Category: Uncategorized

Memorial Day was going to be a very quiet and relaxing day, hanging around the house, tinkering in the garden, nothing special.

Then, after cleaning up a mess in the basement, ZenWife went out the basement bulkhead, and one of the doors came off its hinges. Which should be no surprise when they looked like this.

We knew that this was going to be a project for this year, but it became a necessity today. So off to Home Depot for some plywood and supplies, and then three hours of sanding and caulking and priming. The base work is mostly done, all that has to be done is more primer on the new doors, paint them with a good green paint (preferably marine enamel), and re-attach them.

This is what they called “unscheduled maintenance”.

Technorati Tags: basement, bulkhead, diy, memorial day

I have been recovering from travelling, working like a dog for the man, and trying to fit in some time with my family. Been a long couple of months around here, and we have to start ramping up soon for the three-week adventure back to the Homeland, aka Canada.

I have also developed a new addiction, but that is for another post…

Technorati Tags: Life, Razr

We are in the process of relocating the GrabPERF servers to new IP addresses. You may experience some weirdness as the DNS propagates, but this should die down in a couple of days.
If you do hit an issue, you can still reach the server at http://208.66.64.70/.
Technorati Tags: GrabPERF

Looks like I get an extra bonus night in Hamburg, as high winds at Heathrow have delayed a number flights and I will miss my Boston departure.

So I am back at my hotel in Hamburg.

Hamburg. Having never been to any non-english-speaking city before, I was mightily impressed by the way the people of Hamburg treated someone who has no German skills at all. They were friendly to a fault, and went out of their way to ensure that I was not lost or abandoned at any time.

As a city, Hamburg is under major re-construction. New infrastructure in the central core and other major construction projects seem to be the theme for this trip.

Anyway, I am tired, hungry and have expensive and flaky wireless right now, so more updates later.

Technorati Tags: Hamburg, flight delays, LHR, Heathrow

I am at Heathrow, and my 20:10 BST flight has become a 22:55 BST flight, meaning I will get into Hamburg at around 01:00 CEST tomorrow.

Gives me some time to write my final impressions of London.

London is a very busy world city. For a small town boy, I think I did remarkably well in it. I used the Tube on my own for the first time this trip and realized just how well the system works.

However, the lasting impression I will have is of diesel. The smell of diesel permeates London. In the office, the hotel, the trains, the cabs, the client offices. Everywhere there is diesel. For someone who is sensitive to strong smells, this is a living hell. I know that it was clouded over and the weather did a lot to accentuate the smell, but I can smell it still here at the airport.

Other than that, the city is a grand dame, unrivalled anywhere. Old and new seamlessly blend, creating a flowing organic place to walk.

I walked along Carnaby Street and Savile Row in the same day.

I saw Glasgow and Edinburgh, as a visiting businessman, not a tourist.

In London, you will hear most of the major languages, within 5 minutes, on the same street.

It is a wonderful and frightening place.

It is complex and simple.

It is like a fine whiskey: repulsive to some, loved by some, and definitely an acquired taste for most.

Off to Hamburg.

UPDATE: Flight now set to depart at 21:15 BST

Technorati Tags: London, impressions, diesel, whiskey

Today, a new measurement location was added to the GrabPERF family. The team at Blog.com have graciously provided us with a server in Germany, and that is now online as Germany Blog.com #1.

We are still looking for measurement locations in the UK (or Ireland) and Asia.

Technorati Tags: GrabPERF, Blog.com, Germany, measurement, Web performance

I went to the London Zoo this morning. I shouldn’t have.

It was an old style zoo. It is clear that they are trying to refurbish some of the exhibits, but there is far too much concrete and steel to make me feel that the animals are at home.

The lowlight? A sloth bear who was trying to escape, trying to hide. He curled up against a steel door to the inside enclosure, as if to say, “let me in! Get me away from the people!”.

The day will likely look up from there.

Technorati Tags: London, London Zoo, Zoological Society of London, animals

I just had a friendly chat with the American Express Account Security group. My card got flagged for unusual activity (“Why are charges from London appearing?”), and they sent me an e-mail.
I fired up Skype, called the US toll-free number and dealt with it in 2 minutes.
Have I mentioned that Skype rocks?
Technorati Tags: Skype, London, American Express

I am in a Starbucks on Great Portland Street in London, using the high speed, as the high speed at the hotel is out.

I am remarkably un-jetlagged from the flight. And there is a certain comfort in Starbucks. Doesn’t matter you are, you’re there.

Technorati Tags: London, Starbucks

This rocks.

If it wasn’t a company laptop….
Via Lifehacker and Make
Technorati Tags: Lifehack, life hack, cable management, laptop