aidanfindlater.com

Running

aidan — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:08:45 +0000

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

aidan — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:00:19 +0000

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

aidan — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:16:34 +0000

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

aidan — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:39:59 +0000

Summary: Every time I upgrade Wordpress, the site is broken until the WPG2 options are edited.

Problem:The Wordpress-Gallery 2 (WPG2) plugin for Wordpress doesn’t like being deactivated and reactivated, although it seems to vary in severity. It appears that most or all WPG2 settings are wiped upon reactivation, causing visitors to see ugly error messages such as:

Sidebar Grid
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *

Solution: These are the steps that you may have to take, though you may not need to do all of them. All are in the Wordpress admin area:

Open up the WPG2 options in the Wordpress admin area. This should revalidate the plugin.
Go to the Sidebar Grid Block page, change its options, and save it. If you use a different function, you’ll likely have to edit its functions instead. This may only happen on Wordpress upgrades, I’m not sure.
I like the WPG2 page to be called “Photos” and organised into a submenu. To do so, edit the page called WPG2. I rename mine to “Photos” and change its parent and menu order. Make sure that the old page (ie. “Photos) is deleted before doing this one.

Discussion: It may be limitations of the Wordpress plugin or Gallery 2 embedding architectures. It is something that should be improved in the future.

Life post-university

aidan — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:33:39 +0000

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.

The best thing since sliced bread

aidan — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:02:40 +0000

Is fresh, home-made bread. I bought a used breadmaker recently, and the “shiny new toy” effect hasn’t worn off yet. I love waking up to the smell of baking bread.

Spend more time remembering, not studying

aidan — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:36:31 +0000

Jake Young summarizes research on learning from the journal Science. The conclusion: if you’re cramming for a test, time is better spent on practice tests than on study. The results suggest that learning happens more when you remember a thing, and less when you read it.

That’s your study tip for the month. Go out and amaze.

Original article: Karpicke, J. and Roediger, H.L. III (2008) “The Critical Importance of Retrieval for Learning” Science 319, 966-968.

My uncertain future

aidan — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:13:25 +0000

With graduation looming ever closer, I face a choice: med school, grad school, or a gap year.

Med school: Out of the seven that I applied to, I have an interview at one. I’m pretty sure that the problem with the others was my poor MCAT Writing Sample score. The one interview that I have is for the University of Saskatchewan, and considering that the interview is mid-March I probably won’t know if I get accepted until April.
Grad school: I have applied to exactly one Master’s programme: International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. I missed the deadline for all of the others, because I hadn’t thought much about alternatives to med school until I started getting the rejection letters. Considering the radical change in subject matter (biochemistry/computing to political science/development), my chances are slim. My reasons for applying are thus: I want to continue my extracurricular/volunteer work in a professional capacity that would pay for me to live. If I could do that, I think that I’d be a happy person.
Gap year: If all else fails, I’ll be taking the year off to work and (hopefully) travel. I’ve been looking at the SWAP programme, which I think would be perfect for me. For all the time, money, and effort went into my med and grad school applications, this is my favourite option. It’s too bad that the Canadian system, especially within medical schools, makes it so difficult to do a gap year.

Until I hear back from the universities that I’ve applied to, it’s really out of my control. I hate the uncertainty, and I’ll let you know when it’s decided.

The Genocide Olympics

aidan — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:00:52 +0000

As China has grown, so has its need for cheap oil. The oil fields of Sudan fill this need, but at a price. In return for oil, the Chinese government has helped to finance and arm the Government of Sudan-backed genocide in Darfur. As well, the Chinese government, as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, has hampered the international community’s attempts to address the crisis. Even as the UN joins the struggling African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, the Chinese government is working to ensure that the most restrictive interpretation of the peacekeeping mandate is followed. China needs oil to power its economic growth, and its government is willing to sacrifice the lives of countless Africans to do so.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games—”One World, One Dream”—area an opportunity to highlight the connection between the governments of China and Sudan. So, when water-cooler talk turns to the upcoming Olympics, remember this: the Beijing Olympics are the Genocide Olympics.

Further reading: The Genocide Olympics by Eric Reeves.

Oh crap!

aidan — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:12:41 +0000

I was in the public washroom when the guy in the next stall flushes, leaves without washing, and turns the light off on his way out. Environmentally friendly, maybe, but not Aidan friendly.

A few minutes later (yes, minutes), he came back to wash his hands. This time, he left the light on.