The Interwebs are a-buzz with the news that our current administration has formally responded to the petition about building a Death Star. (“This Isn’t the Petition Response You’re Looking For” …well played, sir!) It’s a nice response touting NASA and current space exploration. But, uh, I wasn’t expecting the petition response to start off by linking over to a Lehigh article, “So You Want to Build the Death Star?” as a reference.
ɕ
Let’s fix that shit and go get beers!
This. Yea verily this!
Here’s what I do know. There are plenty of frustrated system administrators, developers, engineers, “devops” and everything under the sun who don’t want much. All they really want is for shit to work. When shit breaks, they want to be notified. They want pretty graphs. They want to see business metrics along side operational ones. They want to have a 52-inch monitor in the office that everyone can look at and say: See that red dot? That’s bad. Here’s what was going on when we got that red dot. Let’s fix that shit and go get beers.
~ From, Why Monitoring Sucks
slip:4ucowy3.
Hat tip to John E. Vincent. …and what’s network and systems administration (NSA)?
ɕ
I have yet to speak to anyone in the big blue room, (that is to say, anyone who does not work deeply within the Internet behind the magic curtain,) who has the slightest idea what is going on in general with “big data”, or specifically with “the customer is the product.” But “We Value Your Opinion” by Neven Mrgan — and that’s not a typo — is pure, sweet, ambrosia. It explains perfectly what is really going on. If you’re not paying for it, then you are the product. Have a cigar. Welcome to the machine. For more enjoyment and greater efficiency, consumption is being standardized.
ɕ
One down. Two step up to take its place. Oh, there will be much thanks giving tomorrow.
ɕ
There is a four-part interview series with Neil Armstrong from evoTV’s series, The Bottom Line. Armstrong did not give many interviews, and the show’s producers say this was the first on-camera interview Armstrong had done since 2005.
This is a very special interview series. It includes Armstrong describing, for the first time, the lunar descent side-by-side with Google Moon imagery. He also gives his thoughts on leadership and taking risks to innovate for the future, and speaks candidly on his early life The series also includes previously unseen footage of the lunar descent.
ɕ
please. PLEASE. No Christmas music before Thanksgiving!
While many people enjoy holiday music — especially people in the northern hemisphere who have warm memories of family and friends — please, PLEASE don’t play it before Thanksgiving.
Seriously. I’ve been making this “NAACMBT” joke for as long as I can remember. (to wit, Skew circa 1995.) I’m now too old for this sh*t, so, up go the web site and FB page. “Waiter, check please!”
ɕ
The surface area of Mars is exactly as large as the land area of the Earth. A thorough reconnaissance will clearly occupy us for centuries. But there will be a time when Mars is all explored; a time after robot aircraft have mapped it from aloft, a time after rovers have combed the surface, a time after samples have been returned safely to Earth, a time after human beings have walked the sands of Mars. What then? What shall we do with Mars?
~ Carl Sagan
slip:4a776.
“all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Can’t remember the last time I used a manual typewriter. Maybe ’85?
ɕ
This guy? he’s the *master* of frog-jumps!
ɕ
Flight deck of Endeavor. simply. awesome.