Redundant Array of Independent Door-stoppers

Posted on 15 July, 2010 by Matthias Scheler

My home server is using RAID 1 to keep all the files stored on it safe. The idea is that if one of the hard disks fails I can just replace it without losing any data. Well, that is the theory.

Last night both of the hard disks in the primary RAID 1 volume of my server started to report bad blocks. As a result one of the hard disks got removed from the volume. Two attempts to add it back have failed because parts of the other hard disk cannot be read as well. My attempt to create a backup of the file system containing the bad block revealed more bad blocks and locked up the remaining disk. I will have to restore the data from last Saturday’s full backup. 🙁

I just hope the partially working hard disk will keep running until the two replacements arrive.

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A real Cambridge Cocker

Posted on 27 May, 2010 by Matthias Scheler

Our Cocker Spaniel puppy Vader has grown so much since we got him almost three month ago. He is now taller than even fully grown Cocker Spaniel bitches. We also managed to house train him in record time. And mostly thanks to Silke’s continuous efforts Vader does not only come when being called but also obeys other useful commands and walks well with or without a lead.

Last Friday Chris suggested to take advantage of the brilliant weather and go on a punting trip. As this sounded like an excellent idea we decided to join in and take Vader with us, while Silke also used it as an excuse to try a new Muffin recipe.

The following day we met with Chris and Jeremy at the Mill Pond in Cambridge and hired a punt. It was a really lovely day and the city centre was densely packed. After enjoying the sunshine for about half an hour in a nearby park we could board our punt. Vader was a bit nervous at the beginning because being on a boat was a new experience for him.

But after a while he really started to enjoy the trip.

Thanks to Chris’s and Jeremy’s formidable skills in handling a punt we made it all the way to the Byron’s Pool where a weir divides the river Cam. When we got off the boat we met Islay, an eight month old Labrador puppy, and her owners. Vader had a lot of fun playing with Islay and the two dogs zipped around us like bats out of hell.

After all that excitement and exercise Vader got very tired on the way back to Cambridge. After a few minutes he was sound asleep in the punt.

Overall we all had a really great day. Vader handled his first punting trip very well and enjoyed it like the rest of us.

If you want to see more pictures of our expedition please have a look at Chris’s blog posting.

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Game of the Month: BioShock 2

Posted on 24 May, 2010 by Matthias Scheler

At first glance BioShock 2 is just another first person shooter game. The player’s mission is to guide the main character through the remains of the underwater city Rapture, fight mutated humans and security robots and free the main character’s protégé.

What makes BioShock 2 a really good game is the excellent design and the elements of roll-playing and strategy games incorporated into the story:

  • The underwater city Rapture is a fascinating scenario. Its inhabitants managed to build this monument of human ingeniousness but failed to establish an utopian society. As a result the would-be paradise turned into hell on earth. This is very well reflected in the grandeur of the architecture which is now mostly in ruins.
  • At the beginning the main character’s abilities (and armament) are very limited. Over time he can however pick up two types of genetic enhancements, Plasmids and Tonics. Plasmids provide active powers like telekinesis or the ability to throw fireballs. Tonics provide passive abilities like camouflage or faster movements. These enhancements are however not easy to procure. A few of them can be found in secret locations but most of them need to be bought with a substance called ADAM. And collecting ADAM proves to be challenging as well. The player frequently needs to decide how to make best use of the limited supply of ADAM.
  • Over the course of the game the player encounters a number of minor characters. Some of them are friendly, others are hostile and a few can even switch sides depending on your behaviour. All in all they are very well written and voiced which contributes to the atmosphere of the game.
  • The player frequently has to defend a Little Sister against fiercely attacking Splicers. But thanks to an arsenal of special weapons like trap rivets, mini turrets and proximity mines it is possible to prepare for such a confrontation in advance to get the upper hand in the fight.
  • The behaviour of the main character during the game decided the ending of the story.

BioShock 2 doesn’t feature an original game concept but it is really well made. Overall it is definitely worth playing and even tops the first game, BioShock.

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