Biggest Loser a-la work continues…
Somehow without going overboard, i.e. simply by changing my exercise routine a bit, and lowering my alcohol intake each week, I have managed to go from 106.6kgs down to just over 101kg in the last month! Which just goes to show what can be achieved in a short period. Our competition is on for another 5 months though so I imagine I’ll be fairly trim on the other side. Ideally I’d like to get down to about 85kgs but I will settled for the 92kg mark.
In other news – I don’t suppose you remember me mentioning I had ordered a Raspberry-Pi? anyhoo… Whilst I eagerly await it’s arrival I am starting the planning stages of my slightly work related project for it, The idea is simple enough Come up with a case incorporating a small but functional LED/LCD Display and an extra Ethernet port courtesy of the USB ports, I may well include extra USB hard-drive storage in the design. I will then work on porting Wire-shark/Tshark across to the box and basically build an in-line network protocol analyzer with built in digital display, so you can see the packets going through the wire as they happen. Shouldn’t be a lot of work to do here, as I will be pulling together some already well established open source tools together into the one, small formfactor box. The advantage of this box, is that it’s often cumbersome to use wireshark in a network/datacentre environment where these days both space and power are of a premium. A device like this which could even run off batteries solves that problem and could well enhance the toolset of any seasoned or novice network engineer – without necessarily breaking the bank! I’ll post on my prgress towards this end here… so watch this space 
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….Losing streak!!
Hmmmm….generally one doesn’t like being on a losing streak, but personally, it’s a good thing! I have entered into a contest to lose as much weight as I can in the next 6 months; 2 weeks in and I am already down about 3kgs! We’re basing this comp on % weight lost though to make it as fair as possible. I aim to lose as much as 23% but we’ll just have to wait and see…..
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Sign of a true geek?
Well, here we go – a Linux Computer, made the size of a deck of cards (more or less) and all for the modest sum of approx. $50nz or 35 English pounds!
I have mine on pre-order –> Raspberry-PI Model B
My plan is to hook this up to a 7inch battery powered HDMI LCD, and maybe integrate it with an Arduino for some real FUN projects!
The options are endless 
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Weekend over….
Still recovering at work after driving – over a third of a million meters (or a more ordinary sounding 337km) in one day! That’s how far I needed to travel for the honour of watching Rod Stewart over a glass or two of wine at the Mission Estate Concert in Hawkes Bay.
Apparently the last time he was here it was a sell out concert with 25,000 people attending, according to the stats after the concert the organisers found over 85,000 spent wine bottles….that’s a LOT of wine drinking!
Generally I enjoyed the gig this time around with Rod chasing away the rain clouds which weren’t enough to dampen our spirits. He managed to belt through about 27 hits in 2 hours, and the only negative thing I have to say is his rather hasty exit from the stage with barely a doff of his hat, before we’d made it out of the vineyard he was most likley already on his charter plane (probably back to watch the next Celtic home-game who knows?)…..
Big wave to Nikki-Ann for popping by, I’ll be sure to return by your neck of the woods real soon
In other knews, I am not the only one in New Zealand who’s had a raw deal from Slingshot this year!? If Bill Grumble, you are truly as disgruntalled as I was, please feel free to get in touch, I emailed Fair-Go a couple of weeks ago but have yet to have any repsonse back from them. Feel free to send me an email though so that we may compare notes – cyberevolved@gmail.com
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Life and other snippets
Ok well I am no longer on my Slingshot soapbox now I have some measure of closure, still a very poor show that you have to wait over a month when you end a contract here in NZ and you are owed money it seems?
It also seems to be a more general issue though and includes the likes of utilities as well as telecoms. My new phone provider has just presented me with a 2 month bill after moving to my new place. Add to that I am still waiting for a first bill of my gas and electric provider since moving in on the 12th January!!
Seems to me that many businesses here in NZ just don’t have a very efficient business model, or maybe there just isn’t enough regulation of finances here?
Ah well…. sigh…..
In other news I will be driving for about five hours tomorrow to attend the Mission Estate (Winery) Concert with Rod Stewart (Up near Napier) – pretty much my one splurge for the year. Should be good weather by all accounts?
Oh and it turns out the visa portion of my Residency which expires soon is only the travel component, and therefore I am classed as a full NZ Resdient these days, just means I need a new visa should I wish to travel out of New Zealand with a wish to return any time soon.
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