Because it's Blessed to recycle...

Bearing in mind the high investment cost of all this proposed server hardware, plus electricity to run all of these server systems, I decided that I would pay my old friend VMWare a visit.  VMWare is software that allows you to partition a single computers hardware into many "logical" computers, each able to run their own operating system and software independent of any other "logical" computers running under the same hardware umbrella.  Now I have used VMWare to emulate desktops of various operating systems as a test bed for my software development since the 90's, but I never "hunkered down" with it and used it in more than a passive manner.  Knowing that VMWare, in a battle for marketshare with Microsoft's competing Hyper-V technology (more on that soon), has made their VMWare Server 2.0 software available for free, I decided that I would design my infrastructure to be a "virtual infrastructure", and set about my way to make this happen.

So now I have my virtual infrastructure designed in my head, I need...

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So I have been quiet as of late so lets see if I can make up for that.

As many of you already know, I live in a constant state of upgrade.  That's right, I constantly strive to make things better, prettier or easier for both DesertMoonCircle.com and my own home office and networks.  Some would say it's an obsession, but I call it an art.  Anyway, I have some changes planned for DesertMoonCircle.com - yes, upgrades once again - but they are sweeping in scope and require a bit more planning than any of the previous upgrades.  This has resulted in a necessity to re-arrange and rebuild the various servers and support systems that reside on the disconnected back end of DesertMoonCircle.com - my home office, and in this process I intend to do some refining of the technologies that I have used for years to whip up a more "professional" system.

First and foremost in the lineup was our backend connection to the internet.  I am constantly accessing the website and approving or removing items from the forums or the front page news sections and such.  This takes time, and although I could...

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Well, I posed a question on the forums a while back asking if anyone were interested in my documenting some of the transformation, trials and tribulations that our website, servers and backend servers have been and will be continuing to make over the course of a few months, with a few people expressing interest.

So, later this evening I will begin my posts on the technology that drives DesertMoonCircle.com, how it came to be, and where it is going.  Maybe a few other self-made webmasters like myself will get a little something out of it.

Let the geeky-ness begin!

I didn't realize how long it had been since I had posted a blog.  I sincerely apologize, and I have committed myself to trying to remedy that situation somewhat here in the near future...

I was pretty lucky to have grown up with such a rich family heritage that stretches from the Ukraine back through Western Europe to Wales. With Ostara approaching a very vivid childhood memory has continued to appear over and over in my mind.

As a very young child I was always amazed at the intricate egg decorating that was done by my Grandfather Petre, Great Uncle Joe, and Great Aunt Mildred. They had emigrated to the US from the Ukraine shortly after the Bolshevic (sp) Revolution. The men were Kossacks, and overall I am told lived a very humble life off of the land. Decorating the eggs, or Pysanky, as they are called was a very important ritual for them. It was also a great contradiction because they were Byzantine Catholics, and the practice of any pagan rituals big or small was...well you know the story. Anyway, the eggs or Pysanky were always beautiful, and delicate. Thus, they were always put up out of reach from us children.

While my grandfather passed away 35 years ago, and Uncle Joe and Aunt Mildred shortly thereafter, to this day you can find remnants of their artistry in the family home which is still occupied by my Grandmother. I'd swear many of these Pysanky have not been touched since the day they were strategically placed in their bowl or basket. Yet, they are in perfect condition. Kind of weird, but then again what would you expect from a family tree that gave birth to me.

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