Automate Infrastructure Docs with Python, WordPress and Foreman

Posted on August 30, 2016 by

Other-python-iconwordpress-icon-sm“It’s not done unless it’s documented,” says the wise Ops sage.  Frequently updated documentation is critical, it’s also one of the most neglected parts of technology.  Learn how we auto-generate server resource wiki data with Python, WordPress and Foreman. Continue reading →

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Automate SuperMicro Server Provisioning or Die Trying

Posted on August 10, 2016 by

Supermicro_GreenC_NewLogo_WhiteBackground_SmallWe use Foreman for systems provisioning and recently received a large shipment of Supermicro for Ceph.  Out of the box they were a lot of trouble to get integrated/automated at the same level of our Dell gear but we managed, here’s our story. Continue reading →

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How to Make Aubergine Risotto

Posted on August 9, 2016 by

cooking_iconYou seem to burn almost as many calories making risotto as you do eating it – there’s constant action required to keep things under control.  Don’t worry, it’s not too difficult and it’s a lot of fun.  We’re going to show you how to make a delicious vegetarian aubergine (eggplant) risotto that feeds two hungry people. Continue reading →

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Switching from Mutt to Neomutt

Posted on August 8, 2016 by

mutt“All mail clients suck. This one just sucks less,” so says mutt author Michael Elkins.  This is true for me over the last 10years as mutt along with offlineimap and notmuch allowed me battle the unwieldy, barbarous deluge of mailing lists and emails.  Lately I’ve moved over to neomutt.  Based on upstream mutt, neomutt includes additional features, patches and active development. Continue reading →

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The Workflow Optimizer Visits Engineering

Posted on July 26, 2016 by

lumberghThe Workflow Optimizer is part of a new sketch series about people who work as “professional workflow optimizers.”  Today the workflow optimizer visits the Engineering office to help a colleague out with his workflow. Continue reading →

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Tmux for GNU Screen Refugees and Vim Users

Posted on July 16, 2016 by

tmuxI use GNU Screen on servers to manage working sessions and perform long-running or persistent tasks. Lately I’ve been using tmux locally on my work desktop/laptop, finding it better suited for most terminal activity.  Here’s how I set it up with a focus on familiarity with vim bindings, useful tweaks and common hotkeys. Continue reading →

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Quick Fix for WordPress Table Text Wrapping

Posted on July 15, 2016 by

wordpress-icon-smWordPress enforces sensible defaults for views and text wrapping that addresses most blogging purposes.  Sometimes you want to work around these defaults.  Recently I needed to expand text-wrapping behavior for tables to not break apart words to fit the default theme formatting.  Here’s how this is accomplished, hoping it saves other people time. Continue reading →

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