Some of you will have encountered problems accessing the blog.
Obviously we are back!
"But Father! But Father!" some of you are surely saying. "What happened? I was worried your provider went out of business, or the server died, or… well… maybe you pulled the plug!"
Not this time, and not yet.
There were two problems.
First, so many people come here now that we had to increase the maximum number of connections possible.
Also, the blog has gotten so big that the database was running out of diskspace! So, we have done some maintainence to clean things up and, cause the files to compress and rotate.
Furthermore, while I was away from the Sabine Farm on my trip to Virginia and Florida, there was some sort of storm here which caused problems for my Sabine network. Folks, I have some pretty hefty surge protectors and UPS units. You need stuff like that when you are out in the country and on a pretty spread out power grid. This must have been a pretty big blast.
I have various computers hooked together, as well as all sort of other equipment that can connect to a network. First, I found that my remote network power switch was blown away. This is a super useful gizmo. I would use that switch, through a web interface, when out on the road or in Rome to cycle power off and on on certain pieces of equipment such as my Slingbox (blessings on its creators). This way I can renew IP addresses, etc. I can also set it to cycle on a schedule. That eliminates the need
for someone physically to have to come into the house when I am gone and do it manually. These switches are often used on computers and other equipment in remote locations, such as ATM machines, so that a techie doesn’t have to go out physically to reboot it. Anyway, I cannot anymore access the web interface for power switch, which makes it useless. That must be replaced.
Also, a couple network switches were damaged as well, so my network was broken. I also couldn’t use my internet phone (Vonage). Yesterday I found D-Link switches on sale for $10! No kidding! $10! So, those were replaced and now my equipment can talk to each other again.
Then there is the car. I had some work done on the car while I was gone. But when I got home, the car was dead, so I had to put the handy slow charger on the battery and get it going. No good explanation there.
Then last night there was another storm with lightening while I was having a little work out. "KABOOM", quoth the storm. By the time I got to the door of the barn where the workout space is, I couldn’t see the house for the rain. Arriving at the house and shutting down electronics, I found later that the TV now shows only green and pink! That is going to be really annoying. I wonder if it isn’t time to switch to the digital thing. Grrr.
Later I discovered that there was no water.
"Hmmm"… quoth I… well… not quite that.
The water pump for the well is about 3 football fields away but the fusebox is in the basement. One of the fuses had literally had the front blown off. I concluded that that was in fact the problem with the water. I replaced the fuse. Voila , water.
Then this morning I find that the blog has been down, all night I think, since there were very few fresh comments.
In any event, I seem to be under attack by Old Scratch and electric stuff seems to be the front.
I will be fighting back with prayer and fasting as well as requesting your prayers as well. I suggest we get out guardian angels to work on this together.
Oh yes… its 33 degrees (F) and trying to snow.
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I’m not too technical so a lot of those devices mean nothing me, but I hope the storms cease soon.
Please keep going Father, this blog is the best there is and everyone appreciates all the work you do for
Christ and His Church. If this blog didn’t exist, I might, horror of horrors actually need to work all day!
It would seem that Father Z’s visitors should begin a novena to St Isidore of Seville, the patron saint of computers, computer users, computer programmers and the Internet.
Ray: While St. Isidore is proposed by some to be the Patron, this has not been declared by the Holy See. Also, there are other suggestions for a Patron.
But we can start with him!
Sounds like catholic.org.
“Because we are so Catholic our servers have been attacked by Satan. The Enemy fears webmail provision on Catholic-owned servers, and is attempting to sabotage our work for the Kingdom. Please, pray with us as we deal as prayerfully as we can with this manifestation of Evil.”
Perhaps it was just the weather?
berenike: It was certainly the weather, at least in part.
Father: From personal experience, that many disasters at once, is Satan at work. It would not surprise me that he would try to shut you down. I’ll pray for you during my Adoration hour this evening.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle …
Regardless of the devil, Fr. Z is doing an exquisite and essential job!(sent from a daily reader in Santo Domingo, Dom Rep.)
Father,
It would seem that the Greater Litanies of yesterday were missed. Alas? The Lesser Litanies of the Rogation Days approach. Do take advantage and have the Sabine Farm duly marched upon and blessed.
We find in helps in Tornado and Earthquake prone Northern Arkansas. So, apparantly, does the FSSP. We walk about on Wednesday upcoming. Pax.
I’m surprised by the naïveté of so many good folk. Don’t you know, computers are the work of the devil? What other implement of modern invention can cause us so much frustration, save perhaps the cell phone? (If I hear one more blasting cheesy hip hop beat…). Has no one experienced the loss of an important file? What about spam? Surely spam is confirmation enough that computers are evil. Face it, you’re running with the devil. Notice that the MAC computer logo has a bite taken out of it. Oh forbidden fruit! And Dell,… as in ‘rhymes with h*ll’. Strive to enter not by the “Bill Gates” but by the narrow gate. When a network goes down, perhaps it is more a sign that the mighty computer is being shown who’s boss by the Almighty. Computer tower = Tower of Babel. In good fun. (FTR, I own two MACs).
Father, I was all worn out just reading the post. You couldn’t up that many things to put into a script for a weeknight sitcom in that short of time. Now there’s a novel idea – a sitcom based on a day in the life of Fr. Z.
It’s not always the Devil.
Some say servers are hit by Devil’s paw;
Some say Murphy’s Law.
From what I’ve seen of his foul revel,
I hold with those who bet the Devil.
But if it had to die twice — ha!
I say that for destruction, Murphy
Is quite as bad,
And not as smurfy.
When it rains it pours.
Sorry, I couldn’t refuse. Father you have my prayers now as always.
I don’t comment often, but do enjoy your blog immensely.
(I hope that didn’t sound snarky,well, perhaps with regard to catholic.org. Perhaps I should have added a smieley :-s)
I’ll pray for you, Father, and I’ll offer up your crosses to Jesus. God bless!