Under the Surface...

That's it. Today's "major announcement" does it for me. Microsoft Surface my ass.

Quoted as a new generation of computing products that will "break down traditional barriers between people and technology", Microsoft has effectively borrowed an amazingly intuitive action behind Apple's iPhone user interface and ir trying to flog it as theirs.

Looking at the Surface website, sure you can "shop and play at the lobby", but that's just software Bill! The idea was first shown on a device much smaller than a PC. A device to soon be carried by millions of people around the world. Not a full blown PC with a fancy screen in the lobby of an expensive hotel.

Which brings me to this significant statement: I am truly over Windows PCs.

Over the past few months I have had it up to my eybrows with stupid little glitches on my home and my work laptops:

• My home laptop will 'almost' shut down - apart from the fact that it takes a good 4 minutes to do whatever it needs to do before it powers off - to the extent that I get up in the morning and it still sitting there thinking how to turn off... What a baby! How much supervision does it need?


• My work laptop used to auto detect whether it needs a Windows domain to log in to or not. Now, when I'm at home, I need to power it up and log in to Windows before I connect it to my home netwrork (or just the router).

I hate things that cannot be explained, which is why I had enough of Windows. Note: I love computers and what can be achieved with them. I had enough of the clumsy, resource-heavy, non-intuitive operating system called Windows. I will never try Vista, just because it looks cooler than XP. I will not fall for gimmicks any more.

My home computing needs have come a long way compared to 10 years ago. I was a sucker for development tools (programming) and PC games. Now, the needs revolve around digital imaging, storage, internet access and music. A Mac has been able to do all that for years. It's been perfected. The Mac UI concepts have always been industry leaders. The new Intel-based technology base has brought the prices down and took performance to new heights

So the decision has been made and the time has come... Well, almost. An upcoming wedding is a priority. Can't argue with that really!...

I will leave you with a very funny animation clip I came across on BestOfYouTube.com - just watch out for the iHouse!...

Ivar the Great!

Today i had the great pleasure of listening to Ivar Jacobson, one of the most influential characters in the world of Software Engineering. He is the author of many books, some of which I have read and some which I still refer to.

In 1967, when I was one year old (!), Ivar proposed the concept of 'software components' for developing telephony switches for Ericsson... Over the years he has been refining and promoting component-based software development as well as methodologies around desing, construction and testing as well as the promotion and and refinement of some of the main methodologies out there, eg RUP.

My current employer brought him in to give us a 'teaser' kind of talk on his latest brain child, the Essential Unified Process. The concept is great and, really, very common sense - which is why he conceived it and so many of us missed it!... Here's 8 fundamental practice elements. Take the ones you think are relevant or even appealing to you and decide to what extent you wish to use them. As you get better or depending on the size or nature of your next piece of work, adopt some more of those 8 practices.

It is not as heavy and regimented as the Rational Unified Process (RUP) and not as scary as eXtreme Programming, although it does have elements of Agile and XP and Scrum in it. Architecture and Project Management are still there but not as heavy and useless as they often are.

The best thing though was his style and delivery. He's a very down to earth guy, no rocket scientist (although a lot more intelligent than most of us!) and he's very interactive. He apologised for the structure of today's session as there was not much chance for Q&A, which is his preferred style. He is dead pan, funny and challenging at the same time. He has that Scandinavian coolness and slight sarcasm in his delivery. Overall he's very engaging and fun to listen to.

If you have the chance to attend one of his speeches, don't miss it!

Evil vs. Evil

Last night the TV channel ABC kicked-off the two-part Richard Dawkins documentary on how religious faith leading to fanaticism is catching up (and possibly overtaking) science and its rational, fact-based truth.

The show is not a televised version of the book The God Delusion (although references to delusional people and factions are often made). Rather, Dawkins travels America and Israel to uncover some extreme and disturbing cases.

In America, the country who has clearly been blessed by God (and it still does, at the end of every major Presidential speech or Hollywood movie - can't see the difference really, both cost lots of money to produce, some make you laugh and some you regret you wasted time for), some 'Pastor' hosts rock concert-like gatherings to brainwash people on the Bible and concepts oh hope, peace and love. The recipients of such valuable training will live to become influential people for their country, all the way to the top, and then send armies to destroy evil on the other side of the world. Amazing stuff...

In Israel, Dawkins visited the temple where Jesus was crucified. The tour guide showed him the hole in the ground where the holy cross was put in, to what Dawkins said "You don't really believe that, do you?” to which the guide responded "But of course, this is what we've been told for generations". Who cares about evidence? Anyone can make anything up.
Dawkins also interviewed some fanatic who left his West Bank fanatic friends and hopped on the other side - now a very outspoken Muslim fundamentalist. Other than having a go at Dawkins for being an atheist, this person's main beef was about women and how Western civilisation is unable to dress their women properly and get them to behave (read: covered from top to bottom, unable to socialise, work or live a normal life). Taking sexism to new heights.

Power-hungry people on both sides. And it's clearly getting worse.

NASA is still performing deep-space exploration. I don't have a problem with scientific advancements mainly because it helps us understand facts about ourselves - but when it comes to looking for life forms, this planet has some priorities to work out before we seek friends (or seek to destroy more evil) elsewhere. America has to sort out its own backyard first before stepping into hyperspace.

If all these different groups of people can't live with each other on one planet, what are our chances of getting on with some totally 'alien' species?

It's quite ironic. Religions promote love, peace and morals and yet they are the root cause of wars and hatred. And where scientists could be taking each other out on an ongoing "I'm right, you're wrong" campaign, we have worldwide collaborations against AIDS and cancer and (not enough) global warming AND we know more and more about how we got here.

Venting off on a wet day

Thank heavens for some decent, much needed rain overnight and this morning!

It does not bother me a bit that my journey to work involves walking under an umbrella, foggy windows on the train, wet shoes or having to duck down to protect myself about careless umbrella holders on the sidewalk. It's a bit like Sunday drivers really - they don't get to practice much during the week so on the weekend they're all over the road in their ignorant little ways.

As I arrived at my building, I was greeted by the friendly proprietor of the ground-floor coffee shop, who (over the course of the past 18 months) has made it very obvious that she is very proud of her Greek origins. She has also made a very correct observation that I am not that 'Greek'. Sure I have the looks and lived there for the first 19 years of my life and my accent has certain remnants and I do talk with my hands (to a certain extent) - but I have chosen not to live in Greece or marrry a Greek lady or observe most cultural and all religious traditions.

The said person did not know that I absolutely loved living in England. So when she asked me sarcastically how I like the gray sky and all that rain, I replied "Yes, it reminds me of London". To which her lips trembled and she commented that she should have expected that and that I chose to come to the right place weather-wise (Melbourne) to live.

I couldn't be bothered to engage in an environmental crisis conversation around the fact that it no longer rains properly in Melbourne and that Londoners get sunburned in springtime (well, English people get sunburned just by thinking about the sun), so I walked away saying that, really, I would love to live in Tasmania.

Hate is a strong word, so I really dislike smalltalk...

Real Jaws

If you read my previous post The Dive!.., you should know how excited I was about diving with the sharks at the Melbourne Aquarium! But just a few minutes ago I came across this article from a self-confessed non-adrenaline junkie who did dive with a Great White. Just follow the link...

A great example of overcoming personal fears and hesitations, and a great sense of thrill and adventure.

Thing is , I now really want to do it!!!

The dive!...

The guy with the blue glove is ME!

I am back and LET ME TELL YOU, this was a day to remember!

As they say in Australia, I am totally stoked! Yeah baby, high five and all the good things!

OK, some of you will put in in perspective: Melbourne Aquarium is not quite the Barrier Reef or the Maldives but for a first timer it's the thrill of lifetime. I soooo recommend it if you have not dived before.

But I am biased here. I love the water, I really like sharks and admire them even more, so I was really curious to get up close (but not too personal...). But it's not just the fish, it's the whole experience.

As I mentioned last week, the day started with one hour of theory which also did cover what could go wrong - not with the fish, but with the divers. That covered, we were off to a local pool (Wesley College) for our practice dive. We were helped into our vests and air tanks, then we learned some basic stuff: get water off your mouth when underwater and with the regulator on; get the water off your mask while underwater; hand signals; vertical dive to 4 metres.

After a lunch break, we met at the Aquarium at 3pm, had a briefing and got split into 3 groups of 4 or 5 people. My group had one instructor, 2 certified divers, a certified diver who did a refresher course and a first timer (me!). We watched the first group go round the tank, we waved at them, had a few laughs and then it was our turn!

As we took off on the surface to the drop point, a two meter long shark swam a meter undrneath us. The instructor led me to the bottom first at around 4.8 metres, then the others. We were resting on our knees and keeping still so that we did not scare the fish with too many movements. In a few seconds the normal traffic was restored (all fish going around the huge fishbowl) and we had all the inhabitants swimming past us! Tuna and whiting (ok, who cares) were in abundance, but as the stingrays start closing in, that's when you go 'yeah baby!' inside and give everyone a big nod and an OK signal :) The rays are cute as: you can touch them and it's like they're ticklish. They give a little flap to acknowledge the gesture... I had the really big one swimming only 40 or so centimetres above me and I watched its gills open and close. Great stuff...

The sharks are majestic but (my initial thought - just wait!...) uninterested. However they do swim just past you. As one fellow diver and I were heading towards the ledge before the 7 metre drop, a 2.5 metre or so shark swam past us to our right, very casually.

The 7 metre drop is located at one end of the tank, in front of a big glass window with a theatre-style spectators area on the other side. One by one, we were eased down the deeper area by our instructor. Unfortunately, due to a really bad head cold, my ears were a bit on the sensitive side so half a meter off the bottom I had to stop and really try to neutralise the pressure. It did not work so I sulked back to the ledge at a comfortable 4.8 metres.

But this was when the best part of the dive happened: A perky little shark spotted us from the surface and slowly but steadily started swimming towards us. Totally stoked! I took my time to watch his unique swim style and his not so pretty mouth. Then, half a meter away from my mask, he swam past me and off. To me, this was a totally unforgettable experience.

This was really the and of the dive - all 30 minutes of it and worth every cent - according to me, anyway!

So, a big thank you to my instructors Mick and Andrew from Dive HQ in East Prahranfor their excellent and fun coaching.

And again, a big Love You! to my Lesley for an unforgettable present!

May 13th - Happy Shark Day!

My Christmast present was a real surprise. Lesley latched on a few passing comments along the lines of "I haven't dived for yonks" or "I totally admire sharks" or "I'd love to do this!" and totally stunned me. Lesley has this amazing quality of remembering what we discuss even in the space of a few seconds and, when I least expect it, she just goes for it.

Two years ago she really stunned me with a hot air baloon flight over the Yarra Valley - one of the best experiences of my life, which we enjoyed together. This time it was kind of the same surprise but I'll be living the experience alone. Lesley will be on the other side of the glass - the dry side...

In 2 days time I'll be diving in the big round tank with a dozen or so sharks, stingrays, oodles of tuna fish and the odd turtle. Am i excited? Hell yes!!! It is going to be a full day as I am a novice diver and the morning will be spent going over some theory and a few practice dives at a nearby pool. A more comprehensive description of the day can be seen at: http://www.divingheadquarters.com.au/sharkdives.php/4

So watch this space some time next week!...

Am I missing the Link?

I have been eagerly watching the development of the EastLink project. No, I am not a car-spotter looking for new vantage positions but it will (or should) cut down travel time for me for things such as picking up and dropping my kids off as well as coming back from work (getting to work by car will always be a nighmare even if it does not compare with the M25 in London). It will also make it easier and quicker for us to get to the beach.

Eastlink will be a tollway and in theory I don't have a problem with that. On paper, the prices look reasonable compared to CityLink (where you pay for even thinking about travelling on it); or the tolls in Sydney, where not only you pay through the roof for even the smallest distance AND getting lost in the process but the infrastructure is technologically challenged (4 or 5 out of 6 lanes are pay stations accepting cash and no e-tag).

EastLink has (in theory) a structure with some reasoning behind it: you pay more for popular junctions/exists and less for the quieter ones. But it's the following fact that caused this post.

In a recent publication for the "East Link Open Day" last week (an oxymoron because it's not open yet...), the toll pricess per exit are displayed in a nice picture of a map. At one end of the picture there is a note: Prices for the year 2007 to 2008.

Now, let's think about this for a minute... The freeway is still under construction! Doh!... It is scheduled to open 'late 2008'. What are the chances of a. the project finishing on time and b. the prices not going up in 2008?...

Am I chronologically and financially challenged or are they?

By the time the freeway opens late 2008, the advertised toll prices will be around 10 months out of date. Then, we will probably cop another increase for the year 2009.

To add to the insult, the online toll calculator says: "Amount in 1 July 2006 dollars" - as if most of us would have assumed Yen, Pesos or Britidh Pounds. And what about July 2006???

So really we have no idea what the prices would be like. Love it.

Up for air

I have successfully demonstrated that blogging is not one of my achievements (this doesn't mean that I don't like it), as my previous post is dated September 2006.

If I was to flick the time-wheel back to that point and flick it back to today's date very quickly, this is what it may sound like:

November 2006: I turned 40. Big deal? Not from a factual point of view but from a personal satisfaction perspective, it's been the kind of event that makes me feel very warm and fuzzy; I found myself at a great point in my life, feeling no particular pressures. I've gone through some crappy stuff without too much damage. I have 2 great kids (who may change this warmth and fuzziness once they hit teenagehood). I have a great, caring and loving friend and partner to see me through the rest of my life. I don't feel the need to have a bike, fast car, mistress or any other mid-life crisis excuse. I have a job. I got a specially inscribed iPod for my 40th (hopefully the subject of more blogs to come)

January 2007: Escaped to Singapore (hopefully another subject of more blogs to come) for just over a week and had a ball. This was meant to be a Fiji holiday which got rescheduled due to an attempted coup. While we were there, I took a few plunges: the hotel's pool was just lovely. The main plunge though did involve some water; there was (amongst other things) a bathtub full of rose petals and orchids and some tears from Lesley's eyes, when I proposed to her. The outcome was very desirable! She said 'yes' and we are to be wed in April 2008. Blogs subject galore!...

May 2007: Another realisation that life is moving too fast. Started looking at secondary schools. My older daughter has got one more year at Primary and then our lives and related pressures will be turned up a few notches... Watch this space! Although I have been observing and sometimes participating in life in this particular lane through Lesley and her teenage daughter, it can't be the same once my own kids flick that magic switch.

So you haven't missed much, really... With regards to the "I have a job" comment, I've reached the point where I need to move on to the next role - be it within my current employer or a new one. Compared to the 'low' that the market was at when I joined this place in 2003, a recent browse of Seek is showing some exciting opportunities to be sought!...

The world is still the same too. Getting warmer and drier by the week. Over the part few months we 've been pushing the kids and ourselves to be more concious, responsible and therefore efficient. My favourite shout these days is "Lights!". Hopefully I'll share some tips and seek some advice via more blogs soon.