Things I've started but ...

[fingal]

.... I'll never finish! Inspired by an article on security in a Linux mag., I decided to install TripWire. After all - I thought - if anyone cracks into my system this will let me know.

The manual is almost unreadable, but I searched around and found a very good HOWTO and got going. After a while (building the initial database and fiddling around) I reached the final stage: setting up an exceptions file to prevent TripWire from spewing out error messages.

After reading 174 lines of individual entries I packed it in and shut down my computer. I don't think I'll bother. After I ran rootkit hunter it gave me a clean bill of health so I feel more secure now.

Any projects (large or small) which you've started but will never finish? I would like to hear about them.

[techieMoe]

When I was 7 or 8 years old I convinced myself I could build an autonomous robot out of Legos, cardboard boxes, masking tape and a few of my dad's old camera parts. Looking back, I was probably inspired by "Johnny 5" in Short Circuit.

Between the ages of 12 and 16 I wrote no less than 300 pages worth of short stories that I organized into 2 "books". All were pretty schlocky teen horror knockoffs, but damned if my mother wasn't proud of them. She probably still has a few of them in boxes somewhere.

Since then I've started (and not quite finished) dozens of short stories ranging from sci fi to fantasy to satire. Shades of most of these things show up in my Linux rants. I've toyed with the idea of posting some of the stories on the site, but unlike my rants (which I could really care less if someone rips apart) I'm very self-conscious about my writing. It's much more personal to me.

Some of you might remember when I originally published my hobby game Space Farce that I said there would be a second chapter to it. Yeah.. umm.. that's probably not going to happen. Ditto on any new whiz-bang features for my other game Legend of the Teal Dragon. Those were more of an effort to finally finish projects I'd started when I was younger, and the way they look now is "finished" enough for my piece of mind.

I've also tried (and failed) to pick up and finish numerous introductory books on various programming languages and frameworks (Perl, OpenGL, C#, Ruby, QT, the list goes on). Basically I've settled on the fact that unless I'm taking a class on it or my boss orders me to learn it, I've just got other things to occupy my time.

[carlosponti]

I have a few novels I have started but never finished over the years, reading or writing. Finally my wife told me to write my projects down and I cant start a new one until I finish another. Wifes don't seem to understand the need to start something just to not finish it, however.

[zba78]

websites....

...Every now and then I become inspired to create a website about something but for some reason I never get further then designing some logos and some fancy DHTML navigation menus for the homepage then the whole thing just dies out.

Of course there is that time machine I've been working on for a while but I think I'll soon crack that one!!!

[techieMoe]

Of course there is that time machine I've been working on for a while but I think I'll soon crack that one!!!

Excuse me, sir. Your TARDIS is showing.

[carlosponti]

Excuse me, sir. Your TARDIS is showing.

lol

ps i have started many web sites too just lost focus on what it was supposed to be about. I also have several weedeater engines i have tried to convert to RC airplane engines just never finished and now i have a box of weedeater engine parts.

[harner]

It's funny you mention Tripwire. I gave it a try last year and we ended up buying an enterprise copy of it.

[fingal]

Excuse me, sir. Your TARDIS is showing.

You've heard of Dr. Who! I love Dr. Who...

[techieMoe]

You've heard of Dr. Who! I love Dr. Who...

I hadn't up until a year or two ago when my roommate got a satellite TV plan with BBC America. It's not quite as popular on this side of the pond. Kind of like Red Dwarf or Mr. Bean. Man I miss getting to see those on PBS Saturday nights.

[carlosponti]

sci-fi channel here has started playing Dr. who newer episodes with Christopher Eccelston and David Tennent. I like both doctors. I have seen earlier Episodes from the 60's but only one or two maybe of those. i wish they would have weekend long marathons of the older episodes.

ps i was introduced to Red Dwarf by a friend at work and we would watch them on lunch breaks but he only had vhs tapes of the first 3 seasons.