Dan Lacher

So the work is done some by my little coding hands and some by JS, a huge thanks to JS for his work and leadership on this. The Open MPI C++ library is now agnostic from being tied to either Cstd or stlport4. Now in the userland apps one is free to use whatever they would like. There was some sticky code in the previous implementation that used a data structure that did not allow for being agnostic. For those tracking on Sun ClusterTools this will show up in CT8.

For what it's worth

So yesterday I borrowed the neighbors two stage snow blower to clear the 12 inches of snow from our driveway and sidewalk. Even with the snow blower it was a lot of work. We have made the decision in our household to do it, we are going to just purchase our own. Sorry that I did not take before and after pictures of this snow fall, you can see photos of a large snow fall a few years back... that is when I shoveled it all by hand.

For what it's worth.

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Still have not kicked back into blog land, now I missed the SXDE post (still coming). Working on a c++ issue in Open MPI and now going to dig out from a big storm pounding Michigan.

No I have not fallen off the planet just the blog train. The keyboard sucks me in and I can't make it over to the browser to hack out a blog post. I recall that when I first started to blog I forced myself to do it five days a week for the first month... in which time I rambled a bit about everything. I have an upcoming entry on SXDE.

For what it's worth.

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The wonders of community will never cease, so I fall back on that now to aid in where my attempts have failed. Here is it, I am searching for a print driver for a Kyocera Mita C2230 printer for Mac. I know someone has the correct setup or connection to get me printing to the KM-C2230 with full color and page support so bring it on community. I shall be sure to update with working results when I get them.

For what it's worth.

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Have you been surrounded before while carving up a turkey? Be sure to head over and contribute to the Turkey Dogs Pool on flickr.

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Today I ship the Gobi7 back. I has been a great trial run but I don't think in it's current state it would be a long term option for me. Here is a link to my trial posts. Some bullet points I shared with the team that let me demo the unit:

• the slow booting did not bother me like I had heard other complain about
• the lack of the ability to change resolution settings locally or on an external monitor was a big one for me
• the form factor is great, it could even go up to 15" and it would be better
• next rev for the hardware/firmware needs to be able to present to the user the battery status, something like percent or estimated time remaining
• external keyboard and mouse work great for addons, this even includes a bluetooth dongle for a bt keyboard
• the power adapter is very kludgy to lug around

Thanks for the trial folks, it was a great time playing on the unit.

For what it's worth

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So I had been using bloglines for my rss aggregation for some time, I recently switched to trying out google reader and was loving it. Then yesterday something changed.... the pages are now displaying differently and I can't keep the subscriptions side panel up... who changed it? Change it back or at least leave me the option to have it on or off.

For what it's worth

Update: Okay, so someone pointed out to me the error of my browsing... there is a subtle way to hide the side panel and it was pointed out to me where I hid it and how to un-hide it. Sorry for the rant.

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So with the new year here, my wife and I are starting out together to get more into shape. This is really more for me since I am the one that needs to trim down, she is looking great. We are starting with some stretching and toning through yoga an pilates. A few days of the yoga and I can all ready stretch more than before... So I know just those two will not get me where I need to be so the next steps are eating modification (diet) and more cardio. The goal would be at least 30 lbs off me... so we shall see.

For what it's worth.

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@dlacher

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Based on a conversation the other day with my little girl I am now in search of a toy espresso machine. She was playing in her new kitchen and I was being served a slice of cake. I asked if I could have a cup of coffee, she informed me that she did not have an espresso machine so I was getting tea. Fair enough... that means that daddy needs to get her a espresso machine for practicing. She all ready crawls up on the counter when I am making drinks at home. She know the process: grind, dose, tamp, polish, lock it in, pull the shots, knock it out. That is my little barista.

For what it's worth.

Friends, Family, Readers & Everyone else,

Today brings me to my last day of work for this year. It will soon be the day of celebration as we gather with friend and family celebrate Our Saviors birth. I do wish all a very Merry Christmas. I know I will be spending this Christmas just hanging out, relaxing, playing with my girls and maybe getting some more done on the basement.

Merry Christmas

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Before you think Dan has fallen off the deep end let me give you some background. I have been going through the Deadly Viper Character Assassins book with some friends, so this post come with that as a background. The character assassin of Zi Qi Qi Ren basically translates to “self deception while deceiving others”. So where did this attack come from you ask? Well I am glad you did ask because that is what I am here to tell you.

As you may know my family was just blessed with receiving a new baby into this world and what a blessing from God she is. We are also blessed to live here in Michigan where we receive from time to time snow. The two days after our girl was born it snowed, so the day we came home from the hospital our driveway and sidewalks were covered in snow, heavy wet slushy snow. I being a new daddy did not have any of the energy needed to head out, grab the shovel and clean of the drive and walks. So instead I hunkered down in the house with my wife and two daughters for family time and some sleep when we could get it. One could say I was hiding in the shadows and thinking, oh my kind hearted neighbors with snow blowers will take care of the walks at least and maybe even the drive. Wrong! There are several of my neighbors that have snow blowers and knew that we had our new baby, what’s wrong with them… come on people. Well there is where the amped emotions kicked in, I was grumbling to myself and my wife about how I can’t believe that no one has come over to clear off the walks or drive. Then it snowed again… and yesterday a lot more. So I rise up early before leaving for church and pull the four wheel drive vehicle out into the street and get the minivan started to warm up. You guessed it, we got the van stuck in our own driveway… grumble grumble… we can take care of this our selves…. Right, so after church I had to stick around, so I sent my wife, two daughters and mother-in-law home in the van with instructions to square up to the drive and they should be able to make it. Smack! Nope, when I arrived home a couple hours later I found the van stuck at the end of the drive and the trail leading up to the garage. I headed in to find out what went wrong and get the keys to give it a try myself. As I entered the house the phone rang and it was a neighbor offering to help me get the van unstuck as well as wondering why we did not ask for help, he would have gladly come over to snow blow off the drive and walk. Well of course… why think everyone is going to help, no just hide in the shadows and grumble right? The Lord again used this to teach me humility and a lesson that I knew and even spoke only a couple weeks back with the staff. Also, turns out that a lady at our church has a snow blower that she loaned me for the day so I did get the drive and walks cleared off.

So how deep are you going to get the snow get? How much grumbling are you going to do with your eyes squinting out the window at your neighbors? How long are you going to hide in the house and deceive yourself? Here is the answer, don’t get yourself stuck in your own driveway twice, be humble and ask for help. Let the Lord speak through the hands of those around you.

For what it's worth.

So back at work now after the birth of our second child. What a great joy there is in life even at 4:30 in the morning while changing a diaper. I am also pleased to have the flexibility that Sun provides to work from home and in my case full time. I have been on the full time wfh track for about 6 years now.

So I know I have not been blogging a ton lately and that is not like me. I thought I would give you all and update as to what else I am up to. I am currently working on a small project to be found in a future release of CT that will support std as well as stlport4 in a c++ library. So that is going to be the big push for the next bit and then onto a few small defects that keep bugging me (some around CT install). After that is all up and out, well then who knows.

I came back from the quick paternity leave to find that a small reorg had taken place and the CT group was shuffled around a bit. I like the move and am excited to see what/if this move will do for the CT group.

For what it's worth.

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The Lacher family is proud to introduce Norah Katherine to the world. She was born yesterday (2007.11.29) weighing in at 8 lbs 5 oz. Mother and child are doing very well. Big sister Emily has been up to meet her little sister. So that makes the Lacher household 4 to 1 (girls to guys, the dog is a girl as well), that is getting into Thin Guy ratios.

God Bless from the Lacher Family.

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Here are some tips that I have used since switching to 10.5:

• Change your login shell in Leopard
• Change the default location for screenshots
• View giant (or small) desktop icons in any version of OS X
• Auto remove printer icon from Dock after print
• Create a Stack of mounted disks and shares
• Enable the root user

Ones still to try:

• Change login panel background
• Stop X11 from opening xterm on launch
• Use Chicken of the VNC with 10.5's Screen Sharing

For what it's worth

So tomorrow in the United States is Thanksgiving. Our family will be preparing something along the lines of the standard dinner... but I look more forward to the leftovers. I look forward to making what I call the Happy Pilgrim. What? That is right, I make a sandwich that we call the Happy Pilgrim, so what is it? For me it starts with two slices of good hearty wheat bread, lettuce, sliced roasted left over turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry relish. Oh, place that all together in a sandwich and it is like a meal in one. I was introduced to something similar from a sub sandwich shop while I was helping a friend move in Boston. Skip the meal and make me a Happy Pilgrim and I am one happy pilgrim. Try one this year and let me know what you think.

While we are preparing for Thanksgiving this year we are also in waiting... our second child is due any day to the big meal may get placed on hold for a few days.

For what it's worth.

Sun HPC ClusterTools 7.1 has hit the street...

Sun HPC ClusterTools 7.1 is now available! Sun HPC ClusterTools 7.1 is an update release based on Open MPI 1.2.4. Included in Sun HPC ClusterTools 7.1 are Intel 32- and 64-bit support, improved parallel debugger support, PBS Pro validation, improved memory usage for communication, and other bug fixes by the Open MPI community since Open MPI 1.2 was first released.

For what it's worth.

First posted by rchrd, below is a great spoof video on "Sun's Heisenberg Compensator"... enjoy.

For what it's worth.

I am currently reading Deadly Viper Character Assassins. This was recommended by a friend who is always out there helping me in leadership development. I headed out and ordered a copy for myself and a team that I work with so that we could all work through the leadership development. Just a few pages in and I was totally convicted by the words that were flowing off the page and to the heart. The book talks about the assassins in the world that come to destroy ones character and integrity. There is a battle going on every day for each of us, some of us recognize it and battle daily against it and the rest are in denial.

Early in the discussion of the first assassin it dives into being brutally blunt (honest) with folks and how we have a few people in our lives that we can do that with. I reflects on the fact that the more senior of a leadership position one holds the less honest criticism one will receive from those around them... boils down to someone not wanting to make a career limiting move in the workplace.

I have sent off a few emails in my time here that I wondered if I should have sent... so far they have not limited my but only time will tell. It is also nice to have senior leadership that strive for transparency and honesty from top down so hopefully conversations we have through out the chain would not be considered career limiting if they are honest and truthful.

Are you in denial or on the offensive?

For what it's worth.

Update: Zi Qi Qi Ren & Amped Emotions Attack

Looking for a once in a lifetime trip... the Maltese Falcon is open for charter trips... if you go and need a guest I am up for it.

For what it's worth.

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So one of the features that I love and can't live without in X is the ability to highlight some text and then with the click of the center (third) mouse button paste it. That is all well and good until one only has two mouse buttons. On the Gobi I can *not* get it figured out if there is an extra key combo that will emulate the third mouse button or something. So I have resorted to using an external three button mouse so I don't lack the love to highlight/paste.

For what it's worth.

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WHAT in the known world was this toy manufacturer thinking?

For what it's worth.

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Thanks to James for posting this great comic

Let the virtual barista battle begin...

For what it's worth.