Vacation in Newport, RI (Part 2)

Another nice day in Newport. The weather is still nice, although we’re expecting thunderstorms later today. After doing some work this morning, those EMEA SEs won’t leave me alone, I took the bike again and went out for a late breakfast. Quite relaxed, wrote some posts for the blog and prepared for a nice ride.

I rode all the way to Middletown, past Second Beach towards the Wildlife Refuge. This must have been about a 8 mile ride, it took me about 35 minutes to get there. I chained my bike to the gate and took a walk. The environment there is amazing, you’re close to the ocean and there is lots to see. I took some pictures which I will post later today. The walk took about 2 hours, a bit shorter than I had planned. But I’ll have to return someday anyway, as I need to shoot pictures with a DSLR. In fact, I’ll need an additional body and fit one with a macro lens and one with a wide-angle lens. That way I won’t waste time when I see something worth shooting.

After the walk I took my bike and went to Second Beach for something to drink and eat. The sun was nice at the beach, but I decided to get back on the bike and ride some more. I ended up in Middletown in a nice park, where they had a nice, old windmill. I shot some pictures and started reading in the book I brought along (the John Adams biography by David McCullough). After about 45 minutes (John Adams just started his term as President of the United States), the weather started to change. I heard a thunder, I got on my bicycle and started to head home. After about 500 meters the rain started and it didn’t stop until after I got back. I was soaked, but after a quick and hot shower I was feeling okay again. Only my book has some water damage, I’ll order a new copy after I get back to London. This time in hardcover I think, as it looks better on my shelf.

Well, I’m off to dinner with Kristen.

 

Shooting Range in Ft. Lauderdale

Last week I was in Ft. Lauderdale for a XenApp 5.0 training. The training was very good and I had good meetings to address the issues and challenges we’re facing in EMEA. Best of all, I got to meet my friend Joel again.

On Thursday, after my meetings, we went out with his friends Sean and Jason. The shooting range was close to where Joel and Sean live, Sean brought along a big bag full of guns. Growing up in The Netherlands, my exposure has been very limited. The only real gun I had seen was the one of my uncle, who is a cop. Seeing all those guns was a bit intimidating, but also exciting.

And shooting with them was a great experience. One that solidified my respect for the power of these weapons. We used all kinds of calibres with different guns. For a first time I think I did pretty well. But as my right eye is a bit lazy, I had to adjust a good deal.

It was a great experience and when I return I’ll gladly join them again. I’ve put some pictures and a movie in my MobileMe gallery.

 

Bug in WordPress for iPhone

There seems to be an issue with my copy of WordPress on my iPhone. I’ve upgraded to iPhone firmware 2.0.1 yesterday (after Stefan Pieters convinced me it was safe to do while being on the road) and now I can’t save posts anymore. The only way to save my drafts is by leaving WordPress and let the post auto-recover.

Perhaps I should check for an update in the AppStore.

Update: The behaviour is weird. Sometimes I get the Save button, sometimes I don’t. Luckily I can recover all my posts, but this is anoying.

 

Date bug bites VMware

VMware released an update to their ESX 3.5(i) platform, but introduced a bug with it. After deploying the update, virtual machines won’t start anymore. It wouldn’t be a big deal, if VMotion didn’t rely on this. Especially in a complete dynamic virtual environment (by using DRS) this will generate some issues. And of course in situations where the sys admin is enjoying a well-deserved vacation…

The problems appears to be in the licensing components. Setting the date to August 10 resolves the issue. Just make sure the time in your VMs isn’t set automatically by the VMware Tools.

More information here.

 

Vacation in Newport, RI

I’m in Newport, Rhode Island for a short vacation. I arrived last Friday, my friend Kristen picked me up from the airport. It’s great to be around her again, it’s too bad she lives here and I’m still living in Europe. The weekend was good fun, we went to the beach and I’ve had a great time. It’s a pity she has to work most of the week, so we can only spend time in the evenings.

This morning it was raining and more bad weather seems to come this way. But right now the sun is coming through and it’s getting quite warm. I’ve rented a bicycle and have been checking out the island. Ocean Drive is both spectacular and a good workout. It took me about an hour to complete the Ocean Drive, I guess it would be about 40 minutes if I had my own bike here. The views are great, the mansions way too big and the terrain is hilly enough to make me sweat. Now it’s time for lunch and perhaps some time at the beach. But that all depends on the weather.

 

Hacker faces extradition

Just read this article. Not sure what to think of it. On the one hand, if you engage yourself in those activities and get caught, this is what you face. On the other hand, the differences in sentences with and without cooperation are very big. The crucial thing in this is the role of the US authorities. If they have indeed pressured the hacker to confess and cooperate, then that’s a violation of the rules of law. I have to look a bit deeper into this, just haven’t made my mind up yet.

 

iPhone 2.0 issues

I’m experiencing some issues with the new firmware. First, applications have been crashing on me. And not only the shady apps from the AppStore, but also Mail and Safari. I didn’t have any issues before the upgrade, my iPhone was very stable (even with all the homebrew apps).

More importantly is the other problem. The iPhone becomes unresponsive for a few seconds (just experienced a period of about 10 seconds). The apps most affected by this are Contacts and Notes. I might be one of the few users of Notes, but I use it all the time to collect my thoughts when I’m on the Tube or on a plane (I don’t want to get my laptop out for 30 minutes). And what’s the deal with opening the Contacts app and having to wait a few seconds before you can look up the person you need?

As Apple got me hooked to the platform and I totally love running those apps, there is no way I can return to an older firmware. So my only hope is Apple to release an update real soon.

 

WordPress for iPhone

The WordPress application for the iPhone has made it to the AppStore. As a matter of fact, this post is being written on my iPhone. Not sure if it will be functional or not, but I’ll give it a try. Now I’ve got to figure out how to use hyperlinks and such.

 

Going to Rowwen Heze in November

One of my favorite bands splits their tour schedule in two parts. During the winter they perform in theatres, with a more relaxed, story-telling show. Then, starting in March or early April, their party roots come back and they perform mostly in large tents with an excited crowd. To end this tour, they organize every year a final concert.

This concert takes place in America, a small village in Limburg. And what started as a small event for friends is now a huge, three day event. This year I’m attending the concert on Saturday, November 8th. Three different stages will host a number of great Dutch artists (like Van Velzen, Stevie Ann and my longtime favorites Fragment), while Rowwen Heze will play in front of a crowd of 8,000 people. And that will mean over two hours of jumping, singing and having a great time.

I’m already excited to go there. The last time I saw them play live must have been 15  years ago. Every time I wanted to go see another concert, it either didn’t fit my schedule or the concert had sold out. And going there with my good friend Pim only makes it more fun.

 

Elections in Zimbabwe today

The polls have opened in Zimbabwe and it doesn’t look pretty. After the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai due to the violence, there is not much of a choice. According to first reports, the turnout is really low and the army is forcing people to vote. So much for democracy…

Read more on the elections on CNN.