Jaiku.com might resemble Twitter but it's much more interesting. Apart from allowing you to publish your status (e.g. "Right now I am picking my nose and eating the snot.") using web interface, IM or SMS, it also also displays feeds from whatever sources you define. That means you can have one cleanly organized stream of your personal thoughts and all your public activities.
When you look at fuxoft.jaiku.com, you can see my status changes ("wha I am doing right now" - like on Twitter), but - more importantly - you can see my blogposts, my photos uploaded to Flickr, my videos favorited at YouTube and interesting links I found using Google Reader sharing. Everything on a single page with automatically generated RSS feed. If you want to know about "everything Fuxoft is up to", this is the page to go to (or subscribe to).
In order to prevent flooding of person's Jaiku stream with dozens of items each day, the items from each source are indexed only once every 24 hours. You have to click on "... and XY more" link in each post to see special page where all the items from this day and from this feed are displayed (in the right-hand column).
Jaiku has been bought by Google and you can probably expect its integration into Google infrastructure fairly soon.
Jaiku registrations are not yet public but everyone has been given an infinite number of invites recently. If you want to register at jaiku, I can send you the invite. But if you just want to watch what I'm up to, you don't have to register at all!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Hardware is Confusing
Although I always liked computers and programming, I never understood computer hardware or any other electronics. I can configure software but when there are hardware problems it drives me mad. I still don't understand the difference between Amperes and Volts and I don't want to understand it (that's basically why I left the college after two years).
Knowing all this, you can imagine my terror when my LCD monitor suddenly went blank in the middle of websurfing. No, the computer did not accidentally reset. The monitor went back on in three seconds, with my Ubuntu desktop intact. I was relieved but cautious.
About 30 minutes later, the exactly same thing happened. The monitor went black and, after 3 seconds, the desktop appeared again in all its glory.
That pissed me off. Will I have to buy a new monitor? Will I have to buy a new videocard? How to diagnose this when it happens only once in 30 minutes and lasts for a few seconds? Surely this cannot be software related...? This has to be another ugly hardware problem!
Yes, it was hardware based.
Albert was sleeping under the table, warming his ass at the exact spot where the video cable was plugged in too loosely and occassionally wagging his tail...
Knowing all this, you can imagine my terror when my LCD monitor suddenly went blank in the middle of websurfing. No, the computer did not accidentally reset. The monitor went back on in three seconds, with my Ubuntu desktop intact. I was relieved but cautious.
About 30 minutes later, the exactly same thing happened. The monitor went black and, after 3 seconds, the desktop appeared again in all its glory.
That pissed me off. Will I have to buy a new monitor? Will I have to buy a new videocard? How to diagnose this when it happens only once in 30 minutes and lasts for a few seconds? Surely this cannot be software related...? This has to be another ugly hardware problem!
Yes, it was hardware based.
Albert was sleeping under the table, warming his ass at the exact spot where the video cable was plugged in too loosely and occassionally wagging his tail...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Google Code Hosting = Too Good For Me
I moved FFTempl project to Google Code Hosting and discovered it really matured (the Google site, not my project) and looks rather good, offering some extremely interesting features (like Subversion repository and online code review) for your Open Source projects for free.
Of course my tiny project will never use 99% of them...
Of course my tiny project will never use 99% of them...
Thursday, August 14, 2008
One Year And Counting!
Today (technically yesterday), when I came home with groceries, I was surprised by this:
Yes, dear reader, we had something to celebrate. It's exactly one year since we agreed (by e-mail) that we can try dating and met personally for the first time as "boyfriend and girlfriend". I could also write "...since we had our first sex" but that doesn't feel quite right because we had sex only after (30 minutes after) we agreed that we will be dating.
In any case, it lasted far longer than anyone predicted and - maybe surprisingly - it works quite well even when we live together. Meanwhile, Jitushka not only got accepted to University (she will be a translator from English and German!) but also got herself a part-time job - courtesy of Karolina, my former girlfriend (I like it when everyone is friends with everyone else).
Yes, it works quite well so far. Let's see how it will work when we leave for Greece the next week...
UPDATE: Proof that "everyone can be friends with everyone else"!
Yes, dear reader, we had something to celebrate. It's exactly one year since we agreed (by e-mail) that we can try dating and met personally for the first time as "boyfriend and girlfriend". I could also write "...since we had our first sex" but that doesn't feel quite right because we had sex only after (30 minutes after) we agreed that we will be dating.
In any case, it lasted far longer than anyone predicted and - maybe surprisingly - it works quite well even when we live together. Meanwhile, Jitushka not only got accepted to University (she will be a translator from English and German!) but also got herself a part-time job - courtesy of Karolina, my former girlfriend (I like it when everyone is friends with everyone else).
Yes, it works quite well so far. Let's see how it will work when we leave for Greece the next week...
UPDATE: Proof that "everyone can be friends with everyone else"!
Monday, August 04, 2008
Did I Tell You I Am Rather Fond Of Tokyo?
As you probably know, I have a soft spot for Tokyo. I was there three times and I always wanted to go back. And now I can, at least virtually.
I can visit the first hotel I stayed in, the second hotel I stayed in and even the third hotel I stayed in!
All that thanks to Google Maps' new Street View coverage. You can now see Tokyo's new city hall, the giant golden turd, big-ass roller coaster right in the middle of the city and even Godzilla herself. Unfortunately, most of the photos are taken very early in the morning and that means one of the most important elements is missing - the people. And, of course, you cannot see areas where cars don't have access.
Street View, coupled with Panoramio, Picasaweb and Youtube integration, makes Google Maps really, really useful tool for selecting your vacation or just "having a look how it looks over there". Recently, I used it to check out where we are going for a vacation in a few weeks.
I can visit the first hotel I stayed in, the second hotel I stayed in and even the third hotel I stayed in!
All that thanks to Google Maps' new Street View coverage. You can now see Tokyo's new city hall, the giant golden turd, big-ass roller coaster right in the middle of the city and even Godzilla herself. Unfortunately, most of the photos are taken very early in the morning and that means one of the most important elements is missing - the people. And, of course, you cannot see areas where cars don't have access.
Street View, coupled with Panoramio, Picasaweb and Youtube integration, makes Google Maps really, really useful tool for selecting your vacation or just "having a look how it looks over there". Recently, I used it to check out where we are going for a vacation in a few weeks.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Uncensored Hot Dog On Dog Gay Interrracial Action!
It seems my video was removed from YouTube because it was too sexual or too gay! You can download the original here.There is also a growing photoset on Flickr.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Christianity Explained by Electrocuting Pickles
Spooky old man explains Christianity by torturing pickles.
The only logical conclusions of this experiment are:
The only logical conclusions of this experiment are:
- When you become Christian, you'll burn in hell.
- Don't try Christianity at home.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Bill Gates: "Windows Usability has been going backwards"
Here is a fascinating e-mail (confirmed as authentic) sent by Bill Gates in 2003, in which he chastises Microsoft bosses after his disastrous experience while trying to install something under Windows XP.
The last non-Linux PC operating system I actively used was Windows 98 (which I used well until 2002 or 2003). I have some limited experience with Windows XP (I have to use it for making music) but I only use it to run FL Studio and save/load files to/from networked drive. That means I cannot rationally criticize Windows XP, much less Windows Vista, because I have no experience using them.
But now, Bill has done that instead of me. Thanks Bill.
This puts to rest the popular argument which goes: "Yeah, but any stupid secretary can install Windows"! The exactly same stupid secretary can probably install Ubuntu Linux as well. The trouble comes when she wants to fine-tune that installation for her needs (assuming she is not entirely stupid and knows what her needs are). In this case, the idea of "searching in Linux forums" is as unhelpful as "try asking Microsoft support".
In my personal experience, the people who don't understand computer well are the prime candidates for using Linux. After I carefully ask them what exactly they want to do with their PC, I install and fine-tune everything (usually Ubuntu), knowing that they cannot screw it up afterwards (I don't give them their admin passwords, of course) and if they have problems, I can repair/re-configure almost anything over SSH or VNC. Many of them don't even understand that they are now using some other operating system than before. The only hurdle (major hurdle) is the fact that many useful Linux programs don't exist in Czech version yet.
The "slightly more advanced" users (e.g. people who install their own games, instant messengers, media players etc.) are the least likely Linux users. They feel sort-of-powerful, content with the fact that they have to "clean their computer" (read: "reinstall Windows") from time to time and they are just bitching that some stuff is "weird" under Linux (read: "different than in Windows").
I don't want to talk about "really advanced users" very much, because many of them have legitimate reasons (business or otherwise) to run Windows and this has been already discussed to death. I basically just wanted to say that the 5 years old Bill Gates memo made my day.
The last non-Linux PC operating system I actively used was Windows 98 (which I used well until 2002 or 2003). I have some limited experience with Windows XP (I have to use it for making music) but I only use it to run FL Studio and save/load files to/from networked drive. That means I cannot rationally criticize Windows XP, much less Windows Vista, because I have no experience using them.
But now, Bill has done that instead of me. Thanks Bill.
This puts to rest the popular argument which goes: "Yeah, but any stupid secretary can install Windows"! The exactly same stupid secretary can probably install Ubuntu Linux as well. The trouble comes when she wants to fine-tune that installation for her needs (assuming she is not entirely stupid and knows what her needs are). In this case, the idea of "searching in Linux forums" is as unhelpful as "try asking Microsoft support".
In my personal experience, the people who don't understand computer well are the prime candidates for using Linux. After I carefully ask them what exactly they want to do with their PC, I install and fine-tune everything (usually Ubuntu), knowing that they cannot screw it up afterwards (I don't give them their admin passwords, of course) and if they have problems, I can repair/re-configure almost anything over SSH or VNC. Many of them don't even understand that they are now using some other operating system than before. The only hurdle (major hurdle) is the fact that many useful Linux programs don't exist in Czech version yet.
The "slightly more advanced" users (e.g. people who install their own games, instant messengers, media players etc.) are the least likely Linux users. They feel sort-of-powerful, content with the fact that they have to "clean their computer" (read: "reinstall Windows") from time to time and they are just bitching that some stuff is "weird" under Linux (read: "different than in Windows").
I don't want to talk about "really advanced users" very much, because many of them have legitimate reasons (business or otherwise) to run Windows and this has been already discussed to death. I basically just wanted to say that the 5 years old Bill Gates memo made my day.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
A Moving Story
It happened last Sunday. Jitushka arrived from Liberec with large bags...
...and refused to leave.
She now lives here. She fixed Eric. Eric is now happy.
We are all happy.
...and refused to leave.
She now lives here. She fixed Eric. Eric is now happy.
We are all happy.
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