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Tag: Personal

On Being Busy

Published by NiteMayr on May 17, 2011

It’s been too long; I’ve been so busy.  I guess I’ll recap what I’ve done in these two years plus.

 

  1. Fixed over 100 incorrectly configured linux boxes so that they would actually send their admin the output of the logwatch command.
  2. Reconfigured the same to use ClamAV correctly and with consistent settings instead of the hodge-podge that they were.
  3. Built a custom monitor for a series of servers that allowed non-techs to determine if the servers in question were up or down.  I’d come back to this
  4. Built a scripted installer for a 21 server farm, taking a 10-20 minute process down to a single command line. I’d come back to this too.
  5. Fixed the log backup system that had been in place for months.  It’s still there now, but it needs to change.
  6. Got really into replacing complex manual functions with Bash scripts.
  7. Built the data import system for a whole client.  SUPER complex and modular, didn’t use most of the code anywhere else save for the functions method.
  8. Got to know cron really well.
  9. Got to know ssh -t “command” really well
  10. Got lost in the weeds of random apps for random functions, the environment was becoming to large and entrenched to be managed remotely via a central console.
  11. Built an extensible console for managing the environment in part.
  12. Build Cache flushing tools
  13. Learned how to compile bash apps at the command line using shc http://www.datsi.fi.upm.es/~frosal/sources/shc.html
  14. This gave birth to a number of cool tools, remote fail-over tools that interacted with Cisco devices for example.
  15. The Web Console built earlier evolved and got better and better.
  16. Built automated localized monitors that could restart hung applications before remote monitors could catch the outage.
  17. Built automated localized monitors that could restart hung applications and NOT cause two systems to restart simultaneously.
  18. Installed DD-WRT a few times, lots of fun.
  19. Gave up some weekends
  20. Gave up some sleep
  21. Gave up Family Time
  22. Gave up Long Weekends
  23. Built a custom log handler for Apache logs, produced delightful daily csv from an environment, imported this into MySQL and created views to deal with that.
  24. Tried to hit the gym
  25. Got too busy for the gym.
  26. Trained up a replacement.
  27. Left things running okay.

 

Busy Days, Sleepy Evenings

Published by NiteMayr on November 24, 2008

Sleeping Cats

Sleepy Cats – By NiteMayr

I started a new Job last week and am finding the transition to a work day that is mostly full to be exciting especially after the past few weeks of fairly empty days.  As a result my evenings feel kind of unfulfilled as I don’t get anything done (save cooking dinner or watching a movie).  Additionally; the blog has been getting some work done, but no actual writing.

We’ll see how things come out after I start working late nights in a few weeks.

Bathgate 2.0

Published by NiteMayr on October 24, 2008
cafe
Cafe in Bathgate, Scotland by Sarchi

This is the “Main Street” leading up “the hill” into the proper Downtown or Precinct of Bathgate (West Lothian, Scotland).  The White Building at the end there is (perhaps former) Masonic Lodge Bar.  The “Kurry King” wasn’t there the last time I was in Bathgate (I think Thomas Cook was) and of course, There are three Internet related stores right there.  Crazy.  When I was last in the UK, the only PC I had access to had an amber screen and these odd “solid state” disks that had motors in them.

That was over 15 years ago now.

Wow.

I think I should start saving for a trip; if only so that my Daughter can see Scotland before she’s too old to see it like a Kid.

Old Content is Old

Published by NiteMayr on June 18, 2008

I spent a few hours yesterday converting old VOX posts into WordPress Posts.  These posts were also propagated to my LJ and all over my social map.  Sorry guys.

Some of the old posts have images that work, some do not.  I’ll update them as needed with original flickr content.

I skipped over a bunch of content in favor of leaving it on LJ.  So don’t expect reposts of anything that came from me between June 2007 and June 2008.  I also left out a number of QOTD posts from vox as they didn’t really say anything about me.

In total, I added nearly 100 new posts to this blog and tagged a them all with “vox” (afaik) so if you are new to my blog(s) or just want to stalk me a bit more effectivley, go ahead and look through my archives.

Thanks for visiting!

Dreaming about the "Normal Life"

Published by NiteMayr on February 18, 2004

Over the past few days I’ve had semi recurring dreams about what I’d have to describe as normal life stuff. You know going to work, driving a car visiting friends. These are sprinkled with light dreamstuff, like toys that eat each other or semiautomatic cars. Yet, the principal themes appear to be just ordinary everyday life occurrences.

The only really odd deal was in one dream I was fighting a toy pillow that had come to life and had began to construct a plastic army of robot toys made from the flesh or Barbie dolls (bleached and hardened) and last night I was working in a radio station along with a troupe of kids straight from the pages of Newsboy Legion.

The common themes of most of the last few night’s dreams has been an overwhelming number of dreams about moving home to Ontario, which I’m sure will be put aside by a visit home sometime in the next few months.

Playing Now: Fine Young Cannibals – I’m Not Satisfied

Lack of Writers forces Webmaster to Speak

Published by NiteMayr on September 9, 2002

After a long, long long delay in posting my next daring missive I’ve returned to put down my latest words on digital paper. As some of you may or may not know the Real World does exist and is not a fairy tale created by llamas who want to stop playing CounterStrike.

Sadly the real world (and not just the one one MTV) has rules, and one of those is that the ethereal world that is the Internet is fueled not just by fark and slashdot, but by money too. So, I, the webmaster, need to focus on my job as well as my website. Sad isn’t it?

And so I present, the Top Ten Reasons why webmasters neglect their Websites:

10. Pure Laziness, too busy stuffing our mouths with Mountain Dew and Cheetos!

9. Three Words, Never Winter Nights (I know it is normally two words)

8. Beer, and its buddy Liquor.

7. See number 8 and Repeat.

6. Locked up in a Tape Closet.

5. Stupid IE 6 Security Patches!!!

4. The Terrorists stole my keyboard. Or was it Swiper the Fox?

3. Innumerable showings of Star Wars Episode 2 or Spiderman, pick your poison.

2. That last peice of news about Natalie Portman, you know the one.

1. Grand Theft Auto 3.