Principal SRE. Writing on dev, homelab, reefs, and life.https://bryanchain.com/https://bryanchain.com/writing/koken-ssl-issue-resolved/https://bryanchain.com/writing/koken-ssl-issue-resolved/Koken does all kinds of strange things on an SSL-only nginx site — logins fail, settings won't save, themes won't apply. After a lot of debugging it came down to one line of config.Tue, 17 May 2016 00:00:00 GMTcomputerskokennginxhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/my-ambilight-my-obsession-my-curse/https://bryanchain.com/writing/my-ambilight-my-obsession-my-curse/A long, rambling dump of a year's worth of obsessing over my DIY ambilight: every way people build them, why none of them do what I actually want, and the 4k HDCP wall I keep hitting. No TL;DR, sorry.Fri, 13 May 2016 00:00:00 GMTcomputersentertainmenthobbiesambilighthtpclinuxhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/dns-hidden-master/https://bryanchain.com/writing/dns-hidden-master/Overhauling my home DNS, I switched from BIND to NSD and set up a hidden master — the public name servers answer queries while the box that actually edits the zones stays private. I am no networking guru; this was new to me too.Thu, 24 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMTcomputershomelabdnsself-hostinghttps://bryanchain.com/writing/unicode-font-issue-in-windows/https://bryanchain.com/writing/unicode-font-issue-in-windows/Certain Unicode glyphs rendered fine in Chrome but came up as boxes in Notepad++ and MobaXterm. It came down to Windows font fallback, fixed by hand-editing the registry SystemLink keys. Reg file included.Wed, 17 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMTcomputersfontsunicodewindowshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/lets-encrypt-with-nginx/https://bryanchain.com/writing/lets-encrypt-with-nginx/A working how-to for putting Let's Encrypt SSL on nginx using the manual webroot method, since the plugin was broken. Covers the acme-challenge config, generating certs, and a systemd timer for automatic renewal.Thu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMTcomputersworkhttpsnginxsslhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/breaking-down-an-naa-id-world-wide-name/https://bryanchain.com/writing/breaking-down-an-naa-id-world-wide-name/As a storage engineer I get handed a world wide name and asked to find the disk. Here is how to dissect an NAA ID into OUI and vendor fields, with the specific quirks of NetApp, EMC, Engenio, and HDS.Wed, 20 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMTlifehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/nanobox-hybrid-review-and-par-analysis/https://bryanchain.com/writing/nanobox-hybrid-review-and-par-analysis/A full review of the Nano Box Hybrid LED/T-5 fixture over my reef tank, plus PAR readings I took across every region of the water. The output surprised me, and not in the direction I expected.Wed, 09 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMThobbiesreefaquariumparhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/reef-aquarium-3-0/https://bryanchain.com/writing/reef-aquarium-3-0/My third attempt at a reef tank, and the first one I actually planned. The full build — tank, sump, lighting, aquascape — plus the lessons the first two beat into me.Mon, 17 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMThobbiesreefaquariumhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/netapp-lun-alignment/https://bryanchain.com/writing/netapp-lun-alignment/How to check and manually set the LUN alignment offset on NetApp without the VSC wizard, which came in handy for misaligned Linux LVM volumes the tool wouldn't flag. NetApp doesn't officially support this, so know what you're doing.Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMTworknetappstoragehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/linux-htpc/https://bryanchain.com/writing/linux-htpc/Building a budget media center PC and trying to run Linux on it, until Blu-ray DRM and Silverlight streaming forced me to scrap the whole install for Windows. As much as it pains me to admit, Windows just does this better.Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMTcomputershobbieshtpclinuxhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/electronic-cigarettes/https://bryanchain.com/writing/electronic-cigarettes/After failing to quit smoking with Chantix, patches, gum, and everything else, I switched to an electronic cigarette and stopped calling myself a smoker. My experience, the vaping community, and the health reasoning behind it.Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMThobbieslifehobbies-2nicotinesmokinghttps://bryanchain.com/writing/donnie-darko-an-interpretation/https://bryanchain.com/writing/donnie-darko-an-interpretation/My chapter-by-chapter reading of Donnie Darko through The Philosophy of Time Travel, arguing it is straight science fiction about tangent universes, not the emo psychological thriller everyone treats it as. Spoilers throughout.Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentthoughtsanalysisdarkoexplainedexplanationinterpretationmeaningmoviescifihttps://bryanchain.com/writing/too-smart/https://bryanchain.com/writing/too-smart/Smart enough to coast, not driven enough to do anything with it. An honest look at the gifted-program kid who used his gifts mostly to be lazy, and is still paying for the pride that came with them.Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtspridestupidityhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/but-its-got-a-compass/https://bryanchain.com/writing/but-its-got-a-compass/Why does the iPhone need a compass, and why did Ralphie need one in his BB gun? A cynical look at feature creep and how useless add-ons are usually the exact thing that makes us buy something.Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentthoughtshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/friendship/https://bryanchain.com/writing/friendship/My definition of a friend, why I have cut so many people loose over the years without much regret, and why some of my best friends are people I first met online. Being told I am difficult to be friends with is fair.Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsfriendshipinternethttps://bryanchain.com/writing/an-experiment-in-leadership/https://bryanchain.com/writing/an-experiment-in-leadership/Leading a World of Warcraft raiding guild sounds silly, but recruiting, setting rules, distributing loot, and keeping 25 people happy is real management practice. Here is what running one taught me about leadership.Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentgaminghobbiesworkhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/blogging-what-i-have-learned/https://bryanchain.com/writing/blogging-what-i-have-learned/My 50th post, so a look back at what writing a barely-trafficked blog has taught me: keep a schedule, do not get discouraged, stay short, and ask whether anyone but your mom would actually read this.Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainment50th-posthttps://bryanchain.com/writing/the-butterfly-effect/https://bryanchain.com/writing/the-butterfly-effect/How one offhand choice can quietly set the rest of your life in motion. A friend likes to credit himself for everything in mine because he got me playing WoW, and annoyingly, he is not wrong.Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtschaoshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/cassandra-and-dirk/https://bryanchain.com/writing/cassandra-and-dirk/My blog makes me sound like a miserable cynical bastard, so for once I drop the act. A plainly sincere thank-you to my girlfriend Cassandra and my dog Dirk, the two reasons I am actually happy.Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifecassandradirklovehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/vonnegut-on-style/https://bryanchain.com/writing/vonnegut-on-style/My favorite author left behind seven rules for writing with style, so I grade my own blogging against each one, in public, and ask you how I am doing.Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMThobbieslifevonnegutwriting-stylehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/passion-and-inspiration/https://bryanchain.com/writing/passion-and-inspiration/Obama's acceptance speech actually got to me, sappy as that sounds, and got me thinking about the line between passion and inspiration. Mostly about how to fight for something without letting passion curdle into anger.Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeinspirationobamapassionhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/fulfillment-is/https://bryanchain.com/writing/fulfillment-is/A reader asked what fulfillment actually means, so I tried to work it out while feeling pretty unfulfilled myself. The honest answer is I am probably just a glass-half-empty person who would complain no matter what.Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/the-american-dream/https://bryanchain.com/writing/the-american-dream/Why am I so unhappy just being content? A jaded, somewhat bleak picking-apart of the American Dream, and why a comfortable life I know is good still feels like one I would rather quit.Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsworkhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/life-sucks-then-you-die/https://bryanchain.com/writing/life-sucks-then-you-die/A gloomy walk through the whole arrangement: school, work, retirement, death, and how we sell our labor back to the companies whose stuff we are working to afford. I do not have a fix, just the bleak math of it.Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsworksuckshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/no-girls-allowed/https://bryanchain.com/writing/no-girls-allowed/Why a lot of top World of Warcraft guilds explicitly ban women, and why I don't think it's really sexism so much as raid leaders dodging drama. With a case study from my own guild that drove me and my girlfriend to quit.Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentgaminggameswowhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/lost-email-and-contacts-in-thunderbird/https://bryanchain.com/writing/lost-email-and-contacts-in-thunderbird/If Thunderbird updated and suddenly your mail, contacts, and settings are gone, it likely just made a new default profile and orphaned your old one. A step-by-step on pointing a fresh profile back at your real data.Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTworkhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/why-do-i-write/https://bryanchain.com/writing/why-do-i-write/Four months in, twenty visitors a day, and the philosophy posts I care about get no traffic while the tech post I like least gets all of it. Wondering aloud whether this blog is worth continuing.Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeemofuckhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/reward-systems-and-instant-gratification/https://bryanchain.com/writing/reward-systems-and-instant-gratification/Top WoW guilds run like a perfect communism, people working harder for virtual nothing than they ever would at their real jobs. The difference is instant gratification, and I wonder what life would look like if it worked that way.Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTgamingthoughtsaddictiongratificationhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/is-human-happiness-the-driving-force-behind-scientific-innovation/https://bryanchain.com/writing/is-human-happiness-the-driving-force-behind-scientific-innovation/The case that nearly every technology we love was first built to make our lives easier or to wage war, often both. From the spear and ENIAC to DuPont, and the worry that all this convenience has just made us lazy.Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTthoughtshappinesssciencehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/ill-handle-this-im-a-professional/https://bryanchain.com/writing/ill-handle-this-im-a-professional/Calling yourself a professional just means you got paid, not that you are any good. The gap between making money at something and actually being an expert, and why professionalism is an attitude most professionals never show.Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTthoughtsworkprohttps://bryanchain.com/writing/developing-a-career-and-managing-change/https://bryanchain.com/writing/developing-a-career-and-managing-change/At 26 with a self-made career, here is the advice I would give: do what you are good at instead of chasing dreams, go to college, never stop learning, stay replaceable, and embrace change rather than fear it.Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeworkcareerhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/professional-gaming/https://bryanchain.com/writing/professional-gaming/Pro gaming is a real way to make money now, but the games change fast and there's no contract or retirement plan. On the kids dropping out of school to chase it, and the parents who let them.Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTgamingthoughtsprofessionalsuccesshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/youre-so-unique-youre-the-same/https://bryanchain.com/writing/youre-so-unique-youre-the-same/Khakis, an IT job, a townhouse, Old Navy. I am about as normal as they come on the outside, which is exactly why uniqueness is a state of mind, not eye shadow and all-black outfits.Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsconformityhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/only-people-who-have-blogs-read-blogs/https://bryanchain.com/writing/only-people-who-have-blogs-read-blogs/A hunch I can't shake: the only people who actually read blogs are the people who write them. I used to think blogs were stupid, then started one and immediately subscribed to thirty others.Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThobbiesthoughtsblogginghttps://bryanchain.com/writing/living-in-digital-worlds/https://bryanchain.com/writing/living-in-digital-worlds/After years of MMOs and finally quitting them, the thing I notice most is how players rationalize the time, the friendships, and their loyalty to one game. Quit, and you get written off like an ex-addict by your old guild.Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTgaminglifethoughtsgamesmmorpgshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/new-design-launched/https://bryanchain.com/writing/new-design-launched/Over 200 hours went into this deliberately unconventional site design, my first WordPress template. A walk through the hand-coded HTML, CSS, and jQuery, and why I expect people to either love it or hate it.Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThobbiesdesignhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/web-development-sucks/https://bryanchain.com/writing/web-development-sucks/Building a site that works across every browser, resolution, and busted old version of IE turns into a pile of hacks I am not comfortable with. A perfectionist's case for why web development just sucks.Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThobbiesworkdesignsuckshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/fabricating-reasons-to-hate-people/https://bryanchain.com/writing/fabricating-reasons-to-hate-people/How one petty grievance with a roommate, like a sink of dishes, quietly multiplies into a list of reasons to resent someone you actually like. On the parallels to real prejudice, and why I just ignore it instead of speaking up.Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeliving-with-peoplehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/designing-for-you/https://bryanchain.com/writing/designing-for-you/I can code any mockup but I have no creative vision of my own, so redesigning this blog meant scrapping 30 hours of generic work and leaning on a designer friend. On building a site that actually reflects you.Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMThobbiesdesignhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/making-a-bad-situation-worse/https://bryanchain.com/writing/making-a-bad-situation-worse/On grudges, sulking, the silent treatment, and isolating yourself at the party you could have just enjoyed. I'm guiltier of all of it than most, and I know it never helps anything.Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeangerbody-languagegrudgeshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/i-shall-name-my-first-born-son-violence/https://bryanchain.com/writing/i-shall-name-my-first-born-son-violence/On the parade of absurd celebrity baby names and the ones New Zealand actually banned, like Sex Fruit and Talula Does the Hula. I think the names are ridiculous, but I am not convinced the courts should get a say.Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentthoughtscrazy-nameslawshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/managing-your-online-identity/https://bryanchain.com/writing/managing-your-online-identity/I spent years trying to stay invisible online, then started a blog under my real name anyway. Where I landed on what to expose, what to keep private, and why the rule is mostly just don't be stupid.Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeidentityonlinesocial-webhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/science-is-racist/https://bryanchain.com/writing/science-is-racist/A Dallas commissioner took offense at the phrase black hole and called it racist. I walk through his examples one by one, where the etymology actually came from, and where I think he was just stretching.Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentthoughtsracismsciencehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/is-there-a-god/https://bryanchain.com/writing/is-there-a-god/The obligatory philosophy-blog post on whether God exists. I work through a few definitions, land on no for all of them, and admit that as a man of science the big bang sounds better to me than a creator.Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsgodreligionhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/presentism-and-imagination-depression/https://bryanchain.com/writing/presentism-and-imagination-depression/Your brain fills in the unknown past and future using how you feel right now, which is why a bad mood makes everything look bleak. Whether knowing about this trick is any use against depression is the part I'm not sure about.Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsdepressionhappinesshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/hi-how-are-you/https://bryanchain.com/writing/hi-how-are-you/We ask how are you dozens of times a day, lie about the answer, and do not care to hear the truth anyway. A defense of brutal honesty over social graces, from someone who is a hypocrite about it at work.Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifehonestymeaningless-conversationpettypolitenesshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/staying-organized-in-a-digital-world/https://bryanchain.com/writing/staying-organized-in-a-digital-world/An obsessive's tour of how I keep bookmarks, calendars, contacts, email, music, and photos in sync across far too many computers and two iPhones. It mostly works, but the seams still show.Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeworkcalendarsiphoneorganizationhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/iphone-madnes/https://bryanchain.com/writing/iphone-madnes/Buying an iPhone 3G on launch day, the three-hour line, and the activation mess that killed two phones when I tried to port numbers. My defense for picking one up, since it was cheaper than the GPS unit I wanted anyway.Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentlifeiphonehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/truth-with-respect-to-art/https://bryanchain.com/writing/truth-with-respect-to-art/A web designer wrote that the future of design rests on Christian truth. I take apart the same question from the other side: truth and art are both subjective, and art owes truth nothing.Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsartdesigntruthhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/maslows-needs-and-gaming/https://bryanchain.com/writing/maslows-needs-and-gaming/Why games, and MMORPGs especially, are so easy to sink into: mapped against Maslow's hierarchy, they quietly satisfy nearly every need a real life would. I've been addicted myself, so this isn't me judging from above.Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTgaminglifethoughtsachievementmmorpgsphilosophyhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/groupthink-digg-oh-how-i-hate-thee/https://bryanchain.com/writing/groupthink-digg-oh-how-i-hate-thee/How Digg went from my favorite site to one I can barely stand. A breakdown of the groupthink that rules the front page, complete with my cynical scoring system for what guarantees a story gets promoted.Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentdigggroupthinksuckshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/anti-social-society/https://bryanchain.com/writing/anti-social-society/I am, by my own admission, a selfish anti-social asshole who turns down every invitation and then enjoys himself whenever forced to go. An attempt to figure out why, with a detour through brussels sprouts and psychological egoism.Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsassholeforced-interactioni-hate-peopleselfishhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/the-sentence/https://bryanchain.com/writing/the-sentence/A book on happiness got me thinking about the one trait that sets us apart: we think about the future. It is also, conveniently, the source of my own depression.Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifethoughtsbookhappinessphilosophyhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/go-play-a-real-guitar/https://bryanchain.com/writing/go-play-a-real-guitar/Everyone asks why I do not just play a real instrument instead of Guitar Hero. My answer: gaming is a waste of time, but so is everything else you do after work, and the plastic guitar is no sillier than a plastic steering wheel.Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentgaminglifegamainguitar-heroreal-guitarhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/anyone-wanna-watch-some-metal-gear/https://bryanchain.com/writing/anyone-wanna-watch-some-metal-gear/Metal Gear Solid 4 has so many cut scenes that my friend and I started asking each other if we wanted to go watch some Metal Gear. Somehow it still made me believe in the PS3.Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTentertainmentgamingmetal-gearmoviehttps://bryanchain.com/writing/am-i-too-trusting/https://bryanchain.com/writing/am-i-too-trusting/I never lock anything, and one day I left a car full of laptops and my wallet sitting unlocked outside a Wawa with the windows down. A look at whether I have been lucky or just foolish.Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeparanoiathefttrusthttps://bryanchain.com/writing/naps-are-super-good/https://bryanchain.com/writing/naps-are-super-good/A wholehearted defense of the afternoon nap against everyone who keeps telling me to cut it out. As it happens, the research — and Edison, Einstein, and Churchill — are on my side.Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeworknapssuper-goodhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/whats-so-bad-about-cubicles/https://bryanchain.com/writing/whats-so-bad-about-cubicles/Everyone loves to mock the cubicle drone, but mine is a roomy, private, pretty pleasant place to work. A defense of the cube, and of the IT guys everyone assumes have it easy.Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeworkcubicleshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/windows-vista-it-doesnt-suck/https://bryanchain.com/writing/windows-vista-it-doesnt-suck/A year on Vista, including a regretted downgrade back to XP, convinced me the hate is overblown. The case for 64-bit Vista from someone who actually used it, UAC complaints and all.Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeworkdoesnt-suckvistawindowshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/online-behavior-hiding-behind-the-keyboard/https://bryanchain.com/writing/online-behavior-hiding-behind-the-keyboard/A field guide to the kinds of people who argue online and how the keyboard turns everyone into a tough guy. I sort them into types, then admit I'm two of the worse ones.Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTgaminglifearguinginternetlolhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/why-cant-i-just-be-successful-online/https://bryanchain.com/writing/why-cant-i-just-be-successful-online/Seven or eight years of trying to build something online I could quit my day job for, and a postmortem on every project that died, usually because someone bigger beat me to it.Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTworkinternetsuccesshttps://bryanchain.com/writing/the-future-of-video-cards/https://bryanchain.com/writing/the-future-of-video-cards/Intel says the graphics card is doomed once the GPU moves onto the CPU die; nVidia says the CPU is dead. My take on why the separate video card sticks around, and why competition is the reason I want it to.Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTgamingintelnvidiapwnagewarhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/do-i-really-use-the-internets/https://bryanchain.com/writing/do-i-really-use-the-internets/I have been online since AOL 1.0 and consider myself a power user, yet I never send email and skip Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace entirely. Wondering whether I actually use the social web, or just lurk it as an introvert.Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTlifeblogsinternetssocial-webhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/age-of-conan-initial-impressions-part-2/https://bryanchain.com/writing/age-of-conan-initial-impressions-part-2/Level 30 in Age of Conan, and this time I focus on the game itself instead of bashing Funcom. The combat genuinely shines, the UI is rough, and the music is still on, which says a lot.Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTgamingage-of-conanbadassreviewhttps://bryanchain.com/writing/age-of-conan-initial-impressions-part-1/https://bryanchain.com/writing/age-of-conan-initial-impressions-part-1/My first impressions of Funcom's new MMO, most of which I spent watching unannounced server outages instead of playing. I plan outages for a living, so I had opinions.Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTgamingage-of-conanfuncom