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Today I spent most of the day setting up a blog and a wiki for our project team for SOEN 490 that we will be taking in the fall and winter semesters. We have settled on a team name and web site, www.thecodingelite.com, in an impromput meeting we called yesterday, which was dominated by Mario Kart races on the Gamecube.

The blog will provide information about the project and document our work throughout the year. Of course some of it is to show off a little, but I think it’s also a great promotion tool once we get in the job market. The wiki, on the other hand is for our own use, and is blocked from the public. I think it would be a good idea to make it public once our project is done with though, so the project could remain alive through external contributions.

I installed Drupal for the blog and MediaWiki for the wiki. I long wanted to play with Drupal, and I think it’s really appropriate for this kind of thing, more so than wordpress. Also, replacing Wordpress with Drupal on my site has, and still is chronically crossing my mind. For the wiki, I really didn’t like TikiWiki much. The user management seems complicated, the interface is very cluttered, and I have a hard time using it. Sure, there are some great groupware features, but I have yet to see them in action.

The iPod seems to be making the news a lot lately. There’s the Reuters report on an iPod rival (link), Scandinavian governments trying to force iTunes music to work on any mp3 player (link), and now, Foxconn, the assemblers of these iPods wants to sue some people that claim that the working conditions of its employees are like chinese sweat shops (link).

The news of an iPod killer is good music to my ears, as I am not too fond of the iPod. It started off as a really good idea, as if Apple was finally getting it. Back then, you could plug the iPod on any Mac or PC, drag and drop a couple of MP3 files and you’re on your way. However, the music cartel didn’t like that, so Apple bent over with the pressure and gave life to this horrible thing called iTunes. Then Apple’s retardedness came into play, as usual, putting fashion above function, leaving customers stuck with issues like an expensive battery to replace, the clickwheel that screws up, and the case getting all scratched up like a toy bought at the dollar store.

What really pisses me off is that Toshiba makes these ultra small hard disks that the iPod uses, so anybody that gets a hold of them can make and sell a decent mp3 player. Same thing with the nano: stack a bunch of flash chips as close as possible together and voila! Folks, mp3 players are not rocket science, nor an invention worthy of a nobel prize. Yet I don’t understand how nobody to this date conceived any mp3 player capable of sweeping the iPod to the trash.

Now, rumor has it that Microsoft is taking a shot at it. Of course we must all expect a big push for their proprietary DRM-infested WMA format, but let’s hope there’s still some sanity left in Redmond to make it work Usb file system standard that they themselves helped develop. Well at least it opens up hope for some innovation in the marked beyond stupid white earbuds, and perhaps bring prices down.

After about six weeks of deprivation from Google Earth, I logged in today to check out some places I have been in Greece. Don’t even think of firing this up on a dialup connection!

Surprisingly, lots has been added. There are many hi-res shots of mainland Greece and the islands, Cyprus, Beirut is finally there, as well as lots of new places around the world. So, happy exploring!

Here’s how our village looks:

I have finally arrived in Montreal, surprisingly not too tired! How do I know I am in Montreal? The plane had to descend through 5-6 layers of clouds!

I should be posting the pictures sometime this week

Hey everybody!

I am now at Zurich International Airport waiting for my flight to Montreal in about 2 hours. I left Athens just about 3 hours ago in tears (well sort of), and I will be arriving in Montreal at around 3, local time. Somehow it’s always like that when I leave Greece. I really don’t know if I will be able to make it to Greece next year, but of course I’d really like to. Well, on the bright side, I can’t wait to tell about my vacation

So what does a geek do at an airport when there’s time to kill? Well… go online! Check mail, write a blog, and catch up on skrud.net!!!

// This is the post announcing me comming back from Greece //

So I am brigning 5 small bottles of Ouzo, my favourite liquor, so if you want some, you better let me know quick. I can only bring back 5, otherwise I’ll be subject to this assrape.

I spent the last week in Spetses, pretty much going to the beach every day and treating myself to fine Greek cuisine at night. I had a great time!

I came back in Athens last friday, and I am now getting ready to go. Tomorrow I will go down to the Plaka district of Athhens to buy some souvenirs that everybody loves, and then pack up and say my goodbuys. I am leaving early wednesday morning to arrive in Montreal at around 3 in the afternoon, via Zurich.

Once again this year, I had a very pleasant journey in Greece, and I can’t wait to come back to Greece sometime soon, perhaps forever!

P.S. If you need a good software engineer down there, and you pay decent money, I promise you that I’ll take the next flight!