I guess those in-flight systems run Linux

Flying from Malaysia to Germany recently, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking we had perhaps gone off course… because on all the TV screens in the plane where the in-flight map usually is, was a penguin.

I’ve seen system failures at airports before (whether it be a random Windows dialog box, or a BSOD). But there’s something slightly more disconcerting about watching anything on a plane reboot while you are in the air. Especially something that was supposed to be tracking flight data.

Interestingly, once it got through the boot process, and the X windows startup (slowly), the map all came back – remembering where we had come from, and where we were going, but with no record of how we had got there (the flight path just went dead in the middle).

Still, we made it to the right place at the right time, so I guess all was well 🙂

Trip to the Philippines

I’ve just spent the better part of last week near Manila, and I have to say the stay was way too short. I really enjoyed myself there, and would have liked to stay on longer – I wish I’d taken the opportunity earlier. I’m not exactly sure what it was that endeared the place to me, but I felt very comfortable there.

Of course, the best thing is the people that I got to meet. I was in the country to meet the Mergere and Simula team at Exist Global, some of whom I’ve been working with for over a year and a half, and never had the opportunity to meet face to face. I already knew from working with them that they are friendly and helpful, but it was great to finally see that in person, and to discover what a close-knit group they are. Here is a photo of most of the team:

Left to Right: Dexter, Philip, Myself, Nap, Che, Lester, Jheng, Tin, Henry, Dawn, Mike, Deng, Teody, Glenn, Edwin, Franz

Unfortunately this week did see the last days for a couple of the Mergere team – Pete (not pictured), and Edwin. Good luck in your next adventures, guys!

The office there is good. It’s in a convenient location, at least for me being able to walk from the hotel (via the mega mall!). There’s a really nice view from the rooftop that I discovered on the last day where you can see quite a distance. And of course, just being in an air-conditioned office is a nice change from working from my home office/sauna since Sydney has similar temperatures and humidity to Manila at this time of year!

I got to try some new foods on the Friday – my first time eating a snail (which was surprisingly good), and Halo-halo which is a delicious desert.

I also went to Intramuros, the “walled city” in Manila. I’m fascinated by churches and history, so this was great place for me to visit. Absolutely beautiful. And proof that Starbucks is now pretty much everywhere. I’m always up for trying new things in new places – in addition to the new foods this was the first time I’d ridden in a horse-drawn carriage – and also the first time I’d ridden in a horse drawn carriage in major traffic. I have some photos to post, as soon as I can find a cable for my camera…

Anyway, I hope to return again soon, and my resolution for the next trip is definitely to get out of the hotel a lot more!

Updated: photos here