Poison Dart

Today was my third day working on the so called new projects. I am finding it a little difficult to adjust to both new working practises and learn a new programming language. The trouble is just at a time when I want to prove myself, I am forced to work a lot slower because I am ploughing into uncharted territory. I often the same when I start something new, at first there is a sense of fun because its new different and therefore interesting. Then I start to realise that all the tricks I have built up need to be relearned, modified or even forgotten to achieve anything new (so downside if the so called paradigm shift). Therefore it takes forever to do a simple task the new way. Actually that is not quiet correct, I usually find some things are more simple others more complex. In time I am sure I will grow to understand and work more productively but for now I am getting steadily more frustrated by a lack of progress. My second problem s slightly more serious, I have been pretty much left to my own devices, somehow I am supposed to get to a point where I will be able to support a piece of software which I currently have only limited access to. I feel a little bit at sea, I am not sure how to proceed. For the moment I have a task I can plough ahead with. At least to an extent without being an expert on the other software.

Due to all this work related frustration my mood was not the greatest. I had arranged to meet Martina for dinner so she could show me her accommodation, and so she could blag a lift home from Northern Moor. Fortunately she is a reasonable (if vegetarian) cook. We listened to Radiohead radio 1 take over, which was mostly good though I wasn't a fan of at least some of Thom's choices. Her new abode is very nice, a room in a detached house in Bramhall.
I took home a huge pile of CD I have been instructed to listen too, its going to take me the a while to work though them. At least its something to do while constructing my property searches.

Some Might Say

I went to see the mortgage advisor tonight, it was a very depressing meeting totting up where I spent my money (mostly on going out and holidays) then being given the hard sell on a range of insurance products. I began to wonder whether I can actually afford to have any sort of life, I suppose I will just have to change my habits at least for a few years until.
It's all very depressing but the old I get and the more used to my lifestyle the hard the sacrifice will be so I suppose I really need to make the jump now.
The trouble is with all the goings on and work recently I have really lost touch with property searches, I will have to start afresh later this week.
I have Japanese class tomorrow, I haven't looked at my books for a while, I tried tonight but I felt too tired to take it all in. I hope its not too tricky a lesson tomorrow!

Boxbackup

For a long while I have pondered and tried to find an elegant way to backup my co-located server. I tried and failed with Amanda and several home-brew scripts. I finally stumbled across boxbackup.
Boxbackup is a multi platform network backup device. One system acts a a server to which clients (windows mac linux bsd) can connect to and backup files.
Boxbackup uses libsync (think rsync) to only synchronise files that have changed. Also because there is both a server and client agent its should be more efficient than rsync alone.
Security is assured through the use of Tsig certificates. Certificates are used to encrypt the data transmission and secure files as they are transferred.

Server Setup

There are Debian packages available here Download
wget http://www.backports.org/debian/pool/main/b/boxbackup/boxbackup-server_0.10-1~bpo.1_i386.deb
then install
dpkg -i boxbackup-server_0.10-1~bpo.1_i386.deb
The debian installer didnt work out very well for me so I manually ran. Replace server1.example.tld with the name of your server.
bbstored-config /etc/boxbackup server1.example.tld bbstored
Change directory
cd /etc/boxbackup/bbstored
Create a certificate authority
bbstored-certs ca init
Sign the server key
bbstored-certs ca sign-server server1.example.tld-csr.pem
copy the certificates into the bbstored directory
cp ca/servers/server1.example.tld-cert.pem .
copy the server cert
ca/roots/clientCA.pem .
My server is behind a NAT firewall so I had to open port 2100 and edit /etc/boxbackup/bbstored.conf from
ListenAddresses = inet:server1.example.tld
to
ListenAddresses = inet:10.0.0.254
Create a client account, each client is identified with a unique hex code 75AB59D
bbstoreaccounts create 75AB59D 0 20480M 20480M
The numbers with M following are the soft and hard limits for the amount of space on the server to allow for backups.
Start the server
/etc/init.d/boxbackup-server start

Client Setup

Log into the client computer, download boxbackup-client
wget http://www.backports.org/debian/pool/main/b/boxbackup/boxbackup-client_0.10-1~bpo.1_i386.deb

and install
dpkg -i boxbackup-client_0.10-1~bpo.1_i386.deb
You will be prompted to let Debian guide you, it didn't work for me. Change to the boxconfig directory
cd /etc/boxbackup/bbackupd
and run the config generator
bbackupd-config /etc/boxbackup/ lazy 75AB59D server1.example.tld /var/bbackupd /home /var/www

The final entries are the directories to backup.
Copy 75AB59D-csr.pem to the main server /etc/boxbackup/bbstored/ and sign with your server certificate.
bbstored-certs ca sign 75AB59D-csr.pem
This will create 2 files ca/roots/serverCA.pem and ca/ clients/75AB59D-cert.pem. Copy these to the client in /etc/boxbackup/bbackupd/
Start the client
/etc/init.d/boxbackup-client start
Check its running
grep bb /var/log/syslog
You should see something like

Jan 14 22:53:54 client bbackupd[3540]: Starting daemon (config: /etc/boxbackup/bbackupd.conf) (version 0.10)
Jan 14 22:53:55 client bbackupd[3540]: Beginning scan of local files
Jan 14 22:53:55 beta bbackupd[3540]: Opening connection to server server1.example.tld...
Jan 14 22:53:56 beta bbackupd[3540]: Connection made, login successful

Good Luck!

Planet Telex

I woke up coughing this morning felt really awful, the boozing last night only served to further dent my immune system.
I eventually managed to drink enough fluids to rehydrate myself and get back on track.
Endo had invited me around to his place. He and Jo have been living there for a while but he has been busy redecorating. Apparently I missed the worse of the chaos. Having left Wilmslow they now live near Warrington, so it was just a 30 minute blast down the M56 (and some weird little roads thank goodness for GPS) and I arrived in the Cul-de-sac they now call home. I must admit I was impressed with his handy work its going to look ace when its done. The 46 inch plasma fitted to the wall and all the associated gear tucked away under the stairs. He did have a bit of an issue though we hung the tv turned it on and attempted to change the channel then realised the magic eye was hidden behind the panel he just cemented into place. He had to act as a human remote control.
We chatted and played some Unreal 3, Jo made dinner a really tasty prawn curry. She asked if I liked hot food and I replied yes. Little did I realise this meant I would be eating whole raw chillies it was a bit of a surprise nearly taking my head off. Still very tasty meal.
I left after nine and was going to have an early night, but I got a message from Ian he and Nick were in the Thieves neck so I joined them for last orders. Nick looked dreadful apparently has been struck down with the vomiting bug and only just recovered. I thought he was supposed to be in Thailand with Brie, but from the sounds of it things had taken a turn for the worst. Both he and Ian were celebrating being single. Apparently Ian briefly refreshed his carnal relations with one of his ex's he decided not to continue, a wise move I feel. From my own experiences it never really worked out going over the same ground again, its better to lok forward rather than back, YMMV.

Ever decreasing circles

I had to work today, it was pretty frustrating not least because the work I was doing didnt go very well. After all the travelling and feeling Ill I felt very unhappy. Fortunately I had a very good evening to look forward to. It was her birthday, though in her words her ages is decreasing each year now ;)
She had arranged a table at the Alderley Edge bar and grill for 9.30, but we arrived around 8.30 to grab a few drinks beforehand. The place was absolutely packed, we had a fight on to get to the bar. Including one really rude guy who simply refused to move. Fortunately and despite pulling his neck during his grading Phil found a way to circumvent him. Unfortunately his behaviour foreshadowed the night ahead.
Joining us were Bruce, Nina, Michelle, and several girls from the stables. The stable girls arrived, in a big group with a few extra boyfriends and random people tagging a long, giving how busy the bar and grill was this meant no chance of us all getting a seat. There was some stressing and they they all disappeared. I though it was a pretty poor thing to do turn up on mass then all go leaving in the end 4 spare seats. They said they were going to eat at Est Est Est across the road where they would meet us later. By the time we got there they had left.
We stood in the doorway of the bar and grill waiting as people arrived feeling squashed but enjoying a drink and a chat. Some acquaintance of Becky's called Joe arrived, he just popped in for a drink, and I think to meet Christian. He was interesting to chat to.
When we finally got out table, with the 4 empty seats on the end we ordered. The menu was a mix of dishes I had Thai fish cake to start and Malayan Style Chicken for a main. The service was truly appalling, we had to almost beg to get drinks the time between courses was shockingly long, they forgot part of Becky's meal and the waiters ignored us when I was trying to attract their attention, even ignoring me shouting at them when they were stood only a few feet away.. They added 10% service charge to the bill but we decided there was no way we would pay it. It was a shame really as the actual food was really good.
After the meal Bruce and Nina left but we headed to Est Est Est for a few more drinks and to mingle with the others. Things worked out slightly differently though, the girls from the stables had already left us to it and Becky's boyfriend the infamous Christians similarly failed to make an appearance. Having already decided to skip the meal and go out with his friends by the time we finished out meal he had disappeared to Stoke. Apparently he invited Becky but she didn't seem in the mood to travel there. Personally I thought it was pretty harsh for him to avoid her birthday.
I had a really good evening and she seemed to very much enjoy herself so that was the main thing. She got a few nice presents ate some good food and drank with friend, that is about as much as you can hope for really. There are some pictures available online here.
I have decided against making Alderley Edge a regular spot though. This might sound like sour grapes but I met an awful lot of people I disliked intently. I guess the affluence makes people used to getting their own way, both the bar and grill and Est Est Est were full of arrogant people. I realise making and having money is nice but do you really have to act like so arrogantly?

Granite

It took me over 6 hours to get back from Essex, journeying though the driving rain at times so bad it was difficult to the road. The worst part of the journey though was the final part down the M6 I had only 3 junctions to go but the traffic virtually stopped moving meaning a few miles took over an hour. I felt incredibly drained by it all and was really glad to arrive home.
Having had only a limited connection to the internet during the week I had a lot of Facebook pokes, messages and email (mostly junk) to catch up on. One of my Facebook messages was rather intriguing, an old acquaintance contacted me to say shes now working nearby to me. I think it will be very interesting to meet up, and always nice to renew old friendships.

Away inBasivegas

Due to some work commitments I am spending the majority of this week in Essex. They have put me in a travel lodge (every expense spared!) and I cant be bothered shelling out the exorbitant prices for without net access most of this week.

Ski Photos

Photos from skiing

Apple Mail Bug

I tried to open Mail on my Powerbook earlier and it imediatly errored telling me that I had run out of space in my home directory. This was clearly rubbish as finder showed I had 15GB of free space.
After googling a bit I found out that if you delete "Home/Library/Mail/Envelope Index" and open mail it automatically rebuilds the mail index, and fixes the problem.

Vodafone suck!

I have been full of a cold today, so I stayed at home in the warm and had a play around with a few things. I found out that my phone has some interesting applications. Including the ability to upload photos directly to the Flickr photo sharing page. I spent about 3 hours messing with my phone trying to get the photos I took to be uploaded directly to my blog. I tried lots of different settings but only after searching Flickrs N-Series site did I find that Vodafone block Flickr. They don't make that fact clear, even leaving behind the options to set up an account, unfortunately the communication always fails. I tried directly browsing on the mobile internet and couldn't get to http://www.flickr.com either. I finally realised I have been messing about trying to make it work in vain, very frustrating!

Big brother is watching you

I just caught this wired article and it confirmed what I have felt for a long time.

New Year

Thanks to the last minute trip to the Alps I hadn't managed to arrange anything to celebrate New Years eve. I spoke to a few people who had various plans, Paul invited me to London, Ian was already on his way. To be honest after all the travelling for skiing I didn't fancy it. I spoke to Jo B he was going round to his neighbours for a house party. Bruce and Nina were off out for a meal, Nick and Brie were away, Becky was busy so for a while I was thinking I would spend the night at home.

Fortunately Andy G saved me, inviting Phil and I to join him and Emily at their flat. We reasoned that it wasn't worth paying the New Years Eve tax to go out. Given that the infamous 5th Avenue wanted £15 for entry we decided to stay at the flat. Watched Jool's Holland, there were some good acts, Paul McCartney and Kyle were good, as was Kate Nash.

As the last few minutes of 2007 drained away we moved out onto the balcony. Andy's apartment is right in the heart of the city, so we were able to watch the fireworks exploding in nearly every direction. Someone was even firing rockets from the roof of the building opposite. We watched one rocket arc lazily exploding midway down the structure. Emily brought out some sparklers which we lit and played with as the firework displays burned themselves out.

We moved inside once the displays had finished we played on the Wii, drank beer and eat snacks. It was a fun evening, I enjoyed the company, the banter and atmosphere was nice and relaxed. After the partying in Deux Alps it was nice to relax. We played Guitar Hero and Wario Ware, both games were really fun. Wario Ware is load of little mini games, its pretty surreal especially the "Form Baton" descriptions.

It'ts not really cold but raining here, a grey day in Manchester. Not the most promising start to the year, I suppose it is winter though. Phil and I stayed at the flat in sleeping bags. We started the day by making a huge fry up, just the ticket to absorbed all of the Budweiser consumed in last nights celebrations. After that we had a go on the Wii, trying out Trauma centre. Its a bit of a weird game, very Japanese you get to try your hand at being a doctor.

Ski trip

I got home from Le Deux Alps about 8 last night. It was an amazing trip, full of fun food and ski.

Forever delayed

This has been a busy week, it all started at when at 4am on the 22nd December. My alarm woke me up to leave the house. Phil and his family wanted to arrive 3 hours ahead of time. I decided 2 hours was good enough (as indicated on the Manchester Airports website at least). Unfortunately my gamble for an extra hours sleep somewhat backfired on me. This was the busiest day of the year to fly and Thomas Cook staff weren't very good at keeping the queues down. It me 1 hour 10 minutes to check in then I joined the back of the queue for the security desk. I stretched across the airport from T1 departures nearly into T3. I had never seen anything like it and was convinced I wouldn't make the flight. Fortunately the airport staff dragged me out of the queue and I got into the fast lane. Once I was through security I literally ran across the airport to the gate. I walked on-board the aircraft 10 minutes before the scheduled take off, I shouldn't have bothered running. Thanks to fog in Lyon and the delays at Manchester we sat on the tarmac for an hour before take off.
There was a two and a half hour coach trip from Lyon to Deux Alps, the final hour of which was all uphill winding our way into the mountains. The coach rose though a series of hairpin bends, the bends were numbered!

Hogworts

Phil's family and Jules were staying in a hotel which was situated right at the bottom of the nursery slopes. Unfortunately there wasn't room for Phil and I, we were staying in a chalet about half a mile away. Unfortunately for us most of the distance was uphill. The chalet was located at the top of 5 flights of stairs. One of the reps at the hotel kindly gave us a lift up there (we would have really struggled with our bags otherwise) called the place Hogwarts because of the strange pointy roof. Apart from its position the chalet itself was actually quiet a nice place, it was designed to hold upto six people so felt pretty spacious with just Phil and I.

Ski Lessons

As neither myself Jules or Phil's mother hadn't skied for a while, we enrolled into ski school as level 1. Level 1 is not total beginners but not far off, for people who actually know how to put on their skis. I was amazed by how quickly the skills start to come back with a bit of tuition. Despite starting on the green nursery slopes (and falling over at lot) by the end of the week I was getting pretty good, god enough to have successfully (IE I didn't fall over) tackled a couple of Red runs.

Apres Ski

After about 4pm the light started to fail, the temperature dropped as the slopes moved into shadow at this point we were usually pretty tired having skied for most of the day so it was time to head back to the hotel. Ski resorts are out of the way places, up the top of a hill the only people there are people who want to sky or people who work looking after the skiers. Deux Alps is no exception; after skiing he only other thing to do is go for a drink or two, the so called Apres Ski. There were a few good bars in the town, Polar Bar (with its alpine pine panels and fireplace) the secret smithy's and club Avalanche. Phil and I went out most nights and visited most of the bars and clubs, I recommend avoiding French clubs they are stupidly expensive on drinks and entry. We actually made it into Avalanche for free after following onto a Neilson pub crawl.
Overall a really top holiday, I cannot thanks Phil's parents enough for inviting me it was an amazing trip.

Who's advice should I take?

 

Martina bought me these guys for Christmas, I think they are fantastic :-)

Snowman

Snowman, originally uploaded by j0hncooke.

17:44 22 December 2007 22122007031 Phils sister Tina and her Ozzy boyfriend Jonny built this snowman outside their chalet

Old School - Gypsy's Playground

Intro to old school

Medication X

Took this on my camera phone as my cameras memory card was full.

How Cold!

Phil and I went to the unicorn tonight, it was a pretty cold evening we were both wearing our sky jackets and on walking out of the unicorn it was a good job because according to Phil's car it was minus 40C the average temperature for Antartica at this time of year!

Wonder

I went to John Lewis to do more shopping today, bought the all important thermal underwear, just the job for skiing.
I also went to meet a mortgage adviser, something I kind of promised I wouldn't do but gave in to pressure from the estate agent. It actually wasn't entirely unhelpful looking into budgeting and costings was helpful. I am still going to shop around for deals nothing is binding. I certainly would think twice about using the in house legal services. One thing that was very strange was watching the adviser interact with the computer system. It was very similar to ours only as a windows application rather than all command line. It asked a lot of the same questions and even had some of the same foibles though.

This evening was very dull no-one was about about so i stayed home sorted out my accounts for Server room and watched some Dexter.