prk | Recent Entries

Over the past years, the trend in data centre servers has been towards blades. Instead of buying each server as a self contained unit (power supplies, network interfaces, etc) you buy a blade centre chassis, put the modules you want in it (network, fibre channel, etc), then just plug individual blades into it.

There are various advantages to blades - consolidating power & cooling, overall management, higher density of servers per rack, etc. There's plenty of info out there if you Google for it.

With blades, as you now have many servers (14 in the IBM Blade Centre H Chassis) relying on the chassis, you ensure it's as redundant as possible - redundant power supplies, power feeds, network switches, fibre channel switches, etc. In theory, the worst that can happen is you lose a switch, or a power supply, and everything keeps working, perhaps at reduced capacity.

( In practice, things can get much worse... )

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire

Tags:

geeking

Insight Meme gakked from

maharetr,

samvara &

ascetic_hedony

Johari and Nohari Windows - ways of comparing self perception with how others perceive us - useful for insights / self improvement.

Would appreciate if you could comment on how you perceive me via my Johari Window and how you perceive my weaknesses via my Nohari Window.

Feel free to comment anonymously if you prefer.

prk.

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: calm
Current Music: Persephone - The Bawdy Balladeers

Tags:

meme

Yoinked from

e_apraksina

Want!

(In a "ooh shiny" way, not a useful "I know where to keep this and will use it regularly" way).

Current Mood: amused

Yoinked from

theweaselking:

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

amarillion showed me this in a link on

angriest's LJ, but it deserves it's own post...

Christopher Judge (who played Teal'C in Stargate SG1) learns about Furries, whilst on a panel at DragonCon.

CJ: "Wy can't a kid hear about people wearing animal suits?"

*audience laughter*

*Lexa Doig whispers an explanation to him*

*CJ recoils in stunned disbelief*

*Audience in hysterics*

CJ: "WHAT?"

...

CJ: "WHAT?"

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: hysterical amusement

Research Seminar at ECU

( How to complete a PhD )

Current Location: ECU Joondalup
Current Mood: inspired

Tags:

Research Seminar at ECU

( Survey design notes for later reference )

Current Location: ECU Joondalup
Current Mood: contemplative

Tags:

Via

lauredhel

Where are all the men bloggers?

"I don’t quite get what you’re saying, Podblack. Are you suggesting that men don’t have the same educational opportunities that women do? Of course they do! There is legislation that says they have to have equal education, so it must be true. If they aren’t interested in science and academia (and my blog reading suggests that they aren’t) then it’s not the educational system that is to blame. People keep harping on about this, but it’s nonsensical — we already have equality. Anyway, aren’t there boys in the Congo being raped? Shouldn’t you be worrying about that instead of whether some purely hypothetical men might feel like they’re being discriminated against in the educational sphere. (Where are these men, anyway? I talked to my house boy, and he said he doesn’t feel discriminated against.)"

*chortles*

prk.

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: amused

Well, Mousse actually, but I'm whimsically amused at the thought of it being a chocolate mouse.

maharetr does an awesome Chocolate Mousse, so I thought I'd give it a try, with a twist - trying to make it low fat & low sugar.

( It began with culinary espionage... )

An overall success, but not quite as healthy as I wanted, due to the lack of low fat cream. Guess further experiments (and an electrical or mechanical beater!) are in order.

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Michael Jackson - Black or White

Tags:

foodporn

I just bet those pups are plotting their revenge.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

Tags:

lolcats

Created by

leecetheartist

( How Perthian are you? )

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

Tags:

meme

Notes for myself on selection of research methodology.

( Guba & Lincoln on Research Paradigms )

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: inquisitive

Tags:

Interesting article on Feministing titled Am I Nonmonogamous? What Does That Mean for My Relationship?.

It's interesting that it doesn't just assume a monogamous / poloyamorous dichotomy (which is what I've usually seen), but looks at several points in between, with good advice about some of the practicalities including communications and limits.

Why, no, I'm not avoiding working on my PhD proposal - not at all!

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: mellow

Tags:

relationships,
sex

Some pics of the rats

( rat pics )

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: content

Tags:

rats

I'm in two minds (if you'll pardon the pun) about this.

One one hand, they're experimenting on rats, using their brains to control robots.

On the other hand, they've created a cyborg, with a real brain to technology interface, and the cyborg has the different personalities of the different brains they've used!

Also, the thought of a ratty terminator coming back from the past to save all us rat lovers has a certain appeal.

"Hasta la vista, pussycat!"

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: Uncertain

Tags:

rats

So I'm slowly adding people to dreamwidth whom I read on LJ.

At the moment, I need to read two friends pages - is there a better way?

Is there a way I can have dreamwidth treat my friends page on LJ as an RSS feed, using my LJ u/p, and display them all on my DW reading page?

How do other DW users manage both?

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: awake

Questions Meme, gakked from

maharetr

The Rules:

1. You can ONLY answer 'Yes' or 'No'.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks—and, believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming. Nothing is exactly as it seems.

( Questions and Answers underneath )

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

Tags:

meme

I have another two DW invites if anyone is still looking for one.

Post on my DJ (using your LJ openID log in) with the email address for me to send to, if you want one.

prk.

I have one Dreamwidth invite if anyone is interested.

You'll need to comment on my dj with your email address for me to send it to - you should be able to do this by logging in with openid, using your lj username.livejournal.com & lj password.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: relaxed

Anyone got a spare Dreamwidth invite/code handy?

prk.

Early in 2007, a small group of us got together and decided to put a bid in, to run Swancon in 2009. Thus was born the concept for Contact: Swancon 2009

( Summary, Highlights & Lowlights )

All up I've had a great time, worked with awesome people, and I think we did a pretty damn good job, even if I say so myself.

To everyone I worked with and/or whom helped - I salute you and thank you from the bottom of my heart (and, if you want, the heart of my bottom).

*loves*

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Watchmen Soundtrack

Dear Live Journal,

I've started an affair with your (much) younger sister, Twitter.

It's not you, I'm just finding myself too busy at the moment for a serious friends list relationship, and your sister is much less demanding of my time.

I hope we can still be friends.

Who knows, in time there could even be a threesome - but I don't want to creep you out.

Love,

prk.

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: insane

Tags:

twitter

Anyone know where I can legally purchase the Watchmen Soundtrack DRM free (so I can listen to it on various computers / entertainment station / ipod / etc)?

I wandered around Carousel, but neither JB HiFi nor Sanity had it, with Sanity saying they won't have it until March 13th.

I can't see anywhere online I can give credit card details and get the CD ISO or DRM free files.

I find it most frustrating that I'm sitting here with disposable income set aside for the CD, yet the only way I can currently get the music would be via an illegal download.

Perhaps if the movie and music industries spent a bit of effort making their products easily available for purchase, they wouldn't have to spend so much effort trying to stop people downloading them illegally.

*mutter*

Anyway, I've ordered it from CDWow and I guess I'll just have to wait for delivery.

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: frustrated

An email from my (bean counting) boss:

( Footy Tipping Competition )

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: amused

Arc Attack perform the Dr. Who Theme on Twin Tesla Coils:

It's good to be a geek.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Need you ask?

For

black_samvara

10 Tips for Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

Some times the email is just bizarre.

This one came through the Swancon committee contact address.

( Snipped for brevity )

So what's the verdict - targetted spam, conspiracy nut, lunatic, something else, or all of the above?

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: curious

For

black_samvara

"I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine, so I ate his brains."

prk.

Current Location: work
Current Mood: amused

Introducing...

Adi, Destroyer of Cushions, a rottweiler cross who has joined Jaffar, The BoneHead, in the

prk &

amarillion household.

( Pics below )

Edit: Crime scene photo added.

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: mourning the cushion's death

Buy your way into the last Wheel of Time Novel - proceeds to charity.

Hmmm.

prk.

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: contemplative

( An email exchange between amarillion and myself. )

She hasn't replied yet...

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: amused

Working at a fairly large ISP, we receive a lot of scheduled outage or fault notices from various upstream providers, as well as sending out our own notifications to customers.

This can provide endless amusement, especially when spelling checkers go that little bit extra for you (eg when one of the guys sent out a notification with "incontinence" instead of "inconvenience").

Today's joy comes from a provider in South Africa who states:

We are experiencing the following service event:

AFFECTED SERVICES: XXXXX

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Peering Traffic Rooted via Cape Town.

For those not familiar with Aussie vernacular, 'root' is a slightly politer synonym of 'fuck'. .

(Yes, we laugh when we hear all about how people root for their favourite sports team, but that's a separate tale).

Presumably they meant to say "Routed" (which we also pronounce differently here, so it doesn't sound the same as routed).

It's the little things that amuse!

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

Hey all,

Just a quick reminder that membership prices for Contact: Swancon 2009 will be rising as of January 1st 2009.

Current pricing (up to and including Dec 31st 2008) is $140 full and $125 concession.

Pricing as of January 1st 2009 will be $160 full and $140 concession.

So get in quick to secure your membership (or buy someone else one as a present) at current prices.

Memberships are available from Tactics, White Dwarf, Fantastic Planet and Planet Books. They can also be obtained from committee members.

Happy Holidays!

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: contemplative

Dear Mr K*******,

( I regret to inform you... )

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: mock disappointment

dalekboy's ( Australia Meme )

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: contemplative

Tags:

meme

Ruby and Bella have been quietly but steadily growing towards their full sizes.

( Edit - pics behind cut )

Bella's definitely the most precocious, the minute the camera comes out, she comes to see what's going on. Ruby is quite happy to stay in bed with a snack - definitely taking after Cream!

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: reflective

Tags:

rats

So we're trying to work out how a couple of people had new connections provisioned onto hardware which hadn't been commissioned yet (and thus didn't work).

Midway through, the conversation went:

JR: "I have no idea. Afaik this is the first time an ECN has gone live without human interaction."

PRK: "The Carlton ECN Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line November 24th, 2008. Human decisions are removed from ECN Provisioning. Mel-cton-ecn1 begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, November 27th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug."

For the rest of the afternoon, I had the Terminator base beat going on in the back of my head.

da da Da da, da DAH!

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

Ever wonder how well an Internet Meme would work in real life?

Macy's did...

And it so works.

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

The Australian film and television industry has launched a major legal action against one of Australia's largest internet service providers for allegedly allowing its users to download pirated movies and TV shows.

iiNet's response?

You don't scare us. Bring it.

prk.

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: amused

To quote

mikeyob:

"Last exam done. Degree done. All that is left is the silly hat and robe bit."

So glad the MBA is over - I've enjoyed it, and learnt an awful lot, but I really hate exams.

But I'm afraid I've gone and done something very foolish...

Dear Mr K*****,

I wish to acknowledge that the Graduate Research School has received the following paperwork:

Application for: Course Admission
Course: 628 Doctor of Philosophy
Commencement: Semester One, 2009

*twitch*

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: relieved

Seen posted by

atlasimpure, but I'm unsure if they're the original author.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

President Elect Obama.

That sounds almost as good as President Obama will in a few months.

Hurrah!

prk.

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: jubilant
Current Music: US Election Coverage

Handed in my last ever assignment for my Masters in Business Administration - damn it feels good.

One last exam in two weeks, and it's all over!

Oh, and for a random link made of awesome:

"Kiss a wookie, kick a droid, fly the falcon, through an as-te-roid"

Absolutely made of awesome.

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Music: "Star Wars" - an a capella tribute to John Williams

Hey, any ECU students able to log into Blackboard tonight?

My username and password work elsewhere, but Blackboard is spitting "Could not login. Valid authentication credentials were not provided." errors.

Trying to finish my final assignment.

*mutter*

prk.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: grumpy

Paging Dr Freud to the pink throbbing courtesy phone...

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: dirty minded

Shamelessly filched from

gotica

Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan.

In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived.

While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused

WANT!

http://gizmodo.com/5054207/ferrari-v4-motorcycle-concept-if-tron-were-a-city-in-italy

"Packed with a modified engine from a Ferrari Enzo, hand controls from a F-16 fighter jet and buttons from a Formula 1 race car, there's not much in the world of badass that hasn't been centrifuged into the design."

*drool*

Current Location: Work
Current Mood: enthralled

Sometimes I just have to sit back and indulge in incredibly tacky juvenile humour. Like:

Cockberg!

There's probably an awful "Fuck the Titanic" type joke to be made too, but I'd never do that...

prk.

(Article found via Boing Boing).

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: juvenile amusement

From

theweaselking:

Current Location: home
Current Mood: amused

Help me flist, you're my only hope.

Anyone know what the background music is playing in the opening scenes of The Middleman - Eps 6 and 7? It crops up in other eps at other times too, but that's the easiest to refer to.

It's not the theme music which plays during the credits, and my google skills have failed me in tracking down an artist or title for it.

prk.

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