I have finally launched the new website for KJO Web Services. Doing the work has been easy, but being happy with how it looks and how it will all fit together in the end has taken a lot longer and due to study and other commitments has caused this to be delayed for months on end.

Now though I’m happy with the site and am regularly adding things to it. The support platform is there, along with contact details and a very small selection of products. The products available will be expanded significantly over the coming days along with a comprehensive FAQ and a billing platform which will finally tie all the client invoicing together in the one place which I know has been a personal desire of mine for some time. I believe clients will also be happy to see this change! The billing platform will of course allow prospective clients to order products which is most notably missing from the site at the moment. If you see something you need now though just use the contact details on the site and someone will get things setup for you.

Getting this site up and running paves the way for me to start releasing things to do with my business that have been in the pipeline for some time so expect to see an interesting selection things being made available soon.

Above all enjoy the new website and be sure to send friends and coworkers to KJO Web Services if they need a domain, hosting or any other web related solution – we have loads on offer!

Thats how it feels for me anyway, I haven’t blogged in quite a while. Initially this was due to revision and the resulting exams and then afterwards it was due to work on other things that had slipped as a result of revision and exams. Still, I now feel like I’m back on top of things, including my blog and will be posting more things in the coming days that I’ve been wanting to discuss for quite a while and just haven’t had the time for.

I’ve been running a web server on Lara, my home server for some time now. It provides a number of useful resources over HTTP to complement a number of websites I run, the most notable one being RouterTech where it plays host to the source code downloads for the firmware releases.

The problem is that apache doesn’t have a default bandwidth limit in place and so when someone downloaded a 40-50Mb firmware source tar ball it would max out my home upload bandwidth throughout the time taken to obtain the file which wasn’t particularly helpful to other things I had running.

As a result I’ve now added a bandwidth control module into apache and have capped the download rate that all clients as a total can achieve over HTTP to Lara at 37.5K/s. This sounds draconian, but it does mean SSH access and other things I and others need at all times to the server will be uninterrupted. I am hoping for a bandwidth increase in the not too distant future when I move broadband providers but in the mean time thank you for your patience in enduring the slower than are desirable speeds.

I woke up this morning to find the ground outside carpeted with white. I know its only snow but it does make everything look very beautiful and serene, especially as when I looked at it no one had walked on it. Heres hoping for more of the stuff later today so that us folks revising in the School of Computing can take a short break and go out and play snowballs.

So its the start of a new year, and already I’m hard at work and thinking many months ahead. Still, a new year is always an opportunity to look forward in a fresh and unbiased way, and realise that it is a year of as yet untapped opportunity rather than a year of missed chances. That is not of course to say I felt I missed chances in 2007, rather that you have no excuse for feeling blue when there is a whole year ahead of you to make a difference.

Unlike last year when I went to a jazz club with Heather, we spent new years eve at my house. It was actually a really nice thing to do as it gave us a chance to unwind, play a few card games and such, enjoy some good wine and reflect on the past year. We were also treated to a huge firework display when standing at the window on the top floor of our house at the stroke of midnight as because our house is atop a hill, we could see practically every firework display in Leeds. It was a spectacular show and went on for a good 20 minutes. You can’t beat enjoying a glass of champagne and watching fireworks while staying warm at the same time.

New years day was remarkably uneventful, mainly because we had a huge lie in and wasted a good 60% of the day. Still it was good to relax and breakfast in bed made it complete. We got some work done during the afternoon and then went out to the cinema in the evening to see I Am Legend. This was an excellent film but I shan’t bother reviewing it as Raby has done an excellent review on his blog, which most certainly does the film justice.

I’m looking forward to the opportunities that 2008 will bring and wish everyone who knows me a very happy and prosperous new year. I’d also like to reflect on the year gone by with some links to things I’ve done or accomplished, which, at the time, I decided to write about on my blog. Sadly there are many interesting things that I have remembered doing as I went through my past posts but realised that I didn’t have time to write about them. Still that can be something to improve upon in 2008.

• RouterTech reached its first major milestone that was attracting over 1000 users to the site. RouterTech continues to go from strength to strength.
• I received one of many coursework prizes for outstanding work in my modules. I continue to be both happy and pleased with my academic performance here at Leeds School of Computing.
• Jazz and Blues society became a reality and an instant success at the University of Leeds when we signed up over 100 members at the first opportunity
• I receive an excellent set of January exam results
• I write my first application using the facebook API
• I saw a spectacular lunar eclipse from right outside my house.
• I enjoyed a superb classical concert of Holst’s planets, my favorite suite of classical music. This was also Heather’s first classical concert and I was delighted to be able to take her along.
• My photography techniques improve and I have many images to show for it
• I read a book called Tuesdays with Morrie that I think changed my life
• RouterTech reached its 1 year birthday and remained as much a success as the day it started
• I achieve success in many pieces of work to tight deadlines
• I have a wonderful time at the computing ball
• My first WordPress plugin that I release to the public is a resounding success
• I land a summer internship, working with Microsoft technologies
• I achieve excellent summer exam results
• I enjoy a cracking summer holiday with much to report on the blog
• Jazz and Blues Leeds is successful yet again in recruiting huge numbers of new members at the freshers fair
• I took part in the IBM thinkpad challenge as part of a team of students from the School of Computing
• Jazz and Blues Leeds makes a huge success of its first major event in the union
• I make good inroads into my final year project and start a blog about it
• I run a successful Linux install fest in Leeds School of Computing
• I manage to smash my phone by accident but recover it using a wide array of technical methods
• I achieve the highest mark in the year for AI coursework
• I enjoy a pleasant family Christmas and remember to take some photos