This is nothing bad, just a commentary on recent events (as in Open Source, HTCIA, etc).

Last Saturday was Software Freedom Day 2007. The local event was held at Carleton University in the Tory Building (3rd floor, not 4th as was advertised). To say the turnout was underwhelming would be an understatement. I think there may have been 5 people who showed up. This just shows we didn’t have enough advertising for the event. On the plus side, there was time to chat with the other Open Source folks and that was entertaining for the 5 hours or so that we were there. Another bonus is that parking on campus is free on weekends.

Software Freedom Day is coming up on Saturday, September 15th. Software Freedom Day is a global celebration and education of why transparent and sustainable technologies are now more important than ever.

There will be displays at Carleton University, location to be added later, from 10:00am until 3:00pm. Some of the items to be displayed are:

• The OpenCD
• OSBR
• BSD Certification
• PC-BSD
• Carleton’s TIM Program

Come out in support of OpenSource!

I just got back from attending a friend’s wedding back in my hometown. Well, she’s more of my wife’s friend, but that’s not significant enough to matter.

In the interest of saving a few dollars (just over $300) and a few days dog kennel money, I adjusted my stay down a few days and the price dropped dramatically. If I had stayed an additional week, I could have gotten the same deal, but it would have cost me 7 days consulting rates and the extra 7 days kennel fees (as well as taxing my relationship with the person taking care of my cats). I just don’t get it - how can it cost $300 more to go out on the same flight on a different day? It’s not like I hadn’t stayed over a weekend; oh yeah, they don’t do that any more. I booked a return trip; right, that doesn’t matter anymore either. Well, then there is no real way to predict prices. Fees and taxes are another good one. Better than half the cost of the trip was the various surcharges, taxes, airport fees, security fees, etc. Don’t forget, they still offer complimentary drinks (water, juice, soft drinks, milk, coffee, and tea), but don’t ask for a refill if they are busy. food is available - you have to purchase it now. Not even the salty fried carbohydrates are available any more. Stock up on bottled water and a visit to the Tim Horton’s or Second Cup inside the security area before you board the aircraft. To add insult to injury, the flight had mechanical difficulties and we sat on the tarmac for an extra half hour (the plane was filled to capacity - and smelled like it). I did make my connecting flight in Halifax, but it was getting close - the hour I had between flights had dropped to 10 minutes.

Note: I have no idea who posted this. I’d have to rebuild the old site to get the author information. The joy of fixing up the conversions from the many systems I have used over the years..

So, I’ve been having pulse irregularities and heart palpitations (well, not sure of the technical meanings of these terms - but my pulse rate isn’t regular and I feel funny things in my chest). I’ve been in for an ECG and they told me that the heart was fairly normal, with a few arrythmias thrown in. I wanted to see that for myself, and I decided to use my blackfin processor to make a teensy, two- or few-lead ECG for myself. How hard can it be : - )

Life gets interesting when you are juggling a bunch of things and events just happen around you in a random fashion.

• Writing training material for the LPI 101 exam preparation and presenting it on Monday nights.
• There are at least 5 local usergroups that I am a member of which I go to meetings during the month and a few international ones that I try to attend the IRC chats for
• There is the day job which keeps me busy writing papers and documentation as well as trying to squeeze in new methodologies and testing
• Rebuild of my home environment (which always take a back burner), although I managed to upgrade my two macs last week, so I can get some videos finished and the audio sessions from BSDCan finished. The web server is being replaced next with a machine that is no faster, but it has the benefit of HotSwap SCSI disks.
• Six technical magazines/month to read, as well as the one or two O’Reilly books I manage to get every month.
• Reading for pleasure, latest was Kim Stanley Robinson’s “50 Degrees Below” - part 2 of a climate change trilogy - there are five or six novels/month
• A wedding to attend this month
• Just got my deck completed, now it needs treatment/stain and furniture (10 years in the making) and worth every penny paid to get it done. (I’m a hopeless carpenter)
• Filling out proposals (read government grids) for contract work
• Locating and reading documentation of performing TRAs and SOSs in an approved manner for the RCMP/Federal Government (that’s where the money is right now)
• Arguing with Adobe about my invalid serial number (8 days and counting)
• Contemplating volunteering for a few things with the local computer charity (have to consider my time)
• Quality time with my family (has to take priority)
• Plan, design and mock up the plan for my home office and my wife’s project room (lots of room in the basement, just need to get a few walls and a nice floor in place and lots of power) also need to figure out where the computer racks will reside.
• Gut basement again (get rid of 50% of what is down there). I figure a 15 cubic meter dumpster will do it (better that the 25 cubic meters last time).

Now I need to look at September…