Simple example of how to perform an operation on every file in a directory:
for file in `ls *.pdf`
do
convert -density 300 $file `echo $file | sed 's/\.pdf$/\.jpg/'`
done
Posted: November 13th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none
I got my Google phone! I have used a number of different PDAs and cell phones over the years, all of which have had their strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a quick run-down of the ones that stand out, and what I did and did not like about each:
After using a Franklin planner for years, I made the jump to the Palm as my first “real” PDA. At the time, I was quite impressed with what it allowed me to do. I missed my old Franklin a little, and I thought the handwriting recognition sucked, but battery life was great, and this was a solid machine. Unfortunately it also belonged to my employer, so I had to give it up when I left them (March, 2001).
I bought the color version of the device I had gotten used to. It was a little larger than my old III, and battery life wasn’t quite as good, but it was still acceptable (I could go a full week between charges if I didn’t use it a lot). This still stands out as one of the best, most solid devices I’ve ever used.
Being a Linux lover, I fell in love with the Zaurus before I ever got my hands on it. My wife got this for me as a Birthday present, selling my IIIc (with my approval) to buy it. I still have it kicking around, my kids play with it occasionally. The Zaurus was and is an incredible, full function Linux computer. Unfortunately, it was huge, and had terrible battery life. I would’ve loved a larger screen (greater resolution). I am still amazed at what I could do with it (full root access!). Even though it was uncomfortably large and heavy for a pocket, I could deal with it. But its poor battery life was the nail in the coffin. Under moderate to heavy usage, I couldn’t get through a full day without risking a dead battery. It was just impractical for that reason only. I miss it in a lot of ways, even the basic PDA functions were actually very nice, better, in my opinion, than almost anything else I’ve used.
I got a good deal on the Axim, and went over to the dark side 
. To its credit, the Axim was a solid device, performed well, and had battery life only slightly worse than my IIIc. For a while there was a swell of support for Microsoft devices, and I was able to find a lot of useful apps. I missed the keyboard on my Zaurus, but the on-screen entry wasn’t too bad. I think I still have this one sitting on my workbench, I suppose I should go re-charge the battery.
I bit the bullet and went for a smartphone. At the time, the Windows Mobile devices were fairly popular, and this phone got good reviews. It did everything my Axim did, same resolution, etc. I was able to get a Cisco VPN client, and was thrilled to be able to connect to work and SSH in to my servers. Battery life was acceptable, I could get a couple of days out of it without charging, and I enjoyed the Internet access, though the low screen resolution (320×240) made it difficult to use. The worst thing about the XV was shoddy hardware. I went through three devices, and the third one conked out within a month of switching to my G1. It just didn’t stand up to everyday use.
All this brings me to where we are today, my G1! My first impressions are all positive! Battery life looks great, at least as good as the XV6700. The devices feels solidly constructed, but I’m worried about the keyboard and the whole slider mechanism. The interface looks good, better than the Windows Mobile for sure. It’s a little difficult to use with my big fingers, and I’m trying to get used to not having a stylus, but it’s not too bad. I haven’t checked out the apps too much yet, but I can’t find a Cisco VPN client, which is going to be a big bummer if one is not available. T-Mobile coverage isn’t as good as Verizon, but for where I need it most, it’s not too bad.
I am still trying to figure out the best way to access my email, since I do not use a GMail address, I’ve been using my own domain for years. I’ve been using Yahoo Pro as my email client for a while, but in order to get the most out of my phone, I guess I’m gonna have to make the switch to the Google world. I suppose if my data is out in the cloud, nothing’s really private, but Yahoo, especially with a paid account, at least gives the appearance of privacy. Anyway, once I get it all figured out, I’ll post another update.
Posted: March 8th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none
I have always tried hard to treat my coworkers with respect, and have done my best to teach what I know to anyone that wants to learn. I believe I have a gift to understand complicated technical concepts, and help others understand them as well. Last week I spent a few minutes working on some issues with a coworker. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, I was just glad I was not interrupted and was able to be of assistance. I just wanted to share a snippet of an email this coworker sent me this week:
Just a few things in case I haven’t mentioned them lately…
…thanks for taking the time out to teach me things. I am very interested to learn all this new stuff, and feel very fortunate to be able to learn from you. I like the way you explain things and you never make me feel like an idiot. Don’t let me talk over you or go off on one of my tangents when you’re telling me things…I don’t want to miss out on that ONE little vital piece of information.
…
Compared to the tone and content of most messages I receive, getting an email like this just makes my day and helps me deal with all the stress of the job.
Posted: February 14th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none
I just returned home from a Blue Coat event, held in New York City. Blue Coat invited me to attend for a customer panel, and were kind enough to fly my wife out too. I have often said that I am vocal in my opinions–if I don’t like something, I’ll tell you. Conversely, if I do like something, I’ll be vocal at making my opinion known. I have often said that it is rare to find a product that lives up to all the sales hype. But the Blue Coat Proxy SG is just such a product. There are a number of articles which have been written about my use of the Blue Coat products, and while they may fudge on the quotes and miss important details, they’re mostly correct. I won’t repeat the whole story here, see my links page if you want to find out more. In any case, I can honestly say the the devices do everything the sales guy promised. Of course, I made Blue Coat demonstrate the product for a month on-site before I committed to anything, so I had my proof before any money changed hands.
As I said, when I like a product, I’ll say so. It’s kind of like dealing with employees–if they screw up, I tell them so, but if they do something right, I try to compliment them too. So I’ve told everyone I know how pleased I am with Blue Coat’s products, and Blue Coat seems to like how I say it. I consider it a great honor that they value my humble opinion enough to fly me out to New York to speak to journalists, investors, analysts, etc. I joked with their VP, Steve Schick, and asked him if he’d be upset if I said anything derogatory. That probably wasn’t nice, after all, the poor guy was working hard to pull of a successful event and probably didn’t need any extra stress (even if said in jest).
I was nervous to be seated on the stand in front of people whose names I recognize from various blogs and articles. The Nevada DOC seems like small potatoes next to some of Blue Coat’s other customers. But I realized I just needed to be myself and talk about what I know, so that’s what I did and made it through OK. As I responded to the questions and later talked one-on-one with several of these folks, I came to better understand why Blue Coat wanted me to attend. My organization may not be huge (25 locations, less than 3,000 employees), but we face many of the same challenges any large company would face. And we are on the cutting edge with regards to some of the technologies and methods we are using to manage our networks and applications.
I have often found it strange that so many people in 3rd world countries have cell phones. No one had ever been able to justify the infrastructure investment for “land-lines.” Cell phone infrastructure is far cheaper, and so these folks have actually benefited in some ways by being late-comers to the game. It’s the same thing with DOC’s network. Since the Department built its network recently, with appropriate funds to do so, we were able to take advantage of newer technology (Blue Coat, Infoblox, etc.). In any case, I have come to realize that while my network is not “huge,” it is not “tiny,” and we manage the infrastructure in a modern, forward-thinking way.
After talking to Blue Coat and others in attendance, I came to the conclusion that if I were looking for job, maybe my ideal title would be “Application Delivery Architect.” Such a position requires skill with servers, networks, applications (programming) and more. Basically it’s a job for someone who gets the “big picture,” and knows how to use the appropriate tools (Blue Coat, etc.) to make things run smoothly. It requires project management and IT management skills, but with possibly more of a technical focus than many IT Manager positions.
All in all, it was a great trip, but I’m happy to be back home. We got stuck in Manhattan for a third night due to a snowstorm. Really, 3 inches of snow is enough to shut down an airport? Things really are different East of the Mississippi…
Posted: February 5th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 1
Most people hate meetings. I can’t honestly say I “enjoy” them; I’d be nuts if I did. But I think that most business meetings are not run as efficiently as they could be, and this leads to the common perception that they are boring and a waste of time. Today I pulled off a very successful meeting, despite all the forces working against me. I was able to get all the necessary parties in one room, discuss our issues, come up with a solution and close the meeting. And I did it in under 45 minutes, start to finish (including time for introductions and a business card exchange). I was worried it would take all afternoon, not accomplish much, and leave me feeling drained. Instead I’m done early and feel great, and as I ponder on what went right, I thought I’d share some thoughts.
One of the most important things I did was to send out a clear agenda to all involved parties more than a week ago. This doesn’t mean we followed it perfectly or in order. But it gave us the bullet points we needed to discuss, and the reasons why we were meeting. This allowed people to decide if they really needed to attend, and for managers to choose the right people to send. As a result, I had the all right people in the room, and no one who didn’t need to be there.
Another thing that is important is to control the “tangent factor” and keep the meeting on topic, or keep people from going on and on and on. This requires that whoever is “in charge” have a strong personality (not afraid to politely cut someone off or redirect them, if necessary) and be on top of the subject (be prepared) so they can keep things focussed on what needs to be discussed. Fortunately, this was not much of an issue this time. I was well prepared, and due to the agenda and other reasons I’ve already mentioned, everyone was ready.
I mentioned that we came up with a solution to the issue at hand. In a nutshell, our agency obtains certain electronic documents from another agency. However, it’s difficult to get at those documents, and they’re not always ready in a timely manner. Because we had all the right people in the room, we were able to figure out what it is that everyone needs, and then come up with a more efficient way to obtain the documents. If we had not come up with a solution, the meeting would’ve been a waste. Of course, that also means it is critical to document the solution so that it can be followed through to implementation.
Anyway, I’m no meeting expert, I just know I’ve sat through many torture sessions, so I do my best to make sure any meeting I’m in charge of is useful and productive. Of course, I do tend to ramble, so maybe they’re still boring…
Posted: January 29th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none
Welcome Internet stalkers!
I have discovered that there are a lot of sites out there with information about me, so I have decided that it is time for me to take control of my Internet identity. Most information on the web is essentially accurate, but there are a lot of things that are not quite “spot-on.” Many news articles (or in some cases, “press releases”) have also been written, detailing my use of Linux and Open Source Software, as well as different vendors’ hardware and software products. It never ceases to amaze me how reporters take notes on what you tell them, then go back and make up all the quotes. I always worry about responding to requests for interviews or other info, but fortunately I’ve been treated fairly thus far. In any case, this blog is my chance to tell things in my own words.
I have been solving problems with computers for a long time. I hate re-inventing the wheel, and I imagine I’m not the only one. One of my goals is to share my day-to-day issues and the solutions I and my team come up with to resolve them. Hopefully this information will be useful to other folks out there.
-Dan
Posted: January 20th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none