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March 30, 2006

Busy and sore

Amanda and I are getting married.

We've been together roughly 6 and a half years now, and we're finally doing the wedding thing. We've been wanting to do this now for quite some time, but we wanted for all of the pieces to be in place prior to the event. With the exception of Amanda's school being completed, everything seems to be in place.

We made the decision around the beginning of the month to do it. We agreed to keep it small and low key. After her mom got ahold of the news, everything began to snowball to the point where it's become a semi-large wedding. This means that there's a wedding dress, brides maids, groomsmen and a best man, a church, music, food and so on and so forth.

We found Amanda a wedding dress last Sunday that she and I both like. Yeah, I've seen the dress. I picked it out. I figured that after almost 7 years, I doubt that there's going to be any kind of bad luck. At this point, we've been "living in sin" for so long that we're doomed to burn in hell anyhow.

After the successful dress hunting, Amanda and I made a decision together that we needed to drop some weight before the big day. We started a diet and joined a gym. Again, this was all on Sunday.

On Monday, we began the diet and had our first visit to the gym. I got on the eliptical machine first and lasted about 7 minutes before I had to give up. After only 3 minutes, my legs were burning so bad that I could barely stand it. After 5 minutes, I was beginning to halucinate. After 6 minutes, I couldn't look straight ahead anymore ... I had to look straight down. When 7 minutes hit, I was short of passing out from the pain and somehow managed to step off of the machine without falling flat on my face.

After that, I knew I needed to work out the pain, so Amanda suggested that we get on the treadmill. I started out slow at first ... the machine was going at about 0.5 mph. I was basically walking so slow that my cat, Mozes, could beat me at a race while walking backwards and stopping to lick his balls every once in a while. It was an embarassingly slow pace.

Eventually, I was able to move up in speed to a neck breaking 1 mph. At this point, I was able to start working out the soreness and started keeping track of my excercise. I entered my age, weight and other things and worked on the fat burning routine. For about 45 minutes or so, I managed to keep my heart rate between 125-140 hbps. According to the meters on the machines, I managed to burn about 300 calories.

The next day, I was hurting, but it wasn't too bad throughout the day. I took some medicine to help with the slight pain I was having and went to sleep. The next day, I woke up in agony. Throughout the day, any time that I had to sit up or sit down, I thought I would die. To make matters worse, I had to go back to the gym that night.

I went back to the gym and exercised once again on the treadmill. This time, I stayed only on the treadmill and did the fat burning routine through the entire time we were there. I was on the machine for 60 minutes even and burned just short of 400 calories and walked 2 miles. I was very happy with my workout and left feeling like I accomplished something.

This morning, I woke up only slightly sore. I was thrilled.

In other news, I finally updated the PC Guru site with the CMS that I've been building for a while now. If you want to see what it looks like, visit the PC Guru Web site. The site was hacked too many times so I had to put the CMS up a little earlier than I had planned, but it's working.

Last, but not least, work.

We're nearing a point where PFS will be opening its doors. We've got a network in place, switches switching, servers serving. There's some conduit that needs to be ran, fiber to be terminated, and boxes to be mounted as of yet ... but we're very close. I've been lucky to see some of the equipment tests, and thus far its VERY impressive.

The IT team that is Marshall, Dave and myself have done a great job thus far. We're have a great time, yet we're doing some great work as well. I can only hope that the other people that we get in IT are as great to work with.

Anyhow, that's all I got for tonight. I wish I had more time to make more daily posts, but I guess a brain dump once in a while will have to do for now.

~out...

Posted by ed at 08:55 PM | Comments (2)

March 19, 2006

Reference: Chmod and permissions in *nix

This is more or less for my reference, just so that I don't have to look it up all of the time. Behold, a chmod reference for Linux and Unix:

CHMOD
Usage: chmod [OPTION]... MODE[,MODE]... FILE...
or: chmod [OPTION]... OCTAL-MODE FILE...
or: chmod [OPTION]... --reference=RFILE FILE...
Change the mode of each FILE to MODE.

-c, --changes like verbose but report only when a change is made
--no-preserve-root do not treat `/' specially (the default)
--preserve-root fail to operate recursively on `/'
-f, --silent, --quiet suppress most error messages
-v, --verbose output a diagnostic for every file processed
--reference=RFILE use RFILE's mode instead of MODE values
-R, --recursive change files and directories recursively
--help display this help and exit
--version output version information and exit

Each MODE is one or more of the letters ugoa, one of the symbols +-= and
one or more of the letters rwxXstugo.

Users Breakdown:
d = directory
u = user
g = group
o = others

d|uuu|ggg|ooo

Permissions Breakdown:
d = directory
r = read
w = write
x = execute

d|rwx|rwx|rwx

Mode Key:
1 = --x
2 = -w-
3 = -wx
4 = r--
5 = r-x
6 = rw-
7 = rwx

Examples:
1. Set a file to be executable by everyone:
$ chmod 555 filename
Sets: -r-xr-xr-x

2. Set a file to be read/write-able by the owner and readable by everyone else:
$ chmod 644 filename
Sets: -rw-r--r--

3. Open all permissions on a file:
$ chmod 777 filename (Note: Very dangerous to do...)
Sets: -rwxrxwrxw

One last note:
If you see permissions with a "d" in front of them, this represents that the file is in fact a directory, as seen in the example below:

Directory: /usr/bin
Permission: drwxr-xr-x

~out...

Posted by ed at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2006

Linux at PFS

I've been at Print Fulfillment Services (PFS) for a few weeks now. This has been the first place that I have ever worked that has allowed me ... no ... encouraged me to use Linux for my desktop workstation needs. This means that I've been without Windows in the workplace for the first time in my professional life.

Ever.

The results have been interesting. I've often wondered throughout the years if I could take Linux into a real office space and function without the need for Windows what-so-ever. When I was at TechRepublic, the Linux Editor for TPG, Jack Wallen, was able to do so with great success. I wanted to give it a try, but I was of the opinion that the office suites at that time (early 2000's) just weren't ready for use. Fast forward several years later, I believe that I can honestly say that the answer is a very qualified "YES". The past few weeks have only made me believe that Linux is ready all that much more.

Since my first day at PFS, I've been required to do some pretty specific things with my laptop. Using Suse 10, I've been able to accomplish a wide range of tasks that can be done without Windows.

This is just a small example, but these are some of the typical things that I would need to do with a Windows-based operating system that I was able to do equally well with my Linux-based laptop. The beauty is that none of the pre-mentioned activities didn't require anything terribly special in the way of software. Worst case scenario was that I had to pop in my Suse 10 CD, choose the program that needed to be installed, install it and be on my way.

~out...

Posted by ed at 07:33 PM | Comments (2)

March 08, 2006

Ramp metering the Louisville area

One of the things I dread about going downtown in the mornings is the drive. With Louisville, you never know what the traffic is going to be like from day to day. Some days, it flows smoothly with no problems at all. Other days, the traffic can be backed up from Blankenbaker all the way down to the downtown area.

Every morning I grit my teeth as I near the ramp on Blankenbaker heading West towards downtown. It's always a gamble on what I'll see upon my arrival. Most days it's generally OK, with only a slight buildup of traffic up till the Hurstbourne exit.

That's when it gets *UGLY*.

The problem with the traffic flow in Louisville, at least on I-64 West in the mornings, is due mostly to the ramps. Hurstborne has a two lane ramp that spills a significant amount of traffic onto I-64 all at once at regular intervals. These people then make a mad dash to get over to the left lanes so that they won't get locked into merging with the Watterson ramp a few miles down the road.


The two-lane ramp at Hurstborne (westbound at the top of the image).

All of this craziness causes the rest of the traffic to slow down a considerable amount on almost a daily basis.

And once you're past Hurstborne, there's Cannon's Lane. This section of I-64 may be even worse than Hurstborne on some days. The problem here is that you have a one lane ramp that is feeding a large amount of traffic every 20-40 seconds onto a 2-lane Interstate. The resulting mass of vehicles causes all traffic in the right hand lane to physically come to a stop to allow traffic to merge from the ramp onto the Interstate. People try to avoid this by getting over to the left lane, but this only serves to slow down traffic on the left lane as well ... if not causing it to come to a complete halt all together.


The Cannon's Lane ramp. It spits traffic onto the Interstate without much runway.

There are other ramps on I-64 heading downtown that spit out traffic as well, but I would honestly say that these two are the biggest culprits.

Last November, I was required to take a trip to the Phoenix area to do some network router installations. This trip required me to be on the Interstate in the Pheonix area alot, and I noticed that even though the city is considerabily larger than Louisville, they didn't see the ramp slow-down that I witnessed on a daily basis here at home. The reason for this was due to something called ramp metering.

The concept is simple.

In order to keep Interstate traffic flowing at an optimal rate throughout the entire day, regardless of rush hour traffic or not, off ramps throughout the city use ramp meters. Typically, what you would see would be a two-lane ramp with what looked like a stop light at the end on both lanes. There was a green light and a red light. These lights would alternate in a way that caused traffic on the ramp to stop for a brief period of time, which averaged out to be about a second or two.

As the lanes would alternate, each lane would allow one car to move forward off the ramp to a single lane road that would extend for roughly 1/4 of a mile. This would give the vehicles that were coming off the ramp enough time to speed up and make a safe merge into the oncoming traffic already flowing on the Interstate. As a result, traffic that is already in motion on the Interstate isn't required to slow down to allow traffic from the ramp to enter onto the road.


Phoenix metered ramp. Circled in orange is the meter.
Circled in green is the long ramp.

Now, this didn't mean that the meter system was on all day throughout the day. During late night or later evenings, when traffic was significantly lighter, some of the meters would shut down, allowing the traffic from the ramps to flow steadily out of the ramp onto the Interstate. In heavily trafficed areas, they would stay on throughout the day to help regulate the traffic flow.

This, to me, is a fantastic concept. The ramp from Hurstborne onto I-64 is already set for using a system like this as there is a few miles between the time one would enter the Interstate to where the ramp to the Watterson begins. All that would be required was two meter lights on either side of the ramp prior to the traffic merge onto I-64 set to alternate, just like the meters did in Pheonix.

The ramp at Cannon's Lane, however, is a different deal completely. It is also part of the problem that causes traffic to back up. The ramp, as it meets the Interstate, is only a few feet long. There is no way for any vehicle coming off of the ramp to successfully meet the speed of the traffic on the Interstate to successfully merge once a vehicle had been released by the meter. This means that the ramp coming from Cannon's Lane to I-64 would need to be extended by at least 1/4 mile for this to work successfully. Also, considering the amount of traffic that builds up on this ramp, I think that it would make sense to also make this a two lane ramp as well to hold up the queue of traffic that is sure to build.

This is something that I have been thinking about for a few weeks now and have been wanting to put down to paper for others to read. Now that I've done it, I'm curious to see what other people think about the concept. Personally, I would love to see the Mayor and several city council members hop on a plane and head to Phoenix to drive around for a while and get a feel for the idea.

On an interesting note, I did a Google search for the terms "ramp meter" and "louisville" to see if this is something that anyone else has blogged or if any government Website had records of consideration for ramp meters in Louisville. My search came back with nothing of interest.

~out...

Posted by ed at 09:13 PM | Comments (2)

March 06, 2006

Site Meter and Search Engines

I've got this odd hobby with my Web site. If you weren't aware, I use a free Web product called Site Meter to give me stats off my Web site. Now, the UCANweb server has Web stat applications loaded as well, but I've sometimes found the results to be off. I use Site Meter as an unbiased third-party opinion, of sorts.

Anyway, back to my hobby.

I have this fascination with Web site referrals. For those who aren’t aware: whenever you visit a Web site and click on a link to go to another Web site, that is commonly referred to as a referral. Web applications like Site Meter and others can track these referring links to determine where people are coming from so you can get an idea of how people are finding you.

I've been seeing some interesting referrals as of late:

1. VGCats, one of my favorite Web comics, posted a comic around the 20th of February that I found to be brilliant. I grabbed a copy of the comic, edited it for display on my site and linked it back to the original. For some reason, Scott, the comic's creator changed this comic to something entirely different. Since this time, I have seen a significant rise in hits to my site from search engines, like Google, looking for things like "Pac-Man Sees Dead People".

Apparently this was a popular comic. People have been doing all kinds of searches on Google for this particular comic and end up on my site as a result. I've even been questioned if I have a full sized copy of the comic. (No, I don't.)

On a personal note, if Scott were to ever come by my copy and ask me to take it down, I would. The only thing that I would request would to acquire an original for my own personal collection ... simply for the fact that the comic *WAS* pure brilliance.

2. Anytime I do any technical write-up, say of a laptop or a wireless device, I see a significant increase in hits on my site. Maybe I should start doing how-to's to keep people coming back?

3. I get a lot of hits from a link that I put up at the FCHS Class of 1996 reunion site, but rarely do people go beyond the first page. I don't know how they can do that. I'm personally nosey when I hit a blog for the first time. When I come across one that has a lot of content, I can sit and read for hours. I've personally come across a few fellow classmates sites and have done just that.

Someone once said that the truth often lies in the simplest of answers. I'd say that the simple answer to this is that I'm just too dull to read about. :)

Anyhow, just some observations that I've made with my little Site Meter referral hobby.

~out...

Posted by ed at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2006

I've been sick

My brother, Michael, called me this evening giving me grief and wondering where I've been. You see, I haven't called him in several days and he wanted to know what was going on. Well, the plain and simple truth is that I've been sick.

Beginning late Wednesday night, I started coming down with something that I can only call at this time "Food Poisoning". I had all of the symptoms of food poisoning: diarrhea, cramping, nausea, gas and a slight fever. These symptoms all hit me at once around 10pm that night and I thought that I was going to die. I somehow managed to make it through the night, thanks in large part to several trips to the bathroom, only to wake up exhausted and in worse pain than the night before.

I got up and got dressed ... and somehow managed to make my way downtown through all of the traffic to make it to work. Since this was my first full week, I *REALLY* didn't want to call in. When I arrived, the best that I could do was to close my eyes and hope that I didn't have to make a mad dash to the bathroom. When Marshall and Dave came in, they told me that I looked like hell, which I thanked them for and sent them on their way to completing the camera installation that they had begun in days prior.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I sent an IM to one of my supervisors telling them of my condition and that I was *REALLY* in a lot of pain. She told me that she's had food poisoning before and that I needed to go see my doctor. I called Amanda and had her make the arrangements ... I just couldn't do it. She called me back to tell me that I had an appt at the doctor’s office in 45 minutes. Somehow, I made it to my car and drove to the office. I don't remember the trip there at all.

Now, you know that you're doing well when the first thing that the doctor says to you when s/he walks into the room is: "My, you're very pale". After the usual question/answer session, she had me get up on the table and examined my abdomen. She said something to the way of: "Yeah, your stomach has a lot to say to me" when she put the stethoscope to my belly. She asked if I could have someone come get me so that she could give me a shot to get rid of the nausea. I said that Amanda was home and that she could come and pick me up. I gave her our home number and a short period of time later a nurse came back to give me my shot.

From that point, I don't really remember much. I was drowsy from the shot and wanted nothing more than to get home and make my way into bed. And that I did. I stayed there until sometime Saturday. The only time that I woke up was for Amanda so that she could give me my pills.

Speaking of pills, this anti-cramping stuff that the doctor gave me was incredible. I don't think that I would've been able to recoup as well as I was able to without it.

So, cut to today. I woke up this morning feeling a bit uneasy, but that slowly went away ... until this afternoon when I actually got to a point where I felt human again. I even got to a point where I felt like I could get out and do something. Amanda and I ended up going to Dave's mom's house to shoot some guns.

Nothing makes you feel better than a few rounds of .380's, 9mm and 12-gauge shells being pumped through some nice guns.

This evening, I can honestly say that I feel like myself again. I've eaten two small meals today, and they have filled me up pretty good. I've been taking it easy on the food intake, as I don't want to upset my stomach any more than what it has been over the past few days. Tomorrow, I hope to be at 100% so that I can get back to my job and get some cables ran and terminated.

~out...

Posted by ed at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)

March 01, 2006

Intel Mac Mini

My wish was granted today.

I was taking a few minutes this afternoon to catch up on the days events while at work and stumbled across a huge event on the Apple Web site.

The Intel Mac Mini has arrived.

This is a huge thing for me. I wasn't expecting the Intel Mac Mini until sometime in the middle of summer this year. Hell, the main reason why I bought a laptop was due to this belief. Had I known that only a few days after my purchase that Apple would release the ONE thing that I've been waiting for, I doubt I would've made the purchase.

I don't know why I'm surprised tho. These things seem to happen to me for some reason.

Here's the specs:

* 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo or 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor
* Apple Remote with Front Row
* Up to 2GB memory4
* Intel GMA950 graphics processor
* DVI connector, VGA adapter
* Slot-loading optical drive
* Up to 120GB hard drive4
* Built-in gigabit Ethernet
* Analog and digital audio
* Expansion via USB and FireWire
* iLife ’06, Mac OS X Tiger

Now I have to figure out how I'm going to come up with $600.00 to $800.00 for this new piece of hardware that I've been drooling over for so long.

~out...

Posted by ed at 08:17 PM | Comments (1)