All Posts — Digital Sanctuary

Spark::red specializes in ATG hosting with response times measured in days, not months.

DevOps & Infrastructure ATG

Thirteen granite stepping stones in two parallel paths crossing a turbulent mountain stream under overcast light.

Devon

December 17, 2007 6 min read

13 Steps to peace of mind

Load balance with redundancy, monitoring, and failover - 13 steps to bulletproof uptime.

DevOps & Infrastructure Performance Tools

Row of snow-dusted motorcycles in cherry-red and black under a grey overcast sky.

Devon

December 3, 2007 1 min read

Seattle Motorcycle Show

The Seattle Motorcycle Show had the bikes but missed the wow factor - though 5 inches of weekend snow made for better stories.

Motorcycles & Cars

A leech on a lily pad viewed from below water, with the scene flipped upside down.

Devon

December 1, 2007 1 min read

Don't like people leeching your wireless?

Block wireless leeches? Get creative - upside-down internet redirects everything.

DevOps & Infrastructure Security Tools

Weathered steel sonar dish on a rocky ocean floor aimed at a single beam of light from above.

Devon

November 28, 2007 2 min read

How to identify the process listening on a port

Use fuser to identify which process owns that unexpected port immediately.

DevOps & Infrastructure Linux Tools

Low-angle view of a white sports car with blue racing stripes on a cracked Nevada desert lakebed with red mesas in the distance.

Devon

November 27, 2007 4 min read

Snakes in the desert

A vacation in Vegas turned magical: upgraded flights, killer hotel deals, an unforgettable Crazy Horse Paris show, and desert adventures.

Life & Personal Travel

A clogged storm drain packed with soggy debris, water pooling around it under amber streetlight.

Devon

November 6, 2007 3 min read

Update on 10 Minute Mail problems

10MinuteMail's memory leak solved - porn was the unlikely culprit filling the inbox.

10MinuteMail Email

Steel capsules accelerating through branching copper pneumatic tubes in a dim amber-lit industrial setting.

Devon

November 3, 2007 1 min read

10MinuteMail upgraded again

Seam 2.0 CR3 and JBoss 4.2.2 upgrades deliver faster email processing under load.

10MinuteMail JBoss Seam Email

Vintage brass orrery with copper gear rings and orbital arms on dark slate, lit by amber spotlight.

Devon

November 3, 2007 4 min read

Quartz Scheduling and Seam (part 1)

Getting Quartz scheduling to work with Seam proved tricky - here's what I learned navigating sparse docs and setup gotchas.

Software Development Java Seam

Close-up of a chipped concrete ledge edge casting long shadows onto rough tarmac in golden afternoon light.

Devon

November 2, 2007 1 min read

It's no wonder that Sore and Parkour rhyme

Attempting Parkour at UW alongside experienced practitioners taught me the sport is exhilarating - and punishing on day two.

Life & Personal Fitness

Riveted steel industrial doorway with cold exterior lamp light contrasting warm amber glow from within, autumn leaves on concrete.

Devon

October 29, 2007 2 min read

A sense of security

Halloween security work at an industrial warehouse venue proved surprisingly rewarding, juggling event safety with unexpected responsibility.

Life & Personal

Charred eucalyptus bark peeling from a white trunk with orange ember glow among blackened branches at dusk.

Devon

October 24, 2007 1 min read

Feuer

California wildfire photos from family capture the raw power and devastation of nature's uncontrolled fury.

Life & Personal Travel Photography

Cross-section of a combination safe door showing aligned steel bolt mechanisms and interlocking tumblers.

Devon

October 22, 2007 1 min read

Design Pattern for Updating an ATG Order

The essential pattern for safely updating ATG orders: lock management, transactions, and synchronization explained by an ATG architect.

Software Development ATG

Heavy iron gate with a latch mechanism half-open, flowering vine weaving through the bars onto a stone path.

Devon

October 22, 2007 2 min read

CAPTCHA with Seam in Three Minutes

Adding CAPTCHA protection to Seam forms takes three minutes - here's exactly how, including the build and config changes needed.

Software Development Java Seam

Concrete wall lit by warm amber on one side and cold blue on the other, with copper cable coils on the floor.

Devon

October 19, 2007 1 min read

Dub

A night at the Nectar watching the Heavyweight Dub Champion band surprised me - the live energy eclipsed the reggae-heavy studio recordings.

Life & Personal

Vintage telephone switchboard with many colored patch cables converging into a single neat row of output jacks.

Devon

October 19, 2007 2 min read

Apache Proxy & Making Things Look Nice

Apache mod_proxy consolidates multiple services on a single port 80, making your dev stack accessible with clean URLs and proper routing.

DevOps & Infrastructure Linux Tools

A lit candle on a frost-covered windowsill casting warm amber light inward, bare winter branches visible outside against a grey sky.

Devon

October 16, 2007 3 min read

Warm and Cosy

A wood stove, banana bread, and unexpected guests create the perfect winter comfort - plus reflections on happiness and unconventional paths.

Life & Personal Food

Devon

October 15, 2007 1 min read

The Picnic Point Facility

Investigating an abandoned government research compound (Picnic Point Facility) turned into an adventure - full story with photos.

Life & Personal Photography DIY

A sunflower blooming through a crack in a rigid grey stone tile floor in warm afternoon light.

Devon

October 12, 2007 1 min read

Grownups

Don't trap yourself in convention. If you're hungry, eat. If you're tired, sleep. Stop waiting for permission to live.

Life & Personal Opinion

Sunlit coffee house interior with wooden alcoves, exposed brick, potted ferns, and an espresso machine on a concrete bar.

Devon

October 11, 2007 2 min read

Coffee Houses

Working in coffee shops beats isolation, but slow wifi and loud conversations make remote meetings frustrating.

Productivity Remote Work

Spark::red Expands ATG Hosting Offering

13 Steps to peace of mind

Seattle Motorcycle Show

Don't like people leeching your wireless?

How to identify the process listening on a port

Snakes in the desert

Update on 10 Minute Mail problems

10MinuteMail upgraded again

Quartz Scheduling and Seam (part 1)

It's no wonder that Sore and Parkour rhyme

A sense of security

Feuer

Design Pattern for Updating an ATG Order

CAPTCHA with Seam in Three Minutes

Dub

Apache Proxy & Making Things Look Nice

Warm and Cosy

The Picnic Point Facility

Grownups

Coffee Houses