Braving the Bionic Beaver

The NFL Draft is done (will the Browns overall #1 pick, Baker Mayfield, help them win at least one game this year?), the Lightning are in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (facing off against the Boston Bruins), the Cavs survived a seven game first round series against the Pacers, and one month of baseball is in the books (the Rays have won eight straight but are still close to last in the East, and the Indians are in first place in the Central). Yeah, it’s Spring in late April, which means it’s time for the latest Ubuntu LTS release, 18.04 Bionic Beaver.

Just like last time in October, the upgrade process itself was smooth: I issued the do-release-upgrade command and the whole process took just under 15 minutes to download the new packages and execute the reconfiguration. I then re-applied my customizations to a few configuration files, rebooted the server, and was back in business:

$ lsb_release -a
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Release: 18.04
Codename: bionic

$ uname -a
Linux nucleus 4.15.0-20-generic #21-Ubuntu SMP Tue Apr 24 06:16:15 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

But also like last time, I had a handful of post-upgrade, early adopter issues:

  • I had to enable the PHP 7.2 for Apache (a2enmod php7.2) so it wouldn’t serve up PHP files as plain text (I had this same issue last time)
  • I had to manually install the php7.2-xml package for (Piwigo and phpSysInfo)
  • I had to manually re-install the smbclient package (for Nagios)
  • Pulseway won’t start due to a “undefined symbol: CRYPTO_num_locks” error (forum post)
  • I had some errors in phpMyAdmin (due to the PHP 7.2 update) that I fixed with this manual patch (it’s also fixed in the latest release, 4.8.0.1)
  • the Unifi controller wouldn’t start which turned out to be a problem with MongoDB being upgraded from 3.4 to 3.6. I had to downgrade back to 3.4 to get the controller running again, issue a db.adminCommand( { setFeatureCompatibilityVersion: "3.4" } ) command to get my database upgraded (it was actually still in a 3.2 structure), and then re-upgrade to 3.6. I also had to copy /usr/bin/mongod to /usr/bin/mongod.bin and create a workaround script named /usr/bin/mongod to get the controller to start (forum post)

Check back here in October for 18.10!

hp Pavilion 24-r014 All-in-One PC

hp Pavilion 24-r014

For the past few months our family PC (the Dell XPS 18 all-in-one) had been giving my daughter fits. It was time for a change.

I looked at the latest Dell all-in-ones but wasn’t able to find one that acted like a tablet like the XPS 18. It was pretty convenient for my daughter to be able to unplug the PC in the family room and take it back to her room without the need to shut down or move a bulky AC adapter. But apparently most all-in-ones now-a-days don’t have batteries anymore. Considering the reason I was replacing the XPS 18 was because of battery issues, I decided that wasn’t a big deal. After my usual research, I decided on the hp Pavilion 24-r014.

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Spring sports playoffs

I love spring … baseball has just started and now it’s time for the Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs.

My Tampa Bay Lightning are the Eastern Conference champs for the first time since the 2003-04 season (the last time they won the Stanley Cup). They start round 1 tonight against the New Jersey Devils.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a #4 seed in the east and will take on the Indiana Pacers in the first round starting on Sunday.

Go Bolts! Go Cavs!

Spring Training 2018: Home and Recap

We woke up early this morning, grabbed a quick snack breakfast in the hotel lobby, then checked out and drove back to the airport. After returning the rental car, we just missed getting on the shuttle bus so were first in line for the next one (which took a while to arrive). During the ride to Terminal 4 I got an alert from American that our flight was delayed 30 minutes, so that gave us a little extra buffer. Once at the terminal, we checked our luggage and got through security (they had a dog working the line before we split into TSA PreCheck). Since we had a little extra time due to the delay we walked a few concourses over to get breakfast at Starbucks. Our flight ended up being delayed just over an hour total, but finally we were on our way back to Florida.

So another Spring Training trip is in the books. Thursday is Opening Day and it’ll be the first time since 1968 that all of the teams are playing on the same day. The Boys of Summer are back! Usually the Indians come to Tampa early in the season so I see them again quickly, but this year the Tribe won’t be in Tropicana Field until September! (I already have my tickets). But with baseball starting up that means hockey and basketball are getting ready for the playoffs, so I’ll be watching the Lightning and Cavaliers closely.

Spring Training 2018: Day 3

Wake up, time to hike! We woke up at 6:00am, grabbed a quick breakfast of snacks at the hotel, and headed over to the Echo Canyon Trail parking lot at Camelback Mountain for our annual hike. By 7:00am we had started up the 1.33 mile (1,300 feet in elevation) trail to the summit. It was a beautiful morning for hiking (chilly in the shade) and we made it to the top around 8:20am. After about 30 minutes taking in the spectacular views of the valley, we started back down and reached the parking lot by 10:00am. Hiking works up an appetite so we stopped at the Black Bear Diner (which we weren’t able to do over in Goodyear on Saturday) for breakfast.

Back at the hotel we all cleaned up and tried to figure out what to do for the rest of the day before my sister’s late-afternoon flight home. We decided to check out the Phoenix Zoo. It was another beautiful, slightly chilly day in the valley (quite the contrast to almost melting during my last trip to this zoo back in June 2000!). While I didn’t recognize a lot of the zoo (lots of changes in 18 years) I did remember the meandering, looping trails that made it hard to remember where you’ve been and what you still need to see. There’s also a separate Dinosaurs in the Desert exhibit that we didn’t bother to pay for, but it was cool to walk around close to that area and suddenly have a John Williams-esque soundtrack jump out at us from hidden speakers (“the raptors are in the building!”).

Leaving the zoo we continued a new spring training tradition: In-n-Out Burger. My daughter is a vegetarian so she got a grilled cheese, but my sister and I went for double-doubles. Mmmmm … cheeseburgers and fries. Once back at the hotel my daughter and I prepped for our last baseball game while my sister packed to fly home. After dropping my sister off at Sky Harbor for her flight back to Seattle, my daughter and I drove downtown to Chase Field to see an exhibition game (not spring training!) between the Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks. The roof of the stadium was open, we had second row seats near the Indians’ dugout, and it was another perfect night for baseball. Unfortunately, my sister must have been our good luck charm because in front of 16,392 attendees, the Indians got soundly trounced by the D-Backs 0-7, our only loss of the trip. 🙁

That’s the end of vacation … tomorrow we fly home.

 

 

Spring Training 2018: Day 2

It’s our last day on the west side of the valley. We got up early this morning and after having breakfast downstairs, we packed up and checked out of our Goodyear hotel. Then we drove over to the Cleveland Indians’ Player Development Complex to watch the morning warm-ups and batting practice.

As in year’s past, Rick Danburg was there to talk to the crowd, give the day’s schedule, and explain the general goings-on (which are always “STC” (subject-to-change)). After watching the players warm up on the field, we headed to the parking lot/outfield to shag fly balls during batting practice. I came up empty this year, but my sister did get one. Then it was time to head over to Goodyear Ballpark for the final game of spring training and final spring battle of Ohio against the Cincinnati Reds.

Since it was the last day, everything dated in the team shop was 50% off so we had to do a little shopping before heading to our seats. It was a little difficult getting into Section 111 as the volunteer usher wanted to check everyone’s tickets (c’mon man, it’s the last game of the season!). After the national anthem, 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Jim Thome was on-hand to throw out the first pitch! The game was incredibly crowded … in fact, it turned out to be a record sellout (for an Indians/Reds game) of 10,311! Once again, our Indians were victorious, beating the Reds 6-4.

After the game, we drove across the valley to Tempe and checked into our next hotel. We cleaned up, got dressed, and then headed to our annual spring training steak dinner at Rustler’s Rooste. Despite having call-ahead seating, we had to wait for an hour to get a table, which was a little disappointing, but (as usual) the view and food made up for the wait. For the first time, my sister and I tried the rattlesnake (and prickly pear cactus fries). The snake actually wasn’t bad but I didn’t care for the fries. With full stomachs, we headed back to the hotel and turned in for the evening. Tomorrow, we hike Camelback.

Spring Training 2018: Day 1

We all slept in this morning to recover from yesterday’s travelling and time zone change (for some of us, anyway). Once we were all cleaned up and ready to go, we stopped for a late breakfast at the Wildflower Bread Company (we were going to go to the Black Bear Diner but the Saturday morning crowd was too big). Then we drove up to Surprise (insert puns here) to see our Cleveland Indians take on the Texas Rangers.

This is the first time we’ve come out to spring training on the very last weekend. It was cool to see a lot of the starters in the lineup. The weather was also a little cooler than we’re used to (but still very pleasant). The fourth inning got a little crazy as Roberto Pérez lost his bat and it flew into the screen a few rows in front of us. Then on the next pitch the bat splintered and flew into the outfield, almost hitting the Rangers’ third baseman (who still managed to catch the ball and throw Pérez out at first). A few pitches later, Erik Gonzalez hit a foul ball into the Rangers’ dugout that hit Howard Johnson in the face. Ouch! Play was stopped for about 10-15 minutes as medical staff treated Johnson and eventually wheeled him out of the stadium on a cart.

Our new favorite Indians player is Rob Refsnyder (#33), whose name we would mispronounce as Griffindor. We kept hoping he would score some runs (“2 points for Griffindor!”) 😀 With 8,900 people in attendance, the Indians blew out the Rangers 10-3. Good game!

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at Dillon’s KC BBQ at the Wildlife World Zoo. We sat outside on the patio near the flamingos and snacked on some appetizers and also checked out the large shark tank inside.

After cleaning up at the hotel we still had the whole evening ahead of us. So we decided to head over to the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale where we saw “Black Panther.” This was the second time my daughter had seen it, but the first time for my sister and me. It was good, but I didn’t think it was amazing (sorry!). I didn’t even recognize Andy Serkis! After the movie, we popped into Dave & Buster’s to play some video games and air hockey. On our way back to the car, we grabbed a gelato pop at the Popbar for dessert.

Spring Training 2018: Flying Out

Due to scheduling conflicts, I’m heading out to Arizona for my annual Spring Training trip a little later than usual … actually the last weekend of the season! My brother wasn’t able to make it so it’s just me, my sister, and my daughter (who hasn’t been out to see Cactus League baseball with me since 2012). My travel tech hasn’t changed much from last year: iPhone 7 Plus, Canon PowerShot SX710, and FitBit Charge 2. The new addition is my Surface Laptop (just in case work calls while I’m away).

Today was quite the busy day. We started early driving over to Orlando for my daughter’s saber solo at the FBA State Solo & Ensemble contest at Lake Nona High School. After she received her superior rating, we started back west towards Tampa but made a quick stop for lunch at the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot. After lunch we drove back the Tampa International Airport and my wife dropped us off for our flight to Phoenix.

The five hour flight to Sky Harbor was uneventful and our luggage arrived relatively quickly. The line for the rental car shuttle, however, was really long (not too surprising for a Friday night around spring break time though, I guess). After getting our car (free upgrade from mid-size to SUV!) we drove to Goodyear and checked into our hotel. By now it was 8:00pm Arizona time (11:00pm for us!) and we were hungry. Pulling a recommendation from a past trip, my daughter and I went to Bella Luna in Litchfield Park for dinner and then Yogurtini next door for dessert.

After dinner, I dropped my daughter back at the hotel and then drove back to Sky Harbor to pick up my sister. By the time we were all back at the hotel it was about 11:30pm (2:30am for us east coast travellers) so we crashed for the evening. Baseball starts tomorrow!

Rachio sprinkler controller

Rachio Gen2 Earlier this month while visiting my in-laws I helped my father-in-law connect his Rainbird ESP-Me sprinkler controller to his wireless network and then showed him how to use the mobile app on his Android phone.

After doing this I realized: I’m the techie/networking/home automation/IoT guy in the family … why haven’t I installed an internet-enabled sprinkler controller yet? After doing the requisite internet research and checking compatibility, I decided to try the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller Generation 2.

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