Mark Lenahan's Blog

I admit I was wrong about Ubuntu... going back to Windows

2009-06-07T22:04:00.001+01:00

I'm not sure how long I stuck with it, must be about 6 months since I switched from Windows to Ubuntu on my laptop, which is also my desktop at home and in the office and on the road, so basically my only computer. (Actually my employer's computer. But they are cool with technology people testing out technology, the CEO uses Ubuntu, as do several developers. And this is not, and need not be, an issue, unlike some prior employers thought... but I digress...)

Unfortunately I have to concede defeat.

I can't stick with Ubuntu because Dell, Nokia, and Nvidia don't support it well enough. It doesn't run MS Office (well enough) and Open Office is only 90% there if you are a heavy user. The screen and docking station were a daily nightmare. Constantly booting Windows in VMWare a real drag. There were some devices and apps I never got to work - webcam, Skype with voice, VPN to the office, printing on my home network.

There were good times too.

Times I could boot, reboot, and shutdown about 4 times faster than Windows. Times when Windows under VMWare was faster than Windows running natively (don't know whether to laugh or cry about that one). Times when having posix command line meant I could do twice the job in half the time. Also, it was cool. I have to admit that.

But it is an OS for geeks. Still, after all the compromises and ease of use features, unless your PC is built and tested for Linux and has built in all the apps you need (i.e. a netbook) then it is just too complex. I like command line and editing text config files, but whenever I did it I thought, "there's no way I could talk my Mum through this on the phone".

So back to the loving embrace of Bill's progeny I go. (A process that might take more than one weekend).

Of course I could try Apple's MacOS... but what I need is a real operating system running on a real computer, not an expensive dvd player and a lobotomy.

Adventures in Blippo by Brian Heffernan

2009-05-17T10:34:00.002+01:00

I haven't been to an art exhibit in 10 years but yesterday I went to my second one in the same week. Hosted in the Broadstone Studios, it is "Adventures in blippo : An exhibition of 10 abstract typographic compositions" by Brian Heffernan.

Blippo is a font, and the exhibit consists of various prints (mostly black on white), of characters from the font arranged in interesting ways. With the exception of one work, the characters aren't spelling out any actual message, but forming high contrast abstract images and patterns.

I thought it was cool.

Brian has drilled down into a very specific and obscure (for some people) cultural artefact from the 1970s, and created a range of interesting and unique new works. (Of course, Blippo isn't obscure if you know typography and fonts or have done design work, and everyone will instantly recognise it when they see it, but before I went it was pretty obscure to me, now I'll see it everywhere of course).

Today is the last day unfortunately, so if you have 20 minutes and are around Dublin 7, check it out.

Prague Marathon - Personal Photo Album

2009-05-10T15:20:00.001+01:00

Some pics taken with my phone:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/marklen/PragueMarathon?feat=directlink

finished

2009-05-10T13:16:00.000+01:00

3hrs 45mins. Way off my target of 3:28. Came apart around 35k. Got too hot (i've been training in Ireland after all), got big blisters, wanted to lie down and sleep in the street.

Anyway, the real reason I didn't do it was not enough training. In particular missing 3weeks of the last 2 months and not getting enough long runs in.

Excuses excuses!

I'll do better next time. It was a great marathon, lovely route, perfect weather. Next I might do London or New York, still thinking about that.

I'm having a beer and a schnitzel in the old town square with Andrea.

40k

2009-05-10T11:38:00.000+01:00

Just went past 40k at almost 3:30 exactly. So now I have all the time in the world! Shite! Oh well...

last report

2009-05-10T10:35:00.000+01:00

Past 30k. Feet sore. Too hot. Slowing down.

20k

2009-05-10T09:41:00.000+01:00

I have just passed 20km.
I'm feeling ok ish.
1:35:50
Feet getting sore

10k

2009-05-10T08:51:00.000+01:00

I have just passed 10km.
I'm feeling ok.
My time about 47:25
I think it is a bit warm. That might get to me later.

marathon innovation

2009-05-10T07:49:00.000+01:00

Porta-urinals!

They fit 4 of them to the same space as a normal cabin. Though open they are pretty private, you step into a narrow alcove. Maybe for that reason the queues to the normal loos were only 3 deep.

Of course it help that we're surrounded by restaurants who are willing to let runners use the facilities.

{Edited after race to fix predictive text!}

ready steady...

2009-05-10T07:23:00.000+01:00

I could have slept in for another 30mins. Not much to do here except wait (apart from one well timed visit to portaloo). Seems well organised. There's only one muster lane, it is divided by number range rather than time, though I think I specified target time when I registered. I'm number 1020 and hopefully I can do it in 3hrs 28mins.

Marathon today

2009-05-10T06:40:00.000+01:00

Don't know if I'll try and blog during the race like I did the first one. I guess nobody but Andrea will be reading at this time. I might upload some pics at the end. Just over an hour to go and I feel fine.

Prague Marathon

2009-05-07T21:35:00.003+01:00

Nothing for months! I haven't had time, I've found a weekly facebook status update is about the best I can do these days.

News:

1. I'm running a Marathon in Prague on Sunday morning (8am-11:30am Irish time). Hoping for 3 hours and 28 minutes or so. Andrea and I are going over there for 5 nights, very exciting because we haven't been before, though I'm a bit stressed now with all the packing and stuff. And of course my throat is sore, my back is sore, my knees are clicking, my tummy is upset, etc. etc. just the usual pre-race hypochondria!

2. We are buying a house. I can't say much more than it is "sale agreed", and in Dublin 7. So soon I'll be close to Phoenix park and the office, and the 2 hours a day I spend commuting I'll be able to get back into my real life. Also there'll be a garden, and eventually a dog.

HAI Dart Add

2009-04-07T21:37:00.002+01:00

Spotted on the DART tonight:

Someone we know has an email virus/worm

2009-01-28T21:55:00.002Z

This is an awkward one, someone who knows myself and Andrea, and has emailed us in the past, has an email virus or worm. They are based in Dublin and use ESAT or BT Ireland (or an ISP that connects via them) as an ISP. They use one of the Windows operating systems and probably Outlook as an email client.

The odd thing is they (it could be you) are unlikely to ever see any sign of this themselves, since the worm will use email addresses on their computer (sent, recieved, address book, etc.) as both the recipient and sender address for the worm emails, leaving their normal email alone, so they won't be getting bounced emails or error messages themselves.

So how do you know if is you? If some of the following seem familiar then it probably is you:-

giantantsareeatingmyhead
K. Pringle
manolitomalo
S @ bright lights
N. Moorehouse
Champers / Engraved

Pain

2009-01-10T14:56:00.002Z

Frist post in 3 months and it isn't pretty

Bad bad toothache, culminated in a 45 minute drive from Crumlin to Dun Laoghaire, for my second dental appointment in 2 days, while repeatedly rinsing with a bottle of cold water and sucking on ice cubes. One of the most pain filled hours of my life so far. (The other was also dental related, some years ago, but I don't want to talk about it.)

The culprit was a wisdom tooth. It is now gone. There was no tooth opposite it so I'm not really missing anything.

Wisdom teeth = bad design - that's all I'm saying!

My 2nd Dublin Marathon - 03:32:38

2008-10-27T16:52:00.005Z

My GPS map and times and some photos I took along the way are all here:
http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/workoutdetail/index.do?id=500192

Winning times and results are here:
http://adidasdublinmarathon.ie/

It was cold but bright and sunny. The start was a mess, it took me about 4 minutes to get across the line (thanks to the chip that doesn't impact on the time), and the first four miles were more about weaving side to side and stopping and starting than running at any particular pace. I intended to start slow anyway, so no harm done really. It took me ages to warm up, by the time I was consistently beating 8mins a mile I was already 5 minutes or so behind. Apart from all that I really enjoyed it. Waist up I felt great for the whole race. Waist down I was a bit sore, soles of feet and leg muscles complaining for the last 6 miles or so. Already feeling better but I can tell I'll be a bit sore this week. I'm very happy with the time, an improvement of 22 minutes on last year!

In Dublin on Monday morning?

2008-10-24T23:50:00.003+01:00

I've entered the Dublin City Marathon again this year, so if you are around and feel like cheering me on get your rotten tomatoes ready...

If the race starts on time and all goes according to plan I'll be running up North Circular Road around 9:25am.
(For other locations/times see this link: MARK_MARATHON_TIMES_2008.pdf)

I'm not doing any charity thing this time. But if you want to donate to
Crumlin Children's hospital check out my fellow runner Tom: http://www.cmrf.org/sponsorshipmanager/Usr_EventDonation.asp?EventId=192

Ship...

2008-10-05T18:07:00.002+01:00

I woke up on a ship in the middle of the North Sea this morning.

Last thing I remember was sipping Akavit in a little Bar in Oslo with Jorge. Then it all gets hazy...

At least I wasn't wearing a sailor's uniform.

The ship is Color Fantasy, I'm writing this from my cabin, already on the return trip from Kiel. Some pictures will follow soon.

Restaurants in Rio

2008-09-06T14:07:00.002+01:00

This holiday I've mostly been sleeping, running and eating! So far we've been to the following great restaurants (I won't bother mentioning the not so great ones):

Academia da Cachaça
Greatly expanded in size, still a great informal Brazilian "tapas" style cafe. Best Caipirinhas in town.
Giuseppe Grill
Great beef and seafood restaurant. A bit pricey by Brazilian standards.
Restaurante Giuseppe
Same owners as the grill, and just around the corner, but the menu is more traditional Italian. The gnocchi is fantastic!
Mini Mok
Sushi and other Japanese treats. Very small place, very tasty food. Recently changed name from "nobu" but the menu is the same. Nothing to see on their website yet.
Fellini
The "kilo" across the road, probably the best restaurant of this type in Rio! You select from a large buffet and pay by the weight. (WARNING: terrible website)

I think next we'll have to try some of Mindy's recommendations:

Zazá Bistro
Siri Mole
(I hope the food is better than the website.)

In other news: I've been keeping up with the running, I train for 3 days and then take a day off, yesterday I managed 22.5km, but I was fairly slow given the heat! If it gets too hot I have the option of paying R$40 for the gym across the road, but I've only had to do that once.

Sleep, Run, Drink

2008-08-30T16:20:00.005+01:00

Yesterday was a great day to start our holidays. Bright and sunny all day but without being too hot (never got above 25 degrees). We got into the apartment around 8am. I unpacked and slept for 3 hours (no sleep on the flight), then I went for a quick run around Lagoa (the lagoon) just at sunset. Finally Academia da Cachaça for my caipirinha!

The weather in Rio is not so good today unfortunately. I ran in the morning (along the beach) without getting wet but it has been raining on and off since then!

Starting to blog again - on holidays

2008-08-28T20:12:00.002+01:00

I'm on holidays, hurrah!

I'm writing a blog, hurrah!
(On my Nokia N95 which I never bloged about before - more on that soon)

I've still got nothing to say, boo!
(partly why I stopped bloging)

Anyway, we're going to Rio, currently killing 3 hours in CDG, which means we're shopping.

Check back in 24 hours, there's more to come. After we land and I decide between sleep, run or caipirinha.
(unless something interesting happens before that - unlikely, or I get really bored shopping - quite likely - a review of terminal 2E dining options maybe?)

--
Mark Lenahan
(sent from phone)

IMRA Howth run

2008-05-02T20:05:00.004+01:00

I went for a run up around Howth with the IMRA (Irish Mountain Running Association). Kevin and some of his mates came along. All of them were faster than me! It was a lot harder and more dangerous than any of us expected. I think we were all about 20% slower than we estimated at the start. Despite being fairly experienced "flat" runners we knew nothing about hills. Anyway, we'll probably do it again because it was also great fun, there's nothing quite like reaching the top of a climb or charging down a narrow mountain path.

IMRA - http://www.imra.ie/
Event page - http://www.imra.ie/?sec1=racedetail&id=493
The results (I came 104th, just under 49 minutes)
The pictures
One Picture of Me!

I almost caught the brother at the end, had I known he was only a half minute ahead I might have made a better push towards the end, maybe next time...

MC Hawking - What We Need More Of Is Science

2008-03-24T16:57:00.001Z

This is very lazy blogging, just stumble across a youtube video you think is funny and cut and paste...

Goodbye Arthur

2008-03-18T23:25:00.003Z

In the Airport

2008-01-21T18:02:00.001Z

You know you travel too much when the guy in the Cafe on Pier C knows your order...

Actually that is an exaggeration, he doesn't know me, I don't travel that much, but this month's itinerary makes it feel like it. This week Oslo, then Munich next week, then Munich again the week after, then Oslo again.

My training is going to fall further and further behind, I did an hour on Saturday and before that nothing since New Year's Eve. Got my new Asics Gel Kayanos for 2008, hopefully that will motivate me. They are up to number XIV, not sure if they are a bit lighter and harder than the XIIIs or if I'm imagining it. My running buddy in Oslo has sacred me with stories of snow, slush and black ice. Might not do a lot this trip, though generally it is a great city for running, especially West along the coast.

Boarding now....