Next May will be the 40th Anniversary of the Mount St. Helens Eruption which occurred on May 18th, 1980. At the time geologists knew very little about volcanoes or the possibility of a lateral blast… it killed 57 people, most in areas outside the restricted zone. It is the most devastating eruption to occur in … Read more
On clear nights I would often take Eli outside to look at the stars when he was a toddler. I told him the names of a few stars, he asked me to tell him the names of all the stars. I found out quickly young eyes are better for looking at stars, he could see … Read more
So long, CrashPlan! After using it for 5 years, CrashPlan with less than a day notice decided to delete many of my files I had backed up. Once again, the deal got altered. Deleting files with no advanced notice is something I might expect from a totalitarian leader, but it isn’t acceptable for a backup … Read more
When Eli was 4, Kris and I needed to keep him occupied while we packed our house up ahead of a move… so I found a video by Answers in Genesis and put it on. Eli discovered an interest in the solar system. He liked it. A lot. For the next several years he studied … Read more
In 2015 I bought myself and Kris Dell Latitude E5450 laptops. 1 year later her battery was fine, however mine lasted 60 seconds on a full charge. I attribute this to Kris often using her computer on battery and not having it plugged in all the time, and me always having my computer in the … Read more
Here’s a quick guide to run an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server using Chrony with a GPS (optional) receiver on a VMware ESXi Guest running Ubuntu 18.04. I should note this is experimental and something I setup in my homelab temporarily. For production environments I would run NTP on physical hardware and not VMware. Create … Read more
There are plenty of books on managing people; but there are few books targeting management of software development, and even fewer aimed at people who got promoted into leadership positions with no management skills. I’ve read countless books looking for resources in that area… I can find plenty of books about how to manipulate people or … Read more
I’ve been using a Kindle for about 6 years. And have been reading paper books for longer than that! I have two Kindles, one is the discontinued Kindle Touch, and the other is the newer Kindle Paperwhite. Here are my thoughts on the Kindle and how eBooks compare to Print Books. The Kindle Reading Experience … Read more
Why You Should Have a Homelab In 1998 my friend Meredith gave me a RedHat Linux CD. I spent hours each day experimenting with Linux–I loved it. 2 years later I’m in a room with 30 other students at a University applying for the same computer lab assistant job–I’m thinking my chances are grim. Part-way … Read more
Happy 501st Reformation Day! (and Happy Halloween) In 1521 Luther was summoned to the city of Worms to be tried for heresy. Expecting an opportunity to debate Luther willingly went. But instead found no discussion would take place. He was asked to answer two questions: First question: With his writings on a table in front … Read more