Linux's next chance

Is Linux's next chance for world domination the move to 64 bits?

What do you think?

Got this link from the Canberra LUG's mailing list.


Gnoll110

Happy Feet Grunt

Animal Logic is the outfit that did the animation grunt work for the Happy Feet movie.

Who are they? Well they show up on top500.org.

Sounds like an interesting outfit.

http://www.top500.org/site/2587

They have two machines in the Top 500 list for November 2006.
A BladeCenter HS20 Xeon 3.06 GHz, Gig-Ethernet (Rank 260) and a BladeCenter HS20 Cluster, Xeon EM64T 3.2 GHz, GigEthernet (Rank 409), both from IBM


Gnoll110

Technorati Tags:
top500 animal+logic supercomputer happy+feet

Bedding a new system

I was in Melbourne last week.

I can across an new system that was being bedded in.

At the new Southern Cross station, in the Bus interchange area, they have some new lockers. They are from a Chinese maker.

They have had an engineer from the maker on site, hacking Linux based code. He been on-site from several weeks, installing and hacking daily builds from home!

They got big problems with touch screen sensitivity. It's that bad they got a minder on hand to help traveller!

They touch keypad is none standard too.

The '0' key is right of the '6', instead of being below the '8' key!

1	2	3
4	5	6	0
7	8	9
	0

Now pick up your mobile phone and check its keypad.


Gnoll110

software testing china daily+build interface+design touch+screen+sensitivity

If you can read this...I got the Blogger API working...finally!

Finally!

And my first bit of advice is...convert your Blogger blog to Blogger Beta...

Once I found the right wall to beat my head against, it worked fine (apart from a typo, on my part).

Thanks to Vijay Bhaskar at Matrix Chronicle for that lead.

Technorati Tags:
google+blogger+api migrating+to+blogger+beta vijay+bhaskar matrix+chronicle cyberneticz java+api

IPv6 - Bring it on!

While looking around the net for stuff on Stirling Engines, I found this post about Combined Heat & Power (CHP) systems. CHP system are a major area of application for Stirling Engines.

The LowCarbonKid writes...

Householders would receive the benefit of selling their surplus electricity drawn in this way, but would have to accept that for some of the time their units might be remotely controlled. Naturally such a system implies the introduction of an IT network into every home.

However such networks are likely to be introduced into homes anyway in order to roll out so-called smart meters, which can be read remotely by the electricity or gas utility company. It is a small leap from this to imagine that they could actually draw power from your unit and pay you for it when they needed it. This would create a truly distributed decentralised grid.

Bring on the IPv6 Internet!

Even homes that just consume power will need the IPv6 Internet! To spread and even generation load requirement shutting down or time shifting demand at peak times.

The compressor of a Fridge does not need to run 27/7. They could be told be the power companies 'Load spreading' computer system to run before the expected daily peak demand period and the shut down during the peak period. This would save carbon and lessen the amount of capital investment required for centralized peak generation capacity.

To have the number of IP addresses this requires with a level of security needed means an IPv6 Internet! IPv4 don't cut the mustard.

Technorati Tags:
stirling+engine global+warming IPv6 combined+heat+power chp lowcarbonkid

Agile Toolkit Podcast - Class A Resource!

Find this great source of software development podcasts at Agile Toolkit Podcasts.

The podcasts are interviews with speaks a various software development conferences, like Agile 2006.

Here is an Index for the podcasts. So far I've done 24.

40/ Tue, 19 September 2006
Agile06 - Ward Cunningham - Eclipse Foundation
Direct download: Agile2006_WardCunningham.mp3

39/ Sun, 10 September 2006
Agile06 - Mary Lynn Manns - Fearless Chage and Agile 2007
Direct download: Agile2006_MaryLynnManns.mp3

38/ Sun, 10 September 2006
Agile06 - Dot Tudor - Agile Europe/UK and DSDM
Direct download: Agile2006_DotTudor.mp3

37/ Thu, 17 August 2006
Agile06 - Nancy Van Schooenderwoert - From Embeded to The Organization
Direct download: Agile06_NancyV.mp3

36/ Thu, 17 August 2006
Agile06 - Chris Matts - Real Options and Agile Software Delivery
Direct download: Agile06_ChrisMatts.mp3

35/ Thu, 17 August 2006
APLN06 - Mark Salamango John Cunningham - Leading the Agile Way: Duty, Honor, Delivery
Direct download: APLN06_MarkJohn.mp3

34/ Thu, 17 August 2006
APLN06 - Alexia Bowers - Leading from a Position of No Power
Direct download: APLN06_AlexiaBowers.mp3

33/ Wed, 9 August 2006
APLN06 - David Hussman and Tor Stenstad - GMAC/RFC Agile Transition
Direct download: APLN06_DavidTor.mp3

32/ Wed, 9 August 2006
APLN06 - Panel Discussion - Real leaders talk about large Agile Implementations
Direct download: APLN06_Panel.mp3

31/ Wed, 9 August 2006
APLN06 - Tim Lister - Introduction to Agile Leadership
Direct download: APLN06_TimLister.mp3

30/ Thu, 3 August 2006
Agile06 - Bud Phillips, Vice President Capital One - Decisioning Services
Direct download: Agile06_BudPhillips.mp3

29/ Thu, 3 August 2006
Agile06 - François Beauregard - GreenPepper Software
Direct download: Agile06_FrancoisBeuregard.mp3

28/ Thu, 3 August 2006
Agile06 - James Shore - CardMeeting - Online 3x5 cards
Direct download: Agile06_JamesShore.mp3

27/ Thu, 3 August 2006
Agile06 - Brian Robertson - Holocracy - A Governance Sturcture
Direct download: Agile06_BrainRobertson.mp3

26/ Mon, 31 July 2006
Agile06 - Gary Pollice - Teaching a new crop of Software Craftspeople
Direct download: Agile06_GaryPollice.mp3

25/ Sun, 30 July 2006
Agile06 - Tom and Mary Poppendieck
Direct download: Agile06_TomMary.mp3

24/ Sat, 29 July 2006
Agile06 - Sanjiv Augustine
Direct download: Agile06_SanjivAugustine.mp3

23/ Mon, 24 July 2006
Agile06 - BorisGloger
Direct download: Agile06_BorisGloger.mp3

22/ Mon, 24 July 2006
Agile06 - Open Space Kickoff - Diana Larson
Direct download: Agile06_OpenSpaceDiannaLarson.mp3

21/ Mon, 24 July 2006
Agile06 Keynote - Peter Coffee
Direct download: Agile06_Keynote_PeterCoffee.mp3

20/ Mon, 24 July 2006
Agile06 Kick Off with Todd Little
Direct download: Agile06_ToddLittle_Rendered.mp3

19/ Mon, 3 July 2006
Jared Richardson - Just Ship It - No Fluff Just Stuff 2006
Direct download: NFJS_JaradRichardson.mp3

18/ Mon, 3 July 2006
Ramnivas Laddad - AOP - No Fluff Just Stuff
Direct download: NFJS_RamnivasLaddad.mp3

17/ Mon, 3 July 2006
Brian Sletten at No Fluff Just Stuff 2006
Direct download: NFJS_BrianSletten.mp3

16/ Sun, 28 May 2006
Venkat Subramaniam - Practices of an Agile Developer - NFJS Tour 2006
Direct download: VenkatSubramamiam.mp3

15/ Fri, 12 May 2006
Jay Zimmerman - No Fluff Just Stuff Tour 2006
Direct download: NFJS06_JayZimmerman.mp3

14/ Fri, 12 May 2006
Mark Richards - FDD & Agile Architecture - NFJS2006 Tour
Direct download: NFJS06_MarkRichards.mp3

13/ Thu, 4 May 2006
Dave Thomas - No Fluff Just Stuff 2006 Tour
Direct download: NFJS06_DaveThomas.mp3

12/ Mon, 14 November 2005
Todd Little - Agile 2005 - APLN and Agile 2005
Direct download: ToddLittleAgile2005.mp3

11/ Thu, 20 October 2005
Fit with Ward Cunningham and Rick Mugridge
Direct download: RickWardFit.mp3

10/ Sun, 11 September 2005
The AgileGuys Discuss ScrumMaster Certification
Direct download: AGScrumTraining.mp3

9/ Sun, 11 September 2005
Nancy Van Schooenderwoert - Embedded Agile- Agile 2005
Direct download: NancyV.mp3

8/ Tue, 23 August 2005
Mary Poppendieck - Lean Software Development - Agile 2005
Direct download: MaryPoppendieck.mp3

7/ Tue, 16 August 2005
Scott Ambler - Agile Modeling, Agile Database and the Agile Development Conference
Direct download: ScottAmblerAgile2005.mp3

6/ Tue, 9 August 2005
Arlo Belshee - Agile 2005 - Promiscuous Pairing and the Least Qualified Impementer
Direct download: ArloBelsheeAgile2005.mp3

5/ Mon, 8 August 2005
Dave Astels - Behavior Driven Development - Agile 2005
Direct download: DaveAstelsAgile2005.mp3

4/ Mon, 8 August 2005
User Centerd Design Round Table with Lynn Miller, Jeff Patton and Rebecca Wirfs-Brock
Direct download: UserDesignAgile2003.mp3

3/ Mon, 8 August 2005
Mike Hill - Agile 2005
Direct download: MikeHillAgile2005.mp3

2/ Mon, 8 August 2005
Collaborative Leadership with Ester Derby, Diana Larsen and Pollyanna Pixton
Direct download: CollabLeaderNetwork.mp3

1/ Mon, 8 August 2005
Bob Martin - Agile 2005 Conference
Direct download: BobMartinAgile2005.mp3

software+development agile+toolkit+podcast

problem with ant task 'junit' in eclipse

Been doing some java coding in eclipse.

Wanted to use junit for some automated testing. Write & compiled the code fine.

But could not get the to run, a 'task not found' error.

After a quick google I found this post by Ryan Lowe. Thanks Ryan, a time saver mate!

eclipse junit ryan lowe

I'm a true podder now!

Yesterday I brought my first MP3 (and MP4) player.

Been listerening to podcast for over a year on my PC.

Now I'm mobile. Now I can listeren to ABC & the podcast network podcast during my morning walk. Currently I'm walking Mt Taylor 5 or 6 times a week.

The MediaManager that came with it is dodge. Its hung twice day (my first attept to move mp3 on to it) and the info on the status panel is wrong at times.

I've started moving files to it in WindowExplorer, as a removeable drive!

Other than that it real cool!

MythTV Project!

Well the project for the coming week, is to install a Digital dual tuner card in one of my Debian boxes and the install MythTV to control it.

One PVR coming up!

The Canberra Linux Users Group is having a 'hand on' night for MythTV, on the 24 Aug. So if I have any prob, I have an alternate fall back position ;)

How much tech does it take to be a journo?

Just finished the first chapter of 'The World is Flat', by Thomas L Friedman.

There are a few papagraphs about Bill Ardolino, the young reporter who did some of the ground work that broke 'Rathergate'. This is the one where 60 Minutes(CBS) ran a story about George W Bush's National Guard service, that turned out to be based on dodgie documents.

The week after the 60 Minutes story, Bob Schieffer hosted Face the Nation. As Schieffer was leaving the studio, Bill Ardolino button holes him for an interview for his InDC Journal web site.

So how much tech does it take? This is a US book, so assume $US.

Ardolino used a $125 MP3 player/recorder, "primarily designed to play miusic", capable of doing WAV file that can be upload to a computer.

So $100 - $200 to $300, if you want a camera. (Ardolino used a phone pic of Schieffer on his web site). $400 to $500 for a nice recorder and nice carera.

So $200 is all that is needed to get the job done.

Project for the weekend

Well this week, I finally got the net setup at home. Setup to run on a Debian box.

The projects to look at this weekend are setting up an inhouse debian package mirror and sorting through java packages for testing, logging etc.

Want to look at a MythTV box soon too.

Google & Sensis - two people chasing the same lunch.

I picked up the AFR weekend edition (I do this a few times a year, if a front page banner catches my eye). I see that Google looks like a threat to Telstra's Sensis business.

I would post a link to it, but AFR appears to be subsidiary of ‘Dinosaur Press’.

A Search on the AFR site gets you this result.

Google begins to map its way around Australia
Google's assault on Sensis and its dominance of the Australian mapping and directory business has begun with the unofficial launch of Google Maps.
The Financial Review 20/05/2006 Cost - $3.30 463 words

There has to be a lot of scope here for playing around with different Google interface and developing new product for the local market (initially).

Google Sensis Google+Sensis Google+Maps AFR+Dinosaur

ANZ glitch, file processed twice!

One of the banks has stuffed up real big, 45 million dollars big! 400,000 transactions?

The story ran today on the ABC and in the Age.

This is going to be a good story, can't wait to hear it! I have been asking myself Have these guys/gals every heard of run numbers and file headers? I can't believe they have not!

I will say that the non-bank finance orgs I have worked for have always tested the file headers well.

I once built an audit system for an Interface system between a bank subsidiary & a non-bank finance org (who I was working for). I Interfaces' own accounting checks assumed things about the data coming from the bank subsidiary that were not true (but the bank subsidiaries spec said they were true). The most frequent problem was messages from the bank subsidiary say that a transaction rollback had been done when it had not!

I also ask myself, where were MasterCard’s own transaction checking routines when this was going on?

So we have three parties here, ANZ, MasterCard & the Cardholders bank. They did none of them stop these transactions? It's a 'got to get the transactions processed' mentality. This minimizes the cost. Don't check stuff, because if we find anything, someone will need to check it manually, and that costs money! We will wait to see of anyone complains, and then patch it afterward, if it can't be avoided.

Anyone think I'm wrong about this mentality?

So keep checking them computer generated statements.

ANZ+Bank ANZ+Stuffup ANZ+MasterCard run+number file+header

A new start.

In future I'm going to post all my tech posts here.

Past tech posts will remain in my general blog, Gnolls in Space!


Tech rules! ;)


Gnoll110