Hippo, birdie, two ewes...

... to jcfiala!! Have a great one!!

Notes on the implementation of RFC 2617

It's been a busy couple of days at work: talks with, and demos for, some high-level visitors from Europe and Canada, plus a patent review meeting this afternoon. So I find it kind of amusing that I've probably gotten more actual programming done than usual.

In this case, it was an implementation of HTTP digest authorization from RFC 2617, in my little Java mini-server that's being used for $secret_project. Took me less time to actually write the code than it did to read and understand the RFC.

On the other hand, it took me about an hour to figure out why the chaoswolf's new computer couldn't connect to the internal network. Typed in the wrong IP address, of course; I had it in the DMZ. Dumb bear.

Close call

My Mom had a close brush with death yesterday. Entirely too close.

She lives in a retirement community called Galloway Ridge in NC. If you look for it on Google News today, you'll get this. You can get some of the high order bits from the Boston Globe: "Elderly woman dies after attack; former maid charged with murder".

Two of Mom's good friends, Margaret and Mary, learned a couple of days ago that the woman they had hired as a housekeeper was suspected of forging checks. After discussing it with Mom, they invited her over to talk about it. Here's the scary part: they asked Mom to sit in, in case there was trouble; when it turned out that Mom had a dentist appointment they asked another friend from across the hall, instead.

When Mom got back from her dentist appointment she learned that the housekeeper had sprayed the three women with pepper spray, then bludgeoned them, apparently with a cane or walking stick. Margaret is dead, and Mary is not expected to survive. Their friend -- the one who could very well have been Mom -- is in serious condition.

Other news links: here, here, here, here, and here.

It's not safe out there. Anywhere. Take care.