Let’s decrypt

AES encrypt in java and decrypt in java, flex, python, C#. Encrypt: java <pre lang="java">public static void encrypt(InputStream is, OutputStream out, String secret) throws Exception { SecretKey secretKey = new SecretKeySpec(Hex.decodeHex(secret.toCharArray()), "AES"); Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("AES/CBC/PKCS5Padding"); cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, secretKey); out.write(cipher.getParameters().getParameterSpec(IvParameterSpec.class).getIV()); CipherOutputStream cipherOutputStream = new CipherOutputStream(out, cipher); int bufLength = KEY_LENGTH/8 * 100; byte buf[] = new byte[bufLength]; int bytesRead = 0; while((bytesRead = is.read(buf)) != -1 ) { cipherOutputStream.write(buf, 0, bytesRead); } cipherOutputStream....

<span title='2013-12-20 00:54:53 +0000 UTC'>December 20, 2013</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

A few notes about external hdd encryption

When storing your backups on an external drive you occasionally take with you it is a very good idea to encrypt your backups. Here are some personal conclusions after trying 2 different solutions. eCryptFs Advantages (reasons to choose): stacked – can be used on top of another filesystem, even on top of NTFS allocated on the fly – no need to pre-allocate your space, it will be allocated on the fly....

<span title='2013-12-07 09:55:16 +0000 UTC'>December 7, 2013</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Trunc dates in postgresql to 10s

Ever needed to check if a date matches another within a certain range? If you need to trim to hours, minutes or seconds the date_trunc function in postgres does the job just fine. How about if you need to trunc to 10s? The following function should be of assistance: <pre lang="sql">create function date_trunc_x(timestamp with time zone, numeric) returns text AS $$ select substring(extract('hour' from $1)||':'||extract('minute' from $1)||':'||(extract('second' from $1)::int/$2) from 0 for 8) $$ LANGUAGE SQL; In can be used as in the following example:...

<span title='2013-10-21 14:58:50 +0000 UTC'>October 21, 2013</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Archive all files modified in the last 24h

find . -mtime 1 -type f -print0 | tar -czvf $SYNC_DIR/$BFILE -T - --null

<span title='2013-10-01 17:09:42 +0000 UTC'>October 1, 2013</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Checking badblocks in soft raid setup

Use case 2 hdd in raid 1 using md, smartd signals: Device: /dev/sda [SAT], 8 Currently unreadable (pending) sectors Actions 1. Run smartctl on each disk, wait and check the results smartctl -t long /dev/sda smartctl -t long /dev/sdb #wait a looong time smartctl -l selftest /dev/sda smartctl -l selftest /dev/sdb sdb is ok but sda confirms the smartd error: # 2 Extended offline Completed: read failure 60% 4832 2519297024 2....

<span title='2013-01-22 20:30:25 +0000 UTC'>January 22, 2013</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Checking badblocks with smartmontools

… and some other observations. Warning: use at your own risk! I used to keep some of my photo backups on an external Seagate 500G drive which I also use for travel. Today however as I tried to access it I noticed some problems so I quickly ran: smartctl -t long /dev/sdb #followed by smartctl -l selftest #the result Extended offline Completed: <strong>read failure</strong> 90% 109 <strong>414996448</strong> I started using this useful guide to correct the problems by repeatedly running smartctl, calculating the offset, finding the file with debugfs, forcing reallocation with dd and so on....

<span title='2013-01-02 23:02:14 +0000 UTC'>January 2, 2013</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Poppy seed cake

This was the inspiration for this year based on this polish recipe which I could partially understand as translated by google. Thank you. Poppy seed cake Ingrediends 200g poppy seeds 1 cup sugar 4 medium sweet apples 4 eggs 4 Tbsp semolina 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup butter vanilla extract Method melt butter in the microwave and mix with sugar and 1 egg add poppy seeds and the apples grated....

<span title='2013-01-01 23:25:41 +0000 UTC'>January 1, 2013</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Pulpitos

It took a snowy day to make me look into the buffer of unprocessed photos and bring something out. Here are the pulpitos: small roasted squid. Pulpitos There are 3 ingredients to this recipe: 1. The squids. Must be cleaned and dried. Remember that there are only 2 intervals of roasting time in which the squids will be soft: < 5 mins and > 30 mins :) 2. The parsley oil....

<span title='2012-12-12 19:33:31 +0000 UTC'>December 12, 2012</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Frame sketcher, the model

If someone had asked me some time ago about bicycle frame geometry I would have answer simply in terms of 19”, 20” for MTB or 56, 58 for a road bike. I was of course aware of basic measurements such as Top Tube length or Standover Height and have passed a few times my measurements through a fit calculator but I haven’t given much thought from a geometric, or trigonometric to be more precise, point of view....

<span title='2012-11-18 20:30:11 +0000 UTC'>November 18, 2012</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len

Frame sketcher, introduction

I am searching for a new bicycle. Partly as a gift to one self, partly to make sure if the current one fails I will not be under pressure to buy one fast. As such I have done a lot of research into the subject. One of the elements I have found is that I could achieve a better price/quality ration buying online especially from German based online shops. This poses a big problem on testing since frame geometry differs a lot from manufacturer to manufacturer....

<span title='2012-11-13 15:59:56 +0000 UTC'>November 13, 2012</span>&nbsp;·&nbsp;len