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My own private EC2

Jan 19, ’11 6:10 AM

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Yesterday, I found some time to sign up for and setup my own Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). I wrote about how this is done the other day and just couldn’t wait to get my own server up and running. It only took about twenty minutes and was fairly easy given that I had step by step instructions. Without the instructions, I doubt I would have ever bothered.

The final step in the process is to login to your own server with Remote Desktop Connection. It was a strange experience. I use RDC in the office to login to my little-used PC laptop from my Mac. However, in that case, my laptop is a few feet away. In this case, the PC I logged into is just some virtual ‘instance’ somewhere in Land-O-Amazon. I can terminate its very existence with a click of my mouse. In order to terminate my laptop, I need to take it to the recycling center, or bust out a baseball bat.

Now what? Well, I’m not sure exactly. I do know that my mind is fairly blown. It’s pretty wild to think that I clicked on a few buttons and now have a PC in the cloud at my disposal. Last night I lay awake imaging what I might do with this new-found power. I’ve got some ideas but, like the cloud, they are quiet nebulous at the moment.

Photo by: qisur

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The Matias Tactile Pro Keyboard is Chunky Goodness

Jan 18, ’11 11:20 AM

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Clickety clack. Clickety clack. Clickety clack.

You’ve been warned as I was warned. After reading tons of reviews about the Matias Tactile Pro Keyboard, one thing was certain.. this thing was going to be LOUD. And it is. OK, now that we have that out of the way, let me continue.

Every so often, I like to purchase a new keyboard, don’t you? This time, I did some research and discovered that Matias makes a keyboard that retains the old school keyswitch technology that Apple used in its original Apple Extended Keyboard. I recall using that keyboard years ago and remembered how satisfying it was to hammer away on it.

So, I ordered one on Amazon. It arrived a few days later and I plugged it into my Mac at work. I typed all of a few sentences and then came to the realization that my coworkers would most likely shoot me if I carried on much longer. So, I unplugged it and took it home. I’m actually fairly happy with my keyboard at work so this is not a problem.

So, here I am at home, working on a report, hammering away on a keyboard that is as loud as a jack-hammer. And I love it.

Oh, and it’s got a three-port USB hub built-in. The keys have special characters and symbols that make it easy to type things like æ and © without having to dig up some obscure manual or whatever you use to figure out which keys to press when you want to look professional. There are built-in volume controls and a full size numeric keypad.

This keyboard is loud. And it rocks.

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Dropbox and MarsEdit Equals Blog Anywhere Bliss

Jan 18, ’11 8:39 AM

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For weblogging, I prefer to use MarsEdit, a weblog editor for Mac OS X by Red Sweater Software. But using MarsEdit, or most other apps for that matter, on different machines can be a pain if you don’t take the time to set things up properly.

Enter Dropbox.

The free version of Dropbox provides 2 GB of hard drive space that you can access from any computer. Just toss files into your Dropbox and they automatically sync up. Throwing files that you create into your Dropbox is one thing, throwing app-specific data files, such as those that MarsEdit relies on, is another. The former is a simple matter, while the latter takes a bit more work. The answer to ‘making it work’ can be found on the Red Sweater forum.

Basically, you need to move your ‘Local Drafts’ folder to Dropbox and then create a symbolic link that points to it. Each machine that is going to run MarsEdit should have a symbolic link pointing to the drafts folder on your Dropbox. In this way, you can create a draft on one machine and finish it on another.

Another piece of the puzzle that I had to solve was moving over my existing MarsEdit data to a new machine. By moving my existing data, I wouldn’t have to configure all of my blogs on the new machine. The answer to that issue can also be found on the Red Sweater forum. Ultimately, it involves moving the main MarsEdit data folder and the MarsEdit preference file.

Now I have multiple machine MarsEdit bliss. I hope this helps you blog from anywhere.

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EC2 for Poets – Or, How to Set Up a Server on Amazon

Jan 17, ’11 9:48 AM

Cloud computingDave Winer has distilled the steps involved in setting up a server on Amazon. Why would you want to do this? Well, imagine if you had a new PC and you wanted to have it running software that you can access at any time, from anywhere you have an internet connection. Sure, you could leave the computer up and running in your home office but configuring your router to access that PC can be a bear. Also, you’ll have to find a desk to hold the PC. And, you’ll pay for the electricity to run it. Not to mention you’ll be the one who has to maintain it and get it fixed if/when it needs repair. Not fun.

By following Dave’s doc, you can bypass all the woes I just mentioned and let Amazon do all the dirty work. The benefit for you is that you have your own PC running in the cloud and Amazon takes care of everything. For a price. Amazon will charge you $0.125 per hour. The way to keep this cost in check is to simply turn off the computer (Amazon calls it an instance) when you aren’t using it. Think of it like closing the lid on your laptop when you are done.

OK, so you want a real life example, right? Well, by following Dave’s doc on this subject, one of the steps involves installing his OPML Server. By installing this server, you can add RSS feeds to it. Then, whenever you want to read your RSS feeds, just visit a special webpage that points to your Amazon server.

This is really powerful stuff. Like Dave says, ‘You don’t have to know or care where the server is. You also don’t have to talk to anyone to create a server, and when you’re done with it, just shut it off.’

If you set up your own server on Amazon, let me know how it goes and what you are doing with it.

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Total Recall (or partial anyway)

Jan 2, ’11 2:03 PM

Arnold in Total RecallAfter reading Total Recall: How the E-Memory Revolution Will Change Everything, I was inspired to start implementing some of the ideas in the book. The author has spent a good portion of his life recording everything in digital format. He scans everything so there is no dependency on paper. He records audio and video of many events. It’s an interesting idea and one that I’ve been putting into practice more and more since finishing the book.

I bought DEVONthink Pro Office and a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner for my Mac. I’ve been scanning papers and old photos. I’ve been downloading bank statements and tossing them into respective folders in DEVONthink. I’ve been moving files out of my file system and into DEVONthink.

I’ve basically committed to DEVONthink as my personal repository. The scanner is awesome and so easy to use. I highly recommend this combination.

To help me get started, I purchased the Ebook, Take Control of Your Paperless Office and read it from start to finish. Then I bought DEVONthink and the scanner. Since then, I’ve been slowly tackling my life’s organization. I’m off to a good start.

It really is easy to find things by simply conducting a search. And I’ve been sharing the old photos I’ve scanned on Facebook. This, in turn, has spurred various comments from friends and family. So, the joy spreads as I get organized.

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