Busy Summer, Volunteering

As some of you may know, I spend a lot of time volunteering at a public charter school.  I really like the job they do over there, and the founder, Raymond Wilder, is a class act.  I personally believe that there is nothing more valuable than a good primary education to help one compete in today's world.  With all the cutbacks in school funding, now is the time to help directly if you can.

You can learn more about the school at: http://wpacs.org/

I help them with IT planning and implementation as well as training for their in-house IT support staff.  With the help of their in-house IT Specialist Tyrone DuBose' (pronounced like the French "DuBois") and Mark Callier who helped them through the E-Rate process, we were able to accomplish a mountain of work over the summer.

A short list of accomplishments:

1. Installed a new Dell Server (Domain Controller/File Server) that we received through the e-rate program, replacing an underpowered, aged and failing one.
2. Virtualized their internal Zimbra email/groupware instance to free up rack space and retire the ancient Pentium III server that housed it before.
3. Installed 4 PoE wireless access points with a combination of e-rate and donated equipment.
4. Installed new gigabit core and access switches obtained through e-rate.
5. Untangled a rat's nest of cables and re-cabled with new, reliable cabling.
6. Installed a new WatchGuard Unified Threat Management appliance to improve security and allow better remote access.
7. Installed an (open-source) web-based trouble ticketing and inventory control system to help them better track their assets and work, authenticating directly from the Zimbra LDAP, moving closer to Single Sign-On.
8. Installed a 100-Slot LTO3 robotic tape library to protect all their data.  I was able to secure the donation of this equipment that was being retired from UCLA.  We managed to get it de-racked, transported and re-racked without even knocking it out of alignment! (if you've ever dealt with one of these - that in itself is amazing).  Thanks to Renee for lending us her Cadillac to ensure a smooth ride for it.
9. Upgraded their Internet access from a single T1 to 3 bonded T1s.  A high-speed fiber circuit is on the way.
10. Launched a new, shorter domain name and a spankin' new website to go along with it.
11. Provided access to a donated, network copy of the Oxford English Dictionary to every PC in the school.
12. Installed a UPS to protect from the sometimes near-daily power outages in this neighborhood.

But we're not done yet!  We still have a lot of things we'd like to do.  If you or someone you know can help out with any of these items, please contact me.

1. We could certainly use a 1- or 2-U server with decent-sized memory and internal storage that is compatible with VMWare ESXi.  Why ESXi? Because it's free, of course!  I'd like to distribute the load a little bit.  The new server is great, but we have it doing nearly EVERYTHING.
2. I'd like to add a network version of Encyclopedia Brittanica to the OED on every desktop.  Their library is small and understocked, and access to this kind of data would really improve the kids' research ability.  Anyone have an inside line on licensing?
3. Retired, but still relatively recent PCs and Monitors.  Tyrone is doing Yeoman's work on making the most of the desktop PCs and monitors that we have.  We've bought some used flat-panel monitors at an equipment liquidator, and we're on track to get rid of all the CRTs in the organization.  This cuts way back on space, heat and power consumption, allowing us to be "greener" and save money on A/C costs.  It's amazing how much heat a lab full of CRTs gives off.
4. Licensing for educational software in general: if it's appropriate to a K-8 Audience, they'll make use of it.
5. Cisco Catalyst switch linking equipment.  We have some donated switches, but we don't have any stack cables/GBICs, etc to go with them.  We could further improve their performance if we could get our hands on some.
6. Another WatchGuard firewall so we can establish a more reliable VPN between the Kindergarten and main campuses.
7. Help!  I've officially used all my furlough days and don't have as much time to take off to implement these changes as fall comes around.  If you're an IT ninja, and want to help, we'd appreciate it.

All donations are tax deductible, and that will come with a sincere "Thank You" from both the school and from me.  

The Power of Prayer Challenge

In several discussions with various theists, the vast majority of them claim that the power of prayer is real and they really, really believe it.

So, to that end I propose the following "Power of Prayer Challenges"

Challenge 1: Prayer effecting the physical world:

Each party places $10,000 with a neutral third-party observer.  The challenge will be to move 1 standard ton (2,000 lbs.) of bricks across a typical city street.

I will agree to use only natural, scientific methods - most likely a wheelbarrow.

The other side will agree to only use supernatural methods and may not physically interact with the bricks.  You may bring as many people as you like to pray with you.  Heck, you can even bring the Pope if you can talk him in to it.

The winner will be the person whose bricks arrive at the destination first.

Challenge 2: Prayer effecting physical healing

Each party will place the $10,000 as above.  The challenge will be to cure syphillis.

Both parties agree to be intentionally infected with syphillis.  Once we both become symptomatic, the challenge begins.

I will agree not to pray for healing (or have anyone pray for me) and be treated only with natural, scientific methods.

The other party will agree to use only prayer as a treatment for this disease.  

The winner will be determined by the first person to break their pact, either me praying or the other person accepting medical treatment.  If neither of us breaks the pact, the first one to be cured of the disease will be the winner.

So... any takers?

Bible Stories with Jeff Vol 2 - Joshua 6

Today I bring to you the story of Josua at Jericho.  We've all heard the story related to us in Sunday School. 


Full Text (KJV)
Full Text (NIV)


An example of how this story is related to children is here in this script.


The Backstory:  After Moses died, God picked a new man to lead the Israelites, and set him to conquering Canaan.  This man was Joshua, the son of his aid, Nun.  Joshua was to become a fierce and legendary warrior, but he had not proven himself yet.  The first city that they were to be "given" was Jericho.  They had dispatched a couple of spies into the city in advance, and they had taken shelter in the house of a prostitute named Rahab.  Rahab had hidden them and then helped them escape, and in exchange for her treason the spies had promised her they would spare her family.


The Israelites had laid siege to Jericho, and the city walls had been closed.  So God told Joshua to march the Ark of the Covenant around the city, with an armed guard, and priests leading the way, blowing ram's horns.  He told him to do it once each day for six days, then on the seventh he was to march around seven times, have the priests blow a long blast, and tell the Israelites to shout.  When the Israelites shouted, the walls of the city were to come tumbling down.


Joshua did as the Lord had told him for six days.  That night, he reminded everyone that anyone in Rahab's house were to be spared, and that they would know it by the scarlet cord hung in the window.  On the morning of the seventh day, Joshua did as he was told.  The horns sounded, the people hollered and the walls collapsed.


Now, Joshua was a brave, righteous and noble leader...  Why else would people name thousands of children every year after this guy, right?  So he did what any righteous Israelite would have done, he ordered the slaughter of every living thing in the town (Except Rahab and her family of course).  Everything.  Men, women, old people, babies, even the fucking livestock.  Then he ordered the city burned to the ground.  He collected all the treasure that was left and put it into the the Treasury (of course!)


Rahab decided that she'd rather be on the winning team, so she decided to join the Israelites, hopefully having a lot of time to think about her treason.


Joshua ends the story by cursing anyone that would attempt to rebuild the city, under pain of losing their children.


Nice guy... such a Mensch, being willing do do ANYTHING, including killing babies.

There are two morals to this story:

1. When Israelite spies come to your town, treat 'em well.
2. It's OK to commit genocide, if God tells you to do it.