My usual list of housekeeping:

• install OpenOffice 2.2
• fix the map updates for the Nuvi sat-nav
• change the SSID and secure the wireless on the BT Homehub
• fix the laptop and wireless card
• provide recommendations for wireless and wired access for the work on the house

All in a days work.

I’ve been demoing ZENworks Configuration Management to partners across Europe for two weeks with no problems at all. Mainly running a live demo from my set of servers at home.

It’s risky - I might have a power outage, WAN outage, local issues - but so far so good.

I’ve also got a fully virtualised demo on my laptop incase things go bad.

Today both failed.

Internet access was via an authenticated proxy - and for some reason I couldn’t connect to my servers at home. Then my virtual demo started to get sick. Firefox kept hanging, Windows went slow, DNS stopped working. It all pointed to a networking conflict of some sort.

Eventually the technical team opened up their firewall so I didn’t need a proxy - and the demo looks great.

Two things I’ve learned again:

1. if something is going to fail - it will do. Big time.
2. always have a plan C (death by powerpoint) and maybe a plan D…

Around and about England in the last few weeks:

Recycling bins in Stoke Newington

Decoration on a fence, Stoke Newington

Seen on a wall on Park St in Bristol

Laurence purchased a nearly authentic (ahem) Tumi bag in China. Same market that we got the delightful Tag Heuer watches.

We were walking through Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris - and noticed this huge poster.

Today I am in Copenhagen, Denmark.

It’s a beautiful, sunny, warm spring day - and we are working with almost fifty regional partners. We are spending the day at the incredible Dansk Design Center - right in the middle of Copenhagen, opposite the Tivoli park.

Argh.

I’m trying to get back from Edinburgh to meet up with Grania, Aoife and Hugo for a few days off. It seems like Edinburgh airport doesn’t like me - I was almost stuck here last year.

First I arrived at the airport - just checked in - and there was a fire alarm. Everyone was evacuated from the airport for over 45 minutes.

Next my flight from Edinburgh is delayed because the inbound aircraft is delayed. First delay was over an hour; now it’s another hour or so.

I hope they don’t cancel that flight.

A day in Edinburgh - fly up, see customers, see a potential partner, fly back.

Another early start - but it’s good to not be away another night.

I visited the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing yesterday with Laurence.

It is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastries in the world; there is considerable controversy about the political freedom of the Tibetan Buddhists - certainly the monks in the monastry were all goverment approved.

That aside - it was a very tranquil and relaxing end to the day. The road to the monastry was lined with shops selling insense sticks; the smell of sandalwood was incredible.

Two more large panoramas - they are large files so download may be slow. The originals are massive.

Art imitating life?

Here is the advertising promotion for ’Shangri-la towers’ in the film Brazil:

And here is the poster I saw on the Beijing subway:

I flew into Beijing last Sunday - it was (surprisingly) a clear and sunny day. The Great Wall of China was clearly visible as we flew into Beijing.