I don’t know why but this morning I woke up very early. I woke up thinking about programming. Not good 
Archive for November, 2007
Up Early
November 13th, 2007Good News
November 12th, 2007
I mentioned in a previous post of Google’s announcement of an open source software stack for mobile devices. Well, today there’s even a better news. As promised Google released the Android SDK, and surprise, surprise, the APIs are in Java. Being working in Java ME land – Java for mobile devices for the uninitiated -, it is definitely a great news. I’m downloading the SDK as I’m writing this post so I’ll have more to say later.
The Imperfect Board Member
November 11th, 2007I came across a book untitled “The Imperfect Board Member” in one of the blogs I read. Not that I’m involved in board activities but I realised I didn’t known much about what boards do. So I decided to order it. This is quite an easy book to read. And it describes board responsibilities and commitments quite simply. The author does so by narrating the life of a CEO having issues dealing with the board of his company as well as at home. A second character comes to his rescue and help him figure out how to better handle board interactions, and by extension the relationship with his family. It gets interesting because the advices scattered throughout the book can apply to different situations, not just board management. I’m glad I gave it a try.
Google have been busy
November 10th, 2007In th last few days Google announced the creation of the OpenSocial APIs and entered the mobile telecoms industry with the introduction of the Open Handset Alliance.
According the Google own website, “OpenSocial provides a common set of APIs for social applications across multiple websites. With standard JavaScript and HTML, developers can create apps that access a social network’s friends and update feeds.” I have to admit, I’m a bit skeptical about this move. Although I can appreciate the benefits of a common set of APIs for developers, I think it comes from the wrong player. The motivation for Google is to get a chance to tap into the rich set of personal data this social networks hold. Plus, Facebook having successfully open its platform to developers, will be reluctant to sign up, which will ultimately undermine Google’s effort.
On the other hand, the Open Handset Alliance announcement is a much more exciting news. Especially given the 30-strong companies who joined the alliance. At its core, the alliance provides a complete and open source software stack for mobile devices based on Android. This should give some of the more established players in this industry something the reflect upon, hopefully resulting in better, cheaper devices for everyone. An early SDK will be available on Monday but it should take quite a while before we see any Android-based device on sale. Nevertheless, the next coming months should be quite interesting.
Credit Card Fraud
November 7th, 2007Like many people, I’ve been the victim of credit card fraud last week. I noticed some irregularities in my statement. Well, a large payment – almost $2000 – was made to a women’s clothes shop in the US. Obviously, it wasn’t me. I might look good in women’s clothes but I certainly wasn’t in the US.
I had to call the bank and get the card canceled. I just got the new one but the fraudulent payment still hasn’t been refunded. Hopefully I’ll get all my money back and will be able to forget about the whole story.
2 years
November 4th, 2007Last Wednesday marked the beginning of my 3rd year here in London and in my job. Time has passed very quickly. But then, a lot of things happened too. As this day approached, it made me pondered on the future. New job? New city?
First, I like my job but I also think it’s always beneficial to try something new, experience a different environment. Furthermore, I have gotten more and more interested in software architecture recently so it’s something I would probably want to get myself into in the not-too-long future. Whether it’s something I can do in my current job remains to be seen.
Second, London is a very enjoyable city but once again it would also be nice to experience a new place. Plus, my girlfriend being in Canada, there is some incentive for thinking about relocation. Unfortunately, moving to Canada is not the easiest of things to do.
In a way it’s all quite exciting. In six month time I could be posting on this blog from the other side of the planet. Who knows!
