FCHouse

Podcast? Uhm…

Posted by Carlo - 31/08/05 at 03:08:58 pm

For the first time, today, I’ve listened to a podcast!
And like all the teck junkies I haven’t limited myself to one podcast download, but I’ve decided to take three in a row.

of course, despite the image, I’ve used my laptop and not an iPod I do not have (yes, you have heard well!), with my preferred MP3 player: iTunes!

I have to admit that this technology hadn’t hit me so much…. yes it can have some useful point of view (you can heard something instead of browsing and reading), but I think that this is not a complete revolution.
A good things is that if you are like me and you are used to read a lot in english even if you are not a mothertongue, the Podcasts can be a good way to make some exercises for listening, but in this case I can say that a good Audio Book should be better! In Italy the audiobooks are completely unknown, so or you start listening in english or you are out!
I haven’t found the Podcast a “Must” (like an iPod could be :) ha ha ha

Have you found it interesting and am I missing something?

Wengo: where Skype Fails!

Posted by Carlo - 30/08/05 at 09:08:14 am

Well well…
Thanks to my friend Frank and his post I’ve found OpenWengo, a new Voip phone application!

“What is the news? There are a large number of Voip apps!” you should tell me.
Well, OpenWengo includes some functionalities that hit the target for the perfect application!

• It is OPEN SOURCE
• It uses SIP: the STANDARD for Voip

Only these two features let my think that this application could break into the run for the Best Voip software on market, being a hard competitor for Skype!
I was talking very well about Skype and I still do (I’va bought a Skype phone, so every phone call I will do from now on when I’ll be at home will be via Voip, not via Hated Telecom Italia), but the two main drawback of Skype is that the two OpenWengo features I’ve written are not available in Skype!

From a normal customer point of view this does not change a lot of things.
“Both are free… I can’t see the difference!”
Yes, but OpenWengo is OpenSource, so if you need you can look through its code, so you can work on it! You can also check that OpenWengo will NEVER do anything else but letting you phone all over the world! The difference is that Skype is like a computer completely locked: you can only see the case, but nothing more. Open Source let you check the inside: If you know how to do it you can change some parts, you can submit those changes and live happily, knowing that there are no spyware hidden inside! (I am not telling you that Skype has, but we will never know, because its source code is unavailable!!!)
“I do not know anything about this, why should I matter about it?”

This if Philosophy.
Open Source Philosophy!
You can follow it or you can rise your sholder!

“I do not know anything about Sip! Skype works well!”
take a look to my post about the Instant Messengers! I talked about the need to have a standard for the communications. If every web page uses its own standard we should have a different browser for every website. Standardization let you choose the best software. Skype is not standard! Sip is the Voip protocol, that’s all!

You should tell me that you don’t know about standards and coding, but when you are surfing the net with your Firefox and the page does not load because the only writing is “Sorry. Site developed for Internet Explorer Only!”, don’t you go crazy thinking:
Hey this is a Web Page! Why do you want me to use a shitty Browser?!?!?!?!?
This is the same idea!

In the end I can tell you that OpenWengo is not at the level of Skype (for now), but he has a large space for a big improvements. In the end I whish to be one of those who will help this software to grew bigger and bigger, waiting for its Outgoing and Incoming call Features (that are not present at the moment)!

Cheers!

WinFS in Beta1!

Posted by Carlo - 30/08/05 at 08:08:38 am

Rumors about WinFS, the new File System from Microsoft, were true!
No one was expecting the new file system before late 2006, but Microsoft suprises everyone with the news that WinFS will be available in its Beta1 before the release of Windows Vista!

What the expectances on this should be?

Well, from a mixed user like me (Both Windows and Linux) I have to admit that I like Linux’s Ext3 filesystem, but Microsoft is well known for his technological research. I do not think Microsoft is Evil, as a lot of people do, but I think that they know how to get profit by their small inventions inside “Already Seen” products.
Microsoft clarify that WinFS will still be in beta when Windows Vista will be released, so for those of you who dreamt about the couple Vista/FS (Longhorn/FS) there is no more possibility for this hope! The development of the new filesystem is, however, much more advanced than how Microsoft told the world till now. Latest news were telling us that WinFS Beta wouldn’t have seen the life until 2007 or over!

The first Beta will works under Windows XP only (With XP2 or newer…. Hey, there are NO newer Service Packs for XP… ha ha ha…. til now!!!), so for those who would like to try this new filesystem let’s prepare a WinXP machine with the SP2 (I HATE IT!!!)!

Stay Tuned for other news!

I am an Ignorant about Israel and Palestine!

Posted by Carlo - 26/08/05 at 10:08:49 am

I admit that I do not know well the history of Israel and Palestine.
I am one of those who heard about problems between Israeli and Palestinians since I have memory, but I am really an Ignorant on this (because I ignore the facts, who were who and who did what…)
But I have to tell you one thing that I thought that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was not the right man to solve the continuing conflict. He was a military, a soldier that in 197something was in the war against Egypt. I thought he was another extremist that wasn’t able to get to a compromise with Palestinians.

I WAS WRONG!

I have to admit that I do not clearly understand what is going on in Middle East and maybe I am loosing some details that would let me thought differently, and this is a crucial point in my post: too many people does not understand enough the Middle East problem to judge, but everyone is doing so…
I am doing it too, proably because I hope someone who knows more than me about it will write in this blog telling me what he/she knows.
But this doesn’t change the fact that the common impression that the newspapers are giving us is that Ariel Sharon has made the big step. He have decided, for a common goal, to do the first concessions. What I feel is that Gaza Strip’s release is a sign of big opening with Palestine.
I know that making the first step is Always hard, that everyone in your own country expects you to do whatever you can to make the right choice for Everyone! It is hard to do something for which you know you will be hated from your own compatriots.
It is hard and usually the outcome of this is that you will loose your position.
It is hard because you know that too many people will never understand you decisions, but it is something you know that it is right.
Sharon has been courageous, he have decided to change the rule of the game that was played with thousands of death from long long time ago.

I cannot blame those who are shouting against hime because they have lost their houses, their towns, but I think that a solution have to pass through harsh and hard decision. Future will judge him for his decision, but I have a real hope in my heart:

Peace in Israel and Palestine.
Peace in the World.

So, is there anyone who can tell me if I am right or if I am forgetting something?

Logging Application Error: which style?

Posted by Carlo - 25/08/05 at 11:08:18 am

Hi all,
finally a different post. No recrimination, no politics and no social disease here :)
Today I am working on a small application written in c# and I have to decide how to manage the errors, warnings or whatsoever message I want to log for future release, bug fixing. Error Management in general…

Obviously I am not talking about error visible to users, that are another story. I am talking about all those information that must be stored for the developer and for the system administrators.
Using c# under windows a good idea should be the usage of the Windows Error Log, it is easy to manage, it is clear and you have a central point to get every information when something happens. When you have to check the status of your system you have simply to open the Computer Management, switching to Error Log and there you will find everything you need.
It is fast and reliable and, unless you have to develop something for a multi-platform environment, it should be a good solution. Obviously this argument cannot be applied if you have to use multi-platform environment (Java, PHP or other) or if you need to access your data in a different way instead of the Windows desktop environment.

So, I am going to choose one way (or both) to take care of my little bugs!

And remember:
Bugs are GOOD!
No Bugs = No Progress

Google Talk: a new IM

Posted by Carlo - 24/08/05 at 09:08:59 am

What would you expect from a Instant Messenger?
Internet Calls, Video Calls, Outbound telephony…

Today Google released the beta version of Google Talk, that for now is only a AIMA (Another Instant Messenger Available), at least in my opinion.
Now I cannot test it, because I have a big Firewall that prevent me also from logging to GoogleTalk.
Google has tried to conquer a lot of worlds in these months (Internet search, desktop search, e-mail, maps and now instant messaging) and all the products released has been proved to be quite good (I always use Google for internet search).
The question is: do we need another IM?

It has been told that it will work on Jabber instant messaging protocol (AIM, Y!, MSN Messenger…) and I hope that not a lot of new protocols will come out (Skype for example, does not uses SIP standard protocol).

Time to test!

I don’t want to write of plane crashes anymore…

Posted by Carlo - 24/08/05 at 09:08:11 am

…but I do.
it is sad, but in less than one month another plane crashes. It’s the fifth, this time in Peru’.

For now the information talks about some stormy weather that could be the possible reason of this latest crash! The plane was a 737-200 of the Transportes Aereos Nacionales de la Selva (Tans). The news reported that the airplane attempt an emergency landing, but split in two touching the land and then it catches fire.
On the plane there were 100 people (92 passengers and 8 crew members), but the count of the deads is still unavailable. Some news talks of 40 dead bodies already found, oter talks about 60.

I do not have lot of words, maybe it’s because I’ve written too many times of this in the last days, maybe it’s because I’m really shocked by the continuous crashes.
Toronto, Italy, Grece, Venezuela and now Peru’.

God Bless those who died and those who remain near them.

(When will we start using the teleport?)

Le Verita’ Nascoste del 9/11 (What Lies Beneath of 9/11)

Posted by Carlo - 23/08/05 at 01:08:20 pm

Hello Everyone!
Ciao a Tutti!

This time I have decided to write a post both in English and Italian. Why?
Questa volta ho deciso di scrivere un post sia in Inglese che in Italiano. Perche’?

I’ve found some information on 9/11 that hit me, and I think that reporting my thoughts and leave you the judgement is correct. Some links are in italians and some in english; that’s why I’ve decided to write in both the languages.
Ho trovato delle informazioni sull’11 settembre che mi hanno colpito e reputo corretto riportare cio’ che penso e lasciare a voi il giudizio. Alcuni link sono in Italiano e altri solo in inglese: ecco perche’ ho deciso di scrivere in entrambe le lingue.

ENGLISH PART
Yes, I’m really talking about that damned day USA suffered that cursed attack!
Until some time ago I think that the United States of America suffered a hard hit, even if I was convinced that Bush government should have known something. Too many strange things happened that morning:

• Not an airplane, not two, but four different flights was able to hit the heart of America, and the most important aviation in the world was frozen
• The assumed responsibles was found in record time: in less than 24 hours the FBI knew all the guilties, all the mandators, even if there has never been a real claim.

I want to make a very important specification for everyone that will read this post: I condemn EVERYONE that committed this crime against America, I condemn terrorism, I condemn massacres of innocents that blood our world.
What you will read (or you will read in the links) could let you think differently, but I want to clarify that I esteem american population, even if I don’t share the hegemony politics their government uses.

I was telling you that I found some web sites that hit me for their highly shocking contents. Before reading them try to finish reading this post, so you will be able to think I’m completely out of my mind, for understand only later that my thoughts should not be so amisses…
Every site is full of public and clear information, this means that the ideas are fact based analysis and not personal thoughts. Here you have some links:
Luogo Comune (Italian Only… VERY GOOD)
911 in Plane Site
Reopen 911
The World Trade Center Demolition and the So-Called War on Terrorism

After a care reading of those sites I’ve changed my point of view on 9/11: it is not true that the american government knew something about the attacks!
The Government was strongly related to the terrorist attacks.
Telling that some members of the government was the developer of all this should seem excessive, but I think that this is not so far from the truth, even if the Truth (with the Capital Letter) is something we will never know, like for the Kennedy Homicide.

Do I get you unprepared?
Do you believe that I’m completely mad?
Do you believe that the fact I believe in Conspiracy let me go slightly mad?

Before you can think so, do as I have done on 9/11, read and think. Like everything, informations are meant to be interpreted and there is not and there will never be a single truth, but there are points of view that sometimes is “better” no one know, like in this case, points of view that can hurt our pride, can hurt that american patriotism that here in italy we should learn.
I repeat that I esteem the american population and this is not a personal attack for them. I esteem their trust in people, dowry unknown here, but sometimes this trust is broken by those without scruples.

What made me change my idea!

• The assumed terrorists were identified less than 24 hours after the attacks and it is clear that they can’t be those shown by FBI, moreover the aerial American defense was unexplainable stationary during the attaks!
• The Twin Towers shouldn’t have collapsed in that way, despite the fact that an airlpane hit each one of them.
• Pentagon was never hit by a commercial airplane like it has been always told: it’s simply Impossible
• Attacks has been the perfect “Causus Belli” for the wars in Afghanistan e Iraq, long declared wars, but never started for loss of public opinion!
• Some people in the Bush administration (not necessarily him) knew perfectly what was going on that day!

Everyone of these points were taken from Luogo Comune and the other sites, where you can find all the details. It is not my intention to take away their merits, but i share their conclusions and I think that the Freedom of Information must be given to everyone, so they can listen to the word out of the “Main Chorus”.

You should agree or not.
You should think that the information are infamous lying or sad reality.
You should write me, or wtire them, telling that you are amazed from the thigs we have written, telling us that you share or that you are indigned.
You have the Holy Right to think whatever you want, like everyone else, but you have also the right to tell your thoughts (for now…)

Please, read the websites, because they should suggest you some details that you shoul have not noticed til now. If you want you can return here to discuss openly: Every Idea can be modified simply adding some pieces to this big puzzle.

ITALIAN PART
Si, parlo proprio di quel dannato giorno in cui l’America subi’ quel maledetto attacco!
Fino a qualche tempo fa pensavo che gli Stati Uniti d’America avessero subito un duro colpo, nonostante fossi convinto che il governo Bush doveva sapere qualcosa. Troppe cose strane erano successe in quella mattinata:

• non un aereo, non due, ma quattro differenti velivoli erano riusciti a colpire il cuore dell’America, senza che la piu’ imponente aviazione del mondo fosse in grado di fare nulla
• I presunti responsabili sono stati scovati a tempo di record: in meno di 24 ore l’FBI aveva tutti i colpevoli, i mandanti e tutto il resto, nonostante non ci sia mai stata una vera e propria rivendicazione.

Desidero fare una precisazione molto importante a tutti coloro che leggessero questo post: Condanno TUTTI coloro che hanno commesso questo crimine contro l’America, condanno il terrorismo, condanno le stragi di innocenti che insanguinano il nostro mondo.
Quello che leggerete piu’ avanti (o nei link) potra’ portarvi a pensare diversamente, ma voglio chiarire che stimo il popolo americano, anche se a volte non ne condivido la politica di egemonia.

Dicevo che ho trovato alcuni siti che, ad una attenta lettura, mi hanno colpito per i loro contenuti altamente scioccanti. Prima di andare a guardarli, provate solo a finire di leggere questo post fino alla fine, potrete cosi’ pensare che io sia completamente fuso, per poi rendervi conto che i miei vaneggiamenti potrebbero non essere poi cosi’ fuori luogo…
Tutti i siti sono corredati di informazioni reperibili e chiare, questo significa che sono analisi di fatti e non vaneggiamenti personali. Eccovi i link:
Luogo Comune
911 in Plane Site
Reopen 911
The World Trade Center Demolition and the So-Called War on Terrorism

Dopo un’attenta lettura del sito ho cambiato la mia idea sull’11 settembre: non e’ vero che il governo Americano era a conoscenza che ci sarebbero stati degli attacchi agli USA!
Il Governo era molto piu’ legato a questi attentati.
Dire che siano stati alcuni membri del governo a progettare tutto questo puo’ sembrare forse eccessivo, ma non credo che vada molto lontano da quella che e’ la verita’, anche se la Verita’ con la V maiuscola non la sapremo mai, forse come successe per l’omicidio Kennedy.

Vi ho colti impreparati?
Credete che io sia completamente impazzito?
Pensate che il fatto che io creda alle Cospirazioni mi abbia fatto uscire qualche rotella?

Beh, prima di trarre delle conclusioni affrettate su di me, fate come io ho fatto sul 9/11, leggete e valutate. Come in ogni cosa le informazioni si lasciano interpretare e non c’e’ e non ci sara’ mai un’unica verita’, ci sono pero’ dei punti di vista che a volte e’ meglio che nessuno conosca, come in questo caso, punti di vista che possono fare male al nostro orgoglio, al patriottismo americano che qui dovremmo un po’ imparare.
Ripeto che stimo il popolo americano e questo non vuole essere (e non e’) un attacco personale nel loro confronto. Al contrario stimo molto la loro fiducia nelle persone, cosa che qui e’ una dote pressoche’ sconosciuta, ma a volte e’ proprio questa fiducia che viene fregata da chi non ha scrupoli.

Cosa mi ha fatto cambiare idea!

• I presunti terroristi individuati meno di 24 ore dopo gli attentati non possono essere quelli indicati dall’FBI, e la difesa aerea Americana e’ rimasta inspiegabilmente immobile durante le ore degli attacchi
• Le Torri Gemelle non avrebbero mai potuto collassare in quel modo, nonostante lo schianto di un aereo su ognuno di essi
• Il pentagono non e’ stato colpito da un aereo commerciale, come e’ stato sempre detto: e’ semplicemente impossibile!
• Gli attentati sono stati il Causus Belli perfetti per le guerre in Afghanistan e Iraq, guerre a lungo dichiarate, ma mai cominciate per mancanza di sostegno da parte dell’opinione pubblica
• Alcune persone dell’amministrazione Bush (non necessariamente lui) erano perfettamente al corrente di quello che sarebbe successo quel giorno

Tutte questi punti sono stati presi da Luogo Comune, dove potrete trovare i dettagli di tutto questo. Non e’ mia intenzione togliere a loro il merito di tanto lavoro, ma ne condivido appieno le conclusioni e credo che la libera informazione vada spinta verso piu’ persone possibili, in modo che tutti possano conoscere anche altre “Campane”.
Voi potrete essere d’accordo o meno.
Potrete pensare che le cose riportate siano falsita’ infamanti o tristi realta’.
Potrete scrivere a me o a loro dichiarandovi stupiti delle cose scritte, sia che le condividiate sia che ne siate indignati.
Voi avete il sacro diritto di pensarla come volete, come tutti, ma avete anche il diritto di pensare e di dire quello che pensate (almeno per ora).

Ora vi consiglio vivamente di andare a leggere il sito, in quanto potrebbe suggerirvi alcuni dettagli che potrebbero esservi finora sfuggiti. Se volete tornate pure qui per discuterne apertamente: ogni idea puo’ essere modificata semplicemente aggiungendo singoli pezzi al puzzle!

Am I Dilbert?

Posted by Carlo - 22/08/05 at 12:08:41 pm

Hard Day, Today!

After two weeks of vacation (I needed one more, but … ) today I’ve returned at my desk, finding the same things I’d left beind.
So, today I do not feel myself too tired, but a simple glance to the Tasks List, the Priorities and the Release Date of my projects I have felt myself exhaust!
Another thing that makes me crazy is my weight… in two weeks I got that 3 kilograms that lift me over 70!
Gosh, I’m sad! Will I really became like Dilbert, whose tie has the form of his own stomach?!?!?

BOOOOOHHHH!!!!

Ok, stop bothering around! I have tons of job to do and not enough time to think about my weight (Gosh) or anything else… Job again!

Sob…

Skype: how to change the game!

Posted by Carlo - 19/08/05 at 11:08:15 am

In Italy you can choose what telephone operator you want, but the prices are still unacceptable!
Once, when the first cellular phones invaded the market, a single minute of call from your home to a mobile phone was something like 1€ a minute. For a while all the operators (mobile or not) start a campaign to win a good share of the cows (we). For a while the prices fell down incredibily, like italians had understood the word “business competition“.
For a while, because one day it seemed that every operator changed their directions, like they were satisfied of their market share. All the operators shared the same prices, maybe with some little differences (little.. very little). Every new company that was enetering in the market proposed itself with Extra Saving Techniques for some days, ending aligning themselves to the other, Telecom Italia (the devil) at first place.
Isn’t it called cartel?

Yesterday I’ve sent my order, and I will receive my new home phone in a week or so…
Yesterday I’ve sent my credit card number for the first 10€ of phone calls…
Yesterday I’ve called some people, as I usually do, but not with my cell phone…
Yesterday I’ve spent 32€ cent instead of 2,50€!

YESTERDAY I STARTED USING SKYPE!

Someone has told me that Skype does not follow the Sip standards.
he is right
He told me that it is closed source.
he is right
He told me that it uses a connection that is not completely scalable.
he is right

what he didn’t tell me is that Skype is a technology that everyone can use!

Do you want to change the game, telling the monopolistic idiots that we are not cows to milk? Do you want to save your money, investing it for something more important? Do you want to use that money to buy a new, faster ADSL to keep in touch with the reality unskimmed by the Italian Censorship?

So use Skype, use Voip, tell Telecom Italia and all the other bastards that their “Happy Days” are over! Their Happy Days in which they were monopolistic, their Happy Days in which or you were with them or you were alone, their Happy Days in which they were the only choice availabe!
The global knowledge can grant us the freedom to know, the freedom to choose, the freedom to boycott those who still think we are cows to be milked!

You can call me directly to my skype phone (You can see if I’m on line in the link at the top ) and my username is carlo.nicora

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Carlo Nicora is at home in London.