GNOME 2.0 is out! This is the first major release I have been a part of. There is a certain amount of pride knowing that I contributed, however small, to a project so widely used. Yes, there is a certain amount of pride involved here.
jfleck: Congratulations! I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job.
The G8 protests went more-or-less smoothly. The very first was in November, and despite a few broken windows, spray paint, and tax dollars used to control a mob of some that weren't there so much to protest as to "Take the Capital", it went smoothly. This week, the police did not wear their riot gear. They also tried very hard to have an open dialog with protesters. This must have worked , because even the protesters said they felt everything was very much in control, and that they did not feel threatened by law enforcement. From the images on the local news, it seemed the police made their roll to be supervisors rather than human barricades.
Email vs. Telephones:
I've had many discussions with family members on this topic. Most of them
either do not have and see little need for a computer, use a
computer only when forced and get frustrated with them, or just generally
despise a medium that they deem so impersonal. But their main argument is that
it is too time consuming, especially considering they have a phone across the
hall that will allow them to speak to any individual at any time. I don't
agree. Take for example, how voice messaging effects this equation.
In January, I'm hopping to start finishing my Computer Science degree. I've
picked a school in Montreal, because it is close and the tuition is quite
low. For about a week now, I have been phoning Admissions to speak to someone
regarding obtaining a registration package. So far this person has not been at
her desk when I call. No problem, I'll leave a voice mail. I have done this
twice now, and only yesterday have I gotten a response... when I wasn't
home. I came home last night to hear a message left by this contact at the
university asking me to call her back.
Now in no way do I fault the individual working for the university. Work can
get hectic, and you have to prioritize to get work done. This "phone tag" that
she and I seem to be playing, is very much like email messaging. Only in this
case it is more expensive. Similar to email, I've had to phone this
individual, leave a few messages, to which she responds by leaving me a
message. This is exactly what I do when send email. Send an email or two to
inform or ask something of someone. They respond. Then I may respond if
appropriate, and so on. Phoning long distance in Canada does cost, so despite
the fact that Montreal is reasonably close, I've had two long distance calls
charged to my phone bill.
Not only has phoning not been advantageous, it has actually cost me to use the
phone. Had I been given the email address of this contact, correspondence
would not have cost me, and I may already have a registration package on its
way over to my house. Granted, had she been there, none of this would be much of
an issue, but their isn't any certainty. Email allows you to prioritize and
answer at your convenience. At times this can be inconvenient if your
messages are being
ignored, but for the most part, I can say I've had positive experiences with
email. I suppose the real issue for many of my family members is not so much
about convenience, and how impersonal the medium is, so much as a generation
gap.