понедельник, 5 января 2009 г.
DHCP Morning
What a morning I had, just incredible. DHCP server failed last night due to a simple typo in the configuration file. Result: in only a matter of few fours (DHCP lease time) entire network disintegrated -- wonderful! No Servers, no internet, no phones -- NOTHING! About 3 hour struggle with network equipment, troubleshooting core routers, rouing tables, etc and we came back to life. And I collapsed, it's like life after death. That's what I both hate and love my job for. You struggle hard and then you win :) A sense of accomplishment? Feeling like hero (after feeling like a looser for a while)? Anyway, I'm going to get some really good sleep tonight.
вторник, 30 декабря 2008 г.
Flickr -- bye bye
It came around what -- three, four years ago? I've had used it for some time before I discovered Google PicasaWeb. Even though Picasa at that time had serious problems with uploaded picture quality, I liked it better for intuitive interface and under-appreciated feature of loading next picture to the cache, before you hit next button. And now flickr announced that they are going to remove my account if I don't pay 25-something bucks before some date in February.
You know what guys? -- I've just removed my account, completely, no pictures, no login, no password, nothing. And thank you for solving this problem for me: I used to wonder why some people still like Flickr, but now it's gone. Reminds me of Russian-style business: let's start squeezing money from our customers! More is better! :) If they don't want to pay, we'll make them pay by threatening to remove their accounts! Nice, huh? Love it.
You know what guys? -- I've just removed my account, completely, no pictures, no login, no password, nothing. And thank you for solving this problem for me: I used to wonder why some people still like Flickr, but now it's gone. Reminds me of Russian-style business: let's start squeezing money from our customers! More is better! :) If they don't want to pay, we'll make them pay by threatening to remove their accounts! Nice, huh? Love it.
пятница, 28 ноября 2008 г.
Dream flash-backs
Earlier today when stuffing my laptop in the bag, I saw my black Moleskin notebook and realized, that had been dreaming about it that night. In my dream I was trying to convince somebody to let me write my notes in my notebook instead of using random pieces of paper, which tend to get lost all the time along with notes written on them... Obviously ideas of centralized data storage have been obsessing me lately and finally made it into my dreams.
вторник, 25 ноября 2008 г.
Last meeting in VOGUE House.
After having a good night sleep due to time zone difference with Moscow I woke up, took a shower and took off for a long meeting in famous conference room decorated with photographs of various celebrities taken by celebrity photographers. Boring looking IT directors from all over the world gathered and muttered around breakfast snacks and coffee table. To delicately handle all offered saucers, spoons and cups you supposedly should have grown few more hands.
Meeting organizers had planned everything according to the rules of "good meeting" -- a moderator and a scribe had been assigned. In the kitchen next door few cooks started preparing a delicious lunch.
IT directors pulled out presentations covering broad-ranging topics. We occasionally made jokes, but most of the time stuck to monotonous IT issues. Germans were, as usually, prepared the best. Italians -- becomingly dressed. Spain office rep was severely overweight and he was the only one to bring a interpreter with him. I was still the youngest among IT Directors.
None of the proposed/discussed solutions really inspired me. Overall meeting made me sleepy and I wanted the meeting to be over. Tension in the room got looser when French delegation left to catch a train back home to Paris. I was jealous -- I still had to fly to New York and back to London before I could head back home.
After the main meeting had been over, I stayed for another one-on-one meeting with British Conde Nast directors to discuss deployment of some flat-planning software which I hated for it's incompleteness. When the very last meeting was over I finally broke free from grayish corporate jail.
Next thing on the schedule was to get to New York, spend a night there and head back. I felt butterflies in my stomach every time I thought about passing immigration control in JFK airport, I had to lie to the office about period of my absence from the states. Even though I had done that about 12-15 times before, I still couldn't get used to it. Too much was at stake -- lying to an officer in the states is considered a crime.
London streets were wet after light rain. I walked the streets and took some pictures in downtown. London struck me again with it's luxurity and richness. I remember thinking that VOGUE magazine was a perfect fit for London. Obviously expensive boutiques were part of everyday life here, like electronics stores in Moscow.
After my "high-speed internet" 24 hour connection lapsed I went to bed anticipating a mandated trip to New York. My London trip was getting to an end.
Meeting organizers had planned everything according to the rules of "good meeting" -- a moderator and a scribe had been assigned. In the kitchen next door few cooks started preparing a delicious lunch.
IT directors pulled out presentations covering broad-ranging topics. We occasionally made jokes, but most of the time stuck to monotonous IT issues. Germans were, as usually, prepared the best. Italians -- becomingly dressed. Spain office rep was severely overweight and he was the only one to bring a interpreter with him. I was still the youngest among IT Directors.
None of the proposed/discussed solutions really inspired me. Overall meeting made me sleepy and I wanted the meeting to be over. Tension in the room got looser when French delegation left to catch a train back home to Paris. I was jealous -- I still had to fly to New York and back to London before I could head back home.
After the main meeting had been over, I stayed for another one-on-one meeting with British Conde Nast directors to discuss deployment of some flat-planning software which I hated for it's incompleteness. When the very last meeting was over I finally broke free from grayish corporate jail.
Next thing on the schedule was to get to New York, spend a night there and head back. I felt butterflies in my stomach every time I thought about passing immigration control in JFK airport, I had to lie to the office about period of my absence from the states. Even though I had done that about 12-15 times before, I still couldn't get used to it. Too much was at stake -- lying to an officer in the states is considered a crime.
London streets were wet after light rain. I walked the streets and took some pictures in downtown. London struck me again with it's luxurity and richness. I remember thinking that VOGUE magazine was a perfect fit for London. Obviously expensive boutiques were part of everyday life here, like electronics stores in Moscow.
After my "high-speed internet" 24 hour connection lapsed I went to bed anticipating a mandated trip to New York. My London trip was getting to an end.
понедельник, 24 ноября 2008 г.
Second annyversary of American adventure
It was November 24 2 years ago when I departed from Moscow to meet my colleagues at Conde Nast headquarters in London. I would love to have skipped this meeting, but , it seemed, my bosses in London learned all of my dirty tricks, so this time they had made all arrangements for me -- hotel, tickets, British visa, etc. There was no way out. I arrived late night and took a quick walk around the downtown. I made sure I know how to walk to VOGUE house at Hanover square to eliminate any possibility of being late next morning. For the sake of traveling lightweight I did not bring any coat which would comliment my dark gray suit, so the walk next morning had to be short and quick in just above freezing temperature.
After realizing that there was nowhere to buy any drinks I returned back to the hotel and tapped into refrigirator with insanely expensive drinks, which had a built-in sensor for every single can or bottle. I paid 12 pounds for 24 hour internet "speed" connection and called my parents by Skype.
That was also when I first learned that there was an ongoing scandal around poisoning Alexander Litvinenko. Obviously Russian press had suppressed the story. My friend Zhenia Yakovleva later found out that I took the exact same plane, which was used to transport radioactive material (Pollonium 210) from Moscow to London.
I prepared my suite for tomorrows meeting, made sure the shirt was not wrinkled and checked that tie knot was simmetrical.
It was time to sleep. I remember wondering why such an expensive hotel couldn't afford a good quality mattress.
After realizing that there was nowhere to buy any drinks I returned back to the hotel and tapped into refrigirator with insanely expensive drinks, which had a built-in sensor for every single can or bottle. I paid 12 pounds for 24 hour internet "speed" connection and called my parents by Skype.
That was also when I first learned that there was an ongoing scandal around poisoning Alexander Litvinenko. Obviously Russian press had suppressed the story. My friend Zhenia Yakovleva later found out that I took the exact same plane, which was used to transport radioactive material (Pollonium 210) from Moscow to London.
I prepared my suite for tomorrows meeting, made sure the shirt was not wrinkled and checked that tie knot was simmetrical.
It was time to sleep. I remember wondering why such an expensive hotel couldn't afford a good quality mattress.
вторник, 3 июня 2008 г.
Охрана
Снимаю вчера на территории парковки представительства BMW. Чтобы добиться хороших ракурсов пришлось машины поставить совсем не по разметке. Через пол-часа на парковке стоят несколько штативов, разбросана всякая техника, вобщем процесс съемки в действии, машины припаркованы криво -- самое время появиться каким-нить людям в форме. И правда -- вдруг откуда не возьмись появился какой-то охранник, очевидно из перставительства BMW. А я раньше и не знал, что там есть охрана, как-то их никогда не было видно. Походил чувак, посмотрел, я было уже приготовился морально отбиваться, объяснять что тут происходит, стал в уме подбирать слова правильные, чтобы как-то поубедительнее так выступить. А чувак возьми да испорти все -- просто ушел. Видимо сам как-то додумался, что никакого криминала, что процесс идет какой-то, что ничего опасного... Вот как-то так. Удивительно правда? Вот такие мы -- дети совка ,)
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