In fact, they have been adopted by several aerospace companies!

FSX is controversial in requiring the most powerful hardware to run with reasonable framerates due to using DX9 Shader 2. Also, all versions of FS200x exhibit minor stuttering in turns because of chronic bugs in loading and displaying scenery.

Meet Microsoft ESP: the engine behind Flight Simulator X
Performance Issues in FSX
wikipedia: Microsoft Flight Simulator

The name “Gluster” was derived from the words “GNU” and “Cluster.” No relation to the Luster filesystem, and actually they have opposite overall architectures.

GlusterFS is a GPL3 distributed network filesystem that runs as a service in user mode on Linux on a network of servers (conceptually like Google GFS.) Redhat bought Gluster, Inc. in 2011 and calls it “Redhat Storage.” By running in user mode and reusing existing linux features and modules, GlusterFS gained reliability in months instead of the usual 10 years for other filesystems.

gluster.org is the community website for GlusterFS.

Previously, AB was CTO at California Digital Corporation (CDC). One of his projects was the 1024-node linux “Thunder” HPC supercomputer for LLNL, the most powerful in the USA at the time.

- after that, he still wanted to do Open Source projects, preferably without bureaucratic encumbrances
- got some angel funding, but also a seismic data company paid $500,000 to adapt HPC code in 3 months to replace IBM Regatta system, then a follow-on storage contract for 1.2 PB in a 6 months project
- audience member: “In 10 years 1 PB will fit on a SD card.”
- GlusterFS is in some ways architecturally the opposite of VMware. GlusterFS is userland code.
- in 2006 large companies like Lehman, etc. started appearing on mailing list, to some surprise and awe
- originally the company was called Z Research, renamed to Gluster, Inc. to have clearer brand name
- no in-house test storage hardware, so developed on customer hardware!
- was still doing other paying work such as embedded kernel stuff, web dev, etc to reduce burn rate initially. Too distracting.

- Google mixes app and GFS, app generates 64 MB chunks, GFS manages metadata. Too complicated for general use.
- GlusterFS is a distributed storage OS in user-space
- create container without knowledge of filesystem (Posix, ACL, etc. ) because no known common user pattern for storage
- lots of general C programmers available to recruit, but no filesystem developers without baggage about kernel
- in 2008-2009 added too many features to actually test
- VCs contacted them and invested A and B series total of $15 million, despite their storage “experts” saying it was crazy, users said it was awesome
- lowest layer is native filesystem like EXT3 or XFS, thus idiot-proof
- use extended attributes for metadata
- block, replication, striping, elastic hashing algorithm
- striping support by cleverly using sparse files with different offset on each server
- read server choice based on fastest response
- every directory has its own hash space
- good default behavior when adding servers (no thundering herd)
- striping is good for hotspot files or files too big for 1 volume, like saving HPC results
- will be unified file and object protocol for object storage
- there is a pathinfo command can query extended attribute, could be used with ssh for a fake MapReduce
- GET and PUT at command line
- GlusterFS is most heavily used for lots of files containing unstructured data
- 3.3 will have faster healing operations, better granularity for 100 VMs, KVM support, etc.
- currently shared-nothing, but with a little sharing healing can be faster
- will be HDFS clone mode

Data Storage models:

• objects
• file
• block
• structured data
• NoSQL
• semi-structured data.

- Redhat bought Gluster, Inc. for about $136 million in October, 2011. It was about 60 employees at the time. Now there’s about 40 engineers working on GlusterFS at Redhat. AB chose Redhat over other suitors because of its commitment to Open Source and linux.

A dozen people attended dinner afterwards:

- it was tough hiring people for Gluster Inc. since the concept of doing file systems in userland confused a lot of developers and managers.
- AB’s philosophy is that the Open Core model doesn’t serve end-users well, as all users need “extras” like user-friendly mgmt. programs, not just licensees
- companies seem to be happy to pay for GlusterFS support, one of the reasons being lack of in-house storage engineers
- lots of discussion about Illumos (OpenSolaris fork), ZFS and containers
- take a look at Nexenta
- An efficient WAN replication method with GlusterFS is to use the marker framework / queue using extended attributes to feed rsync a list of changed files, scales better than inotify
- no storage tiering yet for incoming/outgoing hotspot files
- Redhat is pushing xfs heavily internally, and has hired the available ex-SGI xfs developers
- some checksumming is done in GlusterFS, but no end-end checksumming. Need to look at performance and demand.
- historicaly, linux has had slower adoption and community interest in India than Western countries due to lagging Internet performance (often more practical to install linux from a magazine CD-ROM than attempting large downloads) and relatively higher cost of computers compared to local salaries
- AB got started in programming on a Spectrum microcomputer, and progressed over time to fixing minor bugs in the linux network drivers, culminating in GlusterFS.

Thanks again to Symantec for hosting this event.

GlusterFS Downloads
Chip’s Rant: Why GlusterFS is Glusterfsck’d Too
wikipedia: Extended file attributes

Above: the PFC C2 with enhanced avionics stack, PFC 430W and pedals for $4,250 on eBay.

All of them were good deals, typically 75% off retail.

I set a budget of $1,000 to buy a basic setup and learn more about sim gear. The plan is to use it 30 minutes per day.

My requirements were:

1. compatible with Microsoft Flight Simulator (FS) and Elite. X-Plane support optional.
2. primarily for piston, steam-gauge IFR procedure training practice (I have a commercial/IFR licence)
3. all radio settings in hardware, no need for magnetos or circuit breakers in hardware
4. no particular need for GPS or MFDs as they are rapidly-changing technology, though a Garmin 530W would be a plus
5. able to add multi-engine controls
6. I’ve never used any PC yoke or rudder pedals that I liked, so not expecting much here.

(For those not familiar with Elite flight simulator software, it was the first to gain FAA approval with hardware as a PCATD, is ideally suited for the business of flight schools, and has an invaluable map display with ground track/profile view and user-updatable navaids, and allows failure simulation by the instructor.)

I ended up buying an Elite setup for $600 as-is, including:

• PFC Cirrus yoke with throttle
• PFC rudder pedals
• Elite AP-2000 (serial interface) avionics stack
• King Air B200 multi-engine throttle quadrant (serial interface)
• Elite UCI 5 DRM box.

Above: My Elite flightsim. This was the first FAA-approved PCATD setup under AC61-126 in 1997!

Luckily for me, everything functioned. Even the cables were complete.

My evaluation of this equipment so far is that it’s cheap, compact and pretty useful. The next step up in hardware would be much more expensive and require a lot more space at home, like a dedicated table.

Here’s some installation tips:

• the Stancor 9VDC AC adapter for the Elite UCI 5 and AP-2000 can be purchased for $20 from flyelite.com. It has a negative polarity jack, the opposite from the usual 9VDC adapters I have around the house. You can use a splitter cable from one AC adapter to both devices.
• the easiest way to test the 9VDC AC adapter is to try it with an Elite UCI box. There should be a steady green LED and a blinking amber LED. (Elite equipment seems to be fairly electrically tolerant when connecting the wrong jack polarity. Nothing has died yet.)
• my PFC gear uses the joystick port, which Windows XP supports natively. Just use a 15-pin Y-cable, choose “4-button flight yoke w/throttle” and rudder pedals, and calibrate it, exactly like you would any game controller. I set the 2 yoke rocker switches to elevator trim and rudder trim.
• to use Elite hardware with FS 2002/2004/X, download the FSELITE.EXE program and run it to install the correct drivers.
• I already have an Elite USB key, so don’t need the UCI 5. To connect the AP-2000 serial, just use a straight-through 9-pin serial cable from the PC to the AP-2000. Connect the throttle quadrant to the AP-2000 with a straight-through 25-pin serial cable to the connectors marked “Extended.”
• to add the new serial hardware to an existing Elite software install that is already using an Elite USB key, just delete the \ELITE\Core\Pref directory, start Elite and then scan for hardware again. (I had to choose COM1 for the serial AP-2000, and a dialog box appeared to calibrate the PFC gear.)
• In Elite, to hide the GPS map and show the radio stack after installing the AP-2000, click on the “Back” button to the right of the GPS map view or toggle the “AUX 1″ button on the AP-2000.
• the easiest way I found to test the hardware in FS and Elite is just use the flaps button or mixture levers on the throttle quadrant. If those work, then everything is connected and installed correctly.

Some general notes are:

• I’m using an old PC (Pentium A 2.53 GHz/512 MB RAM/ATI X850XT). Elite is not CPU-intensive and works smoothly on any 1997+ PC or Mac, but this is the minimum for FS to refresh at 20 FPS.
• it appears that Elite software supports all older Elite hardware, so buy used with confidence.
• AP-100, AP-1000 and AP-2000 avionics stacks are “non-lighted” and show the radio settings on your computer monitor, while the newer AP-3000 and AP-4000 have LED readouts directly on the radios. The AP-2000 supports the Trimble 2000 GPS, while the newer ones also support the Apollo GX50/55/60/65 Series GPS. The AP-4000 also supports the Garmin 430W. Photos are available here.
• FSELITE.EXE supports FS2002, FS2004 and FSX.
• Elite hardware has been manufactured under a few labels, including Hapa, Initiative Computing AG (IC), Elite and no name.
• I have seen two different AP-2000 avionics stacks with identical controls: 1 is the thin, narrow, quadrilateral-shaped unit labelled “ELITE Personal Simulator TM”, and the other is wider and taller with no mfg. or model label but black rocker switches and the GPS section is labelled “Trimble 2000 A.” They both function the same.
• the Elite AP-2000 aka “On Top” AV-1 now.

Some notes about FAA Airplane Training Device (ATD) requirements:

• PCATD is now a general-purpose term that refers to the concept of a PC-based flight training device.
• Basic ATD (BATD) is the official term for a flight simulator that allows flying required maneuvers and procedures without a mouse, the installation is approved by the FAA, and only a CFII can sign-off hours logged using it.
• Advanced ATD (AATD) starts with BATD requirements, adds a GPS, and provides an ergonomic and immersive environment along with a station for the instructor.

Elite 7 Software Review (a little pedantic)
Elite Software Drivers Page
AC 61-136 – FAA Approval of Basic Aviation Training Devices (BATD) and Advanced Aviation Training Devices (AATD)
Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid
AOPA: Meet the PCATD (1997)
Avsim Review: Elite G430 Home Cockpit Module
Lockheed Prepar3D (MS FS ESP)
MS Flight Site
Simulator-Based Recurrent Training for Piston Singles and Twins

Bombing Hitler’s Dams

A British scientist rediscovers the physics and engineering behind the bouncing bombs used to destroy 2 German dams in the Ruhr Valley, and tests his theories on a 1/4 scale dam in Canada. He used a consumer video camera on a tripod to substantially reduce the amount of experimentation needed.

I wasn’t aware of the scale of the original raid, with 33 bombers assigned.

wikipedia: Bouncing bomb

3D Spies of WWII

I wasn’t expecting much from this one, but I sat with my jaw on the floor as they showed original WW2 stereograms and scale models of V1 and V2 factories and launch facilities, as well as the Ruhr dam bomb damage.

The producers were able to interview the original Spitfire photo-recon pilots and photo interpreters.

One pilot said he was flying and saw a vertical contrail from a a V2 rocket, but was unable to photograph it.

Britain and the USA had photo interpreter facilities close to each other in London, and cooperated on advanced camera technology.

There was a good turnout, with about 30 outside attendees and about the same of ISC staff. 3 BIND developers from the Czech and Chinese registrars also attended, as well as Cricket Liu.

Here’s my notes.

DNS

- can learn what you need to know (50%) in a day, lifetime for the next 50%

BIND9

- monolithic program
- 10 years old
- different syntax than BIND8, 30% slower

User Story – Quick Refresh at AOL

- VMs spark up in 9.5 seconds, but DNS takes 15 minutes or more to propagate in their system
- goal is 5 minute updates across globe

BIND10

- sponsored by 10 TLDs, unlike BIND9 which was sponsored by Big Iron vendors
- TLDs represent registrars, users or citizens
- started April 1, 2009
- 5 year plan
- now on year3 – features and performance
- release every 6 weeks
- will be no slower than BIND9
- postfix processes model, not threads
- scalable across cores
- modular
- logging
- reporting
- REST API
- save cache object to memory or network, could be 10s to 100s of MB
- no query or response logging, use tcpdump
- look at DLZ

DNS Provider Issues

- Dealing with large zones
- Dealing with lots of zones
- resource estimates (for sizing new servers)
- high-availability installations and technologies
– anycasting
– cooperate better with firewalls and load balancers
– auto-clustering?
– quagga support?
- multi-master
- support for fully mastered slave
– akin to powerdns “super masters”

- some debate over how much routing is appropriate inside dns
- do it all or just be fast
- does it make sense to send acl info over port 53? needed for cluster setup

DNSSEC Issues

- Deployment and Maintenance procedures
- in-line signing
– aka “bump on the wire” 9.9.0
– hidden master sends signed zones to slaves
– aka “signer in the middle”
- registry vs. registrar
- look at DomainKeys optionality
- DLV keys (don’t need a signed parent)
- zone monitoring is crucial
- 4 HSM known, $80k for qty 1
- some firefox plugins check ad bit
- dnssec slowest on negative answer, nsec3 worst

The event photos are available here.

Thanks to Facebook for hosting this event.

Traditionally, New Year’s in Bali is celebrated with a fireworks display near Kuta Beach. And lots of beer.

Bintang Beer comes in 2 bottle sizes, the 330 mL “Pint” shown above, and the 620 mL “Bremer” typically carried in each hand by Australian tourists – “Just in case, mate.” The brewer is advised by Heineken.

Bintang means “star” in Bahasa Indonesia.

Angry Birds is a cultural phenomenon in Southeast Asia, with t-shirts, backpacks and plush toys featured at many stores.

wikipedia: Pint

Above: Sixteen Harriers flew in formation over the UK Midlands marking the type’s retirement from British service.

ainonline.com: Ceremony Marks UK Retirement of Harriers

and then …

ainonline.com: UK Harrier Fleet Sold to U.S. Marines for Spares

The unit that arrived was a model BNRV200 with Software version 1.2.0 installed.

In short, the Nook Color is a remarkably capable and polished 7″ tablet.

I use tablets mainly for final software testing of websites, and it will be handy to have a 7″ Android for that.

The Nook team at B&N should all get a bonus for their great work and attention to detail.

Getting Started

After recharging the battery and agreeing to a 100 page Terms and Conditions form (!), you must register online via WiFi with a free B&N account to “activate” it. (No credit card is required until you want to buy a book or app. No PC is needed.)

Hardware

• 7″ “VividView” glossy color display is 16 million colors, 1024×600 and bright. Great screen.
• built-in speaker is adequate for home use, but not loud enough if there’s ambient noise, so you will need earphones for use in public
• has microSD slot that supports up to 32 GB storage
• has custom miniUSB port (2-level contacts) and custom cable needed for charging from wall at 1.9 amps. (Will only charge slowly when connected to a PC. My MacBook Pro sometimes displays a warning dialog that says there’s overcurrent and disables that USB port.)
• RAM is 512 MB, and the 8 GB total internal flash memory is partitioned into 2 GB system, 5 GB content and 1 GB sideloading (end-user)
• WiFi b/g/n works with any access point that you can login to, plus B&N access points that provide free extra services like book previewing. Some forum posts report that older access points may not be compatible.)
• TI OMAP 3621 CPU is a single-core ARM Cortex 800 MHz
• long battery life using internal Li-ion Polymer battery (over 8 hours)
• solid-feeling, but kind of heavy at 15.1 oz.
• useful corner cutout in case for locking to a desk or anchoring a strap on the unit.

Software

• Android-based (originally Android 2.1, but has been updated) with customized UI
• complete all-around eReader and Internet-capable tablet.
• some games are included, including chess, sudoku and crossword puzzles, along with Pandora music and email apps. (Angry Birds is a $2.99 downloadable purchase.) Notably missing are free solitaire and minesweeper games, and there’s no free calculator app.
• the included software is fine. If B&N drops support in the future, there is third-party Android software for this device.
• file formats supported for reading include: ePub, BBeB, PDF, XLS, DOC, PPT, PPS, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC, MP4. Quickoffice® Pro app can be used to edit many Microsoft formats.
• free in-store WiFi access, free 1-hour eReading per day, free use of Angry Birds Golden Eagle feature to clear a level.

Usage Notes

• it’s a good idea to examine the settings page and customize them. I disabled location reporting and forms memory.
• international users (billing address outside the USA) can’t use the store.
• there’s a bug in Software Version 1.4.1 when entering your credit card information: the form subtracts 1 from your month, so choose the next higher month, or your card will be declined with a “processing error” dialog
• battery life can be extended by setting WiFi to “Off” (airplane mode) when using it as an eReader, or putting it into sleep mode.
• the power button is multifunction: 2 seconds is on or sleep, 5 seconds is power off, 20 seconds is software reset.
• I use a netbook case to store it. The least expensive official accessories are the Aalto Cover ($14.95) and the Silicone Frame ($19.95)
• Software version 1.4.1 does not have third-party support at this time.

B&N “Guru” Notes

I talked to a store employee and he had this advice:

• the straps they sell are “for decorative purposes only”, so don’t rely on them to be strong enough for carrying your Nook Color
• if you don’t want to use your existing credit cards for purchases from the app store, you can buy a prepaid VISA or MasterCard debit card and use that alone, or in combination with a gift card. I checked on prepaid cards at Safeway and found that there are steep fees and require your name, address and SSN to purchase. Some credit cards also allow a temporary number to be generated, sometimes known by the brand names SafeShop or NetSafe. Due to a forms bug, you need to increase the month by one.

Nook Color Tablet (BNTV250) – Next Generation

Similar screen as older Nook Color, but double the RAM (1 GB) and flash (16 GB), and still only 1 GB partition for end-users. Dual core 1 Ghz CPU. Netflix app and better video capability. 50% more battery life. Third-party software support unknown due to lockdown, prolly requested by Netflix’s content providers.

Official Nook Color FAQ
androidtablets.net: Noook Forums
Barnes & Noble is the first Angry Birds Magic Place for your Nook Color
wikipedia: Nook, Nook Color, Nook Tablet, microSD
EReader Notes: Kindle Fire vs Nook Tablet
flightcrewlife.com: Using a Nook Color as an Android Tablet
That Triangle-Shaped Tablet From “The Office” – One Guy Wants to Build It
wsj: Barnes & Noble Offers Nook Discounts

Here’s some interesting links, mostly related to installing and maintaining alternate energy technologies for heating and cooling:

youtube.com: HOW I MADE A SOLAR POP CAN FURNACE / HEATER

ocregister.com: Electric cars can require home rewiring

This Old House: Quieting Noisy Baseboards at 15:10
This Old House: How to Quiet a Noisy Forced-Air System

Solar Powered Exhaust Fans: rewci.com

Ask TOH: Panel Upgrade to 200 Amps and Grounding

Fast forward to a cool night in 1998 after I had moved to San Jose. Once again I was wearing that sweater.

I was on the Caltrain, and at a loss for why people were high-fiving me as they walked by and slapping me on the back. I was being treated like some kind of hero.

One person asked me, “Do you have the score?”

I looked around, and then looked down at my sweater.

I realized that I was wearing a vintage San Jose Sharks sweater. The original logo made me look like the ultimate hard-core long-time Sharks fan.

In 1991, the Sharks were a losing, unpopular expansion team playing at the Cow Palace. There weren’t a lot of fans, so their merchandise was remaindered in Canada.

I haven’t worn it to a bar yet to see how many free drinks I can get.

(The clothing label is faded but reads “Fruit of the Loom”, and the logo copyright says “TRENCH © NHL 1991″. This sweater is rare enough that the design does not appear in Google Images.)

San Jose Sharks Sweater 1991
San Jose Sharks Tshirt 1991

Best and worst sweaters of all-time: San Jose Sharks