No I'm not dead

You may be forgiven for thinking I am dead or just being abducted by aliens.

No I've just been very lazy about posing any updates since I got back to Ireland.

Okay in my last post I was still in the USA, well from the above comment I did get back to Ireland.

So a quick summary of my last bit of America.
I finally drove the poor car into the ground!! It made it as far as Vegas but really needed to be swapped out 18,664 miles added to the poor car in under two months, not sure if Hertz has black listed me or not (guess I will see next time I go to rent a car)

In total I estimate I did ~ 23,000 miles in just over two months.

Car just before I returned it.

At the final tally I only missed Hawaii to visit all the US states, and since it was not a bond car driving to Hawaii was not a practical option (and yes I may have actually tried it if the option was available)

What have I been doing in Ireland for the last few months.

Well other than sleeping much more than I should have been :) some of the highlights include attending the EME 2012 conference in Cambridge (the original Cambridge in the UK not Massachusetts)

Some hiking in Ireland including sections of the Royal Canal in Ireland which is a lovely picturesque walk, also nice and level (just what my body needed to get over America)

Also I have just completed my PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors course in Ireland with Dive Inn Scuba I have to say this was a tiring experience both from the view of mental and physical, but the exams are now complete, jut waiting for the paperwork to be processed.

What Next...
Well I fly out of Ireland tomorrow for 3 and a half months, destination Asia.
Current planned destinations include Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Australia with maybe one or tow more stops included if they take my fancy.

I promise some more updates (Yea Yea I know you have heard that before but I will try)

Well to close some pictures from my the end of the America trip.

Ginnie Springs

Hoover Dam from the new Inter State bridge

Don't think I actually need to caption this!

 

 

 

Crater Lake in Yellow Stone National Park

 

Old Faithful letting go

Yellowstone buffalo with calf

Grand Canyon

And lastly a few pictures for the geeks out there from the computer history museum in Silicon Valley

Working Babbage Engine

Early Beowulf Cluster

 Believe it or not this last picture is actually the most poignant to me, this exhibit is almost hidden away at the computer history museum but it made me stop and look at it for maybe 10 minutes.  Yea Yea I can hear you saying WTF it is only a stack of computers (I won't go into details here of what a Beowulf cluster is, if you are interested google it!) But an article about this computer (this this actual one!) that I read just before going into second year of college was more responsible than anything else for setting the direction I have taken in my computer career.