Kyle Gato's life blog.
Kyle Gato
(2 comments, 44 posts)
Home page: http://www.KyleGato.com/
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Posts by Kyle Gato
What A Ride It’s Been, and What An Adventure It Will Be
02 days ago
Me with a few extra pounds and some facial hair.
Hello Everyone! It has been well over a year since I have posted to this blog, and for that I’m not sure if I want to apologize. We all know that people get so caught up in their own lives, that it can be sometimes difficult to keep up with others.
For the past year, I have been living in Austin TX working at HostGator as a Security Administrator. I have truly enjoyed working at HostGator, and have benefited from it more than I could have asked to. My last day at HostGator is on the 23rd (This Thursday), as I pursue other opportunities in my life. (More below.)
HostGator
I am about to embark on one of the largest adventures so far in my life, as I have accepted a new position in Los Angeles, California working at Dreamhost as a Systems Administrator. I’m really excited about this, and I feel confident that I am ready to take on any challenges I may encounter.
Dreamhost - My New Employer in Los Angeles California
I’ve also recently adopted a puppy, named JJ. He is a Lab/Retriever mix, and he’s a bundle of fun.
JJ
I’m sort of ready for the drive to LA, not entirely looking forward to the 20 hour drive, but we shall see how I do.
Until next time.
-Kyle
How To Choose The Right Hosting For Your Project
2
Choosing The Right Hosting For Your Project
Recently, I answered a question on the website “Quora“, about how to “Estimate web hosting expenses for a project.” The answer I supplied was so detailed, I felt the need to re-write it for a blog post to share with the world.
Your hosting expenses all depend on what type of hosting you choose to use.
If you can, setup some Cloud Servers, in a highly redundant configuration using something along the lines of HAProxy, or any other solution you find appropriate.
You may be able to save money by offloading some of the traffic to a CDN (Images, CSS, File Downloads, Profile Pictures, etc)
I recommend checking out Amazon S3 with CloudFront or Cloud Files from Rackspace. Both have a great API (Although S3 has more features, and I highly recommend it)
If you decide to use Virtual Servers (“Cloud” Servers), ensure you perform all the optimizations you can, as best as you can. When it comes to virtual servers, thankfully have the ability to change the amount of RAM allocated to your server, which coincides with your CPU allocation, as well as your port speed ( A 256MB Cloud Server may have a 10Mbit Connection, whereas you should be able to get a Gigabit out of a 16 GB Cloud Server, in theory)
If you choose to use something like Cloud Sites, then your main factors are Bandwidth, and “Compute Cycles”, which I can’t get into legally (NDAs), but basically it’s how much CPU usage your site uses, based off of the traffic. You get the equivalent of what they say is a “2.8 GHZ Dual Core Server” (If I recall correctly) with Cloud Sites.
However, once again, I HIGHLY recommend setting up your own virtual servers. They are more cost effective, secure, and you can predict your usage easier (Avg. Bandwidth, CPU Usage, RAM, etc)
If you don’t control your servers, you leave your websites security, and performance in the hands of a team that has hundreds of thousands of other websites they’re also worrying about.
If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me! I specialize in this area, and through my company I can offer services setting/maintaining/consulting.
Facebook Privacy – Poll Concern
1
Ceiling Cat is watching your Facebook profile
Today I decided to vote on a rather useless poll. There was a box on the right hand of Facebook asking me how far I’d travel for a McDonalds McRib sandwich. The options were:
- Around the block
- Up to 50 miles
- Anywhere in the world
Facebook Poll - Notice it shows my friend's poll choice
Obviously, I chose around the block, as I have never tried a McRib (There’s my disclaimer), but do not feel the need to travel any of the either distances for fast food. Then I noticed something right under the poll results that said “See how your friends voted.” What? When did this happen, or have I never noticed it? I quickly took to my privacy settings on Facebook and could not find anything pertaining to “Poll Results” and my privacy. What if I participate in a highly personal (Sure, maybe sponsored) poll on Facebook, and it’s my opinion and I may choose not to share it with my Facebook friends. I currently do not have that option, only the option to not participate at all in the poll.
Tread your privacy waters carefully Facebook…you’ve been doing decent so far in responding to the community as a whole on privacy issues, I just think this is a small bump in the road for you guys.
Interview Advice – My Take on How To Handle an Interview
0
Interview Tips
I am by no means an expert with interviews. However, I have done research on them, and some personal experiences sure help enforce some of my research!
Here are some of my suggestions, which are in no way an “Official Guide”:
- Be Yourself
- Whatever company is hiring you, is going to want YOU. If you’re being fake or not yourself, or try to be “more” than you really are, then you may be destined for failure
- Getting the job is half the battle, you then have to perform well to keep the job, or live up to the expectations you’ve set – This is a great reason why you should be yourself
- Know what your position would be
- It’s common sense, but you may want to ensure that you know every little bit about what you’re going to do.
- Employers will often ask the question “How can you benefit our company?” – This is your chance to shine.
- Be Knowledgeable about the company
- Familiarize yourself with as much information as possible. Dig up all you can on their culture, policies, and check out their blog, website, anything you can get info on!
- These can be great conversation points, and show you care enough about the company to know what’s going on with it.
- Dress Appropriately
- Even if the culture at the company may be “Jeans and a Shirt”, show that you care. Wear at least a nice pair of clean ironed slacks, and a nice dress shirt with shoes. It shows you’re serious and considerate enough to the company and to the interview in question.
- Know Your Resume
- Most likely they chose you for an interview after reviewing your resume. Something may have sparked their interest, so be prepared to describe your previous positions/duties.
- Try to find qualities/duties from your previous positions that may relate to the position you’re applying for. Bring this up if they don’t, as a positive point (See: Know what your position would be)
- Be Confident
- If you go into an interview, and you’re overly apprehensive or nervous then this may in turn result in a lack of confidence from them. It’s normal to get the “jitters” before going into an interview, but try and shake them off as best as you can.
- Sometimes your qualifications are just as important as being a people person, and “clicking” with your future boss/team.
- The Hand Shake
- This goes along with the confidence tip. A firm handshake shows something good about your character, confidence, and abilities to meet/click with people.
- Pro Tip: Don’t squeeze their hand so hard you or them may get hurt/be in pain.
I’ve seen people get denied jobs, even though they were fully qualified, simply based off of things like lack of confidence.
So go in there and do your best! (-;
Best of luck to all.
Social Media – Treading Carefully
0
Social Media
Social media has been, for me, a blessing and a curse. I love using Social Media. I love talking to people, meeting new people, and being able to network with people who have similar interests as me. I love the fact that I can have a conversation with a 16 year old millionaire from England, Rackers, Microsoft Execs, and even social media “kings” such as Jason Calacanis. These people are highly talented, and tend to offer some of the best up-to-date information on the web. They’re also invaluable resources of general connection, and conversation.
I’ll sign up for every new social site, and give it a try. I love being able to interact with people in different ways, and being able to share different information. It allows me to define who I am, for others to “dial in” on who I am. It also allows me to network with those who share similar interests, and what’s not great about that?!
However, recently I’ve noticed the major differences in the data I post to each social media site. I posted something on Facebook, intended for my friends and family, asking for advice about career direction and possible relocation. The post was spawned by my emotions, due to the ever closer departure from my family vacation. What I forgot was, I had a client on my Facebook page. He mentioned it to my partner, stating he was a bit uneasy and this threw me off. The conversation was intended to spark intelligent advice, not out of a serious want to leave. I would never desert a company I’ve worked so hard to help build. Ever. You have to watch what you say on social media more and more because even the smallest comment, can be taken the wrong way. You wouldn’t want to live in a glass house. Maybe you would…creeper ;] (Kidding.)
On Twitter, I often find myself having to be 100% socially polite and acceptable, which is fine. People on Twitter don’t want to hear about your complaints (Not constantly, I can handle a little nagging, but if you hate your life, take it to Myspace, or a blog or something.) I use Twitter as an information and professional social networking tool, whereas I use Facebook for my complaints, emotions, and to communicate with family and friends. There is no reason for anything other than useful/social interactions to be on Twitter, at least in my personal opinion. I use Foursquare to “check-in” to large public venues, and Facebook Places to make comments about them. Why do I do that? No idea, but I find it shares just the right amount of data, even though I can do the same thing with both. But, Foursquare does offer incentives, with badges and special promotions….which plays a big part in it ;-].
I recently learned that, when you post a Facebook post to the “Big Wall/News Feed”, you can customize who can or can’t see the post. You can even set it so that only you can see it. I found this useful for having a possibly “drama centered” debate or conversation between two people. It worked perfectly, and I highly recommend clicking that little lock button next to the “Share” button and checking it out.
I’ve learned that social media, can build you, or it can break you. Tread carefully, watch what you post, and think to yourself “Would my boss/mother/father approve of this tweet? Could it be taken the wrong way?” I’ve learned many lessons about social media, and I encourage you to always review your content, even if it’s just 140 characters ;]
If you’re questioning yourself, just don’t post it.
I am constantly trying to better myself, complain less on Twitter, and post useful information. I am even looking for one of those supposed “Social Media Trainers”, as I believe I could greatly improve myself with some pro tips. Communication is something I am currently pushing myself to improve, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. I’m not perfect, but I hope others can learn from any advice I can offer, even if sometimes we don’t take our own advice.
Until next time, inter-webs, looking towards the future.
Sincerely,
Kyle
p.s. Please don’t spell you “yuu” – It bugs me more than anything.