Mobile internet

With the big mobile phone companies shoving more handsets out than before and now that some companies actually seem to have rather decent web browsers already deployed on phones (the screen size is still something of a problem, though), the whole mobile internet/web discussion is starting to become relevant and interesting. Although typically this is understood in the .mobi sense of the term and the related things like providing sites for mobile devices. At least that's how I percieved it anyway; the handset is just another device which offers a viewpoint to the web, like your own computer.

But some time back some nice blokes at NRC published a port of the Apache web server to the S60 (Symbian) platform and the implications are somewhat interesting, to say the least. More on the project is available at the NRC Mobile Web Server pages. Sufficient to say, with the whole Web 2.0 boom with mashups and whatnots, one could rather easily provide an open and documented interface to a mobile phone through a web server talking some standardized XML dialect. Presence, etc.

I guess I'll take this up as a personal project for this spring; setting up the S60 port of Apache on my phone and trying to build some nifty app on top of that.

Ready, set, go!

I received confirmation today that I indeed got the outsourcing topic for my BSc thesis and I guess this is the first time that I actually grasp to a some extent that this is real. That I'm actually nearing the finnish of one degree. Eventually. This also sort of defines the path that I'm going to take, mainly that my major will indeed most likely be from the Software Business Lab.

It also turned out that the coordinator for the BSc stuff in SBL will also by my mentor and a quick look at her CV has me sort of spooked. 29 and already a Licentiate of Science (tech) and Master of Arts (educ) and nearly a Doctor of Philosophy (tech) and Master of Science (econ) with a huge list of publications. All the people sporting lists like that who I've met before have turned out to be fairly demanding of other people, so I guess this'll most likely mean that I'll either break down or create a brilliant thesis. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be the latter scenario...

Telemarketers

Telemarketers should die. I think just about everyone shares this view, hopefully even the telemarketers. A new and increasingly annoying trend, however, appears to be that companies who's client I already am have started to call me up. The latest one was a Finnish bank called Sampo and they wanted me to come talk about saving and whatnot. I'd only actually slept roughly three hours last night and rolled around in bed for another three hours and was fairly out of it, so I routinely checked my calendar and booked a meeting with them, before understanding that I didn't really have any interest to talk to them about anything. I just don't believe that anything they say could possibly interest me in any way.

Then something interesting happened. Some other guy called me again and said that the first person who called me had made a mistake and the time she'd agreed with me had actually been booked before and he offered to reschedule me. So of course I took the opportunity and told him that in fact I didn't really think it that important for me to meet them and discuss anything with them and that I despise these sort of direct and aggressive marketing attempts. But did he give up? No. He went on and on about how they wanted to reward their current customers. If they wanted to do that, drop the charges that they make me pay for various services I already use. If not that, then I'm not interested. The persistent asshole finally went away when I told him that I would seriously have to consider moving all my assets completely to Nordea (their competitor with whom I also do business) if they continued to call me. Sheesh.

It's one thing to harass potential clients by telemarketing, because you don't really have that much to lose. But it's interesting that even when I am already Sampo's customer and pay their fees (oh, and bankers should also die ;) they still feel the need to harass me like this. I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that I checked the box that said that I didn't want to be contacted. I guess I'll have to double-check that this indeed is the case...

Best introduction ever

The scene in the new Casino Royale where Bond is introduced to Vesper Lynd must be one of the best introduction scenes ever. Especially Vesper's analysis of Bond,

"All right. By the cut of your suit you went to Oxford or wherever, and naturally think human beings dress like that. But you wear it with such disdain, my guess is you didn't come from money. And your school friends never let you forget it. Which means you were at that school by the grace of someone else's charity, hence the chip on your shoulder. And since your first thought about me ran to orphan, that's what I'd say you are... Oh you are? I like this poker thing."

Calendars

I don't like calendars. I mean, I like to actually know where to be and when, but I don't like calendars. Or more precisely, I have nothing against calendars, but I am very much against multiple calendars. All I remember right now is that I have something to do, someone to meet or some other important thing on the 16th of January; next Tuesday. But I have no idea when or what is going to happen.

Why has this happened? Well, there are too many calendars. I typically use Google Calendar, unless it's a) business related or b) I'm not at a computer/I don't have an internet connection available. The business stuff I keep in my work laptop's Outlook calendar. And if I don't have an internet connection, I either b.1) put stuff in my phone's calendar or b.2) write stuff into my paper calendar or b.3) write stuff on random pieces of paper. And then if I use a phone, I can b.1.1) use my work phone or b.1.2) use my personal phone. And the only things that are automatically synchronized are my work phone and Outlook on my work laptop. And those contain mostly work things.

Complicated? Yes. Are there any easy solutions? Not that I know of. Ok, at work our unit focuses on standardization; perhaps I should try to standardize my calendars and only use one or two calendars, at most. And try to get things to synchronize automatically. But I wouldn't hold my breath. In the meanwhile, I have no idea what's happening on the 16th...

I was wrong.

I was wrong. Peter (you know who you are if you're reading this...) was right.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Moleskines...

I recently brushed upon the problem of blogging and privacy. And it appears that this is a general trend these days; everyone's writing articles about how people don't understand how to protect their privacy and as a result lose it by joining social networks and just by doing the "Web 2.0" thing.

I understand this to some extent; of course some information may be embarrassing if it comes out. But it's a non-issue, since that information isn't meant to be put online in the first place! I don't know how other people approach the problem, but when I say something online, I implicitly make and ratify a decision that I will stand by what I say with my own name. If it's something embarrassing, I don't say it. A guy at work recently told of a case where they were recruiting and a possible candidate was a spokesman for the Finnish cannabis association, or whatever the local thing was. Naturally he didn't get the job. Now, some people will argue that this is unfair. I don't quite follow. You should be intelligent enough in the first place to understand that someone will always notice stuff like that. And if you still decide to stand by something, that's great. It shows spirit. But people should acknowledge the possible consequences. I can't say I have much sympathy for people who can't think more than two steps ahead...

On a related note, I bought my first Moleskine today and I must say that I fell in love with it instantly. It's just so utilitarian and simple. Plus it does have some things that all these web-things don't have; there's a single copy of it which I control and can do with it what I will. Hence I will use it to embark on more interesting quests of introspection, which for reasons or not, can't be posted online. But fear not, whomever may be reading this, I'll still continue to bore you with the same old stuff that I've been posting before; you won't lose anything.

Murphy's Law

Ok, now I'm calm again. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out...

Backups. Everyone knows how important they are, and I'm actually a sort of minority who actually takes backups. Of some stuff. And luckily for me, my work laptop just said "Fan error" to me and refuses to boot. Ok, stuff like that happens. What's that got to do with Murphy's Law? Well, I have a workshop tomorrow, i.e. I won't be at the office. And what's nice is that I would've actually had some stuff I would've presented at the workshop. Add insult to injury and the fact that all my presentations and material that I've written isn't in my backup routines.

I just hope some service desk guy will be able to save me on Tuesday... I'd get drunk right now were it not for the fact that I have to be at some random place by 8 AM tomorrow...

Happy New Year 2007!

The year just changed, and I - unlike so many other Finns - was able to celebrate the change of the year while being entirely sober. And it was rather fun. Saw some old friends, then came home to shoot some rockets and met some neighbors and so on.

And right now I'm listening to Theodore Shapiro's Suite from the Devil Wears Prada. The part from about 03:20 to 03:50 is just brilliant. It starts with a transition via strings to drums and guiter, which are subtle and in the background, but move the entire thing forward. Along in the background is a woman humming, which gives it an eery and airy atmosphere. But the thing I'm absolutely in love with is the piano, which complements the background in an unbelievably elegant but yet so simple way. The humming and piano alternate short periods of time. One can't do justice to it by attempting to complement it verbally. The segment moves on at a decent pace, but is by no means aggressive. I feel like this could be a good tune to set the overall theme of the year. Opportunity. Achievement. Movement. Comfort from solitude. Freedom.