How to pitch bullshit

Most people who know me in person know that I like to talk. A lot. So, I started to do presentations. Some at University, some at School, and some for User Groups and even a bigger one at the JFS Stuttgart. Yet, I always felt that .. well, it was all to serious.

So last friday, while having some drinks with the DevCamp-People, they convinced me to do a not-so-serious presentation. I instantly came up with the topic, hacked the slides in less than 4 hours ( Thanks to Florian! ), and presented them. Never thought that this would fly this much. Pitching Bullshit is running Well on Slideshare, but best of all, an indian blog reports about it. Like :-) .

Android DevCamp 2

Great success last year ( mostly due to almost perfect organization and even better participants ), the second issue of the second largest Android Conference is going to roll just this weekend, called Android Devcamp 2. Unless you are already registered, chances are, you won’t get it.

Unfortunately, I was unable to assist in organizing and planning this year to resource constraints ( Read: too much work ) and a personal decision to throttle back my overall engagement in the whole GTUG Stuttgart. That sucks, but it’s great to see these guys just topping their last years perfomance. Let’s have some nice days in Stuttgart, and maybe a Blinkendroid record?

Diaspora social fu, why it’s too early to be enthusiastic

Hey. It has been some time, but let’s blog again.

Diaspora, the self-claimed privacy aware, personally controlled, do-it-all, open source social network. let’s examine each of those ambitious claims one by one.

Privacy aware. The question here is really: can a network be privacy aware? Is an infrastructure even able to make such promises? As long as this promise is just written, it makes only little sense to me, as privacy is most often not a question of the protocol or idea running a service, but rather of it’s implementation and mostly dependent on its users.

Personally controlled? Facebook is also controlled by it’s users. The problem is actually not control in the net itself, but control towards additional use of your data, e.g. for advertising or some other third party stuff. Again, a protocol or idea won’t be able to change that problem. Just by allowing a net to be just that, there is still a considerable chance of data being accumulated by one provider, like facebook, again. And, as long there is some data concerning you on a database server that is not exclusively administrated by you, your data is not personally controlled.

Do-it-all. I’d rather not comment on that one. But that’s what it is about here. Do-it-all. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s not. Doubtlessly, those smart guys are ambitious and gifted ( at least concerning PR ), but do-it-all is a bit.. over the top. Small steps. Just develop one application, show it, next one. It’s okay and cool and I really appreciate that the protocol can be used for anything, but that also implies complexity. And time.

Open-source. That’s just fine, but at the moment, it’s not. Neither the sources they’re working on, nor the protocol, which is, of course, the more interesting part, are available anywhere. Being a programmer myself, I really understand why the project source is not available at such an early development stage, but it’s crucial for this protocol to become published, even in an early version, as soon as possible.

The protocol, the heart of diaspora, is what invites other people to read and study it. Which may have some desirable consequences: I’d like to build a diaspora node, for example. And I’m pretty sure some other people like to as well. But even more interesting are the ones analyzing it from e.g. a security perspective, commenting on it’s scaling ability or just throwing in new ideas?

Diaspora is fine. I really respect the guys running this project, they are doing a great job, right idea, right time, nothing more powerful. But still, they should really take their time to consider changing some things. Let’s create a google group, let’s share some technical details with the ( really interested ) mass, let’s communicate.

iMac+Bootcamp: Blinking Cursor, nothing else.

There was a time ( according to the history of computers ), when a flashing, blinking cursor lead to a feeling of deep satisfaction, just because the graphics controller worked. We passed that time, left it 30 years behind.

So what I was trying to do, which resulted in a blinking cursor, was something advertised as being dead simple: installing Windows on my iMac. In a short: I tried it for a week now, it doesn’t work. And even if it’s going to work one day, it’s not dead simple. So why rant about it?

Macs are cool, somewhat expensive yet wonderful computers. Since I had my first Macbook in .. 2007 I never thought about switching back. It almost always worked flawless, I never experienced a big issue be it hardware or software. Until bootcamp. Sucks. And Apple could do whatever it wanted to, I always felt the need to protect a company whose products are so outstanding ( which is still true for the most parts ).

But back to the technical aspects. What I tried. Each approach gets a paragraph.

Day 1. Using Bootcamp-Assistent to repartition my boot drive. Doesn’t work, alright, stick with a smaller partition. Works. Reboot to install windows. Black screen ( actually, two black 24″-screens with an immensely upscaled white cursor blinking in the top left corner ). Alright, power button, once again, option key pressed, selecting that Windows-CD-Icon, once again, black fu ( I’ll stick with black fu from now on ).

Day 2. Removing the partition and recreating it, using the BC-Assistant. Trying to reboot using bootcamp. Without any success. Reseting PRAM and VRAM. About a dozen times. Fun thing is that resetting the PRAM unpaired all my bluetooth devices from the EFI, so I couldn’t select my standard HD as a Boot device anymore. Trick is to plug in a regular USB-Mouse and keep on pressing it’s primary button until the CD gets ejected. But, still the black fu around.

Day 3. Calling Apple Support. After having a nice chat with the guy at the other end, we figured that removing the BC-Partition and recreating it ( see day 2 ), everything should be working fine. It wasn’t, of course. So I decided to clean things up. Saved my whole system to an external drive, deleted the internal disk, restored it, repaired all permissions and stuff. Recreated that BC-partition, shut down, PRAM, NVRAM-Reset, All cables disconnected except power and 2nd display, Black fu. Apple Support was not available due to their availability times.

Day 4. Resignation. I’m writing a blog post on how pissed I am.

Any tipps? hints? anything?

Flattr, a great idea, a great video, great people behind

Flattr is exactly what I dreamed of when I wrote my post about the donation-button-dilemma on open-source projects. Flattr, by the creators of the pirate bay, is a service that let’s you specify an amount you want to spend monthly, I don’t know what they plan, but let’s say 10€, and you can flattr any project you like, very much like digging, and they will get a share of your money. Of course, this only works because the money adds up.

There are some unknown variables to me so far. I don’t know how much of the money reaches the designated receiver after all, how privacy and security is ensured, how money can be transferred to flattr and so on, yet, this idea opens up new horizons for people who want to invest time in software they don’t mean to sell, but still be able to live a life worth living.

I mentioned the video, it’s a well-made one, see below

( note: I’m using the logo without permission, hope the pirate-bay guys won’t mind that. )

Einfach mal ne Runde auskotzen.

Über eine Menge von Dingen, und den Grund für manche Sachen erforschen.

Da fängts an mit Frau Aigner. Frau Aigner, zeichnet sich verantwortlich für den Verbraucherschutz in unserem Lande ( unter anderem gegen die Lebensmittelampel, die Offenlegung der EU-Subventionen für deutsche Bauern ), und natürlich ( was könnte wichtiger sein! ) im Vorstand des “Bund Deutscher Karneval”. Und warum hab ich diese Tante so hart gefressen? Naja, es ist ganz einfach. Man kann, warum auch immer, gegen Google sein. Kein Problem, und natürlich gehört dass zweifelsohne zu ihrem Aufgabenfeld. Man kann auch, auf einmal gegen “Google, Facebook und Microsoft” sein, mit der ( wirklich bescheuerten ) Warnung vor der Marktmacht dieser Unternehmen, angeführt mit buzzigen Sätzen wie “globaler Digitalisierung”. Herzlich Willkommen in der Gegenwart.

Zeugt es von einem tiefgreifenden Verständnismangel, wenn man mit solchen Phrasen um sich wirft, oder ist es einfach nur blanke Ignoranz? Es kann beides sein. Verständnismangel liegt nahe: Google, Microsoft und Facebook, um die drei bösesten, die virtuelle Achse des Bösen, zu nehmen, haben sich auf relativ legitime Art und Weise dorthin gebracht wo Sie jetzt sind. Das einzige, was überhaupt nicht auf diese Entwicklung vorbereitet war ( und ist, siehe Merkel sagt Nein zu Internetminister ) sind die regierenden Instanzen. Die Nutzer wollen offensichtlich Facebook benutzen, mich zwingt niemand. Ebenso bei Microsoft ( oder Apple ), und das gleiche bei Google.

Und dann StreetView. Das böseste, teuflischste, deutschlandvernichtendste Tool ever. Ich weiss ja nicht wer die Lobbyarbeit dahinter betreibt, ob Microsoft dahintersteckt oder was da genau los ist, aber diese blinde, nackte Angst vor Bildern, die man im Vorbeigehen genau so machen kann, ist mir unverständlich. Wenn ich mich darauf entdecke, Link, Google sagen, Bild ist Weg. Die vielen positiven Aspekte an StreetView, z.B. ich schau mir mein Hotel schon mal vorher an, ich informier mich im Vorfeld über Parkplätze etc, werden völlig aussen vor gelassen. Man könnte glatt meinen, Aigner macht hier unserem Bundesdatenschutzbeauftragten den Rang streitig ( was angesichts der verfassungswidrigen Vorratsdatenspeicherung, Stoppschildern und noch mehr so kram ) lächerlich ist. Und was diese Bundesfinanzierte Google-Trollerin auch noch nicht verstanden hat: ihre originäre Aufgabe ist es nicht, Dinge zu verlangen, sondern konstruktive Eingaben in den Gesetzgebungsprozess einzubringen, um somit neue Gesetze zu schaffen, die die Bürger schützen. Am besten noch im Sinne der Bürger.

Offensichtlich völlig unfähig dazu, wird also jetzt Google platt gemacht. Interessante Frage an alle: Wenn Google nicht wäre, was hätten wir als Gegenstück? Welches europäische Suchunternehmen könnte die Lücke füllen? Naja. Keins. Kein einziges. Das letzte IT-Unternehmen aus Deutschland das mich interessiert hat war TXTR mit ihrem ebook-reader, und selbst die sind so schlau sich nicht auf der CeBIT blicken zu lassen. Der deutschen Politik ist also nicht einmal klar woran die Marktkonzentration liegt. Warum keine deutschen Player an irgendwas beteiligt sind. Es liegt nicht an der Boshaftigkeit der Amerikaner, ich denke das kriegen wir auch hin, sondern einfach an der geistigen Blockade in Deutschland wirtschaftlich etwas anderes als Autos, Stahl und Steinkohle zu fördern. Mit innovativen Ideen ( die in erster Linie “experimentell”, “innovativ” oder “zukunftsweisend” als Label haben, und nicht den durchschnittlichen Ertrag nach 2 Jahren ) an eine Förderung zu gelangen ist fast unmöglich, zumindest in der IT. Leute bei den Banken und Politik haben meist überhaupt keine Ahnung von der Technik, die es schon gibt. Von Dingen, nach denen die zukünftigen Kunden fragen. Ich war neulich Gast eines Vortrags über die Usability auf Mobilgeräten. Der Redner hatte noch nie ein iPhone bedient. Einzelfall? Weit gefehlt.

Aber weiter gehts. Wir machen das Bildungssystem noch ein bisschen mehr kaputt, innovation hatten wir ja mit dem Ottomotor. Und Diesel. Und in 20 Jahren ärgern wir uns drüber dass die anderen schon wieder besser sind.

Wir brauchen mehr Zukunft, mehr Mut, mehr Abenteuerlust, mehr Bildung, mehr Innovation. Und weniger vermeintlichen Verbraucherschutz, dafür mehr echten. Und die Lebensmittelampel.

impressive, prezi and other ways to kill PowerPoint

I’ve to admit, I haven’t used PowerPoint for 4 years, mostly because no one wanted me to present anything. Times have changed, I had to do 4 presentations in one week lately. Being forced to communicate through slides, I experienced a bit, and here’s my conclusion.

The first presentation was built using Keynote, which is part of iWork, Apple’s Office counterpart. Creation was really simple, the look is just amazing ( especially the transitions ), but there is one problem: I don’t have a mobile Mac at the moment, so I needed to use a friend’s MacBook to do the presentation. This is definitely a bit of a pain, considering the fact that he’s most likely not always around, and exporting to PowerPoint kills all the USPs. There is a workaround though, you can export presentations as .mov files, movies that halt on every transition and continue only after you press a key.

Second presentation, Latex Beamer producing PDFs. The ugly part is the creation, certainly. Unless you are fluid in a text editor, command line and the reading of technical documentation, this might not be your premier choice. After you’ve gracefully managed to create some slides, the output looks great and the best point about it is that any netbook will do just fine for the presentation. I used my Ubuntu-equipped machine and it worked well using the default PDF-Viewer.

Sven showed impressive to me today, a great way of tuning your PDF-only presentations by adding transitions, overview pages and other handy accessoires to finished PDF-Presentations. It’s written in python, has some dependencies ( nothing that easy_install couldn’t fix ) and works really well.

The third presentation kicked off using Google Docs. The presentation ( about Google Go ) had no style, no transitions, was built in about 10 minutes and.. worked. Nothing more, nothing less. It clearly did it’s job, yet there are, at least by now, a bunch of more pleasing ways to get the job done available.

Because a lot of people are really excited about Prezi at the moment, I decided to give it a shot. The presentations created are really different from what presentations have been in the past, it looks.. amazing, is easy to use, features a free plan. It depends on flash, which is somewhat a drawback and is, at least for me not a choice at the moment. Why? Well, first of all, there is no way to create custom styles, you are basically limited to what Prezi offers. The next problem is the lack of a free offline editor ( Google Docs is able to do that ). And of course, what you create looks create, but either I missed the feature that says “copy region from one Prezi to another” or it’s not there. Either way, without it, reuse seems impossible. Still, if you have only 3 minutes and need to deliver a stunning performance, you should go with Prezi. ( Edit: Benny just posted something about Prezi a few days ago, too )

A day at the Android Developer Lab World Tour in Zürich

What would you do if you had the chance to meet some fellow android developers at Google’s Europe HQ in Zürich for free? Yes, you register and go there. As did I, we. Unfortunately, someone at Google’s messed the times up, which lead to us having to depart in Stuttgart at 6am rather than 10am, but nevertheless we made it on time.

What’s the impression of the Google HQ? It’s quite hard to remain objective and unimpressed, so the report may well be seriously biased. Sights along the way in: Streetview car, Google Sign. No suits. Sights in the entrance area: Pool table ( playable ), fridge, Google Sign. Very colourful, nice. Once we waited about 10 minutes we were guided to the conference location, which was also located on the ground floor, right next to the cafeteria and the ( ! ) gym. The overall impression on the way there was that it’s actually not a place that’s perfectly suitable for working there, but it’s a place where living might be fun as well :-)

We had to wait some time until the event kicked off, but the time was spent more or less usefully setting up wifi, talking to other developers and the android stuff ( specifically Reto Meier who held the talk ) and drinking free coke. The event started, but was interrupted to give away free nexus ones. This came not really as a surprise as a) the boxes were located next to the entry, so it was not hard to spot and b) most of the participants I talked to followed the other lab sessions e.g. in Berlin and Paris. But forget about surprises, it’s so amazing to get a phone for free ( actually, it’s even more amazing if it’s the second one ). And what can I say, it rocks, you need to play with one for a little while, forget the iPhone, honestly.

After about half an hour later, the talk finally began, very interactive, very well-held. It basically included a what is android-primer, as well as some focus on technologies available and best practices. After a short while ( let’s guess it was 30 minutes ), we switched over to having .. lunch. And damn, it was tasty like hell. Just like the whole day, all people were nice, friendly, it was a really great atmosphere even just to eat.. wow.

The second part of the talk focused on some code examples, and afterwards, the fun part of the event began: the big bang question session. I had some prepared, as had almost all other people there. And it’s just great to talk to someone who knows ( omitting the should here ), and gives you a clear answer. Reto Meier, again, did a great job on this.I also showed some people qwerted, and I guess some even liked it :-) . There is one app I really want to recommend, it’s called Music Queue and tries to change the way we listen to music and organize our on-the-fly playlist. Great app, cool developer!

What can I see? We left too soon ( for my impression ), and I need to work there. Like, really. Unfortunately, picture taking is generally not allowed on the premises, yet we were able to take some at the conference room itself.

Thanks to all the great people there, was a really cool day.. next year again, hm?

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