated me quite well, but let's face it, this is no mission-critical type workload. This box is headless, and sits in a closet with an UPS and my hub. Vyvyan's name is a nod to Oscar Wilde.

picture of dragon
dragon.badcomputer.org

This is my laptop, it is a Compaq Presario R3000ca. After a lot of false starts and different distros I have settled on running Gentoo (go with what you know...) on this box, and it is now treating me quite well. The wireless works great and with so many people running unsecured wireless APs finding internet connectivity on the road and around town is no problem. I can use the Broadcom for connectivity, and use the Netgear for proper wardriving with kismet at the same time. The combination DVD/CD-RW on this thing is super cool, and makes this computer a great DVD player for in the car and on the road, or anywhere else you want to watch a movie. In keeping with the horoscope theme, dragon is named for the Year of the Dragon 1976, the year I was born.

picture of sparc
sparc.badcomputer.org



I picked up this Sun Ultra 60 on Ebay for dirt cheap. I always wanted to have some Sun hardware to play with. This guy isn't the speediest but is still quite peppy despite its age. Sparc is just the name of this thing until I can think of something more clever. Right now it dual-boots Solaris 10 and Gentoo Sparc 64 (which I might add, seems to be quicker than Solaris on Sun's own hardware). I am happy to say it has a Sun happy meal ethernet adapter for which the driver source code is surely one of the funniest in the Linux kernel (read it at /usr/src/linux/drivers/net/sunhme.c).

picture of charon
charon.badcomputer.org

Well, I had to get a Mac to play around with too. This is another cheap score from Ebay. I have to admit that Apple makes some kick-ass sweet hardware that looks good, and runs smooth. I used this one as a desktop until I got the G5. Now charon is a router/firewall that runs Gentoo PPC. I bet this is one of the sweetest looking routers out there ;). charon is named after the boatman of the river Styx.

oxygen.badcomputer.org

Here's another Ebay special. It is an SGI O2. This thing is slow as all heck (takes 5 minutes to boot IRIX) but what the hey. I wasn't expecting anything more. Not sure if this thing even can dual-boot yet, but if it can you can be sure that I'll be putting Gentoo on it.

about me

Image of me at East Sooke Park

My name is Darren Kirby, and I currently live in Penticton, BC, Canada. I am 29 years old, and I was born on September 6, 1976, which was Labour Day (ha ha). I have one son named Dylan, and he is turning 6 on February 9 [2007]. I am currently single, and underemployed.

I guess I am something of a computer geek, that is, I like to make websites, program php, and fool around with MySQL, as well as all-round hacking with my various boxes and operating systems. I am teaching myself 'real' programming languages right now, mostly C and Python. I also have a strong interest in computer security. Ideally I would like to get a job admin'ing a unix network.

As for my education, I graduated from Summerland Secondary High School, class of '95. I attended the local community college for a year, then transfered to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby for a year. I had to drop out due to lack of funds, so I am an official college dropout. I am also a chef, so I can tweak your kernel, then cook you a gourmet dinner. All of my computer knowledge has been self-taught.

I taught myself html years ago using free space from Geocities (before Yahoo! bought them out) and the Bare-Bones Guide to HTML. Before too long I started playing around with PHP and MySQL, and installed Apache on my Windows box. I quickly learned that this setup was limiting, because the majority of the documentation assumed you had a Unix box. I had heard of Linux, but (incorrectly) assumed, like a lot of people, that you had to be a computer-science genius to use it. I took the plunge and installed Linux, and I have never looked back. I have learned more about computers in general in the last year of using Linux (and now also FreeBSD and Solaris) than in the five or so years previous of using Windows.

My hobbies are very eclectic. I play guitar and bass (and any other instrument I can get my hands on). I have been playing since I was 13, so I guess you could say I am pretty good now. I have a great love of music, and I listen to everything from classical to jazz to metal to indie to hip-hop and everything in between. In heavy rotation right now are post-rock acts like Godpeed You Black Emporer! and Sigur Ros, as well as jazzy big-beat stuff like Amon Tobin, Mr. Scruff, and Wagon Christ.

I enjoy watching hockey and my favorite team is the Vancouver Canucks, and in close second is every other Canadian team. I am very proud to be Canadian. I also skateboard, snowboard and drink beer, sometimes at the same time. I am an amateur painter, and dabble in watercolours and acrylics. Here is a watercolour I painted of Christina Martinez, and here is a self portrait. I also enjoy taking care of an herb garden so I always have a great selection when the spirit takes me to go nuts in the kitchen. I am not a clubber, but I do enjoy going out dancing, and having drinks with friends.

If you are so inclined you can contact me by email, or AIM username 'linuxbot666' or ICQ #174128638 (Note: I pretty much never use IM)

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It is Friday May 09, 2008 8:26 am
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This page last modified: April 14, 2008 11:28 am
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badcomputer.org's uptime: 08:26:24 up 15 days, 09:08, 1 user, load average: 0.15, 0.03, 0.01

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credits

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This page, and all pages on this site were created and are maintained by Darren Kirby using valid XHTML 1.0 and CSS, and are ©copyright 2002 - 2008. The Penguin image was created by Tukka, and is used by permission. Inspiration for the look of this site was provided by Eric A. Meyer's CSS gallery. This website runs on Gentoo Linux. It is served by Apache. PHP and MySQL hold together the backend.

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