I’m informed that King Neptune has claimed the (replica) HMS Bounty; she’s been lost at sea. A ship I’d have liked to see.

—

Update: Peter has a photo from the USCG of the Bounty going down. Also, there were mixed reports, but per the Bounty’s website, all 17 crew were in rafts as she sank.

Update #2: The USCG reported that they rescued 14 and were searching for two. Maybe the Bounty’s website wasn’t sure about how many were on board.

Update #3: USCG has video of the extraction.

In a large enterprise network, one so large and complex that it takes a staff of, say, 25 or 30 sysadmins to keep it running, this statement doesn’t even come close to serving as useful documentation:

1. Kickstart CentOS. This is a standard kickstart using Cobbler.

And?

What then?

Where is the Cobbler server?

How does one normally access it?

Who controls the administrative logins for Cobbler?

To which network or VLAN is it connected?

Is there DHCP on that network?

Where do we obtain IP addresses?

Who controls DNS?

What procedures are there for inventory control?

Do you have an exact, real-world example that can be used to guide us?

“Wow, that’s a lot of questions. Are you sure you’re a senior sysadmin? Why can’t you just do this?”

Well, I thought I was until I started reading something called documentation.

The best documentation will begin with an outline of the task or project, have a list of specific things that must be done, and also provide a real-world, step by step example of exactly what must be done to accomplish it along with enough information to educate your administrators about how and why things are done the way they are so they can make independent decisions.

Doing this may be perfectly obvious to the person who designed it, installed it, and has been maintaining it for the last ten years. But giving your otherwise experienced admins vague answers, or worse, sarcasm for not knowing what you know, will lead to frustration and alienation.

I’ve a vodka bottle, the contents of which, I’ve absolutely no intention of drinking.

However, a small amount of the contents of the vodka bottle, along with the ingredients in this photo, combined in the right way and at the right time, will create five glorious gallons of the most spectacular, dark, vanilla-scented Porter one’s palate has ever encountered…

Assorted grains, barley, hops, muslin hop & grain socks, some liquid malt extract, five vanilla beans, and some brewer’s yeast.

The worst part will be waiting for the yeast to do its job and convert all that sugar into a more useful compound.

Doug asked if I’d like to meet him and his boys at the range this evening…as if I’d say no. Wound up doing a few rounds from the AR (and quite pleased with its 100yd performance) and through the 1911 (and feeling very much better about it, too).

But he also wanted me to grab a few shots of his oldest with some of the older rifles. I said that was a good idea, but didn’t bring along my good camera and strobes.

“You can’t use your phone?” he asked.

“You can’t use yours?” I replied.

Instead, I grabbed a couple iPhone photos after an obsessive amount of checking magazines and chambers before getting in front of the business ends of the 91/30 and that little 22 Stevens.

Afterward, I had a few ideas for better photos–but I’ll need to take the D40, a pair of strobes and stands, an umbrella, and a couple CTO filters on the next range trip.

I see things like Little Yellow Door — a college student built her own tiny Tumbleweed house on wheels — and get a flash of motivation and a bit of inspiration.

I love tiny houses. Completely impractical for my whole family. But it doesn’t change the fact that I want to build one… or several of those. Those things are brilliant!

Now, for an excuse:

– I need a suitable home office that’s quiet, above ground level, and organized. Oh, yes. A tiny house would do quite nicely for that, thankyouverymuch.

– How about a “reloading shop” on wheels? Something that would also be suitable to take out to shooting events where the kids, for now, are far too small to join?

[Ed: – Or maybe a ham-shack complete with a small crank-up antenna mast?]

– I’ll probably never retire, and I can’t afford to pay for college for any of my kids. But maybe by the time they each turn 18, I could gift them with their own tiny house! “Happy birthday; I love you so much that I built you your first home!”

And perhaps the best excuse of all to build one, or two, or three: because I want to.