martynoconnor.net

I'm a pilot, a computer nerd, a cyber security guy and a tinkerer. I make things with Raspberry Pis. I code, I break things then figure out how to fix them.

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Computing in perspective… and some excitement about Deep Learning

April 22, 2019

My first PC was a powerhouse in its day: a Pentium 200MHz MMX processor, an insane 32MB of RAM, and a massive 2.5GB hard drive complemented by a blisteringly fast 16 speed CD-ROM. That was back in 1997. However, for about 5% of the cost of that (and probably less than 5% if we talk … [Read more…]

Posted in: Big Data, Computing, Data, Interesting, Machine Learning, Python, Technology Tagged: ai, computing, deep learning, GFLOPS, jetson nano, machine learning, nvidia

Tracking and uncovering an individual using mobile advertising on a small budget – or how every bit of technology you own is spying on you.

April 19, 2019

Just another public service reminder that if you think that mobile phone or browser based advertisements are harmless, you should probably think again. In a paper from researchers at the University of Washington, it has been shown how a tiny budget and a bit of imagination is all that is needed to uncover a surprisingly … [Read more…]

Posted in: Analysis, Big Data, Computing, Data, Interesting, Privacy, Safety, Security, Technology Tagged: advertising, mobile, privacy, safety, Security, spying, surveillance, telephony

When logic kills – the sad story of Boeing’s MCAS

March 5, 2019
MCAS Boeing 737 MAX

In the past six months, two of Boeing’s flagship new 737 MAX aircraft have crashed in violent and eerily similar manners. As the investigations into the circumstances of the crashes continue, it looks increasingly likely that a combination of poor programming, and limited oversight have combined to result in the tragic loss of 346 lives. … [Read more…]

Posted in: Analysis, Aviation, Computing, Safety, Technology Tagged: 737, autopilot, aviation safety, boeing, crash investigation, logic, max, mcas, software

OpenSky API – a rich source of flight data easily accessible with Python

February 18, 2019

I have written before about my use of a Raspberry Pi to grab ADS-B data from passing aircraft (and rather handily a large proportion of UK-US traffic passes pretty much over the top of my house). Whilst I’m all for gathering data myself, I did want to see what further data sources are out there … [Read more…]

Posted in: Aviation, Big Data, Computing, Data, Python, Scripting, Splunk Tagged: analysis, api, data, easy, python, splunk

Range not in class error on startup with Splunk

January 15, 2019

On startup, Splunk checks its config files, and reports back any errors. If ever you come across one that complains about a regular expression with the message “Range not in class”, then the fix is relatively simple. For those not familiar with regular expressions, it can seem like a bit of a minefield. However, this … [Read more…]

Posted in: [SOLVED], Computing, Hindsight, Lessons Learned, Splunk Tagged: class, not, problem, props, range, regex, solved, splunk, transforms

Germanwings and the case for AI in flight control

December 18, 2018 / Leave a Comment

Straight off the bat, I want to state that the Germanwings crash of 2015 was a terrible tragedy. What is worse, is that it wasn’t an accident. It was a deliberate murder-suicide, and an act that was only possible owing to the reinforced cockpit door designed to prevent would-be hijackers from entering and taking control … [Read more…]

Posted in: Analysis, Aviation, Computing, Hindsight, Lessons Learned, Machine Learning, Safety, Security, Technology, Travel Tagged: ai, airbus, automation, autopilot, aviation, boeing, crash, flight safety, fly by wire, germanwings, investigation, safety, Security, terrorism

A KVStore Collection in Five Minutes or Less

November 8, 2018

Lookups are handy things in Splunk, but for data that changes regularly (like who has a given visitor pass number), a file based lookup isn’t the best solution. That sort of lookup is far better suited to use of the KVStore. A KVStore collection is defined (funnily enough) in collections.conf, and in order to use … [Read more…]

Posted in: Big Data, Computing, Data, Splunk, Tutorials Tagged: Howto, kvstore, splunk

Splunk for airport management, or how a computer nerd pilot combines his hobbies!

October 21, 2018

So I’ve been working on an idea for a while now to use Splunk to give overall insight into the smooth, safe, and efficient operation of a complex environment like a modern international airport. My plan is to build a packaged offering that can quickly bring insight to any airport, similar to the bespoke Splunk … [Read more…]

Posted in: Aviation, Big Data, Computing, Data, Machine Learning, Python, Safety, Security, Splunk, Technology Tagged: airport, analysis, analytics, aviation, data, efficiency, predictive, safety, Security, splunk

So things have been a bit quiet…

October 7, 2018

I must apologise for an extended period of quiet on the blog front. This has mostly been down to a change of job, a move of house, a new baby, and generally a very hectic year. I have, however, been working away on a number of things in the background, and I will soon backfill … [Read more…]

Posted in: Personal Tagged: busy, quiet

Creating Splunk lookup files using Beautiful Soup and web scraping

March 18, 2018

As I’ve blogged previously, I use a Raspberry Pi to collect data on passing commercial aircraft, and recently I got the same data into Splunk and started dashboarding with it. So far, so good. However, I felt that the data presented in Splunk wasn’t quite as rich as I’d like it to be. Sure, it … [Read more…]

Posted in: [SOLVED], Aviation, Big Data, Computing, Python, Scripting, Skills, Splunk, Tutorials Tagged: adsb, automation, aviation, big data, lookup, pi, python, radar, raspberrypi, scripting, splunk, technology
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Recent Posts

  • Computing in perspective… and some excitement about Deep Learning
  • Tracking and uncovering an individual using mobile advertising on a small budget – or how every bit of technology you own is spying on you.
  • When logic kills – the sad story of Boeing’s MCAS

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