A Fair Desire

mysqld is dead

I just found out that the MySQL server on one of my servers hasn't been running for a month. That is kind of embarrassing. But I thought I would just start it back up and life would be good again.

Except it didn't want to start. Strange!

This is what the log looked like when I tried to start MySQL:

Jul 13 05:45:41 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:41 [Warning] option 'thread_stack': unsigned value 65536 adjusted to 131072
Jul 13 05:45:41 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:41  InnoDB: Started; log sequence number 0 43655
Jul 13 05:45:41 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:41 [ERROR] Can't start server: Bind on TCP/IP port: Cannot assign requested address
Jul 13 05:45:41 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:41 [ERROR] Do you already have another mysqld server running on port: 3306 ?
Jul 13 05:45:41 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:41 [ERROR] Aborting
Jul 13 05:45:41 li91-222 mysqld[17063]:
Jul 13 05:45:41 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:41  InnoDB: Starting shutdown...
Jul 13 05:45:42 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:42  InnoDB: Shutdown completed; log sequence number 0 43655
Jul 13 05:45:42 li91-222 mysqld[17063]: 100713  5:45:42 [Note] /usr/sbin/mysqld: Shutdown complete


So, something about not being able to bind to the port, got it. But I'm pretty sure nothing else is running on port 3306, especially not mysqld. So that error message is a bit misleading.

After some searching around, I found someone who reported they had this same problem when their loopback device wasn't started up properly. Sounded weird, but I checked (ifconfig) and...no loopback device. Next step, ifup lo. Didn't work. So I checked /etc/network/interfaces. It looked like this:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

pre-up iptables-restore < /iptables.conf

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp


So, what was the problem? iptables.conf didn't exist. Solution: create it, comment out the line, or remove the line. Then run ifup lo again.

This problem seems to stem from when I restarted my Linode server for the first time ever in order to take advantage of their big free increase in RAM. (It's now $19.95/month for 512MB.)

What's my password?

I hadn't had to touch the database in quite a while (obviously, since I did not even know it was down), so I completely forgot the password. Seems like quite a problem, doesn't it? Well, it turns out resetting any MySQL password is actually really easy. Almost too easy, to be honest.

The instructions are here.

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There is no way I have the time to write up something detailed about the books I have read lately. But here is a glimpse.

The Maharajah and Other Stories by T.H. White

I did not used to like short stories, but now I enjoy them. I've found that I can get through a couple before I fall asleep at night, and I don't have to remember what I read or even where in the book I stopped. I can start anywhere in the book I want..

This book is a collection of short stories by T.H. White. It is so rare to see a book by him other than The Once and Future King that I was compelled to buy it (and Mistress Masham's Repose, but I have not read that yet.) This collection does not seem to have any real theme, jumping from century to century, sometimes fantastical and sometimes very commonplace.

If you like White and short stories, then you might want to read these. On the other hand, I was not particularly blown away by them.

The October Country by Ray Bradbury

This book is a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury (also, my edition claims to be "Wonderfully illustrated throughout," a statement with which I disagree.) There is a darkness to most of the stories, if not outright horror. But it is a kind of creeping, lurking darkness. You know that it is coming. But you continue hoping that it does not, until the final page of the story when it is all over and you wish that the shadows in the bedroom were not quite so darkly edged.

I don't know where that all came from. The author notes most of these stories were written before he was 26. Thought you should know.

Majipoor Chronicles by Robert Silverberg

Hey, guess what? This is a collection of short stories! By Robert Silverberg. I was a little wary of this one, because it was clearly meant to be part of some series of books, but it was in the clearance bin for $1, so...

The stories in this book are set in a pretty cool universe. The neat thing is that you just get glimpses of it, from all different time periods. In fact, the author uses a neat device where a guy sneaks into this machine with memories that you can relive. Each story is actually the reliving of the memories of different people (I use the term loosely...if you have multiple sentient races, are they all "people'"?) on this planet called Majipoor. The stories were engrossing, and now I want to read everything about this place. I'm keeping an eye out for any novels in the series.

The Fountains of Paradise by Arther C. Clark

This book won both a Hugo and a Nebula award, so it's probably pretty good. You probably don't even need to read this review, because, I mean, it won the Hugo and Nebula. But, if you are not completely convinced by such accolades, this book is basically about building a space elevator. Also, it is not a collection of short stories, it is a novel.

Did you know that Arthur C. Clark came up with the idea of geostationary satellites? Well, he did. And they are kind of important for space elevators, so  you can imagine the connection. In fact, the space elevator would be the connection. Between the earth and the geostationary satellite...yes...pun...made...

Anyhow, the book is not entirely about space elevators. In fact, it is also about another guy way back when who built an awesome castle with some sweet fountains. You will find that out pretty quickly, though. But there is another thing that just pops up out of nowhere in the middle of the book. It is a surprise. I was surprised by it. I said to myself, "Wow, I thought this book was about space elevators and castles and a monastery thing, but it looks like there is something else, too!" But I am not going to say what it is, because then it is no longer a surprise.

Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg

This is very short book. But I liked it. Here's the idea: You have time travel. But you can only go backwards in time. Now, let's say you have an authoritarian but humanitarian government, plus there are political revolutionaries that need to be put down. Well! It is only logical that you will send them a billion years into the past. I mean, they probably aren't dead, but they certainly won't be threatening your government anymore.

So, that is the basic idea of the book. It flips back and forth between following some of the revolutionaries in the future (well, 2015) and their fate a billion years (roughly) in the past. I found it particularly interesting that the "time machine" and its destination were in lockstep. The time machine and its destination were always a billion years apart. But, really, the people in 2015 had no idea if the people (and supplies) they sent back even survived. Anyway, the book is only 176 pages, so I probably should not tell you anything else about it.

Time and Again by Clifford D. Simak

Hey, it is a book by Clifford D. Simak. It has "Time" in the title. Hmmm...I wonder if he will put time travel in this one? Uh, yes, of course he does. Because he does that all the time. But this one is actually pretty good, even though I have started to spot some serious patterns in his novels (like starting out with some guy who is all mysterious or even amnesic and then eventually is on the run or fighting "the man" or something). This one is does the whole "Well, if you jump 10 years into the past, I'll just 10.1 years back and then I'll be there when you get there and I'll stop you from doing that thing you do, except if I know in the future you do that thing, then you have already done that thing, so how can I stop you argh time travel paradox ouch ow ow." But this novel manages to do it well enough to be entertaining and interesting. Maybe I will not give up on Mr. Simak just yet.

I Will Fear No Evil by Robert Heinlein

Here it comes. (What comes?) The first negative review. (Oh noes!) I have something to confess. I am ashamed to say this. It has not happened to me in years. But...I was not able to finish this book. I became that disinterested in it. There. I said it. Sorry, Mr. Heinlein. In his defense, though, I guess he was really sick while writing this book and he was not able to make the final edits. Still, I suggest avoiding this one.

Perhaps you would like some justification, though! PERHAPS. Well, then, no need to shout. Here's the idea: an old rich guy is dying. He thinks to himself, "I don't wanna die! My body is just worn out...well, what if I got a new body?" So he arranges his brain to be transplanted into a new body. THEN what happens? OH NOES it is a female body. A crotchety old man now has a hot, young, female body. I bet you can guess the kind of stuff that happens next? I BET NOT. I bet you didn't guess this hot, young, female body belonged to his secretary, and now that his brain is in her head, he can talk with remnants of her brain (or her ghost or spirit or something). This is what drove me nuts. Most of the book consists of long, rambling conversations in his head with her. Or her head with her. Or...whatever. Then it got all weird and he (she) decided to have a baby and I don't know I gave up on it.

But at least it has a pretty cool title.

"What Do You Care What Other People Think?"  by Richard P. Feynman

What is this? This is not science fiction! It's not even fiction! It's almost autobiographical! What kind of nonsense...

Yeah, well. If you have not read anything by Richard Feynman, then you should. The guy was a genius and also very entertaining. In fact, you know what? I am going to give you a free gift, from me to you. You can read the entirety of "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman!" online, right here. I'm doing this because Feynman has a magical way of making life (and science) seem interesting and fun, an adventure.

But this book (sort of a sequel) is much less light-hearted. The first half is about his first marriage. Now, try not to cry. He married a girl who was diagnosed with tuberculosis and only had seven years to live. She was in the hospital their entire marriage. She spent all her time thinking up funny letters or cute things to do for him...well, anyway. The middle part of the book is some random stuff and some letters. The last half of the book describes Feynman's part in the Challenger investigation. It is fascinating (and also points out the sad reality of bureaucracy). It goes through his thought processes and how he figured out different aspects of the situation. It is really amazing.

So, you should probably read it.

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Title: The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Author: William Goldman
Year: 1973

Normally, I avoid reading books if I have already seen the movie version, but this one has been catching my eye off and on for the last year or two. I was particularly intrigued by the subtitle - who is this S. Morgenstern person? And why is there only this "abridged" version? I don't like abridgments!

So, I finally gave in. And I was not disappointed. It helps that the author of the novel also wrote the screenplay for the movie. Much of the dialog is verbatim, and it was actually enjoyable to hear (in my head) the lines in voices of the actors.

The story itself is presented in a mind-bending way. The author attests that he is writing an abridgment of a much longer novel by a famous "Florinese" author. As such, there are cuts and commentary by the author (that is, William Goldman) on the other author's work (that is, S. Morgenstern). However, even the supposedly true autobiographical notes are actually fiction, although extremely amusing fiction. The little editorials and explanations of what Goldman had to cut out from the Morgenstern text, along with his concerns that the Florinese experts would be furious with him (Columbia University hosts the foremost experts on Morgenstern, apparently), are hilarious.

The same kind of verbal wit and humor found in the movie is present in the novel, just in more abundance. Overall, the book was a huge relief to read. I just wish I had read it sooner.

By the way, here's a scan of the map included in my edition.

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Title: Expanded Universe
Author: Robert A. Heinlein
Year: 1980

Expanded Universe is a collection of science fiction short stories and nonfiction essays by Robert Heinlein. There is a particular emphasis on post-apocalypse scenarios and predictions for the future. Fear of WWIII and nuclear war permeates much of the content of this book. At first I found this mindset antiquated, until I realized we still live under the threat of nuclear attacks, although I believe the general public has forgotten about this. The ease and scale with which a determined person or crazy country can cause death and destruction is truly frightening.

Most of the stories are either preceded or followed by some explanation from the author as to its origins, which provides some interesting insight into the motivations and ideas behind the stories. Heinlein points out that many of his stories were intended to show people how much danger we are living in. He covers similar topics in the nonfiction articles, including some educational material on how to survive in a post-nuclear world.

I found his essays and stories concerning serious predictions about the future to be particularly interesting. One essay, Where To?, contains 19 predictions made in 1950 for the year 2000, with commentary and updates from 1965 and 1980. Some seem sadly pessimistic ("Fish and yeast will become our principal sources of protein. Beef will be a luxury; lamb and mutton will disappear") while others too optimistic ("Interplanetary travel is waiting at your front door - C.O.D. It's yours when you pay for it.") On the other hand, some are right on ("Your personal telephone will be small enough to carry in your handbag") and some were right until quite recently ("It is utterly impossible that the United States will start a 'preventive war.'").

His opinion of the future of the United State's space program:

Our national loss of nerve, our escalating anti-intellectualism, our almost total disinterest in anything that does not directly and immediately profit us, the shambles of public education throughout most of our nation (especially in New York and California) cause me to predict that our space program will continue to dwindle. It would not surprise me (but it would distress me mightily!) to see the Space Shuttle canceled.

While we scale back our space work, other countries and private companies will pick up the slack. This is, of course, what has happened.

In The Happy Days Ahead, takes swipes at several negative trends he sees, from a failing education system to inflation to the quality of our military. I found one section, "Age of Unreason," of interest. In it, he further discusses the rise of anti-science and anti-intellectualism. Some signs he points out:

• "...respectability of natal horological astrology..."
• "'Experts' on nuclear power and nuclear weapons who know nothing whatever of mathematical physics and are smug in admitting it."
• "People who watch television several hours a day and derive all their opinions therefrom - and expound them"
• "People who watch television several hours a day"
• "The return of creationism - 'Equal time for Yaweh'"
• "The rise of witchcraft" (in which he includes Scientology and other cults)

Sound familiar at all?

The book does include some science fiction, although I should really note that most of it is pretty depressing, although enlightening. As I mentioned before, this book is really a downer, but I imagine the stories and articles reflect the feelings of their time. If I were sitting with the threat of nuclear weapons hanging over my head, I think I would feel pretty paranoid, too, and I doubt my outlook for the future would be too sunny. Strangely, the threat today is probably not much less than it was in the Cold War. All that has changed is the political climate. But the technology and materials for great destruction remain.

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Recently, I moved from Slicehost to Linode. For one particular site, Slicehost was my name server. When I had everything working on Linode, I cancelled my Slicehost account, thinking the DNS settings on Linode would take over and my domain name would be pointing to the right place.

Well, it didn't at first...but I know DNS changes can take time. So I waited...nothing. Checked the DNS settings on Linode. Everything looked right. So I waited some more...nothing. The whois information still showed Slicehost as the name server for the domain. I started worrying that I should have changed something on the Slicehost account before deleting my account.

Finally, it dawned on me to check my domain registrar (I use Site5) and see if there were any settings there. Sure enough, that's where you can set the name servers for the domain. Changed to point to Linode's name servers, and life was good again. My sincere apologies to any of the two people who might have tried to access that site during my fit of stupidity!

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Artist: Gogol Bordello
Album: Trans-Continental Hustle
Year: 2010

It is odd how I find out about these new albums. I haven't even thought about Gogol Bordello in...probably six months. Then I find out today they not only have a new album coming out April 27th, but you can stream the whole thing right now from their MySpace page.

I first found out about Gogol Bordello from the movie Everything Is Illuminated, a strange, sad film in which Gogol Bordello's leading man Eugene Hütz played a main role alongside Elijah Wood. The band also contributed a few songs to the soundtrack. From there I found their album Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike, which I really liked. (It didn't hurt that I was going through a klezmer phase around the same time, and they are some kind of distant cousins. Maybe.) I love the crazy gypsy sound and the energy behind the songs. You just know the band is going insane while they are playing. Of course, about 3/4ths of their lyrics are completely indecipherable to me, but I enjoy it anyway.

So, I was pretty excited when Super Taranta! came out. Then I became disappointed. Something was missing from that album. I certainly wanted to like it, but I just didn't. I think it was melodically limper than Underdog World Strike and the songs tended to blend together. I guess I felt they might have rushed it just a little bit. That is why I have ignored them for a while. Therefore, it was with some trepidation that I queued up Trans-Continental Hustle. Fortunately, the first 30 seconds of Pala Tute put my worries to rest. I think they have returned to the form that I liked in Underdog World Strike. The songs are melodic and dynamic, with clear narratives and good energy. The production also has a lot of clarity, which may have been missing on Super Taranta!

The new element in this album is the Latin feel to several of the songs. Not something I would have thought to put together with Gypsy punk, but they have made it work really well.

Overall, an album I'll be listening to quite a bit.

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I thought the Gorillaz were done making music, and then all of a sudden I see this, their video for Stylo off of their new album. Yes, that is indeed Bruce Willis in a car chase after the band.

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A little while ago, I put up a small post about why Linode is (slightly) better than Slicehost. One of my reasons was that Slicehost defaults to 64-bit versions of Linux, meaning running the same applications take up more memory (other people have provided more qualitative evidence of this). Well, now Slicehost is experimenting with 32-bit userspace, while keeping the kernel 64-bit. That will probably help memory usage, as long as you are using one of the distributions that supports this and don't mind that it's still experimental support on Slicehost's part. There are other ways to do this, too, but...it just seems easier to go with a host that is 32-bit to start with, unless you specifically need a 64-bit system.

Besides, Linode's plans still give you more for the same cost. So I will be sticking with them.

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On Saturday, there was a night of comedy featuring Will Ferrell and a bunch of other people which benefited both Haiti and A Better LA. Nearly $1 million was raised, with $90,000 going to the Red Cross, and the rest to A Better LA. Here's a quick review of what went down:

The night started late (somewhere around 8:40pm instead of 8pm), but we were entertained by a live Twitter stream showing tweets related to the show. As more people came in, the tweets became stranger and stranger, but still entertaining. Each seat had a little card thanking the performers and sponsors, and 3D glasses. "3D glasses for a live comedy show?" - yes, just what we wondered, too. But I will get to that.

The show opened with Will Ferrell, of course, which slid into Will and John C. Reilly doing a rendition of "Boats and Hoes." I did not realize until watching the music video that they wore those same outfits at the show. There was then a surprise visit from Lady Gaga (played by Kathryn Hahn), who made a few return visits throughout the show.

The first comic up was Aubrey Plaza (she was in Funny People). She was underwhelming. Maybe it was not such a great idea to have the first comic up be a "downer."

Rob Riggle was very funny. I've only ever seen him on the Daily Show, so I wasn't sure what to expect. He came out on stage while videos of animals copulating were shown on the big screens to the tune of "Anyway You Want It." We were then treated to an extremely dramatic descriptions of men's restrooms at stadiums, how he almost died getting out of the shower, and what happened when he took a flight to Los Vegas surrounded by guys from Long Island.

Then, the reason for the 3D glasses was revealed - Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly came out and did their interpretation of Avatar (interrupted by Lady Gaga). So, actually, there was no reason for the 3D glasses except as a gag. Makes you wonder how much they spent on those.

Nick Swardson was busy doing something else, so he didn't show up. Nick Kroll did, but I think he might have been more funny if I had known something about him beforehand. He did a pretend satellite conversation with himself as Bobby Bottleservice, which was mildly funny. The best part of his act was his impression of unimpressed cats.

From what I heard from the people around me and in my own opinion, Tim and Eric bombed it. They ran around for five minutes or so singing about diarrhea while dressed in skin suits with enormous testicles. Then they pretended to accept an award for best comedy sketch of the night. It wasn't very funny. But maybe that's just me and a few people I overheard. Oh, and the guy who wrote this article.

Demetri Martin was hilarious, as expected. He didn't draw any charts, but he played a guitar and harmonica while delivering very short jokes, including what to say when someone asks, "Are you ticklish?" and "I'm not racist, but you look nice today."

The night finished with Tenacious D. They were pretty much perfect. They started off with a song making fun of their somewhat unsuccessful movie ("The Pick of Destiny") and were amazingly entertaining the entire time. Jack Black was rocking a wolf shirt.

At the very end of the show, when everyone came out for the curtain call, Will Ferrell returned in his Snuggie. He then turned around to shake the other performers' hands, revealing that he wasn't wearing any pants. Or underwear.

Overall, the night was fun. I saw some older people there, though, and I felt bad for them. Especially for having to sit through Tim & Eric.

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Here's a video of Fair playing "Walking in My Sleep" from their new album Disappearing World.

Buy this song

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