Aug 28, 2006
Something seems to be buggy in the WiFi implentation of my E61. Last week, I got some kind of "white screen of death" everytime my E61 tried to connect to the company WLAN. (And it connects quite often due to Mail for Exchange.) That white screen seems to go away without a reboot after some time, but it's quite annoying nonetheless. And yesterday, when I turned the phone back on after having it shut off on Saturday, I was greeted with "Phone start-up failed. Contact the retailer." According to my web search, that's often related to WiFi problems, too.
Since I didn't want to send my phone on a weeks-long journey, I tried a factory reset by starting it up with the buttons "*", "3" and "green" pressed. It then took several forced 5-minute pauses because I couldn't effing remember my phone lock password, but finally, I had a working phone again. An empty working phone, to be exact.
But I didn't have much software installed anyway (one of the advantages of Web 2.0), and all important data (calendar and contact entries) could be restored by syncing with ZYB.com and our Exchange server.
I guess that's the consequence of that Nokia doesn't manufacture "mobile phones" any more but "multimedia computers". So the same rule applies: don't forget to backup. Jesus saves, and so should you.
Aug 27, 2006
I was howling in pain when I read what Uwe Döring, minister of justice in Germany's federal state Schleswig-Holstein, had to say against encryption,1518,433126,00.html: "There are methods so complex that they can't be cracked".
Hell yes, and we're glad there are! Those methods you want to limit or even ban, Mr. Döring, ensure that people don't have to fear for their privacy and companies are secure from espionage!
Döring continued by declaring that AN.ON should be banned, too. AN.ON is a anonymous-surfing service provided by the data privacy center Kiel and the universities of Dresden, Berlin and Regensburg. Döring finds it unacceptable to spend tax money on a service that makes it possible for terrorists and criminals of every description to commit crimes undiscoveredly". What the minister didn't consider is that AN.ON has been "actively cooperating with the authorities for years and already does have the means to observe certain suspects when a court order is issued.
From a perspective like that, providing tools for secure and anonymous communication like GnuPG or Tor means supporting criminals Better watch out, Werner Koch, you terrorist backer!
But obviously, there really are people stupid enough to think that prohibiting encryption would stop criminals from using it. And some of those people actually sit in our governments. All those recent actions and bills against terrorism seem to have the only goal as to lull the public into a false sense of security without actually providing it.
I don't believe that blurry surveillance camera pictures can prevent terrorist attacks. But I do believe, as does
Nico Lumma, that observing every point of public communication, train stations, airports, big streets and places puts every citizen under general suspect and takes his and her personal rights and freedom.
I'm appaled by the level of simple-mindedness that shows in conclusions like those of minister Döring. "Simple solutions for simple people" seems to be the motto. Unfortunately, there are people that are not that simple. Me, for example. And the terrorists.
Aug 27, 2006
Mobile Office is a new application for smartphones based on Symbian S60. It is an Office suite for the OpenDocument format used by OpenOffice and KOffice. Momentarily, it's still in development.
It can open files with OpenDocument text (.odt), spreadsheet (.ods) and presentation (.odp).
If you want to try it out, there's a beta version of Mobile Office available for download that'll work until August 31st.
(via Tommi's S60 applications blog)
Aug 27, 2006
If you write command line applications in Perl, there are certain standards you happen to code everytime, for example the definition and validation of command line options. The new Perl module App::Cmd~rjbs/App-Cmd-0.007/ uses OOP to simplify those tasks and make your code reusable.
App::Cmd is a set of tools designed to make it simple to write sophisticated command line programs. It handles commands with multiple subcommands, generates usage text, validates options, and lets you write your program as easy-to-test classes.
With App::Cmd, you write a subclass for every task your application carries out. If we take Subversion as an example, there would be a subclass for checking source code out, one for checking changes in, one for generating changelogs and so on.
By using base classes, you can factor out standard tasks like displaying help information when the "-h" switch is used.
It seems to me that App::Cmd makes it easier to write non-trivial command line programs without losing structure and maintainability. I'll give it a try.
Aug 27, 2006
I love the folks from Improv Everywhere. After invading a Best Buy shop with a crowd of seem-to-be-employees, they now slowed time in a Home Depot shop
We would sychronize our watches and then walk over to Home Depot and shop. At exactly 4:15 we would all begin moving in slow motion. We'd do that for five minutes, and then shop normally for five minutes as if nothing had happened. At exactly 4:25 we would all freeze in place for five minutes. When that was over we would go back to normal and eventually leave the store.
It's hilarious to see the reactions of other shoppers and the shop employees. I'd love to participate in something like that some time.
Aug 26, 2006
Unfortunately not every talk with my team members goes "Yes, boss, of course, boss." There always are topics, strategies, solutions that we don't agree upon. What now?
Well, there's always playing the boss card. Whoever has more power wins. There's two problems with that strategy. First, I hired my people because I think they can do the job better than I can do it myself. So, my opinion may weigh more because I'm the boss, but that doesn't mean at all that I have the the better solution.
The second problem is that if you always press the "Override" button, your people will start not bothering with making suggestions and offering solutions any more.What's the one thing all of us want from our peers, be it parents, friends, colleagues or bosses? We want to be taken seriously. Everyone of us has his or her special opinions and emotions and we want that the people around us accept and appreciate that. If they don't, we feel refused.
A part of growing up is learning to deal with such refusal. We start sorting out the people that aren't interested in our point of view from the ones that just don't agree in certain matters and can justify that, too. While we best start ignoring the former, we can deal with the latter by discussing the matter, learning about their approach and sometimes finding common ground to agree upon.
I love people that don't agree with me and are willing to spar with me about the matter. A sword fight of the mind sharpens my blade, even if I lose. But if I get the feeling that someone doesn't take me and my opinion seriously, I quickly stop wasting my time. I expect my subordinates to do the same.
So, because I not only appreciate the feedback I get from my team but also depend on it to do a better job, I always ask for reasons and motivations, especially when we disagree. Maybe there's a point one side didn't see, maybe there is more than one solution to the problem at hand. Transparency rules. Even if the final decision doesn't make everyone happy, at least there isn't the lingering feeling of being refused for obscure reasons.
That doesn't mean that I don't play the boss card at all. There are situations when there's just no time for discussion and a decision has to be made immediately. And management is all about decisions. Sometimes you can't disclose your motivation because of privacy or other reasons. But I always try to make sure that my opposite knows that, under other circumstances, I'd consider his or her approach.
There are people it's good to take seriously even if there's no point in discussion. No, I don't talk about CTOs. I mean chronic complainers. The people that are moaning and whining and complaining all the time. The weather sucks, management is all morons, the project is stupid and doomed anyway, you name it. Even if all is flowers and sunshine, they find something they can rant over. And they make every effort to do so.
As Alexander Kjerulf points out in his article How to handle chronic complainers, there's no point in cheering them up, suggesting solutions, telling them to stop, even ignoring them. All these reactions won't stop them, they may even worsen the situation. These people need devotion, and you can give this devotion without chiming in in the complaining: just take them seriously. Show them some understanding that they have a difficult situation. That doesn't mean you have to agree with their view, just let them know that you see they're really having a problem.
That may not stop the complaining -- most chronic complainers have a hidden problem they aren't able or willing to solve themselves and that problem won't go away only by empathy. But by showing that you see their burden, you at least can prevent a downward spiral that ends at firing someone for poisoning the work environment.
Taking people seriously means work: you have to deal with opinions, points of view, different solutions, even hidden agendas. But that's exactly the work you're paid for as a manager.
Aug 22, 2006
Lately, I refrained from writing about newly announced Skype phones. Folks, it's about time to stop announcing and start delivering!
And yesterday, Gizmodo actually published a first review of the Belkin Skype WiFi phone
I'm happy that, for a pioneer model of a new type of VOIP phone, the Belkin Skype phone seems to be pretty decent:
All in all, a pretty good Skype WiFi phone that actually looks nice enough to be carried around with you to work or to connect to WiFi hotspots around the city. Everything's good in this phone including call quality, button feel, and wireless reception.
I think I know what the handset for our new flat will look like...
Update: There is one caveat, though: The phone will not be able to authenticate against hotspots that require a web-based login. Unfortunately, that rules out a lot of hotspots in hotels, at train stations or airports.
Aug 21, 2006
Sometimes I get job applications that make me wonder if the applicant did even read the job description. Those are nothing more than a waste of paper (or storage space) -- and of my time, which is worse. There is only a small percentage of applications that make me curious about the respective person. Most just make me think "Okay, the cover letter is rubbish, but maybe the resume is better. Let's read on for another minute."
In his blog entry Dear Libby", Guy Kawasaki, former Chief Apple Evangelist, gives an example of "how to write an appealing job application In the article, he refers to a previous blog entry in which he interviewed Libby Sartain, HR chief at Yahoo!, and now he shows how his own application would look if he applied to a job at that company.
It may be a bit intimidating to see what qualities a celebrity like Guy can refer to, but it's instructive nonetheless. I wish more job applications were as concise as his, even when they don't contain former jobs as a director or CEO.
Aug 21, 2006
I certainly had no problem with finding arguments for buying a Playstation Portable anyway, but seeing that Ultimate Ghosts 'n' Goblins has been made available for the PSP is a huge boost towards putting it on my christmas wish list. I can still hum the GnG game music after more than a decade since I last played it.
Aug 21, 2006
I found a more serious argument about the dubious value of video surveillance in the prevention of terrorist actions on rabenhorst
Weder das BKA, noch die Generalbundesanwältin oder das Bundesinnenministerium haben bis heute schlüssig dargelegt, wie die Verbindung zwischen den Aufnahmen vom 31. Juli über die Veröffentlichung am 18. August und der fast augenblicklichen Ergreifung in Kiel zustandekam, insbesondere, ob das Wiedererkennen einer Videoaufnahme der entscheidende Hinweis war und wenn, von wem dieser Hinweis kam.
Aug 21, 2006
When I read Kristian’s blog entry about politicians thinking aloud about installing armed railway guards, the absurdity of that train of thought (if you pardon the pun) made me chuckle.
But I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I read Olav’s explanation#c10755 (translated):
It must under all costs be prevented that terrorists hijack trains and, for example, steer them into a Frankfurt skyscraper.
Aug 21, 2006
Although it's still in beta, the Web 2.0 bullshit generator works quite well already. All I have to do now before founding my next company is deciding whether it'll "harness citizen-media wikis" or "reinvent long-tail life-hacks". It will certainly "incentivize semantic networking", of course.
Next steps: Generate the company name and make a nice logo Et voilà, another business to sell to Yahoo!
Aug 14, 2006
We're not talking dentistry here; FLOSS is all about Free Libre Open Source Software." "FLOSS Weekly is a podcast hosted by Leo Laporte and Chris di Bona, where they interview well-known people from the Free Software scene.
Today, I sat in St. Stephen's Green[1], listening to the latest episode of FLOSS Weekly with Rasmus Lerdorf of PHP fame as a guest. They talk about the genesis of PHP (back then named PHP/FI), about security flaws and their impact on PHP's reputation, and about Rasmus' favourite PHP applications, which include Serendipity, the software used for this blog.
Another interesting episode I liked was (of course) FLOSS Weekly episode #9 with Perl guru Randall Schwartz. He talks about the early days of Perl, Web Application Frameworks like Catalyst, his famous conference parties and about big websites made with Perl, including IMDB, Amazon and Ticketmaster. Another hot topic is the upcoming Perl version 6.
Leo and Chris are great hosts with a solid background in Open Source Software and their interviews are as interesting as entertaining. Get FLOSS Weekly into your podcatcher!
fn1. ...forgetting the time and getting late for my date with Carolin. I'm sorry, darling!
Aug 11, 2006
Cedric is a funny and beautifully animated short film made by students at german University of Applied Sciences Lippe-Höxter. The plot:
Der Tod als globaler Dienstleister? Undenkbar! Das dachte bisher auch der Tod. Doch dann kam sein Neffe Cedric auf die wahnwitzige Idee, während der Abwesenheit seines Oheims das Unternehmen AFTER LIFE zu gründen. Diese Firma übernimmt mit modernster Technik das Handwerk des Todes und vermarktet es weltweit.
Hilarity ensues. You have to watch it!
And then get back to work, please.
(via Indiskretion Ehrensache)
Aug 11, 2006
Recently, I posted about my search for Linux system administrators!.html, and it's continuing! The first Linux admin position is filled, but there still are free ones!
Additionally -- and this may be shocking to those who know me better[1] -- I'm looking for Windows admins that know their ways about IIS and .NET.
All positions are full time, located at 1&1 headquarters in Karlsruhe, with high expectations and responsibility, but with a fun and learning factor that I would rate at least as high. So keep the CVs coming and tell your friends!
BTW: I can only second Matt Asays article about hiring decisions Hiring unproven talents that are shapeable over performers that may be hard to bear is a strategy that worked out well for me every time.
fn1. It surely was shocking to me.
Aug 11, 2006
"Who the hell made that update and forgot to change the configuration?" "Notme."
Notme is a coworker that has been here from the start, years before I came aboard. Curiously, I get his email. A lot of email. That's why I created a mail folder especially for Notme.
Seriously. In a company like ours, email is probably the most essential communication medium. It goes as far as that when someone has visitors waiting but can't be reached on the phone, a tracing email goes out to all employees. And that's hundreds of employees. There actually are a lot of such emails every day that catch our attention and waste our precious time. But on the other hand, we're supposed to respond quickly to every important email...
I don't have many email filters (only a few for mailing lists), but there's one that really helps me focusing on important emails, and that's the Notme filter: every email that is not directly addressed to me (such as mailing lists or cc's) is moved to the "Notme" folder. When I look at my inbox, all I see is email that is especially meant for me which I process the Getting Things Done way: those actions that require two minutes or less are done immediately, and all other emails are moved to appropriate action folders. Then I start over with an empty inbox.
Notme's mail, though, is only dealt with when I have the time to read FYI's and mass mailings.
Aug 11, 2006
"Who the hell did that update and forgot to change the configuration?" "Notme."
Notme is a coworker that has been here from the start, years before I came aboard. Curiously, I get his email. A lot of email. That's why I created a mail folder especially for Notme.
Seriously, in a company like ours, email is probably the most essential communication medium. That goes as far as that when someone here has visitors waiting but can't be reached on the phone, a search email goes out to all employees. And that means hundreds of employees! There's a lot of such emails every day that tend to catch our attention and waste our time. On the other hand, we're supposed to respond quickly to every important email.
Aug 10, 2006
I'll be seeing Carolin from Friday to Tuesday next week. As I always say, "Timing is everything":
Of course, I'm also looking forward to visiting the Queen Of Tarts and to having some pints of freshly drawn Guinness!
Aug 9, 2006
When I was a teen, I had posters of her on my walls as well as all of her LPs in my collection: Kim Wilde, the blonde singer from Britain I was a fan of for her looks and her Synclavier-backed songs[1]. During the early nineties, her success faded and she began focusing on her private life.
In 2003, she had a comeback with a duet she did with german singer Nena and her song "Anywhere, anyplace, anytime".
And now, sitting in the McDonald's restaurant in Karlsruhe, I hear a new remix of the Kim Wilde hit "Keep me hanging on". I think it's being released as a promo song for the casting show "Popstars".
She may be far from being a Madonna, but I'm happy that she's still in the music business, reminding me of times when "Love blonde" or "The Second Time" were the soundtrack of my life[2].
fn1. Samantha Fox was another british export I liked, but for two other reasons.
fn2. Update: I listened to "The Second Time" song this morning. "I've every reason to believe there's still a man in you -- you done it once so come on go again"? It seems it actually took me 20 years to get what she's singing about...
Aug 7, 2006
I'm still trying out my Nokia E61 and its ability to fully replace my trusted Time/System management book.
One thing that I found a bit cumbersome is the menu navigation with the joystick that I have to do when I want to use applications that are not on the active standby" screen. On the "E-Series blog, I found a nifty hint today solving that problem pretty much: every position on the main menu has its correspondig number key.
So, by strategically positioning the menu entries and using the number keys, you can quickly choose the folder or application you need without being reminded of Decathlon[1].
fn1. Is there a Competition Pro for the E61? ;-)
Aug 7, 2006
Perlcast is a podcast that is obviously interesting mainly to Perl developers. But the newest episode, Practices of an Agile Developer, doesn't actually focus on Perl. It's an interview with Andy Hunt of the The Pragmatic Programmers
I recommend it to all developers regardless of the language they're using, because Andy has some interesting insight into software development in general.
Aug 7, 2006
As I don't get weary to point out, there are Skype handsets coming like the Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for Skype They may be handy, but they're also kind of boring.
![]()
float: left; border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="/uploads/verballs.jpg" alt="" />Not so the "Verballs! These little Skype monsters not only act as a speaker and wave their hands when you get a call, they also lip-sync to your callers!
That's so cute. And funny. And utterly useless.
Aug 7, 2006
Wenn Carolin im Oktober aus Irland zurückkommt, wollen wir endlich eine gemeinsame Wohnung beziehen. Nach 8 Jahren ist das gar kein so unsinniger Schritt. :-)
Freiburg ist nicht nur eine interessante Stadt in wunderschöner Umgebung, sondern auch der Ort, wo Carolin ihre letzten Semester absolviert. Deswegen haben wir jetzt angefangen, dort nach einer Wohnung zu suchen. Dafür will ich neben den üblichen Websites auch mein Blog nutzen. Also:
Wenn du von einer netten 2- oder 2,5-Zimmer-Wohnung in Freiburg weisst, die zum Oktober frei wird, dann schreib mir bitte eine E-Mail Sie sollte WG-tauglich geschnitten sein, weil wir eigene Zimmer bevorzugen. Und wenn sie dann noch für das Halten einer Katze geeignet ist, ist unser Zuschlag so gut wie sicher!
Aug 7, 2006
At the moment, I don’t have the spare time to do Java development. But when I’ll continue, I’ll have some good documentation: Java community website TheServerSide.com offers a free PDF download of the book Mastering EJB It’s already in its forth edition and now also covers EJB 3.0:
Published in July 2006, the best selling book Mastering EJB is now in its fourth edition and has been updated for EJB 3.0. This edition features chapters on session beans and message-driven beans, EJB-Java EE integration and advanced persistence concepts. In-depth coverage of the Java Persistence API and using POJO entities with EJB is also included.
Aug 7, 2006
I'm cleaning out my to-blog-list, so you may already have heard of some of my forthcoming topics. But I'd like to mention them nevertheless.
I'm a huge fan of classic arcade games, and I had a lot of fun at Retrogames It's certainly more fun to play "Galaxian" or "Street Fighter" on the original console than running MAME.
But you don't need either of these: Some folks at last years Swiss Belluard festival made the effort of using stop-motion technique to create sequences of the games Pong and Space Invaders Nice work!
I'll be extra careful next time I go to the cinema. Don't want to get in the way of a gigantic Pac-Man.
