The Blog of Lucien Stals

While I was listening to a podcast about some of the cool new features of Windows Vista, I got this weird sense of De Ja Vu.

But they have some cool stuff. The new Aero(sp?) UI sounds nice.

You will soon be able to Alt-Tab through your open applications and be able to see a live preview of the applications, just like OS X has been done for some time.

You will get cool new Gadgets which are useful little applications, just like Widgets in OS X’s dashboard which have been available since 10.4 (a year ago).

Basicly all the “cool new” features described in the podcast are things which OS X has been doing for ages (at least a year ago).

And Vista isn’t even out yet!

If you want to play with the new features, you could buy an expensive, top of the line Windows box (which must have a GPU so you can run the UI stuff), and download Beta 2.

Or you could just buy a Mac.

Last week, I was bored.

I thought I’d finished my paper, and had submitted it to my supervisor. Then he gives it back: “There’s just a couple of things…”

It was a bit like Lieutenant Columbo from the tv show saying:

“Just one more thing…”

as he plucks out that last bit of evidence that pulls the rug out from under the smug crim who thought he’d gotten away with it, bringing everything crashing down.

So I’ve spent the last couple of days franticly rewriting stuff and redoing all my charts (for more “impact!”).

I think it’s just about done.

The main things that has suprised me is how much I’m enjoying rewriting the section about what order to teach programming subjects in. Specificly, how do you teach new programming students? Do you teach variables first? When do you introduce arrays? Isn’t an array just a glorified variable? If so, why not teach arrayd *before* teaching loop structures?

What do people think? Loops first? Or arrays first?

Since everyone is soon moving upstairs to out lovely new fish bowls offices, we came up with a new mascot for the Gang-Of-Geeks.

Meet Fugu-Chan:

FuguChan_small.jpg

Just for fun, I made up some wallpapers featureing this little guy. The ZIP file contains three wallpapers at 800*600, 1024*768 and 1440*900.

Enjoy

It’s been a good weekend.

Saturday I spent the afternoon in the Deakin library (it’s closer than Swinburne, and they have the books I need) and finished writing my Masters research paper. Sunday I did a final proof read, edit and then submitted it.

Today I finished my SD2 assignment marking.

It’s the end of the semester, so I don’t have anything to prepare.

I just found out I’m not convening any subjects next semester, so there’s nothing to prepare for that either.

I have resolved not to bring home any work from my current full time project (and have largely succeeded in that resolution)

For the first time in about 5 years, I have this weird feeling that I have actually done everything I’m supposed to be doing.

And now I’m bored.

What do normal people do on weekends? I mean people who aren’t studying, or working jobs that require huge amounts of prep on top of the 38 hours your paid to work? I seriously don’t know what to do with myself.

I’m installing Morrowind again after uninstalling it because it too easy to keep myself from doing actual work.

It’s a weird feeling to not HAVE to do anything. Or being guilty because I’m not doing what I should be doing. I feel a bit giddy and excited. Or perhaps that’s the celebratory beer

The Masters thing just dragged on WAY too long. I lost my inspiration and it just became a constant chore. It’s very hard to get motivated about something like that.

Lessons learned?

* Don’t take on big tasks which you don’t think you can maintain interest in. Once it stops being fun or interesting, you lose motivation it just plain old boring hard work from there.
* Don’t have children. Of course as a parent, I love my kids and think they are the most wonderful little things in the world. But the last two years, since #1 was born, have been bloody hard work. Get your Masters, or pHD, or whatever it is you’re working on finished before taking on kids.

So now what? I don’t know. Morrowind?

I upgraded to Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake) last night.

I haven’t had a chance to do much with it yet, but it looks nicer.

Whoda thunk it?

My wife has been suggesting I get a mobile phone. I haven’t realy seen the need, but I’m willing to investigate the possabilities.

So I thought I’d start by asking around.

I’m a geek. I work with geeks. I talk to geeks. So I asked some geeks. I thought I was going to get a barage of “feature XYZ is the coolest. You gota get that on your phone!”

Instead, it’s been a unanimous: “Don’t get any fancy features!”

Perahps it’s because we, as geeks, probably have already got an MP3 player (Yes, I’m still in love with my iPod), a PDA (mine sits gathering dust since it won’t sync with OS X), digital cameras, etc.

So far, the best suggestion so far is to go to the supermarket and get whatever cheep ass phone they are selling on a pre-paid plan.

I guess it just surprised me how strong everyones opinions have been. Even people who have fancy phones are saying they are not worth it.

I’m keen to hear other opinions.

For ages I have thought that capitalism and democracy were strange bed fellows. How could a country serve the interests of it’s people while catering to the whims of industry?

But I had a little epiphany and now I think I had it wrong all the time.

Capitalism is the new democracy.

My awakening happened this morning while I was waiting at the train station on my way to work. I was looking at poster advertising the Snowy Hydo Share Offer, and I was thinking it was such a shame to sell this public facilty into private hands. I mean, who can honestly say they have benefitted from the privatisation of the gas and electricity systems? Service has been poorer and the price creaps up every year. Imagine this being done to the Snowy project? All those farmers down stream at the whim of the share holders? It’s a tragedy in the making.

But hang on.

Just who are these share holders going to be? They are Australians. It will be Aussies who will have a direct say in the goings on of the Snowy scheme.

In effect, we would be gaining more direct control of what happens to all that water. Instead of voting for a member to represent us in govenment and trust that they do the right thing by us, we could instead become share holders and walk right into the AGM and have every right to say what should go on.

Elected government members are concerned about the next election and will support ideas that might benefit the health of the murray water system only in as much as it is likely to get them re-elected. If I buy shares in the Snowy scheme, I become my own little elected official, and can directly represent my own interests.

Doesn’t that give me far more power in the system than putting my trust in the local parlimentary representative?

In effect, a share float like this gives the public the oportunity to have a far more direct, and powerful say in how things are run.

Perhaps we should just privatise the country and all buy shares.