Hi there 👋

This blog has been dead for years. It wasn’t deliberate, more the sort of dead that happens when you keep meaning to sort it out and then don’t, for the better part of a decade. At some point I’d archived everything into a flat folder of Markdown files and images and left it there. Today I actually finished the job. The site now runs on Hugo with the PaperMod theme. Hugo takes a folder of Markdown files and turns them into a full static website at build time, and PaperMod is a ready-made visual theme for it, so I didn’t have to design anything from scratch, which was exactly the problem that had killed this blog’s relaunch more than once before. ...

Vagrant is pretty cool, but of late I’ve been having real issues finding a Vagrant base box that works with VMware Fusion OOTB. My blogging workflow (used to) involve(s) using a Vagrant box with Jekyll to generate a static site on my local Mac, and then uploading to an S3 bucket. The Vagrant Jekyll boxes weren’t up to scratch, so I’ve decided to figure out how to create my own. ...

I like the idea of desired state management systems. You define a set of criteria, and your devices will indefinitely match that criteria, returning to the “Desired State” if required. I’ve done this a few times with Jamf Pro, using smart groups, extension attributes and policies to “mimic” the functionality of a desired state management system (which was nice) but I wanted to really get to grips with a system that’s explicitly designed for this purpose. Enter the king of “Desired State” - Puppet. ...

I absolutely cannot stand writing documentation. Well, that’s kind of a lie; I don’t mind the actual writing, but I get too hung up on trying to make it look pretty. If you—the reader—write your own, then maybe you’ll know what I mean. One of the best things about writing docs that’ll be hosted on-line is that the format will be based upon the site that it lives in. Take Github for example; all documentation up there looks the same. This is because they’re all written in Markdown. Markdown is a language syntax that standardises formatting which allows a writer to focus on the content that’s being written. If you’ve never seen a Github readme, check out a few: ...

I had a user with an issue recently where their Mac record in Jamf Pro was not being populated with a correct “Reported IP Address” value when connected to the company’s corporate WiFi. The IP address of the WiFi interface would report the correct value on the device and was singable. For context, this issue: Persisted between inventory updates Would only ever be present when connecting to WiFi (i.e. the issue abated when disabling WiFi and connecting to Ethernet) Would not be resolved by forgetting the SSID and/or deleting and re-adding the network interface Would not be affected by renewing the DHCP lease. Doing some digging, the documentation for the “Reported IP Address” field in Jamf Pro notes that: ...

Coming home in 3 days. I always knew I’d feel like crap about now, but man - do I. I think travelling changes you, maybe. I’m not sure I want to go back to an office job, doing the same mundane crap day in and day out. I know the last 5 months have pretty much been the most exciting and happiest months of my life, and the thought of not being able to just get up and grab a train or bus to anywhere on a whim really makes me feel quite suffocated. Meh. At least I’m looking forward to my first paycheck, whether I’ll be working in an office or not. ...

Being in the USA for 5 minutes; the first thing I notice is the difference in perception of time from the east. People in the west adhere to strict schedules and want to get the most of of their days by minimising “wasted” time (travelling etc). Highway displays, showing times to other routes and cities, drive-thru EVERYTHINGs, the phrase “for your convenience” is used a load. The east, people seem to appreciate their time they have, taking life at their own pace rather than feeling a pressure to be as productive as humanly possible. I always knew that we in the west squeeze every ounce of value out of the time that we have on this planet. Our drive thru chemists and Starbucks, the “time is money” ethic, doing things “better, faster and cheaper” and delivering a level of professionalism that replaces all human character in favour of robotic efficiency. I’m in a cab where the americans are arguing with the driver over a 5 minute difference, from taking one highway over another. Who cares how fast you’re going? It’s 8pm, you have no kids to get home to, at the worst, you’ll miss the first 10 minutes of “America’s Got Talent” but you’ve no doubt got TIVO, so just chill out, relax and enjoy the ride. ...

Most people I’ve spoken to who have been to Laos have said they wish they had more time to spend there. When we arrived at Vientiane, I couldn’t really understand why. Sure it was nice and the food was great, but there isn’t much to do. Considering it’s the capital, it’s pretty empty. Vang Vieng was fun for a couple of days, but it got old very quickly. There’s only so many backflips you can do into the Mekong, a finite amount of drinking (unless you’re “party party party”, which i guess I’m not…) and about 2 or 3 decent caves to see and explore. The Blue Lagoon was awesome though. But Luang Prabang was a different story altogether. We have spent 9 days here, and even though a few of them were spent idly meandering down the main street, grabbing pastries, baguettes and really awesome pizzas, we could have stayed another week. Again, it’s not like there’s loads to do, but the atmosphere is so welcoming, friendly and relaxed that we were okay being lazy. I love it here. So I’m pretty sad that today we’re leaving for the Laos border town of Huay Xai, on our way back to northern Thailand. ...

Waking up at 5:00 am, regardless of the reason, is never an easy thing to do. It’s easier for me, as the curfew in Laos states I should be inside and off the streets by 11:00 pm, but regardless, I like my sleep and therefore, it’s a difficulty. However, this morning, watching the Alms ceremony in Luang Prabang made it worth it. Being out in the street this early, there’s not many people around. The sun is barely up, and I’m finding it very hard to keep my eyes open, or stand up straight steadily. So there’s me, on a cross roads outside my guesthouse, wobbling and bleary eyed like a drunk guy, plus bedhair - i must look a right state. At about 5:30, things start to come alive a bit more. Men, women, and children - and the occasional “Falang” (the Lao word for “White Westerners”) - start to bleed out onto the street. The Lao people carry bamboo floor sheets, small rice pots and plastic baskets, and set up on the pavement along the Sakkaline road. By about 5:45, there’s about fourty people sitting on their sheets, with a few people walking around selling Sticky Rice to tourists. I don’t buy any; I heard that you shouldn’t take part in the ceremony if you’re not a buddhist, and I don’t want to be disrespectful. ...

“Laos the rain, bruv!” I don’t think i’m ever not going to stop using “Laos” in this way. For those who don’t get it, in England, we have a demographic of people that use the phrase “Allow it, bruv” meaning something to the effect of “I know that what I’m doing is wrong, but please allow me to do it”. So anyway. It’s approaching rainy season here, so every now and again we get full on torrential rain that “prevents” us doing activities such as swimming in lagoons, visiting temples, or even walking down the Sisavangvong road, looking for food. I use inverted commas, because it doesn’t really stop us from doing much, and it’s actually quite nice because it’s so damn HOT here. ...