• One year working for Igalia. Intense and exhausting, but above all, rewarding. Thanks for the all the fun so far.

  Coincidentally, I'm in A Coruña this week. We'll probably celebrate this tonight together with the inauguration of the new office. I hope to make some pictures before the end of the week.

When you have a pretty cool gadget as an Ipod Touch, you should give it an useful use…

Yesterday I started a new project called Gmote, a remote controller for GNOME applications, what’s the idea?, just control basic features of your running applications and Desktop using an external device with network access and a browser…

The UI is very simple to use,  just select a communication port and an application template. Let’s describe how it works:

Gemote includes a very simple webserver, so you just need to choose the communication port where the server will be listening for incoming connections and the application template which describe the commands availables for the client connections, eg: if user wants to share Gnome control, the client will see a simple web page with buttons to control the audio: Raise, Lower and Mute. If user choose OpenOffice Presentation template, the browser will get buttons to control: Next, Previous and Quit.

The browser send the commands to the Gmote web server, every template define by configuration which commands are allowed to be executed and the server restrict which are not in the white list.

Steps to run it:

1) Start the service

2) Connect to your server with an external device using the server ip address an port like http://172.16.1.10:2009

If you want to try it, please download the latest snapshot version from: http://edsiper.linuxchile.cl/gmote_snapshots/

–

Dependencies:

• xmacro
• GTK
• PyGTK
• Glade
• Python

Este es un resumen de las herramientas a las que he podido tener acceso para llevar de mejor manera el proyecto:

• Sitio web, para dar a conocer el proyecto: http://projects.gnome.org/gevice/
• Listas de correo, para la comunicación entre desarrolladores, colaboradores, etc del proyecto: http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gevice-list
• Repositio, para el control de versiones: http://git.gnome.org/cgit/gevice
• Bugzilla, para el reporte de bugs: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/
• FTP, para alojar archivos del proyecto: http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gevice/

¿Que mas se puede pedir?

A los que lean este humirde glob y hayan asistido a la Flisol 2009 en Chile y que ademas tengan ganas de llenar una encuesta de "medicion de feedback" del evento 2009 en las ciudades que asistieron (espero que los de Talca manden una, al menos!), por favor apuntenle al siguiente link y rellenen la encuesta:

Encuesta FTW

Por supuesto, los resultados se actualizaran semanalmente y estaran disponibles abiertamente en linea (obvio). La encuesta es totalmente anonima, voluntaria, economica y audaz.

Gevice 0.5.1 has been released. This version has the follow features:

* Postgresql for storage data.
* Gconf for manage preferences.
* VTE to open terminals
* pygraphviz to create diagrams
* Export data to CSV format.
* Translated to Spanish

Now, the new hosting for this project is in http://projects.gnome.org/gevice/. I very very happy!

• Now I start to wonder whether we should have a Canarias City Run during GUADEC (cf. [1], [2], [3], [4]).

  Jokes aside, during conferences and travels it's always easy to break the training routine (unless you are really into it), so having an excuse to actually run, let's say, 10k would probably be a good idea.

I made an update in the repository of gevice. Changes made were:

* data/glade/gevice.glade:add new window for model maintainer
* src/gevicedatabase.py:add functions for get lists of type of device and marks
* src/gevice.py: add call to window maintainers
* src/gevicemaintainer.py: add functios for select,insert,update and delete models.

• I just noticed that the examples and documentation packages for libhildon are not present in the Maemo 5 SDK Beta. If you want to have a look at the API using Devhelp or want to toy with the examples, I'd recommend you to either 1) get the source package and build it (good) or 2) clone the git repository and build it from there (better).

  At some point in the very near future, I'd like to start publishing updated tarballs regularly in the garage page, but at the moment a few (probably quite trivial) issues prevent us from doing it. If I find a bit of time this week, I might fix them. If you want to help, just clone the repo, run make distcheck and see for yourself. The mailing list is waiting for your patches.

• Yesterday was the 1/2 Marathon: Helsinki City Run. I took part in it and learned the hard way what it means to run more than 20k (is there an easy way?).

  Originally, I had been running since January in the cold Helsinki, around Töölönlahti, sometimes with around -10⁰C, with icy and slippery roads, starting from around 5k to 15k in my best moment. Motivated by Dirk-Jan and Ann-Christin, I had the idea to run the Helsinki City Run but due to external factors I wasn't sure if I would even be in Helsinki for this date and didn't sign up.

  A bit demotivated when the deadline passed, and affected by a flu during the last two weeks, I had stopped my running routine, waiting to feel better. In the meantime, Iván recommended me a book by the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, What I talk about when I talk about running. In this book, Murakami writes about his experience as a long-distance runner, his motivations to run, and how running helped him to become the writer he is. Certainly an interesting read for any runner (and probably even for non runners), that somehow managed to rise my motivation to run. But still, running the City Run wouldn't be possible.

  But thanks to one of these great coincidences, things turned out in a favorable direction. On Friday afternoon I got a call from Ann-Christin, telling me that she was picking up the runner's pack from the Olympic Stadium and had found out that, since Marius wouldn't run, it was possible for me to take his place. After thinking for 3 seconds about how lazy I had been in the last weeks and doubting, I went crazy and told her to sign me up. Went home, had spaghetti for dinner, and started drinking water as crazy. I would finally run the HCR.

  Saturday turned up to be a cold, rainy, and windy day. Nervous about the race I didn't manage to sleep well enough but as time of the race approached, I started to feel full of energy. Drank lots of water and ate mostly cereals and bread up to two hours before the race, and got to the stadium. I was certainly excited about all this!

  The competition had about 11.000 participants. The Olympic stadium, although windy and cold, was looking beautiful. Runners of all ages, colors, and shapes were warming up all around the place. Adrenalin could just go higher as the start approached. And once we started running I couldn't feel happier. Of course, I had no idea how painful this would turn to be.

  The first 10k were absolutely fine. The circuit went along my beloved Töölönlahti, and it felt like home while I tried to make my way between all the people. Between 10k and 12k I was still feeling things to go well, but entering the 13k was the beginning of the real race. Starting from there, it only got more and more difficult. With each kilometer pain in my legs increased and feet friction started to bug me. Hydration and breathing were however fine, so I knew that it would only be a matter of pushing enough and I would make it. But, of course, this belief decreased as the distance completed increased.

  After 17k, pain was starting to get really annoying. Being the first time I ran more than 15k this was completely new and it was hard to know whether I would get all the cramps at some point or whether I could even walk to the finish line. Of course, I didn't want to retire nor walk the last kilometers, so I just kept pushing, and pushing.

  When we finally reached the 20k mark, just around the Olympic Stadium, I knew I would make it, even when my legs were almost not responding. The last few hundred meters before entering the stadium are basically a small uphill. Were these actually more than 100mt? I don't even know, but these certainly felt like a few km. People were just walking at that point, but I wouldn't give in. I had managed to run all the way there, no way I would walk this bloody hill.

  Entering the stadium was probably one of the most exciting moments. For whatever reason, entering the running track brought all the energy back and I ran through the finish line with a smile on my face. An official time of 2:25:00 for the 21,097 m that I thought it would be impossible to achieve. I got the medal, some bananas, and water. Found a warm spot where to cover me with my towel, pullover, and jacket, and met Luc, Dirk-Jan, Ann-Christin and the other runners. Champagne to celebrate, and then the real pain started.

  Looking back at yesterday's experience and how good I have felt since, I have to say that running is now definitively something I'll be doing more seriously. I know very well that 2:25:00 is not a time to feel proud of, but given the circumstances, I am more than happy with it. I'll probably start running shorter distances, since I would like to start swimming as well, but running a half marathon under 2 hours is going to be the goal for the next season. Let's see how it goes.

  

Cuando se intenta aprender a hablar a partir de un loro, se corre el riesgo de hablar mal.

El artículo de Michael Osinski en el New York Magazine titulado «Mi proyecto Manhattan», explica la historia de un programador que escribió el programa para convertir las hipotecas en bonos, que mal utilizado se le concede el origen de la última crisis económica.

Dada la popularidad del artículo, en La Nación Domingo del 24 de abril se escribe una columna al respecto, titulada «Confesión y redención», la cual es una traducción de la misma noticia comentada por un periodista en el diario Le Monde. En el extracto en francés, ya se aprecia que hay errores. Y como tal, la traducción al castellano resulta no solo desastrosa, sino que pasa a constituir una noticia muy diferente y en algunos pasajes, hasta carece de sentido.

Partiendo por la referencia a la revista equivocada: «relata en la revista de "The New York Times"», dicha revista es «The New York Times Magazine», suplemento que aparece los días domingos junto con el diario. Sin embargo, y como ya indiqué, el artículo fue publicado en el «New York Magazine», que es una revista del estilo «Caras», pero más general y mejor lograda.

Ni siquiera una verificación de las fuentes, ni por curiosidad.

Magistral es la deducción sobre un «matemático de carrera», porque no se dice directa ni indirectamente, sino que tampoco es esencial. Lo más cercano, es que su jefe había sido profesor de matemáticas. Quizás, de una forma rebuscada se podría llegar.

Años atrás leí y encontre cierta la paradoja que dice: «mientras más cerca de la noticia estoy, me doy cuenta cuan tergivesadas escriben las historias los periodistas. Pero mientras más lejos estoy de ella, más tiendo a creerles». Por eso es importante, mantener un espíritu crítico mínimo respecto de las noticias que pretenden «informarnos» los periodistas, que en palabras de una muy buena amiga periodista: «son un mar de conocimiento de menos de 1 cm. de profundidad».

Hay que leer ambas.

Cuando fuí a la ultima FLISOL, se me ocurrió upgradear Arthur (MSI Wind que uso para charlas y ser mas mobail que los otros laptops que he echado a perder tengo) a Ubuntu 9.04. El upgrade fue un rico FAIL que no dejaba bootear. Gracias a un reporte del problema que pude salir del paso, aunque debo decir que tenía ganas de poner en problemas a los instaladores que andaban por alla :-)

Y hoy se me ocurrió la genial genial idea de upgradear Zaphod (el desktop para hacer música) a Jaunty.

Nota mental : Upgradear tarros siempre _DESPUES_ de las charlas.

Debo decir que, hasta el momento, a pesar que el kernel no es RT (estoy por ahora usando la rama generic), el funcionamiento ha sido impecable, incluso con los culeros controladores de NVidia habilitados. En 8.04 incluso con repositorios toxicos de backports andaba como las tristes. Ahora estoy teniendo comportamientos raros como

• Firefox anda algo lento cuando usan CSS masivo (Twittah, Feisbuc, Yutub). Evaluando SWFDEC...
• Rhythmbox anda como un campeón. Lo he mandado a importar mi colección de musica completa (una pesadilla para cualquiera, 200+ GB ) con 0 pops, 0 clicks y 0 skips en las canciones
• La instalación fue casi igual que las versiones anteriores. Bootear disco, instalar, blabla. Bootear. Anda _algo_ mas lento al arranque que la encarnacion anterior. Pero considerar que el sistema entero fue reciclado de un HDD de un laptop y pasado a sangre de pato a un desktop con sus hacks correspondientes. En estado de FUBAR que en realidad me daba una macana enorme tener que arreglar. Asi que preferí reinstalar que upgradear. Nota : soy fan del upgrade, incluso piteándose libc.

Y por supuesto, el update post-instalación:

• Todas las actividades miusicaleis estan detenidas hasta que no instale los paquetes de UBStudio y tenga las tóxicas dependencias que mantenía en Zaphod. Hasta nuevo aviso.
• Tuve que abrir, vandalizar, sacar HDDs y perder 1 HDD IDE (si, aun esta bazofia usa IDE) en el proceso. Gracias a un ex colega que tengo un cofre "plug and pray" para SATA que está de lo mas que hay. Le soporta hasta hotswap! Alguien del público con un HDD IDE de mas de 100GB que venda/permute?
• Aún esta en venta Fallout3 para PS3. Incluso lo permuto. Acepto ofertas.
• Me llego mi mauspad de GNOME, gracias por los stickers!

Thanks to that deja-vu, that car didn't run over me. Is that bad, doctor?

NP: Expose (!!!!) : What you don't know (might hurt you). 80's is a bad bad bad habit.

Today, I uploaded this project to git.gnome.org. Previously in sourceforge. To download you need to install git (git-core on Debian or Ubuntu) and run:

git clone git://git.gnome.org/gevice

For browser in repository:

http://git.gnome.org/cgit/gevice/

Después de bastantes días (meses) sin programar, retome la programación de GEVICE. Habían algunas cosas que eran un poco incómodas en el uso del programa. Por ejemplo, cada vez que necesitaba conecar por SSH a algún equipo y con un usuario distinto al guardado en las preferencias, debía ir al menú de las preferencias, seleccionar el tab de usuario y cambiar el nombre… muchos pasos. Ahora agregé un GtkComboBox en la barra de herramientas, el cual me permite seleccionar de un listado de nombres de usuario, además de poder digitar directamente ahi el que no aparezca. Por ahora, esos usuarios están en “duro” en el código, pero cuando tenga otro tiempito lo modificaré para que se guarden esas lista de diferentes nombres de usuario con gconf.

Agregué otro GtkRadioButton a la lista de (SSH,Telnet,Local), de esa manera selecciono si la conexión es remota o simplemente abre una terminal local.

Estas son algunas imágenes de la versión (0.5) que estoy utilizando actualmente.

Nuevamente GNOME Chile se hizo presente en este Festival. Como parte de la Organización y como expositores. Fabio Duran, Juan Carlos Inostroza y Alejandro Valdes hicieron de las suyas en el evento.

Algunos enlaces con detalles de la actividad: http://www.flickr.com/groups/flisol-talca/pool/show/ http://www.elamaule.cl/admin/render/noticia/21044 http://fbesoain.wordpress.com/ http://flisol.utalca.cl/ http://2009.flisol.cl/

leer más

• I finally took the three seconds I needed to copy my blogging script to my home laptop, which means that I should be writting a bit more frequently from now on.

• Yesterday, the Maemo 5 SDK Beta was released. From the Application Framework team perspective, I can say that it's been a lot of hard work to get it to the state in which is now, but there's still plenty of work to do.

  But there are more good news, yes sir. In a joined effort of Nokia and Igalia, we've finally convinced the right people to move libhildon, the GTK+ widgets library for Maemo, to a public repository. Not only that, we also have a garage project page with a mailing list where we expect to discuss with application developers from the community about the status of the library and get feedback, patches, and interesting discussion.

  So, if you are a Maemo developer and want to join the fun, be at the bleeding edge before Maemo 5 is released, feel free to clone the git repository, join our mailing list, report bugs, and in the end, help us make libhildon 2.2 the best release ever.

Y se termino Flisol 2009 Utalca...

Fotos?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juancarlosinostroza/sets/72157617272805187/

(por peticion especial de klizana, estan con licencia CC)

Grupo de Flickr?
(Debido a una descoordinacion, se crearon dos grupos. Uno llamado "Flisol Utalca '09" y otro, "Flisol-Talca". Pick your poison)

Y le tenemos videito:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKrgnvCVQe8

(tambien con licencia CC)

Asi que un tremendo GRACIAS a la gente que hizo posible este evento : a los organizadores (Alejandro, Felipe y varios otros que me le olvidan...), a los instaladores (que no recuerdo ni el 1% de sus nombres you're the unsung heroes!, a la Universidad de Talca por la infraestructura para hacer posible el evento...y por supuesto a los asistentes. :-D