Living in the cloud

Mobility and moving around often has it's downsides. As I prep for yet another move, (I guess I just like change, or is it that I enjoy new experiences?) I decided to fix my current server instability.

Up until this point I have been self-hosted. I kept and maintained my own subversion server, in addition to the development workstation and application server for the bots to run on. And I had to keep those boxes plugged in and connected to the internet at all times. I remember coding the extensive disconnect logic for the (almost) daily disconnects that occurred at the one location I had the server running. Moving really threw a wrench into those plans. I had trouble keeping them plugged in and powered on, let alone connected to a high speed and stable connection.

When the time came for an extended trip, it was an easy decision to also give the bots a break. I did this mostly for myself, to allow my brain to focus on other tasks, but also to avoid having to deal with the server management while physically located thousands of miles away. They really have always belonged on a managed server. As of this past weekend, that's been corrected. I went with amazon ec2 -- it's completely scalable (and priced accordingly). The uptime, bandwidth and price cannot be beat. In fact, combined with wireless data on my android phone, I can admin the bots from anywhere. Having them running somewhere else and happily churning along is actually quite freeing. I check in once a day and look at the P/L's. So far, so good. I'm in love with the cloud. Now I need to move the subversion server also and everything will be migrated from my box.

My awakening

I am awake again. I've re-entered the world of the trader. Sometimes your brain simply needs time away. In this case, I took quite a hiatus. I was not only physically away, but I left mentally as well. My absence was dominated by my own mind's need for data. I have need to understand people and places. My trip(s) placed me directly into the individual world's of others.
For example, standing on the street corner in New York, you will see many people. Some will be standing, others walking, perhaps some working and some sitting. If you force yourself to look closer you will see more than this.

There are several little worlds going on in that picture. Each one represents a person, a life, and a world all to themselves. The fascinating thing is that so many people can live so close, and be so physically close together and yet live in such separate worlds.