Leland Vandervort

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Thursday 22 October 2009

Cisco is Great, but Annoyingly Inconsistent...

I have long been a firm supporter/fan of Cisco network equipment, and have indeed gone through the range of Cisco certifications including the CCIE which I kept current for six years (CCIE #8936).  Sadly due to time constraints I decided not to renew the certification when it was due the last time, so I'm now "inactive"... but that's another story.

There is, however, one area where Cisco really annoys me... consistency .. or rather.. a lack thereof.

Here are just a few examples:

  • Unlike some of their competitors, there is no real consistency on gigabit ethernet and 10-gigabit ethernet interface modules.  Some use GBIC, some use SFP, some use Xenpak, some use X2, and some use XFP.  Indeed there are some which split into multiple types in the same interface (!).
  • Etherchannel load-balancing algoriths by default are not consistent across their various switch platforms which can actually result in a performance and throughput decrease on an etherchannel between, for example, a catalyst 6500 and a catalyst 3560, unless you manually force the algorithms to match on both platforms. [port-channel load-balance configuration command];  Although there are some combinations of platforms which are mutually exclusive with no way of achieving an exact algorithm match.
  • Power cable connectors;  Some platforms use a standard D-form connector, some use a keyed-D-form, others use a block form.  Even worse is that in some cases with redundant power supplies, you could actually find two different power cable connectors on the same piece of equipment!!  Talk about putting a sqare peg in a round hole!
One of these days they'll get it right I guess...


Wednesday 21 October 2009

Kiel Lerni Esperanton? ... Facilete kun Korektajn Rimedojn!!

Saluton ĉies!

Kiel mi jam diris, mi lernas Esperanton.  OK, mi estas ankoraŭ nun komencinto, sed eble mia travivaĵo asistos vin!

Unue, vi bezonas rimedojn, kiu vi povas trovi sur interreton.  Iru ĉe http://lernu.net/  Tien ĉi vi trovos multajn informaĵojn pri Esperanto, ankaŭ kursojn kaj la vortaron kiu estas tre utilega!

Due, mi rekomendas unun kurson ĉe http://www.edufire.com/ .  Serĉu la instruistinon nominti Judith Meyer.  Tiu ĉi kurso ne estas multekosta, kaj Judith havas vastan sperton instrui diversajn lingvuojn (Esperanto, Germanan, Francan, Latinan...)!  ŝi faras lernadon gajan kaj interesan!

ĝis !

Monday 14 September 2009

Red Tape! (re-importing a vehicle from the UK to France)

Well I must say off the bat, how much I have "missed" the French bureaucracy (NOT!).  I find myself currently caught between a rock and hard place attempting to register my car in France, as of course I'm required to do by law... I've so far managed to waste nearly three whole days with this affair and am still no closer to a resolution.

I guess this could be used as a learning experience for anyone who wants or needs to register their UK registered vehicle in France - specifically in the situation where said vehicle was already previously registered in France...

Continue reading...

Monday 24 August 2009

Nice View of Venus this Morning

Walking to the train station this morning, there was a beautiful view of the planet Venus, which of course is often visible in the early morning.  This time of year, it is slightly on the other side of the sun, but still at an angle where it is visible.  Photo is taken with my telephone, so not exactly the best quality, but venus is bright enough that you get the idea :)

Bye bye iPhone - Hello Android!

Having become completely disheartened with the Apple iPhone 3G, which has never really worked properly, I decided finally to get rid of the thing and replace it.  I must admit that I am more than pleased with my selection... The HTC Hero!  This little beauty, based on the Android operating system by Google labs, puts the ticks in all the boxes for me.  As well as being simple to use, it is rapid, and has a load of applications available.  A little like the iPhone, a large number of applications are pretty useless but cool for the gadgetry, but there are several applications which are very useful.

Google maps, in street view, for example, makes use of the built-in compass and accelerometers and actually moves the street-view image as you move the phone around.  Very useful when trying to find where you are going -- word of advice, do not try to use this function while you are driving, of course !!!

Another useful application, especially if you are interested in astronomy, is Google Sky Map.  Like google maps, it makes use of the compass and accelerometers, but gives you a map of the sky -- showing the stars, planets, constellations, etc.  With this nifty application, the last few days have proven to have great views of Jupiter at night, and Venus first thing in the morning.

Incidentally, if you are interested in Astronomy, and exploring the "known universe" there is an excellent open source application for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows, called Celestia.  It works a little like google earth, allowing you to move around and view things, but this is in 3 dimensions.  You can zoom in and view planets, galaxies, moons, etc.  And since the application is in real-time, everything is positioned exactly as it is in the real universe, so if you hypothetically took a spaceship to Jupiter, the position of the planet relative to the sun, the other planets, and its natural satellites would be correct.  Awesome software, and it's free! Here's a nifty screenshot of the the moon Io orbiting Jupiter!

Sunday 2 August 2009

Up in the Trees!

On the night of 31 July - 1 August, I spent the night in a rather interesting/unusual "gite" in the Fountainebleau forest.  Not content with a simple hotel arrangement, and camping being a little to "common", I managed to find an ideal solution.. ideal for it's simplicity, but also because it was out of the ordinary.

So, I arrive at the Chateau de Graville, which incidentally, has fabulous grounds.  The host introduces the living quarters for the evening... yes.. a cabin in the trees!  40 feet up in a giant oak, with a cord and wood-rung ladder as the only means of access.  Talk about a nature excursion!  It was, needless to say, magnificent, and peaceful.  Dinner and breakfast served by means of a basket attached to a rope and pulley.

There are, of course, certain safety requirements, such as the use of a safety harness when using the access ladder, as well as age restrictions (so this cabin is not for the kids, of course!).

More info on "les cabanes de graville" can be found on their website.

All in all, I give this one 5 stars myself !

Saturday 25 July 2009

Summer Vacation 2009

This summer we headed off to a small town near Perpignan in French Catalunya, situated in the eastern branch of the Pyrenees mountains, and just 20 minutes from the Mediterranean. So, very early Wednesday morning, we loaded up the car, strapped the children into their car-seats and headed off for the twelve hour drive south.

Continue reading...

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Morning Photos

Just a couple of early morning photos in Paris..

Nice clear sky this morning, with the waning moon bright in the morning sky.

Then the Paris skyline from the balcony at the office...

Yummy

Thursday 9 July 2009

Angels and Disappointments - Dan Brown & Ron Howard

Having already read the book Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, when the movie was released a couple months ago, I just had to go see it.


Of course, one of the major problems with watching a movie after having already read the book is that there are usually minor plot changes which, while somewhat frustrating, are usually not too disappointing. In the case of Angels and Demons, however, I was greatly disappointed because not only were there a few expected minor plot changes, but there were also very significant changes in the overall story line which, to me at least, resulted in the two works being almost but not quite entirely different.


Warning.. a few spoilers...


Continue reading...

Cisco CEO John Chambers Has Lost It ?

Came across this little snippet the other day.  Now I'm convinced that John Chambers has totally lost it.

Then again... if it helps boost sales of CRS-1s and Nexus7000s, why not ?  ;)

Monday 29 June 2009

Summer is here!

Looks like summer is actually here.  Of course one has to be be very wary of weather forecasts, especially given that the forecasters seem to change their story more often than they change their socks!  For the time being, at least, it's hot (30 degrees C) and sunny, and due to stay that way for the next few days.

Of course last week they kept saying that it would be fine all week, and then changing their story three times throughout the day, but we'll see.  All we need now is a weather machine to set the temperature at a nice constant 23 degrees C with only 40% humidity instead of this stuffy 90% at the moment!

Wheeee!

Thursday 25 June 2009

Saluton! Mi nomiĝas Leland!

Just a very quick entry today... I've decided that I want to try to learn Esperanto.  Having read various materials over the past few days it seems like a very interesting language, and what's even more attractive about it is that it's apparently very easy to learn.

Looking through various websites and other information on Esperanto, the language structure is very simple, with very easy grammatical rules.  There are no exceptions to the grammar rules or word contstruction (unlike other languages, such as English where there are more exceptions to the rules than there are rules themselves!).

Esperanto was invented to be used as a second language to allow for complete comprehension across international and cultural boundaries.  The structure of the language is such that irrespective of one's native language, or their accent for that matter, they can still achieve perfect comprehension in conversation, complete with the underlying meaning of what they are trying to convey... i.e. the emotional content of the message.

Sounds like fun!!

Monday 22 June 2009

Record Turnout at Stonehenge for 2009 Solstice

This year saw a record turnout of 36,500 (according to official figures) for the summer solstice party at Stonehenge.  According to reports, the event went very well with very few disruptions and only twelve arrests mostly for minor drug-related offenses.  If only I could have been there!

There are some excellent photos of the event on Demotix.Com !!

Monday 15 June 2009

The Writing is On the Wall

On Saturday, I stopped by the office with my son before taking him to the cinema. Of course at the office we have a special wall in the break area called the "creativity wall" where we can jot down all kinds of ideas and project data using dry-erase markers. Gabriel was most pleased with this as he was able to add his own contribution to the creativity wall. Knowing that he is passionate about dinosaurs at the moment (and has been for over a year now)... here's his contribution...

Cute eh?  ;)


Sunday 14 June 2009

Riding the Broomstick...

As I mentioned in another article, witches do not fly on broomsticks, despite the stereotype to the contrary. This myth comes from an amalgamation of several different historical elements, but the most common comes from the old pagan ritual of running through the fields astride a broomstick in the belief that it would cause the crops to grow better.  Often, this was coupled with the witch annointing herself with a "flying ointment" which is believed to have been hallucinogenic.  (Coffee Shops in Amsterdam didn't exist at the time! ;) )


You see, there's nothing strange about it :)


Incidentally, the broomstick figures in another very prevalent pagan and wiccan ritual -- the handfasting (pagan and wiccan wedding) where after the handfasting ceremony, the couple will jump over a broomstick to bring the union good fortune and fertility.


Enjoy!



Thursday 11 June 2009

Network Diagram Software

Okay.. this is more of a call out for ideas.. I've been looking for some software suitable for multi-dimensional network diagramming.  Of course I am a regular user of Visio, and have in the past use GraphViz, CND, and a few others.  The shortfall of all of these mainstream applications is that they can only really visualise in two dimensions.

Continue reading...

Tuesday 9 June 2009

What Tradition?

When speaking of Wicca or almost any other neopagan belief, one often refers to "traditions", as in the question "what tradition do you follow?". Indeed I am often asked about my beliefs, and while some aspects may vary over time, there are still fundamental principles upon which my own beliefs are founded.  I will not delve into all of the various traditions in this article as that is wider-reaching subject which can be researched elsewhere.


As an eclectic, of course, I take elements drawn from a number of different traditions and incorporate them into my own philosophy.

Continue reading...

Sunday 7 June 2009

Catch-22 - Typical...

Okay... this is just typical of "administration" and civil servants in France.  Of course the exact same holds true in the UK as well, but still.

I want to register my vehicle in France [as I am required to by law].  In order to register it I need submit the vehicle for a "Controle Technique" (French equivalent of the MoT test in the UK).  Fine, so I thought, but in order to submit it for the Controle Technique, the garage needs the "carte grise francaise", which means that it needs to be registered already in France... go figure...

Any ideas on how to undo the deadlock? :)

Thursday 4 June 2009

What's In a Circle?

A simple geometric shape... but with major significance in numerous cultures and traditions.  Some people ask "what is the significance?  What is so special about this shape for which the the circumference is calculated by 2x PI x the radius, or PI x the diameter ??"  Aside from the mathematical precision of a perfect circle, which is the subject of a totally different discussion, let us examine the spiritual significance of this well-known henagon.

Continue reading...

Turtle Dove Toilets? (FAIL)

This morning I saw two turtle doves sitting on the chimney pots on a Paris rooftop. I immediately thought "Turtle Dove Toilets" and then wondered if it might be a candidate for failblog... then again... maybe not... ;)

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