Older blog entries for jrf (starting at number 4)

Okay I see I do not neccessarily have to certify myself. Then I will not do so, that does not make any sense to me.

I had a systems userland/programming article get posted at slashdot.org/bsd - I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I wrote the article as a reference (mainly using a system library) and decided to share it, I can't believe anyone thought it was slashable material, oh well, stranger things have happened.

I am starting to feel better about my mistake with a publisher. I don't think I have really learned the implications of the hard lesson as it were, but I do not feel so terribly awful now. Perhaps after my vacation I will get my head screwed on straight.

Yesterday I actually downloaded, installed and setup a database with MySQL. What ever possessed me to do such a thing I have no idea, I have never really been interested in databases but for some reason I got an itch and just had to know what everyone was talking about. I have used PL/SQL a little (okay - I so I was forced to) but I was seriously surprised at how easy mysql was to set up. I have done about 10 Oracle installs and can heartily say - I hated them. Maybe mysql will get me over that prejudice?

The tweaks to mmw are done and uploaded. I made the dumbest mistake in the field width specification in previous releases and had to fix that. For fun I am thinking of adding a swap watch option too, might as well cover all the bases right?

My Next Big Thing(tm) is deciding what I want to do next (when I grwo up). I have gotten really good at systems administration and hence once I get good at something, obviously I need to change! I have been thinking for the longest time I want to write device drivers (being a hardware geek and all) but without access (or mulah really) to new hardware I don't really know if I will get the practical experience.

Perhaps this is another issue I need to think about while surfing (the ocean - not the web) during vacation?

Oh, BTW all, my wife is a practicing anthropologist/archaologist who just got back from a dig (although she was a surveyor) in Turkey. The Gordian site - I have no_idea_why but everywhere I turn these days in the community at large, everyone else knows someone else in a similar field - so - here is her site:

at geocities and yes I know, I have tried to get her to move onto the Diverge.Org server but I think she fears losing traffic or something (or just doesn't want to put up with a gestapo administrator like myself).

Well I have made a huge mistake, one that I cannot go into details about here, suffice to say I need to learn to hold my tongue and patience (it seems that having a personality just the opposite of that is great way to screw your life up). I have managed to get myself booted from what was a really great side job all because of my own stupidity and arrogance.

Over time perhaps things can be remedied, for now it looks like I have managed to pretty much trash what could have been a good alternative career. I also fear ripple effects out into other things I am doing, but the two have not been directly connected before (I see no reason for that now).

That is all for today.

I decided to can the c++ version of mmw, it might make more sense to either make a c module or just ensure it is easy for folks to copy it. I am still looking at the sysinfo thing. The refinements on mmw are almost complete and should be uploaded to metalab today or tomorrow.

What a day, as promised I am posting some projects I am doing and what it is I have been up to. Last night (this morning?) I finished this month's update to The OutRider Computing Journal. The articles are okay but I am pretty sure the Fall season will be better, for some reason I am always more inspired then. I also did some touch up work on the mmw program I wrote (it is on my homepage) of course I have yet to update it. I want to do a few more tweaks then I will be done. The projects I am looking into are:

  1. a python/tk sysinfo applet for linux and BSD
  2. a c++ version of mmw, I want to create a meminfo class. perhaps other people might find it handy?

I am also having some PR or HR problems with an online publisher, I finally had to get down and dirty and contact an executive staff member today, I feel lousy about the whole thing but have to admit I was being a jerk at some junctures. Sometimes when you feel like you are getting your chain pulled you do stupid crap. I sincerely hope I haven't burned a bridge.

One thing I noticed here is that everyone rates themselves (usually to the current level) I wonder if I should do this to? It doesn't seem to make any sense to me to certify myself?

oh well - off to work I go for late weekend maintenance.

This is my first diary entry ever here at advogato. I suppose I am making it just_to_have_one.

In a few days I will post some projects I am working on and regurgitate some generic information about me which can easily be found on my home page but hey - we are all lazy to a degree so why not replicate data and save everyone time I say.

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