Miguel Alex Cantu

As I'm wrapping up the Cloud Networking course on coursera.org, I'm seeing a lot questions on week five's forums regarding how to transfer files from the guest VM(instructor provided image) to the host. Turns out VirtualBox makes this pretty simple. Below I will briefly outline the steps on how to configure persistent shared folders on the instructor provided VM(Ubuntu 14.04 image). 1. Create a folder on your host's Desktop. This can be called anything, but for my case, and for the sake of bash, I named it "CloudNetMOOCShared": 2. Go the VM's settings panel(Ensure it's powered off): 3. Navigate to the "Shared Folders" pane. 4. Click on "Create new shared folder" 5. Click on the drop down arrow next to "Folder Path:" 6. Click on "Other..." 7. Now you should be able to select a folder on your workstation. Select the folder created in step #1: 8. Ensure "Auto-mount&quo

I have mentioned on my very first blog that I'm currently in a full-time Bible School in Anaheim, CA. Well, right now we are in between semesters; and what better way to spend your time then learning how virtualized cloud networks work? During the seven week interim, I have decided to take a class on coursera.org called "Cloud Networking", taught by P. Brigthen Godfrey and Ankit Singla from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. What a class! I thought I would sail right through it since I have experience with working with OpenStack's Networking Project - Neutron, but I was wrong. It's week three now, and passing the quizzes is only half the battle. The class has weekly research paper readings that include in-depth technical discussions and complex terminology. Even after working in cloud for four years and obtaining a CCNA, I have to confess that I really have to put my entire being into reading these papers, otherwise It's hard to grasp the conce

Xochi - A high-class Mexican restaurant fixed inside the elegant Marriot hotel in downtown Houston. My wife and I sat through downtown traffic for half an hour with my in-laws just to get here. Was it worth it? You bet. If the presentation alone doesn't say anything, the explosion of flavors will. We got the opportunity to go at a three course meal last Friday during lunch. Starting with their Molotes de Xoxocotlan and Ostiones De Lugo as part of their "2 for $24" appetizer deal: Ostiones De Lugo Molotes de Xoxocotlan Doesn't that alone make you want to go there? The flavors where some of the most unique I've tasted in a while. The Ostiones De Lujo (Oysters) were a finely balanced appetizer, perfectly mixing crunchy breadcrumbs atop the soft and savery oyster. If that isn't enough, they mixed in their signiture mole amarillo.  The Molotes de Xoxocotlan are warm, soft masa cakes filled with potato, chorizo, and avocado. The most striking featu

I've always had a sense, ever since I was a child, that there was a force that triumphs the darkness, evil, and injustice in this world. My childhood conscience was noticeably more bothered about breaking the rules compared to my classmates. They had no problem bullying others around, using vulgar language, lying, handling adult content, and breaking the rules. I remember at times feeling like an outcast for not wanting to participate in some of the things they did. Bear in mind, this was in middle school. I can say a lot more about this point of my life. Especially about how teens and children are being exposed to these things at an alarmingly young age, but those details do not have relevance to this entry. Through experience, I came to find what the source of this darkness is. It's sin. What is sin? Sin is anything that replaces God, it's even the absence of God Himself. Sin is human constitution by nature. It's been injected into everyone of us, and as a result, w

I've never appreciated blogging until recently. It's a great way to capture one's life, and most importantly, share knowledge to whomever cares to read. Even if my posts never get a single view, I still believe writing out my passions will help me keep going. It will add value to what I've been doing, instill creatively, and empower me to always progress in my hobbies and interests. I've tried multiple hobbies in the past. My problem is that I want to arrive at it's mastery without putting in the effort of going through the process. The practice. I'm hoping that, in writing out my experiences, I will be able to document my progression in the hobbies I've chosen and appreciate who I've become. Who I am: My name is Miguel Alex Cantu (Alex for short). I graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science in 2013. I've always have been fascinated by computers and their innards. My childhood inte