Friday October 27, 2006

A week of insanity, too busy to even think much.

On our trip last weekend I paid as low as $2.08/gall at WalMart in Cloquet. In GR it was down to $2.17 although RapidPump was at $2.15. Yesterday prices jumped back up 12 cents to 2.29.

Internet filtering policies implemented at work are causing a bit of havoc. ALL outside email is blocked, as well as this site. There are ways around it, but they are not convenient. At one time I could have all of my email accounts open in Outlook at once. Now, the only email account I can have open is the corporate one, to check any of my other accounts I have to go around the corner. I wouldn't mind so much except that the corp email blocks so many documents and attachments (including unknown ones) that for a vendor to send me a quote I have to ask them to email it to one of my personal accounts, then keep checking it.

Oh well, as long as people keep abusing the Internet there will be filtering. I have heard SOOOO many complaints since it was institued here on Wednesday because people can't play games. Play games? At work? Hunh? Well, they get bored because there is nothing to do! Hunh? Sounds to me like we could eliminate a position, maybe closer to 20 positions if the number of complaints I heard is any indication. Granted, this is a hospital, and we are required by law to maintain a certain level of staffing.

For instance, even if there are no patients in ER we still have to have staff on hand when a case shows up. But I would think that there must be other taks that need to be accomplished. People are always complaining because there is too much paperwork and they can never get it accomplished. I guess that what irks me the most is when I hear the complaint from a department supervisor. I mean the person who has been here for umpteen years and bosses 40+ people and complains because their people no longer have access to games. Seriously. Just mind-boggling.

Well, lots to do. I need to deploy 4 more WAP's today and get quotes for a formal wireless site survey so I can spec out a full coverage solution for wireless VoIP. Plus dump a couple of corrupt databases and see if I can find out why they are corrupt. Plus take calls from users who can't get to their favorite web sites any more.

Friday October 13, 2006

Beautiful weather today. Just kidding. Snow. Wind. Rain.

Thursday October 12, 2006

Snow and cold today. Icy roads, no fun.

Thursday October 5, 2006

Long time no talkee. busy busy busy. And sometimes I feel like I might be getting aomething done.

Thursday September 28, 2006

My pirate name is:

Black Harry Flint

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Wednesday September 27, 2006

'Spose I should do some updating. DNS move worked great. Gas is 2.25. Weather is chilly. Time is short. Stress is high. Grass is cold. Long weekend ahead. Sun is yellow. Scripted installs work great.

Reinstalled Xandros. Now I'm trying to figure out how to install the packages I need to install the packages I need to install and run Nagios. No, that is not a typo. Maybe that is one of the things I like about the window system, we expect the application install to also install all of the dependencies invisibly. Before I can install Nagios I need to Install and configure an Apache server. Then I need to install a C compiler. Install the gd library. Create the special user. Create the directory structure. Unpack and start thre compile of Nagios. ERROR!!! missing files. Go back and try to figure out what is missing. Get and install gcc. I don't know what else because this is where I'm at right now.

Gotta go figure out whay a PC is running soooo sloooow.

Friday September 22, 2006

Having fun today. Installed a virtual machine of Xandros, worked great until I tried to install the M$ VM additions onto it. Now I'm installing Ubuntu 6, but it hangs at the graphics load, it must not like the VM graphics. I have had this same problem with the 3 versions of Ubuntu I have tried on the VM. I like Ubuntu, it has worked well on real hardware, just not on the VM. So, now I am trying the Xandros repair option and we will see if it can undo my mistakes. And then I will not install the Additions.

It's cold and wet and raining outside, so I had to do something a bit different.

Actually, I want to install Nagios. I've heard some good things about it, but it requires a *nix box to install it on.

Moved the GICH DNS from TDS to NetSol today. TDS was our ISP and our webhost, and our DNS, but they are no longer our ISP and therefore no longer our webhost, so the powers that be got a new webhost, and so now I had to change the DNS. Since NetSol is our registrar it is easiest to set the DNS up with them. Of course, the first thing that NetSol does is tell TDS that WorldNic is now the authoritative DNS, so now no-one can email us or access any of the web sites until the root-servers get the news. That was why I did it this morning; hopefully everything will be back to normal by Monday morning.

Just got a call, the headlight adjusters are in for the Voyager, so I need to run and pick them up. I think they are $8 apiece for 4 of them, which seems a bit steep, but if I'm going to be driving in the dark (a given) I have to have them. I had robbed the adjusters out of several of the other vans, but they are breaking the same as the originals did, the plastic is too brittle from age.