I have a terrible method for collecting all of the little tips and tricks I use at work.
The method is this: I’ll mention that I did a cool thing on my work log.
Thats it. No standard tips and tricks wiki page, or github gists, nothing.
So, here they are
FreeBSD PKG Query When we upgrade systems from 9 to 10, part of that step is to ensure all packages have been upgraded. Read More...
I’m pretty happy with the Bacula environment I’ve created.
It has gone through a few iterations, and I’ve learned a lot since I started using it a few years ago. I think its only appropriate to share the evolution of my environment with as many people as possible, and I hope it can help save new bacula administrators some time.
Enough of the preamble, here is my github project page: https://github. Read More...
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Well, after about 9 and a half years with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 11⁄09 was my last day. Now, I wasn’t the only admin besides Jenny (thats the aquilino1@llnl.gov email you see there), but she was my closest friend and peer while I was there. There was a little poetic license there, but it was accurate.
It is hard to quantify the emotions about leaving LLNL. I do not know if I have the appropriate words to describe the feeling. Read More...
For a few reasons, I decided to go through the City of Antioch’s Type I crime reports (available here: http://www.ci.antioch.ca.us/citygov/police/crime-maps/crime-maps.htm).
The City only publishes this as a PDF image, comparing the year selected, and the previous year. It also only goes back to 2005.
To help view this as a possible trend, and not just a snapshot in time, I typed up all of them in Google Docs - City of Antioch Crime Stats Read More...
It has been 2 years since I’ve regularly practiced Wushu. The last class I attended was around Christmas 2009 when I took Caralyne, but I had stopped around early June of 2009 when most of the class left for China.
Over the past year, my conscious mind has told me it really enjoys just going to work, and then back home, with no interruptions. It has told me that I’m not young enough, or good enough to continue with martial arts, and I might as well accept that and embrace my more passive hobbies. Read More...
HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc000e48000-1-HBHB Amazon recently announced their Cloud Drive, and I feel it is interesting for the following reasons:
The ability to play the same music from my phone, my computer at work, my computer at home is pretty cool Everyone gets 5GB of space for free, and you can pay for more When you purchase (DRM free) mp3’s from Amazon, it does not count against your Cloud Drive storage The player is web based, and the tools to download purchased music are usable on Windows, OS X and Linux So, I uploaded some music, bought two songs from the comfort of my phone to play around with it. Read More...
Hey Dad, lets chat.
We’ve spent a good amount of time traveling in either a car or a big rig, listening to music. I remember waking up at 4am during my summer vacation so I could accompany you to help deliver lots and lots of boxes to U-Hauls around California. Or, our trips to Santa Cruz/Mission Springs, (despite the fact that you maliciously left the AC off for the entire trip just so we would really appreciate that cool Mision Springs air :) ), it was always a lot of fun and I really expanded my musical palette. Read More...
I guess I missed writing about last years Christmas in February. I’ll have to try and make up for it right now.
First off though, we didn’t charge the battery for our nice camera. We were not prepared at all this year. So, the nice family portrait was not taken by us this year, and I don’t have a copy.
Here is the other part of my lack of preparedness… I sort of forgot to tell Michele that this was the weekend we were going to my Dads. Read More...
Amnesia is a great horror game, and one of the most immersive games I have played. It has a dark HP Lovecraft inspired story that you, the protagonist Daniel discovery throughout the game through flashbacks and diary notes.
The game starts off with you, Daniel, waking up in a Prussian castle with a note along the lines of,
“Hello me, I took something to make me forget the terrible things that have happened. Read More...
We took a trip to the Children’s Museum in San Jose. It was sort of like the on in Portland, but not as nice. It would have been a lot nicer if you could get in the vehicles and do something with all the knobs and buttons. They also had a horse drawn buggy, with a big sign that said “Please do not climb”. Seems a bit off, like a “keep off the grass” sign at a playground. Read More...
It feels odd to read a children’s book, but it was very engrossing and a fun light read. I blew right through it though, partially because I didn’t want to put it down, and also because even for a 300 page book, the font and text padding was larger than normal.
Oh sure, I felt like a literary machine, reading 100+ pages in one sitting. Combine that with a nice cute story where there are no hard moral choices, a clearly evil bad guy, and no big words… reading hasn’t been easier since I read an X-Men comic! Read More...
As I’ve mentioned many times, I’m a big Pink Floyd fan. The Wall was the first DVD I bought, and pretty much the reason WHY I got a DVD player in the first place :)
I’ve always been sore that the band broke up before I ever had a chance. Seeing this live though, that really made me feel like I really got to see what it might have been like. Read More...
My truck has been leaking power steering fluid for a while. An irresponsibly long while…
A few months back I told my Step Dad (“Big Mike”) about it, so he briefly took a look then recommended that I go ahead and pick up the pressurized hose, and the return line.
Fast forward 6 months, and I finally got them ordered. It took 2 days to get them in. Why it took me so long to do that, I still cannot figure out. Read More...
It was inevitable. Once I started playing the guitar again, it really was only a matter of time until I would want another one. Are we not all surprised it took me this long? I’m a geek, I love the hardware as much as the actual sound it makes. I honestly almost feel guilty, I’m not a real musician with gigs and a fan-base. Sometimes I just look at my Fender, knowing it is awesome enough to have lived the life of a true instrument. Read More...
I’ve been a big fan of Marc Maron for a while, since I heard his “Not Sold Out” album, and I’ve been a happy WTFPod listener as well. Okay, I won’t down play this.. Marc Maron is possibly my favorite comedian. Imagine that, I identify with a insecure, needy, narcissistic, neurotic, head-case who has cats. I’m one step away from apologizing out of anger just for admitting that.
The last two times he’s had a show in SF, I found out too late and was not able to make it. Read More...
I love the BSD community. How cool is it to have developers and end users from the various BSD projects in one location, there to talk about the various cool projects and technical challenges that face us now.
Cool I tell you!
Chris, Corrigan and I went to Google in 2008 for MeetBSD. We had a great time, so when I saw the announcement earlier this year for MeetBSD 2010, I rallied the troops. Read More...
If you want to refresh your memory of why Rose Peak is my Moby-Dick, you can (re-)read last years post. In short, I didn’t make it to the top.
I’ll hold you in suspense no longer, I made it to the top, and back down, without any physical issues like cramping. The hike was in fact, very pleasent, and it rained on us but it was nice.
Last year’s experience was a really good learning experience, and it made me a lot more aware of the warning signs of fatigue. Read More...
A man awakes to find himself lying by the side of a desolate country road. As he regains his bearings, he discovers that he has no memory of who he is or how he came to be there. As he stumbles about unsure of himself, a genie appears beside him and says “What is your third wish, master?”
Confused, the man asks “Who are you and why can’t I remember anything? Read More...
HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc000770f00-1-HBHB Radio Lab had an episode on Buke and Gass dubbed ‘The Loudest Miniature Fuzz’. I was so intrigued by that episode, and the music, that I did some googling. What I found was their tour schedule, so I asked Michele if she would be up for seeing a little indie duo (on a Monday night no less).
I think this was the first time I went to a small venue to see a band. Read More...
I was at my parents this weekend, and my Step Dad found it hilarious to look through a large box of old photos. We had a few good laughs and he gave me a few of the to keep for myself.
HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc000ea6000-1-HBHB My Aussie Buddy wearing the underwear he chewed up
HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc000ea6000-2-HBHB The humiliation continues…
HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc000ea6000-3-HBHB Me and Buddy hanging out on the front lawn. I think our manes look alike. Read More...
Friday was the first class where I really sparred. It was the first class where I was punched and kicked, repeatedly, in the head. It was about what I expected. It didn’t hurt, and I had a fun time doing it, though there are some lasting effects.
I did feel a little out of it for a while, and that was a combination of many things. First off, I got hit pretty hard a few times, and Juan (one of the coaches) gladly landed a well placed kick to my head. Read More...
I did sort of thrown down the gauntlet with one of my previous posts.
Dad, I no longer doubt that you truly are my biggest fan :)
Livermore is probably a tie between myself and Jenny, but mostly me because I might check out a post from work… daily…
I like the check out Google analytics to see how this website is “useful” to the internet. Let me tell you, the internet is not at all interested in how your wonderful author, Mike Carlson, is doing. The internet is interested in how FreeBSD is doing:
HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc001011400-1-HBHB I guess no one Google’s for Mike Carlson… kicks dirt
What is even more interesting is that most of my visits come from other countries: Check that out, folks in Barcelona and Moscow check out this site more than my Dad does in Lodi ( come on Dad, I thought you were a fan? Read More...
One of the unspoken rewards of being a parent is forcing your children to work for you. It is a delicious treat to my eyes, especially when it is a chore that I’ve handled since I was in the 3rd grade:
Mush! HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc00118ea00-1-HBHB
The best part is, Owen still thinks the lawn mower is cool, and exciting. Even the edging tool is fun:
Owen helping Michele HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc00118ea00-2-HBHB
Enough fun mister, back to work! Read More...
Pretend you are a dog, specifically my dog (oh if only you could be so lucky!) Coal. You’ve got that cute little muzzle with a cute button nose; but since you are such a smart little aussie, your brain-pan is bigger than your mouth. This gives your head a particular triangular shape, the kind of shape that will let you easily shove you head into a tight spot. Well, you better hope you can squeeze your whole body through, because if not, there is no way your head is backing out at this point. Read More...
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We decided to get out of the house Saturday, and be a little spontaneous, to go out and just do something. After weighing some options and realizing out time constraint (it was already 11am) we chose The Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Well, I chose it, and Caralyne quickly called me out and said “Why do you ALWAYS get to pick?”
It’s simple: cause I’m the adult! Read More...
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Lately, my truck has been stalling when I make a stop. It happens more frequently in the mornings, and while I’m on an upward incline, though it doesn’t seem to matter if I let my truck warm up or take off cold. My Brother-in-Law, Charles, recommended that I replace the spark plugs and check the air filter. His simple statement of “Sure, you could do it…” was enough for me to decide I was going to do all 8 (and he did remind me there were 8, thanks for the vote of confidence Chuck :) ). Read More...
A few weeks ago, I was snapping some pictures of Owen in the back yard HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc0010e8f00-1-HBHB Owen outside
And I brought the camera focus on my long time yard nemesis:
HAHAHUGOSHORTCODE-0xc0010e8f00-2-HBHB Ugly Palm Tree cluster
No one was home (beside Owen), which means I didn’t have any adult supervision, and I wanted to see how difficult it would be to cut the tree down. I grabbed my small hand saw and cut down one of the trees. Read More...
The trail from Del Valle park to Rose Peak, the one we took, is about 21 miles round trip. 10 mikes up, 10 back, easy peasy right?
I went with Jenny (and Velimir) and the hiking group she goes with, the Society of Outdoor Cardinals, lead by “V”. I went with Jenny and “V” in January on a 14 mile hike up Mount Diablo. That trip was a good deal of fun, and I didn’t die so I naturally assumed that a 21 mile hike would be difficult, but not impossible… Read More...
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Spring has passed, however, our garage didn’t get its fair share of attention. We used it as a staging area for some of the shed materials, and after I had returned the left-overs, we had the beginnings of a clean garage once again.
There are no before pictures, that would be too horrendous; here is what it looks like now, and hopefully will remain that way.
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This title sounds like a horror movie title.
We ordered a large 8x12 shed, and oh goody, it arrived on possibly the hottest weekend this month. When Michele went to get lunch, she reported that her car said it was 105, but then cooled off to 101.
I really don’t think I have ever worked that long, and that hard in heat like this. I had my Step Dad (Jim… I mean, Mike) today, and my Father in Law (Curt) yesterday and today. Read More...
I didn’t want to forget to blog about this, it is a little late.
Over a month ago (Jan 31st), Jenny invited me to hike Mount Diablo with the Stanford Outing Group, lead by “V”. I’ve posted her photos to the gallery here, and you should read her post on our trip. Its more entertaining than mine :)
http://jettagirl.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/mount-diablo-hike-to-the-summit/
This was a 14 mile hike, took about 6-7 hours (I think) and made my legs feel like jelly. Read More...
For the 3 that read my AnD blog, I’ve re-setup my blog import from http://www.mywushublog.com/
I finally finished re-copying the entries I lost when my server died. Letting AnD import my blog is a very nice way to keep a backup, and share with the HK community.
I put up two new gallaries on my main site
http://m87-blackhole.org/photos/ One is of the server rebuild and the other is of the family (mostly Owen).
Both Owen and Caralyne keep michele and I very busy. For instance, right now I’m typing this up as Owen is taking a short nap and Caralyne us playing a computer game. I may try and workout, but the little guy is already stirring and Michele wanted to take a nap so I don’t have any coverage. Read More...
Thankfully it’s back down to the tolerable 80’s, but the triple digit weather in antioch pushed me to shut off my server this last week until things cooled down a bit. It stays stupid hot in that garage, close to 100f even at 10pm.
Hopefully it wont get that bad again, but if it does I’m shutting it down again.
I broke it…
Okay, I didn’t “break” anything, I decided to upgrade my server to fix some corrupted files (this is what happens when you let your server melt in 100+ degree weather), and in the process I sort of forgot to backup the large MySQL Database….
And to think people pay me to do this for a living.
[
Romeo and Juliet a Fire Ballet ](http://www.thecrucible.org/ballet/)
I was a lot more entertained than I expected to be. I went there to see the Wushu West folks and the flavor group, but I enjoyed almost everything else. Especially the chandlers girls, when I wasn’t so interested in the Romeo and Juliet specific scenes, I could just look up at them. They moved so slow and fluid it was hard to notice when they changed positions. Read More...