Upcoming Server Maintenance
February 21st, 2008As some of you may have noticed at 2:20am on Super Tuesday, our existing server infrastructure (which was put in place three and a half years ago), is creaking.
A new server has been acquired, and on Sunday (starting in the small hours of the morning) we’ll be migrating everything across. With a little luck, everything will be up and running by 8am on Sunday morning. But, of course, it may take longer, be more complex, etc., than anticipated. Normal service will definitely be resumed by Monday morning.
Thanks,
Robert
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Robert - you have my sympathy. I was senior manager responsible to business for a major outage last weekend for a site in India employing 3000 staff. Scheduled from 5pm Saturday till 11 pm. Finally got off the conference call I was monitoring activity on at 3:53am (7 minutes before the staff came into work) - it never goes as planned
Thanks Robert for the great job you do supporting Mike with political betting. Hope everything goes smoothly.
Robert, so you decided not to outsource this job to one of those companies who sorts out IT systems for the Government?
Keep up the good work!
Ted - I’m hoping it’s not going to take that long!
Many thanks, Robert, to you & the Boss and all who keep PB rolling along!
Hi Robert. Thanks from me too for all your great work here.
Hope all is well with family
Adding my thanks, hope it goes smoothly.
Robert,
Good luck & many thanks for all the sterling work you do keeping pb going - it never fails to impress me how quickly you’ve responded whenever there’s been a problem, and how speedily you manage to get things sorted out.
Nearly 6 hours without PB?! I’ll need therapy.
Thanks Robert & Co for all your hard work.
‘Carry On Bugging’
http://tinyurl.com/38h76z
What’s a server ?
12 - So *you’re* the person who arranges for the government IT contracts mention in post 3!!
Thanks for all your good work Robert - good luck with the migration.
O/T Guido has news that the Governemnt has been defeated on the Northern Rock Bill in the Lords
Labour defeated by 3 motions in the HoL over NR as Cons and Libdems unite (the Gord and Ali Show will like this not)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/21/economy.alistairdarling
A taste of what’s to come from the GOP:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120355939956381797.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
For those wondering about Northern Rock. I’ve got a couple of research notes for you that may help with some of the facts;
Brief discussion of Granite (and the other vehicle, Whinstone). from today - relationship with NRK;
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2140104/NRK-Fitch
More detailed discussion of NRK’s future written for debt holders (HSBC)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2140107/NRK-HSBC
New SUSA Presidential match-ups. All bad for Clinton in comparison to Obama.
Wisconsin -
McCain 49% - Clinton 42%.
McCain 42% - Obama 52%.
Iowa -
McCain 52% - Clinton 42%.
McCain 41% - Obama 51%.
Virginia -
McCain 48% - Clinton 45%.
McCain 45% - Obama51%.
New York -
McCain 41% - Clinton 52%.
McCain 36% - Obama 57%.
16,O.K,but it never was a shoo-in that the Dems would win-the Dems will be able to retaliate that McCain would be 4 more years of watered-down Bush,no new ideas,in short ‘Yesterday’s Man’.As I have said before,only once has a party won a third sucessive US election,in 1988,when a stron Vice-Presidential candidate,following an-in-many ways successful Reagan presidency,faced an average Democratic nominnee,Michael Dukasis.
To me,Obama just has thta ‘X’ factor that will see hope triumph over fear-sorry if I’m starting to sound evangelical:wink:
A good question for tonight’s Democratic Debate
“Serb protesters have invaded the US Embassy in Belgrade and set it on fire. what would you do Mr Obama/Mrs Clinton?”
18 As Wisconsin over the last 30 years has only gone GOP in their landslide years,surely anothe nail in the coffin for Hillz-Virginia was carried by the Republicans by 8.2% in 2004,so a hypothetical Dem win by 6% would take us more or less to the ECV margins enjoyed by Bill Clinton in 92 and 96-yum,yum
20 Would it be too rude to reply ‘Throw on GBW!’?:lol:
Iain Dale is reporting that Miliband knew 6 days ago that the Americans had lied. There’s surely no coincidence that with his statement today he knew that tomorrow’s papers and especially the tabloids will have the first 20 pages filled with the life stories of every Uncle Tom Cobley and all who knew the Ipswich ra-pist.
22 GWB surely?
My forecast: tonight, as a part of the debate, live on air, Barack will offer Hillary the VP role, safe in the knowledge she has to turn it down…
18 - In fairness, there is a new Pennsylvania trend which bucks the trend with a 1% McCain lead over Obama, McCain tied with Clinton. But margin of error stuff.
James @ 26.
Yes. But it appears to be one of the few where Clinton is level with Obama. These poor polls for Clinton simply drive home team Obama’s claim that he is the candidate to beat McCain and she risks another 4 years of a Bush-lite Presidency.
Three new polls just published.
IVC poll for Texas -
Clinton 50% - Obama 45%.
McCain 54% - Huckabee 29%.
Diageo/Hotline National poll.
Clinton 45% - Obama 43%.
McCain 48% - Clinton 40%.
McCain 40% - Obama 48%.
Fox News national poll.
Clinton 44% - Obama 44%.
McCain 47% - Clinton 44%.
McCain 43% - Obama 47%.
28,Hmm,shows some tightening of the gap-but as it is regarded Hillz has to win Texas on March 4th by way into double digits,as an Obamaite I would only be mildly concerned
Gallup National Tracker
Clinton 45 Obama 44
23 - cos it’s not like there’s been any other issues he could have hidden it with in the last week!!
Hmm, Clinton now marginally ahead on three successive national polls. Too late, though, I suspect.
28 - These are NEW you say? I was certain she was dead… Certain.
I know I have made it clear I’m not a fan of Obama but I really think it would be a minor disaster for the Democrats if HC has a good day on Tuesday. The whole thing will be a total bloody mess for them. Much better for her to lose and they can get on with winning the election.
30 It is certainly very strange to us who believe Obama is almost home and dry that these latest US national polls seem to show that many Americans do not seem to think so .
34,Could’nt agree more-I hope March 4th is decisive enough to induce Clinton to gracefully withdraw shortly afterwrads,for the greater good of the Democratic Party,and the US:I hope she would share those sentiments,although I would’nt bank on it
David @ 34.
I don’t care if Hillary has a ‘good day on Tuesday’ as long as she has a bad day on the following Tuesday.
Next late night on March 4th/5th.
Nick Palmer @ 32.
Clutching at straws Nick!!
one thing that interests me about all the texas polls so far is the very low number of undecided in them, why is this.
Yes I know it’s in the worst possible taste
A man was coming home from work one day. He noticed that there was a lot more traffic than normal. As he got further up the road all of the traffic had come to a halt. He saw a policeman coming towards his car, so he asked him what was wrong. The cop said, “We are in a crisis situation. Gordon Brown is in the road very upset. He does not have the £10 billion needed to fill his black hole, and everyone hates him. He is threatening to douse himself in petrol and start a fire.” The man asked the police officer exactly what he was doing there.” The bobby said, ” I feel sorry for the Prime Minister so I am going car to car asking for donations.” The man asked, “How much do you have so far?” The bobby replied, “Well as of right now only 99 litres, but many people are still siphoning as we speak!”
Don’t go all weak at the knees Obamiacs if Hillary gets some dead cat bounce (Sorry Nick) in the national Clinton/Obama trackers.
The state polls and the national match-ups against McCain are killing her.
What about Michelle Obama’s “FIrst time i’ve been proud of my country” comment.
41. won’t really harm him amongst democrats.
same goes for the negative campaigning, it isnt effective in an inter-party battle, romney found this as well during the republican campaign.
G @ 41.
A storm in a very small egg cup.
The McCain ’scandal’ is the story of the day.
Anyone any clues on hte first post NR poll?
39,As a centre-left leaner,:lol::lol::lol: Sean T;some left-leaning people DO have a sense of humour!
US: McCain will fry the opposition!
46 I foresee an old McCain being toast come November the 5th
Ave it 08 @ 46.
And Watford will win the Champion League!!
35. It’s one state voting at a time, thus national polls mean nothing. Everything comes down to how well Clinton does in Texas & Ohio (and possibly Rhode Island).
New Rasmussen Virginia tracker -
McCain 51% - Clinton 41%.
McCain 49% - Obama 44%.
These figures are better for McCain than the SUSA figures I reported @ 18.
Again poor figures for Hillary.
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/virginia/virginia_2008_presidential_election
As nothing too exciting is being discussed right now, I’ll try and predict roughly what the next poll will be like.
I think there will be bugger all change. Even if the polling takes place post-nationalisation I think it will have barely any impact on Labour immediately. The reason for this is twofold:
1) we’ve been drifting towards nationalisation for months. It’s had time to set into the national psyche. If it had happened 3 minutes after teatime the first day of the crisis it would’ve been much more of a shock.
2) the Tories and Lib Dems for different reasons couldn’t put in the boot too much. The Lib Dems couldn’t criticise a policy they’d been advocating for months except to say “About time.” The Tories have been seen as over-egging the cake a little, and the lack of a consistent, coherent position somewhat blunts their attack.
However, the Rock still has the potential to explode into a financial disaster that would eclipse Black Wednesday. Brown-loather though I am, I really hope that doesn’t happen. A £100bn black hole would be terrible.
By the way, any idea how the two (three? four?) police enquiries into the various Labour funding issues are going?
50. Note these figures:
“The economy is the most important issue for 36% of Virginia voters. The War in Iraq comes in second with 19% and National Security comes in a close third with 17%.”
For Brits reading this, those saying the War in Iraq will be mostly against the Iraq war, and those saying National Security will be mostly for it!
New Rasmussen Iowa tracker -
McCain 47% - Clinton 37%.
McCain 41% - Obama 44%.
Again these figures are better for McCain than the SUSA figures @ 18.
Same old story for Hillary.
NOT!
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/iowa/iowa_presidential_election
51 Leaving politics aside, isn’t it remarkable that a private institution, even a bank, can get into so much trouble and run up debts of the same order of magnitude as govt spending?
New thread - Populus boost for Darling/Brown over Northern Rock
If the election were held today, who would you vote for?
Democrats:
Clinton 46%
Obama 45%
Undecided 9%
Margin of error: +/- 4%
[…] conducted by Constituent Dynamics, a Seattle-based company which uses an automated polling method. We chose the company, because the automated method increases sample size (1,340 registered voters) and includes calls to voters on their cell phones.
51. I think we will see an increase in the LD share at the expense of the Tories.
1) Drift away from the tories in 2008 compared to 2007, it’s only been one or two points, but only you gov and one other have shown Conservatives outside the 40% box.
2) Bad response to nationalisation from the tories, while comparatively good response from the LIberals.
3) VInce Cable’s stock is continuing it’s rise. The guardian had a four page feature on him.
4) Cameron’s performance at PMQs, also comparitively worse compared to autumn. Still better than brown’s though. Also, Tories have been overegging. dither and incompetence a bit. I don’t think it fits with people’s lives, there have been dramatic changes since 1997, which Brown has been at the centre of.
5) University graduated, “liberal” leftwingers will not admit to liking Brown, but will be willing to like Cable. I don’t think anyone likes Clegg. (He’s a blair/cameron clone, who relies on charm more than policy to get votes, but he’s charmless.)
I ‘m probably being optimistic for my own viewponts.
48 hehehe