Windows NT 4

I had to install Windows NT 4 today. Don’t ask…

I remember waiting for this OS to be released. I was really excited because I had been using Windows 95 and Windows NT 4 was going to look similar… Fast forward a few years and I am totally depressed at having to install it. The installation process is a pain and expecting such an old OS to auto-detect new kit is nieve to say the least.

It’s a sad day when you find yourself wishing you were installing Windows XP. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Rush Hour 3…

When watching Rush Hour 3 you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching either of the first two films, except Chris Tucker has put on some weight and Jackie Chan is looking that bit older. Once again, it plays heavily on stereotypes of Chinese and African Americans, but this time it includes the French in the mix. I know it’s meant to be comedy, but this kind of stuff is getting very old these days. It is funny in parts, but it’s more of DVD film for those occasions when you’ve got nothing better to do.

The only real thing of note in the film is Noémie Lenoir. She’s one of the models in the current advertising campaign for Marks & Spencers in the UK, amongst other things. As you would expect from a model-turned-actress, she looks great, but when you see her with her head shaved she is off the scale. If I were her I would keep my head shaved, or have very short hair all the time. She looks amazing.

Cheers

Tim…

The Bourne Ultimatum…

I don’t know who starred in this film, or what happened because the camera never stopped shaking long enough for me to focus on anything. 🙂

Seriously though, The Bourne Ultimatum is a cool film. Like the previous films, it’s gritty and ugly and feels kind-of real, in as much as a Hollywood assassin film can. I thought the rough camera work worked really well on the first two films. It was quite over the top on this film, but even this didn’t spoil it for me.

I think this franchise has run its course, because I can’t see where else they can take it, but if they do make any more I will definitely see them.

Cheers

Tim…

Oracle 11g RAC on NFS…

As a follow-on from my 10g RAC on NFS article, I thought it would be nice to have an 11g RAC on NFS article. The process is very similar, with a couple of exceptions:

  • The Virtual IP Configuration Assistant (vipca) runs in silent mode without any problems now. Under 10g, you had to use a “real” public IP address for this to work. Under 11g it now works with private IPs like “192.168.x.x” etc.
  • Oracle 11g includes a Direct NFS Client for “optimized” Oracle over NFS performance. I don’t have the relevant kit to do a performance comparison, so I don’t know if it’s worth it or not. If someone has some figures for this I would be interested to hear them.

Cheers

Tim…

Update: For information on Direct NFS Client performance look here.

Database 11g…

You’ve gotta love Eddie Awad! I think he deserves “Oracle Blogger of the Year” again for this post alone:

Download Oracle Database 11g Release 1 Now

I’ve added links to the 11g documentation, a documentation search and an error message search to the ORACLE-BASE.com website navigation bar.

Currently 11% downloaded. The internet is too slow. I demand it gets faster! 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

PS. Don’t talk to me for a month!

PPS. Just kidding. 🙂

Update: My first 11g article is now complete:

Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1) Installation On Enterprise Linux 4.5 and 5.0

Polenta…

I was at the supermarket and by accident I came across Polenta, which is dried ground sweetcorn (maize). I initially thought it was couscous, which I eat by the bucket load, but was intrigued by a single warning on the back, which read,

“Warning. When cooking this product may boil volcanically.”

They should put that in big letters on the front of the packet! I would have bought it years ago if I’d seen a marketing campaign saying that.

I’ve just cooked some, and sure enough, it makes a right mess. Not surprisingly, it tastes like mashed sweetcorn, but the visual experience makes it must-buy product… 🙂

Cheers

Tim…