November 2007

I took the plunge. I made the upgrade from Tiger to Leopard on my aging Powerbook, and so far, all is wonderful. Well, there have been some problems, but these aren't things which the normal user would run into I suspect. Apparently Apache on Leopard has been upgraded to Apache 2, versus the older version Tiger shipped with. Since my setup here contains dozens of virtual hosts, I found upon upgrade that they didn't work. I half expected that to be the case since I have been burned by system updates before, even point updates of the system sometimes would provide a new httpd.conf file. Fortunately I have all of my virtual hosts defined in a separate file, which just needed to be copied to the new location.

For anyone interested, the built-in web server's configuration files on Tiger are in /private/etc/httpd/. In Leopard, look in /private/etc/apache2/. Also I had to turn on Web Sharing in the Shared System Preference pane.

That was the extent of my negative experience with the upgrade however, everything else has been fine. I have enabled Time Machine on my drive and while I haven't needed it yet, and I hope never to, I did take a look at the interface and it is great. One of the things about backups is that people just don't bother. There are a number of reasons people give for that, but I think that they are getting weaker and weaker. With 500 GB drives available for $120 the cost of media isn't really a factor anymore. Now with Time Machine not only are full drive incremental backups easier, they are also really neat. And that is the key, people might try something that is easy, especially if they are aware of the value, as I am. But the real trick to get people to try something important because it is cool, regardless of whether or not they recognize the importance. I think Apple has done a good job on that front.

A lot of people have been complaining about the new visual changes in Leopard and how bad some of them are. I honestly don't see what the big deal is with most of them. I for one, haven't seen much to complain about, and generally if there are interface problems, I will be right there to mention them. I guess everyone uses their system a bit differently and you can't please everyone, and while there isn't anything visually about Leopard which makes me stop and take notice, I am quite willing to adapt to new environments, which is what I have been doing since Jaguar.

I for one am also not jaded by the new stacks on the Dock which have some power users up in arms. I guess the primary reason I don't care about the change is that I never used folders in the Dock before. It had never occurred to me to do that. After I heard about stacks I created my own Downloads folder and put it on my Dock, which was nice, but since it didn't contain a hierarchy of subfolders the change in functionality across the upgrade isn't noticeable. One thing that I have found that I would like now that I have heard of what others are doing are Application Stacks. These would be simply groupings of applications placed on the Dock's left side, which when you dragged a file to it, it would expand as the normal stacks do, allowing me to drop my file or whatever onto one of the stacked applications. Basically this would allow for grouping applications to minimize the unexpanded horizontal (or vertical) space. Applications could be in multiple groups if desired and the groups could be named by the user. Perhaps there is a third party Dock replacement application which does this. Launching apps in a stack can be accomplished now with a folder full of application aliases (or symlinks if you prefer), but things can't be dropped onto them that way. For me, the only reason I would have an application in the Dock other than those which are currently running (which I don't need either) would be to drag something to. I often drag files to VLC or Quicktime to play if I don't want to use the default. The same goes with photos dragged to my thumbnail generator as opposed to the default viewer. Now that I break it down, I don't really need the Dock at all, and might be more satisfied with a third party solution. I'll let you know.

I can see the new Screen Sharing application to be useful when troubleshooting my father's laptop via iChat regardless of our networking situations. Yes, all said, this is a nice upgrade, and there are a lot of minor changes that you don't even notice, but they are there and they all contribute to the overall feel of Leopard.

I haven't mentioned much about it publicly, but I figure people might start to notice, especially since the change in environment will spark a renewed interest in writing, which on its own should be suspicious. What I am talking about is Bermuda, and the fact that I am moving there Tuesday morning. My flight leaves so early Tuesday morning that I suspect I will go to the airport Monday night... meaning that I don't have much time left here.

I am moving there because of work, and while I won't go into details, I will say that it isn't permanent. As any non-Bermudian working there will tell you, they don't allow people to stay all that long. Which is fine, since I enjoy the opportunity to move around and see different things. Of course, all of this means that I am in the midst of packing and organizing my belongings into those items which I will need in the near future, things which I will want to bring over perhaps on a trip home at some point, and those things which I will likely never want again. Not an easy task, although one I have undergone several times previously because of my studies in Europe.

I suspect I will be writing a bit more often for a while as I experience a number of new things in my new location, until the day to day routine gets the best of me and I have less to say.

I am of course referring to what I have packed for my move to Bermuda. I find it odd that given how much I have moved around in the past I still get quite anxious with each move. Have I packed enough? Too much? Have I forgotten something critical? I guess these are things even a seasoned traveler must contend with. And I think that I qualify as seasoned.

But then the reality of the situation sinks in, most often when I have cleared security at the airport and the resulting catharsis is quite nice. At that point, things are out of your hand, anything left behind will have to be dealt with some other way. But until then... there is always time to try to find what it is that is nagging in the back of your mind.

Want to make a good impression at your new office? Stay until midnight your first day there. I guess that is what I'm doing, although I will admit that I'm not really doing much work. I am actually waiting for my friend and colleague who is working, so as to get a drive home.

But aside from this late night adventure, I am coping well with the transition to this beautiful island. Unfortunately I have the task of locating suitable housing and then further determining some form of transportation into work. I have been looking at some of the listings, and I might be willing to share an apartment or house to reduce the cost. And then depending on where I am located, that will determine how likely it is that I will get a scooter. It is looking like a real possibility.

Most of the time, a change in life is a good thing. It can signify growth, enhancement and the progression toward a goal. Conversely, there are negative changes as well, but often perception is key. But one thing we can be certain of is that change is different, and for some, different is not a good thing. I personally like to think I am a very flexible person, perhaps not physically that much, but emotionally and cognitively. I have lived in now five different countries in the past two years. Each move was a change, and each presented a different set of issues and uncertainties. And of course, each prepared me for future moves and future changes.
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After roughly three weeks I think that I am finally feeling like I am living here. I'm still not completely settled because I am still living in temporary accommodation, but I have a place lined up and that makes me feel better about things. I also took care of the other essentials when living and working in a new country, like setting up a bank account and getting a local mobile phone.

I've also managed to get to know some of my co-workers a bit better, which is inevitable given that I spend most of my day at work. And not just within my department, but getting to know a nice cross section of people working throughout the entire company. And I've also started exploring Hamilton a bit more. Just a bit so far, but it shouldn't be long to cover more of it, it really isn't a huge place. That said, I am a creature of routine. It might sound weird from someone who has lived in several different countries in the past couple years alone, but I like having a pattern. So as my pattern evolves over the next while, I will try to keep everyone who is interested apprised. But be warned that I don't really have as much time as I once did, so my updates may be a bit sparse. And I will try to refrain from as much boring introspection as I can.

I have decided whenever I have a chance in the next couple of weeks that I am going to alter my website a bit. I've always had an aversion to the standard weblog formatted site, but at certain times I've bowed down to the concept. I was hoping to go with something a bit less traditional this time around, but I'm not sure it ended up the way that I wanted it to. I've seen some people struggle with the navigational concepts, and while I don't want to be just another site cut from the same mold, there is a reason they are popular, and familiarity breeds ease of use. We'll see.

I'm also expecting to start ramping up my geeky content over the next few months/years :) so there should be fewer emo posts and more content that random people might be interested in. Again, we'll see.

On my way back from Hamilton today, the bus was forced to slow almost to a stop at one point because of several roosters which were running about on the road. I have no idea where they might have come from, we were in front of a large gas station which didn't seem like a place you would find roosters, but who knows... this is Bermuda. I think that there might have been a couple of hens about as well, but I couldn't see what was on the road on the other side of the bus.

As you can see, I have made some changes to the visual style of the site as well as changed some of the information flow. Nothing huge, but there could be more on the horizon.

The reason I am posting is to mention that tonight I am going on a cruise around the Hamilton harbour. I'm actually going for work, the cruise is being held by a company that does business with my company and is celebrating 5 years of existence. I'm actually fairly low on the pole for chances to attend, but since those slated to attend can't make it — send the new guy to get a feel for the island. It will be dark so I'm not going to be taking any photos or anything, but it should still be a nice journey.

Since I have started working, I have been familiarizing myself with the Microsoft product line a bit more, out of necessity, and while it will never be my first love, I came across an interesting set of computer designs today in one of my feeds. Now, I don't think that Microsoft designed these, but certainly such devices being associated with the company provides an interesting twist on conventional views.

MS Longhorn Concept PCs

Definitely some nice design there. Good to see someone stepping up to that particular plate.

On an unrelated note... a very soggy day in Bermuda today. Of course it would happen on the one day that I wanted/needed to bring my laptop into the office. Note to self, buy a rain coat.