1&1.com Fail

Today we have a consumer alert for 1&1.com - domain registrar and site host. Lots of people complain about their service, and now I know why.

A domain of mine expired on 11/30/2013. Okay, my bad.

HOLY COW! Within 5 business days, it was cancelled and sent to auction, my 1&1.com account was deleted, and the issue was sent to their collections agency - all without a single attempt to notify me via phone, e-mail, or letter. Called and paid the collections agency plus an extra $12 fee. Collections agency said they would notify 1&1 immediately. Days later, no status update from 1&1. Called billing department, the person who answered had no idea what was going on and said I just have to keep waiting. My site has been down for 13 days now and I have no estimate as to when this is going to get fixed. The first thing I will do if I ever get my domain back is transfer it to Godaddy. Thanks 1&1!

And I used to complain because Godaddy sends out a half-dozen e-mails reminding me about products that are expiring.

Perl script for comparing files: List missing lines, regardless of order

The other day, I was comparing two different sitemap files of the same site. One had more links than the other, and I was trying to get a list of what was missing from the shorter one. However, since they were from different sitemap generators, the order of the links were completely different in each file.

Surprisingly, this turned out to be a much bigger challenge than I thought. I figured I could use some variation of a grep command line, or diff, but I wasn't able to find a simple combination of command line options for either that would do what I was looking for. It seems like everything I found was more geared toward comparing files that were in the same order. Diff simply dumped a large list of all the lines in file2; since the order was different than file1, every line was considered a mismatch.

Knowing this was a fairly trivial operation to do in Perl, I decide to write a quick script to do it. I'm sharing it here in case it can benefit anyone else:

#!/usr/bin/perl

# The purpose of this script is to print the lines in file2 that are not present in file1, regardless of order.

unless ($#ARGV>=1) {die "Usage: different-lines.pl [file1.txt] [file2.txt]";}

open (FILE1,$ARGV[0]) || die "Unable to open $ARGV[0]: $!\n";
open (FILE2,$ARGV[1]) || die "Unable to open $ARGV[1]: $!\n";

# Store the contents of file1 in array
while (<FILE1>) {push (@lines_one,$_);}

close FILE1;

# Iterate through each line of file2, checking for presence in file1, and setting a flag if it's found.
while (<FILE2>) {
        $flag=0;
        foreach $line (@lines_one) {
                $line=~s/\s+$//g;
                s/\s+$//g;

                if ($line =~ /$_/) {$flag=1; last;}
        }
        unless ($flag) {push (@missing_from_1, $_);}
}

close FILE2;

# Dump the results (missing lines)
foreach $line (@missing_from_1) {
        print $line."\n";
}

200K Rehab: Steering Wheel Cover

My steering wheel, being as old and heavily used as it is, was unsuprisingly rotted and has literally become smaller everytime I drive somewhere as it disintegrates in my hands.  I searched around for a replacement steering wheel, and quickly found that to be prohibitively expensive.  There were very few new OEM replacements, and certainly the ones I found were hundreds of dollars.  I really didn't want a crappy slip-on aftermarket steering wheel cover.  So after some deliberation, I finally settled on a pleather, stitch-on cover.   All things considered, it didn't come out too badly:

The kit I got cost under $10 shipped, and came with a needle and thread.  I wasn't trying to be cheap, but this one seemed to get good reviews and had everything I needed.  The thread they provided seemed fine - it was attractive and tough enough.  However, the amount they provided was about half what was actually needed, and I found myself having to run to the local craft store after having it half done, trying to find something that was passable.  This was a real bummer, as I wasn't able to find anything that was an exact match. Also, I spent close to 45 minutes hunting around, as the thread I finally found was not with the sewing stuff, it was in a far corner with a bunch very miscellaneous supplies.  I used a thread made of hemp - it was stiffer and a little bit lighter than what came in the kit.  And possibly stronger (?)

The process of stitching on was arduous and, IMO not for the faint-of-heart.  Since I have a little guy, I found myself doing a little during each free chunk of time I had available - about 45 minutes at a time.  I probably spent a total of 2 hours doing, which included pulling about 1/4 of it and redoing it, since I wasn't happy with my work.

Finally when I was done, I ended up using a hot glue gun to touch up the area around the spokes, as the skin  bent up to form pockets around them and wasn't laying down around them sufficiently for my liking.

The finished product looks good, and most importantly, feels great.  Since I drive a lot, my hands spend a lot of time on that steering wheel, so having a nice cover on there makes a big difference.  An item on my rehab list checked off!

200K mile rehab saga: Good news from Volkswagen of America

Just a quick update, after about 6 months of waiting (and some back and forth), I
finally heard back from VW body shop- my fenders have been approved for replacement under the corrosion warranty! I am so psyched :)  They will follow up next week to make an appointment, etc.  I had pretty much lost hope!

People of the world beware: An assault on our privacy is coming, of unimaginable proportions.

Yes, that's kind of hyperbolic, but it's really the only way to get the point across.  Your personal data and information is quickly becoming digital - and almost everything digital is accessible online.  Here are a few small examples of the things that you probably don't think about being accessed by someone you haven't authorized, and how it could impact your life:

• A GPS track of everywhere you have been in the last year, from your phone or your car
• A list of the radio stations or music you listen to every day
• Pictures/video of you taken as you sit in front of your computer

There is no denying that we are heading toward a completely on-line existence.  Progress has spoken - social networking has propelled much more than photos of you and your friends to be put online.  Devices like exercise bracelets, music sharing websites that advertise what you listened to, refrigerators that track what you've eaten, cars that log your speed and driving habits, and SO MUCH MORE.   And the convenience of the cloud means that all this data is likely to be housed not in your hands - but those of someone else (like Facebook or Google).

The big question is this:

What stands in the way of someone you don't know getting access to these things?

In today's world, 9-times-out-of-10, even in the best case scenario, it's a single password.  Yes, a single password is all it takes for someone who wanted to completely ruin your life.  Even if you are conscientious and maintain a separate password for each website (which most people don't), most systems utilize your e-mail address to reset your password, making the point of vulnerability for almost of your data a single password - the one on your e-mail account.

Ask yourself another question:  What is my attitude toward passwords? How about my family's? And my friends'?  I'm willing to guess that the answer for at least one of these contingents is something along the lines of this:

"Passwords are a pain in the neck, I invest the minimum amount of effort I can get away with."

Unfortunately, it gets worse.

As your data footprint gets wider, the chances that someone will make a human error that exposes your data rises.  That means your data could be compromised even if you are diligent about security.

So if we look at all this in perspective over time, we have the following factors:

• More sensitive data being created, 
• More of that sensitive data being put on online, 
• With basically the same type of security we have had to protect our data since the invention of e-mail - at best, a single password, and
• At worst, diminishing security, as any of the increasing number of online services housing our data are vulnerable to compromise.
• As people are becoming increasingly aware, government agencies like the NSA are becoming more powerful (by necessity?), and can requisition your data from those services whenever they want

And still worse.

Up until now, you probably have a friend or two who have had their computer "pwned", or their e-mail account hacked.  Most likely they had to reformat their computer, change their e-mail and other passwords, maybe send an apology to their friends for spam they received from their account, and in the more extreme cases, change their credit card numbers and notify their banks.  

But this is NOTHING, in terms of the amount or severity, compared to what we will see in 5-10 years from now, as more of our data is made digital.  The stakes will be far higher.  If a hacker gains access to your Facebook account today, that counts for some amount of value - perhaps they can advertise something or blackmail you into paying some amount of money.  But if they can gain access to your banking info, your living habits, the vehicles you own, all of your financials, and other things we can't even imagine, hacking becomes more lucrative.  Instead of script-kiddies and people who write in broken English sitting in front of a home computer, we are talking about highly paid, technically adept, convincing actors, whose job it is to gain access to your data.  These people could even be blurring the lines between malicious or illegal activity, working for government contracts for organizations like the NSA.  They will stop at almost nothing, and they will move on to someone else before you even know anything happened to you.  Eventually, privacy is going to become one of the most valued (and valuable) things on the internet, and in the world.

The point of this article isn't to generate paranoia.  It's a wake-up call about where we're heading, and how our (collective) attitudes are going to need to change, if this is all going to be sustainable.  Sadly, we are most assuredly going to have to weather a few major storms before there is a widespread change in the way we all approach security.

So as crazy new gadgets that find new and novel ways to computerize your life emerge, think carefully about what you choose to adopt.  Consider the gains against the risks to your privacy.  If you do decide to adopt something, think about what you can do to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands, and take the opportunity to do it.  

Turbo Boost Zero: Conclusion

Well, I got my car back together and everything went pretty much as planned.  The turbo does reach full boost now (about 18-24 psi as measured by my VDO boost gauge, known to read about 4 psi high).  The first day the car was a little peppier, nothing too noticeable.  But after a couple of day, there was a very noticeable difference! I now remember that the air/fuel mapping is adaptive.  Since the turbo probably has been having issues for at least a year now, the ECU probably remapped in order to compensate for the lack of boost (in an attempt to maximize power and minimize smoke, with what is available).  Over the course of 3-4 days, I noticed the car became really zippy again, and seems to smoke a lot less in general (don't worry, it still has the "anti-tailgating" feature if you stand on it for a few seconds).

So in the end, a 50 cent retaining clip was all that was needed, but because of what it took to get to it, along with other issues I noticed while I was in there, I probably spent close 8 hours working on it.  However, it's worth mentioning that I also got around to doing some important things on my list.  Most importantly, I finally replaced the glow plugs and harness, which (probably the harness) has/have been throwing an engine code for literally years now.  Unless I've forgotten, I'm pretty sure the glow plugs were the original ones the car came with.  After I changed them, I cleared the MIL code, and the light has stayed off for weeks now.  Easily the first time in 3-4 years.

Hopefully the car will have an easier time starting this winter.  Can't wait to find out...

Okay, I take that back.

Turbo Boost: Zero pt. 3

After tearing into the engine (removed hood, various piping, intake manifold) I saw what was causing the problem.  The issue was in fact the actuator on the turbo.  Specifically, the circlip that holds the actuator on to the vane lever had broken/fallen off, and the whole assembly was wedged together.  I went to the auto parts store and bought a kit with a bunch of spare parts including assorted circlips - one of which fit.

The assembly seems to move quite easily and there is no rust or dirt, so I think there is no point in going any further.  I tested the actuator with a vacuum pump and it seemed to be fine.  I did notice some loss but I'm hoping that doesn't matter.  I tried to make a better seal around the actuator vacuum port by using a larger piece of rubber hose and a hose clamp.

I am almost done putting the car back together, but I did notice that I seem to have lost two bolts out of the intake manifold.  I called the dealership and, of course, they don't stock intake manifold bolts (which is pretty much confirmation of my suspicions that they don't stock anything for outside customers).  So I ordered the bolts and they should be here Saturday.

About 1-2 hours of work and it should be back on the road.