Three of a perfect pair...

The Stick Men, Gavin Harrison & O5Ric Band night.

In the crowd, most of Porcupine Tree, Jakko, and loads more Prog Royalty.

#LFMF #PowerCLI Get-Folder contents #PowerShell

Because a “copy folder from the Datastore browser” backup of VM files is so inefficient, I’m writing a PowerShell process to improve my backups of the virtualised world.  Because I can move VM’s around onto different storage locations a hard coded “goto this datastore, download these VM’s” is going to need rewriting every time I do this.*

So I resolved to use as a starting point the Get-Folder command (and spawn a generic process for each Folder) that I have.

So I started to look at a folder (from the VMs and Templates view, not Hosts and Clusters) to do some testing on.  As the only, completely non active folder is Templates, I thought I’d start with that.

So the line of code I was looking at was something like:

Get-VM -Location (Get-Folder Templates) | Sort Name)

However I was getting nothing back, the code would run (there’s a lot more, but I won’t bore you with it until it’s all working), and there was a null result.  I didn’t quite spend days and days looking at it (see King Crimson - Indiscipline, Lyrics here), but I did spend quite a while thinking I’d got something wrong.

Then I had a thought – isn’t there a Get-Template command too?

Coded like this:
Get-Template -Location (Get-Folder Templates) | Sort Name)

I get some results.  Stupid of me to test a folder with wholly atypical contents

More later!

*I know some will wonder why I take flat file backups of VM’s.  It’s because I’m paranoid OK?  I copy them to external USB/FireWire drives for complete recoverability.  It’s not like I do it every day or anything

The Humans - a Twitter review

Obviously at a gig involving Robert Fripp, respect for the artiste forbids you from using your mobile phone to do any photography or reporting. So mine stayed firmly off on Tuesday night when we went to see the Humans at the Junction in Cambridge. However on getting home, I just had to share, so I did my 140 char or less thing a few times.
After positive comments (much to my surprise) for my twitter review of the King Crimson 5.1 DTS remasters I thought I'd share here. I won't keep you long!
Things I never expected to see (again) 1. Robert Fripp, in a band, in England.
Things I never expected to see 2. Robert Fripp play Purple Haze
Things I never expected to see 3. A gig without a single camera flash, out of respect for artist's wishes
Things I never expected to see 4. Robert Fripp sound like Steve Rothery (albeit not for long)
Things I never expected to see 5. Robert Fripp play a short soundbite that sounded a bit Starless
(& finally) Things I never expected to see 6. Robert Fripp play short soundbite that sounded a bit like the start of One More Red Nightmare

King Crimson 5.1 DTS remasters

Last week I spent an enjoyable amount of time listening to the 40th anniversary remasters instead of working. I tweeted as I went through them, and thought the tweets would make a different 'review' of them so:

Red
Wed Jan 06 11:48:24: King Crimson 40th remasters arrived yesterday, the 5.1 DTS version of Red is currently shaking the snow off the roof :-)))))
Wed Jan 06 11:56:25: RT @timbo_baggins: @pjbryant I KNEW you were a fecking hippy ... -) <-- LOL enough to overshadow Fripp on Red Nightmare :-)))))
Wed Jan 06 11:58:43: RT @HD41117: Ohhhh I'd like to hear that! Fabulous. <- snow or http://www.dgmlive.com/ :-)
Wed Jan 06 12:15:55: King Crimson, Starless, 5.1 DTS surround, very loud. BLISS. so much detail. Fripp just in front of me, Bruford's cymbal on my right shoulder
Wed Jan 06 12:18:13: Starless, 5.1 DTS guitar solo starts, Fripp moves to my right shoulder, Batterie moves stage front. Bass just everywhere, crescendo 1 & all
Wed Jan 06 12:21:17: Starless 5.1 DTS fecking hell 2nd CRESCENDO goosebumps all over, guitars fighting across the room. GO AND BUY THIS NOWWWW http://www.dgmlive.com/
Wed Jan 06 12:24:11: Starless 5.1 DTS finale - all out war around the room, and then final note fades, it's a whole new album.

In The Court Of The Crimson King
Wed Jan 06 12:27:42: @sgjsolutions sorry steve, better look away now ITCOTCK now in DTS.
Wed Jan 06 12:30:39: @HD41117 no, it's 40th anniversary box set. full 5.1 DTS or MLP 5.1 lossless dvd and mlp lossless stereo on 1 disk 24 bit, 48-96KHz
Wed Jan 06 12:32:17: In The Court Of The Crimson King DTS 5.1 - 21st Century Schizoid Man Robert's an althetic chap, crash chords sequencing around the room.
Wed Jan 06 12:34:20: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - 21st Century Schizoid Man Greg Lake dead ahead having taken singing lessons from the Daleks!!!
Wed Jan 06 12:38:09: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - I Talk To The Wind everythings gone breathy & beautful noodling Fripp just ahead, then descending plucks on right shoulder
Wed Jan 06 12:42:22: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - Epitaph begins with beautiful warming all enveloping swell of sound.
Wed Jan 06 12:44:03: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - Epitaph Greg's singing gorgeously, and Spanish guitar over right shoulder. My God that swell crescendo is amazing.
Wed Jan 06 12:46:00: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - Epitaph Sax and Batterie section reveberates. Paco Pena (sp?) now back on right shoulder. Finish should be good.
Wed Jan 06 12:48:23: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - Epitaph. "Finish should be good." It is. there's stuff in there I've never noticed before - some piano.
Wed Jan 06 12:51:19: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - Moonchild. I'm in the middle of the Batterie can 'see' every cymbal and bell and...
Wed Jan 06 13:01:27: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - Moonchild. Huge overfamiliarity with Young Person's version leads to whole new experience
Wed Jan 06 13:05:01: RT @timbo_baggins: @HD41117 can see Mr Bryant is having a productive day. My hifi _only_ has 2speakers & a sub <-- yes, v productive!
Wed Jan 06 13:08:15: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - and so to ITCOTCK. wondeful detail, Paco Pena now front left, choral section just complete and sublime.
Wed Jan 06 13:13:06: ITCOTCK DTS 5.1 - ITCOTCK. 'fairground organ' intro to outro breathy & outro collapses into centre speaker. Brilliant. OK, Lizard or lunch?
Wed Jan 06 14:39:28: King Crimson update - I now have work to do :-(. Saving Lizard for tomorrow. Guess, looking back, a hashtag might have been a good idea!

Lizard
Thu Jan 07 12:07:27: King Crimson 5.1 DTS Lizard. Here we go....
Thu Jan 07 12:10:47: Lizard 5.1 DTS Cirkus. ooh, that was gd opening vocal fades right shoulder 2 front centre. Echo voice bounces off rear. Cracking detail
Thu Jan 07 12:16:21: RT @timbo_baggins: RT @pjbryant: King Crimson 5.1 DTS Lizard. Here we go.... <---again ;-) <-- LOL Tim, last one (for now)
Thu Jan 07 12:18:16: Lizard 5.1 DTS Indoor Games. All the jaunty Jazz is captured, odd instruments all around. It seems like i am inside the acoustic guitar!
Thu Jan 07 12:20:15: @hutchings More a King Crimson obsession :-)
Thu Jan 07 12:24:18: Lizard 5.1 DTS Happy Family. There seems to be Cyberman singing on back right. Might not be, not suggested Delete or Upgrade yet :-)
Thu Jan 07 12:27:55: Lizard 5.1 DTS Lady of the dancing water. This sounds a lot like Ant Phillips (ex Genesis) in design and execution, with Gabriel on flute.
Thu Jan 07 12:34:43: Lizard 5.1 DTS. By now I know why I don't know it this so well. Not that i "don't like" Lizard, more i don't "love it" so not played so much
Thu Jan 07 12:38:05: Lizard 5.1 DTS. Lizard. Cor Anglais a few mins in is almost a future echo of Starless. Is Fripp a Timelord?
Thu Jan 07 12:39:52: Lizard 5.1 DTS. Lizard. I cannot agree with the sleeve notes (can i call them that?) "too big an LP for just stereo". Not sure 5.1 is enough
Thu Jan 07 12:41:21: Lizard 5.1 DTS. Lizard. OOPS - I cannot agree MORE with the sleeve notes (can i call them that?) "too big an LP for just stereo".
Thu Jan 07 12:43:41: @HD41117 good point, checked back left is working, it is but the emphasis seems on the diagonal FL to BR. Maybe someone MOVED MY CHAIR!!
Thu Jan 07 12:46:54: @HD41117 nope, stood 'tween left speakers (at all 4 points of compass to eliminate ear bias) 4 "right" sax going on, & def right (ish)
Thu Jan 07 12:48:44: Lizard 5.1 DTS. Lizard. Interesting piano notes bouncing around and alternating left and right rear. No wonder this album split the fans.
Thu Jan 07 12:49:47: RT @timbo_baggins: You mean you don't have 7.1? I'm shocked. ;-) <skipping that, waiting for 9.3 :-)
Thu Jan 07 12:55:51: King Crimson 5.1 DTS. and that's it. Steve Wilson's done an amazing job. Looking forward to the next few.
Thu Jan 07 12:57:37: King Crimson 5.1 DTS. In the meantime, Wager's Ring cycle anyone? <ducks and runs>

If this slight madness interests you then there might be more at Twitter<http://twitter.com/pjbryant> one day

more vSphere pain... (and education!)

Coming soon - an investigation into vCentre 4 (upgraded from 3.5) misbehaviour. vCentre and Update Manager services will not start after a reboot...


Update 1 - up until 2am this morning trying to get vCentre4 to work properly. it's a "fill your boots" install with Guided Consolidation, Update Manager, Convertor; and all on a local SQL Express (or MSDE as I still incorrectly think of it :-)). Anyway, last week the upgrade to VI4 went well, and over the weekend I upgraded the ESX hosts to 4 and patched them.


Then I rebooted the entire infrastructure - a kind of defence mechanism for me after changes of this nature to make sure it all works. And it didn't. ESX4 hosts were fine, but I could no longer access the vCentre4 box.

I hope I have started a trend

Whilst in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia today (top 7 urban space! - more later) I visited a lovely tea room (The Garden Café I think) - it's down the hill from the stations, and well worth a visit.
Pam, the owner, is not trying to compete with the coffee stores (Starbucks is there, and Borders has a Seattle franchise). So tea is the order of the day. I went there for some water to cool down in the 91°F heat.
After leaving I realised that a) I'd not seen Pimms on this trip (except a largely unused bottle in a bar where they serve it neat); and b) I really wanted some to refresh me.
So I went back for a cup of assam tea :-).
We discussed liquor licencing (sic) and $100,000 ought to cover a licence (ouch), but free samples are OK.
So I told Pam about the English Pimms types (No 1, 3, 6 cups) and how we drink it and how wonderfully refreshing it is. She loved the idea. So she might well use it in a promotion event as an "English" thing.
I do hope I return to Philly in a few years to find afternoon Pimms in the heat is fashionable!!

The American obsession with status - a substitute for British class?

During this trip every tour guide (book, leaflet or human!) has obsessed with "the longest, shortest, oldest" to the point where the urban village I visited today is in the top 7 urban spaces/communities. Now I don't think Forbes publishes top 7 lists, so: either they were seventh and preferred that status to top ten; or Forbes does publish a top 7 list. Even so, my perception shows the point anyway, it's what I expected of them - 7th in the US was not enough.

I have visited the third oldest working watermill on the Eastern seaboard previously. Why cannot "very old" suffice? Was the Eastern bit added to make it third and not 10th?

But to my point. Class in the UK is about status (see the Frost Report sketch with Ronnies Barker and Corbett and John Cleese - I'm sure it's on Youtube*). People gain positive or inverted pride in their relative status.

In the US this was deflected into racial equal rights and so on. Now I'm not saying those problems are gone, but is there some latent human need to classify and position yourself in a list?

* yes it is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0DUsGSMwZY

Indiana Jones and the Lost Pension...

'nuff said!

And so it ends...

Tonight was (probably) my last ever King Crimson gig. I don't expect they will tour again, and the 4 nights in New York at the weekend are just not possible both from a time away from home perspective and the need to take my Dad to the rugby!

The evening started with a chat with Sid Smith again (Biography Person) included a filmed interview which I hope will be posted soon (http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm). If you see me swearing gently mother, it was a quote from Friendy Person. !!
The show was a blast, but shorter than others. I found it strange finally having a gig where all I could see of Mr Fripp was the top of his head (as did the vast majority of the crowd)! Somehow his music was more present in the mix as a result.

Friendy person and I quickly moved the car post gig (we'd left someone with a tight exit) and returned to the bar opposite the venue where a Boddington's was welcome. Floyd's Comfortably Numb on the jukebox, and then back to the car. The venue was by now lights out, closed and dead. Very sad.

A quick run to the subway to drop friendy person off with a quick farewell (his train was waiting), and back to the digs. Nursing the car back to try to avoid refuelling before returning to the airport tomorrow.

And so to bed.

On trains PPS

Chestnut Hill East is the end of the line. I asked which platform (there are 3), "whichever track is comes in on Honey" !!

On trains PS

And it left on time too!

On trains

Blimey. Travelling in from suburbs to Philly today. Going in after the rush.

A single is $5, the return is $6.50; oh but I'm coming back in the rush hour so that'll be an extra $1.25 please! And you get 2 tickets, one valid for non-rush, one valid.

None of theis poxy ex-BR stuff where you have to get a full return or avoid the blue saver Tuesday mid month special saver for those under 5' 3"...

Yes I know all that fare complication has mostly gone, but I mean, £3.90 for a half hour return run into town...

There's lot to dislike about America, but this "ain't" it. (and don't start me on that list!!)

B&B part 2

Eventually got my room sorted whilst my friend waited. Then I dropped him off at the train, and killed time with a new camera I bought for someone until the call came "pick me up" and go gigging (he had to go downtown to hostel with his gear to book in).

The venue for tonight's gig was in a village area some distance away. And we gave an Israeli (staying at B&B with his wife for the gig) a lift up there.

Gig was in lovely old theatre without a balcony. Reserved seats meant no queuing, and we were in the right place to see Fripp. My friend's "shut up ****heads" shout to the whoopers and yellers was on standby, but instead he mocked by joining in :-)

A lift back to the station (through a slightly dodgy area) for friendy person, a not so quick splash and dash at Exxon (sorry Alaska!) made easier by presence of a uniformed copper and car, and made harder by unfathomable system - pay $10 to cashier first, then take nozzle, then lift the thing the pump nozzle sits on (the start button apparently) and $10 of fuel pumped.

Four miles to B&B and done by 10 ish. Now for some R&R having done about 1000 miles in 2 and a bit days.

Strange B&B part 1

In Philadelphia now and the B&B is quite eccentric - in a good way. A lovely old building 4 miles down Stenton Ave, and a bit gothic in feel from the outside (almost Psycho filmish!). The proprietor is a Polish émigré and speaks decent English, her son appears American, and the housekeeper (who was on duty when I arrived) speaks about 3 words of English. Son was gardening when I arrived and came in to translate when things got slightly weird :-)

Amish shopping

We drove through the right area for Amish today (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania), having stopped first at another traditional diner where a great breakfast that kept me going from 11am to bedtime was taken.

On driving through the main Amish area town of Intercourse (I kid you not!!) we pulled into the store. Amish dressed staff served and I looked at a few things for my wife - decorative plates and bowls, and more pleasingly local custom "barn stars" in use now now of metal and left to rust (previously wood, before that painted on) from a German custom. These were modestly sized and would make a perfect addition to our minimalist Christmas tree.

Then I checked the labels. "made in China". I was outraged, and put them back. Leaves my "present for my wife" plans in tatters, but I'm not willing to play that game.

Hurrah for satellite radio!!

A 900 mile over three days is never too much fun, even in the wide open spaces of the USA.

Our hire car has XM satellite. Having worked through X(M!) thousand channels we found we could sublist it to rock and found Top Tracks. loads of great music and "name that band" is a great distraction!!*

* I'm winning 9.5 to 5

PS I won 12.5 to 8

Can you believe it?

Finding a hotel just off I-80 ought to be easy. Get to the junction with the 346, go south a bit and it's just by the Starbucks, turn left and you are there...

But you are not.

So you go 2-3 miles in each direction from the junction, nothing, zip, nada (as they say over here).

So. You ring and get directions and you canot understand them. In the meantime it's starts hammering down. You reference the Walgreens pharmacy on the corner. And then you find out... There is the I-80 and the business I-80 and they run parallel so you go back to square one and then find it.

Hurrah!

And then I go and blow it by leaving my UK to US charger behind....

It's Saturday, it must be Cleveland

At the rock and roll hall of fame with a really amazing set of artifacts and a superb history of rock and roll.

A great tonic after 300+ miles on the road!

Keep Talking

Where it all started

Uno's (or Due's) on Grand and Wabach (sp?), north side of Wabach on the west side of the road.

The original deep pan pizza company.

But be ready to wait - it can take an hour or more if they're busy!!!