Oct 04
ErinUncategorized Garbage
This blog has once again changed domain, out of necessity borne by procrastination. Instead of the normal ramfree17.net domain it is , at the time of writing, hosted in the rm17.xyz domain. Same old capsule but different domain. 😀
This is my first post in the new domain and its likely to be a bit long. The TL;DR version is never transfer domains between registrars if the domain is within 1 month of expiration. Unless its a domain you plan on ditching. 😛
The problem was that when I was notified that my web hosting and domain is up for renewal in my previous hosting company I realized that in the span of 10 years the annual cost of this personal blog site has increased by almost 100%. This blog is not monetized (too low reader count) and serves more as my personal venue for ranting without any risk of getting rebuke (my house, my rules). The cost of the annual upkeep is more than what I am willing to shell out. 😉
A week before my domain expires, I began searching for a more affordable web hosting and domain registrar. After careful deliberation, about 5 minutes, I decided to go with www.domainracer.com. The cost of renewing the domain is 33% less and the 3-year hosting plan equates to a 2/3 reduction in annual cost versus if I renew it with my existing provider. The domain transfer comes with 1 year domain registration. The reduction in costs means there were some restrictions like I can only host one site but its not a deal-breaker for my needs. Then I procrastinated under the guise of allowing myself time to contradict or appeal my decision to move the domain.
I read somewhere in the DomainRacer site that transferring a domain can take a couple of days to replicate wherein the site can be inaccessible while the DNS propagation is taking place. I dont think that was going to be an issue. Three days before the expiration day I pulled the trigger since I needed to request from my current DNS registrar for an unlock code for the transfer. The following morning the ticket got a support reply that I can do that by myself using the client portal. I generated the transfer code and proceeded to order the webhosting and domain transfer.
The webhosting space was available after a few minutes, but its tied to the current domain which hasn’t been transferred so I can do anything with it. The domain transfer was marked as pending so I decided to leave it as is and check back in a few days. Three days later I got a notification from my previous hosting provider that my site and domain has expired. I logged into the DomainRacer client portal and saw that the transfer is still in pending state. In my mind the capsule blog is taking a break. :/
A week later the domain transfer was still not completed. I logged a support ticket and the DomainRacer support responded back after less than an hour stating that my domain has expired and I need to renew it in the current registrar before it can be transferred. What ensued is a long back and forth discussion since renewing it in my current registrar and transferring is a double whammy for me as it will require me to basically shoulder the cost twice. I even posted links from the ICANN FAQ page that it should be possible to transferred expired domains. All that support links did nothing as the DomainRacer support said they cant do anything about it.
In the end I just asked for a refund on the transfer and bought a “temporary” domain for the webhosting packaged that I availed. Once my previous domain becomes available I will just register it with DomainRacer and then for the remainder of the year have both domains point to the same webhost. The refund took a day to complete so my first choice of temporary domain “r17.xyz” became unavailable. I guess a bot took notice that I checked its availability and renewed it thinking it can be an opportunity for cybersquatting and getting a potential customer to buy it from them. Big fat chance! 😏
I settled the temporary domain by adding another character thus my new domain. With the domain secured, I proceeded to do a WordPress installation. This floated one of the main restrictions in the “cheaper” package I availed: I can only host one website. What that meant is that the webhosting package was locked to the old “dot net” domain. /groan
I logged a new ticket to link the webhost allocation with the new domain I acquired. I was told by the tech support that they need to delete the contents of the web-hosting allocation and create a new one. There is no content yet so I gave the go-ahead. The only problem now is that once the new domain becomes available I will need to re-initialize this site. 😝
That is basically the ordeal. 30 minutes later I had this blog running. I wont be able to install the URL shortener package since its not available in this webhost but I saw an option to “load” python code so that is an avenue to explore later on.
Additional hindsight: this domain may become” tempermanent” if procrastination rears it ugly head. 😅
Dec 23
ErinTop of my head DIY, Garbage, home, housebandry
I am not a handy man as I never inherited that skill from Daddy. I am very of wary of powertools even if I am fascinated by them. I always treat the tools with respect whenever I use them. Much like today.
I am glad to say the powertool I am using today (portable impact drill) didnt cause me harm. It was the underside of the monoblock chair that did me in and caused a mini red fountain in my foot’s second toe. It was a perfect storm of carelessness, stupidity and timing.
I did see Daddy again in that brief 30 seconds of pain though. I squealed the same way I imagined he would have. Murmuring self-directed invectives while brimming with pain.
Oct 06
ErinTop of my head family, Garbage
I saw my father today
In fleeting moment he was dancing in our living room.
I was not hallucinating nor dreaming
But it took me a while to recognize him.
See, I got my pointer finger squeezed between the hinges of the portable dog fence.
The shock and adrenaline rush causing a familiar tirade. A wail of pain peppered with a self-directed admonishment:
“Ang tanga. Ang tanga-tangaaaa!” (“Dumb move. You d-dumbasssss!”)
While enveloped by a crimson pain for an eternity stretching few seconds that was when I saw him.
For that was exactly how he would react in situations like that. Reactions that I aways thought funny and, par for the course with my father, “eccentric”. I didn’t realize that I have appropriated it as well.
Ergo, I am my father’s son and a part of my father lives within me.
May 16
ErinGarbage, Top of my head, Work Garbage, rant, Work
Imagine an environment where standards are strictly enforced.
Where security is of paramount importance.
Now imagine that at the expense of productivity or rational reasoning.
Where compliance is dictated by the contents of a clipboard checklist.
Welcome to Hotel California.
May 12
ErinGarbage Garbage, general politics, musings
Philippines is the prime example of a modern day Babel.
Calls for unity is a running and expensive gag. Political opinions are like assholes, 99.99% of the people have one; most of them different in varying degrees; and each group hell bent in believing that they are in the right. The best we can aspire for is a ruling majority as even consensus is too far fetched of a goal.
Make no mistake that I love my country. Its people, not as much. But the weird part is that we make good citizens but only if it is in a foreign land. I am still puzzled if it means those who have the qualities of being a good citizen tend to migrate out of frustration, or if the endemic political system in the country is really an engulfing viral machine immune to vaccinations. Maybe it is both?
Patriotic but tribalistic; the combination is a bitter sweet pill to swallow. It is like mixing oil and water which is possible with the right emulsifier. If only we can agree on what that is.
Jan 25
ErinTechnology Garbage, Tech
I heard in a Technology training that “It is hard to comprehend that there will come a time that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will get smarter than us humans but it may still be about 50 more years.”
I find that preposterous. AI by definition isnt going to be smarter than human intelligence. It doesnt need to be. Humans on the other hand will just grow dumber. Technology helps.
Jan 08
ErinGarbage, Top of my head, Work agile, Garbage, Work
I came across a leadership podcast a few weeks back wherein there was a description of leadership that seems to fit the type of leadership that a ScrumMaster or agile advcocate needs to exude. I lost my notes on which podcast it is for the necessary attribution but the notes that stuck with me contains the following (paraphrased) content:
During a performance show, an orchestrator (conductor) is somebody whom everybody in the group looks up to, following every flick of the wrist for the correct entry into the symphony. The choreographer on the other hand only teaches the vision of the dance, corrects any mistakes during the practice sessions, and then sits back in the audience to see the dance troupe interpret the visions, sometimes in ways that even exceeds what was practiced.
Image credits goes to freerangestock.com
The choreographer aspect seems to fit what the agile advocate needs to do. This follows the mandate that in an agile team the scrum master is a servant-leader, a person who influences without any direct mandate. For those who finds that hard to comprehend, it is the same type of authority that friends form over their experiences, wherein a select few of the pack is looked upon for inputs on what to do next. That only comes with trust that the “choreographer” knows what they are saying and that they will not lead the pack into ruin.
The only resistance is the inherent inertia that most of the corporate organizations still pine for the command-and-control structure which gives the “feel good feeling” that everything can be boxed into a specific plan. This makes organizations make more open to the idea of putting seasoned managers as conductors of delivery in order to control every aspect and cadence of the team. They are not entirely wrong but the unpredictability of the human mind and real life means they are also not entirely right.
The conductor can still be a person of trust but normally the conductor’s authority is proportional to their perceived reputation. The reputation is a double edged sword as that can be the initial hump that the team needs to overcome to start being comfortable with having the “conductor” as part of the team.
Jan 06
ErinTop of my head agnostic, Garbage
Personal memories are biased. They are, whether consciously or otherwise, what we have chosen to preserve in our mind for later recall. There is a kind of satisfaction when traipsing down memory lane but beware that sometimes memories encase the reality with the best interpretation we wish to see. We often hear that truth has two sides (yours and mine) and this gets more pronounced when we factor in the dulling effect of time has on memory recall.
But what fun is it to go down memory lane, to revisit friends and moments that have made an impact to who we are.
Nov 24
ErinGarbage Garbage, general politics, human nature, life, musings
I saw this phrase in a social media comment : “idealistic and gullible”
Two words that are dangerous when put together. These words are what mobs are made of. The gullible aspect will feed the idealistic side with enough high the same way that adrenaline can mask pains and injury that would have triggered the common sense to stop the body from hurting itself.
It is not a matter of age but more of experience. Be idealistic. Don’t be gullible. Learn to recognize and keep the two apart. I know it is not easy as it took me a while to recognize it myself.
Jun 21
ErinGarbage Garbage, life
Why settle for mediocrity when you always have the potential to be great? Finding yourself being the big fish in a small pond is a great feeling. However the intent on staying there is a disservice to yourself. Do not be afraid to start as the average fish in the open sea as that is where you will expand your horizons and discover new things about yourself.
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