Running
I recently purchased an iPod nano with the Nike + iPod kit. My Nike+ screenname is “Aidan F”, for anyone who wants to challenge me.
My own personal cluster
I am now the proud operator of a three-node Hadoop cluster. Hadoop is a Java-based MapReduce implementation, an open-source version of the technology that allows Google to perform massive parallel computing on cheap, commodity hardware. I set it up with my OS X laptop running the NameNode (the distributed filesystem coordinator) and JobTracker (the distributed computing coordinator) and two Debian servers as the slaves.
The first problem I ran into was the requirement for the Hadoop directory to be in the exact same location on all machines. Since OS X and Debian have very different directory structures, I ended up creating extra directories on the Linux nodes to match my OS X setup—very sketchy, but I couldn’t find a better solution. Once I got that figured out, the cluster started humming along nicely.
The next problem was an error message: java.io.IOException: Incompatible namespaceIDs. This is a known issue and was quickly resolved by following some simple directions.
I installed the brilliant Dumbo module (more info on Dumbo) to help me deal with the Python side of things. Now I can write Python MapReduce programs and run them on my mini-cluster. Why would I ever want to do this? I’m not really sure, but darn do I ever feel cool.
Nerd credentials: tested and passed
Hot on the heels of a nerd victory involving Clone High, subliminal messages, and mplayer, I faced another challenge: ozone, smoke, and danger.
Wake up, check email. Smell burning electronics; it passes. Shower, check email. Smell burning electronics; see smoke coming from the power plug. Quickly disconnect power.
Order new power supply: $125 and won’t arrive until Monday at best. A whole weekend laptopless? Could I survive?
Find a repair tutorial before the battery dies. Buy soldering iron, solder, and heat-shrink tubing. Am now the very proud owner of a working, albeit sketchified, power cord.
WPG2 breaks with every Wordpress upgrade
Summary: Every time I upgrade Wordpress, the site is broken until the WPG2 options are edited.
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Life post-university
I turned down one job for the possibility of another. If it comes through, I’ll be in Toronto for the summer. I hope it works out.
Five years done, and so many people I may never see again. I don’t think that it’s sunk in, yet.