OpenWRT Chaos Calmer 15.05.1

A few weeks ago I updated my Linksys WRT600N to OpenWRT Chaos Calmer 15.05.1. I wrote first about using OpenWRT on a WRT600N back in October 2015.

First I downloaded the bundle most appropriate for my model of router, then updated through the OpenWRT web interface. The only downside was that my custom-installed packages went away, so I lost my stats reporting installation. I reinstalled most of the packages I'd had installed prior to the update, but didn't recreate the stats setup.

Note to self: record the list of installed packages before the next update.

The router itself is running swimmingly. I wish I could say the same for the DSL (which I get through a reseller, so I don't have to deal directly with the ILEC's terrible customer service), which has a hiccup every few days and has to renegotiate a connection. I wish we had a choice here of something other than DSL or the cable TV company for wired Internet.

I promised to discuss the features I use most.

I have the router configured to NAT the public connection. What I use most is the realtime traffic monitor display, to show overall bandwidth usage and high traffic targets. I also have swap configured on a USB thumb drive in case of memory shortfall, as the WRT600N doesn't have much RAM.

Recognizing roots in Esperanto

In a previous post I noted that I had begun studying Esperanto. Now, several weeks into the effort, I find parts of the language easy to understand, without having to refer to word lists or mousing over the newly-presented words. I attribute this to having studied German (most, in high school and in the last year), Russian (next most, in high school and community college) and Spanish (some, years after high school). Many of the root words in Esperanto derive from Romance, Germanic or Slavic vocabulary.

Other words leave me puzzled until I learn them, then usually they click and I recognize the origin. A few I don't know the roots, but probably will eventually.

Hodiaŭ estas vendredo. La katinoj dormas. Ekster estas varma.

In search of . . .

. . . affordable housing that I can, in good conscience, purchase.

One story, three or more bedrooms, 1.5+ baths, not a slab foundation, not in an HOA, with a simple roof line, and where the property taxes won't eat us alive.

It's a challenge and my dear spouse is working hard to find one that meets our needs and is within our ability to make the down payment.