My system

elvismontero.com live!

2008-05-29T00:13:00.003-04:00

UPDATED: Fixed the links. Gee, and you thought I'd know better. Thanks, Jimmy!

Yes, that's right folks. You can now go to elvismontero.com to get the latest on yours truly. Needless to say, I won't be posting here anymore (so you better update your RSS readers). I will not delete this blog for historic purposes (I know you all would like to go back and tease me for the weird stuff I'd written here). :)

See you at my new home.

Cheers!

Back!

2008-05-23T21:45:00.003-04:00

Today was the official end of the spring quarter here at RIT. Woo! Woo! I'll be back with cool stuff this weekend/beginning of next week.

Hiatus

2008-05-18T13:33:00.000-04:00

It's finals week so I've been really busy with projects and exams. I'll be right back...

JOTN 6

2008-05-11T16:21:00.002-04:00

JOTN 6 is out. Make sure you check us out at www.junkonthenet.com
We'd love to hear from you! How to make the show and the site better, what content you'd like us to produce, death sentences, love declarations (we're all heterosexual, please) and everything else you can think of. Feel free to be candid!

Cheers!

Lights. Cells. Action!

2008-05-11T13:57:00.005-04:00

Cell phones stopped being simple oral communication devices a while ago. These we-cannot-live-with-out gadgets now have web browsers, GPS applications, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 5 to 7 mega pixel cameras, full-fledged (QWERTY) keyboards and a myriad of different applications you’ll most likely never use (e.g. calculators, calendars, email clients, mp3 players, mobile TV, et cetera). Oh, yeah. You can still make calls using your cell phone if you want.

Since the tendency is to have a digital Swiss army knife at the palm of your hand, it is no surprise that cell phones will now be utilized to, wait for it, make movies. The NY Times recently reported a partnership between Finnish cell phone manufacturer Nokia and movie director Spike Lee. The goal? To produce a 12-to-15-minute movie filmed using cell phones alone. Although similar efforts have been out there for a while, Mr. Lee’s and Nokia’s approach is unique because of their revolutionary, social-ish appeal: let people upload whatever they want (clips, sounds, music, et cetera) and let’s make a motion picture out of that. Brilliant!

Since I've always been pro user-generated content (hey, I have my own blog and I'm now part of a very cool podcast), I find the concept utterly cool for so many reasons. Firstly, imagine the whole gamut of human emotion Mr. Lee will have access to. People contributing from every corner of the globe? There surely will be a lot of great entries to choose from. Video quality will most likely not be a problem (5 mega pixels cameras are pretty much the de facto standard in high-end cell phones these days).

Secondly, the endeavor will invariably bring people from different regions and cultures together (the subject of the movie is humanity). This fact alone is highly commendable. Every effort destined to get people from different ethnic groups, cultures and idiosyncrasies together through collaboration, especially if technology is in the mix, deserves to be supported and talked about.

Lastly, I'm head over heels for Nokia's and Spike Lee’s idea because this is sheer, good, old-fashioned innovation. It’s new. It’s fresh. It’s different. But, most importantly, it could well set a precedent on how to conceive and produce movies. This is the kind of innovative idea I simply adore. Do you think we’ll have a new movie genre in the foreseeable future?

The only negative aspect I can think of is, ironically, the abundance of junk that would converge at a web site like this (lots of people are bound to produce a lot of subpar content – YouTube anyone?). Thus, a filtering mechanism is mandatory. To ensure a fair process, the online community will be able to vote and pick the best clips. Mr. Lee and his minions will then be reviewing every entry and selecting the ones they want to incorporate in the final cut. I just hope we don’t end up getting another Chris Crocker-like clip. I mean, really!? One Chris is more than enough. Ok. Ok. I’ll leave him alone.

In case you’d like to contribute, or all of the sudden you find yourself with massive amounts of free time (hah!), navigate towards nokiaproductions.com.

Reporter - Take 2

2008-05-09T00:11:00.003-04:00

My new article is out at Reporter's website. Make sure you read it and let me know what you think. Again, only constructive criticism please. :)

Cheers!

JOTN 5

2008-05-06T23:20:00.002-04:00

JOTN 5 is out. Make you sure you hear me and my friends out every week at www.junkonthenet.com

Reporter

2008-05-02T13:49:00.008-04:00

Yours truly had the privilege to write a piece for the Reporter. Apparently, I'll basically be writing tech related stories for RIT's magazine for the time being. Before the end of the spring quarter, 2 more issues will be printed (both with an article of mine). Hopefully, I'll be back with the gang once again in fall -- I don't think the Reporter is published during summer.

The writers for this week's issue:

Before you guys say anything: yes, the first one had to be about Macs. Were you expecting something else? Since I'm always trying to be a better writer, feedback is definitely welcome (constructive criticism, please).

Ciao!

Deux ex machina

2008-04-29T14:25:00.003-04:00

And then, all our problems were solved. The machines helped humans develop their full potential. A little bit afterwards, the machines destroyed Earth along with every living creature in it.

Earth Day

2008-04-22T21:21:00.006-04:00

Earth Day is here. Since the whole green movement is quite popular nowadays (every campus in US is either talking or doing something about it -- RIT is no exception) I felt like sharing with you guys my not-so-friendly carbon footprint (well, not really, just my garbage). Check out how much junk I've produced in the past 10 days:

That's all me! I'm not particularly proud about it. As you can clearly see, I drink lots of juice. I also enjoy the occasional soda. I bought a few things from Amazon. Oh, strawberry cheese! Plastic! Plastic! Plastic! Ouch. The Earth is most likely unhappy. I like to think I don't produce that much solid garbage for a person my age, or do I? I should adopt a more eco-friendlier stance towards life. You should too!

Our little grid

2008-04-17T20:31:00.010-04:00

As promised, I took a few pictures of our grid for your Mac-fanboy pleasure:

These are just a few of the machines my peers and I got together to assemble our little grid using Apple's Xgrid. This cluster-like configuration is indeed powerful. However, true grid-ness is reached when we factor in my Mac Book Pro, my teammates' Mac Books and our professor's almighty Mac Pro. So you can roughly understand what I'm talking about in terms of processing power, here's a screenshot of the Xgrid Admin's odometer:

Sadly, I'm not working on anything related to squeezing out these babies. My project has more to do with scheduling jobs. I'll share my final paper with you guys at the end of the quarter. Ciao!

Emotions at the workplace: A simple story

2008-04-11T17:00:00.008-04:00

DISCLAIMER: Ditto.

A former boss of mine epitomized persuasiveness. He was very good at talking people into, or out of, anything. Cognizant of this, I walked into his office armored with nothing more than faith and a few customer evaluations. I had been working really hard on a new project for more than 3 months before I started to realize I deserved better. I hadn’t defined a course of action (big mistake!) but I knew I wanted a raise. My boss listened carefully while I succinctly enumerated the reasons I thought made me worthy of a bigger paycheck.

After I was done, he explained to me, with equanimity in his voice, the reasons why a raise wasn’t feasible at the time (he truly was a show runner – his tone, demeanor and overall control of the situation were nothing short of amazing). I then did the unthinkable: I stood up and stormed out of his office -- not before promising he’d get my resignation the next day. Since I’m a man of my word, I quit within the following 24 hours.

Even though this occurred 5 years ago, I still regret the way I reacted towards the whole situation. I let a false sense of powerlessness and desperation dictate my behavior. Reflecting carefully on this matter now, I think I let emotions take the best of me. I had grown tired. I was angry with the company! Their salaries were low (and mine was particularly low since I had been working for a year). Their incentive package was nothing compared to other companies within the industry. Employees throughout the entire organization had raised their opinions loudly, and vigorously, about this fact.

Overall, they were not creating a positive emotional climate through rewards and compensation systems (a classic shortcoming for managers trying to tame employees’ emotional distress). Furthermore, the environment was not favorable to open communication (which is clearly detrimental to employees’ perception of your company). All of this only exacerbated my, and my peers’, discontent. 2 weeks after I quit, a former co-worker told me 6 other individuals from the same department had resigned.

Putting it in perspective, the company would have been on a much better position if upper management had rethought the reward systems. My boss should have picked up a clue when I angrily walked out of his office. Something I have learned at my young age (I’m only 25 at the time of this writing) is that open display of emotions at the workplace is a very compelling metric of employees’ emotional state (both individual and collaborative manifestations alike). Apparently, this concept eluded upper management.

If I were in the same situation again, I would turn my manager’s attention to the significance of a stimulating reward system. Of course, money alone is not enough. Firstly, the environment itself should be propitious to communication and inclusion (i.e. processes are fair and respectful of employees’ concerns). Secondly, the potential of managers that put into practice emotional intelligence (i.e. observe keenly, and thoughtfully, the emotional status of the workplace) knows no boundaries. Eventually, this unpleasant experience could have been prevented if my boss had been a little more responsive and attentive to his department’s needs.

Junk On The Net

2008-04-08T21:37:00.005-04:00

A couple of friends, yours truly included, are giving podcasting a try. Visit junkonthenet.com and let us know what you think (we love feedback!).

UPDATE: Since someone already asked me, I'm going to come out clean here: none of the folks you're listening to speaks English as the first language (Spanish is our mother tongue). If I'm not mistaken, we were all born in Dominican Republic. The reasons we do the show in English are similar to my rationale for blogging in English.

The few. The proud. The geeks!

2008-04-05T13:05:00.012-04:00

I had the privilege to participate in Rochester's BarCamp 3 today. Here's a list of the talks I attended (as well as some interesting pictures for your geeky pleasure):

The gathering

My, oh my! So many geeks together. Splendid! The geek-o-meter was all the way to the right here.

jQuery

I'm surely going to review jQuery after witnessing some of the framework's capabilities (if you're a web designer or you do any sort of web work, you MUST check it out!).

Ruby

When this guy said you can have negative indexes to retrieve array elements in Ruby, my head spun out of control and I had to interrupt him with a glorious: WTF?

Boinc

I did not know I have to make a presentation about Boinc for my Grid Computing class less than a week from now. How convenient is that? :-D

And now, for the hardcore gamer in all of us...

This weird-looking input device is a Novint Falcon. It really is one of a kind (playing a FPS with this little thing feels like something else entirely different).

The surprise

One thing I was definitely not expecting to find is the OLPC laptop:

I was under the impression they were soft and fragile. So NOT the case! I kind of want one now...

We're an IT department!

2008-04-03T16:09:00.010-04:00

DISCLAIMER: The following anecdote is purely fictional. Any resemblance with actual events is, obviously, completely coincidental.

I used to work for a food distribution company (IT department) at Dominican Republic a couple of years ago. As soon as I joined the organization, it became clear to me that upper management had an exceedingly bad reputation in terms of boosting employees’ motivation and reducing turnover rate. I was fully aware of this situation prior my arrival though (my rationale: I wanted (needed!) the experience – you don’t have that many options in DR as an inexperienced, unemployed 19-year-old fellow). My first couple of months went by without much hassle (my boss seemed to be a very equanimous and reasonable man). One day though, during one of our weekly meetings, he announced we would no longer have open, unrestricted Internet access because we were "unquestionably" violating most of the company’s security policies.

Several of my peers and I inquired him immediately about what rules exactly we were failing to comply with, as well as why the IT department would be censored in the use of a sine qua non tool. His replies were nothing short of plain silly and incongruous. He basically said, tersely, that his hands were essentially tied on this matter (it was one of the latest upper management’s dictums -- the powers that be were famous for this).

Irate discussions extended for more than 2 weeks. None of the members of my team was willing to work anymore. We rightfully felt that controlled, not to say completely banned, access to the Internet was a rule for other departments (given the nature of their job and the extent of their duties) and it simply could not hold water for us. In the end, given the stout discontent, my boss did not apply the measure and the IT department continued to operate as "smoothly" as usual.

However, as you may have figured out by now, relationships with our manager eroded drastically. Would he not know the significance of the Internet for us? If this was in fact yet another commandment from up above, as he had stated, couldn't he had demanded an explanation from his boss in terms of validity and feasibility of a proposal like this, and, consequently, explain it to us properly? How could he support such an ill-defined offer from people who were obviously not aware of the basic and inherent role of the Internet for IT people? Needless to say, it took a while for us to regain trust in him after this ordeal.

Analyzing the situation coldly now, I can clear see both management and my boss failed miserably to follow a fair process. Had they explained the situation and the need to enforce stricter and tighter regulations for the sake of security, or whatever other reason, we likely would have taken this set of circumstances differently, or at least challenged it to a lesser degree. They blatantly missed the opportunity to explain the rationale behind their move. We felt they were imposing themselves instead of negotiating with us.

What would you do in situation like this? I would probably bring up the importance of communication, and the sense of fairness, when new policies are to be applied. Time and money could have been saved if my manager had presented the change as a natural extension of our jobs, and the continuance of our profitable role within the company, instead of a draconian edict that must be followed blindly.

April Fool's Day

2008-04-01T13:33:00.005-04:00

I am not particularly happy today. The reason is not because I was the subject of a hideous prank, mind you. I'm unhappy because I was not part of the group that came up with this prank!

The practical joke: replacing all the professors' names from their office doors (IT department) with witty, geeky names. How could I have been left out of this diabolically, yet genially conceived, plan!? I was under the impression Mr. Dave Morgan and I were friends. Apparently, I was wrong.

Happy Fool's Day!

Yet another Mac Book Pro lover

2008-03-30T12:27:00.004-04:00

Although this video is exceedingly funny, I am a little bit concerned about the mental health of this guy. I could only think of one thing while I was watching this: lol

Why are we unable to talk?

2008-03-28T22:26:00.003-04:00

I just got out of a presentation directed by fellow students (computer science, software engineering and IT folks) for one of my classes -- advanced and mostly cryptic content indeed. Since it was an assignment, my peers did not have freedom of choice. The subject at hand was imposed on them by the professor. Despite this fact, I was under the impression these were very bright individuals (I'd talked to them outside the classroom and they all seemed very capable and knowledgeable about the subject). However, the presentation was, to my eyes and the professor's, lacking in several aspects not directly related to technology: the students were unable to talk in public!

Eyes wandering around. Jumping voice tone. Total inability to captivate the audience. One of them was even looking at the floor during the entire presentation! Software engineers' inability to communicate in front of an audience is legendary. Heck, our singular disinclination to talk to people in general is even more appalling! Why, oh why?

You may argue this is something affecting everyone, not just software engineers. I wholeheartedly agree. However, based on my experience, geeks suffer from an ailment that's 10000 times stronger and 200000 times more pernicious than fear to speak in public all by itself. I call it can't-talk-to-you-because-you-don't-get-me complex. Another variation, equally deleterious to the geek's soft skills, is the I'm-smarter-than-you complex -- this one is incredibly common among science and engineering majors too. Wake up, guys! This is what's profoundly affecting your ability to communicate! This stance towards other people is precluding you from bonding and communicating effectively. The situation is fundamentally wrong because of many, many, many reasons.

Want motivation to change? One reason that quickly comes to mind is that a computer will not hire you. That's another human being's job. Have you looked around lately? Pretty much every job description in the IT field requires candidates with strong written and verbal skills (this aspect is usually mentioned at the end of every job posting's description). Why do you think is that? Granted, all employers want you to be the magnificent uber-nerd, hacker-addicted-to-code engineer you can possibly be. Nevertheless, if you cannot communicate with others efficiently, you're about as useful to your employer as LPs are for iPods.

The question is, are we (i.e. IT/CS/SE students) really introverts? I don't think so. I know I am not. I had some difficulties before, but life has showed me that it is not really about your coding skills. It is not even about how smart you are. That means nothing. Nil. Zero. Nada. What's really important is your ability to understand people's needs. What do people want to achieve through technology? If you're able to bridge that gap, I can guarantee you'll always have a (sometimes highly paid) job.

NOTE/DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to undermine, by any means, the importance of a rock solid foundation on the technical skills. You must constantly strive to achieve higher levels of technical skills grandeur. Nonetheless, there should be an equilibrium so that your soft capabilities are at least on par with your technical skills if you are to remain successful and productive (not only at work, but in life altogether).

Cheers!

An Odyssey has come to a halt

2008-03-20T16:52:00.004-04:00

Sir Arthur C. Clarke passed away recently. I stumbled upon the following video thanks to folks at Geek Culture:

If you don't know who this guy was, you should probably be slapped 2001 times on the face with a science fiction book!

Cool Grid Stuff

2008-03-15T16:34:00.002-04:00

I'm currently taking what promises to be the most difficult, albeit promising, class of the IT masters at RIT: Grid Computing. My, oh my! Interestingly, my team and I are responsible for one of the easiest grid toolkits around: Xgrid. Allow me to say, xgrid is freaking awesome -- its versatility and ease of use are incredible.

You guys will salivate ad infinitum as soon as I get the precise list of specs of our 2 Hackintosh babies (controller machines) and the 14 Power-PC-based Mac G4s we have at our disposal (also, I think we'll have a few brand new iMacs too!). Pics will ensue when we're good to go with the grid. In terms of what we'll do with it, we're still brainstorming. Do you guys have any suggestions for cool, computational-intensive projects?

Oh, please, no Shrek 4 rendering here... :-P

Pipelining to the rescue

2008-03-10T13:28:00.006-04:00

If you'd asked me which browser was the fastest this morning, I'd surely have said Safari. Hands down. However, after finding out about Firefox's pipelining capabilities -- thanks to the folks at Tekzilla -- I think Safari has a worthy competitor in the speed department. If you're a heavy Firefox user, as yours truly is, do yourself a favor and follow this video's instructions.

As a friend of mine would say: "That is so rad!"

Falling

2008-03-06T16:31:00.004-05:00

To Naty.
It will not be in vain, sweetheart.

John woke up, covered in sweat and preoccupied, at 3:25 AM. He found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, his heart pounding against his chest at a preternatural rate. "Maybe if I just die and get this over with..." -- he thought to himself. He had been dreaming the same thing every night since she died. The darkness. The never-ending fall. The uncanny feelings of voidness and restlessness permeating his body.

"If this is your way to tell me I'm screwed with out you, Eila..." -- he paused. He looked at the clock on the night table. 3:27 AM. Tears started to accumulate in his eyes.

"... you are doing an amazing job, babe. If I don't sleep at all for a couple of days more I'll almost certainly have a major breakdown. Not subtle at all. However, subtlety had never been your thing, right sweetie?" -- continued John with the mental monologue.

He'd wished he would have been there that night a month ago. He'd wished he could have seen that person driving the other car. He'd wished he could have followed him (her?) and end that life which so vilely had destroyed Eila's premature time on Earth.

"Better him than you, my love." -- he continued. He knew that would have made her sad though. She simple was incapable of hurting anyone, anything. Eila had come a long way in changing his volatile, easy-to-annoy temper. He laid in bed once again, trying futilely to sleep some more.

"I just can't... I cannot..." -- uttered John.

"Yes, you can. You must!" -- said the oddly familiar voice.

"I want you here. I'm falling to pieces. I feel like dying." -- replied John. He was unable to determine if he was awaken or not.

"You must go on, my love. Yelhsa needs you. I want you to take care of her." -- declared the voice, in a rather commanding tone.

John thought about Yelhsa instantly. That cute, bright 6-year-old girl was a living clone of her mother. The resemblance was becoming more and more striking as years went by.

"She has been asking about you. I just don't know what else to tell her anymore. Heaven, she said, could not possibly be a better place than here with us. I agree with her, you know?" -- claimed John.

"You are not alone, John. You will never be. Nonetheless, I need you to guide our daughter. She needs her father more than ever. Promise me that you will stop this madness. Please, let go. For our daughter's sake, stop!" -- expressed the voice, firmly.

"Your love, kindness and devotion will help me guide our daughter. I'll stop, but I will never forget. I can't!" -- said John, waking up right after his mouth finished pronouncing those words.

It was 7:05 AM already. He surely was going to be late for work. He didn't care. He went to Yelhsa's room. She was profoundly asleep. He kissed her cheek and said:

"Wake up, princess. School awaits."

The girl started to moan and move, disapprovingly, as usual. John kept playing with her hair and whispered:

"It will not be in vain, mi amor. It will not be in vain!"

Grad school by the numbers

2008-03-05T10:34:00.002-05:00

Well, sort of. This girl has a few good suggestions on the subject:

If you run my friend’s estimate of $100,000 in loans through the calculator, you’ll find that she’ll need a yearly salary of at least $138,096 in order to keep her loan payments under 10% of her monthly gross. This means that every year she doesn’t make at least that much, she’ll be feeling the pain of her loans in a very big way.

And that’s assuming she doesn’t have any undergraduate debt, which is something I’m simply not sure of.

Like I said to a friend of mine the other day: there's no easy solution here. However, it's doable.

Mac Vs PC: The answer

2008-02-27T14:32:00.001-05:00

This is the final rundown in a very short clip. The ultimate answer (remember my promise of telling you my experience about moving from Windows world to Mac world?). This is exactly the way I feel now (it's all relative, my friends). Enjoy:

Eating garbage and loving it

2008-02-23T20:52:00.004-05:00

My friend David was outraged when I told him I didn't know what a Garbage Plate is. Well, he took matters in his own hands and dragged my ignorant person to one of Nick Tahou Hots. The Garbage Plate is quite popular among Rochester's college students. From Wikipedia's article:

It is also a tradition for many Rochester Institute of Technology students to buy a garbage plate and eat it at Nick Tahou's grave site on his birthday.

Fascinating. Even more so are the ingredients of a Garbage Plate:

A Garbage Plate is a carefully organized combination of one selection out of (cheeseburger, hamburger, steak, hotdogs, white hots, italian sausage, breakfast sausage, fish, fried ham, Grilled Cheese, or eggs), which are placed on top of a choice of two out of four sides (homefries, french fries, baked beans, or macaroni salad). On top of that are the options of mustard and onions and the signature ingredient: Nick's "hot sauce" - a hot sauce found only in western NY. The primary ingredient may be from groundbeef but the flavor comes from a secret blend of spices.

As David accurately describes: "this is one of those occasions in which the sum of all the parts is better than any of them alone". I kind of agree with his statement now. It didn't taste bad at all. Although, I must say, the plate really looks like, er, garbage:

Given the amount of grease, and ingredients of the dish, I think I had more than the required amount of calories per day in a single meal. Now, if you excuse me, I think I have to take out the garbage. Adios!

Nation of Dunces

2008-02-19T14:48:00.003-05:00

Yet another wake-up message for America:

The problem is not just the things we do not know (consider the one in five American adults who, according to the National Science Foundation, thinks the sun revolves around the Earth); it's the alarming number of Americans who have smugly concluded that they do not need to know such things in the first place. Call this anti-rationalism -- a syndrome that is particularly dangerous to our public institutions and discourse. Not knowing a foreign language or the location of an important country is a manifestation of ignorance; denying that such knowledge matters is pure anti-rationalism. The toxic brew of anti-rationalism and ignorance hurts discussions of U.S. public policy on topics from health care to taxation.

Get the entire dose of reality here.

Love is in the air

2008-02-13T23:17:00.003-05:00

My friend, David Morgan, is quite a talented fellow. I've already shared some of his posts in my reader's shared elements. Nonetheless, I felt David's work deserved a post in my blog because, as you will shortly see, his art is, er, extremely geeky (and we love that, don't we?). Take a look at this:

David's work is indeed interesting (he's very modest about it). I know what you're thinking now: you geeks tend to bond nicely. Duh! I know! Make sure you check out his blog.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bristol Mountain

2008-02-09T18:55:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm finally able to write again, I couldn't feel my fingers moments ago, I'd like to share my skiing experience at Bristol Mountain: un-freaking-believable! Skiing is amazing! Why didn't I do this before? Oh, right. We don't have snow in the Caribbean. Duh! Here are some pictures for you viewing pleasure:

The beginner.

The beginners.

I fell 5+ times on this track.

Night, time to leave, approaching.

I fell around 10 - 20 times. It's kind of cool when you're a total novice trying to speed up and, right before you fall, you realize you don't have control of yourself at 20 MPH (I was told the look on my face was priceless). At any rate, skiing is a good exercise. I think I'll skip the gym for a couple of days (not because I want to, but because I can't move at all -- I'm in pain right now!).

Why can't we buy Google instead?

2008-02-03T21:26:00.001-05:00

Desperate times require desperate measures. Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! is exactly that. However, more dramatic is the idea of Google trying to (going to?) acquire Yahoo:

But if Google gets too focused on fending off Microsoft, it well could do something irrational. There is talk of Google aiding a private equity fund raise a rival bid for Yahoo. Maybe it could agree to provide search ads for Yahoo, guaranteeing enough cash to get the deal financed.

That tactic could also force the price higher for Microsoft.

What if Google won it instead? Be careful what you wish for. Buying Yahoo might work out well for Google, depending on the terms. But it would certainly raise its own antitrust questions. And getting into a messy fight and then a complex integration of systems might well bog Google down when it could have been free to sprint further ahead of its rivals.

So, here's an idea you're probably only going to read about here: why can't Microsoft buy Google instead? If you can't beat them, buy them. Right? If Microsoft is ready to offer US$44 billion for Yahoo, why can't they offer US$90 billion for Google? (yes, this is a crazy fabrication of mine -- I haven't had anything to eat today). How many antitrust issues would arise here? Care to guess? :)

The Internet, and your life, demistified

2008-01-31T23:05:00.000-05:00

I think I broke one of my ribs (I can't stop laughing).

Nice presents

2008-01-28T12:41:00.001-05:00

I love my new friends (not that there's anything wrong with my old buddies, mind you). Check out what I got on my birthday:

My Book World Edition

This 500 GB SAN external HD will cater to my every backup whim for the time being (yes, I know this is not a Drobo -- but come on! Doesn't it look hot nonetheless?).

Mac OS Leopard

Thanks much to my dear Russian friends for their presents! They surely know how to make this geek happy.

Things I've learned so far

2008-01-22T10:40:00.001-05:00

I turned 25 today. And, like I tell everyone who immediately starts mocking my natural progression through life and its advanced stage, I always say: I'm getting better, not older. Quarter of a century. That's big, right? Since I'm such a good Samaritan -- you don't believe me? ask around! -- I'd like to share a few perls of wisdom I've gathered so far (one for each year). Here's the list:

Your family is the most important thing (you don't need me to point this out, do you?). Stand up and go tell your mother, father and brothers how much you love them! You can't assume they know! "Duh! We're family. They know how much I love them" No! Call them, email them, poke them through Facebook. It does not matter what you do as long as you're clearly and convincingly telling them: I love you!
Unlike many people in love believe, a broken heart will eventually heal again.
Trying to rationalize everything, especially your feelings, is a waste of time. Trust me, I know!
Windows is Ok. Any other operating system is better overall and more robust. Seriously!
Do not be afraid to speak up at all times.
Always be polite and kind to those around you.
It's not about getting there. It's about the journey!
When things look too good to be true, they generally are.
Good friends make this life easier to cope with.
You really get what you give.
Scripting languages are a thing of beauty (when you look at them using a kaleidoscope).
Women are the reason it all started (and most likely the reason it'll all end too).
If you want it, go for it.
You don't really want to procrastinate if there's work to do (things will get nasty and bite you where the sun does not shine).
Writing is one of the most edifying and self-constructive activities there is (in my humble opinion). Write! What are you waiting for?
Don't waste time on people not worthwhile.
Don't waste time on activities not worthwhile.
Learning about other cultures and at least 2 more languages is something you MUST do.
College is highly overrated (yes, Enmanuel, I agree with you). However, it is NOT a waste of time. Money spent on education is money well spent.
Read a lot and on many diverse subjects.
Smoking, drugs and any other form of addictive substance or behavior is detrimental to you and your plans (Duh!).
Multitasking is a good thing. Don't over do it though.
If a girl/guy wants to be with you for your car and/or money, that's not someone of importance.
Don't be afraid to fall in love. Be afraid of not loving anyone.
A sincere smile goes a long way.

Again, not older. Better!

Au revoir!

Sad day for the chess world

2008-01-18T21:20:00.001-05:00

Bobby Fisher, chess grand master and former world champion, is dead at 64. Click on his picture for the NY Times article.

Tata's car: moving the masses

2008-01-14T12:46:00.000-05:00

This might be old news for most of you right now. Notwithstanding, it's BIG news. Tata Motor's highly-anticipated people's car promises to make owning a car an affordable endeavor.

Here's a list of specs. Distribution will only occur in India for the time being. I can't wait for them to bring that over to DR! Wouldn't that be great?

An unusual experience at Philadelphia International Airport

2008-01-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

By now, you should all probably know my life is full of wonderful, exciting moments. The last one came up yesterday at Philadelphia International Airport. I was taken out of the regular customs check line because, apparently, something was wrong with me (I was taken into a room for a "secondary inspection"). An Asian-looking woman quickly reviewed my papers and said:

- "Do you have any documents on you that prove you've been studying here legally?"

I, plainly concerned, replied:

- "I have my RIT ID with me. Why? Is there something wrong?"
- "We are actually going to need some verifiable document that ensures you've been studying here for the past 4 months. Does your college have a web site that we could log in to? If we could see your grades, that'd be proof enough."

At that point, I didn't even know what to think. Studying here legally?! I'm on a freaking J1 visa, for crying out loud! I also have my B1/B2 visa. Why would I enter this country using a J1 if I wasn't, let's say, freaking STUDYING? I calmed myself down and answered:

- "Yes, I could show you my grades online."
- "I am going to need the URL, username and password."

This didn't sound good to me at all. Access to RIT's student information system would basically mean access to my financial records, grades, address and the ability to modify everything that makes me a full time student. Yikes! This is when things got a little bit rough. I replied:

- "But if I gave you my user ID and password, you'd be able to see all my financial information. Isn't that a violation to my privacy rights?"

She looked at me, evidently aggravated, and replied:

- "I can see everything about you right now. Your SSN, your bank accounts, your credit card numbers, et cetera. I could get all your financial information if I wanted to. You don't get to question our procedures. You either are going to comply with everything I tell you to, or you will not enter the United States ."

I provided the information she requested after I had apologized to her for my sacrilege. Following her thorough analysis of RIT's student system (i.e. she confirmed everything I told her about what classes I was taking, how many credits I had so far and the name of my professors) she said:

- "Your school has not updated the SEVIS system accordingly. I see here you have a NO SHOW category. That basically means you have not attended RIT since your arrival. To rectify this situation, and prevent such an acrimonious experience in the future, you will have to contact your college right away and inform them of the situation. They're the only ones who can fix this."

I was in complete disbelief. Tersely, I said:

- "Ok."

Luckily, the connecting flight to Rochester was scheduled 1 hour and 20 minutes after my arrival to Philadelphia (this whole episode lasted no more than 30 minutes). Interesting way to start the new year.

Happy 2008!

2008-01-01T14:03:00.001-05:00

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you all have a very prosperous and productive 2008! Let's keep those happy thoughts and positive energy flowing at all times.

Cheers!

How would you like to be remembered?

2007-12-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

Unless you have been living somewhere outside the Milky Way, by now you probably know of the assassination of Pakistan's former PM Benazir Bhutto. Her murder has sent shock waves across the world and, also, motivated me to write this post. After hearing the unfortunate news, a simple set of questions triggered the thoughts below: How will the world remember Benazir Bhutto? How would the world remember me if I unexpectedly die?

Of course, the answer to the first question is obvious. Bhutto became the spearhead of a democratic movement in a country marred by Islamic extremism and dictator-like leaders. Many will remember this formidable woman with the utmost respect -- even if she was supposedly involved in questionable acts (corruption) during her 2 tenures. But, what about us mere mortals? How can we leave our footprint in this world?

Needless to say, I am not comparing myself to Bhutto or any other prominent world figure. However, I believe the thought of legacy is something everyone should concern himself/herself with at least partially. How would the world remember you if you die right this second? Forget about THE WORLD -- if that's too much of a broad term for you. What about your family, friends and acquaintances?

Instead of the mundane, repetitive new year wishes you have made a gazillion times (e.g. lose some weight, get a new car, get a new job, get a raise, et cetera), why don't you take things up a notch this new year? Why don't you promise yourself that from now on your life will be memorable? That people will, if you are gone, remember all the wonderful qualities you had as a human being? Yes, that is broad. I will leave it to you to work the details out.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

I wish you a Merry Christmas
I wish you a Merry Christmas
I wish you a Merry Christmas
And a WONDROUS NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas from the Caribbean! (Yes, I'm back at DR for a couple of days). I'll be back with some good posts later on this week. Ciao!

TIME's person of the year: Putin

2007-12-19T13:19:00.001-05:00

We are no longer TIME's magazine person of the year. The disctintion now belongs to somber-looking, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin.

Doesn't he have quite an intimidating stance? Click on the picture to go to TIME's article.

Let's help a friend: testers required

2007-12-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

My good friend Greg could use a few testers:

I need testers for a part of my thesis. It's a chat application. I don't
think it will require very much time, and people might actually have fun
with it. Is it possible for you to email a large number of students and
ask for volunteers?

My application is a chatbot, a program used to simulate conversation.
This chatbot expands its knowledge base with each chat it has with a
person, and fine tunes it's information through user feedback.
Participants willing to test my bot would be asked to do the following:

1) Chat with any available chatbot on the web today. I will provide some
sample links, but any web-based chatbot can be used for comparison
2) Chat with my bot, then fill out a short survey
3) Wait a few days, have a second chat with my bot and fill out a second
short survey

Anyone interested should email me at 'test-chat@vurizon.com' for
details. I'll respond back with more detailed instructions and links to
some chatbots, my chatbot, and the surveys.

Needless to say, I'll be one of them. Come on! You have nothing to lose. Let's help Greg.

An affordable Harvard

2007-12-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

From the Wall Street Journal:

Under its new program, to take effect next fall, the Cambridge, Mass., school said undergraduates whose families earn up to $180,000 a year would be asked to pay 10% or less of their incomes annually for the cost of Harvard, which now totals $45,620.

$45,000 dollars a year for an undergraduate degree is enough money to virtually restraint 95% from middle-class families students to go to college (the other 5% could, with much hard work and luck, get an I'll-be-paying-this-for-the-rest-of-my-natural-life loan). Oh, wait, here's verifiable remark from the article itself:

At the 146 most selective colleges in the U.S., just 3% of the students came from families that ranked in the bottom 25% in income, while 74% came from the top 25%, according to a 2004 study by the Century Foundation, a New York-based research group.

Granted. Not exactly 95%, but you get the idea. I'll handed it to Harvard though. These are very good news! Let's hope other members of the Ivy League decide to join the party sooner than later.

Snowy times

2007-12-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

This is all I've seen every morning for the past 5 days:

Gotta love Rochester's weather. Blankets anyone? Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Lady Liberty

2007-11-28T11:52:00.001-05:00

The Statue of Liberty is the most prominent iconic landmark in United States. From Wikipedia's article on it:

Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), is a large statue that was presented to the United States by France in 1886. It stands at Liberty Island, New York in New York Harbor as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans. The copper patina-clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the United States and is a gesture of friendship from France to America. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue and obtained a U.S. patent useful for raising construction funds through the sale of miniatures. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) engineered the internal structure. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was responsible for the choice of copper in the statue's construction and adoption of the repoussé technique.

I had the opportunity to visit the monument. Pictures below:

Getting closer and closer to the Lady.

It looks impressive in person (forget about pictures and videos). You should go to Liberty Island -- NYC's skyline view from the island is breathtaking.

My cousin wanted to take this picture without me in it. I managed to insert my head in the way of the lens.

A back view of the Mother of the Exiles (yes, I also think the statue has too many names).

This is as far as we could go. A couple of years ago, people could actually get to the very top of the statue. That's no longer possible. Bummer!

A year of blogging

2007-11-26T17:12:00.000-05:00

In a day like this, 365 days ago, I embarked myself on one of the most satisfying activities I have found so far. I started blogging occasionally. By now, you may have been told, by me or somebody else, that whatever it is you do or whatever it is you plan to do during your journey on this Earth, you must blog about it. I can't honestly think of any other online activity as gratifying as this (though playing COD4 with your buddies is almost on par I'd say).

I see myself doing this full time one day (write, write, write, write, ad infinitum). And you should write too. It is not easy (writing is a daunting task indeed). However, you should do it regardless. Can you imagine how happy I am to know people actually read this blog on a regular basis? Readers' comments make blogging truly worthwhile. If you don't get comments right away, it does not matter. If you can't get people to read your blog, it does not matter either. What's really important is to write, and to write what's on your mind. Choose your own language (though you already know why English would be a smarter choice and the exact reasons I chose it myself). Please, blog!

Enough evangelization.

:-)

A year has already passed. My enthusiasm has not decreased an iota. I will continue blogging as usual. I'll try to go mainstream soon. I'll probably buy a domain name and blog more often. It should be lots of fun. I may select a topic and stick to it. I'm still in the brainstorming phase though.

Finally, I'd like to know why you read this blog. What is it that make the 30 of you to read what I have to say? What were your favorite posts? Love according to a software engineer? Was it my peculiar encounter with RIT's law officers? Drop me a line. Feedback is always welcome.

Cops

2007-11-24T12:26:00.000-05:00

I was strolling downtown (NYC) with my cousin and a friend when we noticed a guy who was seemingly upset about something. He was screaming profanities and making a big scene overall. Two minutes later, cops arrived. Alas, my camera is a piece of garbage and I couldn't get the action in its entirety.

Lesson learned: do not resist the arrest! Also, don't get high outdoors. As you can audibly perceive, everyone will enjoy it but you.

UPDATE: Please watch the video until the end (it gets better and clearer).

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, US readers. If you are not from the US, never mind! Happy Thanksgiving! :)

With friends like these...

2007-11-14T17:27:00.000-05:00

The burden of going to graduate school has been greatly diminished thanks to my good friends' charity (Enmanuel, Lisandro, Ivan and Ephra). I am now a happy owner of a PS3. Pictures below for your reference:

It is amazing how things unfolded after a joke about a month ago. Yes, dear reader. They bought me a PS3! (a US$499.99 value). It should be noted that, according to Ephra, is not about the money. It is ultimately about repeatedly and constantly kicking my bum bum on COD4. Oh, by the way, just in case you're wondering about the card, here's a copy (verbatim):

From the green and the guys. Even though you are black and gay... and becoming a bureacratic manager, we still love you. Having said that, take pictures and be prepared to get your ass handed to you online!

Touching. Sadly, I am not gay (yes, I know most of you guys are somewhat disappointed by this). Also, I thought there was no room for racist comments among us. It's Ok to be jealous now. Game on!

PS
Ivan,

Even though you wanted me to passionately and stormily lick the PS3, I could not bring myself to it (I thought about it a few times though -- it looks so hot!). Anyway, I just thought a public disclaimer like this would be appropriate given the circumstances.

:)

IT and CS students alike

2007-11-12T10:41:00.000-05:00

I can totally relate to it. You should see us hastily "taking notes" during our lectures. Thanks to my buddy Warchiefx for the link!

Almost a year

2007-11-03T14:38:00.000-04:00

Anniversary! It is going to be a year since I started blogging already (on November 27th exactly) . Amazing! In retrospect, it has been a peculiar, yet meaningful, year. I'm planning to buy my own domain and take this blogging thing (hobby?) to the next level. Do you guys have any suggestions? Anything that you can throw at me about domains, blog editors and costs will be much appreciated.

Gee, look at my first post [nostalgia sets in].

Love according to a software engineer: Along came Ella

2007-10-26T12:59:00.002-04:00

As promised, here's the new version of love according to a software engineer. This installment is dedicated to Ella (no, that's not her real name). She incontrovertibly has brought out the true geek inside me (that is always a good thing!).

Dear Ella,

Where are you? Where have you gone? Why haven't you IM me yet? I guess you are still trying to crack that 256-bit-AES-encrypted string we talked about (I told you it is impractical). No, I am not judging you (I know what it's like to be fixated on something -- I can't seem to get enough coding sometimes).

Anyway, the last time we chatted I felt uneasy because, as you so adequately put, I seem to have a hard time articulating my emotions (babe, those beautiful #000000 eyes disrupt my compiler every time!). Aiming at finally get this intimidating task over with, here's a snippet of code I anticipate will precisely convey how I feel about you (I stopped playing my favorite MMORPG for 20 seconds to write this):

public class Love {

public static void main(String[] args) {
Human elvis = new Human("Elvis");
Human ella = new Human("Ella");
elvis.setLoveInterest(ella, LoveAmount.CRAZINESS);
ella.setLoveInterest(elvis, LoveAmount.CRAZINESS);
// Hopefully, you feel the same way I do

System.out.println(ella.toString()); // Ladies first
System.out.println(elvis.toString());
}

}

enum LoveAmount {CRAZINESS, DEEP_EMPATHY, CRUSH, PHYSICAL_ATTRACTION}

class Human {
LoveAmount l;
String name;
boolean love = false;
Human loveInterest;

protected final boolean isInLove() {
return love;
}

protected final void setLoveInterest(Human p, LoveAmount e) {
loveInterest = p;
l = e;
}

public Human(String name){
this.name = name;
}

public String getName(){
return name;
}

public String toString(){
if(l == LoveAmount.CRAZINESS)
return name + " is head over heels, crazy, dumbfounded and infatuated with " + loveInterest.getName();
// Please, tell me we'll never reach this point
return name + "is kins od feeling something for " + loveInterest.getName();
}
}

I know you are a Perl freak. But you know me, sweetheart (I'm a much faster Java programmer). I sincerely hope you like this little token of my appreciation. By the way, I know this stupid blog engine is not going to present the code nicely. I apologize for that, mi amor.

Yours truly,

Edward24

Any suggestions?

2007-10-22T18:29:00.001-04:00

Do you guys have any ideas or recommendations for a hot topic in IT that I could study/do some research on? This is not going to be final yet since it's only going to be a pre-proposal at this point. However, it should be something meaningful. I quickly thought about two topics:

- IT compliance: themes, techniques and standards.
- IT acceptance: How easy is for people to accept/embrace new technologies? How can we improve/enhance the adoption process?

I'm having a hard time singling out an area of interest -- I like everything! Go figure. Besides, these two fields are surprisingly big (just do a simple search and you'll see what I'm talking about).

Please, if you're to suggest something, make sure it's as unambiguous as possible.

Thanks!

Out of the ordinary

2007-10-20T16:19:00.000-04:00

This is going to be, by far, the most outrageous post I have ever made -- bizarrely off topic (I'm sorry, Dad). A good friend of mine (thanks, Y!) sent me the link of TuckerMax's stories:

"OK, we can try anal sex, but I want it to be special and romantic. You have to take me out to a nice place, like The Forge or Tantra, NOT one of your parent's restaurants, and it has to be a weekend night, NOT a Monday. And you have to keep taking me out on weekends. I'm tired of being your Monday night girl."

I highly recommend you read the entire anecdote -- I haven't laughed so loudly, and for such a prolonged period of time, in a while. If you are one of my brothers, especially you Nairo, stop reading now!

Meet the Tiger!

2007-10-14T00:17:00.001-04:00

I went ice staking today. That's more exciting than it sounds (especially for a guy from the Caribbean!). I only fell once during 40 minutes of desperately waving my hands trying to remain on my feet (I was told that's quite an accomplishment for a newcomer):

The ambiance was adequately set for a Halloween party (the lights dimmed, dudes disguised as vampires, werewolves, baseball players -- what?! -- , roman soldiers, scientists, geeks -- wait, those are regular computer science undergrad students I think -- mummies, et cetera, filled the scene; the whole ice staking court was creatively decorated). However, my night was perfect when I finally got a picture with RIT's mascot RITchie the Tiger:

What? Did you honestly think I would go back to DR with just a MS degree? That's the picture right there!

:-P

Personal Note: Outdoors ice staking? Not for me! From Wikipedia's article:

The first main danger in ice skating is falling on the ice, which is dependent on the quality of the ice surface, the design of the ice skate, and the skill and experience of the skater. While serious injury is rare, a number of (short track) skaters have been paralyzed after a fall when they hit the boarding. An additional danger of falling is injury caused by the skater's own metal blades or those of other skaters.

The second and more serious danger is the chance of falling through the ice into the freezing water underneath when skating outdoors. This can lead to serious injury or death due to shock, hypothermia or drowning. It is often difficult or impossible for skaters to climb out of the water back onto the ice due to the ice repeatedly breaking, the skater being weighed down by skates and thick winter clothing, or the skater becoming disoriented under water and being unable to find the entry hole which can lead to being trapped under the ice.

Now that I think about it, those metal blades are definitely pointy. Arrivederci!

SWITCHOFF: Mac or PC?

2007-10-10T14:23:00.000-04:00

freelanceswitch.com's article is one of the most funny discussions I've seen in a while about the now epical debate: Mac or PC?

JK: I’m laughing on the inside. If you take care of yourself on Windows, you should have no problem. Vista and XP both have excellent firewalls…

JB: The Windows XP firewall doesn’t protect you from outbound attacks like key loggers.

JK: …and spyware protection is easy to obtain. It’s just part of the daily routine, and extremely easy. It’s just a sad truth of having 1000% marketshare. When you completely dominate lesser computer platforms, people want to attack you.

JB: So your big weakness is a strength now? I thought Steve Jobs was supposed to be the one with the reality distortion field. Listen up, Ballmer, you’re going to have to get an anti-virus solution of some kind on any Windows computer, and worry all the time about breaking things because of sites you visit. Is that really better than…not worrying? Answer: no.

JK: Not so fast, brushed aluminum boy. There are plenty of competent antivirus solutions out there that are free, and you’re actually trying to tell me that clicking on unsafe websites is magically okay on a Mac? You’re living in a dreamworld.

JB: That’s right–it’s called OS X. And no, you have to be careful on any computer that’s hooked up to the Internet, but even more so on Windows. To pretend otherwise is futile and utterly wrong. One point Mac.

I haven't forgotten about my promise. I intend to share my experience with you on moving from a PC to a Mac soon. Also, have you noticed Macs have been a recurrent theme on this blog (1, 2)?

Disconsolate fan

2007-10-09T00:25:00.000-04:00

The NY Yankees have, for the 3rd consecutive season, lost in the first round of the AL division series. I drove 4+ hours to Cleveland on Friday to watch them lose 2 to 1 at the Jacobs Field (it was not funny). But they somehow managed to win on Sunday and I was, as most hardcore fans, optimistic about our chances.

After a long and arduous season, I was actually surprised they could make it to the playoffs (most of my former co-workers could probably tell you how much I suffered, and celebrated at times, their games). Most teams would see getting to the playoffs enough reason to bask in the glory of their performance. Not so for the Yankees. They are expected to win every time! Anything other than the World Series is a complete and utter failure.

Let's see what's going to happen now. The Boss has publicly said this could be Torre's last season with the Yankees:

Steinbrenner had already tied Torre’s future to the outcome of this series. Torre became an icon — and a very wealthy man — while guiding Steinbrenner’s players to four World Series titles. But the last was seven years ago, a drought too long for a famously impatient owner.

Rightfully so. They have not won in 7 years! (Sigh) I'm going to bed... :-(

Swamped

2007-10-01T23:46:00.000-04:00

I have been exceptionally busy lately. Hence, the lack of "cool" content. Rest assured, my dear readers. This hiatus will only bring interesting material within the next week or so (I have been thinking of a sequel for my acclaimed post love according to a software engineer -- inspired by a certain special lady in my life at this time). So, stay tuned!

Halo madness

2007-09-24T23:54:00.001-04:00

Microsoft definitely nailed it with its Halo series. The 3rd installment of the saga is less than 24 hours away and the hype is already on:

“There is no question the Halo 3 launch is the biggest event of the year in video games, and for a lot of people it will be the biggest entertainment event of the year, period,” said Andy McNamara, editor in chief of the magazine Game Informer. “Halo just has its tendrils into the imagination of a whole generation. Frankly, I don’t know if Microsoft would even be in the game business today if it weren’t for Halo.”

The biggest event of the year? Impressive. I'm not much of a gamer myself (it's been a long and bumpy road since Mario 64 and Killer Instinct Gold). Whether Halo 3 sets or not a selling record, Microsoft has already won when you take into account what they did with Halo 2:

The last major game in the series, Halo 2, set a record in 2004 for first-day sales of any entertainment product, generating more than $125 million in the United States in its first 24 hours.

Microsoft and major game retailers expect to surpass that mark beginning at midnight tomorrow, when more than 10,000 stores across the country will open to sell Halo 3.

This really makes me wonder: Am I missing anything by not playing this game? Is it really that good?

Do I look like a criminal to you?

2007-09-18T14:33:00.000-04:00

Something really interesting happened today when I was delving further into the annals of cyberspace for an assigned paper. I was at the RIT library minding my own business when I noticed the room suddenly filled with cops (4). They were accompanied by 2 RIT representatives -- I knew so by their name tags. One of them approaches me and says:

XXX: Hi, I'm XXX. What's your name?
Me: Elvis Montero.
XXX: The reason I'm talking to you is because you have a Mac. One was stolen this morning. May I please take a look at your Mac's MAC address?
Me: [Astonished] Uh, yes. Sure.

I opened my system preferences and showed him the MAC address. He then called his female friend and said:

XXX: What do you think?
XXX Female: Hmmm... No, that's not it.
XXX: Thanks much, Elvis. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Me: No problem.

What I find genuinely interesting about this situation is that there were 5 other people with Macs in that room (one of them less than 2 feet away from me). Why did they pick me? The girl next to me, with her Mac Book Pro on her lap, was just as surprised as I was (she heard the entire conversation and saw the cops -- everybody did!).

Do I look like a thief to you guys? Is it because I'm not an American? Now that I think about it, none of the other Mac owners fitted the minority stereotype (they were all white). Racism? I would like to think that maybe the description of the guy they had was somehow just like me.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe...

Trip to Niagara Falls

2007-09-17T23:27:00.000-04:00

RIT organized a trip for graduate students to the Niagara Falls on Sunday. One sentence to describe the whole experience: absolutely amazing! (and that's an understatement, trust me!). Here are some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about:

My roommate (Franklin, right) and I.

Maid of the Mist pictured from The Tower (both attractions of the Falls).

Dominicans, Russians and Hondurans striking a pose on top of the Maid.

A nice view of the Falls from the Tower.

Franklin and I during our journey through the Cave of the Winds (boy, was that water cold...).

Yes, we actually were really close to the action at one point.

To Hard Rock Cafe after the water activities.

I highly recommend you go if you're around the Rochester or Buffalo area. A piece of advice (specially if you're from the Caribbean): go during Summer (July/August) time if possible. It was 7 C degrees yesterday! It was freezing by my standards. :)

Spies of the future

2007-09-12T21:39:00.001-04:00

Take a look at this suit. No, this is not Spider-Man's next suit. This is what US security forces could possibly use in the near future. From Wired's The Future of Spy Tools, Spidey Suits and Batman Toys:

Richard Palmer, snowboarding enthusiast and director of the d3o Lab in Hove, England, has helped design a flexible, foamlike fabric called d3o that hardens on impact. The material is already used to safeguard soccer players, snowboarders and motorcyclists, and the U.S. Olympic ski team wore d3o-enhanced gear at the 2006 Winter Games. The Superhero Suit, a d3o outfit that doubles as protective armor, could be marketed to soldiers, firefighters and other costumed crime fighters.

Make sure you check out the other futuristic stuff (really worth it).

I feel just a little bit better now

2007-09-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

Why? Because I now know that despite all the money I've spent to come to college, there's people who's actually paying more than me. From Half Sigma's the extra costs of college:

How is NYU doing? Here's my bill for the fall semester:

LAW POST GRADUATE TUITION $20,445.00

LAW GRAD.REGIST.&SVCS.FEE $532.00

LAW TECHNOLOGY FEE $93.00

STUDENT HLTH.INS.PLAN-BASIC $589.00

TOTAL CURRENT TERM BALANCE $21,659.00

US$21,659 for a single term? My, oh my! Yes, I know I've been blogging to much about education and its cost in US. If you had a blog and you were going to grad school, you'd do the same thing too! :-)

Hello Mac!

2007-09-04T15:55:00.001-04:00

This is the past:

As you can see, I was pretty much in love with Apple and the prospect of buying a Mac Book. Well, I've finally done it! This is the present:

Apple's design is so beautiful, I feel like licking the laptop (no, I won't do it Ivan!). I'll be blogging about the experience of moving from a PC to a Mac in my next post. I've got some serious tinkering to do now. See ya!

The high cost of living @ US

2007-09-02T10:43:00.000-04:00

An entire week hasn't gone by and I'm already suffering from a massive allergic reaction in my eyes. I've been fighting allergies produced by severe weather changes my entire life. DR's monotonous weather had never triggered such a monstrous reaction though (seriously, you should have seen me yesterday!). I couldn't stand it anymore so I went to the Student Health Center where they prescribed me Patanol. Pata-what? According to Drugs.com's definition:

Patanol is used to treat ocular (eye) symptoms of allergic conditions, such as inflammation, itching, watering, and burning.

I was surely experiencing all the symptoms. I decided to buy the medicine and get this over with. I took a cab to the nearest pharmacy just to find out I was then asked to pay US$14.00 for a less-than-2-miles drive (around 8 minutes). Cabs are not cheap around Rochester area. "I guess that's what I'll have to endure because of not having a car", I thought. I went in and handed over the prescription to the pharmacist.

- "That'll be 89.88, sir." - he said.
- [Dumbfounded look]
- "You're medicine will be ready in an hour." - he continued hastily.
- "Thanks." - I said, still shocked for the most part.

That's right. US$89.88 dollars for eye drops. I found out afterwards my insurance does not provide coverage for this type of medication. I had to pay yet another US$14.00 to go back. So, after my little incursion I had spent US$117.88. That's 3 weeks of food right there!

I need a job. This country is everything but cheap.

iPhone hacker is a RIT student

2007-08-30T09:19:00.001-04:00

Read about it here. Maybe I'll get a chance to talk to him (if I see him around that's surely going to be the case).

First post of many from RIT

2007-08-27T16:17:00.000-04:00

I arrived at RIT on Thursday, August 23rd. I haven't been able to share with you my experiences thus far because I haven't had much time at all! Orientation activities for international students are entire-day events. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit homesick -- I recently got myself familiarized with the term cultural shock. Interesting. Anyhow, here are a few pictures:

Looking for something at DR's airport.

They took a while to prepare our plane to go from Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport to Rochester (delay time: almost 2 hours!).

The sentinel -- I was shocked when I first say this gigantic sculture. I was told it costs around 3 million dollars (yikes!).

My South Korean friend CK and I at one of the many lobbies spread throughout campus (I can't recall the lounge name right now).

Dominicans @ RIT -- with the exception of Lionel (first dude from the left). I can't seem to remember which country he's from (I know it's somewhere in South America).

It has been a marvelous experience so far. I'm still setting in. I'll blog a little bit more once I'm done with the complete process. Sayonara!

ADDENDUM: Yes, Fausto. I bought my first drink in US (a coke) with that dollar you so kindly gave me. Thought I was forgetting about it? :-)

Leaving, on a jet plane...

2007-08-22T11:50:00.000-04:00

...I don't know when I'll be back again (actually, I do know -- 2 years from now ;) ). Wasn't that what Armageddon's folks sang before embarking themselves in a mission to save planet Earth? Movie moment aside, in less than 24 hours I'll be located at Rochester, NY (unless US immigration agents think otherwise -- which, considering my luck, is not something I'm ruling out entirely).

I'll share a few pictures on the next post about the trip.

Dear Prime Designer...

2007-08-19T13:27:00.000-04:00

TierneyLab, one of my favorite blogs out there, asked a very interesting question to its readers: Any message for whoever's simulating our world? Comments for the Prime Designer, the entity controlling our (er) existence, go from the ridiculous to the unfathomable:

Kudos on Jessica Biel.
— Posted by Cody
Do you back up your simulation onto another drive in the case of a crash? Does that mean our universe is repeating itself over and over again up to the point of system backup, while the main simulation continues on?
— Posted by Daniel
Make me admin!
— Posted by Visish

can you rework the religion code? it seems to be causing some problems.
— Posted by James

What you do is childish and irresponsible. This practical ontology is really getting old. Enough already! You are advanced enough to understand that we are no less real than you.
— Posted by Artemas Gruzdeff

Wouldn’t this simulation be more fun if we all wore pink patent leather pants? You know it would…
— Posted by S. Lam
You code, therefore we are.
— Posted by Abhishek

Please, I want to be a real boy.
— Posted by martin g

You show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.
— Posted by Beth

Seriously guys. You need to read some of those comments. Hilarious. Catch all the fun here.

International Student: Hints from the trenches

2007-08-14T23:28:00.000-04:00

I'll be going to RIT in just one more week. Before I do so, and as I had expressed in my previous post, I'd like to share with you some tips about the steps of becoming an international student. Although these pointers are tailored to a dominican departing to US, these thoughts can easily be adjusted to multiple scenarios in different countries. Processes such as applying to graduate school and obtaining a visa are similar no matter which country you're from or where you're planning to go.

What does it feel like?

Leaving behind your family, friends, job, house, car, and everything you've come to love and hate is one of the most difficult and daunting experiences anyone could possibly go through. It's perfectly normal to be afraid (what kind of person wouldn't be just a little bit?). Fear. Shock. Sadness. Exaltation. Those are just a few adjectives that might come in handy when describing your emotional state right before moving to another country to further your studies.

Dreaded thoughts start to creep in since the very first moment you think about studying abroad. Don't let these damaging thoughts overcome your aspirations! Stay focused. Think carefully about your goals and what needs to happen to reach them. Feelings like these will be with you for the rest of your life. Dealing with them correctly is what sets you apart from the masses.

People who act in spite of their fear are truly brave -- Unknown.

Applying to graduate school

The number of documents required to apply vary from school to school. Nonetheless, regardless of which one you choose, you will most likely be requested to provide the following:

Statement letter (A.K.A statement of purpose): Why do you want to study Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology? What's your background? Is this something you're truly passionate about? How come? These and other questions are supposed to be answered in the statement letter. You should exercise great caution when redacting it because what do you think it would look like if a typo or incongruous statement makes it through? Unprofessional! There even are services which help you compose a compelling letter (e.g. EssayEdge.com). Make sure other people read it and have their feedback prior sending it to your college of choice.
Recommendation letter(s): The golden rule here is ask politely and with enough spare time. The person you're asking for a recommendation letter should know how much you appreciate his/her support and the deadline you're dealing with. Usually 1 or 2 weeks is considered suitable time.
TOELF, GRE, GMAT, et al: Do not underestimate these tests! CATs can be very difficult because of their adaptive nature. Make sure you allocate sufficient time to study.

It'd be a good idea to get multiple sets of every document beforehand in case you want to apply to more than one school. Most admission departments take 1 to 2 weeks to notify you of their decision.

Show me the money!

If you're accepted, and we know that'll be the case, you should level your financial options right away (unless you're rich and money is not an issue). As a matter of fact, you should start thinking about money right from the beginning because, and this is no mystery to anyone, graduate school is everything but cheap. Tuition alone can easily reach 5-figure numbers (in just a quarter!). Now think about living expenses, books, food... Ouch!

Rest assured, there are many ways to get funds. In DR, the best option would be Fullbright -- I think the program is also available in more countries so check it out. In addition, governments have funds distributed to students yearly. Do your research accordingly.

Obtaining your student visa

In countries like ours, where a major part of the population is trying to enter the US by any means possible, visas are granted only after a consul has thoroughly reviewed your application in a live interview. In many cases, since the US embassy is working hectically throughout the year, you wouldn't be able to get an appointment set in less than 1 or 2 months.

No matter which country you're planning to go, make sure you know what documents the embassy needs and try to set an appointment, if needed, as soon as possible. In a normal situation, you should be able to obtain your visa in 2 to 3 weeks. However, this obviously changes based on where you live and the availability of the given embassy.

Going, going, gone!

After all is being said and done, it really boils down to what you really want. Consider this, and every possible aspect, with kid gloves. If this is what you really want, go for it! Keep trying until you get it.

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake somebody -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

I'm back!

2007-08-10T19:41:00.000-04:00

Yes, my laptop is finally back from the cyber-grave. It's time for me to do some serious blogging -- not now though, I'm going out to the movies. Oh, by the way, I finally got my student visa (yes, I know!). That was quick indeed. I'll explain the fast-paced process to you guys later. I know as a fact some of you, dear readers, are grad students -- or at least trying to be -- whom might like to study abroad (i.e. US) some day. That'll be my next post.

Inactivity

2007-08-06T11:43:00.001-04:00

A couple of days will surely pass by before my next post -- my laptop's battery is no longer usable and the AC adapter is unwilling to perform its duties for reasons unknown. My boss and co-workers do not seem to understand the preponderance of blogging nowadays. Why don't they leave me alone so I can blog? I think this is why I always do it from home... :)

It's because our countries' agreement

2007-08-01T19:37:00.000-04:00

Have you ever woken up suspecting something is not going to go as planned no matter how much preparation and careful thought you had put into it? Well, that was me this morning. It was time for me to go to the US embassy to obtain my student visa. I felt uneasy for some reason even though I had every document they could possibly ask me for (and more).

I arrived at the embassy around 10:00 AM (1 hour before my date). The first oh-ah-what moment came at the entrance. There's a security checkpoint in which they look for concealed weapons and every other possible threat -- apparently, to my surprise, cellphones fall under that category). One of the security guards approaches me with a smirk on his face and goes: "Sir, step out of the line, please." I immediately comply with his request despite his kindness and his almost imperceptible smile (you wouldn't want to mess with a 6'1'' irritated security guard, would you?).

I asked: "Is there something wrong?" He doesn't reply. He looks at his female partner and goes: "She just wants to scan you personally, sir". By that time, Ms. Security Guard was already in front of me, obviously having a blast judging by her facial expression, and started touching my pecs, arms and everywhere else she saw fit! But, you know what's the sad part? She wasn't hot! Had she been a good-looking girl, I'd have been more than happy to accept her invasive "search". Yes, it was invasive (very!).

I went pass the security checkpoint just to find there's no air conditioning in most of the waiting area (there's only a small room with such a commodity and, as you can easily imagine, it's always crowded). After delivering part of my documentation to validate my appointment, I waited 2 long, excruciating, hours. A loud voice finally erupted from the room's speakers calling my name and pointing out the line number I should be in. I thought: "Great, more waiting... What? Standing? Superb!". Lucky me, there were only 2 folks assigned to the same consul in front of me.

Mr. Consul worked very fast. He attended the other 2 individuals in less than 5 minutes. It was my time. "At last!", I thought. The first couple of questions came at a rapid succession (e.g. "How long have you been working for XYZ? What's the MS you're interested in? Where did you learn to speak English?"). He then asked for my financial documents. I happily handed them in thinking: "So far so good." Boy, was I wrong. His face expression, emotionless so far, changed as if he was confounded by something. He stood up and said: "I'll be right back". I knew I'd lost it right there.

He came back after 3, 5?, minutes and promptly articulated the reasons why he couldn't grant me a student visa. Paraphrasing:

"Elvis, your situation is a little bit complex. Allow me to explain the reasons why. I can see here your government (DR) will be covering parts of your expenses. Our governments have an agreement in which certain critical areas, such as yours (IT), are propelled through incentives and financial aid to attract students. Apparently, RIT did not know about this help because they've sent you a I-20 form (type F visa) which wouldn't enforce you to come back after your 2-year studies." -- dismayed look on my face -- "Yes, you'd have to come back necessarily at the end of your studies and be subjected to a 2-year wait time before applying to any other visa (e.g. H1B). What you need is a DS-2019 form, which would make you eligible for a J (exchange) visa. I'm going to contact RIT and let them know of the required change."

He then said something else but I don't think I was listening. The funny part is I'd obtained that help from DR's government 3 days before my date (that's why RIT did not know anything about it). Yes, even when they're supposed to be helping us out, our governments can still find the way to cripple our good-intended actions. Live and learn.

Truly one of a kind

2007-07-29T00:03:00.000-04:00

That's my Dad. Yes, I know we all think our parents rock (most of us do at least). But my dad is really a remarkable human being. Today's post is about him.

Why do I think this man is noteworthy? His father (my grandfather) died when he was 5 years old. He's the youngest of 11 -- it was customary for women to have that many children a few decades ago. He had to sell newspapers and food on the streets at such a short age. And yet, despite extremely economical precariousness and struggling immensely to go to school, my dad has managed to land himself a high paying/very respectable job. In addition, he has started his own business recently (pretty impressive for a father of 6).

Not only is he an apotheosis of perseverance and hard work, he also is one of the most smart individuals I've met (and I've met my fair share of bright folks, trust me). He's a generalist. I wish I had his natural ability to adjust and learn new things rapidly -- I'm a slow learner. I need time to absorb. For him, it seems as if he could digest new stuff and teach it on the fly. However, he just hates the idea of me kicking his ass at Chess (he used to be one of the strongest chess players at UASD too).

No, he's not perfect (who is?). But his imperfections, at least the ones I've come to know, only ennoble him to a greater degree. For all that, and all the things I'm missing at this moment, I think my father rocks!

In the Dominican Republic, Father's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of July -- we're the only ones doing it that day apparently. If you happen to be in DR, or not, Happy Father's Day!

I bet you can't beat me now, Deep Junior!

2007-07-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

Had he played Arimaa instead of Chess, Garry Kasparov would have had better results at the "Man VS Machine" contest in 2003 (well, at least Deep Junior -- Deep Blue's super-powerful successor -- would have had a tougher time trying to calculate Garry's next move). At first view, Arimaa seems just like another board game. From Wikipedia's article:

Arimaa was invented by Omar Syed, a computer engineer trained in artificial intelligence. Syed was inspired by Garry Kasparov's defeat at the hands of the chess computer Deep Blue to design a new game which would be difficult for computers to play well, but would have rules simple enough for his four-year-old son Aamir to understand. ("Arimaa" is "Aamir" spelled backwards plus an initial "a"). In 2002 Syed published the rules to Arimaa and announced a $10,000 prize, available annually through 2020, for the first computer program (running on inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware) able to defeat a top-ranked human player in a match six games or longer.

Hard for computers to play? I thought: "Well, if it's a game it must have a certain set of rules and, being a board game, it also would have a finite number of possible moves for each piece. So, it really shouldn't be that hard for a computer to use brute force/branching and predict a vast number of moves". Boy, was I wrong! After perusing most of Wikipedia's entry, I found out the reason why:

In most Arimaa positions, particularly towards the beginning of the game when the board is still crowded, a competent player can avoid losing any pieces within the next two turns. Compared to chess, Arimaa allows either player to delay captures for longer. Indeed, the median move number of the first capture in chess is turn 6, whereas in Arimaa it is turn 12. The struggle is initially more positional in Arimaa, and revolves around making captures unavoidable at some point in the future. This magnifies the importance of correctly judging who is gaining ground in non-material ways. Thus the strength of computer programs (examining millions of positions) is not as significant as their weakness (judging the position apart from who has more pieces).

The weakness of Arimaa programs in the opening phases is further magnified by the setup phase. In chess every game starts from the same position. By compiling before the game a list of stock replies to all standard opening moves, chess programs may often make a dozen or more excellent moves before starting to "think". Humans do the same, but have a smaller and less reliable memory of openings, which puts humans at a relative disadvantage in chess. Arimaa, in contrast, has millions of possible ways to set up the pieces even before the first piece moves. This prevents programs from having any meaningful opening book.

Before the game, both players (Gold and Silver) can can set up their pieces however they see fit -- i.e. they can place them in any order they prefer! Try thinking about all the possible different combinations for just a second. Too many branches, too many calculations. This is why, like me, computers hate uncertainty/ambiguity. :)

Thanks to my friend Jorge for sharing Arimaa with me.

The fastest Internet home connection so far...

2007-07-20T19:52:00.001-04:00

... used by a 75-year-old woman to read web-based newspapers. Yes, I know! Check it out:

She is a latecomer to the information superhighway, but 75-year-old Sigbritt Lothberg is now cruising the Internet with a dizzying speed.

Lothberg's 40 gigabits-per-second fiber-optic connection in Karlstad is believed to be the fastest residential uplink in the world, Karlstad city officials said.

In less than 2 seconds, Lothberg can download a full-length movie on her home computer -- many thousand times faster than most residential connections, said Hafsteinn Jonsson, head of the Karlstad city network unit.

... She only uses it to read Web-based newspapers.

40 gigabits/sec!? That's 5 GBs/sec! Life's so unfair!

:-(

An electrifying experience

2007-07-15T14:50:00.000-04:00

From Times' Lighting Strikes Reported by iPhone Users:

Jason Bunch, 18, says it wasn't even raining last July, but there was a storm off in the distance. Lightning struck a nearby tree, shot off and hit him. Bunch, who was listening to Metallica while mowing the grass at his home in Castle Rock, Colo., still has mild hearing damage in both ears, despite two reconstructive surgeries to repair ruptured eardrums. He had burns from the earphone wires on the sides of his face, a nasty burn on his hip where the iPod had been in a pocket and "a bad line up the side of my body," even though the iPod cord was outside his shirt. "It was a real miracle" he survived, said his mother, Kelly Risheill.

The Canadian jogger suffered worse injuries, according to a report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The man, a 39-year-old dentist from the Vancouver area, was listening to an iPod while jogging in a thunderstorm when, according to witnesses, lightning hit a tree a couple of feet away and jumped to his body. The strike threw the man about eight feet and caused second-degree burns on his chest and left leg.
The electric current left red burn lines running from where the iPod had been strapped to his chest up the sides of his neck. It ruptured both ear drums, dislocated tiny ear bones that transmit sound waves, and broke the man's jaw in four places, said Dr. Eric Heffernan, an imaging specialist at Vancouver General Hospital.

Talking about spine-tingling experiences.

You little rat!

2007-07-11T22:26:00.000-04:00

That may no longer be a demeaning expression anymore (well, it's not necessarily an extolment either). From The NY Times' Rat to Rat, Kindness Takes Hold article:

Rats may be more caring and selfless than their reputation suggests. Or at least they can be very kind to each other, even to rats they have never met before.

Swiss researchers put pairs of female rats — they were littermates — in a cage, separating them with a wire mesh. In one half of the cage, a rat could pull a lever attached to a baited tray that would deliver food to her sister, but not to herself. Each rat was trained in alternate sessions, first as a recipient of food, then as a provider. The sisters learned to cooperate, and they pulled significantly more often when their littermate was present than when the other half of the cage was empty.

"Oh, are they helping their sisters without getting, nor expecting, any compensation? The concept of union beautifully illustrated." -- I thought. More intriguing is what follows:

Then the researchers put rats who had recently been assisted by their partners, and rats who had not recently been helped, in with unfamiliar and unrelated rats. Those who had recently been helped were about 21 percent more likely to pull the lever for the new partner.

Amazing! Rats caring for their fellow rats regardless of family ties? Let your inner rat go out people!

Rewards for a well-done job

2007-07-07T12:31:00.000-04:00

I went to my little sister's graduation yesterday (we're so proud of her!). The air was filled with joy and excitement as the main speaker announced the winners of this year's excellence awards. Needless to say, parents and students alike were very nervous (their restiveness was almost palpable at one point). The names came in at a rapid succession:

1st place: Gold Medal...
2nd place: Silver....
3rd place: Bronze...

I thought: "What!? Medals? What are medals good for?". Wouldn't it be better for students if they were awarded with something more significant to them? (e.g. money!). One of the many problems in countries like Dominican Republic is education (our educational system is, well, everything but exemplary). Most kids and young adults neglect school quite often (I've noticed this is a common trend in all social strata). Why? Here's an answer I've heard repeatedly: What do I get by studying hard?

"What comes with good grades? What's the added value? Is that going to make me earn more money in the near future?" Although these questions are pertinent and need to be answered whenever they come along, they are an inherent part of a short-sighted mind. Education alone does not guarantee success, but it's an excellent start (way better than doing nothing at all). Nonetheless, I do think better mechanisms should be enforced in countries like ours to incite kids to study. Here's where money plays a major role.

If they had handed out US$5,000 dollars instead of medals, they would have gotten more students with higher grades. Thus, more motivated individuals in the long run (that is, of course, if the same scenario is recreated in colleges as well). Even iPods would do the trick better (ask any of the awarded students for their medals in 5 years -- chances are they won't remember nor care about them!). Aren't prizes supposed to entice students to hit the books? They are vital indeed (I just think they should change what they're offering).

The same situation arises at most companies. Sadly, many employers do not reward their top employees accordingly. Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, a TIME writer focused on workplace trends, succinctly enumerates several possible recompenses to bolster morale in a corporate environment (check her article here):

OfficeTeam goes on to suggest some rewards, including:
• Say thanks. Don’t underestimate the power of saying “thank you,” either in writing or in person.
• Celebrate achievements. Honor employees’ accomplishments in front of their peers. Staff events recognizing individuals or groups can enhance morale while highlighting exemplary behavior.

• Give the gift of time. Reward staff accomplishments with extra days off or extended lunch breaks. Time away from the office allows staff members to recharge after major projects.

• Provide plum assignments. Give strong performers the option of working on desirable projects. Doing so improves their motivation and enthusiasm for their work, and encourages others to excel in their positions.

However, she and I concur as to what should be the predominant compensation element when judging someone else's accomplishments:

Seems reasonable. Me, I'll take cash.

When it comes to appraisals (at both classrooms and workplaces alike), money speaks louder than words. Il est simple!

America: nice depiction on Independence Day

2007-07-04T09:08:00.000-04:00

Maria Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz, authors and illustrators, came up with a very cool picture of why they love America:

To all my US readers (you know who you are!): Happy Independence Day!

Blogging by numbers

2007-06-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

A few interesting figures about this blog and other random/out-of-nowhere numbers:

Number of unique visitors this blog has gotten since June 18: 57 (I cannot believe this! Who reads this stuff? Are you people insane?).
62.50% of you use Firefox, 35.71% use Internet Explorer and (brace for impact) 1.79% use Safari (Ivan: I know this is you!).
US$12 million is the amount of money Apple's Steve Jobs is going to spend so that every single one of his employees gets an iPhone (I must say, Jobs and Google make detesting one's employer an easy task).
53.57% of all my visits come from referring sites (thank you guys!).
Tens of thousands (more or less) were the iPhones sold on June 29.
Average time spent on this blog by its visitors: 1:45 (minutes:segs).
Windows users account for 61.61%, Linux has 33.93% (interesting) and Mac OS has 4.46%. I know full well these figures are not exactly accurate (check the operating systems' real market share by vendor and you'll see why).
37-40 is the NY Yankees' record so far (I thought I'd never live to see something of this magnitude). They're 11 games behind the Boston Red Soxs. I'm simply speechless.
25 minutes was the time it took me to write this post (I find TV very, VERY, distracting).
Germany and Denmark have agreed to build an 11-mile bridge (yes, 11!).
US$2.8 billion: that's how much money AT&T is going to pay for an Oklahoma-based carrier. Gee, is the iPhone selling like hotcakes or what!
I've had 4 visits from Asia so far! :-O (If you guys are still reading, which I highly doubt, I'd like to say: 致謝).

I really recommend Google Analytics to anyone who's authoring a web site. Yes, Google again. Don't you just hate them? :)

iPhonemania!

2007-06-27T10:07:00.000-04:00

The only conceivable way in which you could not know about the iPhone at this point is if you've lived in a cave for the past year or so. David Pogue, NY Times' technology correspondent, joins the party with his latest article:

Talk about hype. In the last six months, Apple’s iPhone has been the subject of 11,000 print articles, and it turns up about 69 million hits on Google. Cultists are camping out in front of Apple stores; bloggers call it the “Jesus phone.” All of this before a single consumer has even touched the thing.

Many of my US friends have expressed their desire of buying one on June 29. They'll be lucky if they get one 2 hours later after the release (maybe on eBay next Monday for US$1,500 or US$2,000). I wouldn't be surprised.

Consumerism

2007-06-24T15:24:00.000-04:00

In 5 more days, the iPhone will debut in US with a tag price of US$599 (now, that's pricey!). Consumers and the industry alike are eagerly awaiting for its debut (even AT&T is gearing up for what promises to be a massive onslaught of Apple's fanatics rushing to their nearest retailer). Although the iPhone promises to be the cellphone's crème de la crème as a digital entertainment/communication center, can it possibly live up to so much hype? Even if it does change our lives forever, why are so many people anxiously waiting to buy one?

Something similar happened with Sony's Playstation 3 (people camped for days in front of stores just so that they'd get one -- some folks suggested that Sony purposely produced a reduced number of consoles and announced it would only sell a limited amount of units in the first months after the release). Nintendo's Wii also captivated gamers worldwide (disturbances were reported at more than one store). Through all the media frenzy and hoopla, I couldn't help but wonder: Why were people so desperately trying to purchase one of these devices? Are they such avid gamers? I silently uttered one word at the moment: consumerism.

According to Wikipedia, consumerism is defined as:

In many critical contexts, consumerism is used to describe the tendency of people to identify strongly with products or services they consume, especially those with commercial brand names and obvious status-enhancing appeal, e.g. an expensive automobile, expensive jewelry. A culture that is permeated by consumerism can be referred to as a consumer culture. Impulse buyers who cannot resist spending money are commonly termed shopaholics.

How is a game console effectively going to make you happy? How can anything material propel you to felicity for that matter? How could the iPhone do that? So an iPhone is going to make you a cool/socially-accepted guy? I don't mean to vituperate Apple nor any other company (in fact, I'm planning to buy a MacBook Pro and a PS3 in the near future). But you won't see me running to the nearest Apple store when Leopard comes out on October just because. It's ok to be spendthrift if you're a millionarie who exudes 100-dollar bills out of your wealthy pores. However, if you're not, then chances are you could wait before jumping on the technological/hip bandwagon of the latest products (specially if not doing so is detrimental to yourself).

If you look at the media attention the iPhone is getting, one can only assume June 29 will cause quite a stir on AT&T's sales (specially if you take into account Apple's illustrious history of successful marketing campaigns). Both companies will be greatly benefited by a large amount of individuals who plan to buy an advanced mobile phone within the next three months.

Shopaholics!

Cool parents of the Generation Y

2007-06-19T22:37:00.000-04:00

There are new ways in which parents can bond with their kids nowadays:

A national survey released last year by the Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry group, found that 35 percent of parents play video games, of which 80 percent play with their children. Mothers, too, were part of the study.

Follow this link to the story.

A very uncommon bet: AI's future

2007-06-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

Mitchell Kapor, designer of Lotus 1-2-3 and a larger-than-life figure in the IT world, took on Ray Kurzweil, an innovator in the OCR field and prominent author of many artificial intelligence books, in a very rare bet: By 2029 no computer - or "machine intelligence" - will have passed the Turing Test.

Here's a quick definition of the Turing Test according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

The phrase “The Turing Test” is most properly used to refer to a proposal made by Turing (1950) as a way of dealing with the question whether machines can think. According to Turing, the question whether machines can think is itself “too meaningless” to deserve discussion (442). However, if we consider the more precise -- and somehow related -- question whether a digital computer can do well in a certain kind of game that Turing describes (“The Imitation Game”), then -- at least in Turing's eyes -- we do have a question that admits of precise discussion.

Mr. Kapor thinks there's no way computers will be able to emulate human thought before the defined deadline:

While it is possible to imagine a machine obtaining a perfect score on the SAT or winning Jeopardy--since these rely on retained facts and the ability to recall them--it seems far less possible that a machine can weave things together in new ways or to have true imagination in a way that matches everything people can do, especially if we have a full appreciation of the creativity people are capable of. This is often overlooked by those computer scientists who correctly point out that it is not impossible for computers to demonstrate creativity. Not impossible, yes. Likely enough to warrant belief in a computer can pass the Turing Test? In my opinion, no. Computers look relatively smarter in theory when those making the estimate judge people to be dumber and more limited than they are.

However, Mr. Kurzweil happens to think otherwise:

Finally, we have the challenge of emotion, the idea that although machines may very well be able to master the more analytical cognitive abilities of humans, they inherently will never be able to master the decidedly illogical and much harder to characterize attributes of human emotion. A slightly broader way of characterizing this challenge is to pose it in terms of "qualia," which refers essentially to the full range of subjective experiences. Keep in mind that the Turing test is assessing convincing reactions to emotions and to qualia. The apparent difficulty of responding appropriately to emotion and other qualia appears to be at least a significant part of Mitchell Kapor's hesitation to accept the idea of a Turing-capable machine. It is my view that understanding and responding appropriately to human emotion is indeed the most complex thing that we do (with other types of qualia being if anything simpler to respond to). It is the cutting edge of human intelligence, and is precisely the heart of the Turing challenge. Although human emotional intelligence is complex, it nonetheless remains a capability of the human brain, with our endocrine system adding only a small measure of additional complexity (and operating at a relatively low bandwidth). All of my observations above pertain to the issue of emotion, because that is the heart of what we are reverse engineering. Thus, we can say that a side benefit of creating Turing-capable machines will be new levels of insight into ourselves.

The prospect of artificial intelligence has been with us since computers' dawn. The sole idea of intelligent machines superseding us as Earth's superior minds has been material of many books and novels. Although alluring and flat out interesting, human-like computers are not as near as we'd like to think. I believe there's no way Mr. Kurzweil is going to beat Mitchell Kapor on this one. Why? Because intelligence is much more than simple memorization! We're not talking about IQ or long term memory. We're talking about fooling us into thinking we're having a conversation with another human being.

Computers excel at storing and processing massive amounts of data, but fall short miserably when confronted with the pinnacle of humans' inventiveness: the natural language. In order for a computer to successfully past the Turing Test, it would have to master our language(s). Think about that for just a second. When you talk with your friends, do you refer to them with the same tone and formality you use with your parents? Do you even use the same set of words? Even if you do, the tone can change the meaning of what you're saying (or implying) completely. How could a computer grasp sarcasm in a sentence whether written or spoken? How could a computer detect if you're sad or happy by the tone of your voice? Our emotions can deeply vary the meaning of our words.

Johnnie Walker has been running a very interesting publicity campaign for Latin America in which an android talks about its abilities measured against humans. Despite its prowess and superiority, Johnnie's android has a single wish:

If I had a wish, I wish I was human.

Our fictional android expresses its wish to attain humans' innate desire of achieving immortality through meaningful actions instead of simply living forever. If an artificial intelligence is to exist in the next 22 years, that surely may be something consuming processor cycles: Why am I different? Who am I?

22 years. I think Mr. Kurzweil is going to lose.

Private loan: inconceivable torture

2007-06-10T10:06:00.000-04:00

You may recall we've been talking about tuition prices in the US recently. Today, to further deepen our concerns, the NY Times has showed me why studying in North America can cripple your financial future gravely if you happen to opt for a private loan:

As the first in her immigrant family to attend college, Lucia DiPoi said she had few clues about financing her college education. So when financial aid and low-interest government loans did not stretch far enough, Ms. DiPoi applied for $49,000 in private loans, too. “How bad could it be?” she recalls thinking.

When Ms. DiPoi graduated from Tufts University in Boston, she found out. With interest, her private loans had reached $65,000 and she owed an additional $19,000 in federal loans. Her monthly tab is $900, with interest rates topping 13 percent on the private loans.

Banks and private lenders have identified this very lucrative market niche (of course!):

As college tuition has soared past the stagnant limits on federal aid, private loans have become the fastest-growing sector of the student finance market, more than tripling over five years to $17.3 billion in the 2005-06 school year, according to the College Board.

More disturbing is the total amount some students are owing after graduating:

And while federal loans come with safeguards against students’ overextending themselves, private loans have no such limits. Students are piling up debts as high as $100,000.

Please, don't think I'm being neurotic (maybe I am a little bit). But am I the only one that finds owing US$100,000 after graduating enough reason not to attend college in the first place? Yikes!

Murderabilia

2007-06-08T23:10:00.000-04:00

No, I did not come up with that term. Murderabilia basically means you now can buy items that belonged to your favorite killer as if you were obtaining groceries at your local supermarket:

Dubbed "murderabilia" by Andy Kahan, director of the Houston-based Mayor's Crime Victims Office, the sale of what many consider grotesque items is already banned in five states — Texas, California, New Jersey, Michigan and Utah — thanks in great part to Kahan's lobbying efforts. In 2001, Kahan also successfully pressured eBay.com to drop "murderabilia" listings. But since much of the selling happens on websites operated beyond the five states, the legislation has had limited effect on Internet sales.
There are five major U.S. dealers of murderabilia, according to Kahan, operating out of Georgia, Arkansas, Montana, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The dealers operate using the eBay model: sellers post their offerings and collectors bid. Some items come from the prisoners, their families, or even attorneys; other sellers simply write to notorious prisoners and ask for letters, personal items or artwork. Kahan alerts authorities to online sales, even buying up items to take them out of circulation, but he says that dealers are hard to pin down. "It's like trying to exterminate cockroaches — they move from one site to another."

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. After all, we're putting a price tag on death nowadays. Maybe I should add this one to the list of questions I'd posted once under a big: WHAT!?

Life through the eyes of a chess player

2007-06-02T00:22:00.000-04:00

My father taught me how to play chess when I was 8 years old and I must say I've been a fervent player ever since. I suggest you at least learn the basics of the game and its history (you won't regret it). Chess prowess is usually associated with intelligence and brainpower.

I've been sharing with different players long enough to recognize the similarities in our thinking when dealing with any kind of problems (whatever their nature might be). Here's a list of common chess principles and their connotations applied to everyday life:

A good opening is a must: No matter which strategy you develop, or what plans you make to carry out your attack, a strong chess player knows the importance of a good opening. This concept presents itself nicely in every aspect of our day-to-day, quotidian, tasks: if you're to succeed in any endeavor you might undertake, how you set out is extremely important.
Aim for rapid development of your pieces: This principle is tightly coupled with the next one: get your pieces out there and into the battle field as soon as possible! Regardless of your goals (whether you're trying to conquer the world or allure/attract members of the opposite sex), there's simply no time to lose! If you wander around on the chess board (and in life too) your opponent will find it easy to orchestrate an attack to bring you down. We don't want that, do we?
Whenever possible, try not to lose time: Admit it. We're not going to live forever. Strong chess players are adamant in his sentiment against wasting (repeating) a move. Why? Think about your life. Would you like to knowingly consume your time doing nothing productive or something not of your liking while it clearly goes in detriment of your goals? I thought so! We've already talked about time management and its repercussions. Think! Attack! Time is of the essence.
If you're under heavy attack, regroup and cut your losses: You must know when to retreat and plan another incursion into your enemy's domains. When down on material or time, chess players fall back and prepare a new strategy so that they can get maximum benefit from their predicament. Out of the board, I've seen many people bump their heads into the same problem/situation over and over again. That's not helpful. Try to extricate yourself from the situation at hand and ponder about it as coldly as possible. This is very hard to do -- specially when your feelings are in the way -- but you must give it a try (I'm sure you'll remember these lines when your efforts pay off).
When the endgame is near, your King's powers magnifies: The goal of chess is to obliterate your opponent's king promptly -- he/she is going to try to do the same to your king. Having said that, it'd be wise to keep your king at a safe zone during the carnage. However, when the battle has taken its toll, your king becomes a strong attacking piece used in a myriad of checkmates combinations. You are the king of your life. When your stratagem starts to unfold, it's time for you to jump into it and handle things personally. You're only going to win in life if you are passionate and care greatly of that you're engaging.

Most of you may be asking yourselves: who is he? What makes him so knowledgeable about these topics? The answer is: nothing. I'm just a 24-years-old guy writing about a topic I find deeply enticing. These are not recipes for success. Although I don't consider myself a successful individual, I do think I'm on the right track to achieve what I want from my time on this earth.

In chess and life, a 2002 article I read about the game's implications outside the board when I was starting off college, its author stated yet another reason why chess concepts can perfectly find a niche in modern, day to day, life:

In chess, seeing is more important than thinking. If perception is so important in an intellectual game like chess, then what to say about life?

Ah, checkmate!

Products for people making 2 dollars a day

2007-05-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

Think about it for just a second. If you could sell something, whatever that is, to most of the world's poor people, you'd end up with a lot of customers. That may sound counterintuitive, right? After all, we're talking about individuals making 2 dollars or less per day. Nonetheless, Dr. Paul Polak happens to differ:

“A billion customers in the world,” Dr. Paul Polak told a crowd of inventors recently, “are waiting for a $2 pair of eyeglasses, a $10 solar lantern and a $100 house.”

The world’s cleverest designers, said Dr. Polak, a former psychiatrist who now runs an organization helping poor farmers become entrepreneurs, cater to the globe’s richest 10 percent, creating items like wine labels, couture and Maseratis.
“We need a revolution to reverse that silly ratio,” he said.
To that end, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, which is housed in Andrew Carnegie’s 64-room mansion on Fifth Avenue and offers a $250 red chrome piggy bank in its gift shop, is honoring inventors dedicated to “the other 90 percent,” particularly the billions of people living on less than $2 a day.

He's absolutely right! If you could help reducing world's poverty, and make some bucks along the way, wouldn't you? Follow this link to the complete story.

The pure and simple truth

2007-05-25T09:35:00.000-04:00

I woke up in a deeply philosophical state this morning. I looked around my room and wondered:

Am I happy? Where am I going? What do I want from life? What am I doing here?

These existentialist bursts are not exclusively mine. I've noticed many of my friends also think about their role in this world frequently [names changed to protect the innocent]:

Me: Do you guys wonder sometimes why you're here?
Alfie: All the time. I can't wait to leave this stupid company!
Me: No, I meant in general. What do you think is your function in this planet? Are we mere links in this perpetual chain of human reproduction? Is that all we are?
Mark: [thunderstruck] Well... Uh... Have you had breakfast yet? I noticed you didn't bring in your breakfast today as usual.
Me: [what?] o_O
Alfie: On a more serious note, I have thought about it too. The problem is we're living in an extremely fast-paced world and you don't really cogitate on such matters profoundly because there's no time for it. Trust me, it wouldn't do you any good either. Besides, there's no absolute truth: you'd get different answers from different people every time.
Me: Right. But, don't you think it would be best to leave this world in a better shape than it was when you got in it? Wouldn't that be a more general, kind-of-absolute truth?
Alfie: Well, yeah. Definitely.
Me: That's what I thought...
Mark: Are you hungry, Elvis? Maybe all this existentialist hugger-mugger is a side effect of hunger.
Alfie: lol

I think we've all asked ourselves the same questions one time or another. But as Alfie so eloquently put it: there's no absolute truth, nor answer, for it. A quote from Oscar Wilde comes to my mind:

The pure and simple truth is rarely pure, and never simple.

Playing Mario at work

2007-05-22T23:18:00.000-04:00

That's not as implausible as it sounds. Thanks to Paul Johnston, CEO of Entellium, video-game-like applications could soon be used at the work place:

In fact, Paul Johnston has remade his company on the idea that business software will work better if it feels like a game. Mr. Johnston is not some awkward adolescent, but the polished president and chief executive of Entellium, which makes software for customer relationship management. Businesses spend billions of dollars on such software to try to track their sales staff, their marketers, their customer service — anything that connects them with customers. Unfortunately, most of the software is the business equivalent of calorie counting. No one does it gladly. Worse, the software has a Big Brother aspect to it.

Moreover, the NY Times' article clearly defines an important aspect helping Mr. Johnston's goals more likely to happen in the near future:

Most people under 35 grew up playing video games. Many still do — the average age of gamers is over 30 — and video games have become a mainstream form of entertainment. While “twitch” games like Doom or Quake, in which a player has to react quickly, remain popular, there are now huge games run in online virtual worlds. World of Warcraft, for instance, has millions of players around the world who must organize themselves into teams to accomplish complex tasks. In some online games like EVE, these teams are actually called companies, and the politics involved would impress the most cutthroat executive.

Let's face it: we're all gamers to some extent. Entellium is only trying to entice players so that they're more productive at their jobs by given them what they enjoy the most: video games! Brilliant! You can read the article here.

You were accepted. Now what?

2007-05-15T23:22:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to inform I was accepted at Rochester Institute of Technology (you might recall we'd talked about schools' admission process and the role of grades in the US recently). This is kind of bittersweet news -- don't get me wrong, it's way better than knowing you could've been rejected. This is the reason behind my highly-convoluted emotional state:

We're talking about US$28,491 yearly! (that excludes housing and living expenses). Tuition prices are excruciatingly pricey in the US:

With the world's most expensive higher education system, America asks students to pay an average of $5,800 a year in tuition to attend a four-year public university; or an average of $22,200 a year for a private four-year school, according to the College Board, an educational testing and services group.

And this is for undergraduates -- graduate prices almost double these figures. Alas, this is not only happening in the US (other countries are trying to help students, er, study):

One approach being taken in Australia and New Zealand, for instance, is the wider use of "income-contingent" loans that base post-graduation repayments on a borrower's income. Most U.S. student loans still base repayments on the loan size.

Ah, the high cost of education. I desperately need a scholarship!

UPDATE:
More good news for yours truly! This came in today in a RIT's admissions department's email:

In addition, congratulations on receiving a merit award equivalent to 30% of tuition for each of the three quarters of study (Fall, Winter and Spring) in the 2007-2008 academic year.

I could not believe my eyes. Although I had opted for assistantship, I didn't imagine actually getting it. My soon-to-be sponsor will undoubtedly be very much pleased -- I know I am! ;-)

Why do you blog in English?

2007-05-10T22:41:00.000-04:00

I've been asked the same question so many times now that I think is only natural for me to come clean once and for all. Why don't I blog in Spanish? I was born in Dominican Republic after all -- a Spanish-speaking country. Although Spanish is my parents' tongue, as well as mine, there basically are reasons for me not to blog in it. These are the most compelling ones:

I can reach more people: English is the most used language on the Internet (almost 30% of Internet's users speak English). There's no way around this. If you want your content to attract as many people as possible, Spanish wouldn't be a wise decision -- Chinese would do much better. Simply put, English is Internet's lingua franca.
The likeness of typographical errors is greater in Spanish: This is an easy one: English uses less, if any, diacritical marks ('). For instance, the word "dia" (day) is written incorrectly -- it's "día". Thus, you'd have to proofread your Spanish writings to a great extent and there's still the chance to make many mistakes.
Increase my writing skills: I wanted to increase my English writing skills since I was bounded to take the GRE/TOELF exams (vocabulary and diction are of utmost importance) because you're required to type in essays in both tests. What better way than to force me to write in English constantly?

So, there's your answer. I'm probably going to be sharing this post frequently with many of my Spanish-speaking friends.

Creativity at its best.

2007-05-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

Dominican Republic is indeed a land where anything is possible. That's why I couldn't help laughing out loud when I saw this:

Just when you thought you've seen pretty much everything there is to see around this country, you come across a dude like this with just enough free time to do something like that. I love this country! :-)

PS
You may be asking yourself: So what? What's the cool thing about this? That's exactly it! The guy has only modified a regular bicycle by adding a motor to it. I cannot find any practical use for such a device. Yet, there it is.

It's no longer about your grades

2007-05-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

I'm currently on the verge of sending the rest of my application documents to Rochester Institute of Technology (I'd like to pursue a masters degree in Information Technology). Fear of rejection is almost palpable at this point. Will I get accepted? In the hypothetical case I do get accepted, where am I going to get money out of to pay!? On the other hand, if I'm rejected, what are my options? Will I have to endure another month or so of compiling/requesting legal documents compulsory to apply elsewhere? I really hope my grades and professional recommendations can pull it off...

Today, to my dismay, I read an interesting article that was indeed an eye-opener. Its title was more than enough for me to be fearful of the end result of my application: Young, gifted and not going to Harvard. Here's the keyword: gifted. I initially thought: "Ok, gifted dudes. No biggie. We're all gifted somehow. We all have different skills that make us unique and interesting to some extent. Besides, your grades are decisive here". I may have been wrong about that last sentence just a tiny bit:

What kind of kid doesn’t get into Harvard? Well, there was the charming boy I interviewed with 1560 SATs. He did cancer research in the summer; played two instruments in three orchestras; and composed his own music. He redid the computer system for his student paper, loved to cook and was writing his own cookbook. One of his specialties was snapper poached in tea and served with noodle cake.

We're talking about brainiacs here! Cancer research? 1560 SAT score? I'd like to take a look at his grades card -- I'm sure it must be nothing short of amazing. Half Sigma's blogger, who I think has an acerbic tone in most of his posts but good material nonetheless, further discussed this in his latest post:

But wait? Aren't the top universities like Harvard supposed to be more selective than ever? Yes, but they are selecting for leadership ability and not raw intelligence. If Harvard relied strictly on SAT scores, there would probably not be so many religious students in attendance.

We can safely assume it's no longer about how smart you are (consequently, your grades alone do not give you an edge either, nor does it your SAT or GRE score). It's something else. Stated bluntly, these are the questions any Ivy League's admission department would surely ask you if they could do it: who are you and why are you interested in our school? Why should we care? This tendency will keep up because there are many folks out there willing to get in at any of these elite colleges.

While RIT is no Yale or Brown, it's good to see the relevance of grades in the Ivies because you can easily extrapolate this situation to your college of choice. Good grades help, but they're not definitive. In the end, professional recommendations and experience are what could really make a difference.

Global coolness: carbon-neutral is hip

2007-04-29T09:56:00.000-04:00

That's what the NY Times says in one of its latest reports. What I find really amusing is the distinction between money-making endeavors and environmental efforts. The following picture, extracted from the article, clearly elaborates further on the big role money and profit play in environmental campaigns.

Hence, the question: Is carbon-neutral also $green$? Follow this link to the article.

TopCoder: Putting DR on the list

2007-04-25T10:11:00.001-04:00

A bunch of my friends and I found out about TopCoder only a few weeks ago. We immediately noticed the Dominican Republic was not on the list of the top countries. I'm happy to inform that's not the case anymore.

After our first SRM (single round match), DR is on that list. We'd like to see how far we're able to move up that ladder. Perilous times lie ahead. But rest assured dominicans: we'll do our best! ;-)

If you're interested, join our group. I highly recommend it -- I've learned so much! Thanks folks!

What does he need a recommendation letter for?

2007-04-20T16:54:00.001-04:00

Company X, in which I so "mirthfully" and "laboriously" work, is a rare place indeed. My co-workers and I call this work environment the circus. Like most circuses, clowns and freaks seem to be the center of attention and the ones with most standing ovations -- forget about death-defying tricks and the occasional daredevil! The following conversation is an adaptation of the chat my boss had with a HR lady.

Linda: Good morning. This is Linda Mayhem. How can I help you?
Xavier: Hi Linda. This is manager Xavier Zadi, Software Development. I just emailed you a recommendation letter for one of our developers. Would you please print it using the company's letterhead and have it delivered to me?
Linda: Uh, right. What's the name of the developer?
Xavier: Elvis Montero.
Linda: What does he need a recommendation letter for?
Xavier: Ah, he'd like to get into college to obtain a masters degree. He must submit 2 professional recommendation letters to the admissions board as part of his application. FYI, our biggest client have already sent him one so he's only waiting for us to give him the other one...
Linda: So, is he leaving?
Xavier: [Awkward pause] Well, I guess he'd have to if he gets accepted.
Linda: Right. I'm going to escalate your request to my manager.
Xavier: There's no need for that. Could you email me the company's letterhead so that...
Linda: I cannot do that. Since this letter is going to be a company's publication, it has to be reviewed and processed by the appropriate channels. I'll contact you as soon as your request is dealt with accordingly.
Xavier: [Astonishment] Thanks.

That was on Monday. My boss dropped by my cube a few minutes ago. I knew what he was going to say.

Xavier: Sorry kiddo. They declined.

When I asked him what was the rationale behind their decision he said: they just said no. Let's put things in perspective here for a second. Am I a bad employee? Be the judge:

3 employee of the month awards.
Multitude of praises from our biggest client -- yes, they've already given me a recommendation letter (in a heart beat!).
I was given an offer at another company and they beat it just so that I wouldn't leave -- If only I'd known then what I know now. I'm having second thoughts...
Handpicked to teach a J2EE advanced course.

So, based on these facts, one would naturally assume I'm not such a bad employee after all. So, why wouldn't they give me the letter despite of my manager's vehement request? The answer is simple: they give a rat's ass about me. Disgruntled employee? They couldn't care less either. They consider us a call center (remember the security polices we'd talked about?) and, as such, they only care about headcount -- the more resources they obtain for the customers, the more money they get. It's simple math.

Although clumsy and derisory at first view, clowns have their role at circuses -- they attract children and children ultimately attract parents. At Company X, clowns are the main event. I'm still laughing...

Bowling for Virginia Tech

2007-04-17T09:47:00.001-04:00

A little more than 24 hours ago a 23-year-old student was the epicenter of the deadliest mass shooting in US history at Virginia Tech. Cho Seung-Hui, the perpetrator, started his killing spree around 7:15 AM and ended it around 2 hours later. The result is a chilling figure: 32 dead and 15 injured.

The media has gone wild and comparisons with the Columbine high school massacre abound. What triggers a behavior like this? What motivates a person, or a group, to kill other humans indiscriminately? Maybe Michael Moore will give it a try just as he did with his Columbine documentary.

Software integration: A developer's nightmare

2007-04-12T22:53:00.000-04:00

Not many things in life can diminish a developer's will power as software integration. When you have multiple software components working fine separately and the time comes to make these seemingly functional units communicate with each other, you're most likely in for a bumpy ride.

Scott Rosenberg, author of Dreaming in Code and co-founder of Salon.com, got it right:

In the world of software, integration means taking a body of code that works fine by itself and connecting it to the other existing parts of a program that have in turn been working fine. The integration point is typically where a software project hits big trouble. Chunks of code that worked well enough separately often balk when asked to work together; they fail to hook together correctly, send messages that can't be interpreted, or stubbornly refuse to start or stop. (This is one of the many ways in which programmers' products sometimes mimic their human creators).

I've personally been involved in many integration efforts recently and I must say: it's a living hell! Here are a few of the factors that will probably hinder your progress:

Developers/Peers: Your own co-workers often obstruct your path towards successful software integration -- successful as in on time and below budget. Is the owner of the module you're trying to integrate part of your team? Is he a contractor? Is he willing to support your efforts? Are you able to communicate with him/her effectively -- i.e. do you understand most of what he/she says? Is he member of another team with different deliverables and deadlines? Interestingly enough, human factor is most important when aiming at prosperous software integration.
Upper management/powers that be: Sometimes you'd think upper management is aligned with what the business want -- after all, IT is only an extension of the company whose main goal is to maximize profit and revenues. However, your manager may have others plans for that great integration effort of yours -- e.g. Rick, can you please bring me a cup of coffee? I'm sure you won't waste much time. Hey, also, remember to send the status of your tasks to Seygen's team outlining what you've done today. Thanks!
Business constraints: We want it pronto! A demo has been arranged with the customers and it's due on Monday -- yes, we know today is Friday! We're losing thousands of dollars because of down time and your code is directly responsible -- we don't care if the back ends/servers are down, get it fixed! We need that interface up and running so others can use it -- ergo, if you can't move forward, so can't we!
Technology: Surprise! Surprise! If you'd thought your greatest obstacles would be the different programming languages being used by the modules, the logic embedded within, network issues (e.g. firewall rules), communication protocols, etcetera; you were wrong! The technical aspect of every integration effort is usually the less problematic because is something you have absolute control over! It's what you, as a software engineer, do best: code/analyze code. You enjoy this part and see every problem as a challenge you must overcome -- not because you may get fired if you don't, but because you think you're good enough to pull it off! Nonetheless, that does not mean you aren't bound to hit a huge brick wall from time to time -- you most likely will -- but that's a wall you're more than willing to jump/bring down.

Multiply them by a million, and add a few more obstructions that I know I'm leaving out, if you're a contractor working with other contractors providing service for a Fortune 500 company. Sorry! I didn't know we were competing here! I'm so gullible...

Stateless

2007-04-11T23:40:00.000-04:00

I came across an interesting article today at the NY Times website. It's plainly amazing so many people are subsisting with less than US$25 cents a day -- knowing this surely makes most of us think twice before complaining about our petty problems. Here's an extract of the report:

Many of these stateless people are among the world’s poorest; all are the most disenfranchised. Without citizenship, they often have no right to schooling, health care or property ownership. Nor may they vote or travel outside their countries — even, in some cases, outside the towns where they live.

If you're interested, you can keep learning here.

A zealous programmer: paragon of fanaticism

2007-04-02T14:35:00.000-04:00

Fanaticism is a bad thing. Your zeal for whatever it is you feel connected to could cloud your judgement and, more often than not, impair your ability to think clearly. The succeeding graph conveys my point precisely:

Fanaticism vs ability to think clearly/analytically

When it comes to programmers, old fashioned zealotry takes a whole new meaning. We're such avid followers of so many dissimilar programming languages that I think is only natural to divide us in groups, depending on the subject of our adoration. Let's take a quick look:

Perl addicts: I must admit I once was charmed by Perl's verbosity -- I think not even Larry himself liked the language as much. As a former addict -- I'm still fighting the occasional urge -- I know as a fact members of this group advocate the language's concise and powerful syntax. In my opinion: $_ is not descriptive at all!
Java freaks: Programmers in this category are a special bunch. Learning Java isn't particularly hard, but J2EE is something else. It's an entire new realm! JNDI, EJB, JAXB, RMI/RPC-IIOP, Web services, Servlets, Application containers, web containers, JSPs, JSF, JMS... I'm dizzy. Yet, despite the very steep learning curve, you find people who's willing to code using this language and all those hard-to-remember acronyms! What an amazing world.
C#/VB.NET nuts: The "cure" to Java, as many friends of mine used to refer to the .NET framework, is very popular among developers because it makes things "easier" for you. Thus, productivity tends to increase faster because people can grasp many of the .NET concepts without too much hassle.
Lisp smokers: You don't get to meet a Lisp smoker very often. Lisp is mainly used for artificial intelligence-related tasks -- not something your regular programmer would normally do. There's a keyword that although interesting, you don't see in any other programming language: lambda. How many of you know what this means? (Don't be afraid to google it).
```
(lambda (arg) (+ arg 1))
```
[not programming related but worth mentioning] Unix/Linux junkies: We all know them very well. They're anti Microsoft and wouldn't think twice before preaching the technological superiority of anything not Redmond related. If they know you're a Windows user, you're nothing but a sissy who's afraid of "doing what's right" and "take over your computer".
Python nutcase: no comment -- I may strike a few nerves with this one.
C/C++ crackpot: My respects to all C/C++ programmers. Pointers? I'm not getting in there.

Some co-workers of mine are so rabid about their language of choice that even a joke could trigger a heated discussion. The analogy with drug addiction is only to give you guys an idea of how strongly programmers feel about their tools. It's Ok to enjoy what you do for a living but excesses in general are a bad thing. The language, just as a hammer is to a carpenter, is irrelevant to you. It does not matter if you use a brand new one, or an old one. You just want to hit that nail.

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