Jack's Diary

Surprisingly, I weighed in at 165.5 today, despite averaging a pina colada every other day or so plus a couple of cake sweets and one nature walk last Sunday. They closed the beach parking lots, but we've discovered some different trails in the local mountains than we usually go, so that's been a pleasant surprise.
 
Please ignore this post, it's all computer stuff.

I've been putting a lot of time into the license-generation web site. Finally got docker working on the backend. I'm really interested in this technology, as it provides what's effectively a lightweight, deployable VM for each for your micro-applications. You can also compose them into a single flow, using docker-compose, and I have the middle and backend layers already composed.

Also, I got the many-to-many relationship to work strictly through object modeling with JPA in Spring-boot. The key trick there was to pass the entities as DTOs to the front end. This is something I wasn't even thinking about until I ran into a recursion issue from the framework having to do with each two objects containing sets of referencing each other. Then it was like, well, yeah, I've known you should use DTOs since about 2001, but I was working off an example. It just makes sense.

By the time the weekends out, I need to be generating actual licenses, which is after all the whole point of the system. Once I create a single license with that, I can say it's a production system.

On the list for the weekend
1 - complete the DTO change for edits and deletes.
2 - Incorporate the license generation
3 - Understand if the data is part of the container or local system
4 - Understand how to change 3 if desired
5 - Add the front end to the Docker compose

So I have a couple of new buzzwords I can add to my resume should it come to that, i.e. Docker, Docker-compose and React. I've added some credible unit testing and beefed up my Spring Boot and AWS chops as well. The other things I want to potentially add are API testing and Jenkins, which is automatic deployment. But that's a stretch goal.

1 and 2 are the key, though. 1 is effectively a bug at this point, and 2 is where I get to say it's in production.
 
My wife has been working like crazy to get the Japanese classes online. They are all teachers and not so technically savvy, but they've had to learn fast how to use things like Google Drive, Zoom, and video editing. At least I could help out - at one point my wife didn't know how to log out of a Zoom meeting and had some trouble with sharing Google Drive links. Also, she had edit snips from an introductory video because one student dropped out, so I helped her figure out how to use iMovie to do that.

The funniest thing was the end of the clip. She was so upbeat, smiling and cheerful throughout the video, but after she thought it was no longer recording, the mask came off and she leaned on her elbow, sighed, and looked a combination of exhausted and nervous. She couldn't stop laughing at it when she saw it, but I helped her snip that bit too. I sent links to the other teachers how to do it (through her) because they all had to keep re-doing their videos every time they made a mistake. Hopefully, they can figure it out.
 
That did sound so funny about the end of the clip. Maybe it would have been good for her students to have a laugh though. Maybe save these edits for a teachers' blooper video, to share either just with other teachers or just keep for posterity. Good for you helping them out Jack!
 
jackbenimble said:
They closed the beach parking lots, but we've discovered some different trails in the local mountains than we usually go, so that's been a pleasant surprise.
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How far do you have to drive to get to your mountain trails? Is driving an issue in Massachusetts (where I think you are)? Is it just the beach parking lots that have closed? If you figure out another way to get there can you still walk the beach?

We have no restrictions on driving, but the state has supposedly closed state parks to anyone except residents of the county where they are found. However they are just asking people what county they live in at the entrances, no checking. All of our National Parks are now closed, but most of those are in Southern Utah, a long ways from here.
 
Hi jack sorry not been here in a bit i normally get a notification email I must have missed it .
I might pick your brain on google docs next week . Daughter is having problems sending assignments in on it . One teacher is insisting on it only .
we are all getting more savvy with tech at the moment I am using Microsoft teams for work. But I find am on screens to much now and I don’t like it .
I love pina coladas . I could drink them everyday . Sounds like you are doing pretty good and your wife too . Good to hear
 
Cate said:
That did sound so funny about the end of the clip. Maybe it would have been good for her students to have a laugh though. Maybe save these edits for a teachers' blooper video, to share either just with other teachers or just keep for posterity. Good for you helping them out Jack!
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Thanks, Cate. It's been pretty crazy for the Japanese school teachers, as most of them aren't really tech-oriented. But I kind of like the fact that they're doing more stuff online, as I get to hear and see a lot of the material they're dealing with. It's 3rd grade level, which to be honest is just about right for where my Japanese is at!
 
alligatorob said:
How far do you have to drive to get to your mountain trails? Is driving an issue in Massachusetts (where I think you are)? Is it just the beach parking lots that have closed? If you figure out another way to get there can you still walk the beach?

We have no restrictions on driving, but the state has supposedly closed state parks to anyone except residents of the county where they are found. However they are just asking people what county they live in at the entrances, no checking. All of our National Parks are now closed, but most of those are in Southern Utah, a long ways from here.
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Well, they're not really mountains, just really low-altitude hills just south of Boston. Part of them are in my town, so it's maybe a 5 or 10-minute drive. They actually did close the roads through them, but you can sneak in form the edge.

As far as the beach, yes you're still allowed to walk them and we have several times. I've actually just taken to walking around my neighborhood, recently. We don't live far from what I guess you would call a "rich" section, for lack of a better term, and I've gotten to appreciate and enjoy some of the beautiful houses there. Also, it saves time because you're not driving to a place to walk. I was going to say gas, but that's pretty minimal anyway with the short distance and gas being so insanely cheap these days $1.69 gallon right now.
 
Petal001 said:
Hi jack sorry not been here in a bit i normally get a notification email I must have missed it .
I might pick your brain on google docs next week . Daughter is having problems sending assignments in on it . One teacher is insisting on it only .
we are all getting more savvy with tech at the moment I am using Microsoft teams for work. But I find am on screens to much now and I don’t like it .
I love pina coladas . I could drink them everyday . Sounds like you are doing pretty good and your wife too . Good to hear
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Hi Petal - I hope your daughter got it sorted. I just tell my wife to share and then make it viewable to anyone with a link.

Pina coladas are my favorite right now. I really love the sweet taste. Every day is a but much, but I'm probably averaging one every other day or so right now.
 
It's raining, which is melting away the snow. It's been a pretty chilly April, I think, but that's ok. Beats winter, anyway.

I absolutely have to get my car inspected this morning. I keep forgetting about that.

My bridge (it must be like 20 years old) came loose this week, and was really annoying. I found an open dentist yesterday and (after trying to talk me into another bridge), he just glued it back in. It feels so much better to not have it constantly popping out. Hopefully it will last until the regular dentist opens up again. I'm definitely getting implants, not a bridge, this time around.

I'm pretty much holding steady at 165/166 for a couple of weeks now. This is really the weight I have to accept as being normal. I think I'm good if I can keep it at that
 
I was streaming the news yesterday and was pretty shocked at all the stuff going on. There are huge food-lines - people are out of work and need the free food. They showed one poor lady who had the covid, and she was having trouble even talking. It kind of brought home how this hits your breathing. This thing is really wreaking havoc.

At least they had good news on the Remdesiver. The stock market is coming back and my retirement success odds have climbed back to 99%, after dropping a couple of points. Also, I got paid for the month this week, which brings up the cash reserves to a better level. They got a bit depleted after I paid the quarterly taxes.
 
I'm struggling a bit to keep my hours down, and this doesn't include all the work I've put into the web-site. I think I will have to shave a few hours off the bill, just because this is the first one after they've asked me to "stick to the contract" - which is 20 hours or pre-approval from the boss. Hmm, maybe should've emailed him that I'll be over 20. It's more like 28 last week and 26 this week. It will be bad if they dock me some hours, but I doubt it. They'll see it's lower than before, at least. What a pain, though. You can't leave customers hanging. I feel like not enough is being done as it is.

Anyway, the good news I've now issued 7 licenses from the my newly created web-site. It's so much easier than the manual process and less error-prone. Also, it keeps a database of licenses issued, which the boss is keenly interested in. I haven't told anyone about it yet, because there are still a number of things I have to do to make it ready for prime-time.
 
Programming stuff - please ignore.

I've been trying to get all three layers of the app to work as a docker-compose deployment, but I finally figured out the issue is the login authorization, which uses a 3rd party web site to authenticate. I've spent a lot of time trying to get it to work, but now I'm pretty confident that's the only issue. I've submitted a ticket to their technical support and will probably hear back from them next week.

In the meantime, I'm going to focus on other aspects of it. The most important things are:
1. Add error-checking on the front-end.
2. Add an option to download the license created.
3. Save the license to AWS s3 storage.
 
Jack I do ignore the programming stuff lol . Glad your weight is maintained. And good you got the bridge sorted.
The news is scary to watch right now. This virus is really dragging on .
 
Petal001 said:
Jack I do ignore the programming stuff lol . Glad your weight is maintained. And good you got the bridge sorted.
The news is scary to watch right now. This virus is really dragging on .
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Yeah, Petal, and it looks like it's going to continue for a while.

Not too much to report on this week. I made good progress on the web site that I'm not charging my company for. I'm kind of mad at my boss because he's pushing back on my hours right now. I guess that's his job. It's just a game, and he's a player if I ever saw one. It's a lot easier to talk to him in person, as he is rather charming. By email, he's just bombastic, abrasive and doesn't take leadership. Gotta take the good with the bad, I guess.

The biggest drawback personally to this whole situation is it's brought added attention to my contract, which specified 20 hours a week (except with pre-authorization from the boss). I've literally never hit that. I'm thinking more and more to say eff it, just refuse to work after 20. Except for licenses, that's got to be done and what he values the most.

I would be more than happy with 20 hours, ecstatic in fact.
 
Bosses take advantage and especially now. Super excited to see if my salary has been sliced again on pay day .
Jack I would work for what I am paid to do in your circumstances.
 
Cate, Petal, you're right. It's not like this is a job at a supermarket something where you check-in and check out. I don't do the extra work because of the money - it's because it's urgent stuff that has to get done, like now. But, he's maybe thinking wow, this guy has done nothing close to 20 hours the whole time. I guess I really have to be a hard-ass about it now, I guess.

Well, the good news is I "finished" my app, meaning I got it to the point where I wanted it to be, i.e. deployed to the cloud. I'm pretty stoked because I learned a lot of new stuff. It's a really nice tool-set to bring to the table, and I feel like I've freshened my skillset and gotten back in step with the times. I really prefer programming to the crisis-solving/image-making stuff I've been relegated to.
 
jackbenimble said:
Well, the good news is I "finished" my app, meaning I got it to the point where I wanted it to be, i.e. deployed to the cloud. I'm pretty stoked because I learned a lot of new stuff. It's a really nice tool-set to bring to the table, and I feel like I've freshened my skillset and gotten back in step with the times. I really prefer programming to the crisis-solving/image-making stuff I've been relegated to.
Click to expand...
Well done! That really is good news, you brilliant man! :D (But yeah, tell that boss that twenty hours is twenty hours, end of story.)
 
Hiya Jack. How you doing bud? I've been in internet purgatory, not sure whether and which of my accounts have been hacked or whether my computer is safe to get online. Your wife is lucky she has you to teach her and help get the classes online. I hope things are getting easier for you both now. Congrats on deploying the app~fantastic!
 
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