In Balance

Been a pain getting my git-server and web-server to communicate via ssh as they are the same box. This is partly to do with the fact that my git user is very restricted

Details on how to move new Git project onto my git server so I can use this as a central location for my work.

Category: sysadmin

Passenger aka mod-rails is an apache module for rails deployment. This documents how I set this up on my Ubuntu server.

Annoying problem causing syslogd to use 100% cpu and overheat MacBook Air

As of now, this is much simpler than many blog posts make out.

The keyboard layout on the MacAir is a bit of a pain in the arse, mainly because of the absence of a convenient hash key. So I need to put together a custom keyboard layout to sort this out.

With a fixed IP arriving and the 2 week wait for my Mac Air the time is ripe to work on my public presence on the web. I've been meaning to do this for so long, and haven't. I think its some inherent shyness combined with a generational reticence, which really is obsolete in our brave new world of social networking.

The site has to do the following

1. Encourage people to employ me
2. Provide a remote reference site for me
3. Give something back to the internet

This means improving my Linux admin skills. Not a small subject!

After much tribulation my Mac Air is only a couple of weeks away. Checked out the machine in Trafford Centre yesterday. I was going to buy a budget Mac Book, but the Air is just so much nicer, and a much better fit for me.

1. Much better keyboard. It has the best laptop keyboard I've ever used. Its much more precise than the Mac Book keyboard

2. Much better screen. The LED backlit screen can be significantly brighter than the MacBook screen. It also seems to be less glossy and more vibrant. The screen alone is a £100+ upgrade

3. The Air is amazingly light, yet also feels very strong and well built. Much better built than my Dell or a MacBook. The quality of both design and construction is first rate - just so long as I don't get one that wobbles!!

4. The thinness really is a plus. Apple have hit something on the head here. They've created something you can easily transport, and which when you use (as a portable) has no real compromises on the most important things - screen and keyboard.

5. Better DVD drive!! I'd much rather not have one, than have the MacBook's stupid combo drive. Apple are slightly ahead of the game here in not having a drive, and bizarrely, there general stupidity over charging a premium for a .sic superdrive makes no drive at all even more attractive

Whilst my Dell (640M) is pretty compact, I always felt it was a pain to carry around - quite heavy and also filled up my laptop bag. The Air gives that extra bit of space for whatever

So for me its a good fit. The price is also reasonable, because of the quality and OSX . Hackbooks are much more painful Hack desktops. Linux on laptops is never straightforward and Vista/XP doesn't have the console support I want (Cygwin is good but a real pain in the arse as well). The only real concern is battery life, my Dell being utterly amazing for that, but I've never really needed it.

So I'm moving to Be and hoping that my new service will have the download speed to get You Tube videos quickly, and the upload speed to support my websites. Running a home server is a little bit daunting, because of security and access issues. Really need to have a careful think about what should be available.

One geeky thing about Be is that because its so fast (potentially), there is quite alot of benefit from tweaking your connection. So I'm learning about BT sockets, and extensions. Another thing to consider is router placement. I'll have to see whether a lower central placement in the house can still cover the back garden, and whether coverage at the front will be better. Finally having two routers (Be Box) and old router offers scope for comparison.

I'm a man of many fads. This blog is one of them I guess. My latest fad is traditional wet shaving.