1700 Martin Luther King Jr Way

For the past several months we have been using ZTE 831 DSL modems when installing PHLO lines for customers. If you have one of these, you can query the modem’s web GUI to see the actual connection speed of the DSL line. This is more accurate than the various speed test websites.

Here’s how to access the web GUI:

1. Attach your computer directly to the DSL modem using an Ethernet cable (i.e. bypass a router if you have one)
2. Open your network settings, and set your IP address manually to 192.168.1.10. Set subnet mask to 255.255.255.0 and the default gateway (router) address to 192.168.1.1
3. Open your web browser, and enter this in the address bar:  http://192.168.1.1
4. You should get a login prompt. The user name is “admin” and the password is “admin”
5. The resulting screen will show you the current speed that the modem is in sync at.
6. After checking, you will want to restore your computer’s network settings to obtain an IP address automatically using DHCP.

Under MacOS X

You can generate a key in Mac OS using the ssh-keygen command. You should run it in Terminal. You will be asked for a file in which the key should be saved to and for a passphrase (password) for the key:

user@localhost: ssh-keygen -t dsa
Generating public/private dsa key pair.

Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/user/.ssh/id_dsa): id_dsa
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):  XXXXXXXX

Enter same passphrase again: XXXXXXXX
Your identification has been saved in id_dsa.
Your public key has been saved in id_dsa.pub.

Under Windows using PuTTY

You can generate an SSH key on Windows using the free PuTTY SSH client.

To generate a key with PuTTY, you should:

1. Download and start the puttygen.exe generator.

2. In the “Parameters” section choose SSH2 DSA and press Generate.

3. Move your mouse randomly in the small screen in order to generate the key pairs.

4. Enter a key comment, which will identify the key (useful when you use several SSH keys).

5. Type in the passphrase and confirm it. The passphrase is used to protect your key. You will be asked for it when you connect via SSH.

6. Click “Save private key” to save your private key.

7. Click “Save public key” to save your public key.

A quick little video tour of old office at the corner of Bancroft and Roosevelt in Berkeley. This was shot right before we moved to our current office on Martin Luther King Way. Sorry about the mess.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg2E6LUUBGs

Delicious Enchiladas

10/19/11

An amazing thing happened at LMi.net today. A first in our 19 years of operation. Two wonderful LMi.net members, Dolores and Tommy gifted us with the most elaborate, generous and heart-felt expression of gratitude we’ve ever experienced here. They cooked our entire staff of 15 a delicious organic gourmet lunch at home and delivered it to our office with a beautiful card made by their family.

Dolores and Tommy brought vegetarian enchiladas with a very tasty red sauce and a filling which included, among other ingredients, sun dried tomatoes, green bell pepper, cilantro and cheese. The enchiladas were scrumptious with fresh heirloom tomato slices on top. We also enjoyed delectable refried black beans, and rice with petite peas and cilantro. Going even further above and beyond, Dolores and Tommy brought a copious amount of refreshing Jamaica Hibiscus agua fresca sweetened with agave, and a vegan carrot cake from Black China Bakery, a woman-owned Santa Cruz business that Dolores admires. LMi.net co-owner Gary said that he wished a restaurant existed in the Bay Area where he could get food as good as Dolores’ cooking!

Dolores began cooking as a child — this news came as no surprise after today! She’s passionate about wholesome nutrition and bringing people together with healthy, enjoyable meals. She believes that if people got together more often to break bread, our world would be a better place. She also said that she always puts love and positive intention into her cooking. This made our lunch today as soul-edifying as it was nutritious.

THANK YOU Dolores, Tommy and Family!

We have nine employees at LMi.net. Each of us strives to use the services of our customers. It just makes sense for all of us to help and support each other. For instance, we go to the Meal Ticket every Friday for lunch. When we have a pizza day, we buy from either Gioia Pizzeria or the Cheeseboard.  When we needed new gutters, we had our customer Gutter Works do the work. When we needed contractor work done, we used our customer DBC Builders. Our accountant, 2+2=5 Accounting Services, is also our customer. We buy guitars from Subway Guitars. We get them worked on by John Mellow.

Why do I mention this? It is vitally important that each of us considers the ramifications of where we spend our money. By supporting LMi.net, you are supporting a wide swath of other small businesses, in that the employees of LMi.net also buy locally. Each time that we spend a dollar locally, our community is enhanced. The money stays in the area so that libraries can be built, so our schools can be improved, so that we can have parks. Each time that you support a giant corporation, most of your money is shipped out of state and is used to fatten the wallets of executives. In addition, these large corporations use out-sourced technical support in Bangladesh and India which worsens the US’s unemployment problems.

Whenever one of our customers leaves us to use one of the Big Guys, we make a point to never utilize their services any more. We used to buy cakes and pies from a local bakery, we used to buy breakfast and lunches from a local deli, and we used to use a local veterinarian right up the street, but no more. The owners of those businesses decided to send their dollars out of state, so we have also made a choice. We have chosen to support businesses that keep their dollars local. We have chosen to support our customers as they support us.

We’re all in this together. You should be too. Or not, it’s your choice.

Update: Brian is going to lunch at the New Amsterdam Coffee Shop on University. He is a fan of their Big Salad!