Category Archives: TheWorld

Site “Birds of Kazakhstan” has moved

One of my favorite sites – “Birds of Kazakhstan” (btw – site I support, to the best of my ability) has migrated again… The new Url is: https://kz.birding.day/

So, please welcome new “Birds of Kazakhstan” site.

Meantime, at the moment, the site hosted 100+ members, who created 2400+ blog posts, uploaded 250K pictures of 500 photographed species out of 524 registered in Kazakhstan.

The original “Birds of Kazakhstan” url: https://birds.kz/ is still in place, but it hosts “Birds of Kazakhstan Best Pictures” now.

LAMP project migration

I have been involved in a birdwatching community web project for a long time. At the moment it has 250k pictures, 2500 blog posts from community members.

The site is a custom development – written by Askar Issabekov with php and MySQL and hosted under Dreamhost dedicated server.

Initially the migration plan was

  • get and configure new hosting
  • copy php scripts and media files
  • backup/restore MySQL databases
  • update hosts files and ensure everything works good
  • set source site in “maintenance” mode
    • put notification on the site header
    • set databases in read-only mode
  • backup/restore MySQL databases again
  • copy media files delta
  • set databases in r/w mode
  • ensure everything works good
  • change DNS from old host to new host

Some more data:

  • MySQL database: 120 MB

It turned out that

  • Source host uses Apache and target host uses Nginx
  • phpMyAdmin cannot import database from SQL backup

So we ended up the following

  • backup and document existing environment
  • get and configure new hosting
    • ensure php version is the same
  • copy php scripts and media files
    • remove all .htaccess and update nginx config files accordingly,
      e.g. Index etc.
    • fix files permissions (chmod)
  • backup/restore MySQL databases
    • if the database is big
      • – consider splitting database – a few tables each backup/restore
      • – consider zipping database while export-import
    • if phpMyAdmin fails – use command-line mysql
    • update database connections (user names, passwords, database names and hosts)
      as temporary measure – it is possible to allow access to old host databases from new host ip
  • update hosts files and ensure everything works good
  • set source site in “maintenance” mode
    • put notification on the site header
    • set databases in read-only mode
  • backup/restore MySQL databases again
  • set databases in r/w mode
  • copy media files delta
  • ensure everything works good
  • change DNS from old host to new host

Question: to avoid hassles with hosts files – is it possible to use a different real target name, then after verifying everything works good – change name

We’d also need to take care of e-mail migration

(WIP)

Aidos Yerbossynuly vs David Morrel Full Fight Video The Armory Minnesota Nov 5, 2022

Вечером (по местному времени) 5 Ноября 2022 в клубе Армори в Миннеаполисе (Миннесота, США) года состоялся бой между кубинцем Дэвидом Морреллом и казахстанцем Айдосом Ербосынулы. Это был чемпионский поединок во втором среднем весе за пояс регулярного чемпиона мира по версии WBA.

Моррелл считает Миннесоту своим вторым домом, т.е. для него это был домашний поединок и он проводил уже третью защиту пояса. Айдос прибыл в Миннесоту накануне в составе команды Suleimen Promotions.

Айдос получил тяжелый нокаут на последней минуте 12-го раунда. Дэвид, увидев что Айдос качается на ногах, помог ему дойти до своего угла. Айдос выглядел хорошо и уверенно держался на ногах во время объявление победителя и самостоятельно ушёл с ринга (см. видео), но позже был госпитализирован в палату интенсивной терапии и введён в искусственную кому.

Только что команда Suleimen Promotions заявила, что Айдос выведен из комы и переведён в обычную палату.

Все оригинальные видео боя Айдос Ербосынулы против Дэвид Моррелл. Бокс. Миннеаполис Миннесота Армори 5 Ноя 2022 – по раундам, а также выход Айдоса, нокаут и уход с ринга:

И несколько фотографий боя:

Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Перед боем
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Ринг
Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Ринг
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Афиша
Айдос Ербосынұлы vs David Morrel Jr. 
Бокс Minneapolis Minnesota The Armory Nov 5 2022
Armory Club

Why we study foreign languages

I know that my country – the country where I was born and grew up, the country where my parents gave me everything – from first sip of milk to education and cultural upbringing, the country where I got my friends – this country is the best country in the world. But wait… Did you say “the world”? What is the world? Is it something where other people live? Do those people live their own ways and speak their own languages? Do they love their countries and their culture?

Of course, we know that there are other countries (we use internet-connected computers and smartphones). We probably heard/use words like Gastarbeiter, automobile, opera. But did you know they all came from different other languages to our language. Now what are the other languages and why do we learn foreign languages? I would say there are two main reasons.

The first one is just a practical reason that came from the past – knowing a foreign language helps you make more money. International trade is an essential part of the world economy and impossible without communication. So the ability to communicate in different languages simply gives you an advantage – an ability to do thing not everybody can do – and an opportunity to earn more.

The second reason lies more in the cultural or cognitive field. Simple example: How do I know that The Hamburgeris is tasty? Only because I tried other food and I can compare. The same with languages. “Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen” – which means “Those who do not know foreign languages do not know anything about their own” stated the famous German poet and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

And that is so true. I just started understanding it because I just started studying foreign language. And the more I learn it – the more I like it. The world is diverse. And that’s the beauty of it. And that diversity is expressed via languages. Each language is unique and beautiful as it absorbs all historical and cultural legacy of a nation.

So, knowing other languages not only benefits us with more opportunities and perspectives, but makes us more tolerant, open-minded, intelligent and creative.

in the middle…

It happened in the middle of 1990-x. I just started to work on software company in Almaty as a computer engineer. The company had a customer in the city of Kustanai. I was sent to Kustanay to solve some problem.
It was winter. Winters in the north-Kazakhstan are pretty cold. Business-trip turned-up a little longer than I expected. At the end, day of flight home came. By this time I had run-out of money and worm clothes.
A Little digress from the topic. I used to travel a lot – by plane, by train and even by ship. I used to be petty experienced traveler. What I do not like at all – is crowds and queues. But when you are travelling by plane, you have to be in queues and among the crowd. You have to stay in the row before check-in, then before security, customs, passport control etc. When boarding announces – everybody rush to the gate and stand at their feet half an hour in the row. Usually in such a situation I sit down somewhere near and wait until everybody is boarded, then, among the couple of the same calm as myself, I get on the plane.
But that time something went unusual. I had been waiting on the bench, and thinking of home. And when boarding was announced, I decided not to wait until the very end, but rushed among the others to the gate. There was no bus. All passengers had to walk across the take-off field, at night, at cold, when the wind knocked you down. Again, I was not first, but was not last one.
The plane was Yak-40, a little jet, designed for 50 seats. The entrance was at the back side of the plane. Convertible back door serves as a stairs when got back. I got on the plane, took my seat and then heard a noise from the back door. A flight attendant, strong woman, blocked access to the plane, standing in the doorway. I was heard something like “Stop, get out of plane. We have no free seats more.”
Passengers were trying to climb. There was almost a fight. A man in the uniform – a second pilot – stout man – hurried to help the flight-attendant. They managed to push people out and closed the door. The plane took off. I was sitting in my seat, in the warm cabin, on the way home, thinking of people who had stayed behind, along, in the middle of the airfield, in the cold night.