RHEL!
This week I'm learning all about Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Actually it is more about Linux than anything specific about Red Hat. The instructor is doing it on Fedora. I wish they had VMware on these machines so we could install it from scratch.
A lot of this stuff I already know.
This is the place that's doing the training:
Real Solutions Training
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Dirtpile
With my father's passing, my old friends have resurfaced. When I was a kid, my playmate was a pretty girl from across the street whose name was Lauri Gravitt. From about 5 years old until 11 or so, we would play in the dirt on the edge of my parents yard next to a vacant lot.
You see, I'm sure many kids played in a sandbox, but not us. We played in the dirt, which we called the dirtpile since my Dad would order a load of topsoil to spread on the yard. Lauri and I would "help" Dad by slowly tearing down that dirtpile for our purposes. I saw the pile as a mountain that we would climb or use it to tunnel through. I don't think we were ever very successful with the tunneling. We weren't engineers, so we didn't shore up the sides or build a ceiling. The tunnels never held up.
The reason my Dad brought in topsoil was that the soil was very poor. The soil was made up of Caliche. Before the topsoil was brought in, I would play in the dirt which was a mixture of Cliche and red sandy clay soil. Using my imagination, I built a little town where I played with my Tonka toy trucks.
This was my job as a child. I would wake up early in the morning and go out to the dirtpile, which as Lauri pointed out to me now, was more of a ditch than a pile, and play. I played all day until it got dark. I didn't mind being out in the sun and there were no trees.
Well, I guess those were the days. No cares, no worries.
With my father's passing, my old friends have resurfaced. When I was a kid, my playmate was a pretty girl from across the street whose name was Lauri Gravitt. From about 5 years old until 11 or so, we would play in the dirt on the edge of my parents yard next to a vacant lot.
You see, I'm sure many kids played in a sandbox, but not us. We played in the dirt, which we called the dirtpile since my Dad would order a load of topsoil to spread on the yard. Lauri and I would "help" Dad by slowly tearing down that dirtpile for our purposes. I saw the pile as a mountain that we would climb or use it to tunnel through. I don't think we were ever very successful with the tunneling. We weren't engineers, so we didn't shore up the sides or build a ceiling. The tunnels never held up.
The reason my Dad brought in topsoil was that the soil was very poor. The soil was made up of Caliche. Before the topsoil was brought in, I would play in the dirt which was a mixture of Cliche and red sandy clay soil. Using my imagination, I built a little town where I played with my Tonka toy trucks.
This was my job as a child. I would wake up early in the morning and go out to the dirtpile, which as Lauri pointed out to me now, was more of a ditch than a pile, and play. I played all day until it got dark. I didn't mind being out in the sun and there were no trees.
Well, I guess those were the days. No cares, no worries.
Monday, August 20, 2007
My Father's Death and Funeral
My father passed away on August 16th. Today we buried him at Elm Creek Community Cemetery which is about 8 to 10 miles outside of Seguin in the country. I am relieved that my Dad's suffering has ended, but I am sad. Even though he was 70 years old, he never really seemed that old. To me, he was always in his late 40s or early 50s. I wish that cancer had not killed him. I wish that he had lived till he was a 120.
The funeral was officiated by Jeremy Roy, the hospital chaplain at Guadalupe Valley Regional Hospital. My Dad knew his father. Jeremy's father was also my drafting teacher in high school. Jeremy did an excellent job with the service and Nicole Bennet sang beautifully.
The older I get, the younger that 70 appears to be.
The outpouring of support from family, friends and neighbors has been tremendous. I don't think we realized how many people really loved my Dad. Goodbye Dad.
Obituary/Memorial for my father.
My father passed away on August 16th. Today we buried him at Elm Creek Community Cemetery which is about 8 to 10 miles outside of Seguin in the country. I am relieved that my Dad's suffering has ended, but I am sad. Even though he was 70 years old, he never really seemed that old. To me, he was always in his late 40s or early 50s. I wish that cancer had not killed him. I wish that he had lived till he was a 120.
The funeral was officiated by Jeremy Roy, the hospital chaplain at Guadalupe Valley Regional Hospital. My Dad knew his father. Jeremy's father was also my drafting teacher in high school. Jeremy did an excellent job with the service and Nicole Bennet sang beautifully.
The older I get, the younger that 70 appears to be.
The outpouring of support from family, friends and neighbors has been tremendous. I don't think we realized how many people really loved my Dad. Goodbye Dad.
Obituary/Memorial for my father.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Death
The doctor and hospice nurse say Dad will pass away within 24 hours. Considering how much pain and distress his body has suffered, I wish it would come sooner rather than later. He has fought the good fight, but now he needs to go home to rest with Jesus where he will have peace for all eternity.
I'm sad for my family and especially for my Mom, but since there is no cure for prostate cancer and he's in the final stages, I wish his death would come quickly.
Somewhat ironic is that Merv Griffin has died today of prostate cancer.
The doctor and hospice nurse say Dad will pass away within 24 hours. Considering how much pain and distress his body has suffered, I wish it would come sooner rather than later. He has fought the good fight, but now he needs to go home to rest with Jesus where he will have peace for all eternity.
I'm sad for my family and especially for my Mom, but since there is no cure for prostate cancer and he's in the final stages, I wish his death would come quickly.
Somewhat ironic is that Merv Griffin has died today of prostate cancer.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Healthcare & the Future
My Dad went to the hospital by ambulance on Monday. Now it is all about easing his pain as the cancer consumes him. It has spread from his prostate to his liver and bones. He is in a lot of pain and can no longer communicate with us. This is a very difficult time for me and my family.
My mother, sister and I take turns staying with him through the days and nights. Right now I have just spent the night with him and I'm posting this from his bedside while he sleeps.
The nurses have been good, although it is easy to see they are understaffed. I've seen this when my wife was in the hospital. I'm sure it is a difficult job and they are probably criticized more than praised. Caring for a stranger is an act of God's grace in my opinion.
In the future, I can foresee that robots will become caregivers. I'm sure we will see this in Japan first. I predict that this will happen within 5 to 10 years. The robots will do simple tasks that are not life and death matters. Over time, more responsibility will be given to them. At some point, they will have a bot that will look like a human, but perform with the efficiency of a machine. The bot will have a gentle, but firm touch and the care will be consistent from patient to patient. Definitely for lower risk patients, this will become the standard of care. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point, almost every bed will have its own bot. Will this be good or bad? I think the answer will be both. Sometimes the bot will provide better care than a human nurse could provide, but at other times, the bot will be unable to approximate the emotional feedback provided by a good, kind hearted, caring human nurse.
I also see that caregiving bots will be in the home to help with chronically ill patients. I expect that DME companies will rent such bots instead of people buying a bot. The rich, however, will probably purchase their own caregiving bots, just as one would buy a car.
For single people, having a bot that takes care of them will really improve the quality of their life. This is especially important for people that are widowed after the lost of their spouse.
What do you think?
My Dad went to the hospital by ambulance on Monday. Now it is all about easing his pain as the cancer consumes him. It has spread from his prostate to his liver and bones. He is in a lot of pain and can no longer communicate with us. This is a very difficult time for me and my family.
My mother, sister and I take turns staying with him through the days and nights. Right now I have just spent the night with him and I'm posting this from his bedside while he sleeps.
The nurses have been good, although it is easy to see they are understaffed. I've seen this when my wife was in the hospital. I'm sure it is a difficult job and they are probably criticized more than praised. Caring for a stranger is an act of God's grace in my opinion.
In the future, I can foresee that robots will become caregivers. I'm sure we will see this in Japan first. I predict that this will happen within 5 to 10 years. The robots will do simple tasks that are not life and death matters. Over time, more responsibility will be given to them. At some point, they will have a bot that will look like a human, but perform with the efficiency of a machine. The bot will have a gentle, but firm touch and the care will be consistent from patient to patient. Definitely for lower risk patients, this will become the standard of care. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point, almost every bed will have its own bot. Will this be good or bad? I think the answer will be both. Sometimes the bot will provide better care than a human nurse could provide, but at other times, the bot will be unable to approximate the emotional feedback provided by a good, kind hearted, caring human nurse.
I also see that caregiving bots will be in the home to help with chronically ill patients. I expect that DME companies will rent such bots instead of people buying a bot. The rich, however, will probably purchase their own caregiving bots, just as one would buy a car.
For single people, having a bot that takes care of them will really improve the quality of their life. This is especially important for people that are widowed after the lost of their spouse.
What do you think?
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Happy 70th Birthday, Dad!
Today my Dad is 70 years old. Unfortunately, he's not in the best of health. This morning at about 6:30, he was sitting on the edge of the bed and fell hard onto the floor. Not a nice way to start your birthday. He scraped his knee and banged his head. God it sucks to get old. He is stubbornly independent and he won't ask for help. I was here in the next room when I heard him fall. Now I'm staying in the same room with him to make sure he doesn't try to move without some help.
Today my Dad is 70 years old. Unfortunately, he's not in the best of health. This morning at about 6:30, he was sitting on the edge of the bed and fell hard onto the floor. Not a nice way to start your birthday. He scraped his knee and banged his head. God it sucks to get old. He is stubbornly independent and he won't ask for help. I was here in the next room when I heard him fall. Now I'm staying in the same room with him to make sure he doesn't try to move without some help.
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