Trying out docker

Today , i decided to randomly check out docker as i heard some good stuff about it
www.docker.com
I decided to register and went through it's interactive tutorial and have to say it is pretty easy to do, but at the end of it i had merely understood how to set it up and it's general idea.
Basically docker is a kind of container within ubuntu/linux, the tutorial i went through was actually a command line tutorial , in the tutorial i learnt how to query the docker's server and client version, how to pull and push and how to provision a container, all in all it seems pretty straightforward and most people who have had a basic understanding of how the command line works should do fine , and in case you get stuck the answer is always a click away , helpfully positioned on the left panel of the tutorial.

with some helpful hints from the tutorial i managed to complete it pretty quickly and will look forward to exploring docker more

Using Azure to make a Minecraft Server!

Did you know that Azure doesn't just allow you to host websites and create wordpress sites easily, it also allows you to create virtual machines, virtual machines that can run minecraft servers!

In this post ,I will be detailing the simple process of creating a minecraft server on Azure

Firstly head over to http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/partners/microsoft/minecraftserver/
and press create virtual machine.
( you must already have an azure account and be logged-in )

afterwards simply fill in the details such as username and password , choose your pricing tier and you'd be almost done, give Azure a few minutes to provision the virtual machine , grab a coffee or a nice cup of tea while you wait.


With theses few simple steps, you have successfully created a dedicated virtual machine within minutes that runs a minecraft server that anyone in the world can connect to, because it is within the Azure plateform, as long as your VM is running your server will be online , no need to host the server locally on your own computer and hog up your hardware , you and your friends will be able to enjoy playing together on your very own server without the hassle of you having to go through the installation procedures and relaunching the server every time you want to play, with Azure the server will be up 24/7 for anyone of your buddies to log in and play!

Awesome right? check out Azure today!

To connect to the server check out
 http://blog.diniscruz.com/2014/01/setting-up-minecraft-server-in-azure.html

Setting up a parse blog

www.asceansiontest1.parseapp.com
learn to set this page up with parse within 30minutes from
https://github.com/ParsePlatform/AnyBlog

firstly , what is this?
this is a sample project from parse to show how to host your sites in the parse cloud database
very simple and satisfying to set up and but it is not very usable, recommended for people experimenting with different cloud platforms, not for your everyday blogger.

But,
the instructions are really very minimal and you need some prior knowledge in
1. cloning git projects(obtaining the source files & codes)
2. modifying code
3. installing the command line for parse and using it ,

(Notably, the command line is a strange place if you have not ventured there before, and i took a quite some time to realize how to use it, tip, use cd to navigate , for example if you need to head over to desktop from user, type cd desktop and you'd be there)

I had trouble understanding the instructions and went to google,
then I downloaded this command line tool from this link
 http://blog.parse.com/2012/10/25/parse-command-line-tools-available-for-windows/ and proceeded to run my code from there, basically you just need to first clone the project on git into a folder, then create a web app on parse.com then using the powershell  navigate to the folder that has your clone of the git project then run the commands to authenticate you with the parse server and basically modify some values to customize the site with your name and then just deploy with parse deploy and then finally go back to the web app and set a custom subdomain name and then you will have a site like this up running.

 Full guide available at https://github.com/ParsePlatform/AnyBlog , makes you learn alot of things such as navigating the command line, how to install & use it, how to use the parse.com to set up services and yeah, good stuff

you may test the original working site at www.asceansiontest1.parseapp.com
it seem to have some sort of word limit for the blog posts , originally i tried to post this article there but the parse server decided to throw me and error so i decided to just paste everything here for now, will try to remove the limit when i have some time on my hands.

note to self there is an admin page at asceansiontest1.parseapp.com/admin/

Kyoto and its many wonders

A year ago a few friends and I went to Japan to look at the sights and generally tour around, it was wonderful to be able to spend a month or so touring Japan, although it has already been a year , the memories of my days in Japan feel fresh , as though as if I had just been there yesterday.

So while my memories are still rather clear, I decided to write a post detailing about the sights we saw that winter last year.

If you ever plan on visiting Japan , i reckon that this should be a pretty good list of sights you must see before you leave Kyoto

First and foremost if your're visiting Kyoto you must note that Kyoto's main attractions are it's shrines/temples , there are numerous shrines and temples everywhere but i will only be listing the bigger more popular ones, that said you should bump into a few of these temples while your're touring the place, the ones that i am listing are the ones that you should take a detour to visit even if it means changing your plans for they are truly magnificent and amazing.

When we first reached Kyoto from Tokyo via the shinkansen(bullet train) we were greeted with the sights of the Kyoto tower

The tower is one of the tallest structures in Kyoto and you should be able to see it once you step out of the train station. It should be noted that you are allowed to go to the inside of the tower but there really is nothing much inside the tower.

After putting down our luggage at a hotel near the tower, we then went to catch a bus from the nearby bus stations to Kinkakuji ( The Golden Pavillion)

This was truly a sight to behold as it was really shining in the sun, the surroundings have also been carefully landscaped by it's caretakers. (You might have to pay a slight entrance fee for this attraction)

Next we visited the Fushimi Inari shrine

this is the legendary shrine with tons of gates that even has a anime set in this location!

(i would suggest visiting this shrine during off-peak hours as having too many people there sort of spoils the atmosphere)

Afterwards we then visited the Kiyomizu-dera temple! it was yet another amazing temple and it was even featured in the anime ansatsu-kyoshitsu recently!