Discord – 68 Bits – HC2023 Google – Huge – Terrapin

Discord Scale: I think I read something about Elixir (and BEAM). So It was nice to side a successful product built with it. And how Discord has managed to keep pushing the scale of their platform. Everything is high level but gives you an idea.

68 Bits of advice: From Kevin Kelly

HotChips 2023: I received an email with all presentations and videos. Some picked my curiosity (although ALL of them are out of my understanding

  • Exciting Directions for ML Models and the Implications for Computing Hardware: video and pdf. A lot of focus in power consumption and reduce CO2. The optical I am still struggling. But it is interesting that they say they go for liquid cooling and beyond Ethernet for the supercomputer.
  • Inside the Cerebras Wafer-Scale Cluster: video and pdf. I have read about Cerebras before so it was nice to read/see something directly from them.

They made Google Huge: based on link. From the google presentation above, and the end there are a lot of references about the authors. I think I read about it in the past but It was nice to re-read it again.

Terrapin: SSH vulnerability. I need to patch 🙁

Prisioners of Geography

I finished this ebook a couple of days ago. It was really interesting and easy to digest. It gives you a different point of the current world based on geography and how a game of chess are the international relationships…

Russia: It is the biggest country. Its main weakness is Ukraine as it is plain and the only entry to the Mediterranean. Keep in mind that this book was written on 2016 so it doesnt surprise that Rusia has invaded Ukraine. As well, most of neighbors in the west are in NATO and Rusia/Putin doesnt want missile in his border. But playing with nukes is a zero-sum game? Russians are not europeans neither asians, they are Russians. So interesting that view from a country of that size.

China: I like the intro that China is not a country but a civilization. Its main goal is to build a fleet to match the USA navy. Not much issues inside the continent due to its massive population and borders with other countries. Himalayas with India is the most important. As well, for that reason invaded Tibet to remove the only option from India to attack and take the high grown. China plays India dealing with Pakistan to get access to the Indico. Taiwan is a horn as it is supported by USA. And I wonder, you invade Taiwan and chips production worldwide goes to shit.

USA: Luckiest guy. It has no really enemies in the borders. They bought Louisiana from France with Napoleon was in its worse as it was critical to maintain the Missisipi as it was key for commerce . Texas, New Mexico, California annexed from Mexico. And Alaska bought from Russia. So from east to west is free. North has Canada, an alley and not a threat. And Mexico has a desert between then and it is not match in any sense.

Western Europe: France is the one in best position. Access to North Atlantic and Mediterranean. Good internal routes. Germany main weakness is the east. It has only Poland between Russian and them. As well, the Danube is great as it connect many cities and is suitable for commerce. So Poland gets crashed very often. Spain is not very lucky, it has the Piryness in the north and then the internal communication as not great.

Africa: A mess created by Europe with the artificial borders that means nothing to the people.

Middle East: Another mess created by Europe with artificial borders and the conflicts of different views of Islam: Iran vs Irak/Arabia, etc. Israel in the middle of everything.

India and Pakistan: Mess from England, again due to artificial borders. India is superior in everything. The only issue is Pakistan has nukes too. It is interesting the game between Pakistan-Afghanistan-USA.

Korea and Japan: Neighbors that dont have a good past due to the invasion from Japan (and brutality) but China is a bigger problem. And North Korea.

Latin America: USA playground. Very unlucky region due to geography. Amazon is not good for commerce. Most population is in the coast. Communications with the interior as really bad so moving goods is expensive.

The Arctic: The new eldorado. USA, Russia, China, Denmark, etc claiming things. A lot of resources there but it is a dangerous area (climate) so expensive.

The Space: The new frontier and a lot of politics to agree how to “manage” it that obviously not all agree. I didnt know about Wernher von Braun (from the Nazi Germany to the Apollo XI in the moon). Russia had the lead with Yuri Gagarin, Sputnik, etc. Most space theory came from Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. He calculated the needed space to be able before the technology was available. I didnt know that Laika (Barking) died in her trip to space. Thanks to her, it was proved that humans could travel to space. At the end, USA landed Armstrong in the moon and the game is over. The very expensive business in space was over. Until now with SpaceX and similar wanting to go to Space/Moon/Mars, etc. The book suggest that cooperation is the only way for getting anywhere.

I didnt take notes but there is a lot of info in the book that you wouldnt think of so it gives you a new/different point of view of the current world.

Bluetooth on Linux

I have never used bluetooth in Linux before. I have a bluetooth headphone from work that works fine with my phone and macos but I wanted to try it in Linux.

So I give it a quick go last night. This was my initial link. I had already installed the driver:

# dpkg -l | grep bluez
ii bluez 5.70-1.1 amd64 Bluetooth tools and daemons
ii bluez-obexd 5.70-1.1 amd64 bluez obex daemon
#

I had to install “blueman” that is the frontend to manage your bluetooth devices later:

# dpkg -l | grep blueman
ii blueman 2.3.5-3 amd64 Graphical bluetooth manager
#

The service was already enabled:

root@athens:/boot# systemctl status bluetooth.service
● bluetooth.service - Bluetooth service
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/bluetooth.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Sat 2024-01-06 11:58:33 GMT; 54min ago
       Docs: man:bluetoothd(8)
   Main PID: 1137 (bluetoothd)
     Status: "Running"
      Tasks: 1 (limit: 9334)
     Memory: 3.1M ()
     CGroup: /system.slice/bluetooth.service
             └─1137 /usr/libexec/bluetooth/bluetoothd

Jan 06 11:58:42 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Endpoint registered: sender=:1.43 path=/MediaEndpoint/A2DPSource/opus_05_duplex
Jan 06 11:58:42 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:42 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:44 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:44 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:44 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:44 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:44 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:44 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
Jan 06 11:58:44 athens bluetoothd[1137]: Failed to add UUID: Failed (0x03)
root@athens:/boot#

Then I had to enable bluetooth:

# rfkill list
0: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
#
# rfkill unblock bluetooth
#
# rfkill list
0: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
#

Then I can test it:

$ blueman-manager &

But once I paired the device…. I had an error:

br-connection-profile-unavailable

I found several links and this is the only things that worked for me: link1 and link2. So I had to install “libspa-0.2-bluetooth” and reboot:

# dpkg -l | grep libspa-0.2-bluetooth
ii libspa-0.2-bluetooth:amd64 1.0.0-1 amd64 libraries for the PipeWire multimedia server - bluetooth plugins
#

So I managed to paired the headseats without error but then a new issue… I lost internet connection…. And after checking several things, it was just enabling bluetooth that caused the lost of internet access. There was nothing in the logs saying anything about my wifi disconnecting or anything similar….

If I disabled bluetooth, my connection was back…. so more work to do. So it seems there is some interference between the modules or the drivers? Searched things about it. I checked this. But no luck yet.

To be continued.

TCP Port States – AI views – Prompt Engineering – 40s crisis – Unstoppable Motivation – 8 steps – Prisoners Dilema – Postgresql upgrade downtime

  • Interesting read about linux networking at TCP port level. It shows you how complicated can be but still amazing to understand Linux kernel.

  • Some views about AI:
    • 1) link1: Cory Doctorow about bubbles and AI. Models that run on commodity hardware will survive. He uses a 2×2 grid based on value (how much you will pay) and risk tolerance (how perfect the product needs to be)
    • 2) link2: Bill Gates views for AI. It is the word for 2023. And future for 2024. Still I think in link1, AI has to be democratic and easily available. I doubt most developing countries can afford NVDIA H200 in Azure…. I agree nuclear (fusion) energy is the only way forwards in the Western world until we have viable fision energy.
    • 3) link3: Prompt Engineering

  • Unstoppable motivation: This is an unexpected pearl. Intrinsic motivation is always preferred (more effective and energized) than extrinsic motivation (external elements: money, prizes, people opinion). But not always is so clearly binary. Extrinsic motivations can help too:
    • “Introjected Motivation. “I’m doing this because I’ll feel guilty or bad about myself if I don’t.” People who highly rated this statement have high introjected motivation.”
    • “Identified Motivation. “I’m doing this because I truly value the goal it’s helping me work towards.” People who highly rated this statement have high identified motivation.“
  • Because having intrinsic and extrinsic will give you more tools to move forwards when one of them weakens.
  • “the only type of extrinsic motivation that corresponded with greater happiness was identified motivation. In other words, it was the hikers who motivated themselves by aligning their actions with what they truly valued and who not only completed the trail—but also felt happiest at the end of it“
  • And the most important part of the article: How to get more intrinsic and identified motivation in your life:
    • Figure out what really matters to you: For me this is the most complex and scary part.
      • Long Term: The eulogy method
        • Medium Term: How will be your life in 5 years time if you follow Current path, alternative path and radical path? money, social obligations, and what people would think, are irrelevant. No excuses
        • Short Term: Wheel of life: measure your health, work and relationship.
    • Definitely I need to do the medium and short term. That would clarify many things…
  • 8 steps: i have read about rules but this keeps some basic into perspective:
    • Take care of yourself: shower, dress, etc
    • Order your room, kitchen, etc: your kingdom = yourself
    • Go outside – socialize
    • Sweat: work out
    • Money: control your economy.
    • Remove dependencies: sugar, diet attention (emails, youtube)
    • Strategy – create your action plan.
    • Execute: dont overthink
  • 40s crisis: I think we “overestimate” our cultural background, we think our lives are going the same phases as our grandparents or later. Quite wrong. This is a new phase and “recent” (half XX century). We are at the peak and we only see ahead the downwards of life. Likely our grandparents were already at 40. We have the social life cycle. That creates age-anxiety if we dont meet that cycle. Divorce increases along the years in XX century to reorient live. Min 31:25 is a pearl: We dont begin to live until we begin to die. And the real American dream (not based on materialism / radical capitalism) and moving to happiness in a hurry (consuming) created that crisis because you couldn’t achieve that American dream.
  • Application of Game Theory: Prisioners Dilema: Simplest win, tit for tat:
    • – nice (vs nasty): you dont defect first
    • – forgiving: you can retaliate but forgives
    • – retaliatory: strike back immediately, dont be a push over.
    • – clear: eye for eye
  • Interesting is that a small cluster of tip for taps can take over a population of nasty strategies. Most life is not zero-sum, try to find win-win.
  • PostgreSQL upgrade without downtime: Slides are ok, but would be nice to get the video for more details.

Is This Anything?

I never connected with the serie Seinfeld (never tried to watch it neither), I knew about it, I knew people who were superfans and took it as nearly religion, but still I never had the curiosity. I remember many years ago that when the show finished, it was a big deal, people launched parties to celebrate the long success of the serie.

One day I read about the work behind being a stand-up comedian, and they put as example this book I have just read. The point, the humor/jokes dont come out as art of magic, it is a constant job. The book is about “jokes” since he started in 70s until 2010s so that shows you that there is no magic bullet.

I like some jokes, they made laugh a lot and there were many I didnt get. I guess it is not the same reading a funny line that watching it.

The best ones I remember are the one about security guards and terrorists in airports, Wrestling referees, Fakebook and dual AC in cars, to name a few.

And another point that I realized that is very important and I skip, is the need of humor/laugh. Sometime I think that all is about Stoicism, Buddhism and other ideas but I noticed that missed something. A good laugh, with good friends, and you see the world in a different way.

Hope I dont forget it

How To Learn

From Andrew Huberman. Based on these two videos: 1 and 2

Get Alert: Deep Breathing

Get Focus: Focus in a point for 30s

Time Limit: 90 minutes. Batching.

Gap Effects: breaks of 10 sec doing nothing

NSDR: Non-Sleep Deep Rest: napping or meditation.

Black Spartacus

I just finished this book. Very interesting life from Toussaint Louverture from a slave to being the first to declare the end of slavery in the Caribbean and triggering the independence of Haiti (he died before that). I think he wouldn’t be proud of what happened to his country after all his efforts though. Haiti reminds me of this movie.

I didnt know Napoleon wanted to establish again slavery in Haiti once Toussaint declared the constitution. I always thought that after the French Revolution, freedom would be given for granted. You know all the “liberte, egalite, fraternite”… it seems only applied to France (and whites). Something we dont learn in Europe.

As well, the Haiti flag is like the French one without the white part. They removed it because they were angry with the French and whites after France tried to invade Haiti.

As well, for being the first colony to declare the end of slavery or trying independence, it is not as well know as the Cuban revolution or Simon Bolivar. Toussaint was ahead of his time and showed the path for the next generation. He declared the Haiti constitution in 1801. The American Civil War started on 1861.

It is interesting his Republican and Catholic credos. His constant show of discipline and how he became a great general winning and fighting battles. And he managed to take over the current Dominic Republic. And deal with the main power of the time: England, Spain, France and USA.

But again, I think power corrupts any soul, and the longer you have it the worse. The last years of Toussaint shows social issues. It is remarkable his view of a equal society, no matter the color of skin. Education and religion for all. Same opportunities for all. But it hit me when in the book mention that most of his generals owned big plantations but the normal black worked had no access to property or not was promoted. It seems workers were paid a 1/4 of the production that is not bad but at the end, you want the chance to be your own boss. He wanted to increase the agriculture production and that made to create laws that look more as dictatorship than anything else.

It is a pitty that he didnt have a (declared) successor that would be at his level.

BIND performance – LACP Troubleshooting – Chiplets – AI/HPC Networking – Spray ML/AI workloads

BIND: Interesting links about BIND performance and the lab setup. DNS is the typical technology that looks straightforward but as soon as you dig a bit, it is a world itself

LACP: Interesting blog about troubleshooting details. As above, this is the typical tech that you give for granted that works but then, you need to really understand how it works to troubleshoot it. So I learned a bit (although the blog is “old”)

Chiplets: Very good blog. Explaining the origin of getting to chiplets. Interesting evolution and good touch to mention the network industry, and not just CPU/GPU.

As the process node shrank, manufacturing became more complex and expensive, leading to a higher cost per square millimeter of silicon. Die cost does not scale linearly with die area. The cost of the die more than doubles with doubling the die area due to reduced yields (number of good dies in a wafer).

Instead of packing more cores inside a large die, it may be more economical to develop medium-sized CPU cores and connect them inside the package to get higher core density at the package level. These packages with more than one logic die inside are called multi-chip modules (MCMs). The dies inside the multi-chip modules are often referred to as chiplets.

AI/HPC Networking: Nice summery about AI vs HPC, and what each hyperscaler and vendors are doing. For me is quite interesting how to get proper loadbalacing of flows like AWS SDR. This should be an actual standard by any network vendor or software to aim to that goal. I guess it is not easy.

High performance requirements can create a vendor lock-in. Doesn’t matter if it is IB or Ethernet. So pick your evil.

Spray ML/AI worloads: Based on the above regarding the loadbalacing, this is an interesting article about how to generate loadbalancing in ML workloads when it is based in just one elephant flow. So you need Adaptive routing in your fabric/switches, NICs that support it and support from your code/library.

AWS Intent-Driven 2023- Groq – Graviton4 -Liquid Cooling – Petals – Google – Crawler – VAX – dmesg

AWS Reinvent Intent-Driven Network Infra: Interesting video about Intent-driven networking in AWS. This is the paper he shows in the presentation. Same note as last year, leaf-spine, pizza boxes, all home made. The development of the SIDR as the control plane for scale. And somehow the talk about UltraCluster for AI (20k+ GPU). Maybe that is related to this collaboration NVIDIA-AWS. Interesting that there is no mention to QoS, he said no oversubscription. In general, everything is high level, and done in-house, and very likely they facing problems that very few companies in the world are facing. Still would be nice to open all those techs (like Google has done – but never for network infra). As well, I think he hits the nail on the head how he defines himself from Network Engineer to Technologist, as at the end of the day, you touch all topics.

AWS backbone: No chassis, all pizza boxes

Graviton4: More ARM chips in cloud-scale

Groq: Didnt know this “GPU” alternative. Interesting numbers. Let’s see if somebody buys it.

Petals: Run LLMs bittorrent style!

Google view after 18 years: Very nice read about the culture shift in the company, from do not evil, to make lots of many at any cost.

GTP-Crawler: Negative thing, you need the pay version of chatgpt. I wonder, If I crawke cisco, juniper and arista, what would be nearly all network knowledge in the planet? If that crawler can get ALL that date.

Linux/VAX porting: Something that I want to keep (ATP).

dmesg -T: How many times (in even more years!!!!) I wondered how to make those timestamp to something I could compare with then debugging.