Darryl Smith @ Radioactive Networks

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:20:00 +0000

I got a new video card for my Dell GX280 computer today. I ended up getting an Asus EN9400GT video card. This is a half height design which would fit into the case. With the half height adapter it did fit but the HDMI was unusable. This is fine as I had a DVI to HDMI adapter.

Unfortunately, the device did like my TV, in terms of sound. The sound connection was via a Line Input on my TV, and the new video card had an audio channel with nothing on it. So, I needed to hack the audio on the card. The input on the video card was S/PDIF but my motherboard did not have a suitable output. Thankfully I did have a spare RCA Analogue to SPDIF/Optical. So I hacked it. I powered the converter with 5V from the power supply, and added an RCA connector for the cable to the video card. This worked well.

A minor amount of metal work was needed in the area of the HDD mount to get the case to shut, but apart from that the card looks like it works well

Interfacing a Video Intercom as a Door Bell

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:23:00 +0000

This might seem strange, but I have found it hard to buy a decent door bell pushbutton. They all seem just wrong. And I don't feel like spending $40 on a pushbutton that looks horrible either. Anyway, I was looking through the WES catalog to buy some supplies, and found some Video Door Intercoms. The camera unit was $40 for B&W, or $50 for colour. And they included a pushbutton. WOW. This one was a LOOK-C unit.

This did not include the base unit, but who cares. Debugging the four wire interface I worked out how they work. First, the 12V is only active when the unit is fully active. The video signal is therefore only active when 12V is supplied. And the ground is simple. The audio does the rest. When there is 12V or so on the audio line, the internal relay is activated causing the door strike (if attached) to open. And if the button is pressed, the voltage on the audio line goes to ground. The audio line normally sits at 5V.

Audio signals going both ways sit on the single audio line, meaning that there must be a hybrid in the camera unit allowing for hands free.

To interface to my alarm, to use the Alarm as a door bell, I purchased the KC5377 Voltage Switch Relay Kit from Jaycar. This was under $30. To simulate the 5V, I took the 8V from the regulator and connected this to the input of the switch via a 100 ohm resistor. Then I connected the input to ground via a 220 ohm resistor. This gave a bit over 5V at the input. The I then tuned the relay settings so that it would detect the pushbutton.

This seems to have worked well. I have yet to install it, but I am sure it will work

ESXi 4 and USB issues

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:21:00 +0000

I had some USB issues when installing VMWare ESXi 4 on some non-VMWare approved hardware today. I was installing onto an ICH10 motherboard. In fact, by USB troubles, I mean I had major issues. I think I have solved them, but I am not sure of the exact solution.

Anyway, my install would die when trying to load one of the USB drivers. It would just sit there and sit there. Using a PS/2 keyboard would almost work, but would reach a screen that asked for me to press enter, and that did not work. I also had the machine hang on IDE.

The solution is simple. First, turn off the legacy IDE. I had SATA, and so I did not need IDE. I don't know if this did anything, but it did not hurt. I also turned on VT in the bios. This was probably important too. The CPU I was using was a Core 2 Duo... The E-7500 running just under 3 GHz.

The solution to the lock ups? Simple. Remove the USB keyboard and mouse as soon as possible at the beginning of the Yellow and Black screen. Then just before it ends you need to put the keyboard back in. Actually, you can do this once it gets to about 2/3rds of the way through the process.

What this does is removes the USB device so it is not detected incorrectly by the VMWare software. Then, once we have gone past that step, the Plug and Play will detect the keyboard as a keyboard and things will be fine. I don't know if you need to remove the USB on reboot, but the solution to that is to log in via SSH to the VMWare and edit a conf file in /etc

Python SoapLib with VB.NET and C#

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:19:00 +0000

This is a rare post. It says how to do something, and it is something that I have spent a LOT of time investigating. It is not complete thanks to one or two issues, but it is close.

Basically I wanted to write a service in Python and consume it in VB.NET. That should be easy. Well, it is, if you want to write your own Web Service code under .NET. I am lazy and do not like that idea. So you need to generate a WSDL from what I can work out. And this code does that for VB.NET and C#, at least in Visual Studio 2005. There is an issue though. Data types are not being sent correctly. I think this is an issue with SoapLib, but I cannot be sure. The GIT repository does not have any patches either. So this is CUTTING EDGE!

Sorry about the lack of indent. I am sure you can work it out!

#!/usr/bin/python import web from soaplib.wsgi_soap import SimpleWSGISoapApp from soaplib.service import soapmethod from soaplib.serializers import primitive as soap_types from soaplib.serializers.primitive import String urls = ("/hello", "HelloService", "/hello.wsdl", "HelloService", ) render = web.template.Template("$def with (var)\n$:var") class SoapService(SimpleWSGISoapApp): """Class for webservice """ #__tns__ = 'http://test.com' # @soapmethod(soap_types.String,_returns=soap_types.String) @soapmethod(String,_returns=String) def hello(self,message): """ Method for webservice""" return "Hello world "+message class HelloService(SoapService): """Class for web.py """ def start_response(self,status, headers): web.ctx.status = status for header, value in headers: web.header(header, value) def GET(self): response = super(SimpleWSGISoapApp, self).__call__(web.ctx.environ, self.start_response) return render("\n".join(response)) def POST(self): response = super(SimpleWSGISoapApp, self).__call__(web.ctx.environ, self.start_response) return render("\n".join(response)) app=web.application(urls, globals()) if __name__ == "__main__": app.run()

Hints Replacing a Gyprock/Plasteboard Ceiling

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:18:00 +0000

Removing the old ceiling is easy. Hammer or pry bar or whatever. It will generally be screwed or nailed as well as glued. Remove the nails or screws as you find them. Don't worry about getting dried glue off any wood work. Not worth the hassle.

Work out what size cornice is installed, or more importantly what you want to replace. When you buy the cornice, get a cutting jig. They are cheap and commonly made from plastic.

Once you have removed the plasterboard, you will need to measure up for installing the new board. Since the cornice is going to cover the edge of the plasterboard you should cut the board a bit small. If you leave it to go right to the edge you will run into issues.

If you can, buy or rent a stand to hold the plasterboard to the ceiling. Otherwise make sure you have at least two people. A third comes in rather handy.

Work out how you are going to secure the plasterboard to the wood. Commonly these days self tapping screws are used in association with builders adhesive. You can get a good idea as to how much adhesive is needed from looking at what was used before. Ideally install the adhesive to the top of the plasterboard, but you can install it direct to the woodwork. We found it was better to install it to the woodwork with a paint scraper.

If you can, install a series of screws in the wall just below the ceiling height along the long side. Leave the screws so they are sticking out. These can then be used to lean the plasterboard on during install.

With the plasterboard held in place, install enough screws into the plasterboard to hold it flat and also hold it in place until the glue dries. Eventually the screws will need to be removed for screwed in so that they are below the surface. Either ways the holes will need to be filled.

When placing two boards next to each other, make sure that they have a slight gap as this will make it more likely that both boards will line up. Apply about 4" of filler along the entire seam. Then get some 2" plasterboard paper and put it in a bucket of water. Then apply it to the seam over the filler. Then use a scraper to remove any air bubbles. Then apply filler over the entire length and allow to dry. Once dry, sand slightly and apply another layer of filler.

The cornices can be a pain. There are a few tricks. First, apply screws to the wall just below the height of the cornice. These will be used to rest the cornice on whilst securing it. Cut the cornice to length. I have found generally I need to cut it about 1/2" long. Not sure why. It is then the right length when I install it.

Apply adhesive to the back of the cornice, but only when you are sure it is going to fit. Apply more to the top rather than the side as any excess will most likely be hidden.

It is important to install cornice so that it is touching already installed pieces if possible. This will minimise the issues with installing a piece of cornice that needs to fit next to two previously installed pieces. But you will need to install one piece like this in most cases. In this case, measure and cut the cornice as before, but then cut it in half. The join will need to be fixed, but this should be easy. If you are concerned, have this join so it will normally be behind a door.

Do not use extra hard filler unless you want to have problems with sanding.

Buy a special plasterboard sander. They are worth the little that they cost.

Huawei, Optus and Maybe Telstra

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:10:00 +0000

The National Broadband Network tenders are all in. And Telstra is out. But someone has told that Huawei is linked to the Chinese Military. Strange Story. The opposition is really pushing the issue. But I am just wondering why. And where the story came from.

I am just guessing here, but could it be Telstra? The Huawei equipment is used by Telstra for their Next-G for some customers wanting broadband. But who would win if Optus drops out of the NBN? Would that be Telstra?

Engine Start on RV7

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:10:00 +0000

Here are some photos from the first engine start on the RV-7 I am building with a friend. For those that are interested, the blue fire extinguisher was last tested in 1981... Came with the hanger!

Full four second AVI file showing the engine running

Indoor Tracking and Bluetooth Tracking WebSite Update

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:33:00 +0000

I was in the process of updating the website for my indoor tracking business InLocality using Microsoft Expression Web. You can try this software out buy downloading an evaluation version, and then buying online for digital delivery if you want. I should explain that this is done via DigitalRiver for Microsoft.

First, the price in Australian Dollars is listed as $161. But then you find out that this is without GST. Then they want you to buy their three year download protection product. So that for the next three years you can download the software from them in case you need to reinstall it. You can buy a case for $12 I think too. Now, how dumb is this. I can download it for FREE from Microsoft. Free, I tell you! All I need to do is to protect the license key. Digital River does like to make their money... JCTech has good prices but didn't have the software in stock.

Anyway, there should be an update for InLocality's Bluetooth Tracking product soon.

Hacking HDCP

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:41:00 +0000

Let me here propose a solution to the DRM (Digital Rights Management) stuff within HDMI. The DRM scheme is called HDCP, or High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection. By solution, I mean removing the HDCP signal from HDMI. Just to be plain here, I do not believe that I have ever touched a piece of equipment with HDCP, and I am not proposing any form of copyright infringement. I am just wanting to show how someone might attack such a system.

There has been talk in the past about the great ‘Analog Hole’. This is the problem caused by certain signals not being able to be encrypted because they are not digital. Well, the entire world is analog. Look at a CRO, and you will find that digital signals are really analog.

So, let’s have a think about extracting a signal. How would I do it – and in a way that is unable to be effectively shut down?
Step 1. Buy a HDCP compliant LCD or PLASMA screen. Rather simple isn’t it. There is a bonus here. I don’t want the screen itself. I just want the electronics and the cables. Smash the LCD or Plasma if you want. That is up to you. But pull the thing apart.
Step 2. Obtain the manual for the LCD or PLASMA panel you are wanting to use. This is an optional step.
Step 3. Find the fastest FPGA chip you can find. Attach it to the horizontal and vertical lines going into the actual screen.
Step 4. Digitize this information, and process it.
Step 5. Output it as HDMI without HDCP.

Step 3 is a simple item to explain, but not easy in practice. Each pixel on the screen is activated by a row and a column signal. So, what we need to do is to record the value of each pixel about 100 times a second and record this into memory. Then when they are recorded we can do step 5 which is really trivial…

Another solution is available here

VMware ESXi 3.5 on Dell PowerEdge 1750 and 2650 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:59:00 +0000

A Quick update. I have installed VMWare ESXi 3 on four DELL servers, and I am having nothing but trouble free operation from them. I have installed it on a PowerEdge 1750 and three Dell PowerEdge 2650's, and they all work without any problems. The machines just run and run. I have not yet had a power outage with them, but I expect that they will come back on line without issue after an outage just like before.

I would encourage anyone with DELL PowerEdge 1750's and 2650's to install VMware ESXi. You might need to download the HDD driver image (Dell 1750) or update the Bios to the latest version, but apart from that things will be really easy.

It is to the point now where I almost never log into the admin console. There is simply no need to.

Whilst I am posting here, I would encourage people to head over to InLocality and check out their Indoor Tracking solutions. This is an organisation I have just set up to handle tracking people indoors. In order to build business, I will return a commission to anyone who refers a new client to me. All you need to do is ask.

Menus with Microsoft Expression Web 2

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:37:00 +0000

I have been puzzling over Web Site software for the past few weeks looking at what is best for my InLocality business Web Site. And what I came up with is this... As much as I dislike it, Expression Web is better than anything else I could find. It is better than any Web Site editor I could find, and was more reliable and more user friendly in getting things how I wanted them than any CMS I could find.

But menus has been a problem. I really don't understand DHTML or CSS. Although I sort of understand CSS, they are still black magic really. What I wanted was a menu that I could insert on certain pages. And only edit this in one place. And I could not find a solution. And then i started thinking. How did this get done in the past. Well... I am glad you asked. More information is available here.

First is Server Side Includes. SSI's. Then there are PHP includes and Javascript includes. But these are a pain. Then comes 'Frontpage Includes'. And these seem to be undocumented in the help system. Frontpage Includes allow you to include a HTML file at any point on another HTML file. And they effectively get compiled in when the site is published.

The problem is that there is no menu to deal with this. The good news is that it is there if you customize the User Interface in Expression Web. You just need to go to the CUSTOMIZE menu and find PAGE INCLUDE. Then drag it onto the INSERT menu. How simple is that!

Microsoft Expression Web 2

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:07:00 +0000

Expression Web from Microsoft is not my favorite product at the moment. It is too complex, and does not provide features that I would have thought would have been standard. These have to do with NAVIGATION. Maybe I need to go back for retraining, but I for the life of me cannot work out how to intelligently do menus or Navigation. It cannot be THAT hard. Can it?

My wants are fairly simple. Firstly, I would love a hierarchical menu system. One that only opens up as far as needed for a particular page. Oh, and i would like it to highlight the currently selected page in the hierarchy. But there is a complication. I also want a selected page to be able to have a number of 'sub pages'. Well, these are really pages in themselves, but the same page is selected on the hierarchy. And this collection of pages needs its own menu, but just for those pages. I can insert something onto those pages by hand, but what?

With the Web Meta Language (WML) this is all fairly straightforward. But under ExpressionWeb this is too hard for words. FrontPage is easier to use. So far in my searching I have not come up with a decent windows programming for a Web Site.

It is no wonder that people start using a Content Management System after software like this... Maybe I need to start using SharePoint :-(

pfSense needs some work (At the moment)

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:18:00 +0000

pfSense really needs a much better User Interface. I am sure the back end is good, but the GUI needs a lot of work. From my point of view it is unworkable. Maybe I have been spoilt with firewall, but more work is needed.

1. It is possible to Alias ports/hosts and networks. But I cannot see any way to specify the port as being TCP or UDP or both. [It is there, but I think the UI needs improving]

2. The UI for selecting PORTS/HOSTS/NETWORKS are missing. You must know the exact text of the alias and type that. [UI Issue again. If you start typing the name of the alias it comes up.]

3. Also missing is the ability to group multiple HOSTS/NETWORKS into a single rule

4. Removed [WAS: None of that really matters anyway since the ALIAS is broken since it immediately breaks this back to an IP. In other words it is not SYMBOLIC.]

5. The NAT functionality is broken. You can only do NAT by port. You cannot change ALL traffic to 1.2.3.4 to go to 5.6.7.8 regardless of the port. [This may be covered under OUTGOiNG NAT or 1:1 NAT]

6. Similarly Firewall rules are on a per-interface basis. You cannot have a single rule for all ports.

All of these problems would be fixed with a GUI that created the pfSense internal configuration... Wow... A project for me.

VMware ESXi 3.5 on Dell PowerEdge 1750 and 2650

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:03:00 +0000

There has been much written on the VMware ESXi 3.5 HyperVisor that is now available for free. Much less has been written on Hardware Compatibility between with non-supported DELL Servers.

Firstly, the DELL POWEREDGE 2650 works without issue. I have two of these boxes, and they are fine with ESXi, straight out of the box. Well, out of the eBay box. Put the CD in and boot. That is all there is to it.

On the DELL POWEREDGE 1750 things are not as easy. I kept getting "unable to write image to the selected disk" errors when I got to 2% of the install. This confounded me, and I could not find any BIOS settings that helped. So then I went to the DELL Web Site, and found some BIOS upgrades. I upgraded the BIOS from A10 to A12, and tried to upgrade the PERC 4e/Di SCSI Controller card but I kept getting bad sectors on the Floppy Drive. So I just rebooted the machine, and guess what... It worked.

So now I have proved that Dell 2650 and 1750 PowerEdge servers work with ESXi.

One hint... If you are working with VMWare, download a copy of VMware Converter. It is available from their Web Site, and helps moving VM's. Some caveats. Sometimes it does not VM's (Particularly Linux) in a state that can be used, if going from VMware Server to ESXi. It cannot load VM's from UNC paths even though it says that it can. And it always reallocates NETWORK MAC addresses even if you don't want it to on copying.

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:25:00 +0000

I just got the following comment on my blog... it really irritates me to read quotes that are so blatantly wrong. No web page in WA sells RADAR JAMMERS. We sell RADAR DETECTORS and LASER JAMMERS. There is no broadcast law against LASER jammers. This is a public frequency of 904nm. You can check out the legalities of this at http://www.radars.com.au But in your article you mention "laser jammer" but then go on to talk about radar jammers. Two completely different things.

I have a few comments on this...

1. According to the Radiocommunications Act 1992, a radio emission is any emission of electromagnetic energy less than 420 THz, regardless of if it is an intentional or not. 904 nm is about 332 THz, so a 904 nm transmission is a RADIO EMISSION. Section 6 of the act notes that a RADAR device is covered under the act specifically. And therefore also a LASER RADAR operating at 904 nm is still a RADAR.

2. Except in an emergency, a person may not operate a radiocommunications device (such as a RADAR or LASER) except if it is Authorised by... A Spectrum License, An Apparatus License or a Class License. Therefore the frequency is LICENSED.

3. The 304 TGz band is covered under a CLASS LICENSE. The license is here

4. Section 4(1)(b) states that the device must not cause any iterference to the operation of any radiocomminication service.

Therefore... there is a broadcast law against LASER JAMMERS... Just as there is against RADAR JAMMERS in the 10-24 GHz Range.

Copying Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:18:00 +0000

The Federal Election is about a month away. For a number of reasons I will probably vote Labour. This is not only because of the Liberal's Work Choices legislation, but also because of things such as the Copyright Amendment Act or 2006, certain aspects of Telecommunications Policy and certain aspects of the Australia-USA Free Trade Agreement. It is also related to the fact that I believe that good government requires a good opposition, and the best way to ensure that is to ensure that the opposeition is in governement periodically.

With this in mind, I have a good friend who gave me a challenge. The challenge was to design a piece of clothing to support the Liberal Party - something that was all my own work. I was not permitted to copy it at all. How boring, but them there is the rules. The challenge was put in a way that I really did not have much choice but to accept.

I came up with a number of designed - the remainder of which are already on this Web Site. When I described the concepts to the challenger, there was one clear winner. It appears below. There is some context to this - when Kevin Rudd released his Taxation Policy, it was about 91.5% identical to the Liberal Party policy released days before. So I got thinking... What if there was some Liberal Party policy that Labour was able to copy without causing the Liberals any problems.

And I found one - the Liberal Party 'HOW TO VOTE' Card. Of course the example on the T-Shirt is a fake, but the concept is there. It contains a personal member to the leader of the Labour Party - STEAL THIS POLICY! I DARE YOU!

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:28:00 +0000

Right now I am pretty happy... Things are looking fairly good at the moment - everything just seems to be getting better at the moment. Of course spanners have a known perchant for getting thrown in the works, but frankly I can cope with the odd small spanner.

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 22:26:00 +0000

I was challenged by a friend to produce some pro-John Howard fashion for the 2007 election. I came up with two T-Shirts. The first is based on Hogan's Heroes from the 1970's, and the second is based on the Coalition's Kevin Rudd Debate Bingo. This first design is simple - black on white, with the list of cast members. I have changed one name - John Winston as Colonel John Howard. The others are real people with real parts. Colonel John Howard is obviously Colonel Robert E. Hogan.

This second T-Shirt has a subtle copy of the 'Kevin 07' slogan on the back, with the coalition's Bingo card on the front.

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:21:00 +0000

I stayed in the Holiday Inn Suva in October 2007 for a few nights on a holiday. Whilst I enjoyed the hotel there were a few issues that would have improved my stay.
One of the first things I looked for when I checked in was a guide to the hotel. Is hotels around the world you find a guide to the local attractions and services in a draw or on a table somewhere. It took me a day to find the guide to the hotel services. It was in the wallet that contained my room key. By ‘In the wallet’, I mean it was the wallet. There was not much information inside – it did not make mention of what hours the pool operated from, nor did it say what to do with towels. Certainly it did not say how to get to any of the local attractions.
When I had booked the room I chose the hotel because of the facilities that it offered – in terms of Internet access. The Web Site stated that Wifi was $0, and that there would be a charge of $5 for wired Internet. When I got here I found that the wired internet was $0.60 per minute, with a maximum of $36 per day. By ‘Maximum’, I mean it was $36 until you got to 30 Mbytes and then it was $0.40 per MByte. This is a bait and switch in the extreme.
I suspect that the Web Site is not accurate, but that is not my fault. I have since discovered that the same Web Site lists each room as having a PC. I somehow do not think that this is what they intended. This is not some two-bit company we are talking about here offering to book rooms. This is the OFFICIAL WEB SITE for the Hotel!
I have emailed two different email addresses, and also made an online complaint about this issue and I have heard nothing. Thankfully I am protected, since the Holiday Inn has a ‘Hospitality Promise’ which states that if I am not completely satisfied with anything it will be free. I am intending to use this ‘Promise’.
The pool at the hotel is nice, and the water is warm. Being on Suva Harbor there is no beach. The hotel butts onto the ocean, but the land was a former mangrove rather than a beach, meaning it is more suited to fishing than swimming.
There is no gift shop in the hotel – at least not that I could find. This is rather unique when it comes to hotels in my experience. Normally they are trying to stop you from going outside to discover the real world. Not here.
Another thing that is missing is the wall filled with self-serve brochures showing what is on where. There are a few at the tour desk, but that is all. The only way that I got a map was to visit the main desk and ask where the museum was. The person gave me a map that showed where the tourist centre was. Even the tourist centre was not really set up to handle tourists.

The staff at the hotel were all friendly, wanting to open doors for you and help you when they could. Sometimes this was a bit pointless, such as when I got a soft drink at the bar and was taking it to a seat 5m away. After 2m the waiter insisted on taking the drink and carrying it to my seat. Still, service was good.
Outside the hotel I found some good restaurants. One Chinese establishment offered a Rum Steak for $7.45, including salad and chips. I got two pieces of steak, adding up to about 300-400 grams I would guess. They were rough cut and seasoned, making them tender and juicy. Cheaper than a club meal in Oz, and not subsidized either.
The hotel is on the southern outskirts of the commercial district, meaning that some walking is needed to get to all the shops. Or a Taxi Ride. Suva is a strange collection of one way streets and alleys. I went looking for a set of shops that I had visited the day before. And I could not find it. I did find the garment and fabric district but not the shops I was looking for. And I found Dick Smith Electronics too, the story above the Gloria Jean’s coffee shop. I knew Dick Smith needed to be nearby since I had seen a reference to it in the listing for an arcade a few streets away.
Once more I have no idea if the Hotel has a minibus, as they do not have a guide for the hotel. But given the price and availability of taxis, I am guessing that they are not really needed.

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 01:47:00 +0000

I am sorry to tell you that this first photo was taken just after breakfast this morning, just before I went for a swim. The water was beautiful, and just look at the view!!!

I actually took this next phot last night looking out towards the bay. The photo does not do the scene justice.

I suppose that this next sign sums up part of the world. It is one that I would expect to see on The Simpsons.

I am not quite sure what this is, but it appears to be some type of boiler or something similar. It is hidden next to the hotel.

One of the local churches. It looks like a concrete castle, parapits and all. The problem is that concrete discolours in this climate making it look a bit run-down.

This is the clock tower next to the museum.

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:33:00 +0000

This photo is taken from the Hotel a few minutes ago. I am not enjoying this place and I want to go home.

Yeah, sure! And this is a photo of my hotel room. I guess you can say it is acceptable.

This is of the Vodafone Stadium in Suva from the air. Not a bad flight...

And this is Nadi, or one of the suburbs of Nadi...

Of course I had a few issues getting from Nadi to Suva. This is a view from my seat in the plane, looking forward. The view was just as good in the air!

Thankfully the flight to Nadi from Sydney was a bit bigger...

And this is a view of the basic conditions in last nights hotel.

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:57:00 +0000

7-October-2007
I have made it to Nadi. I am pretty sure that this is Nadi, but it really is hard to tell, given that it is most definitely night time. The flight across the Pacific from Sydney was relatively uneventful. The boarding of the 747 consisted of :-
Would all business class passengers, and passengers with children under 10 like to begin boarding
Would all other passengers like to board the plane.
Obviously this is not how this sort of thing normally happens. What tends to ensure is a massive fight as people try to firstly get onto the plane, and then those at the front of the plane stop those at the back getting on. This is what happened.

The meal service was a bit interesting, with the options being fish or chicken. The chicken was actually a chicken and sweet chilli stir fry, but I can assure everyone that this was not hot in either sense of the word. It was warm in temperature, and did not tang my taste buds at all. AirPacific seems to ply alcohol like Qantas plies Coffee. They were even giving out cans of beer, and kept going around the cabin with bottles of wine. Us poor people who do not drink Alcohol were left a little short changed.
Back in Sydney I changed some money, getting about $420 Fiji dollars for $350 Australian dollars. I have yet to find out if this is a good deal or not.

Getting to Nadi airport was not too bad. Imigration was fairly quick. Surprisingly I heard my name called in the crowd by one of the other passengers. It was a woman who I had worked with at Pacific Power, and whose daughter had been one of the subjects of mum’s Doctoral thesis. And I had mentioned her to a couple of people in the last couple of weeks - so actually seeing her again, IN FIJI was surprising.
Collecting my bag seemed to take an eternity, but was probably only 15 minutes or so. There were bags on the carousel, but it appeared that they were unable to put more bags on until people had removed their bags. And people needed to clear immigration to get their bags. And that was the holdup.
Finding the shuttle to the hotel was a bit hard, and I waited for about 10 minutes on a minivan before the hotel decided to send me and three others by a Taxi. Not sure why that happened. Just the mysteries of the universe I guess. The taxi seemed to have had far better days, but given that it was a Toyota I am guessing that it will last a lot longer before needing replacing.
The journey to the hotel was uneventful. It seemed like a bit more than five minutes but not much more. The countryside reminds me of the road about 30 minutes outside Bangkok.

The hotel is not what I would call five star. I only needed something for one night, and it was cheap and offered a shuttle from the airport. My room is fine, but has no guidebook of the services of the hotel or the local area. The shower recess does not really have concealed pluming, and there are not enough power points. Right now I have unplugged the TV so I can have the laptop connected on the desk. I would have placed the Laptop on the beside table, but the alarm clock is firmly attached to the table. I am guessing that they don’t want anyone stealing it.
But the hotel suits my purposes. Tomorrow I fly to Suva and then stay at the more up market Holiday Inn.

October 8, 2007
I didn’t sleep particularly well last night, so I am a bit tired right now. I organized a wakeup call for 6:00, on the advice of the hotel. They gave me to the wakeup call early, at 5:45, and then the Bus to the airport came just before 7am. Not bad for a 8am flight. Arrived at the airport about 7 minutes later, and walked straight to checkin. Too easy. Then grabbed some breakfast.
Unfortunately soon an announcement came saying the flight would be delayed. And delayed again. This time they told us to go to the cafeteria to get whatever we wanted for food and drink. Then they came and said the plane would be leaving in 20 minutes or so. They forgot to say it was leaving Suva then. We eventually boarded about 10:30 or so.
But not before being asked to go back to the checkin counter with our hand luggage and stand on the scales! They wrote our weights on our boarding passes and then allowed us to board without passes. The plane had been changed to a Twin Otter which was much smaller than they plane we were going to fly on. I must say it is interesting to see safety cards with the different exits highlighted by the callsign of the plane!
We were allowed to sit anywhere, and I chose a seat up the front next to a window and with a view of the cockpit. I will upload my photos later, but it was sort of cool. The flight was uneventful, and so was getting into downtown SUVA. The hotel looks really nice

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 01:13:00 +0000

There is something rather civilised about the Qantas Club. For me it is a business expense as it is an office whenever I am on the road. I guess you could also call it a fringe benefit that makes flying more enjoyable.

Right now I am sitting in the Qantas Club in the International Airport. I have a seat with power and phone line, and a panoramic window overlooking the Sydney CBD. I have taken a photo with my camera phone, but I dont think I have a cable to download it the photo with me.

Right now, apart from writing this message, I am having a snack - some fruit juice with gormet sandwhiches, fruit and cheese. The seat is comforatble, and there is no problem leaving a bag unattended to go to the bar, or to get a coffee. In essence, it is quiet but not too quiet. Internet is available here either through the computer room or via WiFi. Wifi is not free though. Thanks to my vodafone card I have no problem with internet access anyway.

In a moment I am going to watch some DVD's on my laptop whilst I wait for the phone. Life is good.

International Space Station

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:47:00 +0000

I contacted the International Space Satation today from my car on the way in. The log is below, so is the location of where i was when I did this. Two way text messaging too. This was so fun! And today is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik too!

04/10/2007 07:09:52 RS0ISS-4>CQ,SGATE,qAR,VK8ZMA-0:>ARISS - International
Space Station (BBS/APRS on)
04/10/2007 07:13:52 RS0ISS-4>CQ,SGATE,qAo,VK6MJ:>ARISS - International Space
Station (BBS/APRS on)
04/10/2007 07:15:53 RS0ISS-4>CQ,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5:>ARISS - International
Space Station (BBS/APRS on)
04/10/2007 07:16:07 VK2TDS-1>SST5U2,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'OZul
6K\]"53}
04/10/2007 07:16:38
VK2TDS-1>SST5U0,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'OZ}mplK\]"58}
04/10/2007 07:16:58 VK4TEC>APU25N,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5::VK2TDS-1
:Hello via ISS{55
04/10/2007 07:17:41
VK2TDS-1>SST5T4,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'O[AnfiK\]"52}
04/10/2007 07:17:52 RS0ISS-4>CQ,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:>ARISS - International
Space Station (BBS/APRS on)
04/10/2007 07:17:57 VK2TDS-1>SST5T2,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'O[Ln
iK\]"5*}
04/10/2007 07:18:04 VK4HW>CQ,RS0ISS-4*,qAo,VK3JTM-5:=2735.26S\15245.29ES73'
>From VK4HW Via ISS Satellite {UISS51}
04/10/2007 07:18:23 VK4TEC>APU25N,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5::VK2TDS-1
:Hello via ISS{55
04/10/2007 07:18:27
VK2TDS-1>SST5T1,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'O[Wl>rK\]"5&}
04/10/2007 07:18:58
VK2TDS-1>SST5T1,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'O[an\K\]"5%}
04/10/2007 07:19:08 VK4TEC>APU25N,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5::VK2TDS-1
:Hello via ISS{55
04/10/2007 07:19:41 VK4TEC>APU25N,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5::VK2TDS-1
:Hello via ISS{55
04/10/2007 07:19:46 VK2TDS-1>SST5U9,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5:'O\
m+;K\]"4u}
04/10/2007 07:19:52 RS0ISS-4>CQ,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:>ARISS - International
Space Station (BBS/APRS on)
04/10/2007 07:19:53 VK2TDS-1>SST5U9,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5:'O\
m+;K\]"4u}
04/10/2007 07:19:53 VK2TDS-1>APK101,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5::VK4TEC
:hi{2
04/10/2007 07:19:53 VK2TDS-1>SST5U9,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5:'O\
m+;K\]"4u}
04/10/2007 07:20:16 VK4TEC>APU25N,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5::VK2TDS-1
:Hello via ISS{55
04/10/2007 07:20:19 VK2TDS-1>APK101,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5::VK4TEC
:ack55
04/10/2007 07:20:22
VK2TDS-1>SST5V7,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5:'O\.m?0K\]"4s}
04/10/2007 07:20:54
VK2TDS-1>SST5V9,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'O\3l{'K\]"4r}
04/10/2007 07:21:04 VK4HW>CQ,RS0ISS-4*,qAO,VK4TEC:=2735.26S\15245.29ES73'
>From VK4HW Via ISS Satellite {UISS51}
04/10/2007 07:21:25
VK2TDS-1>SST5W1,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:'O\;l\}K\]"4q}
04/10/2007 07:21:52 RS0ISS-4>CQ,SGATE,qAO,VK4TEC:>ARISS - International
Space Station (BBS/APRS on)
04/10/2007 07:21:56
VK2TDS-1>SST5W2,RS0ISS-4*,SGATE,qAo,VK3JTM-5:'O\Hn4{K\]"4p}

Rack Cabinet

noreply@blogger.com (Smith) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 02:44:00 +0000

I have designed a Rack Cabinet for my servers. Unlike common installations I have designed the cabinet so that it will not need Air Conditioning. It is located in a cool area with a large thermal mass that is at room temperature, and will be rather hard to heat up.

The cabinet is designed to allow for natural seperation of air. Most computer racks pull cold air from the front and push it to the back. So I have designed the air to come into the rack from the front, right at the bottom. The exhaust air is at the back at the top. This means that hot air will rise helping cooling. I have baffles front and back to assist with the segregation, and I have ensured that the rack is full. Not with equipment, but with panels.

This seems to be working really well, although I have just been looking at the rack now that things are starting to warm up. I have had some heat building up at the top of the front of the rack. Opening up one of the vents helped this, and significantly reduced the temperature of the rack metal. At the back I only have two 4"x6" exhaust vents, and these are not connected to anything but natural ventelation. I have just found that this is not providing the cooling I need - so I have put a 4" fan on one of the outlets. I will see how that goes over the next few hours. I expect that this will help a lot.

I have included insulation inside the cabinet for noise, but this is insulating from heat too. I might need to monitor things over Summer, but given the thermal mass I doubt that I will have too many issues. Worst case I will wheel the rack into an air conditioned area.