20 years of amphetamines and failure.

Here is one picture from camping, as I can't be arsed to paw through all the crap shots I took right now.

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Originally published at ScummBlog. You can comment here or there.

As hinted in the last post, Scummbox.org is running some new services.

To facilitate remote access to my network, OpenVPN has been installed. It was a cinch to install, and through some trial and error I have gotten additional routes passed through to access my home network range from any remote location.

Also installed was TinyProxy. This allows users connected to the VPN to (transparently!) access sites that may be blocked at their location.

A final new service running is GnuMP3d… A remote playlist/streaming client that is tucked behind the VPN to prevent rampant and unauthorized usage.

On the workstation front, I’ve gone from running Kubuntu to Windows Vista to Windows 7 Beta/RC. Windows 7 is running extremely well and has offered me no problems as of yet. A side effect of going back to Windows is that I’m playing World of Warcraft again, as well as EVE Online. And what’s the side effects of playing games on a PC?

Hardware upgrades. The workstation has gotten a new PCIe 2.0 ATI video card. A 4870 HD with 1GB of GDDR5, to be exact. And with that also came two 22″ widescreen monitors running at 1680×1050 for an amazing amount of desktop real estate.

It has been a frenzy of upgrades and updates and taking chances on new software, but it’s paying off big time!

For any Monty Python fans out there: Munro's Books has the complete Monty Python's Flying Circus on DVD (21 DVDs) for $49.99! HMV.ca is currently selling it for $119, and other places as high as $200! Even with Express shipping ($10 within Canada) it's ridiculously cheap!

Many thanks to saintwoodstock for pointing the deal out!

Anyone interested in a 19" LG Flatron LCD monitor? I have an extra now, and no use for it.

Instead of letting the pictures languish on my camera for 17 years prior to posting, here are pictures from the impromptu Cottage weekend.

http://jamie.olmsted.ca/gallery/v/D40/cottage09/

I have cut over from Old Scummbox to the newly-built Scummbox. Things will be broken. AllSome of the image links in my old journal posts are now dead... I don't have time to fix them all (I went back and fixed to mid 2005). Any hosted sites (minus all the dead guild sites) have been moved over as is, so any links there should work fine.

If you come across anything that is seriously broken, let me know.

So, back in Toronto. Back to waiting, working and doing nothing.

Oh dear god, the undocumented hardware... It abounds!

Also: There are a lot of grinding fan sounds in this datacenter. Not good.

After roughly zero sleep last night, I am once again up a ladder in the middle of datacenter hell.

Plz send deth.

Oh hay there, LJ account! I didn't see you standing over there. Come on over. I have things to tell you.

Okay, I lied. I'm just typing this up to eat up time whilst waiting for the Economy Flight Ov Doom to begin.

I'm really not looking forward to going to Dublin again, as last time it was a complete clusterfuck, and this time promises to be worse.

Random thought: I *love* flying places. I *hate* the red tape and bullshit hoops that you have to jump through to fly. I would also like it to be cheaper, K THX.

So yeah, if you want the real skinny about what will be happening in Ireland, then you'll want to find me on Twitter, as that's where I do all my <140 character braindumps. LJ has really suffered (more, if you can imagine) since I began twitting.

God damn it... why isn't it 6 yet? :(

Indiana Jones Trilogy
Robocop 1 and 2
Pitch Black
The Untouchables
Kalifornia
Starship Troopers 1
Chasing Amy
Dogma
Highlander
Goodfellas
Escape From New York
Edward Scissorhands
Firefly
Akira
MST3K The Movie
Platoon
Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Breakfast Club
Natrual Born Killers
The Crow
The Italian Job (Original)
The Rock
The Mexico Trilogy
The Last Boyscout
(optional) Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Boondock Saints
Jurassic Park (3)
The Dark Knight
+The Good The Bad and the Ugly (n)
+For A few Dollars More (n2)
+A Fist Full of Dollars (n4)
Terminator
V For vendetta
The Princess Bride
Bullett
Dawn Of The Dead
Conan The Barbarian
Hard Boiled
Predator
Total Recall
Terminator 2
Mad Max
Star Wars Trilogy
The Day The Earth Stood Still (Original)
Army Of Darkness
Quest For The Holy Grail
The Meaning Of Life
Back To The Future (Trilogy)
Batman Begins
Aliens
Big Trouble in Little China
Blade Runner
Clerks
Die Hard 1
Ferris Beulers Day Off
A Fish Called Wanda
Gladiator
Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back
Lock Stock and two smoking Barrels
The Matrix
Resivour Dogs
Snatch
Star Trek 2: The Wrath Of Khan
Swordfish
They Live
UHF
Ghostbusters 1
Bloodsport
Event Horizon
The Thing
The Big Lebowski
Lord Of The Rings (trilogy)
Fight Club

Last (short) sleep before the move. Wish me luck, because I'll sure as hell need it :(

Had a fantastic day yesterday... Got to go on the Guinness tour, saw Castle Dublin, had a fantastic dinner and hung out with great people! Thank you leyse!

A more detailed post may come after I'm done HellMove.

I'm at the datacenter at a decent time today. Nice for a change!

It also looks like I might get an extra day of no work... One of the datacenter moves is getting pushed back out of this trip due to serious issues in planning.

OH! And I had a Traditional Irish Breakfast today, which is a lot like a breakfast roll just on a plate and with baked beans :)

How is everything with all you in LJ land?

Send death. Headaches abound. I have God's Own Advil packed... in my hotel room.

I live tweet the grunting and whining on Twitter, so no need to double it up here.

According to some person's plan (who most definitely isn't here, and apparently has never encountered production issues) we should be further along than we are. Maybe today will be the watershed day and we'll just get tonnes of stuff done. And while I'm wishing, I would like an M41A Pulse Rifle.

I hope everything is going well in your respective time zones.

Well, I got more done today than I did yesterday, but that's not really saying a lot. Wanting to explode to kill people generally speaks that there is a problem, right?

This evening has made up for it. I have a modest stock of Stella and Guinness in my hotel room, and I had *fantastic* fish and chips for dinner... If ever you are in Dublin, you have to try the Curry Chips... it's thick fries drowning in a thin curry paste! SO AWESOME! So full!

So time continues to march on. Hopefully tomorrow will be even more productive than today!

Another early morning here. It's getting easier to wake up in the morning... it feels less like 3 AM EST and more like 7 AM GMT. This is encouraging.

All that I ask of my self, is that I don't slaughter co-workers.

Today was a waste. Got a bit of stuff done and found some fairly serious problems, but overall it was a waste. I spent too much time babysitting someone, and not enough time getting my networking gear labeled. I'm really hoping that tomorrow I can burn through a bunch of the gear and get back up to speed.

I'm *so* glad I asked to be sent with the early team. I'd be so screwed if I were showing up mid-week to this.

Fun fact: I havn't changed the time on my watch or laptop, so I keep having to google What time is it in Dublin?

Woke up. Initially thought this was a huge mistake, but after a bit of morning routine I feel much better. Time for coffee then off to the salt mines.

Last night I got a REAL Irish stew, and it was fantastic :D I'm looking forward to seeing more of this city!

I am alive and in Dublin AS WE SPEAK! Aer Lingus was everything I dreamed it would be. British Air was even better than I dreamed! Free beer, new Bond movies and the Ian Curtis biopic on demand, fantastic food and complimentary sleep mask! DAYMN!

So yeah, I've slept maybe 2 hours in the last 24. A tad loopy, but no rest for the wicked. Plans are afoot to meet my co-workers brother in a few hours.

Attn: UK and Dublin LJ people! I'll be in Dublin (Citywest, specifically) from the 22nd of March till the 4th of April! There is a possible one day/weekend trip to Edinburgh, Glasgow, London or Paris (Depending on price and available time) on the 28th.

Anyone want to meet up? (leyse, let me know when you are available for pints, as I'll be in your neck of the woods for the bulk of the time!)

So, the Trip To Ireland saga continues. After a proposed work trip in January, February and early March, it now looks like the trip is on for late March.

This of course means I have to look into arranging cat-sitting. I'm supposed to be gone for about a week, but it could be extended to two weeks.

Anyone mind looking in on the fuzzies in late march? I'd specify dates, but they still aren't 100% sure. :(

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Before:



( More after the cut )

Phone is back where it belongs, in the loving embrace of the holster on my hip.

I forgot my cell phone at my parents house, so don't bother calling it for the next little while. If anyone needs to reach me, I still have my work cell, home phone and email.