Pierre-Nick is dynamik » Technology

To-Do’s

Pierre Nick — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:05:49 +0000

Steer away from Facebook
I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. This just seems to push me faster towards the exit. I won’t shut myself of it just yet though: my existing content is theirs forever anyway, right? Facebook remains fun for some things.
Use Twitter and Flickr more
I prefer to use Twitter and Flickr as a result of #1. Twitter brings me closer to people similar to me: those liking the tech, the geek, the awesome. Flickr allows me to use my own copyrights, is so clean and full of beautiful. They both feel so fresh to my mind, a strange and strong feeling of weightlessness. I’m also finally learning to use Twitter properly and up to what it can do.
Change my blog theme
And well just about everything about it. Make it lighter: I’m micro-blogging way more these days, unfitting for how this blog currently is. Maybe split it in two blogs: the randomness vs the geek + those essays about geeky stuff I’m glad i’ve written.
Join things, comities, groups, contribute to a project … but outside of school
To prepare myself for what is now the scare of my life: post-university. I don’t want to ever say “the best years of my life are behind me”. This makes me think a lot. I need to keep the awesome going on forever, but most probably in different ways. And i know i’m not the only one.
Finish coding the telemetry system of my baby
This was started out as my senior project and I sometimes wish this could be my full time job. We need an awesome energy management system.

Other random to-do’s:

Reinstall Mac OS X. Had it for 1 1/2 years. I feel dirty.
Find a use for the computers I have laying around, set up servers because there are never enough servers.
Study for my midterms..

RAMQ et preuves de résidence à volonté

Pierre Nick — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:17:17 +0000

Pour faire renouveler ma carte d’assurance maladie au RAMQ, je dois amener une preuve de résidence en plus de pièces d’identité.

J’ai amené des trucs d’impôt du Gouvernement du Québec avec mon adresse (je me suis dit: entre gouvernements.. ) mais non! Ils veulent absolument une facture de service: un bail, une facture d’électricité, de câble ou de téléphone. Bon d’accord, j’ai le téléphone…

Je dis à la dame du RAMQ que je reçois ma facture par internet. Elle me dit de faire imprimer la facture. Je lui répond que c’est très facile changer l’adresse sur un PDF — car j’ai tout de même attendu en ligne, et j’ai des preuves de résidence dans le mains, alors j’essaie de la dissuader. Elle me dit que c’est la politique quand même.

Ils se forcent tellement à réduire les cartes d’assurance maladie frauduleuses en étant stricts sur les preuves de résidences, quand tout ce que ça prends c’est un logiciel d’édition d’images…

Je devrais arriver avec 10 factures Fido avec des adresses différentes. Voilà, choisissez!

Asus Eee PC 900A not only for men!

Pierre Nick — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:21:56 +0000

Attention-grabbing description of the Eee PC 900A on Asus’ website:

“8.9″ screen does not affect the overall weight of the Eee PC™ 900A, which remains below 1kg – allowing children and women to carry it with ease.”

Because children and woman are genetically engineered to fail lifting anything above 1kg.

MacBook Air ou l’art de ne jamais être content

Pierre Nick — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:28:39 +0000

Ça se plaint qu’il manque des ports et un lecteur optique, que la batterie est intégrée et non-amovible, que la RAM ne peux être accédée.. MAIS ça se plaint PAS que c’est la plus merveilleuse ingénierie au monde — HEY! la batterie est plus grosse que le logic board! — que c’est un ordinateur portable de la mort en terme de performance, avec une épaisseur qui va de 0.16″ à 0.76″ pour 1.3 kg par exemple!

Mise en situation:

Steve Jobs: We have for you the new MacBook Air! It’s 1″ thin, with a removable battery, an optical drive, 5 USB 2.0 ports! Oh also no solid state memory option, it’s got a big nice ol’ notebook hard drive! Amazing!

Tout le monde: Ah ben là! C’est ça qui appellent un sub-notebook? C’est même pas mince s’t'affaire-là! Ils auraient pu ôter des ports, ou peut-être même le lecteur optique! Y’ont tu pensé à une batterie intégrée? Yé pas vraiment léger aussi, ‘Air’ mon oeil!

Arrêtez donc d’être jamais content.

The World Wild Web

Pierre Nick — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:15:40 +0000

Hmm.
Am I sure I want to open this application?
(Well I obviously am, because that’s what I’m using right now since Safari still doesn’t play nice with TinyMCE used as the WYSIWYG WordPress editor. Oh snap!)

Still this is a nice addition to OS security!

Unlike Microsoft’s approach to ’security’ with Windows Vista, which literally alerts you every minute of a possible security breach, from every s-i-n-g-l-e action you take on your computer.

Never an OS made me want to jump out of the Window[s] (oh Ha Ha) more than Windows Vista. What a horrible OS.

Compendium of Interest VI

Pierre Nick — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:11:28 +0000

Le “Tornade” de La Ronde fois 10000. Même hardware, différent software.. -Trop- malade [vidéo]:
Puke-o-Matic Amusement Park Ride Isn’t For the Weak Stomached
Some insanely cool aircrafts interiors (including the new Super Suite inside the Singapore Airlines A380)
Cool aircrafts interiors

The longest Rude Golberg Machine run ever

Pierre Nick — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 05:19:08 +0000

For those who love Rude Goldberg Machines (think The Incredible Machine, Honda commercials or PythagoraSwitch) take a break for 3 minutes 17 seconds and behold the Does-Nothing-O-Matic:

[College humor via Gizmodo]

Nokia wants you to come in, it’s open.

Pierre Nick — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:10:42 +0000

Using slogans such as “The best devices have no limits” and “Phones should be open to anything”, Nokia clearly points its position on mobile device openness in this new ad campaign. [Photo credits macrumors forum user mcdj]

This comes just when Apple releases iPhone software update 1.1.1 which rendered unusable any user-installed application and relocking the unlocked devices, while also completely disabling the said phones in an effort to keep its platform closed.

This is a sad thing to behold. An Apple-designed phone user interface sleekness was very welcomed in a world were phone interfaces offer nothing to be proud of, where Palm OS is slowly dying on the account of the exceptionally atrocious Windows Mobile, or where Symbian which even while having a rock solid core, is usually garmented with poor user interfaces. The difference is that all those platforms are known for all the applications you can get for them.

Apple had a slew of developers at its knees, begging for an iPhone software development kit. They were offering Apple the biggest gift of all: propelling the platform higher and further. The Web apps are great but they aren’t only what its all about. If Apple so believes in this, I ask why didn’t they make all their own included applications work this way as well?

On the other hand, I can live without added applications. I must assert that I have faith in Apple’s capability of delivering an amazing user-experience through its own applications. But I still can’t imagine owning a $400 phone locked to one single carrier. That sure is a definite no-go.

Compendium of Interest V

Pierre Nick — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:38:25 +0000

35 years later, pissing off AT&T is still an awesome feeling.
Steve Jobs is AT&T Hacker, not against iPhone Hackers
Ill-fated SCO is kicked off the NASDAQ index, a few days after filing for bankruptcy. I cannot express the joy I have watching SCO fall down to its knees. That is what you deserve.
SCO Group Shares To Be Delisted From Nasdaq, Effective Sept. 27 [SCOX]

Compendium of Interest IV – Remote Living Edition

Pierre Nick — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:45:20 +0000

McDonald’s South Korea: order by pointing your mobile phone at the menu items you wish to order using McDonald’s Touch Order application, combined with RFID technology, get an SMS when everything is ready.
Hamburger Can Be Ordered Via Mobile Phone
Félix is currently doing his grad schooling at Cornell University. Why? Probably because he can enjoy monitoring his laundry via the Web. He sent us a the link to the LaundryView™ Monitoring System for his residence hall, that allows him to get a 3D view of the laundry room, which machines are in use and how much time is left on each cycle. The ultimate washer and dryer stalking system.
LaundryView™ Monitoring System