Google Docs Bulk Upload on OS X (Mac)

Google Docs has proven to be a superb productivity platform for small businesses and individuals because of its gratis status. What dampens the excitement is that it is a web application, not a local application. This necessitates uploading files there before you work with them.

That in and of itself is not difficult. What is difficult is the preservation of the folder structure so as to keep the transition very easy. I've found success in using the Google Docs Batch Upload utility. The whole thing is written in Java, which comes in really handy since the same utility can be used on Win, OSX or Nix.

The easiest way to go about it is to install it via wget. A graphical installer for wget can be found here. After installing wget, you'll need a terminal window. Open spotlight and enter "Terminal" or open Applications/Utilities. Enter the following command but note that the version number may have changed. -1.3.1.jar could be updated to a newer number. Check the above link for that version number. Version current as of this writing.

wget http://google-docs-upload.googlecode.com/files/google-docs-upload-1.3.1.jar

That command will download the utility to your computer. Next comes the actual execution of that.

java -jar google-docs-upload-1.3.1.jar ~/Documents/ --recursive --username name@gmail.com

After enter your password (the letters/numbers won't show up, just keep typing), the above command will (assuming default terminal settings) upload everything contained in your "Documents" folder to Google Docs. You don't need to fret about sorting through it, since it will only upload compatible file types. Should there be any problems (duplicate files, etc) the copy will pause and you'll be asked to punch in an answer. Other than that, it runs swimmingly.

EDIT: This requires Java 6. Your Mac almost certainly has it, but requires you to prioritize it. Open 'Java Preferences' in Applications/Utilities. Now drag Java SE 6 to the top of the 'Java Applications' window that is on the lower half of the window. This will solve the applet not working for some.

Voxitas and the hardware VPN

At the beginning of December, a client of mine (Pacific Housing Advisors) moved their office a mere quarter-mile over in Kailua. This in and of itself is nothing earth-shattering, but did lead to a fiasco for Voxitas and what I'm sure was a waste of resources for my client.

The original office move was scheduled for November 1, 2009. Voxitas' part in this was to reconfigure a hardware VPN that that was deployed by Straitshot. Somehow the account ended up changing hands to the former. Anyhow, due to construction delays the move was not initiated until December 1, 2009. While I am no expert in IPsec, I believe that their level 3 device had to be reconfigured at the time of the move, so that it could be reconfigured by a Voxitas technician while they still had access, then the device would be ready for a physical move to the new site and bound IP provided by the ISP (SystemMetrics Corp). That was the idea, anyway.

December 8, 2009

I get a call from the client to head down to their office in Kailua and sort out the aftermath of the move, get them reconnected to the internet, etc. I un-box the preconfigured SADSL modems and PoE switch from SystemMetrics and set everything up. A technician from the ISP was due in the immediate future, but I was already there. Unfortunately, the wiring was done incorrectly by the electrician. Got everything up on a Wireless Access Point and software VPN's until the hardware could get sorted.

December 15, 2009

Took care of a few things for the client, then spent a bit nagging Voxitas to send me a new (configured) device. No commitment. Plenty of finger-pointing.

December 16, 21 and 22, 2009

More phone calls. E-mails that never get answered. One of their tier-1 techs begins to recognize me and point me in the right direction. Verdal Harvey, you are appreciated for being the person at your company to answer the phone. For not saying "I'm gonna have to get back to you on that". It made it quite a bit easier. Finally got assurances that a new device would be shipped out.

December 28, 2009

Christmas came and went. I got a present in the form of a Linksys RVS4000 from Voxitas. Plugged it in with a big smile on my face. Internet didn't immediately go down, so I took the generous liberty of assuming it was configured. Not in the slightest. Not even the appropriate DCHP block, it was stock. Jim LaPointe of Voxitas tells me that he can't get connected to the device due to peculiarities with the ISP [note: SystemMetrics is the most rock solid ISP that I've known of here in Hawaii, and mean that with glittering, tear-filled eyes]. I leave and Jim affirms that he'll get everything configured.

December 29, 2009

My client calls me at 0500 HST, of which I was in no condition to answer at the time. I return their call around 0900 to find out that they have no internet. Work stoppage. Given that the only thing that changed was Voxitas, I gave them a call. OMG! They can't ping their box! Nobody decides to tell me these things, they just kept quiet until I was calling them asking what happened to the router. A little troubleshooting later, the router is not doing anything strange to the network and general service is restored. Jim tells me he'll configure it again.

December 30, 2009

I'm losing my senses. When my client calls me again to tell me of work stoppage thanks to no internet, I giggle and say: "It's Voxitas. Be there in a bit." I'm fatigued and appropriately grumpy from all of these consecutive early-morning service calls. John Thompson of Voxitas was as far up the grapevine as I managed to get escalated, prior I'd heard the man's name but thought he was a figment of the imagination since he returned no calls or e-mails. He guaranteed me that it would be running, that he would take a personal interest in it.

Instead, the device crashes again before I've even gotten 5 miles away. Turns out the Linksys fried itself. The brand new Linksys RVS4000. I'm somewhat grateful for the short transit back. John Thompson digs up the credentials to log in to the older FortiGate FortiNet 50B that was previously working and reconfigure it. He logs in and fiddles with it while I figure out how to set the IP range that I want on the local network so that I can get back to work fixing non-Voxitas-related problems.

In conclusion, I feel this was horribly mismanaged. Higher ups at Voxitas allowed this ticket to stagnate and consequently one of their customers to sit and twiddle their thumbs without service and even at a couple junctures cutting the internet themselves.

Google Apps & Small Business

As we continue to move further away from the previous methods of contact, many clients ask me about how they can get themselves on the web. Consider how many things are no longer used regularly or are phasing out.

• Fax
• The Yellow Pages
• Postal mail
• Phone calls! (not totally, but for long-winded conversations e-mail is more efficient)

But keeping up with the times can be challenging! Who the hell wants to have an IT guy when you're running a company laying down tile or fixing motorcycles? For mom & pop operations that are below 5 employees and even some above that (as I'm just pulling that number out of what seems right, rather than any cited reference) nobody has the time to learn how to upkeep a website or setup company e-mail.

Google Apps has the capacity to be the salvation of a small business owner. The setup can be a bit intimidating, fiddling with MX records and CNAME entries (DNS gobbledegook) but the benefits are definite. A company can be immediately afforded the same structure and reliability of a medium-to-large organization with a dedicated server running Microsoft Exchange.

How it works: Instead of being on a server that your company keeps in its office, Google provides the necessary hardware and backend. This is called a 'hosted solution'. Some people do have concerns regarding the security of this. It really isn't a problem in my experience, so long as you follow common-sense rules like appropriately secure passwords on administrative accounts.

E-mail as presented by Gmail is awesome, flat out. They consistently beat out every other free provider of e-mail with a clean interface and smooth operation. The calendar can bring unprecedented coordination between different employees for companies that have not tried electronic scheduling before. Contacts serves as a very functional company rolodex, pooling client and vendor contact information into a single repository.

In its most basic form, Google Apps is free like beer. For greater allowances of storage and other bells & whistles (Outlook Integration, SSL, etc.) it goes for $50 per user, per year. It ties together with your existing domain name so that nobody has to get new e-mail addresses unless you would like to have company branding on your e-mail. There are a few technical limitations, but for a business that has yet to experience the kind of connectivity that larger companies enjoy, it's a damn good step forward.

Last ditch data recovery using a freezer

Today's topic will be thoughts on data recovery from failed ferromagnetic storage, or мыслями по восстановлению данных с неисправного ферромагнитных устройств хранения.

The 'Click of Death' is a not uncommon problem wherein a standard hard disk drive experiences mechanical failure. The faulty mechanics

cause the drive to default to a 'safety zone', thereby causing the noise that is recognized. When this happens, most people rightfully hang

their heads that data cannot be recovered.

As it is, fortune favors the bold. In this most recent case, a customer brought me a 250GB drive that was clicking on initialization. Normally

not worth the effort, but the contents were relevant to line-of-business. Cost was an issue, so sending the device off to a proper clean

room was not viable. Freezing the drive causes the metal parts (of which there are many) in the drive to contract slightly, leading to a

shifting of parts which can prove beneficial if the drive is not booting at all. I've found personally that approximately 4-6 hours in the freezer

will bring the drive to an appropriate temperature. The drive should be removed from any enclosures and placed in a sealable plastic bag

with as little air as possible in it before going into the freezer.

Осторожно! be aware of condensation.

temperature differences between the freezer and outside environment will cause condensation through interaction with ambient humidity. be careful to unplug the device gently but immediately if you should notice condensation on the casing of the hard drive.

continuing onward, connect the drive. the drive should be connected if at all possible to another functional computer using a bare-bones USB external drive kit. these can be found on the internet or at local computer stores for very reasonable prices (approx $25 as of this writing in Honolulu). by connecting the drive as an external, it will allow manipulation of the drive quickly and efficiently, as well as saving on possible boot-up so far as time available to work with the drive.

if you are fortunate, the movement of parts caused by the shift in temperature will benefit you by allowing (temporary) access to the contents of the drive. sometimes, an additional step may be required. in this most recent case, the hard disk drive could be subtly influenced while spinning to assist in initialization. this is not recommended. imagine holding the drive in your hand. now the disk initializes. this results in some force issued by the drive axially, relative to the plane that the drive spins on. careful perception can gauge the functionality of the drive as it is accessed following initialization.

basically, tilt the drive like a gyroscope and listen for the tell-tale sounds of data access. these sounds are distinct from the harsh and regular clicks of death as they are very rapid and relatively faint.

if successful in this particular endeavor, the drive must remain in the exact position (usually) that it was in when data access occurred until the transfer is finished. this can prove tricky unless you have some nearby objects on which to rest it. make sure wherever you put the hdd down is stable.

recovery may have to be done in steps, as the drive stands a very good chance of heating up (rapidly) due to its faulty mechanics causing friction. should this occur, disconnect the drive and place it back in the freezer and hope for another go!

Linux as a backup plan

It's easy to screw up your computer. Or someone else's, as it were.

Errant internet browsing is likely the foremost culprit, followed closely by installing crap software with strange origins. It's easy to see why this happens. You want your computer to do things. Neat, amazing things that wow you. This is not an unreasonable expectation.

Sadly, just as children must be told that not everyone in the world can be trusted to not molest or kill them, users must be educated that very few pieces of software are trustworthy. More of that for another entry.

Linux is strange and mysterious, perhaps you heard it mentioned in passing. It's not so bad. Here's the skinny. It's really really different from windows. You probably won't understand how any of it works... but that can be a good thing. Perhaps you'll be discouraged from fiddling with it once somebody sets it up for you.

A very small operating system can be installed as a dual boot option so in case your Windows installation goes to hell, you'll still have a minimum level of functionality from your computer. (internet, e-mail, etc.) All you'd have to do is restart and select your alternative operating system.

Hide the porn, save your marriage.

I believe vehemently in freedom of speech. I also enjoy a good bit of porn. Often though, those around us may not be entirely sympathetic or tolerant of our leanings or habits.

This is where technology comes in quite handy. In the days of yore, a man had to hide the porn still but it was in solid form. Magazines, dirty books and video tapes were all quite bulky and difficult to conceal. The digital age is heralded by fascinating new ways of looking at smut while being discreet.

I can't speak for everyone, but most married couples I've seen weren't completely at harmony with one another. Far be it from my intent to disrupt that bond, but instead to educate. Say your significant other finds your habits to be disgusting and depraved. That's tragic, but you're not going to change overnight. More likely, they just want to change that part of you. Well fuck that.

Confrontation can lead to problems and you probably do really like them, so hence a bit of subtlety is needed. Hide the porn.

"How do I hide the porn?" you ask.

Learn a little. Secure browsing for starters. Most browsers come with what are commonly called 'Porn modes'. These private browsing sessions are quite useful for things like online banking and other things you don't want in your computer's history. For now, we're using them for smut.

Porn mode is an alternative to clearing your cookies and history all the damn time. Chrome has Incognito, Safari has Private Browsing and Firefox has it's own. When you activate it, there may be a notifier that you are no longer leaving any traces on your computer. You go where you will, and when you're done, no one will be the wiser.

Those god damn operating systems.

A lot of people ask me when they first meet me "PC or Mac?"

I'm not a big fan of this question for a few reasons. For one, it's rather binary and tends to sound mutually exclusive.

Apple may produce a fine computer from time to time. Hell, I use a MacBook Air because I like having a lightweight computer with an almost solid aluminum shell to carry around with me. Not a big fan of the fact of the culture that surrounds the manufacturer (which I feel crosses into fanaticism with most) but they built a laptop that has kind of held up and carried me along, although at some cost.

Microsoft functions a lot like nVidia in that they don't produce any real product themselves, they just enable others to do so. Be it circumstance or minutiae, Microsoft holds many of the cards still.

Slowly, I see a culture un-beholden by the operating system as more and more is driven by hosted services. If most people who added those little graphic gimmicks into YouTube videos had to actually re-render their video to get that in there, we wouldn't see floating boxes in the way. Instead, it's all server-side and remarkably painless to do.

Chrome OS will probably be a damn fine thing if some of the basic user questions can be answered in relation to consumer computing today. Such as "How do I download pictures from my camera?" If they push straight into a google service from the client computer, or some similarly smooth action then I imagine no issue.

"PC or Mac?" is a null and void question, because most users don't really care what their graphical user interface looks like. So long as they meet their exact list of desired tasks, it'll do.