I haven’t written much about my time during Katrina, but I wanted to put some thoughts to paper as I don’t want to forget when I am older. I have waited 5 years to write this, I hope it was worth it.

The Move

The plan was always for my ex-wife to get out of the military and go to school to become a teacher. Since we had begun dating this was always the center of the life plan and being the man in her life, I wanted to make it happen. I received a call shortly before she left for Tour #2 in Iraq to work for DISA as a Senior Unix Test Engineer in Slidell. The pay was very good and it seemed like a good opportunity to take a first step in making it possible for her to exit the service. 2 or 3 months prior to her departure for the sandbox she came down to visit me on the water where the apartment was. It was a great place with a pool in the backyard and a view of the twin span bridges. We took walks around the bay and reviewed housing brochures for the area. Growing up on the Coast I had a great appreciation for New Orleans and the culture it provided. During that time I would frequently jump on the motorcycle and ride into the city exploring. The memories of that scenery and view stick in my mind.

The Storm

It seems absurd now, but the Hurricane was not front-and-center on my mind. Work was moving along and the news of a big storm didn’t seem to phase any of us. Initial reports had the storm landing in Southern Texas with just a brush of rain our way. Growing up and living on the coast you learn not to get spun up too quickly about Hurricanes as you go through so many. This one was picking up in size, but it was no different than the hundred other times the Gulf fueled one. It wasn’t until Thursday if memory serves that we were all glued to our monitors at work watching the latest storm trackers. It was now becoming more of a possibility that this storm would hit New Orleans and even worse it was picking up in size and speed. Katrina as she had been dubbed, was turning into a super storm. My call to the ex-wife in Shreveport that night allowed me to open up that I was a little worried, but that I would just tough it out where I was at.

The Evacuation

“Worst case scenario”  I remember hearing the TV as the lead-ins from the local weather teams. As long as I can remember the scientists would flash up weather models showing what would happen to New Orleans if a large storm hit. There was still a lot of question wether or not the storm would in fact find its way to Louisiana, but by this time most of the city had evacuated. This was of course, without the DISA people being authorized. As a contractor my time was directly tied to money. I was on the fence about taking the financial hit to leave early, but decided to stay as the decision was supposed to come by Saturday afternoon. The roads Saturday afternoon and evening were turned into parking lots and I was left with a sinking feeling in my stomach and a list of missed calls from my parents. Now it was just a matter of hunkering down in NO or heading east to Biloxi with the parents. Being young and stupid…I waited till Sunday afternoon to decide this. Frantically I stuffed everything in the top of one closet that was worth anything. I rode the motorcycle over to Biloxi and as the sun began to set my Dad and I ran back for the Saturn car. It was impossible that day to run to Shreveport, but Biloxi seemed like it would out of harms way. We boarded up the windows at the house and tried to make a few more gas runs, but it was to the point of no return.

The Night before the Storm

I was blogging that night as the storm rolled in and talking to users via Skype. This was a big deal back then if you can imagine as we were talking and uploading videos of the storm in real-time. I’d like to think that the CNN iReport is due to the activities that night :) The storm was just rolling to shore and you could hear the wind and rain beat against the house. Lucky, the golden lab, was not all too happy with the commotion and was my sole provider of company that night as the family all went to sleep. There was no way I would be able to rest knowing what the world outside was going to look like. Around midnight the power finally cut and I was left with the droning noise of the UPS powering my computer for just a few more minutes. I signed off from the SkypeOut calls and powered down everything. The house was dark and filled only with the sound of plummeting nature.

The Morning of Truth

When I awoke to light wind and rain I though the storm had passed. Growing up on the coast it was not unheard of to have a storm pass over with no impact other than a few twigs on the road and loss of power. We had a light breakfast using the milk before it went bad and huddled around our storm radio to hear the news. It was after a few minutes that we began to realize the storm was not over. Within the hour winds had picked up and we were peaking from the holes in the boards covering our windows the destruction. Trees were swaying as if no amount of dirt would keep them put. Peoples belongings floated and jetted through the air as if hovering in space. We listened to the callers on the radio shows speaking to the destruction outside of their homes. I remember one caller pleading for help that the water was approaching their second floor stairs and they had no where to go. It was a tense time and we had nothing to pass it by, but the sound of that radio…My father caught a glimpse of the back yard fence about to give way through one of the knot holes and called us to action.

Him and I (with Dan video-tapping of course) ran outside to the back fence and propped it up with more boards and line. The wind came in spurts, not the constant rush you see on movies. For split seconds you would not need to lean into the brunt of it and then be pushed back a moment later. We rushed to make the repairs as the storm was picking up. It was amazing to see the storm pickup speed and strength around you and with what little squint your eyes would allow you to see it was devastation. Our neighbors in their vinyl siding houses had not fared as well as our brick home. For a moment I just stood there squinting and spinning my head like a periscope from below the ocean.

“Nicholas!!!! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!!!!” my Mother screamed from the porch door where she was holding it shut. Just as I turned around to see her a piece of storm drain broke loose from the house and sped towards me like a missile. I ducked and then began to chase after it as if to save a sinking child. In hindsight this wasn’t the brightest idea and my mother re-enforced that by using my middle name as she yelled at me to return. We nestled back into the house and locked down waiting for the storm to pass.

Mom made pancakes on the grill that morning and we sucked dry our last glasses of milk. We toasted them as if to commemorate the feast we had. This would be our last decent meal for a few days. Dad turned into military man and began to ration everything including our generator time. A quick blow-dryer visit for Mom and enough to juice the cell phones is all we got. I begged for computer access with no luck. I called my ex-wife and she filled us in on what the outside world was saying. I spoke to her walking up the road seeing our neighbors. She must have been able to tell that I was progressively becoming more amazed as my words broke into smaller sentences. It was breathtaking to see what mother nature had done to this small neighborhood. I quickly realized it was incredibly dangerous to be walking around and head back for the house. On the back porch we could see the entire neighborhood and it looked like a war zone. Our mid-afternoon rescue of the backyard fence proved to be a blessing. The storm went through and used the fences as spears and battering rams as it took out pools and sheds. Ours, due to not falling over and becoming a projectile, sheltered the contents of our yard.

We sat around deciding what to do next. Our immediate neighbors were alive, but needed assistance and after a few hours of work we had nothing further to do with what supplies we had. I talked to my ex again and decided I’d try and leave the coast a few days later. I wanted to stick around and help the neighbors out. The three men walked the neighborhood helping whoever we could. Dan and I jumped in the lifted Ford Ranger and headed out to explore. It was one of the few times I can remember where the lifted truck wasn’t an option, but a necessity. We figured out that we could only go 2 miles in either direction before the water and damage was too much for the truck to handle. The military realized this to as we watched overhead the helicopters airlifting supplies and tanks into our wooded areas.

Going to sleep that night was not an issue. Our bodies ache from repairs and our hearts were empty at the emotional drain of realization. We were able to pickup the local TV station WLOX when Dad was kind enough to ration some gas for the effort. When your world exists as a snow globe you don’t get the feel for how vast something is. Even with Valarie told me how bad it was the feeling never sunk in enough for me to realize. Seeing the grainy pictures on the TV made my jaw drop. Places I had grown-up in, played by, eaten dinners with friends…gone…People always say it “washed away” some object or thing. In this case it was as if it never existed.

The Trip to Shreveport

The neat thing about driving a pickup is you are always ready to seat 5. The first guy I picked up was ragged, walking away from the SUV I saw 10 miles prior. He didn’t speak a lick of English, but smiled and nodded as I spoke. We shared nothing other than the tragedy and a strong desire to get the hell out. Next I picked up a family of 4 that were trying to find water. Together we all drove in the little silver truck northward watching the world around us continue to look like a bombing. As far North as Jackson we continued to find houses sitting in the middle of the highway.

In Jackson the truck finally gave way to physics and chemistry. I coasted into a gas station where the line stretched at least 2 miles. People were screaming and the owner was out attempting to referee. He must have been an old Marine or something because he stormed at me with a ferociousness I had not seen since Basic Training. I had cut the line and he was there to let me know it. A few steps from the truck he saw the family and passenger, the crucifix on the rearview mirror, and the military emblems on the dash. His persona did a strong 180 and he scooted me to the front of the line. I thanked him with small tears in my eyes and filled up the tank to the background noise of angry shouts. People were there hoarding gas “just in case” and were simply locals. They acted as if they had been through something with their light rain and gusts of wind. Looking around the parking lot you could tell which of us were from the coast. Battle weary and blank stares gave you indicators of which ones were leaving the battlefield.

The 7 hour trip took 15 that day and late that night I rolled into Shreveport. I remember not turning on the TV or computer and just going to bed. I didn’t talk or open up. I just felt the AC on my skin and the warm water from the shower. I was gone, but not without the memory.

The Aftermath

Eventually Valarie went off for Iraq and Dan went home to Biloxi. I felt alone and scarred and decided to look for new work. Oddly enough it was in Biloxi that work was found. A month after fleeing I went back to Biloxi to work at Keesler AFB.

The year that followed was filled with a divorce, rebuilding, and a new life. God was teaching me something for sure. He took everything away from me and built a new foundation. The storm for many was a hellacious event that forever hurt their lives. For me it was rebirth and a new start. The man I am today is in no small way shaped by the atrocities that storm levied on us. Thanks to all of you that made this storm into a blessing and not a curse. Love and prayers to those that didn’t make it or are still dealing with the aftermath of those waters.

More pics if you are interested:

http://picasaweb.google.com/oneguynick/HurricaneKatrinaOnTheCoast?authkey=Gv1sRgCJTFhpyFi763_AE&feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/oneguynick/HurricaneKatrinaNickSCondo?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6y8_KZ9OSYLQ&feat=directlink

http://rakkhi.blogspot.com/2010/08/implementing-email-encryption-lessons.html

The post got me thinking because I struggle dealing with subcontractors getting encryption. I refuse to send sensitive or even somewhat sensitive data over unencrypted links, but find that small (and even midsize companies) do not have the resources to implement. In a bind I have trained them on installing GnuPG and doing trusted exchanges, but the same pitfalls occur.

I am going to build off Rakkhi’s list, but here are my reasons for calling it…PGP/GPG is dead

• Client App PGP Encryption – Anything not Outlook 2007 on Windows, Apple Mail 10.5, or Thunderbird on Windows…sucks…The moment a user has to open a separate program to encrypt their mail it is utter fail. A button to push on the toolbar is the only way this will actually happen. The only half-way acceptable implementation of this Enigmail on Thunderbird since it is seamless in clicking a button and putting your pass phrase in.
• Mobile PGP Encryption - Rakkhi narrowed it down to Blackberry support sucking, but name for me one platform that has a clean implementation of mobile email encryption using PGP. The problem is the app stores have cut out the option to do low-level kernel implementations or rewrites. I have seen implementations that allow the user to type into a notepad and have PGP encrypt that text file and then attach that to an email. I got tired just typing that, can’t imagine doing that on a mobile phone. Oh and it requires cut-n-paste so sorry Windows Phone 7 :)
• Key Exchange – There is no WoT (Web of Trust) in PGP like we have in the certificate world. I won’t give any names, but in the implementations I have done it will be 2 admins calling up and reading off the last few strings of the key. “Yep thats me” If you are doing it right then good for you, but I imagine there is a lot of enterprises running their entire email encryption framework with something that started with 2 dudes calling each other on unclass links

I could write a whole post on recommendations for fixing all this, but I just can’t see doing it. Move to S/MIME encryption with certificates. If your business is less than 500 users then just hook-up with one of the trusted roots and have them issue each user a cert or if you want to get fancy then get your own root. Either way all of the above problems go away with certificates. So this doesn’t come off as I hate PGP I will post some good things (mom always said end on a good note):

• Whole Disk Encryption – PGP has simply the cleanest and easiest WDE for Windows/Mac/Linux. On my macbook I can have a time machine external drive that is encrypted and works great. My backup is secure in every form from the machine to the backup drive…very nice product
• File Signatures – Signing files with certificates sucks. PGP is so much easier and we use it extensively for our Linux development
• Development Tools – On the Linux side of the house the tools for developing around PGP/GPG keys is extensive and well implemented

I started this post with the title of PGP is Dead, but I will end with PGP Email Encryption is Dead. There is some residual good stuff that comes with the technology.

100,000 log messages / second x 300 bytes / log message ~ 28.6 MB

x 3600 seconds  ~ 100.6 GB / hour

x 24 hours ~ 2.35 TB / day

x 365 days ~ 860.5 TB / year

x 3 years ~ 2.52 PB

Source: http://chuvakin.blogspot.com/2010/08/log-math.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AntonChuvakinPersonalBlog+(Anton+Chuvakin+Personal+Blog)&utm_content=Google+Reader

A link to some interesting history: http://digitizor.com/2010/08/16/happy-17th-birthday-debian-and-some-interesting-history/

Every RFI/RFP/BAA in recent memory focuses on Waterfall Systems Engineering for software development. There is a BDUF (Big Design Up Front) with Critical Design Reviews once the engineers scurry back from their whiteboards with a solution for that BDUF. The problem with the approach is that “you don’t know what you don’t know” and BDUF forces you to live with those changes. In critical states of programs as the ability to change requires multiple contract modifications and renegotiate that pit customer against developer. BDUF also usually means funding up front and coming back to the well for more is not recommended or commonly allowed.

Right about implementation is when you realize your requirements and/or design both sucked

Why do we continue to do this? It is my belief that humans are inherently lazy and I say that as a system administrator who scripts EVERYTHING. Contracts are difficult to write and agree to and past copies have already dealt with the minute details. Where most engineers fall victim to NIH (Not Invented Here), most lawyers and contracts officers have fallen victim to DIA (Don’t Invent Again). In addition if you get past the DIA and find a team open enough to go Agile there is no guarantee the umbrella agency PHB will let it go through. One of my projects actually started with Agile and got all the way to T-minus 2 months IOC when the top level agency asked for the SDLC documentation. Everyone scurried to create all the necessary documentation for a process we didn’t follow due to a “check the box” need. What was a on-time and customer driven project became an overrun and stressful battle.

Agile works great for products based teams that develop shrink-wrapped software or are simply a GSA line item. Project teams are relegated to follow something you know will most likely fail. Educate folks, it is the only hope we have as software developers and managers…

sudo port -v install winetricks md5sha1sum

Credit to Tw3aky: http://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?p=47908#47908

Chrome – Click&Clean

Firefox – Click&Clean

Internet Explorer – CCleaner plugin since IE is the suckage

Posted via email from It should be illegal to be this geeky

Frustration grew to anger and much like my Facebook Deletion a few weeks ago, if I was going to talk about openness I have to live it. Part of my switch from Mac to Linux again full-time was that I grew tiresome of the walled garden. I preach the EFF/FSF talking points and support companies that support the community…except for my phone…

So here it goes, a switch to a more free device. In all honesty I would rather do the N900 route, but there is free and hackable; and free and usable. The N900 is far from usable and much like every N-series MID before it, Nokia has screwed over the community by not supporting the device for more than a year. The device near and dear to my heart is a Palm Pre, but the lack of new devices and questionable future turned me off. WebOS is a beauty and if in a year (I go through phones like toilet paper) there is a new device I will surely pick it up. For now though, its time for a switch to Android. Froyo SDK has really impressed me and while there are VERY rough edges I am willing to bleed for the cause.

Oh and switching might just include a flip to Sprint…Evo 4g…yummy…

Android

Like many others in today’s age we met online and played phone and email tag for a month. I was on a business trip to Tucson and her messages and voice were such a welcome escape from the crazy hours and stress. We exchanged stories of growing up, life dreams, and all the goofy little jokes that make us giggle. All I could think about in the desert that trip was, first getting home, second meeting her. I did so in rapid succession

The rest as they say is history, but as we come up on a year of dating I can say there is simply BB and AB, Before Becca and After. Life BB was a mix of black areas and wandering. AB she balances me out, is my confidant and advisor, my business partner and best friend. She accepts me for who I am in every way and I the same for her. In fact she hasn’t peeped about me sitting here writing a blog post, AMAZING! :)

I usually post technical documents on this website and insights into whatever geeky adventure I am on. Sometimes though it is important to know what powers the man who is typing. I love you Becca and thanks for letting me be who I am…

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