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Misc Personal projects Tech

Deployment options for Rails

Over the past year, I have needed to deploy Ruby on Rails applications to the cloud, and I have tried a few methods.

  • Capistrano
    This cool system and is fairly interesting, but not the most modern technique it creates files called cap files which then can be used to deploy the app over SSH. However the main issue being scaling, since it only deploys to one location it means auto scaling becomes difficult.
  • Heroku
    Heroku is a PaaS system, meaning you don’t have to deal with server configuration, the application runs inside a specially configured docker container. In terms of ease of use Heroku scores very highly, Heroku makes it very easy to deploy an Application to production. However it being a platform you pay a premium for the ease of use.
  • Docker
    This methods seems the most hands on but it grants the most options, and probably the most modern.
    My recommendation is to create a deployment docker file, which can build the file from a Git repository. Then its your choice if you use something like kubernetes, or Docker Swarm to create other containers with the app running.
  • Dokku
    Dokku is an interesting project. The program uses docker containers in the backend and configures them. So in a way you can host your own PaaS system, it requires some configuration, however It can lead to a very effective PaaS System.

In the end, the type of deployment you do depends on the requirements of the project.

Categories
Code News Personal projects

New Code blog

Collie.codes is the new blog for Projects I am working on.

 

I have been keeping this on the back-burner for a while now, but I have finally gone live with a blog to keep people up to date with all of the projects which I am currently working on and all of the projects I have finished. In addition I made a Scrum board for my self, which works for each project listed on the website .

Which is very handy for keeping up to date with projects and seeing what needs to be done at a moments notice, I took inspiration from the TV show Silicon Valley, for the layout of this particular scrum board. It also in the backend as the ability to add keys to highlight particular tasks. EG Networking related things might be Green, but I didn’t end up adding to the final build since I am the only one using it so the tasks are pretty clear to me what are they fall under.

 

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Uncategorized

UAV Object recognition

Overview

Recently I have been working/designing a UAV system, to be able to detect people, then from that be able to relay this to a ground station. I like it call the this system UAVS (Unmanned aerial vehicle Sighting)

Reason

On large ships, when a person is overboard (MOB), there is very little that can be done, apart from release a Lifebuoy, however often in large waves, it is very easy to lose sight of the MOB. So using a UAS system it means that you can get an aerial view, hopefully allowing for the MOB to be found and rescued.

Technical Overview

I have planned to use a single Raspberry Pi to run both the servos, to allow for the 2 freedoms of movement, also allowing for the camera to seek and find objects on the ground/sea.

The Raspberry Pi is running a software called YOLO which is an object detection and recognition system so far has been very reliable about identifying objects. However since the Raspberry Pi CPU power is very limited it means that the there is a significant drop in frames during the recognition process which could be problematic. However the solution is simply to use a more powerful device. 

side view
Top side view
Data flow schema

Overview of Systems

  • Plane: Bixler 2
  • Camera Simple HD Usb camera (However Thermal optics, would be ideal for night time operations)
  • AI recognition system: Tensorflow
  • Video transmitter: Fat Shark 600mW 5.8 GHz A/V Transmitter
  • Control system: Futaba
  • Battery: 2x 1600 mAh 3s LiPo (1x for Motor Power and Another for the Raspberry Pi)

Possible problems

Though this solves the problem of sighting, it still needs to be autonomous, right now it needs a person to operate the UAS, and observe sightings in the video link. So would require training and special equipment which is not practical for many instances.

Another possible problem is that since the drone is very light in order to maximise flight time. It means that in high winds like during a storm it will be blown very quickly away from the ship. To combat this it could make since to use a Quadcopter in order to have more control during storms. However during light winds it makes since to use a light plane. Since it allows for a greater distance to be covered.

Future

I will try and update this Blog with all the progress from this project, so expect updates shortly.

Categories
Code Misc Personal projects

Dev-ops on an iPad

The surprising power of an iPad

Recently I have been testing my skills/patience by trying to make and develop websites using an iPad (Pro 10.5 with smart Keyboard).

SSH

SSH initially seemed like a big hurdle since many web based SSH Clients are Java based Applets. However using an IOS app called Coda which comes with a SFTP/FTP client and SSH this was no longer and problem, however there are is probably a limitation with the usage of PEM, however I have limited usage with PEM, so your mileage may vary.

MYSQL

This is probably the weakest part of the whole experience, there are many apps however which can help with database management, in addition using phpMyAdmin might be the easiest and cheapest for most people.

Web development

A major problem which I found is that the iPad cannot run any server-side code (php, Ruby, Node.JS). So It was limited to just HTML and JS. However the workaround is to use a VPS, to use as a development server, and run and modify the code remotely, this is not ideal however at a pinch it is a viable alternative, especially if you create a disk image of a pre configured server, then all you have to do is start a VPS with the disk image and transfer the file you need to work on.

In iPad review

Though it is possible to deploy and run websites just from an iPad, it can be very frustrating especially when moving files around, however IOS 11 has helped the file experience on iOS. The experience is still sub par compared to a desktop. However it is nice to know it is possible, however I would only consider doing this with either an external keyboard or a smart keyboard since using the onscreen keyboard seriously limits usable space.

Categories
Code

My New/Old Keyboard

IBM Model M

I am a big fan of mechanical Keyboards, having used and owned one since 2013 (yea not that long). However I have decided to upgrade my keyboard to the legendary IBM Model M, heralded due to its Buckling spring design.

The IBM model M is like nothing I have ever used before. It has an unparalleled tactility and provides a physical and audible clunk each time a key is pressed creating one smooth and fast typing experience. The Cherry MX switches which I’ve used before provided an ok feeling and noise, however the underlying plastic below the keys lead to inferior sound quality when compared to the Model M.

When I Initially purchased my IBM model M I realise that I’d accidentally purchased a terminal edition keyboard, meaning it had a different layout and a different connector, using a rj45 better known as ethernet port. However it wasn’t a traditional ethernet port, requiring a special converter so I had to order a part from America to make it work. But I’m so glad I did.

It has led to an increase in my typing speed and overall is a much smoother typing experience. If you do a lot of typing like I do it’s probably worth getting a mechanical keyboard.  Many people including me speculate that the spring nature found in mechanical keyboards leads to an increase in typing speed and accuracy because your fingers build better muscle memory between keys and can be brought back up faster with physical and audible feedback. Whereas in a rubber dome key switch the key needs to be bottomed out to create a contact, leading to an increase in the time between keys pressed. Thus in a mechanical keyboard it only needs to be pressed around halfway for the key to make contact and the machine to register the key pressed, leading to increasing speed of typing.

 

A demonstration of me typing jargon into the keyboard

 

https://youtu.be/hXl1a4RK_hA

 

Categories
Code Personal projects

Why I moved my hosting from shared to VPS?

My situation

I was a tenant on a larger server. I was suffering a lot of outages which for my US readers was an issue. In addition the package I was on, limited my access to the server, so I could not add php code(Server side programming language) which limited the usability of the domain.

The VPS hosting provider

I had a few choices before I made the move do I do a windows environment, or Linux. I was on a windows provider and I did not see a reason to justify the cost of windows server license. Also I did not really see any benefits vs Ubuntu server LTS(which is what I am using now). The VPS host, I had used both Linode and DigitalOcean before I was more impressed by both. I chose DigitalOcean since I preferred its choice in servers, and configurations. Both offer SSD servers at reasonable prices. They can also allow me to easily add more servers if I need them in the future.

Worth it?

Hell yes!, I have full control over the server, so if I want to turn one into a game server at any time I can. I can easily run all the applications I want(Email murmur). It makes me much more flexible.

 

Is it for you?

Hard to say. If you are familiar with Linux and servers then probably, if not you will get very confused since the learning curve for server is sharp. I would recommend getting a raspberry pi loading Ubuntu server and seeing if you can run WordPress on it before you start paying for a VPS. In addition hold onto the old hosting provider for emails since setting up emails on a server can be a massive issue. Since there are many pitfalls like ip blocking which you can run into.

In the end it all down to personal preference.

 

Categories
Code Help Personal projects

Common mistakes and solutions when setting up WordPress

The move from, shared hosting to personal VPS and the issues associated.

 

I moved the blog.alexcollie.com over to a personal VPS, which allowed for a greater deal of customisation.

However I was plagued  with issues. Like the php code not being able to modify the WordPress files. All of these challenges are simply solved, but do take a lot of googling.

Common mistakes I made

This error with trying to connect Jetpack

jetpack Please contact your hosting provider to enable PHP’s XML extension.

It seemed like no one else had suffered the same issue.

The solution was really easy just do.(php 7 code)

apt install php-xml

or depending on apt version

apt-get install php-xml

Every time you try and install a or plugin or upload an image or post it said

To perform the requested action, WordPress needs to access your web server. Please enter your FTP credentials to proceed. If you do not remember your credentials, you should contact your web host.

This was a permissions issue were the php code did not have the rights to modify any of the files. Again it a really easy fix

chown -Rf www-data.www-data /var/www/html/

Just change ‘html’ to where the WordPress file is located.

I can think this page for this solution

 

When I tried to crop img inside WordPress it could run into errors.

sudo apt-get install php-gd

or

sudo apt install php-gd

This adds a library which allows php to crop images.

 

Despite all of these errors. Linux/GNU is amazing.

 

 

Categories
News

New Site

New Site New Blog

I have finally moved over to a WordPress based blog, rather than a HTML page which I had to create each time.

I will migrate all of the other posts over to the new format and the look of the page might change, but the blog.alexcollie.com will remain where all my blog posts go.

www.alexcollie.com will remain for my portfolio and other larger projects.

 

Expect many more posts. Since it much easier for me to post here.

Please subscribe to my blog.

 

Categories
Personal projects Tech

My experience building a 3d Printer

Times are changing

So when I started building my 3d printer, I had an idea of what 3d printers were, and how they could be useful. However, after finishing it I have come to the realisation that 3d printers are so much more, there is nothing like the feeling of power, of seeing an object from a film or TV show and then just deciding lets build that object. Then, 5 hours later you have it in your hands. Calling it a 3d printer for me is too simplistic, since printers to me just creates objects to be viewed but a 3d printers on the other hand can create objects that can be interacted with. I prefer the term 3d fabricator, which has the added bonus of sounding like it is straight from a sci-fi film.

Building a 3d printer was remarkably easy for me at least there was no direct soldering, but a lot of bug testing when I thought I had finished the build.

I can 100% see a more refined version in many peoples houses in a few years. A 3d printer is such a practical object with so many applications. I found out the other day I that the international space station has now installed a 3d printer, so they don’t need to wait for supplies to install new hardware.

 

However,

As it currently stands 3d printers have a few limitations. They are big and noisy; they often require a lot of technical knowledge. They also, have a few material limitations plastics are currently the easiest the the most commonly available specifically, PLA and ABS. However, for wood and other materials it will might require a more specialised extruder head which can add the the already high costs of a 3d printer.

All things considered, it was worth me it was interesting peak inside the 3d printing world, and I hope to see lots more development in the future.

Here is a video of my 3d printer building the Gherkin.