jessenoller.com

TrueCrypt explained (in Python)

If you haven't read this - you should: TrueCrypt explained. It covers a lot of excellent ground.

ivan krstić: The paradox of choice

Ivan, of OLPC fame, made a post a few days ago about some issues he took with a post by Bruce Perens beleaguering some of the recent OLPC/Microsoft press. It's interesting for a few reasons - other than the back and forth between Ivan and Bruce, there's a gem of a quote that rang very true for me:

One commonly-forgotten truth about OLPC is that our commitment to open source and free software isn’t religious, but pragmatic — we believe Linux and Sugar constitute a better software platform and, much more importantly, a better learning platform.

Not only do I agree with the first part of that quote, namely my philosophy to using open and free software runs towards the pragmatic, and not religious, but that the OLPC is a learning platform.

This quote also reenforces this idea.

Read his post here: ivan krstić · code culture: The paradox of choice

Brent Simmons on NetNewsWire 3.1’s Release as Freeware

NetNewWire, my favorite feed reader ever has gone totally free: Brent Simmons on NetNewsWire 3.1’s Release as Freeware. I highly recommend NetNewWire for feed management on OS/X especially for the clipping/blogging features. I've never quite been able to "get into" online readers (much like my continued need to use an offline mail clients) but NNW also syncs with NewGator's online systems - which means you can browse your feeds with their online apps as well.

The cross-synchronization and the iPhone optimized version of the online client is what keeps me hooked (also the cold fact that without it, I'd have to prune my list of 117 feeds (including 6 planets and reddit/dzone)).

Yeah, it happened a few days ago, I'm still wading through a backlog of posts.

OLPC: Shipping a Beta?

Some of you might remember, coming out of the last PyCon I was (and have been) jazzed about the OLPC project's potential.

Being exposed to technology changed my life, and taught me a new way to learn, expand and grow. I've seen it happen to many other people, in many other walks of life. While it is true that many of the countries the OLPC targets need "other" supplies than computers - it is also true that from a technologist standpoint - the OLPC project offers a way for those of us who have more technical skills to give back.

Donating money to large intangible organizations - or to the people you see parading the same pictures of starving children on TV is the simple route. Going to those countries and helping directly - while infinitely more concrete - is not reasonable in most cases. The OLPC stands out in the middle - something I, as a programmer can contribute my most important asset (my brain (I hope)) to and hope to make a difference.

Like all projects, the OLPC has had it's share of political issues - and I can't say I agree with everything that's come from the less technical arm of the project, but for the greater good, I'm willing to set that aside.

Unfortunately, I was not able to take advantage of the buy one-give one campaign they did last year, it just was not feasible given what was going on. I know, and encouraged many other people to do so however.

This weekend though - a post by someone I highly respect entitled "The OLPC nightmare" made me dig a little bit more. You can tell - by that post - that he's a little miffed at having bought what seems to be a Beta version of a laptop:

In fact just about the only thing you can do well with the laptop is drop it— which is good because I promise that after a couple of hours with it, you'll want to test its resilience to impact.

In that post, he also links to a review done by the Economist (also one of my favorite reads) entitled "One Clunky Laptop Per Child" they too make some of the same assertions Antonio does.

Yes - I do not have one of these laptops - I am stuck only playing with the system via virtual images on a sickly powerful MacBook Pro, but I do remember playing with the prototype at PyCon last year, and based off of these articles and others, it feels like what got shipped was not terribly far from the prototype I played with early last year. That's unfortunate for many reasons - not the least of which is something the Economist wisely points out:

Ultimately the OLPC initiative will be remembered less for what it produced than the products it spawned. The initiative is like running the four-minute mile: no one could do it, until someone actually did it. Then many people did.

The OLPC has spawned a lot of knock-offs, competitors, etc. None of those have goals as lofty and "pure" as those of the OLPC, but the landscape has changed. Shipping a Beta labeled as "GA" never works out well (as commercial software vendors know, but many open source projects never learn).

I'll be interested to see the opinions of others, especially those I know who bought the laptop excited at the prospects and that have no moral or political collateral invested in the project except as technologists.

Baby’s First Home.

Man. 2008 is already going sideways, in a good way. In this case - I knew it was coming, which is a good thing. Last Friday, I spent a chunk of time signing more paperwork than I've ever had to in my life, but walked away with the keys to my very own home.

Other people have goals like "punch a camel" or "jump off a bridge" - one of my longstanding goals has been to "simply" get a house. Something is rather off-putting about paying someone else's salary/mortgage and raising a child whilst renting.

Munchkin will now have her own large yard in which to run, although my idea of putting a running line up and getting her a harness so we could just let her run back and forth were summarily dismissed.

I've already bought paint, been to Lowes a few times, and bought myself actual tools for "working around the house". Once the next month of "omg gogogogo" wears off, all should be happy.

If you really want to see pictures, I put some up.

Now, to juggle the outstanding python stuff, a tight work schedule, a six month old and moving.

Pycon: PyCon 2008 talks announced

Pycon: PyCon 2008 talks announced

There's a veritable cornucopia of talks I want to see this year - the talk list looks fantastic, and I'm pretty jazzed. Hopefully I can juggle going in March.