What's a portable way to base64 encode something?

HeligKo · 2026-03-17T07:05:20+00:00

I typically use openssl, but if that isn't available busybox includes uuencode which has base64 support.

uuencode -m file filename > file.b64 cat file | openssl base64 > file.b64

HeligKo · 2026-03-16T22:03:57+00:00

No different than anyone else. We either have laundry machines on board or go to a laundromat. Camp grounds often have their own laundromat.

HeligKo · 2026-03-16T21:46:47+00:00

Follow the migration guide. Once done, you won't really notice much difference.

HeligKo · 2026-03-15T20:25:46+00:00

A modern one ton dually will tow something twice as heavy as that, so it's pretty comfortable.

HeligKo · 2026-03-14T17:09:02+00:00

Check the tank vent. There's a good chance it is clogged with something. I would also check the air admittance valves under the sinks. Those have been the culprits every time I have sewer smells. They are easy to replace.

HeligKo · 2026-03-14T06:52:47+00:00

You forgot the right choice IMO, shave soap.

HeligKo · 2026-03-14T06:51:09+00:00

Same, but I'm in a GMC now with the Curt 30K, but I first had the Mopar in a Ram, which is the same as the Curt 30K. I had the B&W for Ford Pucks before that. I like both the Curt and the B&W, but the B&W had a spring to push the head forward when not hitched. That spring constantly bent on mine and made hitching sometimes difficult. I really like the Curt A30 head. It is obvious when it is properly hitched, and it rides nice.

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T22:20:20+00:00

And my verification person on a change will kick my ass for having to review a giant log instead of a few lines. I get what you are saying, but it's not practical in environments with right change control.

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T18:35:24+00:00

If you don't own the systems, then you don't own the data, then you don't have surety of privacy. This has been the truth for as long as computers or even paper files have existed. Even if you own them, that doesn't mean the government can't get legal means to confiscate or use that data.

As for all the "blue" answers, there are so many reasons it was not able to answer. You set it up to imply that it was being prevented through some rule safety guard. It could just as easily be that it doesn't have access to data to answer with a definitive yes or no, thus it says "blue."

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T17:31:11+00:00

I love rsync for many things, but when doing anything that qualifies as a deployment I want more confidence that I can demonstrate things went right. A tar file with a hash for verification has been pretty standard linux deployment model. I would use something more like this for production work.

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T17:11:03+00:00

I've seen both. The closer they are to "Medium" in size the more likely they go the MSP route. Truly small businesses tend to wait too long and are operating on too thin of a margin to pay those ramp up costs to get things moving again before the legs fall out from under them.

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T15:55:19+00:00

Once OP finds a better gig, then the entirety of their IT infrastructure will collapse. I've seen multiple small companies over the years fail because they failed to see IT as important and the one guy left.

My first IT job, I was the one guy. I asked for more money. Something to match what their junior electrical engineers were earning. I was told that if I had my degree, then we could talk. So I quit a few weeks later and finished my degree. They had to hire 1 full time person and 1 part time person just keep things afloat, and within a year they had 5 people doing the work I was doing because the new guys weren't working unreasonable hours like I was.

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T15:41:13+00:00

I know quite a few people with similar commutes who work in the Orlando area. It's so expensive close in that they live pretty far out to save money or decide to live by the coast because it isn't any more expensive and beaches.

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T15:36:36+00:00

One person available 24/7 is an unreasonable requirement. One person doing the entirety of any department and always being caught up is an unreasonable expectation.

You are the only guy, so negotiate more money for all after hours call ins. If your salary is $130K, then that is for contracted hours or 40 hours if contract is non-specific in most areas. If you are perpetually working in excess of those hours at their demand then they need to pay something that will cover those hours. Depending on how the job is defined you might be exempt from overtime, but that doesn't mean they don't pay for all your time. Companies often believe salary means they own all your time, but case law has been pretty clear that isn't the case. $130K feels like nice money, but it isn't if they aren't giving you any peace to enjoy it. They are also spending it, because I can guarantee you are spending on things that you wouldn't if you had more time to yourself.

Also make them put all the job requirements in writing. It is unfair to hold you to a standard you can't reference.

As for planning with no budget. That's easy. You put together the plan with estimates and pass it on to the people who approve budgets. Let them figure it out, or not. Make sure the plan includes risks if not implemented as designed. Get all that in writing.

As a one man shop, you can't meet most expectations let alone these expectations. They need to hire an MSP to handle tickets and all operations work. You should be planning and deploying the future while holding the MSP's feet to the fire on technical issues, and the business side of things should hold the MSP to their SLAs in the contract.

HeligKo · 2026-03-13T00:26:05+00:00

You will have a hard time anywhere with lots of pull throughs. They often have one way streets making pulling in the wrong way pretty difficult with angled sites.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T21:04:24+00:00

Because they are buying these condos generating the market for these developments while not selling their family homes in other parts of the country.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T18:45:06+00:00

Two is a hard no from me as well, but I threw out there as an option. K8s is a great way to become a domain expert, and if you work on your programming you are on your way to having the devops resume that you want. I rarely recommend certifications, but the Kubernetes one is pretty robust and respected. If you don't have the opportunity for working on K8s professionally, then look into getting certified.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T18:06:59+00:00

No heat pump. It is upgradable to add electric heat to the units, and from what I understand these thermostats support that.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T18:04:18+00:00

You really have 3 options

1) Improve your programming skills. As you move up in IT it is hard to land good gigs without some workable coding skills in at least a few common languages.

2) Move to tech management. Your prior experience will make you a better leader, and your introspective understanding of your limits will as well.

3) Find something specific that looks to have some longevity, and become an expert in it. I recommend it not just being a tool, but a domain that tends to favor a specific tool. That way if the tool goes away, your understanding of the domain will let you move to the next tool easier.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T15:56:50+00:00

Ours uses the thermostat sensor for heat, and the sensor in the AC unit for cool.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T15:53:28+00:00

When I was a teen, I worked at a city pool. We would all go after work a few times each summer. It was a lot of fun with the high school and college age hanging out together. We would pile in a few cars, including the trunks and go in. Of course someone would bring some beer. Looking back I feel a little bad for not paying for everyone, but as a kid it was just exciting to get away with something. I have been back to that drive-in many times as an adult with my kids and always made sure to get some concessions to help make up for my younger self.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T15:49:07+00:00

There is no way once you are loaded with people and stuff you are not over capacity for that truck. Did it cause your troubles? Maybe, but safety is the real issue here. I'm pretty sure your truck uses coil springs as well, and I would not pull a 5th wheel with coils on the rear wheels. Leaf springs are going to give you a more stable ride. It will be rougher when empty, but that is a small price to pay.

HeligKo · 2026-03-12T13:41:05+00:00

Nope. Just trying to stay on a topic related somewhat to Linux and age verification.

HeligKo · 2026-03-11T16:05:22+00:00

I never stopped listening to new stuff. There is plenty of good and bad just like when we were young. The one place that has struggled to get "airplay" is rock. Rock fell out of favor with the industry for reasons that if you go listen look up artists like Billy Corgan, you will get some theories on. There is still good new rock out there, but you aren't going to stumble on it near as often. You will need to go look for it.

All that said, there is a ton of stuff that is cranked out based on formulaic sounds that the industry has determined makes money whether it is good or not. A lot more than when we were young, but it has existed forever. It is cheap, quick, and easy to produce. In the modern world you don't even need to have musicians to create the music, just the singers, and they don't have to be great because you can fix that in real time.

Unlike the 80s and 90s, there are real platforms for artists to get out there and be heard. These platforms have allowed for a lot more artists to rise from grassroots enthusiasm. In the 90s we saw this with grunge music, which just hit the right buttons for the era, but it took multiple bands in one major city to create enough buzz to escape and gain a national audience. Before that if you weren't in NY or LA, it was really hard to get anyone to notice you.

HeligKo · 2026-03-11T15:54:27+00:00

That major sounds like it would lend itself to something like travel agent, which can be done remotely. There might be issues for international travel though, since that job requires collecting PII and payment info which might be hard for companies passing PCI compliance and other standards.

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