Sooner or later, you’re going to come up against a brick wall. You can try to move it all you want, but the best you’re going to do is take a few chunks out of it here or there.

What you want to avoid is having that brick wall collapse on you. So I guess what I’ve learned over the past few days is that sometimes walking away with the things you need in tact, and the ability to continue to do the things you feel are important — walking away with that is almost like winning. Hell, it’s better than losing.

Life - in the end - isn’t about winning and losing, it’s about what you do with the time you have. As long as you can continue to do those things you love to do, or be with those you care about, then who really gives a shit?

It’s 4-30 on a Thursday afternoon (I’m a night owl you know), but I’ve been up all day getting ready for Old Vinnie’s birthday and running errands - so I’ve had a lot of time to think about ‘crap’ in general. After all that ‘thinking’, I’m reassured of my decision — keep the things that actually matter, and to hell with the rest.

If you’re gonna go down,
– go loud,
– go strong,
– go proud,
– go on,
– go hard, or go home.

Let me hear you scream.

Summer 2010 - “Scream” debuted to my utter blissful praise. It’s a great album. It’s very ‘Ozzy’ in character, and a suitable followup to “Black Rain”. ‘Life Won’t Wait’ and ‘Fearless’ are truly classic tracks, although you can hear a bit of what I’m thinking is Auto-Tune in the background… I’d almost rather hear Ozzy sound harsh and a little shitty… I respect someone with as much time doing what he does best, and would not hold the pitfalls of age against him at all. I realize, however, that he is committed to putting out killer quality studio albums, and if he feels he needs Auto-Tune than so be it. His live vocals are still stellar though, just wish he’d realize it.

http://www.ozzy.com

I’ll only be here for today, puttin my misery on display.

… your lips, your breath up against my skin.

I don’t know any other way, and I’ll be gone by the break of day; puttin my misery on display.

– Gary Allan.

 Got on my dead man suit, my smilin’ skull ring,

my graveyard boots, and a song to sing.

I got a song to sing; it keeps me outa’ the cold.

I’ll meet you down further on up the road.

One sunny morning, we’ll rise I pray,

and I’ll meet you again further on up the road.

I been out in the desert, doin’ my time,

searching through the dust for something I don’t know…

– Johnny Cash.

 I don’t wanna live in yesterday, cross my heart until I die.

Don’t wanna know just what tomorrow may bring, because today has just begun.

No-matter whatever else I’ve done, I’m here for you.

– Ozzy Osbourne.

 My heroes have always been cowboys, and they still are it seems.

Sadly in search of and one step behind of themselves and their slow movin’ dreams.

Cowboys are specials with their own brand of misery; they could die from the cold in the arms of a nightmare knowin’ well that their best days are gone.

Old worn our saddles and old worn out memories with no-one and no place to stay.

My heroes have always been cowboys, and they still are it seems.

– Willie Nelson.

Until now, most persons were faced with duplicating their data gathering… one set of sensors for their internal storage or device monitoring (whether it be inventory, levels, temperatures, whatever…) and one set for reporting to their supplier via E&H’s DM3 servers.  Or, in the least, 2 sets of transmitters, or an RTU (real time unit) attached to their existing sensor array(s).

Now, provided your telemetry is stored in tidy MySQL databases (as it should be if you’re using mod_openopc and S.E.E.R. to automate your operations!!) you can snapshot the current database values and export them to E&H’s servers… all in software.

Once you’ve setup the program (via the ‘options.opt’ global settings file), you can simply call it as a scheduled task (via Cron in Linux or Task Scheduler in Windows), every few hours, or every few minutes (whatever you desire).

You can download the latest tarball here… http://download.spinellicreations.com/fieldgate_dm3_reporter 

You can download the Pre-Release here… http://download.spinellicreations.com/seer/

Docs are included, however, they’re sparse as of date;  global and local options are stashed in the ‘./config’ subdirectory, and must be edited for both the system and the individual System Models.  Each model will also have its own global and local options files.

Primarily that’s the reason why it’s not called a full Public Release — the full User Documentation has not been written yet.

Be advised, if you’re using S.E.E.R. and mod_openopc to perform a significant amount of I/O or comm, then you’ll need a suitably robust server to run it on.  mod_openopc / S.E.E.R. system requirements are as follows…

ABSOLUTE MINIMUM -

– Architecture - i386

– Host Operating System - Red Hat Linux (or variant) v. 5-2 / Fedora 7 Moonshine 32-bit

– Guest / OPC Operating System - Windows XP Pro SP2 32-bit

– Processor -  2.0 – 2.2 GHz AMD Athlon Thunderbird / Barton or 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 Single Core
– Memory - 2 GB DDR PC3200 400 MHz
– Disk Space - depends on the size of your database (how much data you wish to store). Plan on no less than 1 GB per machine per year of retention, at an absolute minimum. Your mileage will vary greatly. (1,000 tags yields about 3 gigs per month - again, this is all relative).

SUGGESTED PLATFORM -

– Architecture - x86_64

(note: this is for the host OS, your OPC Server should reside on a dedicated 32- bit machine, or in a 32-bit virtual machine within your host OS. This is for OPC Automation compatibility assurance).

– Host Operating System - Red Hat Linux (or variant) v. 5-4 / Fedora Core 11 Leonidas 64-bit

– Guest / OPC Operating System - Windows Server 2003 R2 32-bit

– Processor - 2 each – AMD Opteron 3rd Generation Barcelona Quad Core @ 2 GHz or better.

– Memory - 32 GB DDR – 800 Mhz ECC Registered Server Memory

– Disk Space - depends on the size of your database (see above).

– Virtual Machine - at this time, we are recommending Sun Virtual Box, as VMWare Virtual Server is no longer supported under newer Linux / Unix releases due to new glibc builds and the decision by VMWare to phase out Virtual Server Free Edition. Sun Virtual Box is easier / faster / and ultimately better suited anyway (in our experience)… and it is also freeware.

The Open-Source, Open-Standards, “Free as in Speech and Beer” solution, based upon Barry B.’s Open OPC for Python ( http://openopc.sourceforge.net ), sharpens its teeth for the next go-round.  With new, fully-cross-platform, portability (Windows / Linux / Unix / BSD / fun-fun-fun); more functions than before (Space Bridge / Read and Write Daemons / Database cleanup and optimization); and nearly 13,000 hours of equivalent torture testing; we proudly announce the unofficial public release of version 3.0-11 (build # 37 -April 12, 2010).

You can download it here… http://download.spinellicreations.com/mod_openopc/

Pick up the user manual and all the docs there as well.

… and for anyone wondering about S.E.E.R. version 2 — it’s ahead of schedule by nearly 6 weeks, with more interoperability and functionality than version 1; look for it around June, this summer!

- the admin.

I’ve had, arguably, the last few weeks from ‘hell’; as a result, I’ve reflected a bit upon what I’ve done with my life, how I’ve affected others, the good - the bad - and the ugly.  Not that I suggest anyone make a habit of it; it’s not pretty, but a ‘personal inventory’ isn’t a bad idea now and then.

The conclusion I came to, as arrogant as it may seem, is plainly this… I’d like to spend some more time with the people I care for, I need to let go of angst / ill-will more easily, and I should probably quit smoking.

So, when you do you own personal inventory, if that’s all that’s bothering you, then I’d say you’re doing allright.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got my sins - against man, against God, against myself; but I’m at peace with them.

Ironic as it may be, half if not more of the best things in my life are a result of the fallout of mistakes I’ve made… and I’m O.K. with that.

I found this interesting little tidbit of back-and-forth on the ‘net…

http://www.flukecommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2475&page=3&pp=10

As it seems, yet again, MikeHolt.com appears to be one of the few world-wide-webbers with any sense about him…

http://www.mikeholt.com/technical.php?id=grounding/unformatted/9-15-99&type=u&title=Grounding%20-%20Machine%20Tool%20Transformers%20(9-15-99)

Mike’s absolutely correct.

Bonding the transformer’s secondary side “Neutral” (whichever pin you declare as neutral, since nothing has been referenced to ground yet) to Earth Ground (via any good solid connection to either machine chassis [assuming machine chassis is bonded to Ground] or by simply piggy backing onto your supply voltage Ground) is the only way to go.

It’s not a Code violation - believe me, it’s not.  The whole idea behind not bonding Neutral to Ground at subpanels (or in any panel besides the main service panel entrance / feed panel / whatever it is, depending on whether we’re talking 240 Residential Split Phase / 480 Vac3 Commercial / on up through Industrial power) is that you don’t want to create a ‘loop’ in the system.  There’s 2 reasons for that.  First, a ground loop can actually build its own voltage potential.  That’s hell on earth waiting to happen.  Second, your grounding conductor is no longer isolated from your neutral conductor, which means that in an emergency it will not have the capacity to carry the system’s full brunt to ground.

However, with a transformer, the secondary side is ‘virgin territory’; remember, the primary is fully isolated from the secondary, and voltage is only induced upon it.  No current physically travels from the primary to the secondary.  That said, there exists no path to ground for the secondary side… you have to create it by bonding one leg of it to ground.

Mike cites Article 250, Section 20, and I’ll add to it with this… unless you are dealing with a 1-to-1 isolation transformer, whose sole purpose is to completely isolate the system from the supply, then ground whichever leg you declare to be neutral to supply side ground.  Watch our for current carrying capacity though… a 14 awg line feeding a 480 panel that’s only eating up 10 amps, with a 20 amp 120 Vac (secondary) transformer will require you to increase the size of the feed line’s grounding wire in order to comply with the restrictions of Article 350 regarding maximum current flow through a conductor.

In the event you do not fuse a transformer (or power conditioner), then yes you should fuse all legs.  This should go without saying.

Conversation from 2009-12-09, ‘PoweredByDodgeV8‘ is your’s truly, and (of course) you already know we’re in sunny Buffalo, New York.

(07:04:22 PM) Thalia431: I LIVE WITH MY MOTHER BECAUSE I CAN OFFORD TO PAY RENT I GET MONEY FROM THE GOVERMENT EVER MONTH 500 DOLLAR IF I GET PRENENT AND HAVE A BABY I GET A INCREASE 2000 DOLLAR SO ILOOKING FOR A MALE TO GET ME PRENENT IF U DONT WANT THE BABY I TAKEE HIM FOR ADONTION U THINK U BE INTERESTING

(07:07:09 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: you want to have a baby just for the sake of making money? that’s terrible.
(07:07:18 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: why are you on government assistance anyway?

(07:07:47 PM) Thalia431: I DONT WORK

(07:08:18 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: so why dont you just get a job

(07:08:40 PM) Thalia431: HARD TO FIND

(07:08:53 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: tim hortons is hiring / tops and wegmans are hiring / lots of places are
(07:09:37 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: i mean, hell, you’ve got money to get on the internet… to get a computer… but you want to have a baby and then just dump it because it’ll get you a few more government dollars?

(07:10:24 PM) Thalia431: YES BUT IF U WANT HIM I GIVE IT TO U I U DONT WANT HIM I TAKE HIM FOR ADOMTION

(07:11:34 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: that’s sad… you should examine your life, and what is really important to you.  we all have some core values, some sense of morality, you need to look at that before you do something so horrible.

(07:12:55 PM) Thalia431: I CAN OFFORD HIM THAT WHY I DONT WANT TO KEEP IT

(07:15:12 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: so don’t get pregnant in the first place - you’re not pregnant now, and you’re only motivation for becoming pregnant is government money - you have no desire for a child, or at least you’ve shown no desire thus far - so just plain do not have one!

(07:15:51 PM) Thalia431: I WANT TO GET A INCREASE IN MY CHECK
(07:16:29 PM) Thalia431: IF U WANT THE BABY I GIVE IT TO U

(07:16:30 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: that is not a valid reason for having a child
(07:16:46 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: you should get a job - become a contributing member of society
(07:17:47 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: having a baby for the sole purpose of getting an ‘increase in your check’ is tantamount to fraud, and i imagine may even be criminal.  you should NOT do this.

(07:18:18 PM) Thalia431: I NO T GOING SALE BABY
(07:18:30 PM) Thalia431: I GOING GIVE IT FOR ADAMTION

(07:18:56 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: you don’t understand the ramifications of your actions do you?

(07:19:59 PM) Thalia431: U THINK U COULD DO IT GET ME PRENEAT

(07:21:16 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: i have the proper plumbing, but that is not the point, nor would i ever participate in such an action as revolting, horrifying, or utterly reprehensible as impregnating a woman for the sole purpose of using the child as a meal ticket.
(07:21:20 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: you should get a job
(07:21:28 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: i have a job, millions of people have jobs.

(07:23:20 PM) Thalia431: SO U WANT TO TRY TO GET ME PRENENT

(07:23:28 PM) PoweredByDodgeV8: no.  goodbye.

And then… THEN… people wonder why I’m ‘anti-social’ ?  I don’t even know what to say.  Further research shows us that ‘Thalia‘ has been an America Online member since 2005 (courtesy of Bebo.com, accessed 2009-12-09).  While I realize that AOL is free now-a-days, someone’s paying for her internet access, whether it be highspeed or dial up.  With the irony of this world, I’m sure she’s got oceanic cable running right into her living room.

Reference:

Federal law allows recording of phone calls and other electronic communications with the consent of at least one party to the call. A majority of the states in this country have adopted wiretapping statutes based on the federal law, although most also have extended the law to cover in-person conversations as well as phone conversations. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia allow the recording of conversations to which they are a party without informing the other parties that they are doing so. These are known as “single-party consent” statutes, and as long as you are a party to the conversation, it is legal for you to record it.

Despite Federal law and the “single-party consent” statutes of the majority of states, twelve states require the consent of all parties to a conversation. This is known as “dual-party consent.” Obviously, under these same laws, if there are more than two people involved in the conversation, all must consent to the taping.

The twelve “dual-party consent” states are: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

So I’m starting to wonder if I’m antisocial… and in so, I wind up posting here.  What’s sad about the whole thing is that I had initially intended for this blog to be semi-technical in nature, or at least for posts to be ‘widespread’ / appealing to many.  I’m spiraling downward towards a ‘bitching-post’ blog instead, which isn’t good.  But… that’s for another day.

At the moment, I’m coming to the conclusion that my antisocial tendencies are becoming an issue.  Let me be clear, antisocial is not anti-society (I’m not walking into the post office with a sawed-off).  Rather, I’m just one of those people who tends to keep to himself on his days off, doesn’t go out a whole lot, and finds his happiness in puttering around the house and working on his little projects.  That’s me.  What do you want me to do, change?  I think not.  People don’t really change anyway.  They can “lean” one way or another, but they don’t really “change” change.

Keeping that in mind, I’ve found that those of the fairer gender are ‘bothered’ by my antisocial-ness (if that’s even a word, which I’m sure it is not).  “Me”-time is not allowed!  I’d like to think this is an isolated incident or that it is somehow not true, but it’s been pointed out to me by every single person that I’ve ever had a relationship with.  I’d dare to say its a scientific fact at this point.

Guess I’m just an ass…

* Image from http://www.laughters.org and retains their copyright / ownership.