Cracking Eggheads

VyprVPN can't handle the truth.  They can't handle gigabit fiber speeds either. Look - I think they actually have a pretty good product.  For the most part I can VPN at pretty good speeds.  But a 90% haircut on throughput at home is a little hard to swallow.   Even harder to swallow is the fact that they refuse to admit that they can't handle it.  All they do is offer apologies as if that will change the numbers I'm observing. Not realistic.   I think my next step will be an AWS-based roll-your-own kind of service or maybe I'll just go back into research mode but right now I'm feeling really disappointed.  The technology is there to be secure from the home, but the providers aren't keeping up. On VPN I can download from the BBC in London faster than I can access Savage Love.  Pretty sad really. <Sigh>

So a quick update on my tutorial for securing yourself from your own ISP. Step 1 - My router arrived and is installed.  That actually went really smoothly. ASUS RT-3200 on ugly countertop Step 2 - ASUS have added the ability to connect a VPN client directly into their own ASUSWRT firmware.  Thus, I did not have to flash a custom firmware on to the router to get the VPN up and running.  (Although there were tricky settings to master - more to come on that.) Step 3 - Using the VPN has a profound effect on the performance throughput.  (Testing with wired gigabit ethernet connection.) For example - without VPN: 2 ms ping 942.94 Mbps download 942.73 Mbps upload (It's OK to be jealous.) With router-based VPN: 4ms ping 42.54 Mbps download 50.45 Mbps upload So - I'm working with the good folks at GoldenFrog to see if we can improve this before I give up.  The connection speeds with the desktop client aren't that much different...

 What are you going to do about it?  Fortunately, I saw this coming a while ago and have a plan that I'm happy to share.  This is what I think will work for my family and I hope you can take some of the lessons and apply them in your digital life.  Step 1 - You need your own VPN service.  You may be familiar with VPN as "the thing you use to connect to the office", but VPN technology has many other uses and now the most important one is to protect you from illicit observation.  You should find a VPN service that will work with all your digital devices, and fits in your budget.  There is simply no excuse to not use VPN nearly all of the time.  I chose VyprVPN  from GoldenFrog because I'm a spoiled neckbeard who wants and can afford the fastest and most versatile service.  There are many lower cost options available.   Find one that will work for you and do it today. I will be using VPN software on my phone, tablet, and lap...

Since the natural inclination of any rational person is to engage in a tad bit of escapism when confronted by a truly terrible situation (And lest I fail to be perfectly clear, I checked with my therapist, a minor fugue state is an appropriate response to the Trump administration.) - I've invented a new drink. I call it the White Ex-Pat. Ingredients: 3 oz. fresh white organic 2% milk from a local dairy . 1 oz. authentic Canadian maple syrup. ( from Costco  if you are just dreaming of being an ex-pat). UP TO 3 oz. of AMERICAN (dammit!) craft vodka.  I suggest Titos . Shake vigorusly over ice and serve up in a crystal martini glass to reinforce your liberal elitism. Guaranteed to make you dream of living in a rational country with an attractive popular leader and fulfills my arbitrary rules about not combining caffeine and alcohol.   Dedicated to Larry Gifford .

No one likes a know-it-all.  I know, because I’ve been one all my life.  I’ve been ostracized, bullied, harassed, taunted, excluded and even beaten up by people in the course my life.  I learned early on to hide myself because even average people will seek to destroy things they can’t understand.  Lack of understanding leading to fear.  Correctly predicting the future scares people.   When Michael Moore predicted a loss for Hillary Clinton in this year’s election - many vilified him.  I agreed with him and said little.  He’s written and spoken about his observations at length, but the nutshell version is that the people in rural America are stuck.  There are diminishing economic opportunities in those regions, and they have no idea why.  My experience is that they will accept any explanation that doesn’t involve their own culpability.  My insulated liberal friends did not want to hear what I was saying.  I crave social acc...

Doing a final edit on the short story Worklife.   Soon to be featured on NetherWords .

I've updated jefferyevansbooks.com to include progress meters on my writing projects.  So - if you are interested in how things are coming you can check updates there.

So,  I traded in an iPad today.  It was an original vintage 64GB version that I took on my honeymoon.   It was a great piece of hardware that had reached the end of its useful life to me.  I mean, sure - I could have saved it for my 5 month old son to "enjoy" in a year-and-a-half when he is allowed to have "screen time".  (Incidentally, that is a bitch, because I love screen time.  I live for screen time.  Now I just let him drool on me instead.) So - Target has this great deal where I can trade in the old hardware for a $200 credit.  Fantastic idea. I would have bought something else from them right then and there had they had anything I was interested in purchasing.  (Seriously.  They were down to 2 iPad 2's and dust bunnies.)  SO, I took the gift card and walked out happy.   Then I learned that there's a way to turn that $200 exchange card into a $200 Amex.  I thought.  "OK.  I'll do it.  Then I'll...

As my readers have noticed, my writing output can be highly variable.  Some days I'm +3000 words, some days, there's nothing in there.  There's a complex equation that involves mindfulness divided by lack of sleep, times angst, and stress, plus or minus my commitment level and self-esteem status.  I haven't outgrown my princess stage.  I would love to sit down and be productive each and every time, but that is not my reality.  As such, I need to be realistic about my timing for Starweaver's Dawn.  I was homing to complete the manuscript by the end of August, but that is not going to be realistic.  I'm  adjusting the deadline to something I hope will be achievable with my current life and work commitments.  I am going to commit to writing every day though.  So, there is hope.  September.

I've given myself until the end of August to complete the manuscript for Starweaver's Dawn.  I knocked out 1700+ words this morning and I'm going to try and match that this evening.  So, don't give up hope!

I'm insane. I should be out playing in the sun. Instead, I'm working on Starweaver's Dawn !

If your website can't tolerate blocked tracking cookies, it is broken. It also means that someone in your web engineering team probably lost an argument with someone on the marketing team.  That person on the marketing team, and their nearest adjacent vice-president, should be fired.

I don't know where I've been for a month or so.  Existential limbo is the most accurate approximation of the intellectual location.  Whatever.  The creative doldrums have passed and I'm storming into Starweaver's Dawn with meteoric vigor.  I'm committing to a digital release date sometime in September - but I'll do better if I can.  (Particularly if I can stay away from Diablo III...) Thank you for reading! -Jeff

So - without further ado: 12121.  It's been challenging for me to balance my "day job" with writing. Whine, whine.  I know every author has those issues. Thank you to everyone who has purchased Starweaver's Retreat.   I am working hard on the sequel and I really appreciate all of the positive reviews on Amazon.com.  I promise I will be taking the advice given there to heart.

Starweaver's Retreat is free today in the  Kindle store ! A quick progress update on the second novel, Starweaver's Dawn.   I made a lot of progress last week.  My goal is to have a draft to my editors by the end of April, but that may be a little bit aggressive.  I've been averaging about 800 words per session at about 3 sessions a week.  I'm going to have to double that to make the goal.

Starweaver's Retreat is currently #15 in the free section of Amazon Bestsellers Best Science Fiction category.  There has been an amazing response to my free promotion and I appreciate every download.  Thank you!  I hope you'll enjoy the novel, and I would appreciate any encouragement toward finishing the sequels.  As you may have guessed, I'm not writing full-time right now and my "day job" does require a lot of effort.  Nevertheless, Starweaver's Dawn is progressing, and there are all ready some fantastic things happening in there.    -Jeff

It's a cacophony of redneck-ness.  So easily ignored and a clear reminder of why reading and writing is so very important.    Starweaver's Dawn stands at 7500 words.  Lets see how far I can get today.

Scientists create self-healing electronics. http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Electronics-Repair-Circuit-Self-Healing-fix,news-13686.html This is concept that all ready made it into book two.  :)

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12620298-starweaver-s-retreat Please check it out and give me a rating if you've read my book.  I'll be eternally grateful.

http://jefferyevansbooks.com is up.  There are buy links there to all of the versions of the novel.  Soon I will have store and I have something very special planned for those who choose to buy books directly from me. Also, I've got updates for you on my progress with  Starweaver's Dawn coming soon .