It would have impossible to meet with other “geeks” without talking about the usual stuff… Yesterday there has been the first Geek Meet in London, few nice fellows in front of a cup of coffee (no stereotypes, please, only reality) and some nice chat.

One of the subject that came up during the meet, before the nice walk on the South Bank (yes, geeks are able to physical exercise) was about Net Neutrality.

One of the biggest problem, in my opinion, is that the Net Neutrality is not perceived by the majority of tht population, therefore it is still not a problem. Those who refer to it as “bollocks” are clearly interested in keeping the public in the shade of the problem.

I have received a twit yesterday about the liberalization of the last mile. In my opinion the solution is not as easy as liberalising the last mile, many nations have already this spectacular thing… but the issue is far from being solved.

Being against the Net Neutrality IS a threat to small companies, to independent content provider. The Internet is so flexible and interesting because everyone is a content provider. The Internet is killing the idea of few media distributing to many people. Undermining the Net Neutrality would mean mining the possibility everyone have to be part of the content production.

Long life to Geek Meet!

Today I was wandering around Woking, taking some photos and waiting Ram, when a cop stopped me. I have to clarify that the cop has been extremely kind. He told me that some CCTV signaled them that someone was taking photos and that because of the Terrorism Act (or something similar) he had been called. He asked me what I was doing. I simply explained that I enjoy taking photos of people. I showed him the photos in my camera and when he told me that he would have needed my details I told him that I had nothing against it. Simply nothing to hide.

Differently from the recent news about photographers stopped and searched, he did not ask me to delete any photo nor he asked me my camera or smart card. He probably knew he did not have the rights for it, but I decided to showed him what I had photographed because I know he was doing his job.

It was a nice chat, nothing more than that. He told me that the central Woking area is one under the Terrorism Surveillance (?) and I told him that if I were a terrorist I would not go around with a DSLR with a quite visible lens. He told me he knew… but he had to stop me.

So, after two years I have been stopped by the police for the first time. I was not doing anything wrong, just taking some photos (I did not like todays’ ones). I think that the world is going bananas if we have to fear everyone that carries a camera around.

I was told that if I was going to take more picture in the future I would be stopped again, because this is what they are required to do. I kindly told him I have mo problem with that. maybe I will keep the “Stop and Search” ticket copy he gave me.

We shake hands and I finally got my lunch.

PS: Thanks to Ram, I can let you download a very interesting PDF called: Photographers’ Rights in the UK!

One thing i cannot stand is greediness. I cannot accept singers or actors who cry because some evil people steal their music or film, setting their families at stake of starvation… or so it seems. I cannot accept it because it is unfair. In a public interview I have read some days ago, George Clooney was telling that he feels himself lucky, and that his colleagues who cry because of their hard life should shut up. He did not use those specific words, but the message was the same [Metro or London Lite…, London].
This morning I was reading some pages of the Metro, when I saw the title: JK ‘nearly in tears’ at Harry Potter case.

Now, keep in mind that the Metro is NOT the Independent or the Guardian, nevertheless I decided to go to page eleven. I was curious.
If you do not know the case, it can be simply told: some Harry Potter fans kept a website (Harry Potter Lexicon) for years, cataloguing every single element born from the ming of JK Rowling. It was something like Wikipedia, but exclusively aimed at the world of Harry Potter. I went once or twice on that site to clarify some doubts. Now the curators of the website has decided to publish the materials he collected in years, and that was the thing that JK Rowling did not like. The Harry Potter author decided to sue Steve Vander (the author of the wannabe Harry Potter Encyclopedia).
We all know that Mrs Rowling is one of the wealthiest person in Great Britain, but this did not stop her from telling some absurd sentences. For how much I love her books, I think she is absolutely wrong in this case (like in others in the past).

“I really don’ want to cry…”
“I am deeply troubled by the portrayal of my efforts to protect and preserve the copyrights I have been granted in the Harry Potter books”
This is too much. This is greedy. This is the disrespect of the fans of her creation.
Poor JK Rowling, not only the copyright will be valid only for 75 years after her death, but now she has to sustain these incredible attacks against her “creature”(!)
Why didn’t she bring the case to the court when the site was visited by millions of users? Do she ignore the fact that internet is another way of shipping media and contents, or do she think that those banners on the site are without meaning?
She blamed the guy to have “decimated my creative work over the last month” because of the lawsuit.
Well done, JK, show the world that you and only you can write about Harry Potter (*). Show the world that nobody is allowed to steal the bread without which you would die of starvation(!)
* = Appy only to printed paper. JK Rowling is well known to ignore internet and the new media (ebooks and online publications)

I am looking for a Photography Workshop in London. I would like to deepen my experience in Portraiture or Photojournalism, but I have not found anything interesting yet.

I am looking for something that would broaden my experience, but I am quite peeky in what I am looking for. I have found one workshop that can be interesting, but I do not like the style of the photographer, therefore I am not attracted to it. It is the teacher that will imprint his or her style to the course, so if I do not like his way of approaching photography, it is best not to proceed.

A good photographer can teach you a good style, a good technique, but a good mentor can pass you the style, the eye for the details.

In the end the workshops I was hoping to find are not so easy to be found. I will dig deeper in internet, going to flickr and asking around. Unfortunately I am not a 20 years old boy with a lot of spare time to get an internship in a studio, fortunately I have my own visions already shaped and my knowledge of business and other tricks. I think I will start looking for someone who will accept my help in Photojournalism, Portraits or Wedding… from there there are many roads that can be followed.

PS: If you know any good workshop in (or around) London, feel free to pass me the details! I will appreciate it a lot

I am not talking about some small, non professional site but I am talking about one of the biggest service provider of the UK: British Gas! Their have 112 opening hours a week, that means an uptime of 66,6%

By the way: even in the “opening hours” (as now) the service is not working.

…nice service….

Cutting the clouds, originally uploaded by carlo.nicora.

The other day the clouds were not strong enough to contain the sun rays. The colors and the atmosphere were spectacular, and I loved when the train left Embankment Station.

Read Tom’s page on the Community and follow his advices!

From one side there is my job, and from another there is the dream of creating something different, something new. I cannot be alone in this. I need a team to create something new.

To pursue our dreams sometimes we are asked to accept compromises.

Right now I am looking at my dreams, and the StartupCamp is part of them. At the same I am evaluating the roads that depart from where I am right now. Some of them are easy, but without rock’n'roll, others are hard and without warranties, but fun and enjoying.

I will attend the StartupCamp also to understand if what I am looking for is feasible. I am looking for partnership that are very delicate and precious. By now I have missed the first step: building a solid and committed team.

The Startup Camp is another great networking event in which I will try to meet people whose interest in Startup and commitment to an idea is similar to mine.

I am trying to look myself from an external perspective. This is hard to realise, but I hope it will help me growing.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

Gandhi

It is interesting to notice that Fabiana and I have never been to Brighton before. This will be a good “first time”, even if in this way we will not be able to see the city. Well… I am a geek, so what I will see will be enough! :D

You can have a look on the blog of the Brighton Barcamp for more information. This time I will use my camera more than in my previous Barcamp!

The calendar is getting busier and busier, with camps and other social events.

Ready to go on the 27th of February at Ye Olde Cock Tavern. More on Upcoming…