For a number of years i use ThinkPad. Since i’m big fan of IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad and since it has been almost 20 years as IBM / Lenovo started producing ThinkPads, i decided to post something about that.

Some reasons why ThinkPad is so great:

I like about it:

1. It’s made of finest plastic and has very robust casing.
2. In most cases you will never have problems with linux drivers and there is even www.thinkwiki.org for linux users. (community supported with plenty of tips, tricks and tutorials).
3. There is plenty of additional accessories like docking station, etc…
4. You can customize fully customize it if you purchase it online. Choose monitor, fingerprint reader, bigger battery, wi-fi chip, processor etc.. (i just wish that i could choose keyboard with big  Enter button, it’s a fail).
5. IBM/Lenovo leads with innovations in Laptops through the long history of almost 20 years.
6. It’s so good that it is even being used at ISS (Image from ISS)
7. At most of developer conferences to which i attended i saw people carrying ThinkPads, it’s the maybe the best proof that ThinkPad IS GREAT LAPTOP

Sad about it:
Very expensive..

This would be “best birthday present” IMHO

Saga about Google+ and forcing users to use real name continued.

I got an email from google which support my previous claim about Google+ name policy. (* see why)

Just to remind you all chronologically what had happened:

1. Google started new social network called Google+
2. Policy of Google+ was that you MUST provide your real name or something really close to it. (* see why)
3. Very soon after establishing Google+ service, Google bans huge number of users because of not obeying to Google+ name policy.
4. For no reason, without any explanation,  probably worried that many users will avoid it and not use it, Google reactivates all banned accounts (or most of them including my)
5. After approximately 9 months, Google starts banning campaign again preceded with warning email.

Conclusion, i’m very glad they have banned me and i hope they will erase all my user data

(*) Google had one very important weakness in comparison with facebook. And that is the fact that most Facebook users “spontaneously” used real names (although it complies with facebook policy, which is not so strictly enforced by facebook) where Google+ users started using nicknames. As a consequence facebook users have much more valuable contacts network and it’s much easier to find some old pals if you are using facebook than Google+. Obviously that affect the business and credibility of intelligence information.

I was playing with new NIKON:

Devboards:
Arduino,
Microchip PICkit 2 Debug Express 2011,
Texas Instruments – MSP430 LaunchPad
and the black one is some stupid breadboard mountable power supply board.

Orthodox Church in Sarajevo 2011 (gimp done the final touch)

Java coder, can do it in this pose. (reufograph.com)

Since kids like play with exploits and make WP sites hacked i was offline for a month or so. I hope they will not get a chance to do it again. PLS don’t push me to move to some custom CMS.

I doubt that you are reading this and that i need to tell you who DMR was. So i just want to say: Steve Jobs was great guy, he deserves great respect. But Dennis Ritchie was for IT like Nikola Tesla for 20. st. R.I.P. DMR

Although it’s often quoted by Google “Do no evil”, anyone who tried to scratch through Google policies for various fields, usually got lost in first 10 minutes. They often refer to another rule/policy and like that in very long chain that none have time to read and judge about. So you simply tick “I Agree” checkbox . And that is not approach of someone who “Do no evil” things .

Anyway, last week i got invite to Google+, i joined, i was excited, i wrote short comparison Google+ vs. Facebook and that i found out that they didn’t like my name .

As i pointed out in my comparison post, Facebook is technically poor and horrible but Google misses key feature in order to supersede Facebook. Facebook has, in most cases real identities and possibility to search for your friends by their names (*). That is probably one of key features that brought Facebook at 1.st. position among all other community sites. (Probably the main reason Facebook succeeded in that was the way Facebook started it’s existence.)

Google didn’t like my name!
As i signed in i noticed that i could enter my name to be “v” and surname to be “m”. I just wanted to “hack” and to see what is going to happen.

At first, It was strange that they didn’t automatically suggest my name from my Google profile, but it’s probably because most of users don’t use real name there and they wanted to push you, to reenter real name just as people did it on Facebook.
I didn’t mind, i just left it like that. BUT Google didn’t like my name . They wanted my real name, they want to get that key feature (*). They though that i’ll be inspired by “Facebook” approach and that i’ll enter my name without hesitation.

Result:

In fact, i was not the only one I found one more print screen:

So, they forced me to proof my identity if i want to stay member, continue using my current gmail “id” and stay connected with my friends .
They asked for my Pohoto ID if possible although i doubt that my PHOTO CAN HELP THEM TO IDENTIFY ME SINCE THEY DON’T HAVE ME IN PRESENCE TO COMPARE MY FACE WITH PICTURE ON MY ID.
Also, it was possible to give them URL for my Facebook/LinkedIn profile. (Although they know my profile url’s,  but it would be serious violation of privacy although it seems that none is bothered when they use your habits and email content to show you ads)

I think that i don’t need, jet another time consuming community site, especially under that conditions ! I that Facebook have similar policy, but in this case Google showed real face. It seems that they have got fire under their legs so they started pushing little bit over than usual to become big successful community leader. In my opinion, it’s first sign of weakness .

How they “forced” people to do that:

When you sign up, you instinctively ticked “I Agree” with certain Google policy and “User Content and Conduct Policy“. By that policy, concerning name you oblige to wants from you to:

And than you have another part of story with “Your name and Google Profiles” policy. By which they say:

Google services support three different types of use when it comes to your identity: unidentified, pseudonymous, identified. Google Profiles is a product that works best in the identified state. This way you can be certain you’re connecting with the right person, and others will have confidence knowing that there is someone real behind the profile they’re checking out. For this reason, Google Profiles requires you to use the name that you commonly go by in daily life.

Further on it says:

What does it actually mean? Their must be min 10% people in this world sharing same name and surname. (Watch interesting documentary on this topic Google Me)

Hmm… So many questions comes to my mind

[update]

After i wrote few posts at Google+ Discuss board, which they have erased they allowed me to use my name “Foo Haa”

I believe that the reason is to silence me down!?

So, there is a proof that they did “evil”, trying to silence down people who write about privacy concerns. Thus i reopened discussion at Google+ here.

I read lately some articles about weakness of robots. It’s a machine consisted of software and mechanical parts. And since these days you can build very sophisticated and smart “artificially intelligent” software cant keep it out of failing. Just because software maybe smart but hardware isn’t capable of being self repair or keep on working until the last part mechanical part is functioning. That is surely challenge and i think, important one

I believe that many smart people thought about this before but i didn’t find articles about that. I wish mechanical part became just as “smart” as software can be.

But i know this is also philosophical question Software can’t be destroyed physically but hardware can.

I notices strange and unexpected BUG in #Google+ interface, when i searched for images. I use Linux/Chrome 13.0.782.15 dev.
PrintScreen

To be honest, i’ll not make deep comparison but at first look i feel this:

Pros:  They developed Incredible amount of various technologies. From web to operating systems. They are not only “virtual” company. Android placed them into a hands of users. They have already well developed: - Email/Calendar/Chat/Googel Docs/Picasa/Google maps… - Incredible Search engine, – Youtube in their possession, – Incredible amount of business oriented services, – Best possible, online available collaboration tools, – Android (most popular smart phone platform), – Chrome web browser, – Not popular as PayPal but good payment System (Google Checkout), – Well developed ads system,- This list of good google services can go on and on… The reason for mentioning that is that they have all those services available for easy integration in Google+ and Facebook don’t have that! I already noticed light, very dynamic and attractive interface. That works MUCH MUCH MUCH smother than Facebook! At least on my PC	Pros:  They became primary daily activity for most of internet users! (My mom uses FB more that skype or gmail) They ware first and so far the only company that has i believe more than 90% of registered users with real names/identities! They are integrated in most of web pages already via “like” buttons etc. They have got nice solutions for organizations, events and small companies to announce their activities and promote their work. Easy ads creation and possibility to precisely target users (At least it seems so). Due to their popularity and their “like” button. They have succeeded to integrate in many pages so they still have the way to track “users” and internet trends.
Cons:  They miss real names/identities of their users, and that is why i think Faecebook got most of it’s respect and user loyalty. (Although they are pushing hard lately to “increase security” so that they force you to enter phone number, alternating email address or forcing you to use ). Due to 1. point, you can’t just type someones name and find your relatives or friends from school. They didn’t invent social networks so they have to find the way to reach people and media. Looks like they don’t have many cons, but they just started and who knows how successful they gona be in taking over Facebook position.	Cons:  Horrible and lazy interface! Horrible and even after a few years, unstable chat, and very bad possibilities to integrate it to other applications! Offers really nothing more that it self. No email, no calendar… no serious business services. They have got nice solutions for organizations, events and small companies to announce their activities and promote their work. They don’t have anything solid like device/operating system/cloud for business etc! They depend on others technologies. Facebook didn’t develop so much except “itself”. Fast rising often means fast declining! And i don’t like that “often proofed as true” fact They don’t have video chat or phone solutions jet.

Also, worth mentioning is that unofficially Facebook announced some “great surprises”

Ether way, I still think that it’s scary position concerning user privacy rights, and i’m still looking for alternatives like “Freedom Box” to appear.

So far i just opened box. And all i know is that it’s very cheep development platform

It’s definitely platform for students and beginners. But what surprises me is it’s price vs. what you get. It’s definitely marketing but i wish other companies make it like that too.

Because “PICkit™ 2 Debug Express” from Microchip would cost you minimum 45-60$ with shipping etc. (Ok, you get very universal programmer and debugger) but if you are student or beginner, especially in developing countries. That is meaningful difference.

Arduino is not much cheaper at all. It would cost you 35-50$ with shipping too.

So, this sounds as a great deal. I hope i’ll be back with some more info when i try to program it.

Some related linx:

https://estore.ti.com/MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430-LaunchPad-Value-Line-Development-kit-P2031.aspx
http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/MSP430_LaunchPad_(MSP-EXP430G2)