Worst nightmare for a parent...

Since I have my own issues about hearing (and also the fact that I'm learning ASL), this is why from my blog, I subscribe to "DeafRead".

So, "automagically", everytime you read my blog, you'll also see the latest from DeafRead, with their selections of stories off the Internet. Interesting text readings. (To my non-signer friends, not all these links point to ASL video blogs. :) ).

So I saw this title, Every parent of deaf child's worst nightmare, from Berke's Outspoken blog.

Imagine, being in a school bus and you're deaf. The bus driver is a substitute, therefore doesn't know you nor understand sign language. The bus assistant who could communicate in sign language wasn't there either.

This is what happened to a 13-year old deaf girl, and she was dropped off 2-miles from home, in pouring rain. Everything that could turn bad, did. Thankfully, there's a happy ending, but it's been indeed a nightmare.

Maybe because of my own issues, I always carry a pen and a piece of paper everywhere I go. If in the unlikely event that I don't have these items with me and I don't understand something that seems very important, I often make the gestures of touching my ear and then writing on an imaginary piece of paper. That's something non-signers will understand right away.

Yes, I could have stated so verbally, but it seems the visual aspect while I stay *silent*... speaks for me louder than my own voice. :) Besides, with friends, it's the fun of being tangential. Being straightforward is too boring, but I'm digressing terribly here.

Anyway... what seems glaring in this story.. is the lack of attempts to communicate in *other* ways.

The schoolgirl is obviously under BIG stress and of course she could be forgiven for not readily thinking about it, but why the bus driver didn't come up with a pen and a piece of paper, so she could write down the address of her home? And for him, to write down other questions to her? Is she ok? Does she need help? Etc...

Conversely, if the bus driver didn't have a pen and paper (which is highly unlikely, as they seem to always have to fill out various reports while they are on the go), why he didn't make... the signs I've just mentioned? Such as the gesture of writing on an imaginary piece of paper.

Especially with someone who makes use of sign language, that person more than anyone else will catch the visual clue.

Deaf people aren't dumb, and deaf people do learn how to write, just like everyone else. Besides, going at school... don't we all have to carry pen and papers,... unless things have changed since my time? Very unlikely, but one can hope? :)

But I also remember my childhood years, and bus drivers too. Some were really super... and then there were those... which remind you that bus companies hire anyone, and they _really_ mean anyone.

So disasters are bound to happen...

Ay ay ay...

-E

XO Laptop, re-revisited...

Busy life, busy weather (one storm after the other. Someone got to shovel all that snow!!!), so the little XO laptop waited patiently.

What is worth mentioning, is the shift of paradigm. PCs like Macs, despite all the hype are pretty much the same. A graphic interface... and you run applications. Applications have files and you manage files.

The XO puts the child at the center of his universe.

For instance, the "neighborhood mode" Like stars spreaded everywhere... are Wi-Fi "access points", hence the various dots in different colors.

It seems the colors are generated randomly for others' Wi-Fi access point, while mine is always blue. I wonder how it is on other XO laptops...

It's even more obvious in "Home" mode, with the big "XO" icon at the center, representing a child. So, around me, there are my journal, my piece of paper (a text editor), my world (a web browser) and so forth. Beneath are the battery (charging) and the Wi-Fi access points that I'm logged too.

At the bottom, are the activities I may like to do.

In a way, I have to "unlearn", to "untrain" myself about the traditional ways computers work, to begin to truly appreciate the XO.

Not showing in these photos are friends. Friends with XO laptops of course! :)

Since I have no one with a XO laptop around, I have to take OLPC's words. :) The idea of friends represents a shift in the computer paradigm.

Isn't for nothing that the P in "PC" stands for "Personal". You're in your own bubble, isolated, and you do your own stuff without worrying, nor being aware what others are doing.

However, the XO laptop assumes that there are other children... with a XO laptop (which would show up in these pictures as other XO icons, all of different colours).

Children have friends, and so are recognized by the XO laptop.

With friends, you can do things together, so is the XO laptop. You tell who are your friends, and you tell the XO what you want to do together. An essay? The text editor is fully shared. A whacky audio jam session? Sure. Apparently, all applications can be shared, and doing so is ahem... a child play, pun intended. :)

Sure, there have been "groupware" before, but they feel clunky, and those are just specific applications that have been built specifically for that purpose.

On the XO, it's the entire laptop and therefore everything on it that was built with sharing activities in mind.

Now, I have to let my inner child comes to the surface, and to find other XO owners to really see how well it really works. :)

The IT guy in me is amazed. For a $200 laptop, this is no toy computer. Its shell is rugged, it feels solid, there are many things that come built in (even a webcam, usually found on pricey top of the line PC and Apple laptops), tons of USB ports, there are decent built-in applications... not bad at all.

Then there's the guy in me. As a teen, I was in organizations like Marche 2/3 and the like, believing in projects to help the lesser fortunate of us.

When I grew up and began programming, my approach to computers has been the same too.

Computers are there to help us, humans, whether to compensate for our deficiencies, whether to help us to learn, whether to simply let loose our creativity, whether anything one could possibly want to do.

(These days, it seems the other way around, computers are controlling our life, but I digress terribly! :) ).

Given my background, it's no surprising that the XO laptop strikes a chord. In the long run, I don't know... how such computers will fare. I think they are on the right way by hiding as much "computer stuffs" as possible, and to present to a child... a world that is less intimidating, a world that is familiar to him, a world that is also fun, inviting, and a world that would stimulate his mind?

I'm also wondering about the social interactions of humans through computers. I come from the forum world, and if I count my BBS years, I've been online since 1984. That doesn't exactly make me feel young, and yes I do have grey hair... but I have seen a lot, and saw the evolution, since the ancient time of 300 baud acoustic coupler modems. :)

I've never been a big fan of computers in class school, yet... this is the intended usage of the XO laptop. To be used at school and being brought home later.

For all the good things unleached, there are bad things being unleached by computers. Also computers are sophisticated pieces of equipment, and too often, there isn't the expertise, both IT skills as well as *human* skills. This is too often true in our western world... So imagine elsewhere...

There's also a matter of culture. Those XO laptops are western designed, therefore with our mindset and our way of seeing and understanding things. Western solutions to problems... even in our own world do not always work, so again, imagine elsewhere...

I still believe that local solutions to local problems are the best. However, that's not always possible, especially in the short term, so all help is welcome, figuratively and too often literally.

In the case of computers like the XO... if they serve as a springboard for future generations, they will serve their purpose.

I'm also thinking that in countries with little infrastructure, in countries with ahem... dubious governments, one has to start somewhere. Why not with computers like the XO ?

Today's kids are tomorrow's adults...

... and better educated adults having more chances to be at key places... to allow things to happen? How's about better leaders? That's a long-term goal... but what is something like 10 or 20 years in the lifespan of a country?

Finally, I'm tempted to say bad words against OLPC. Hehehe...

For the way they royally scr*w up the distribution of XO laptops, it's a complete disaster. Also, how ahem... misinformations were being carried by that organization. There's a huuuge pool of good will that has been wasted, for nothing.

It makes me wondering that if they can't deliver laptops in countries like the US and Canada, nor able to even tell us donors what is going on with our orders with a reasonable amount of accuracy...

Gee whizz, in the very two countries which we have optimal infrastuctures... should delivery *NOT* being an issue, and communication should be flowing... easily?

So imagine in African countries... whether to have those XO laptops delivered, whether *to train* and *to support* teachers, when the infrastructure isn't there.

Mhhhh....

... and that's my comment about OLPC. :)

Nonetheless, I have big hopes for the little XO. The 3 persons in me (!), the IT guy, the online guy and the guy with a big heart and big dream are all impressed by this little green and white kid.

Cheers!

-E

Carbon tax and Fluevogs... :)

Thanks to my cable provider, I'm getting their "western feed". In other words, TV channels from Vancouver British-Columbia, and with these TV channels, their local news. Talk about living there.... by proxy!

Note: Partly sunny, +10C . Flowers are already blooming upthere. This beats our -20C this morning and 4ft of snow on ground. :)

I still miss my morning jogging in Stanley Park... oh well. Someday, I'll live there... *full* time. Ok, I'm terribly digressing, but it's my blog, am I allowed? Merci! :)

The other day, it was budget time for the province. After Québec, British-Columbia is the 2nd province to come up... with a carbon tax.

I'm highly skeptical it will do anything. If Québec's experience is of any indication... indeed we saw the impact at the pump... and not much else happened. So much for being "green". Time will tell...

However, sharp-eye and fellow blogger Clevergirl has noticed the real newsworthy event about this budget. As it is customary, the finance minister was wearing a new pair of shoes. However, this is no ordinary pair of shoes. We're talking of Fluevogs shoes, no less. :)

Ok, I'm a guy, so there are things which... will always escape me, and I have to accept that. :)

Sure, they are nice shoes and they please my eyes too, but I don't understand the craze about Fluevogs. Oops. Heresy!!!

Ok, it's time to hide in my igloo! :)

Cheers,

-E

Weird recorded message from Bell Canada...

When I came back from work, there was this strange message waiting on my answering machine:

(Translating from French)

"This is Bell Canada. We would like to talk to you regarding your phone number. Please call at this number between 9AM and 9PM. Thanks".

Ohhh, how rude it is. Intimidating too. "we would like to talk to you". I beg your pardon ?!?

I figure that if they want to pitch for more gizmos, there might be some kinder ways to do so.... if they want to make a sale.

Other things were weird. The recorded message says that I should call a 1-866 number, obviously a long-distance toll-free number, and yet on the Caller ID display, I see a local phone number within the 514 area code.

Curious and somewhat pissed off, I called. :) After all, the cost of the call is free, and I don't mind deliberately generating expenses when others have to pay the bill. Especially Bell. O:) I was also in the mood to let them know of what I think of their recorded message. :)

This is what I've heard:

-"Hello! Ici Bell Canada. Mon nom est xxxx. Comment puis-je vous donner un super excellent service aujourd'hui ?"
(Hi! This is Bell Canada. My name is xxxx. How can I give you a super excellent service today?")

Jaws dropped here!!! A *super excellent* service ? It's thick on superlatives, I'd say....

Ok, I'm on Candid Camera and the cameras are rolling, or I'm daydreaming all this and I SERIOUSLY need to catch some sleeps. It's getting crazy here!

-Well, there's a message on my answering machine and it says that I should call, regarding my phone number, I said.

-Is that so?

-OF COURSE, since I'm telling you!!!

-Please wait...

I'm wondering of what the heck I ate or drank this evening. I never thought that there were magic salads, or there could something in the Montréal water. I want to know what it is, because it's potent! I must be hallucinating, it's just too crazy!

-Oh, I see that you're calling from home.

Wow... With guys who are clever like that, it's going to take a while... and all of a sudden, I'm just glad that *they* are paying the long-distance charge, not me. :)

-What else do you see on your computer screen? I said

(I was tempted to say: What else do you see about my future... but as much as I felt it was a large scale prank, there was something telling me it could be true.)

-Oh, I see that we have to talk to you.

I had that sinking feeling that it's getting circular. Ok, I'm game!

-Isn't what we're doing right now? , I said

-You mean?

-Aren't we talking right now?

-One moment please.

For some reasons, I was thinking of Woody Allen. Only him would think of scenes that are _that_ crazy.

-Oh, I see that we have to talk to you.

I had this immense urge for _that_ nervous laugh... I'm going to burst, here!

-Again, I think that this is what we're doing right now, sir, I said with a cool calm voice.

-One moment please...

I'll spare you the details, but this is how crazy the conversation was on the phone...


SO this is serious and it's no laughing matters. A list of 3.5 milllions of customers in Québec and Ontario have been stolen. It contains the list of names, address and phone numbers incuding of customers with *unlisted* numbers (incidently, my case. My phone number is not listed, and it always irks me that I have to pay an extra $2 for NOT being listed in the phone directory). No credit card numbers or other personal infos were found, thankfully.

They arrested the guy (and he's not a former Bell employee) recuperate the data... and now experts are wondering how the data could have landed in the hands of bad people.

Bell Canada recovers stolen data on 3.4 millions customers

And Montreal man arrested in Bell Canada data theft case

So the alert *is* serious... and apparently, the entire desire of Bell Canada is to "talk" with their customers.

Given the kind of talk we had... mhhhh...

So this is it. If you get a weird call from Bell regarding your line, this might be that.

Good luck!!! I hope for you it's not going to be as crazy as it's been for me. :)

Cheers!

-E

Hôtel de glace / Québec's Ice Hotel

If you have a weird sense of humour... you can send this link to your friends and relatives.

I did that with my family in France. I could hear jaws dropping from this side of the Atlantic. :)

Yup, near Québec City, there *is* such a thing called "L'Hôtel de glace" (Ice Hotel). Buildings that are made entirely of ice (and snow).

Hallways, bedrooms, even the "furniture" *incuding the bed* are all made of ice, and yes you can sleep there for the night or spend a weekend.

According to their own sales pitch, a lot of their clients... come from places like Japan, Hawaii, and the US Southern States, from California and Florida.

Ice is exotic, it seems.

I'm telling you, this is a mad mad world!!! :)

That being said, no one in my family is eager to visit Québec... and staying at the Ice Hotel. Chicken! :)

Enjoy!

-E

Enough, shall I say ?

<--- Photo taken this morning. Again, that's my bedroom "webcam". :)

Note that the neighbour's fence has now entirely disappeared in the snow. The fence is *4 feet* tall. That gives you an idea of the crazy amount of snow we have here in "Southern" Québec.

---

I like snow... to a point.

My country is also known as the Great *WHITE* North for a reason, my handle is Eskimo *also* for a good reason...

But, I'm a little concerned, you know?

I haven't seen this much snow in my entire life, and we're near the all-time record amount of snow for the *entire* winter season... and we're just in mid-February.

PS: More snow mixed with dabs of ice pellets and freezing rain are forecasted later in the day.

PPS: Global Warming, anyone?

PPPS: The urge to hibernate never felt so strong.

Cheers,

-E

XO Laptop, revisited...

Right from my return from France, I got a bad cold.

You know what they say: Treated, it lasts 2 weeks and untreated, 14 days. :)

So I'm catching up with the OLPC's XO laptop. First about the latest news, it seems that distribution of a XO laptop is a total mess. A lot of donors are still waiting for their laptop.

Clevergirl reported recently in her blog that *3* months later, she is still waiting for her XO laptop. It is sad, very sad... and difficult to excuse. So, why such huge delays?

I don't know if it has something to do, but I found out that the XO laptop I got was poorly assembled. Is this what to expect from a "Made in China" computer? I don't know.

For instance, the battery didn't quite fit in the compartment. It needed considerable force for the right latch to hold the battery in place.

Removing the battery is not easy, as marks aren't exactly aligned.

Also the on/off wasn't properly aligned, so turning the XO on or off was difficult. I solved that problem with some manipulations and the persuasion of a tiny screwdriver.

This makes me wondering... are some XO with defects that are so bad... that they can't be shipped, and this is why there are such huge shipping delays? Your guess is as good as mine.

That being said, the XO laptop has been working A-1 since then. Of course, operating in an ideal environment from the comfort a western world home, err... my home is one thing!

However facing torrid temperatures (for a computer) of Africa, and being used and abused by children, is its circuitry still up to par? I wonder.

However its shell is rugged, it can withstand severe shocks, well beyond my fancy schmancy Viao. I still believe the XO will be a good travel mate. Its small size also helps. Time will tell whether computer problems will show up.

<---Under the hood, the XO laptop runs... Linux. There's nothing like firing up terminal and running "top"! The familiar display is there to prove that it's no Windows laptop.

(To all 'Nix nerds, yes I've checked, there's also... vi. Gasp! :) )

According to "top", the XO runs with 256 Meg of RAM. By today's standard, it's not a lot, but for the XO, that's plenty.

I see two users. The traditional "root" and "olpc" is the anonymous user which all applications run.

After using the XO for a while, I saw an inordinate amount of "zombie" process, but the XO kept chugging along with no ill effects.

I'll continue to report about the XO laptop. :)

Cheers!

-E

I'll take 15 Khallid and 10 Mursal...

This could have been the title of Chroniques Afghanes, a documentary aired by Radio-Canada last Friday. (you can see a clip here).

Khallid means freedom or liberty and is the name of an independant newspaper and Mursal, a women's magazine, both based in the suburbs of Kaboul... Afghanistan. The storyline is about these newspapers and through them, the population.

Radio-Canada/CBC cost us a bundle, but this is where they shine. Have an hour, it's yours and take the time to explain things. Something commercial television can't.

That being said, how to summarize 3 years in Afghanistan in just one hour? There is that. An hour is an eternity on television, while it's so short lived in reality.

Nonetheless, the documentary is at a slow pace. Enough that you could feel the day to day life. It certainly feels like another world... and the little and big frustration and the ingenious way to side-step them.

It is also a glimpse of Afghan culture and their way of thinking. And a way to make us think about our own culture, and somehow their way to see thing, there's a lot of wisdom in it... that we could borrow, I'd say.

It is about the rise and fall of dreams of a population, after 30 years of war, when the Talibans were overthrown, there were hopes, BIG hopes... and a country in shamble, dreams of reconstruction. A dream that the country would recover, and shine again.

Such dreams were still present in 2004, when Chroniques Afghanes began and when these chronicals end in December 2006, disillusion was getting widespread. The feel of freedom was gradually replaced with fears, and the influence of the Talibans getting omnipresent.

How could it happen? Corruption getting widespread, also broken promises from our own governments, sheer frustration of the local population in part fueld by our complete misunderstanding of Afghanistan of its people, its culture, even its economy... (and of course the *underground* economy) and when you leave it to the military calling the shots, well it's a recipe for disasters...

The documentary arrives at a good time, when our presence in Afghanistan is being questioned, and once again by our Conservative government, *strictly* from a military aspect, mhhhh....

I feel heart broken...

My XO laptop has arrived!

<--- Side by side, the XO laptop and my old Sony VAIO laptop.

From time to time, I've mentioned in this blog about "zero-cost computing" and the "$100 laptop". Well, this is the XO laptop, Nicholas Negroponte's contribution to education in the third world.

For a limited time, Americans and Canadians could participate in their G1G1 program, Give One Get One.

My contribution has helped to give one XO laptop... and from that deal, I also get one for myself. The price went up a little bit ($200 per laptop), but nonetheless, this is one heck of a laptop for that price.


<--- again, side by side, the XO laptop, seemingly dwarfed by fancy schmancy VAIO... with all its war marks. :) On the far left, the XO's 110V transformer and on the forefront a 30cm / 12-inch ruler.

One powerful impression... the XO is *very* sturdy. On a whim I would trade my VAIO for that little laptop!

When traveling, the stuff we carry can take a severe beating and a few times I've been worrying for my old VAIO. It makes you wondering why they don't build those expensive laptops like the XO!

After I unpacked the XO, there was a bit of deception. Why? Well, you were supposed to get a taste of how it's going to be... in the field.

For instance, the 110V wall transformer is nice here in America, but infrastructure being a problem in most third world countries, finding a wall outlet can be a problem.

On the internet I saw long discussions about solar panels, hand-crank generators and how XO's electricals have been designed to tolerate an extremely wide range of DC input voltage. There's none of that in the shipment.

Also missing is documentation. (There's a small flyer telling you very basic things, and then you're instructed to log on their web site for more infos. Mhhhh... )

For the same reason, to have a feel of what it's going to be in real life, I would love to see some educational materials (or to cut costs, links to the electronic version of these documents) that would come with the laptop.

So basically, from the G1G1 program, you get a laptop... and that's that as far as you are concerned. I hope for the donated XO laptop, it's another story.

In evaluating the XO laptop, you have to remind yourself that it's operating... in the Western world, which the XO is *NOT* designed for. So certain things are bound to happen, such as this screen, immediately after booting up.

<--- It remembers the wi-fi access point it was on the previous time... but *NOT* its password! So everytime I boot up the XO, I have to type the password of my wi-fi access point. Dang, another password to remember. :)

In Africa, most likely it wouldn't be a problem (who would be crazy to password protect an access point? Even more so... in a school ?!?).

Besides, the XO has a "mesh" wireless system to talk to other XO laptops (which seems to be the old Wi-Fi peer-to-peer mode), so an access point isn't really required.

One good thing, its Wi-fi antennas (those rabbit ears) have excellent range. It sees a lot more Wi-Fi signals than my VAIO laptop!


One feature I like, the screen can swivel, just like with those high-end laptops, and then you navigate with those buttons on each side of the screen.

It takes a little while to get used, but I love it!

I didn't have time to play much with the XO. There are some fun creative applications I want to play with (TamTamJam and Turtle graphics to name a few).

Its web browser is decent. Most web sites display well. One footnote: It doesn't handle Flash animation, but again, I'm in North America, so to be fair, I shouldn't apply our standards.

I might even add that there are some hidden benefits. Some of the most annoying ads are done in Flash... therefore they become invisible with this browser, heh! :)

All in all, this XO laptop is a great laptop. I'm impressed!

Wanna play with my XO? :)

Cheers,

-E

Chaotic triumph...

<--- Again, do I need to say anything? :) L'Arc de Triomphe. (Also called "Place de l'Etoile", and I was a bit surprised it got renamed again as "Etoile-Charles-de-Gaulle". Huh ?!? It always surprises me, with this crazy traffic whizzing all around L'Arc de Triomphe , and how discipline is a word that exists only in a dictionary, and this is especially true in Paris...

I was there observing for a while, this sheer docile maddness...

Amazing, just amazing...

An amazing nothingness! No accidents! No one injured!

In total chaos, comes order. People do get from point A to point B... apparently safe and sound... seemingly against all odds!!!

Cheers from Paris!

-E

Douce France.... / Modern " arts "...

<--- Do I need to say anything? :D

This is Paris' Inutshuk. Cough cough. :D

Yow... Talk about a cultural clash... and yet, at 10,000km away from each other and also being about 100 years apart (I'm referring to Vancouver's *true* Inukshuk on English Bay Beach, they both mean the same.

Inukshuk, they can be found in Western Canada and they mean "I was here".

Now, if you're a tourist and you come to Paris... what is the symbol you're looking for, the most striking one, of all... even it's been taken in photos a million of times?

[i]La Tour Eiffel[/i]. The Eiffel Tower. Probably close in second rank... [i]L'Arc de Triomphe[/i]. But I'm allowed one photo here.

Why the Eiffel Tower?

*I* was there. That's why! You have to be there, to feel its weight (well figuratively, of course! :) ).

To feel the distance from where I come from.

To me, to feel the boomerang effect. I'm back to my origins, in a way. Home in Montréal. Home is also Paris.

So, for that one mighty photo that FC allows me to put... What photo represents Paris? Yup, _that_ tower.

It's interesting, like many modern buildings, its art wasn't appreciated.

You probably know, without even visiting Paris, that when the tower was built, many people said that it was the most ugliest "pile of metal" sitting in Paris... and it was a very close call that The Eiffel Tower got demolished.

Imagine today! Paris without its Eiffel Tower? That tickles the imagination, a little bit.

So like many things... that defy orders, rules, conventional wisdoms... things that were deemed... ugly, provocative, shocking...

... are valuable, nice... are fully appreciate... *later*.

I was thinking of CongueroSeattle... and about the Seattle Library downtown, and things he said about that new building...

... Yet, it's a construction that recalls a bit the Montreal's biosphere (Expo'67) or even Vancouver's Science World (on a smaller scale for Expo '86). A simple geometric design, repeated millions of times.

And the sharp criticism all these buildings have gathered during their construction.

A pile of metals, people said. Ugly! Get rid of that junk!

And yet later... how we treasure them.

La Veille Dame, The Old Lady... is going well. Very well for her 100th year. :D

(Not showing on the photo, there was quite a light show to observe).

Cheers,

-E

PS: It was a balmy day today in Paris, after a rather damp and rainy morning. The sun came out, and it was a mix of clouds and sun all afternoon long... along with a nice +12C (mid 50s). No complaints.

Oh my feet!!! Walk and walk and walk, and grateful for Martine to show me Paris, with her own eyes!

It would have taken many days, along a tour of the museum... but what could be done in a day, from dawn to dusk... has been done.

Oh... enjoying bistrots while on our way.

It felt good, very good.

Voicemail to SMS text message...

I'm awfully behind in checking my mails.

A friend of mine has sent me this link. Rogers (who also owns the Fido brand name) is one of the three cellphone service providers in Canada. They announce a brand new service for cellphone users: Voicemail to SMS text messages.

(Of course, knowing Rogers, they'll charge top dollars for that service :) ).

They have implemented voice recognition software on their voicemail service. It understands several languages (English, French, German, Spanish).

So you can receive as a text message, what people are leaving on your voice mailbox.

Ahh... the wonders of computers. :)

Since Canada is trailing terribly, compared to the States and Europe, I would bet that they all have that for a long time... but it's coming to Canada. At last.

In the article I mentioned earlier, there's something that ticks me off:

-------

“It’ll appeal to a broad customer base … people who are in meetings quite regularly and can’t take a phone call; it’s very useful in those settings,” commented Alltel’s senior vice president of product management, Wade McGill. “It was one of those services that once you get it, you don’t want to give it up,” he added, describing the reaction of a product test group.

-------

Ooookay. What about people who are functionally hard of hearing (my case). What about deaf people? I'd bet they'd be delighted

It's often the problem with new technology. What their inventors think of the real audience of their new technology... and how it really turns out in reality...

Anyway, that's probably old news to everyone else, but I figure that's news still worthy enough for mention here.

Now, time to pack my luggage... or I'll miss my plane!!!

Cheers,

-E

Think spacially, express yourself spacially!

If you've been wondering why I like computers... :)

It's a bit by accident that I went to computer programming. It challenges my mind in a great way, and I'm paid for that. It's difficult to find a better job!

When I went to the university, my approach was that computers can help us, human beings. Whether to compensate for our own deficiencies... whether to provide an environment, to fully express ourselves and to organize our thoughts in ways that make sense. Computers have become powerful enough... that we are getting to that point.

Think spacially, express spacially. Also a matter of going beyond words... beyond links. It's all about... people.

Zubie has sent me the URL of this YouTube video:


PS: The music is pretty cool! The question is there: Is the machine us/ing us or are we using the machine to be... ourselves? (I rather think of the latter). A new breed of humans will result? Mhhhh... not so sure.

PPS: I enjoy a lot the end of the video. I agree that we need to rethink a lot of things. Enjoy the video!

PPPS: Have you noticed how writing text has been... non-linear? Up and down, left and right? Welcome to the realm of visual thinkers! :)

On a related topic:

Are you left brain or right brain? Here's the link to an interesting article: Right Brain vs Left Brain. Is the female dancer spinning to the right or to the left? It depends. (To make the dancer spinning, click on the miniature photo on the left).

If you think the animated .GIF picture is rigged, try this experiment with a laptop, or with an LCD screen which you can hold... sideway.

All of a sudden, you'll see the dancer spinning in the other direction. (If it doesn't work, place the monitor or laptop the other way around).

Better, if you can hold the monitor at the point the dancer spins in opposite direction, you'll likely see the dancer spinning one way and then the other way.

A proof that the .GIF animated picture isn't "rigged". It's up to your mind, and how it decodes reality.

Oh, my cubicle!

If you've been wondering why I traveled so much last year...

See Clevergirl's blog entry. The danger of the mighty cubicle world!!!

Since I value my sanity... this is why I spent so much time on the road, heh! :)

I hope you'll enjoy the giggles. :)

(And the fact that it's so true!!!)

Cheers!

-E

Hibernation... on the fast lane.

I love those quirky titles. :)

First thing first, to all my fellow bloggers... a Happy New Year!

Yup, we all made it. It's 2008. Incredible, isn't it? :D

I wish to all of you... Health, Happiness. The rest is also nice to have, I agree. :)

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<--- Photo taken this morning. I don't remember seeing so much snow so early in the winter season. Still four looooong months to go. If it continues to snow at this rate... mhhh, it's going to be interesting!!!

My house will _really_ be an igloo!!! :)

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-I'm back from celebrating the new day with my parents. It goes without saying I couldn't leave Canada, on such an important day.

I've millions things to do, and on day like this one, it's windy, it's cold and it is snowing...

The urge to stay in my cavern, err... igloo is there. Sigh!!!

- Just finished the job (Yay!). However, I've to make preparations for the trip to France... and of course I have to hunt for those little sweet treats we have "in America" (I wish they say Québec, or as a last resort, Canada. If you have family relatives on the Old Continent, no matter where you are on the NEW Continent, it's America, and that's that! Whether basking in an igloo or wearing a sombrero, you come from America! :) ).

- Got the luggage packed with my stuff.

- Last tour of e-mail. Sigh... it's scary the amount of new mails. I must get done before leaving.

- I must see my landlord. Again, she will check my apartment everyday (and for Albertine, the garden spider. She has a big kick on her!).

It's not that I'm overly cautious, but in winter time in a nordic country like mine, there are extra steps that must get done while you're away at this time of the year. Otherwise, insurance companies won't pay. Mumble... mumble... mumble...

- A talk with Gamin and Filou. Once again, they'll be in the hands of my mom. Nor they understand much, but "the talk" is important for me. After all, these cats are my babies :) (If you're a cat owner, you understand what I mean. :) ). There's also the big guilt trip to leave them behind... even if I know they'll be in *VERY* good hands. :)

That being said, there's another weird feeling, because my cats don't miss much my absence. With my mom, they are pampered. She cooked for them all sorts of great meals (I wish I had the time to do so!), they are groomed and groomed (and they love that!) and they'll get all other niceties. Did I mention that my mom loves cats? :)

It feels as if they want to stay with my mom, when I come back. Sheesh. :)

- Laptop? Check. It will work on 220V.

- I have a bunch of adapters for those round wall outlets in Europe. It's in the luggage. (Yeah I know, I'm sure you have done this: leaving them at home!!! :) )

- Digicam charger? Check. It will also work fine on 220V.

- Ditto for the cellphone charger, and I spent a good deal of time with customer service yesterday, to make sure that the cellphone I have will work in France, and then to activate international roaming... and then asking a few basic things...

How do I dial an European phone number on a *Canadian* cellphone, if I have to? And vice in the versa, which numbering scheme I use when calling back to Canada when I'm in France? Answer: It's bisexual. :)

A bit of both numbering schemes. Not exactly like in Europe, not exactly like in Canada, but it's a bit of both. Roaming rates? Nawww... you don't want to know. I just hope there won't be any emergencies requiring the use of my cellphone, whether in France or in Canada.

-Got maps, guides all tucked in said luggage

-Now, if I can find time to sloooooooooow down and relax!!!

Yup, hibernation on the fast lane, it feels that way.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Cheers,

-E