Journal of a Sysadmin

Saturday bike ride

OK, the hill at Edworthy park is good once but nice twice! From home, down 45th, down the hill, over to Crowchild Trail and back to the park, then up and back down the hill before riding home.

work rides

clearing the bike comp for a good ride today

Go Stats Canada! Census 2006 final update.

So, in follow up to the whole Stats Canada thing today is census day (we have to have our census done today). I also read on their web site:

The census online application now accessible to Linux operating system

In response to demand, Statistics Canada has removed the restriction for Linux. This change takes effect May 13th, 2006.

This broadened access to open-source users is available to those who have a valid browser and JVM. These minimum requirements are necessary in order to maintain the same level of data encryption with Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

With the addition of this new operating system, the capacity of the Census Help Line operators to respond to technical calls from open source users may be limited. However, we expect this will not be a major obstacle for the vast majority of these users.

A pat on the back and two thumbs up to Stats Canada for allowing us open source users to do our census online!

First really good bike of the year!

From home, around the reservoir, followed the Elbow River down to about 32nd Ave, worked my way back to 36th Ave and up a steep, through Marda Loop, over to 26th Ave. then to 45th St. and home.  Good ride, although I’m not in shape enough yet, that’s something I need to work on a lot.
Total Time 1:19:56
Total Distance 30.06 km
Average Cadence 85 rpm
Average Speed 22.5 km/h
Odo 112 km (from 82 km)
Max Cadence 117 rpm
Max Speed 45 km/h

Work ride

This is one ride to work and home.  I needed to clear the computer before my ride today =)
Total Time 0:13:21
Total Distance 4.88 km
Average Cadence 79 rpm
Average Speed 21.9 km/h
Odo 82 km (from 77 km)
Max Cadence 102 rpm
Max Speed 43 km/h

Census 2006 update

So, the census people finally replied to me and their reply actually makes sense, kind of.

They use a PKI java applet which is supposed to provide encryption and authentication all the way through the connection to the database. The fact that they responded and the fact that they are addressing (or attempting to address) the issue is good, thank you to Stats Canada for that.

Here’s the reply

Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 09:05:23 -0400
From: census-recensement@statcan.ca
To: jbourne@hardrock.org
Subject: RE: census 2006 restrictions

Hello,

Thank-you for contacting Statistics Canada. Please excuse the delay of
this response.

Statistics Canada has chosen to use PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)
encryption to provide the industrial strength security and data privacy
that the 2006 Census Internet application requires. The PKI encryption
of data starts at the browser and goes all the way to the end server at
Statistics Canada. In order to enable PKI encryption at the respondent’s
browser, the application uses a small Java applet based on Entrust
TruePass technology. At the time the Census application was developed,
the version 7.1 of TruePass did not provide support for Linux.

Although the most recent upgrade, TruePass version 8, now includes
Linux, that development came too late for the census production
schedule. We are currently investigating the feasibility of offering
one option to open source users. Consult www.census2006.ca for the most
recent update on our test results.

If you cannot complete your questionnaire online, I encourage you to
fill in the paper questionnaire and return it in the envelope provided.

Thank-you for taking the time to e-mail us.

Regards,
Statistics Canada

The question I’m asking now, why were Linux and MacOSX/Firefox not originally tested?

Ride for Heart 2006

jhb’s work has a team registered in the 2006 Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart and since I ride (a fair amount) I’ve entered as part of their team. It’s a 40km ride where I have to pick up pledges and trust me, 40km won’t be hard to finish.

Help me raise a large amount of cash for this by sponsoring me. It is a very worthy cause and does get you a tax reciept! Just enter my name (First Name James, Last Name Bourne) and my postal code is T3E6P3 to confirm you have the correct “James Bourne”.

And when you sponsor me, I’ll email you to say Thank you!

Proof that patents stifle innovation

Someone (thanks timball) posted this on IRC tonight and I read part of it. I found this was interesting because due to patents he stopped working in data compression.

Just imagine where he would have been if he had not had to deal with patent injustice. Just imagine what we as computer users would have if this person who was eating data compression for breakfast over 10 years ago would have been allowed to continue his work.

It’s a shame really, and a crime, that this is not only allowed to happen but encouraged by governments all over the world. Does anyone really think that hiding the details of how specific processes, possibly ones that could be improved upon by outsiders to a company, can actually do anything but impede progress? Where is BetaMAX today?
Just my 00000010 bits.

Bike to Bow Cycle for tweaking

Had to have the bike tweaked so we rode down to Bow Cycle after work today.

Total Time 0:52:19
Total Distance 15.14 km
Average Cadence 71 rpm
Average Speed 17.3 km/h
Odo 77 km (from 62 km)
Max Cadence 101 rpm
Max Speed 38 km/h

Bike to the dog park

Went to the dog park on the bikes, bounced around the humps then down through the trees by the stairs and back up. Good ride, but the new bike needs some tweaks in the rear deraileur department. I may have to ride to bow cycle one day this week to get the fixed, next saturday I’m supposed to go with some friends out to Telephone loop

Total Time 1:04:32
Total Distance 15.38 km
Average Cadence 67 rpm
Average Speed 14.3 km/h
Odo 62 km (from 46 km)
Max Cadence 124 rpm
Max Speed 44 km/h