I'm in the middle of creating a PRINT IMAGE for a HCFA 1500 form and I'd set about making a text grid and mapping it out based on Courier 10pt. I'm drawing boxes on the paper with a pen of all things and my co-worker and Linux mentor, fires me this link.
As they say, "LMAO."
Didn't Chip get shot down (as a kid) by the simple approach of a non-nerd solution. It's a gem to remember to be sure.
It's good to remember when technology is too complex for the solution.
That reminds me, I need a new head for my electric toothbrush.
I use:
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
All Hail the Early Adopters
We owe a great deal to those people who take the leap of faith with the newest technologies. I do it from time-to-time, but lately I've taken to the, "wait and see", accepting the lower prices of the older technologies and letting these heroes give me bouts of jealousy.
You need a certain degree of bravery to be the first with the newest thing, there are almost always bugs and quirks with the first-offs for the new thing, the technology is tested by the bit-heads that invented it and shown off to the executives to gain funding for future R&D, but the public have only been teased about it. It's a true test of your financial bravery.
There are many means of sacrifice in the EA forum, there's the risks taken with beta software, the trials of shareware, and the pain of major version upgrades out-of-sync with your partners or co-workers. The initiative to jump on the bandwagon comes with a bungie tied to you. The skill comes from jumping on and getting comfortable while leaving enough time to untie the bungie or drag along the crowd you co-exist with.
If you're willing to be the hero, be the guinea-pig, or be labelled the rebel, go for it. If not, thank them for being courageous enough to jump in, step up, or leap off for the sake of advancing technologies.
My Early Adopter Moves:
You need a certain degree of bravery to be the first with the newest thing, there are almost always bugs and quirks with the first-offs for the new thing, the technology is tested by the bit-heads that invented it and shown off to the executives to gain funding for future R&D, but the public have only been teased about it. It's a true test of your financial bravery.
There are many means of sacrifice in the EA forum, there's the risks taken with beta software, the trials of shareware, and the pain of major version upgrades out-of-sync with your partners or co-workers. The initiative to jump on the bandwagon comes with a bungie tied to you. The skill comes from jumping on and getting comfortable while leaving enough time to untie the bungie or drag along the crowd you co-exist with.
If you're willing to be the hero, be the guinea-pig, or be labelled the rebel, go for it. If not, thank them for being courageous enough to jump in, step up, or leap off for the sake of advancing technologies.
My Early Adopter Moves:
- XBOX (success)
- High-Speed Cable (painful but worth the experience)
- Some MP3 player (Mattel) for mydaughter (failure, no support, poor design)
The Pitfalls of Virtual Computing
I'm caught up in a rather common mess it seems, something that shakes my beliefs and challenges my new-found conversion to the Linux Realm. The problem seems to lie in the virtualization of the Linux OS under ESX 2.x. The process of virtualization creates issues with the system clock on the Linux box causing, in our case, a slow-down. In day we can lose more than an hour or 3+ minutes on 10.
Now, there is a fix. The real fix involves recompiling the kernel to watch the hardware clock, I'm not brave enough for that on the production server, so I took the quick-fix, the syncing of the clock to our time server. That's fine. It works, somewhat. The scheduled task runs at 4:01, 8:01,... 20:01 and it grabs the time from the time server and sets the system time and hardware clock from that. You see the problem, as it was originally, was that the guest OS (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) lost time against the vitual machine's BIOS. The entire machine is virtual and so it was keeping accurate time in the VM, but not under the guest OS. Well, about a week or so back, the VM lost sync with the HOST hardware and it hasn't recovered yet. So, what had worked, syncing with the hardware clock of the VM, now doesn't work so we're running this new script to get an "accurate" time from the time server.
But this isn't running well. The time-loss is so great that we, I, am just about ready to go back to a physical box. BTW: Our windows systems are having similar problems now, but that's not supposed to happen.
Okay, I've vented. I'm worried too. This reflects on our I.T. reputation and while I'd rather be Linux-free, The time to re-create this particular application is a nightmare. I do hope our VM vendor can find a solution soon.
Now, there is a fix. The real fix involves recompiling the kernel to watch the hardware clock, I'm not brave enough for that on the production server, so I took the quick-fix, the syncing of the clock to our time server. That's fine. It works, somewhat. The scheduled task runs at 4:01, 8:01,... 20:01 and it grabs the time from the time server and sets the system time and hardware clock from that. You see the problem, as it was originally, was that the guest OS (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) lost time against the vitual machine's BIOS. The entire machine is virtual and so it was keeping accurate time in the VM, but not under the guest OS. Well, about a week or so back, the VM lost sync with the HOST hardware and it hasn't recovered yet. So, what had worked, syncing with the hardware clock of the VM, now doesn't work so we're running this new script to get an "accurate" time from the time server.
But this isn't running well. The time-loss is so great that we, I, am just about ready to go back to a physical box. BTW: Our windows systems are having similar problems now, but that's not supposed to happen.
Okay, I've vented. I'm worried too. This reflects on our I.T. reputation and while I'd rather be Linux-free, The time to re-create this particular application is a nightmare. I do hope our VM vendor can find a solution soon.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Process & Change vs. Sarbanes-Oxley
Sarbanes-Oxley is meant to ensure companies are responsible to the shareholders and that checks and balances are in place to prevent fraud, etc. ITIL is meant to stabilize the IT organisation ensuring reportability and reliability.
I am a firm believer in process. I also have a decent respect for change management and the stability that adds to an organisation's infrastructure and applications. It seems that even though a number of organisations are experiencing a latex-gloved exposure to SOX, they're not learning about ITIL or understanding the impact of a mid-day change. The real problem it seems is that when a cowboy is in a management position, a technical manager, the risk is that they will implement at will. They will implement regardless of the rules and observed best practices of the organisation.
One such folley was the recent change to a corporate WAN that allowed all sites to see all other sites and the resulting traffic was such that at 9:30AM, the networks slowed to a crawl and the plethora of Active Directory servers started chattering. An unwise move to say the least.
It's this sort of hap-hazard management that should be eyed with concern.
A good business has several tools that ensures it functions well, people being the foundation of that. The people hired must embrace the tools and use them wisely to ensure business success with efficiency. The tools I am referrign to are Documentation, Processes, and Systems.
Systems are the hardware, and software that make up the means by which to run the business. This is a combination of infrastucture and applications that serve the staff in fulfilling thier duties and the reliability of these systems is critical. The Processes that are used by business are the standardized methods and manners in which the business is run. It is much like a how-to or manual, but any process that is not documented is prone to change and variance from the standard. This is why Documentation is the key to keeping all of this wrapped together and prevents or removes chance from any person, new or old, making an error because they failed to follow process.
Large-scale operations departments strive for excellence in maintaining systems by counting errors that occur when an operator follows a process. The count can be below 5 for a year in a well-run shop, but effective documentation can push this towards zero.
Processes are as much a path as a rule, but rules do need tuning. Just as in the Systems themselves Changes are welcomed when properly considered, often through a committee or Change Advisory Board (CAB). This is essential, and changes outside of the designated Change Window are only under break-fix or very special circumstances. This is defined well by ITIL, but in truth this is common sense. Those who object are likely developers or cowboys, but this is not meant to offend. A developer (web for example) is often expected to maintain a site and make changes daily, hourly, or more. While this is not signficant for content normally, for fundamental changes or business applications a Change Window helps ensure the application is available when it is needed and outages are planned in a timeframe to minimize the impact on the customer/business.
References:
ITIL, Sarbanes-Oxley Act
I am a firm believer in process. I also have a decent respect for change management and the stability that adds to an organisation's infrastructure and applications. It seems that even though a number of organisations are experiencing a latex-gloved exposure to SOX, they're not learning about ITIL or understanding the impact of a mid-day change. The real problem it seems is that when a cowboy is in a management position, a technical manager, the risk is that they will implement at will. They will implement regardless of the rules and observed best practices of the organisation.
One such folley was the recent change to a corporate WAN that allowed all sites to see all other sites and the resulting traffic was such that at 9:30AM, the networks slowed to a crawl and the plethora of Active Directory servers started chattering. An unwise move to say the least.
It's this sort of hap-hazard management that should be eyed with concern.
A good business has several tools that ensures it functions well, people being the foundation of that. The people hired must embrace the tools and use them wisely to ensure business success with efficiency. The tools I am referrign to are Documentation, Processes, and Systems.
Systems are the hardware, and software that make up the means by which to run the business. This is a combination of infrastucture and applications that serve the staff in fulfilling thier duties and the reliability of these systems is critical. The Processes that are used by business are the standardized methods and manners in which the business is run. It is much like a how-to or manual, but any process that is not documented is prone to change and variance from the standard. This is why Documentation is the key to keeping all of this wrapped together and prevents or removes chance from any person, new or old, making an error because they failed to follow process.
Large-scale operations departments strive for excellence in maintaining systems by counting errors that occur when an operator follows a process. The count can be below 5 for a year in a well-run shop, but effective documentation can push this towards zero.
Processes are as much a path as a rule, but rules do need tuning. Just as in the Systems themselves Changes are welcomed when properly considered, often through a committee or Change Advisory Board (CAB). This is essential, and changes outside of the designated Change Window are only under break-fix or very special circumstances. This is defined well by ITIL, but in truth this is common sense. Those who object are likely developers or cowboys, but this is not meant to offend. A developer (web for example) is often expected to maintain a site and make changes daily, hourly, or more. While this is not signficant for content normally, for fundamental changes or business applications a Change Window helps ensure the application is available when it is needed and outages are planned in a timeframe to minimize the impact on the customer/business.
References:
ITIL, Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Sunday, August 13, 2006
The Disposable Society
It is remarkable how much we throw away. Whether it's packaging for the products we buy, the weekly or semi-weekly newspaper that arrives at our door, the plethora of junk mail, or the technology we buy, the curse of disposable goods is unfathomable.
It's not so unfathomable if you take a drive towards Michigan, the endless line of trucks hauling Toronto's garbage is a legacy of waste and our disposible nature.
In many cases it's not the cost of the item that makes it disposible, it's the cost of the maintenance. How many of you have been dumbfounded by the cost of replacement cartridges for yout inkjet printer? The ink cartridges cost as much as the printers, if not more. The inkjet manufacturers don't want you to refill the cartridges because of sales, nozzle lifetimes, and/or degraded quality, but this would be the green thing to do would it not?
I recently retired a 10 year old inkjet for a new printer, the printer cost me $50, the ink will cost me $60 when I need to replentish it. Hmmm. The funny thing is I was after a $40 printer that had a ink replacement cost of $40, but it was sold out. We'll see how this goes but I want to stick with this printer for at least 5 years.
Sometimes it's the packaging for a product that creates a waste, all for the sake of presenting itself better to the consumer, that last silence bastion of marketing is discarded when the CD we bought for the anti-virus software is 10% of the entire package. Even the packaging around that kids toy is enough to make another toy out of.
When will this end?
We can even consider the groceries we buy and how they are packaged, I have recently started buying more selectively, smaller quanities in better packaging. I moved from throwing out 2-3 kitchen bags a week, to 1. ONE! FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE!
Admittedly there were other factors to the number of bags that went to the curb. I was living with a cat person. The newsprint-based kitty litter, and her manner of replacing and replentishing it, add 4-5 full kitchen-bags of waste to the mix. How is this better for the environment? Okay, the newpaper has a second use, but this is ridiculous!
I can keep a PC functional for a decade easy. I'm recycling a circa 1998 PC right now as a temporary replacement for a neighbour's PC that died due to faulty capacitors. It's not as fast but it'll do well for the moment. I'm reviving an even older PC for strict Internet (web) use too. Is this the answer? It is for now.
I have 2 more PCs to re-purpose. it's a tough sell, though one may end up an end table, that's still re-use and definately not land-fill.
REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE... Think!
It's not so unfathomable if you take a drive towards Michigan, the endless line of trucks hauling Toronto's garbage is a legacy of waste and our disposible nature.
In many cases it's not the cost of the item that makes it disposible, it's the cost of the maintenance. How many of you have been dumbfounded by the cost of replacement cartridges for yout inkjet printer? The ink cartridges cost as much as the printers, if not more. The inkjet manufacturers don't want you to refill the cartridges because of sales, nozzle lifetimes, and/or degraded quality, but this would be the green thing to do would it not?
I recently retired a 10 year old inkjet for a new printer, the printer cost me $50, the ink will cost me $60 when I need to replentish it. Hmmm. The funny thing is I was after a $40 printer that had a ink replacement cost of $40, but it was sold out. We'll see how this goes but I want to stick with this printer for at least 5 years.
Sometimes it's the packaging for a product that creates a waste, all for the sake of presenting itself better to the consumer, that last silence bastion of marketing is discarded when the CD we bought for the anti-virus software is 10% of the entire package. Even the packaging around that kids toy is enough to make another toy out of.
When will this end?
We can even consider the groceries we buy and how they are packaged, I have recently started buying more selectively, smaller quanities in better packaging. I moved from throwing out 2-3 kitchen bags a week, to 1. ONE! FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE!
Admittedly there were other factors to the number of bags that went to the curb. I was living with a cat person. The newsprint-based kitty litter, and her manner of replacing and replentishing it, add 4-5 full kitchen-bags of waste to the mix. How is this better for the environment? Okay, the newpaper has a second use, but this is ridiculous!
I can keep a PC functional for a decade easy. I'm recycling a circa 1998 PC right now as a temporary replacement for a neighbour's PC that died due to faulty capacitors. It's not as fast but it'll do well for the moment. I'm reviving an even older PC for strict Internet (web) use too. Is this the answer? It is for now.
I have 2 more PCs to re-purpose. it's a tough sell, though one may end up an end table, that's still re-use and definately not land-fill.
REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE... Think!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
I didn't say it was just, it is simply right.
"My view is that the gazillionaire monopolistic
Gates can afford to lose a bit for a little kid to get access
to a computer. But then, [this is] just my view."
Gates can afford to lose a bit for a little kid to get access
to a computer. But then, [this is] just my view."
These are the words of someone I know. I consider them a friend and while I'm happy to do work for them, the reality is that my position on piracy - that I won't contribute to it - could cost me a connection or an opportunity to earn a living.
The view portrayed by the words "gazillionaire monopolistic Gates" fails to recognise those that built, shipped, and supported the various releases of Microsoft Windows. Mr. Gates was the coach, but the players are very much deserving. I was once a player, my friends are still players and as a developer myself I'm getting a little sick of this "poor me" excuse for theft.
Another friend of mine pointed out to the developer community that Windows has given a good number of us jobs. Perhaps we need to look around at the other manners in which this "billionaire brat" has made the world a better place. I've met the man and while he is many things, I don't see a need to call him names. His is BillG, Mr. Gates, and yes, Mr. Windows. he also a person who made very smart moved in a capitalist framework and his company is being held up as a big evil empire. There is absolutely nothing evil about Microsoft, just the occational idiot who works there, and we all know idiots that work anywhere.
Window was nothing more than a blip on the radar in 1989, Windows/x86 was the thing you ran if you wanted to run Microsoft Office. It was just taking hold in the business world and the release of Windows 3.x was the turning point. I started at Microsoft the day before it launched and stayed for nearly 7 years. I look back at the growth of Windows, the applications, and the demands people have put on what has become a very strong and reliable Operating System. As much as the Linux biggots will scream at me for suggesting Windows is a stable OS, it is when you have a reliable piece of hardware and good software, you're set.
Okay, that argument aside, let's try this. Any of you people that feel that pirating Windows, or any software, is justified... RUN LINUX. Just try to do what you want to do in Linux. It is doable, no question, you might need to learn a whole host of other methods and technical crap to get things done, but if you want "free" then try it. Go run Linux! If you're non-technical, you'll be back.
I acknowledge that Linux is getting better, stronger for the desktop, and is a very good choice for the server-side of computing. It is still not "ideal" for the end-user. The validity of Linux is not my argument here, the argument is that people want software and don't want to pay. If you used this logic on hardware it would be called theft. What are you teaching your children if you buy them a computer with stolen software on it?
As for this friend of mine, she's made her point and while I'm normally forgiving, as she's decided to ask for someone else's help, someone with less integrity and more willingness to help her break the law. I think this is the point at which I turn the other cheek and walk the other way. I wonder if she'll ever understand, I hope she does. As for my business relationship with her, that's done.
She is not the only person to say this. She is one of many people I know that are willfully pirating software, movies, and music for the simple reason of want. She wants to install Windows 2000 on her son's new computer, it has no OS. His loss is not the use of a computer, he has another. He's losing access to a system he can PLAY GAMES ON! Frankly if you can't afford the gas, don't buy the car!
The view portrayed by the words "gazillionaire monopolistic Gates" fails to recognise those that built, shipped, and supported the various releases of Microsoft Windows. Mr. Gates was the coach, but the players are very much deserving. I was once a player, my friends are still players and as a developer myself I'm getting a little sick of this "poor me" excuse for theft.
Another friend of mine pointed out to the developer community that Windows has given a good number of us jobs. Perhaps we need to look around at the other manners in which this "billionaire brat" has made the world a better place. I've met the man and while he is many things, I don't see a need to call him names. His is BillG, Mr. Gates, and yes, Mr. Windows. he also a person who made very smart moved in a capitalist framework and his company is being held up as a big evil empire. There is absolutely nothing evil about Microsoft, just the occational idiot who works there, and we all know idiots that work anywhere.
Window was nothing more than a blip on the radar in 1989, Windows/x86 was the thing you ran if you wanted to run Microsoft Office. It was just taking hold in the business world and the release of Windows 3.x was the turning point. I started at Microsoft the day before it launched and stayed for nearly 7 years. I look back at the growth of Windows, the applications, and the demands people have put on what has become a very strong and reliable Operating System. As much as the Linux biggots will scream at me for suggesting Windows is a stable OS, it is when you have a reliable piece of hardware and good software, you're set.
Okay, that argument aside, let's try this. Any of you people that feel that pirating Windows, or any software, is justified... RUN LINUX. Just try to do what you want to do in Linux. It is doable, no question, you might need to learn a whole host of other methods and technical crap to get things done, but if you want "free" then try it. Go run Linux! If you're non-technical, you'll be back.
I acknowledge that Linux is getting better, stronger for the desktop, and is a very good choice for the server-side of computing. It is still not "ideal" for the end-user. The validity of Linux is not my argument here, the argument is that people want software and don't want to pay. If you used this logic on hardware it would be called theft. What are you teaching your children if you buy them a computer with stolen software on it?
As for this friend of mine, she's made her point and while I'm normally forgiving, as she's decided to ask for someone else's help, someone with less integrity and more willingness to help her break the law. I think this is the point at which I turn the other cheek and walk the other way. I wonder if she'll ever understand, I hope she does. As for my business relationship with her, that's done.
She is not the only person to say this. She is one of many people I know that are willfully pirating software, movies, and music for the simple reason of want. She wants to install Windows 2000 on her son's new computer, it has no OS. His loss is not the use of a computer, he has another. He's losing access to a system he can PLAY GAMES ON! Frankly if you can't afford the gas, don't buy the car!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Mac vs. PC, the ongoing battle.
While I'm not adverse to the use and proliferation of the Apple Macintosh, the recent flurry of ads are reminicent of the Pepsi vs. Coke ads we've grown to... well... they just are. I am NOT a fan of confrontational "We're better than you, because you suck" advertising.
Apple's accusations are false or at least biased in their portrayal of the Windows-based PC. They downplay the capabilities that Windows has had for a very long time. They try to hold onto their known skills, neglecting their new found skills in being asymulated onto the Intel processor. The OS is solid and they do have a very clear style in both the exterior and the OS, though Windows is comparable.
There's no reason not to buy a Windows PC. However, there are deminishing reasons why you may not want to buy a Macintosh. For kids, there are fewer "natively Mac" games, while there are methods to get the newest Macs to run Windows, this is much more effort than simply buying a Windows PC. The foray these machines have owned is graphic arts, video, and music. They still own this, though the Windows platform is progessing nicely. Windows Movie maker is a decent application, though I'm a bigger fan of Quicktime Pro for Windows when it comes to quality, even on the competing platform.
Apple's accusations are false or at least biased in their portrayal of the Windows-based PC. They downplay the capabilities that Windows has had for a very long time. They try to hold onto their known skills, neglecting their new found skills in being asymulated onto the Intel processor. The OS is solid and they do have a very clear style in both the exterior and the OS, though Windows is comparable.
There's no reason not to buy a Windows PC. However, there are deminishing reasons why you may not want to buy a Macintosh. For kids, there are fewer "natively Mac" games, while there are methods to get the newest Macs to run Windows, this is much more effort than simply buying a Windows PC. The foray these machines have owned is graphic arts, video, and music. They still own this, though the Windows platform is progessing nicely. Windows Movie maker is a decent application, though I'm a bigger fan of Quicktime Pro for Windows when it comes to quality, even on the competing platform.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)