Encrypted filesystems

For file encryption at home I have always used whole-volume encryption: previously LUKS on Linux, now the softraid crypto on OpenBSD. At work they became very excited about laptop security so, although I am working on opensource projects rather than students' confidential data, I thought that I should at least add some post-installation encryption to my work laptop and the most convenient solution was to use eCryptfs to encrypt my home directory. That way the key isn't stored anywhere on the system and I don't need to type an extra passphrase because, perhaps via PAM, it simply uses the password I already type to log in.

Overall I have found eCryptfs quite workable. My first build of the day takes twice as long but that's okay as once the system has got going performance seems fine. For schroot's fstab I needed to switch the mount of /home from bind to rbind because of how eCryptfs uses a mount to /home/mtbc once I log in. I suppose that for backups at work I could now just back up the encrypted view of my home directory but my backup script instead tars up the plaintext and runs it through gpg on the way to a network drive. I already need gpg at work anyway for tasks like signing releases.

Cross-trainer and other exercise

My progress is no longer as monotonic. Today's workout the cross-trainer estimated as burning 847 of its calories and I shall be satisfied if I stabilize at around 850 for the next few weeks.

One would think that forty minutes' looking at the back of the garage isn't great but I'm not sure I shouldn't be counting my blessings. The residential suburbs in which we lived in both Providence, RI, and Belmont, MA, I found pleasant enough for running: there were long, quiet, wide streets. Here, if I were to be running or bicycling, I wouldn't be able to lose myself in thought or in awareness of my breathing and movement, I'd instead have to keep slowing and looking about for pedestrians and traffic that come into sight at short notice. I suspect I would find that irritating distraction not to be worth the changing scenery.

The above's not to say that if I move back to somewhere less crowded, probably the US, I'd not be curious to try something like the StreetStrider; I don't even know who sells such a thing over here.

Update: On non-monotonicity, this following morning's workout counted as burning just 827 calories.

Absent friends

On Monday I sat on a bench that was dedicated in somebody's memory and thought about how there is supposed to be a bench in Cambridge memorializing somebody I had known. Yesterday I was helping with a question related to mail folders that caused me to notice that on one of my servers a folder was larger than I expected: some IMAP mail had got stuck and I freed it. One of the messages turned out to be from another deceased friend. One friend had been a bit younger than me, the other a bit older, but not by much.

It feels strange to not be very old myself but to already have peers who have passed on. It is also strange to reflect on the many ways we leave traces of ourselves behind. I try to remember people anyway.