Dougie Richardson

Every day is a school day

  • Multipass cloud-init

    Multipass cloud-init

    Multipass is pretty useful but what a pain this was to figure out, due to Ubuntu’s Node.js package not working with AWS-CDK.

    Multipass lets you manage VM in Ubuntu and can take cloud-init scripts as a parameter. I wanted an Ubuntu LTS instance with AWS CDK, which needs Node.js and python3-venv.

    #cloud-config
packages:
  - python3-venv
  - unzip

package_update: true

package_upgrade: true

write_files:
  - path: "/etc/environment"
    append: true
    content: |
      export PATH=\
      /opt/node-v20.11.1-linux-x64/bin:\
      /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:\
      /usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:\
      /usr/games:/usr/local/games:\
      /snap/bin

runcmd:
  - wget https://nodejs.org/dist/v20.11.1/node-v20.11.1-linux-x64.tar.xz 
  - tar xvf node-v20.11.1-linux-x64.tar.xz -C /opt
  - export PATH=/opt/node-v20.11.1-linux-x64/bin:$PATH
  - npm install -g npm@latest
  - npm install -g aws-cdk
  - git config --system user.name "Dougie Richardson"
  - git config --system user.email "xx@xxxxxxxxx.com"
  - git config --system init.defaultBranch main
  - wget https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip
  - unzip awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip
  - ./aws/install

    Save that as cdk.yaml and spin up an new instance:

    multipass launch --name cdk --cloud-init cdk.yaml
    Success!

    There’s a couple useful things to note if you’re checking this out:

    • Inside the VM there’s a useful log to assist debugging /var/log/cloud-init-output.log.
    • While YAML has lots of ways to split text over multiple lines, when you don’t want space use a backslash.

    Shell into the new VM with multipass shell cdk, then we can configure programmatic access and bootstrap CDK.

    aws sso configure
aws sso login --profile profile_name
aws sts get-caller-identity --profile profile_name
aws configure get region --profile profile_name

    The last two commands give the account and region to bootstrap:

    cdk bootstrap aws://account_number/region --profile profile_name

  • Another site live!

    Another site live!

    Tarbat Discovery Centre requested a new website for their Discovery Centre at the start of the year, which is now deployed!

    Working closely with a designer was a great experience and the charity are pleased with the result.

    Avoiding complexity and using hosted solutions minimise maintenance and training for the charity, allowing them to focus on their core mission.

  • The Psychology of Money

    The Psychology of Money
    The Psychology of Money

    The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is a captivating exploration of financial decision-making through the lenses of history and psychology. Here are five takeaways from the book:

    • Financial Success Is Not About Formal Education or High Income: Housel contrasts two individuals: Ronald Read, an uneducated janitor who invested wisely and left millions in his will, and Richard Fuscone, a finance professional who lost everything due to overspending during the 2008 financial crisis. The lesson? Financial success depends more on **soft skills**—how we manage our psychology and emotions—than technical financial expertise.
    • Understanding Our Biases and Emotions: Our backgrounds and childhood experiences shape our perception of money, risk, and financial management. Recognising our biases and emotional impulses is crucial for making rational decisions about money.
    • Long-Term Thinking and Patience: Housel recommends holding long-term diversified stock portfolios and allowing them to compound over time. Patience pays off; avoid chasing short-term gains and focus on the big picture.
    • Ego and Humility in Finance: Ego-driven spending on status symbols can hinder financial success. Humility and a wary attitude toward the future are essential for making sound financial choices.
    • Margin for Error and Saving for the Future: Always operate with a margin for error—unexpected events happen. Save consistently for the future, even if it’s a small amount. Compound interest works wonders over time.

    The Psychology of Money emphasises that financial well-being is not just about numbers; it’s about understanding ourselves, managing emotions, and making thoughtful choices.