Tag Archives: Joyent

Introducing Your SmartOS Community Manager

About Me

I’m Deirdré Straughan. A great deal about my personal and professional life is available on my site, Countries Beginning with I.

I have been a community manager since long before the title existed, first for the Italian startup I worked for in Milan, then for Adaptec (when it bought us), then for Adaptec’s software spinoff, Roxio. The website I designed for Roxio was probably one of the first (in 2001) to explicitly describe its customers as members of an online community.

Before I ever heard of The Cluetrain Manifesto, I was acting upon my belief that companies and customers have shared interests in the success and usefulness of products/services. I found that customers had better ideas than I did about how to help them use our stuff; my role was less about leadership than about enabling and facilitating them to work with us and each other.

The open source movement takes this attitude a logical step further: though some open source projects originate largely with a company, they need a real community (comprised of both insiders and outsiders) to thrive and grow. And I enjoy nurturing such communities.

As for this specific community: I have been working closely with Solaris and many of its creators since I joined Sun Microsystems in 2007. Though my title changed a few times, my work at Sun (and then Oracle) was always fundamentally about helping engineers communicate, both internally and externally. Part of my job was to help the OpenSolaris community, including a stint as the secretary to the OGB shortly before the end.

Specific tasks included filming hundreds of hours of experts talking about technology, and teaching others how to use video. I also did social media production for technical conferences worldwide. I also do text: among other things (blog writing and editing,articles), last year I edited (the non-code parts of) the DTrace book.

Putting it all together, I have had the privilege and pleasure of working with hundreds of smart, interesting people in tech, and that’s something I very much enjoy doing.

About the Job

Last December I began working for Joyent – once again, helping engineers and other technical types communicate what they know, including using video. Then, about a month ago, I had the chance to change roles and managers while still at Joyent. Here’s the job description as Bryan Cantrill gave it to me:

Especially as we integrate native KVM into SmartOS, we have a great opportunity to build a community around the operating system: we are the first OS to unify DTrace, ZFS, Zones and KVM under one OS kernel, and we believe that that makes us the preeminent OS for cloud computing. But to make that happen, we need to build and manage community around it. This means a bunch of things, and I’m flexible on the definition €” that’s part of why I want you heading this up.

It means making available resources to the community that explain these technologies and why they are a giant win for cloud computing; making sure that we have an awesome experience for the developer and community member to download the system, learn more about it, and start building with it (which in turn means a web presence, documentation, the right downloads, etc.); that we are engaging with the illumos community to both strengthen that community and to leverage it to strengthen SmartOS, etc. This role is reporting to me because I expect it to have quite a bit of interface with the engineers.

I was happy to accept the job, and that’s what I’m doing now.

A few words about what I am not:

  • I am in no sense a computer scientist / software engineer. I’ve attempted only one programming course in my life to date (Pascal, my freshman year at UC Santa Cruz €“ so long ago that I narrowly escaped having to use punch cards!). I had no particular talent for it. I see software, like music, as an art which I can admire and enjoy, while being damned near incapable of producing it myself.
  • I’m not a sysadmin. I can just about find my way around a command line, given a cheat sheet. (I took a Solaris Sysadmin course 18 months ago, but never had the opportunity to practice any of what I €œlearned€ €“ and I’m more a hands-on learner.)

So you may have to be patient with me sometimes – I don’t know a lot of what you know. But I am not afraid to admit when I don’t understand things, or to ask questions until I do understand. If you’re willing to teach, I’m happy to learn.

Right now I’m just starting to learn who you are, what you want from SmartOS, and how we can help you. You can reach me at smartos [at] joyent [dot] com, and I often hang out in #joyent, #illumos, #openindiana, and related chats on irc.freenode.net. I’m a prolific Tweeter at@deirdres, and can be found on Google+ as well.

I look forward to working with you to help make SmartOS great!

Note: I should have had this post ready on August 15th, when we began telling the world about SmartOS and KVM. Unfortunately, I was then distracted by personal circumstances.

Originally published on smartos.org

Note: Around December of that year, I also took on the community for illumos, the open source operating system kernel which is SmartOS’ parent.

node.js Community Event: Rough Cut Videos

Joyent hosted a node.js community event at our San Francisco offices the other evening, in which Ryan Dahl announced a new version of node.js, and Brendan Gregg showed some amazing stuff you can do with Joyent Cloud Analytics on your no.de hosted site to understand what’s going on in your node.js app.

For more details on cloud analytics, see Dave’s and Robert’s blogs, and two more hours of video with Bryan and Brendan demoing.

Technical difficulties with UStream meant I didn’t have a stream recorded to their servers that night, technical difficulties with everything else meant I couldn’t get these rough cuts hosted anywhere til now. This is exactly what you would have seen on the stream (and more), including the bad camera angle which was forced by… oh never mind. A better view of cloud analytics will be forthcoming.

(NB: These videos disappeared from Joyent some time ago. Sorry.)

Joyent End User Tutorial Videos

Wondering what I’m up to in my new job? As mentioned, I work for Joyent, which does cloud computing. In addition to and as part of my job as Director of Technical Training, I’m doing a lot of video (well, what did you expect?) including live streaming events like a talk by Bryan Cantrill and Brendan Gregg on Cloud Analytics.

I’m also helping to produce videos to help customers of Joyent’s public cloud, below are a few examples.

For my Solaris buddies, there’s a special offer still in effect: you can try out a 1GB SmartMachine for just $45 per month (that’s $80 off the regular price). This monthly price is good for as long as you keep your SmartMachine.

Introduction to Joyent Virtualmin and Webmin

Setting Up a New Domain on Your Joyent SmartMachine

Recovering a Password for Your SmartMachine

Accessing Your SmartMachine from Windows Using Putty

Backing Up MySQL with Webmin

I only do final edits on these, the scripting and production are by Joyent‘s Jasun Wurster.

The Twitter Diaries, Dec 30, 2010 – Jan 23, 2011

It’s that time of the month in which I crave chocolate. Fortunately, the Tim Tam elf visited recently. – 12/30/10 17:54

New glasses. I find if very difficult to take a good self –  portrait with the iPhone. Or at all.  – 12/30/10 18:00

Getting to know (aka playing with) the new camera totally counts as work, right? – 12/30/10 18:12

@NomdeB Well, I will have to use this camera for filming at work. And I also need to see how my newly – corrected vision likes the viewfinder. – 12/30/10 18:26

@jacksonwest @jasonh @brendangregg I think I just found a use for that greenscreen: 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes – 12/30/10 18:33

I just donated to: Gapminder: Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact based world view.  –  Gapminder.org12/30/10 18:39

Since when did I become the expert…? Oh, yeah, since I edited 1000+ pages on DTrace. – 12/30/10 18:53

If that guy who’s been coughing his lungs out at the office gave me whatever he’s got, I’m gonna be so mad… do not have time for this. – 12/30/10 19:44

@reiger We’ll be happy to welcome you to the Left Coast! – 12/30/10 20:52

@obscurebug No, that I could definitely resist. – 12/30/10 20:53

3 lbs of broccoli has become soup for an army, and veggie lasagne. – 12/30/10 20:53

@reiger And you shall have it! Dunno abou the teepee, my apartment complex has a courtyard… – 12/30/10 21:15

Seems as if 2010 was a rough year for a lot of us. Maybe we should just stay safe at home tomorrow and wait for it to be over? – 12/30/10 21:17

The Twitter Diaries: Dec 7 – 30, 2010  –  with lots and lots of Joyent – 12/30/10 22:56

@KurtSchlichter @adamsbaldwin Tell me you’d have the guts to do what these pacifists did in WWII: The Great Starvation Experiment: The Heroic Men Who Starved so That Millions Could Live12/30/10 23:00

.@adamsbaldwin May be common sense to Orwell, not to me. – 12/30/10 23:02

.@adamsbaldwin ps you didn’t answer the question. – 12/30/10 23:03

.@adamsbaldwin Takes courage to respect people with whom you disagree. Can also take courage to be a pacifist. Name calling, not so much. – 12/30/10 23:47

I Love a Rainy Night – More Tests with the Canon 7D (yes I know it doesn’t work in all countries due to copyrights) – 12/31/10 2:12

@jasonh @brendangregg “What’s the weather like in your cloud? Find out at 6 o’clock with Brendan Gregg!” – 12/31/10 10:42

Dreamed I met old friend (not IRL) Christopher Hitchens in a bar, w unsuitable wife. He was saying extremely rude things about Santa Claus. – 12/31/10 10:48

@jonasthaler You should have heard what he “said”. ; – ) – 12/31/10 11:11

“It’s been rough & rocky travelin’, after takin’ several readings, I’m surprised to find my minds still fairly sound.” – 12/31/10 11:33

for those who couldn’t view on YouTube, there’s now a download (561MB) I Love a Rainy Night – More Tests w Canon 7D12/31/10 12:05

RT @trevoro: Unsolicited advice for your new year  –  Turn off your Television.  –  Don’t even own one. – 12/31/10 12:43

@robinbloor Have you seen this:?  Motel of the Mysteries12/31/10 12:43

Going to see movie in new glasses that I’m not yet used to. Umm. At least it’s not IMAX 3d – 12/31/10 16:09

Finally saw the latest Harry Potter. Meh. – 12/31/10 19:14

@vdotw @willbldrco Amen, sister  –  here’s to a far better 2011 all around! – 12/31/10 20:14

@wastedcarbon There was a lot I liked about it, but I found myself looking at my watch and noticing the production details. Not good signs. – 12/31/10 20:33

Had a long winter’s nap, now I’m awake in time to see out 2010. Need a large item to dispose of out the window the way they do in Naples. – 1/1/11 1:42

No, I will not be recapping this year and certainly not this decade. There have been some amazing high points, but, on the whole… – 1/1/11 1:45

Okay, have to admit the decade started well, with a Millenium party here: Château de la Bourdaisière1/1/11 1:50

RT @divinacucina: @DeirdreS ha ha –  –  –  i saw a toilet thrown out once –  –  – !!!  – > That would be very appropriate, if I had a toilet to throw out. – 1/1/11 1:51

Oh, damn, haven’t put on my red underwear1/1/11 1:58

@tomcoates KLM Tries Harder… But Fails KLM Makes Up, and Other Airline Experiences1/1/11 13:21

1 dislike about Harry Potter 7: the sad gray – blue palette . Today I’m going to see Dawn Treader. I expect it to be colorful. – 1/1/11 14:08

There’s a generation of new movie comedians who all look the same to me. Who are these people? – 1/1/11 15:20

@NomdeB the half blood prince was good. Not enough Rickman in this one – 1/1/11 15:24

Dear Narnia team: thank you for going back to the original illustrations that I love so well. And for a great movie. 3D totally right too – 1/1/11 17:26

Also, the young actors are great, esp the one who played Eustace – 1/1/11 17:42

Retweet of rosanne cash (rosannecash) Here’s the great thing about not being 30: I will never join another gym as long as I live. I will take the money I save and go to the spa. – 1/1/11 19:09

@jimelliff Umm… you mean if we read too many other books we don’t appreciate the Bible properly? – 1/1/11 19:17

RT @TechCrunch: Facebook Close To Naming Sun Microsystems Campus As New Headquarters http://tcrn.ch/fJkf2V < –  Yup, thought so – 1/1/11 19:31

@jimpick I never got to see MPK in its heyday, but was very involved in moving out… sad. – 1/1/11 20:05

…and oh, boy oh boy… Can That Boy… Foxtrot – 1/1/11 20:27

youths protest against a general situation in which the older generations have eaten the future of the younger ones,”  – 1/1/11 21:05

@nonstick If you want men in skirts, “Troy” is the movie for you. Though I think they cheated for the film and also wore underpants. – 1/1/11 21:11

Oven burn on my arm looks like an exclamation point. At least my injury is emphatic. – 1/1/11 21:37

the more self – expansion people experience from their partner, the more committed and satisfied they are” – 1/2/11 0:45

@wastedcarbon Seems to me like a good sign. ; – ) – 1/2/11 0:56

.@wastedcarbon My pattern is that, when there is no longer anything new to learn  –  in a job or in a relationship  –  it’s time for a change. – 1/2/11 1:03

.@mkapor Seems that most performers like to keep performing, regardless of age or financial need. They’re, you know, performers. – 1/2/11 11:35

Retweet of Brian Walsh (thepartycow) I don’t know why people say “man up.” After witnessing pregnancy and child birth, it strikes me it should be “woman up.” – 1/2/11 11:35

@NomdeB @milouness Having a 21 YO daughter in Italy rather sharpens my thoughts. Plus my own exp  –  well – qualified yet unable to find work. – 1/2/11 12:27

.@Roam2Rome Italy, for all its beauty, history, etc., IS deeply flawed  –  most Italians agree. La dolce vita wears thin when you need a job. – 1/2/11 12:29

@pelegri You can add Robert Mustacchi, also ex – Fishworks, to your Joyent list. – 1/2/11 12:32

@pelegri Nexenta also got Richard Elling, maybe others. – 1/2/11 12:32

Retweet of pelegri (pelegri) A recap of where some of my ex – Sun friends have landed a year after Oracle’s Acquisition of Sun:  – 1/2/11 12:32

@Roam2Rome I think a lot of people come to Italy with unrealistic expectations, so perhaps react more strongly when those are disappointed. – 1/2/11 14:00

.@Gundryggia @Roam2Rome Even when I moved to Italy in 1991, Italians thot me mad to willingly give up US advantages. This puzzled me  –  then – 1/2/11 17:08

YouTube’s tag suggestions are weird. What has Christianity to do with “SmartMachine, Joyent, virtualmin, webmin, cloud computing” ? – 1/2/11 17:09

.@KatieS I knew I shouldn’t bother seeing “The Social Network”. Thanks for confirming. – 1/2/11 17:52

.@Roam2Rome Ultimately, for me, Italy was not worth it professionally or personally. It works out better for some, and truly I hope for you. – 1/2/11 17:57

…but, with “Eat, Pray, Love” a best – seller, I do think it’s worth warning people that life in Italy is not as depicted in Italy – porn. – 1/2/11 17:58

thinning out drawers, am moved to ask: how many t – shirts do you have from tech companies that no longer exist? – 1/2/11 18:25

talked w entrepreneur friend Shirley about cultural diffs US, China, Europe. It’s never easy, but in US much easier, to be an entrepreneur. – 1/2/11 18:29

@arekdreyer Do you have equally non – existent stock options? ; – ) – 1/2/11 18:46

@davidpaulyoung …and that list isn’t complete yet, being added to soon. – 1/2/11 19:13

@johnnysunshine No, it’s just that Eduardo is more familiar with the middleware gang than the Solaris folks he plans to update his list. – 1/2/11 20:22

@milouness I think there was also a dramatic film made in India about Ramanujan, possibly Tom Alter was in it (he told us about it). – 1/2/11 20:36

“Don’t go nowhere, but what do I care, your kisses are worth waiting for.. ain’t misbehavin, I’m savin my love for you”  – 1/2/11 21:38

@timfoster No, but Skype helps . Have spent most of my life far from various people I love, starting back when intl airmail took 3 wks. – 1/3/11 0:52

@timfoster I didn’t mean to diminish your feelings. Goodbyes are never easy, regardless. – 1/3/11 3:00

RT @OldSpice: Wherever there are men, there is a need for men to smell like men.  – > But they all smell different! – 1/3/11 13:30

@jasonh @davidpaulyoung I make it 10 altogether, once Eduardo gets all the comments consolidated into the list – 1/3/11 13:53

Retweet of Joyent (joyent) Two Joyent customers in Jan 11 webinar, You’ve Got Game: The Successful Scale and Performance of Your Cloud – Based Game  – 1/3/11 13:54

@droberts $15 gets you a perfectly decent Mr Coffee at Target etc. That was my solution to BRM’s horrendously bad coffee. – 1/3/11 14:16

@NomdeB Often no dryer, either. – 1/3/11 15:32

@harrylove If it helps, I updated this one DTrace:  – 1/3/11 19:48

videos from Node.js Camp are starting to be available here (footage by yours truly, editing by @jacksonwest) – 1/3/11 21:18

New Joyent SmartMachine Tutorial Videos « Joyeur  – 1/4/11 13:06

@trevoro Brendan’s deck for a 90 min talk at LISA10 was 135 slides. He actually did get through them all. – 1/4/11 13:08

@grantmichaels which links specifically? – 1/4/11 14:36

@grantmichaels Thanks! We’ll get that fixed. – 1/4/11 15:49

RT @vambenepe: 1st question when people learn I work for Oracle is which acquisition I came with. FYI, some of us join willingly.  – > what %? – 1/4/11 16:34

@vambenepe That brings up a really creepy image of Larry watching you all shivering in your bathing suits… – 1/4/11 16:44

@rattay it it good pho? #Pho – 1/4/11 16:46

RT @fitzage: Damn this cold.  – > Ditto. I kept hoping it wasn’t, but it looks like it is… – 1/4/11 17:09

@vambenepe Now that’s a mental image I could have really done without… – 1/4/11 18:28

RT @jlb13: @DeirdreS I don’t believe it.  – > I’ve met a few, but also a number of old – timers who have left in recent years. – 1/4/11 20:19

WTF, YouTube? “I call shenanigans” ???  – 1/4/11 20:31

Body, would you just make up your mind whether you’re going to be sick or not? Preferably not. – 1/4/11 20:36

@trevoro brill, thanks! – 1/4/11 22:02

There is perhaps irony in the fact that Amazon could tell you exactly what is going on in my life. – 1/4/11 22:46

RT @bklein34:  Josh Groban Sings Kanye West Tweets  – > Thanks, I needed that. I think. – 1/4/11 23:34

RT @larrywake: #xkcd fanbase has been alerted to an editable list of common misconceptions. What could possibly go wrong?  – > Whee! – 1/5/11 0:14

@NomdeB So much for “you get what you pay for” – 1/5/11 0:15

posted this date a year ago: Gallery: Delhi Street Scenes, 20041/5/11 0:29

This day in 2003: Cellphone Comedy1/5/11 0:35

this time in 2005: Why Italians Have Stopped Eating Out1/5/11 0:37

this time in 2006: In the Kitchen at Spankyville –  video recipe of Julia’s grandma’s Sticky Chewy Ribs – 1/5/11 0:39

this time in 2007: Learn Italian from Newspaper Headlines “At the wedding lunch, [he] betrays his wife with his [male] friend” – 1/5/11 0:43

this day two years ago: What I Miss About Italy1/5/11 0:46

Reading may be fundamental, but writing can be cathartic. Even when it’s not for publication. – 1/5/11 0:50

@trochej I usually do like to publish, but I am mindful of others’ privacy, including my ex. – 1/5/11 1:09

YouTube changed its mind about allowing the song in some parts of the world. So I made a rain – only version1/5/11 1:11

@nanaze hmm. I wonder which bus does those diagonals over the buildings? – 1/5/11 4:09

@bklein34 Have you seen “Chess in Concert” with Groban et al? Stunning. – 1/5/11 9:54

Lot o’ filming lined up today and tomorrow. Yes, you’ll get to see some of it. – 1/5/11 12:41

One huge advantage of living in a small space: there aren’t that many places things can be lost in. – 1/5/11 13:22

@NomdeB Men & women think completely differently about where it is logical to store things in the kitchen. – 1/5/11 14:14

.@NomdeB …plus, a man will stand there and ask plaintively “Where is…?” when he could easily find it himself by opening a drawer or two. – 1/5/11 14:15

I’m sure all true Buffy fans remember this one – 1/6/11 1:15

Holding your own boobs – Watch more Funny Videos

@jlb13 That plus “Goodbye, Earl” are the two most cheerful songs about murder ever written, I suspect. – 1/6/11 8:53

@adamsbaldwin Who’s outraged? At least this way we can be sure they’ve all heard it at least once. – 1/6/11 10:44

Crazy day of meetings, filming, etc. – 1/6/11 13:27

@Spytap You’re missing the point of being at CES. Have a look at the /other/ big conference going on in Vegas this week. ; – ) – 1/6/11 13:28

Yeah, I’ve been to CES before, though I’m not there now – 1/6/11 14:03

1/6/11 14:11

Joyeurs, Blogging « Joyeur  – 1/6/11 14:21

RT @NathanFillion: Nothing lights up my twitter mentions like my naked ass on tv.  – > damn, now regretting not having a TV – 1/6/11 22:38

damn sinuses – 1/7/11 11:58

Italy: Youth Unemployment Hits Record 28.9% –  Corriere della Sera  – 1/7/11 12:18

@mentalmosaic Been using it for years; it only works sometimes. – 1/7/11 12:21

@riccardo_iommi At the least, the figures may not include unpaid internships (“Tanto, abiti con i tuoi, no?”) and tenuous CoCoPro “jobs”. – 1/7/11 12:30

@MissExpatria Recipes, please! – 1/7/11 13:33

I find Twitter archives and my blog useful in remembering events and people from a crowded, eventful life. Even recent years are a blur. – 1/7/11 14:00

ALL the videos from Node.js Camp now available:  – 1/7/11 14:02

Retweet of YungSang (yungsang) Node SmartMachine FAQ [Joyent Wiki] #nodejs  #twittaw – 1/7/11 14:39

How many marriages fail because we marry, not the actual other person, but some idealized image of what a husband/wife is supposed to be? – 1/7/11 14:43

“when a marginalized class starts finding its voice & expressing outrage, they’re framed as dangerous or trivial”  – 1/7/11 14:55

@PaulFranz Yup  –  will change to meet that unrealistic ideal. – 1/7/11 14:56

RT @rattay: @DeirdreS I married a nerd but #ilikehotnerds 🙂  – > So do I. To me, sheer brainpower is attractive. ; – ) – 1/7/11 14:56

RT @notmatt: Attn @bcantrill http://twitpic.com/3nwgyo  – > You have got to take me there! – 1/7/11 15:09

@PaulFranz ICall it a “straw man marriage” : set up an impossible role for yr spouse, then you can be disappointed when they fail to be that – 1/7/11 15:11

.@johnnysunshine Won’t need to hide in @bcantrill ‘s suitcase, I’ll be there on my own ticket pretty soon. With a camera. Get ready. ; – ) – 1/7/11 15:22

RT @johnnysunshine: @DeirdreS sweet, come see how the sausage is made. should be fun  – > Did you just invite me to a sausage fest? ; – ) – 1/7/11 16:14

Why is it that being on hold always involves terrible music and extremely annoying repeated messages? If I could DO this online I WOULD HAVE – 1/7/11 18:03

@fitzage The worst offender was the co. which told me repeatedly to visit the website when the phone queue I was in was for internet probs – 1/7/11 18:05

the invention of the phone tree was the beginning of the downfall of civilization – 1/7/11 18:14

RT @myinnervoice: @joyent @DeirdreS  –  the Dream Team is everywhere ; – ) – 1/7/11 20:55

My favorite movie opening ever: Much Ado About Nothing Part 1 (Denzel on horseback  –  what’s not to love?) – 1/7/11 21:21

Bill O’Reilly’s philosophy boils down to “There must be a god, because I don’t know how things work.”  – 1/7/11 21:47

@timbray somewhat different list here. And you’re in the video.  – 1/8/11 0:19

@pelegri I wonder how many are suffering from Post Oracle Stress Disorder? – 1/8/11 0:29

@saramaternini childproof? Mi sa’ che c’e’ una notizia grossa – 1/8/11 12:18

took me all summer (much of it ill in bed) to re – read all of Diana Gabaldon, then catch up on the latest  – 1/8/11 12:22

Retweet of Monty Munford (montymunford) The assassination of Rep Gabrielle Giffords and Sarah Palin’s 2010 target list. They’re connected, stupid. – 1/8/11 13:47

Are we seeing the start of America’s Anni di piombo?  –  Years of lead (Italy)  –   – 1/8/11 13:52

Retweet of Markus Sandy (apperceptions) RT @GlennF: This just in. Guns don’t kill people. Targeted political ads telling people to kill people kills people. – 1/8/11 14:16

It’s too easy to say: “We’re praying for her & her family.” True Christians (I’ve known some) wdn’t have wished her death in the 1st place – 1/8/11 14:18

.@jasonh Sounds as if these Chinese mothers have a lot of time to spend on “100s of practice tests with her child”. Do they never sleep? – 1/8/11 14:47

RT @alexia: Palin’s political career is over.  – > I wish I believed that. – 1/8/11 18:08

I need a way to tell Netflix that some of those recent movie choices were a house guest, not me. – 1/8/11 19:28

Now here’s what I need: a dumb Mel Brooks movie. Exactly perfect. Thank you, Netflix. – 1/8/11 19:29

music by Hummie Mann ????? – 1/8/11 19:31

.@corey_latislaw @creepyed Having been the mother of a little girl from The Little Mermaid on, there is no Disney song I DON’T know by heart – 1/8/11 20:48

Retweet of Nate Silver (fivethirtyeight) James Fallows has the most sensible take on Giffords I’ve seen today.  – 1/8/11 21:07

@lebrun Clarification needed: relevant to what or whom? – 1/8/11 21:16

.@wikileaks Are they also going to subpoena everyone who ever looked at http://twitter.com/#!/wikileaks ? What a waste of taxpayer money. – 1/8/11 21:35

Well, I guess I’m glad I am cautious even in Twitter DMs and FB private messages. Anything I say anywhere may be used against me, eh? – 1/8/11 21:38

So what is the perfect martini recipe, and is it possible to drink it out of a non – martini glass? – 1/8/11 21:45

There are times when you must listen to George Carlin: “Children should be taught to question authority, shd be warned there’s BS coming.” – 1/8/11 23:25

“People who ask ‘what would Jesus do?’ don’t wanna know so /they/ can do it  –  they wanna know so they can tell other people to do it  – Carlin – 1/8/11 23:31

@fitzage I attended a missionary school, so there are many true Christians in my life, and I respect them. US Media Christians not so much. – 1/9/11 0:47

@wastedcarbon We used to drive  –  car always put her to sleep. Nowadays they make chairs that have similar vibration, apparently. #parenting – 1/9/11 2:20

Retweet of Natasha Badhwar (natashabadhwar) She is not just that woman holding the tray. She’s got a life, and a story and a dream of a common language. – 1/9/11 10:36

I need to amend my language.  Because the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are the same.” – 1/9/11 10:59

@wastedcarbon That’s the problem with babies: just like people, every one is different! Mine screamed 1st five months, never knew why – 1/9/11 11:07

@dboyll Judging by the standards of their usual crowd…? No, no, I won’t go there, it’s too easy. – 1/9/11 11:30

Retweet of johnnysunshine (johnnysunshine) Most countries have crazy political whackos. The difference is most countries don’t arm them. – 1/9/11 13:36

.@AndrewBreitbart “The left” should no more be lumped into a single category than “the right” should. – 1/9/11 13:44

.@timbray Troubling because of how the kids are treated? The resulting adults? The competition they pose to non – Chinese kids? Pls clarify. – 1/9/11 13:45

.@adamsbaldwin The violent rhetoric has become a troubling tool used by both sides. We all need to think twice1/9/11 13:46

I need to make with the marketing words, not my strong suit. But it’s about people & tech I know rather well… you know, the two B’s. – 1/9/11 13:49

@dogcow @ben Beauty and the Beast. – 1/9/11 14:59

@stonemirror Let’s not give these people any attention whatsoever, that’s what they’re seeking. Shun them. Ignore them. #disgusting – 1/9/11 15:00

.@EnricCirne Rhetoric “causes” violence is too strong. “Contributes to a climate in which violence is acceptable” seems reasonable. – 1/9/11 15:18

.@LusciousPear @penelopetrunk Why wow? That was exactly the correct answer. Agreeing “you’re too fat to look sexy” wd be a huge mistake. – 1/9/11 16:19

Spring planting = put the rest of the daffodil bulbs into planter I finally took tomato plant out of. Bulbs planted earlier near flowering. – 1/9/11 16:38

Ugh. More house cleaning and ironing to do. I am only semi – domesticated. – 1/9/11 16:39

Elvis in India1/9/11 17:37

.@BarackObama Nice thought, but what good is prayer when people have been shot? Can we have less superstition and more gun control, please? – 1/9/11 17:55

Sorry if I tread on your sentiments, but I am sick of the notion that praying makes anything better except your feelings. Don’t pray  –  DO! – 1/9/11 17:58

we are discussing grossly uncivilized aspects of American society, aspects of ourselves that we ought to change”  – 1/9/11 18:05

1/9/11 18:39

Retweet of Roger Ebert (ebertchicago) Birthday of Joan Baez. Today this nation needs her songs.  – 1/9/11 19:03

(Yes, I am an unrepentant hippie kid.) – 1/9/11 19:04

When I bought a 1.75L bottle of Maker’s Mark, he stared as if I were an incipient lush. “Not gonna drink it all at once. It keeps,” I said. – 1/9/11 19:06

@LusciousPear Thanks. I think part of the problem was that he didn’t appreciate bourbon. – 1/9/11 19:23

I’m just gonna shut down all my social media and concentrate on DTrace for a while, ok? Far less emotionally draining. – 1/9/11 19:25

“I could be In someone else’s story In someone else’s life And he could be in mine I don’t see A reason to be lonely”  – 1/9/11 22:38

@johnnysunshine Well, I would try that, but I’m on bourbon & bourbon (with a bit of ice) this evening. – 1/9/11 22:44

.@jasonh Some kinds of work go better with coffee, but others go better with alcohol. – 1/9/11 22:52

@denizrende What is that contraption? – 1/9/11 22:52

what is all the racket in SOMA? Did someone win something? – 1/10/11 0:26

Retweet of Bill Pijewski (pijewski) Which team has higher significance to its city: the Broncos in Denver or the Red Sox in Boston? Help settle a lunchtime argument. – 1/10/11 15:00

RT @alecmuffett: @pijewski @DeirdreS Dem Stillers beetcha both.  –  I did tell them the argument was pointless without the Steelers. ; – ) – 1/10/11 15:04

Retweet of SAGE Program (SAGEProgram) Love it! More students delaying college for travel/volunteering –  great WSJ article  – 1/10/11 15:42

Becoming irritable. – 1/10/11 15:43

I can continue to bang my head against the metaphorical wall trying to do it your way, or I can do it my way and just GET IT DONE. – 1/10/11 15:53

If AZ promotes soul – searching, it cd prove a turning point. If not, Saturday’s atrocity will be just the beginning. – 1/10/11 17:14

@KatieS “Come to Dublin, we have great pubs!” ??? – 1/10/11 18:19

RT @nonstick: Girl has yellow belt test today.  – > Hmm. At what stage will she be able to beat you up? – 1/10/11 18:21

@davidpaulyoung @jasonh I was two doors down at Bar Bacco, but now I’m home. Want to try Perbacco  –  menu looks like real Piemontese. – 1/10/11 21:21

@sh1mmer Do you have the original UK versions? That’s what I want to re – read, but my copies are back in Italy. – 1/10/11 21:32

Had much needed glass of wine or two with @jeffreytaylor . Now I need to edit video. – 1/10/11 21:33

Is it me, or is there a problem with our company Jabber? Feeling kinda cut off. – 1/10/11 21:47

“parents couldn’t see what an amazing son they had instead of trying to shoehorn him into their idea of success” http://bit.ly/eLIpHL – 1/10/11 22:00

RT @timbray: I suspect Amy Chua is sitting in her Yale office thinking “lulz”; I was among those successfully trolled.  – > It’ll sell books. – 1/10/11 22:02

@sh1mmer Ugh. I recommend the Stephen Fry audio versions. I find him very soothing on plane trips. – 1/10/11 23:07

@johnnysunshine working again now, thanks. Wasn’t accepting my password for no apparentl reason. – 1/10/11 23:17

Retweet of Planet Lang (planet_lang) [Smalltalk] Smalltak meets DTrace: This post is an introduction to DTrace and a provider I implemented for the S… – 1/10/11 23:50

Video is compressing. Crunch, crunch, crunch. – 1/10/11 23:52

“we’d have to radically restrict the availability of guns while trying to change a culture that glorifies violence”  – 1/11/11 1:04

Hmm, fresh – baked video in the morning… Now if I only had someone to bring me breakfast in bed. – 1/11/11 9:12

Retweet of ryan nelson (ryancnelson) Joyent office is hosting tonight’s revival of the SFOSUG (sf opensolaris user group)  –  stop by! – 1/11/11 11:01

Sorry I didn’t stick around for SFOSUG, my brain was already overflowing for today. Went to sleep right after eating a lot of dinner. – 1/11/11 23:37

RT @LusciousPear: @DeirdreS “sfosug” is a really fun word to say  – > It probably means something rude in some language somewhere. – 1/12/11 0:20

Man was yelling on the street about “white BS” and “if you give kindness, you’ll get kindness.” When I passed he smiled, said “Good morning” – 1/12/11 12:11

@rattay I had a deep craving for pho for lunch, but the line was too long. 🙁 – 1/12/11 15:47

@fitzage Agh, that sucks. Sorry to hear. – 1/12/11 17:33

@ditucci Heavens, busy crowded news day. Congratulations! – 1/12/11 18:17

@StopBeck His “oops, did I say that?” look is umm… amusing. – 1/12/11 18:19

join us in person or by video stream next Weds for “Solving Big Problems with Real – time Visibility into Cloud“…  1/14/11 11:09

…that’s with @bcantrill and @brendangregg, of course – 1/14/11 11:09

@anitaborg_org Yeppers, see you there! #clswest – 1/14/11 21:03

finally setting up Thunderbird on my new laptop, and loving the automated mailbox setup – 1/14/11 21:12

Interesting session on community leadership, privacy, boundaries… At #clswest – 1/15/11 12:59

Zynga is hiring community managers #clswest – 1/15/11 13:23

Keep in mind that we experience eg badge fatigue sooner because we live this stuff. #clswest – 1/15/11 13:30

Retweet of Sara Maternini (saramaternini) Blogger invasion around piazzale loreto, Milan, Italy: all going to celebrate wikipedia 10th birthday! – 1/15/11 13:31

Face to face meetings are themselves a reward for community members. #clswest – 1/15/11 13:55

Retweet of mattb811 (mattb811) I don’t understand how the people of Tunisia overthrew their government without me signing an e – petition or changing my Twitter avatar. – 1/15/11 14:45

Community for the long haul session at #clswest  –  some of us have been around for quite a while. – 1/15/11 15:08

Retweet of David Roberts (drgrist) One asshat starts a fire in his underpants, we’ll accept Kafka at the airport. Dude mows down a half – dozen people w/ a handgun? Nothing. – 1/15/11 15:15

Reviewing the history of online community #clswest – 1/15/11 15:21

Early community managers in ed/gov wre called sysmoms – 1/15/11 15:24

Complexity of multiple online venues  –  still have this problem, tho specific venues have changed. #clswest – 1/15/11 15:34

I’d like to investigate integration/separation of online and offline identities. – 1/15/11 15:48

@jdtangney I’m fairly new parts of to the terminology myself, but maybe I can help? #joyent – 1/15/11 18:07

1/15/11 18:25

No, not gonna go there. Not tonight. – 1/16/11 0:11

Just spent an hour on Skype with an old friend hadn’t talked to in years; I love that tech makes it easy to catch up and stay close. – 1/16/11 12:56

@milouness As long as you don’t buy plastic geese to put “seasonal” costumes on. #SkyMall – 1/16/11 12:57

Sun coming out in SF, I think I’ll go for a long walk today  –  clear my head and get off the keyboard. – 1/16/11 12:59

1/16/11 15:00

walked to the Ferry Building, bought a baguette from Acme Bread. Now time for a cheese and chutney sandwich! – 1/16/11 16:06

I’m tempted to say: “Miss me yet?” ; – ) System News: DTrace BoF at LISA10 | UNIX Note – 1/16/11 17:04

My Life as a Clog #homemovies – 1/16/11 17:05

The bureaucracy of everyday life: just spent 30 mins doing personal filing. Not helping with the headache. – 1/16/11 17:48

learning Dvorak typing, whcch nhound in the long run help with RSI. Yes, this i –  @brendangregg ‘s fault! – 1/16/11 22:22

@saraford just watching Brendan I cd see there’s a lot less finger travel – 1/16/11 22:30

@jasonh see also1/16/11 22:31

@alanc Fell down stairs onto concrete last year, no stitches but still have scars on my hands. It’ll hurt for a while. – 1/17/11 0:11

.@richlowe wonder if this wd be easier if I hadn’t been an excellent touch typist for 30 years – 1/17/11 2:11

.@jimpick Yet another reason I never want to work for a large company again. – 1/17/11 12:15

Sitting in the sun, smelling the eucalyptus, about to go talk about my fave place with some of my fave people. – 1/17/11 18:17

Italy’s biggest porn star wants to help Berlusconi recover from his addiction… (in Italian) – 1/17/11 23:41

Retweet of Christian (christianwolff) Giving the Joyent Node SmartMachine a try. Love that Solaris flavor! : – ) – 1/18/11 9:41

So, is the Republican leadership unable to see through childish logical fallacies? No.” – 1/18/11 9:53

Retweet of Joyent (joyent) Join us tomorrow 1/19 for “Solving Big Problems with Real – time Visibility into Cloud Performance”  Will be interesting. – 1/18/11 14:04

Fondly remember George Carlin bit about how everyone should have an audience on the other side of their desk say: “Hey, you’re doing great!” – 1/18/11 15:33

@stevel Warmest congrats! – 1/18/11 16:16

.@tomcoates Umm, are you seeing the ad next to that article: “If you died today, who would take care of your family” ? – 1/18/11 20:24

Retweet of Joyent (joyent) Joyent Introduces Next Generation Cloud Operating System: SmartDataCenter 61/19/11 12:29

@pelegri The kernel is not the focus of this talk, tho of course it’s a factor in that we can use DTrace at allv – 1/19/11 13:43

Retweet of Mark Madsen (markmadsen) RT @tomcoates Give a man a fish, that’s socialism. Teach a man 2 fish, that’s socialism too. I recommend vouchers for private fishing school – 1/19/11 13:45

The expanded Joyent t – shirt wall h – 1/19/11 14:29

@templedf So you won’t go hungry when you’re there – 1/19/11 16:06

@bryanbell Glad to meet you! I’ve admired your work for some time, then, without knowing who you were. – 1/19/11 17:24

Solving Big Problems with Real – time Visibility into Cloud Performance  –  USTREAM: 6:30 PT today  – 1/19/11 17:31

Retweet of Hosam Al Ali (hosamalali) @joyent can I watch on record web site ??? – 1/19/11 18:02

RT @hosamalali: @joyent can I watch on record web site ???  –  yes, you should be able to test now – 1/19/11 18:03

RT @hosamalali: @DeirdreS @joyent So.. I can  –  Good, glad you’ll be able to join us! – 1/19/11 18:07

@kbeninato How do you pronounce that? – 1/19/11 18:10

a contemporary snapshot of Italy; the meeting of two cultures, each rooted in longstanding beliefs and prejudices. – 1/19/11 18:30

More than one in five young Italians neither work nor study, the worst figure in the European Union1/19/11 18:34

We’ll broadcast around 6:30 PT on USTREAM: Solving Big Problems with Real – time Visibility into Cloud Performance  – 1/19/11 20:11

RT @dlgwynne: @DeirdreS it will be recorded for later viewing too right?  – as always – 1/19/11 20:38

We’re live at http://bit.ly/gvrxku – 1/19/11 20:38

if you’re not on this stream you’re missing the Cantrill comedy hour http://bit.ly/h5fjk5 – 1/19/11 20:45

Return of the rainbow pterodactyl http://bit.ly/h5fjk5 – 1/19/11 21:02

Retweet of Mark Phillips (pharkmillups) really enjoying watching @bcantrill et al talk about the new Dtrace hotness in the Joyent cloud http://bit.ly/gvrxku – 1/19/11 21:47

@kirsten_al @melanierenzulli I’m spending the evening sharing people with others 1000s of miles away http://bit.ly/gvrxku – 1/19/11 21:50

Joyent Cloud Analytics, Recorded on 1/19/11 joyent on USTREAM. Conference http://bit.ly/ho8T6s – 1/19/11 23:53

RT @wastedcarbon: @DeirdreS Thanks for playing nerd wrangler! Good stuff!  –  you’re very welcome. I also enjoy it! – 1/19/11 23:54

Retweet of Jonathan King (jhk24) Joyent Unveils Its Next – Gen Cloud System  –  Cloud Computing  –  News & Reviews  –  eWeek.com1/20/11 10:07

Retweet of Mathieu Simon (MathSimon) Joyent Cloud Analytics, Recorded on USTREAM. http://bit.ly/ho8T6s  –  A must – see, the end shows how these nerds introduce also fun in work : – ) – 1/20/11 10:15

Berlusconi’s latest scandal  –  animated1/20/11 10:19

love being able to grab a colleague for an impromptu meeting over coffeev. Definite efficiencies in F2F – 1/20/11 12:57

RT @trevoro: WTF is with all the acquisitions lately? Does this happen every January?  –  everyone got $ in their stockings? – 1/20/11 13:22

@davewiner I’d say that activity carries its own punishment – 1/20/11 13:51

@NomdeB That reminds me: need to get back my Asterix collection – 1/20/11 18:34

the Catholic Church, which has long backed Berlusconi’s government for its family – values policies, is showing unease” – 1/20/11 18:44

Look calm and then, dear, see if he doesn’t sort out lots of problems for all of us… For mum for you and for me.” – 1/20/11 19:30

RT @pelegri: @DeirdreS Italian politics are a riot… I guess…  –  No. Just nauseating. – 1/20/11 19:30

@pelegri He owns most of the media. Just as in the US, propaganda works. – 1/20/11 20:21

A Year After: The Open Source Projects « Castellers v2  – 1/21/11 10:45

Dear iPhone: I am setting up a reminder about pilates class. Surely that is a more common term than “popster” or “oilseed”? – 1/21/11 10:52

@ArtemTitoulenko Hey, that page is out of date; it was for the competition. Those projects are over or moved. We’ll update the page. – 1/21/11 11:12

Retweet of Marco Montemagno (montemagno) Silvio Berlusconi’s scandals: A party animal | The Economist1/21/11 14:23

@izs I’m just having trouble with the rolled – up jeans look. – 1/21/11 14:56

RT @tomcoates: Be a movie extra in SF:  Won’t have time, myself, but sounds like fun. – 1/21/11 16:23

so… what’s the weather like in Vancouver? Do I need my down coat? (Bear in mind I’m a wimp with cold weather) – 1/21/11 17:21

@sh1mmer Where/when? – 1/21/11 18:46

Participating in a group requires the ability to trust people, read moods, understand psychological pieces each brings http://nyti.ms/eNZht9 – 1/21/11 18:56

Nice happy hour with Joyent colleagues to round off another action – packed week. Some just returned, others taking off soon. We get around. – 1/21/11 21:10

Berlusconi may seek a new mandate to crush the independence of the judiciary. Poor Italy.1/22/11 18:20

@DecalbDennis Being physically capable of producing children is not indicative of any quality except fertility. Motherhood is not sainthood – 1/22/11 18:45

@sh1mmer can’t DM, you’re not following me – 1/22/11 19:07

Happy to be getting on a plane tomorrow for the first time in 9 months  –  the longest stretch I have NOT flown in many, many years. – 1/23/11 9:54

@sh1mmer Still planning to investigate that coffee place, or didyou already? – 1/23/11 10:12

@pborenstein Do the upbeat sayings fit, at least? – 1/23/11 11:11

@sh1mmer ok. If you need moving help, I have a large car with good cargo space. – 1/23/11 11:48

@India_Insights Be where you can see camels silhouetted against the sunset at the top of the avenue. At least, that was true 30 years ago… – 1/23/11 11:51

Time to go to Goodwill to drop off a lot of clothing that no longer fits. – 1/23/11 11:52

@Cdash Joyent’s Vancouver office, for the first but likely not last time. – 1/23/11 13:20