Following the next Debian-Women sexist discussion, related to the importance of women in computer science, Michael Norwick pasted a list of remarkable women in computer science. I knew many of them, but I liked to have them together. Thanks Michael!

Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852). born Augusta Ada Byron, was the only legitimate child of Lord Byron. She is widely known in modern times simply as Ada Lovelace. She is mainly known for having written a description of Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine. She is today appreciated as the "first programmer" since she was writing programs — that is, manipulating symbols according to rules—for a machine that Babbage had not yet built. She also foresaw the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching while others, including Babbage himself, focused only on these capabilities.

Here is a saying I heard recently, and I wish to share it, by wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everybody!

Some things from the past disappear but others open a window to the future, these are the ones I want to recover. -- Mario Benedetti

Avec Le droit d'auteur à l'ère du libre, le Studio XX lance une nouvelle série de conférences.

Conférencière invitée : Mayi-Eder Inchauspé, avocate spécialiste du droit d'auteur canadien et français.

Résumé

L'arrivée du Web 2.0 a modifié la pratique et la façon de penser le Web donnant aux internautes la possibilité d'interagir à la fois avec le contenu des pages et entre internautes. Le partage d'informations à travers les blogues, fils rss, les portails communautaires, forums, les sites de partage de vidéos et de photos (YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo), la folksonomie, les wikis et autres, est devenue chose courante. De plus, la philosophie du libre a introduit une autre façon de penser, en contrepoint à la pratique établie. Ce nouveau contexte questionne le droit d'auteur.

Comment mieux comprendre le droit d'auteur est l'ambition de cette conférence. Dans sa présentation, Mayi-Eder Inchauspé va dresser pour nous un portrait du droit d'auteurs. Tout en traçant un bref historique, elle va démêler la terminologie et définir les concepts derrière ces termes: oeuvre, auteur, droit d'exploitation, copyright, copyleft, droit intellectuel, droits de propriété, le domaine public, les licences Creative Commons, etc.

Subversion is an open source version control system, a successor of CVS. It is used to maintain current and historical versions of files such as source code, web pages, and documentation.

You upload your files (documents) on the server, and you need to commit your changes at the end of the day. It is accessible, secure, well ordered and easy to use, and good to archive far-from-the-computer. Every time you make a change on the server, it saves into a new version (Revision 1, 2, 3..).

I use SVN for keeping track of the modifications I make by working on my thesis from two computers - the one in the lab, and the one at home. Since I work 2 days per week from one, and 3 days from the other, I need to keep an updated versions of my files. It is similar to carrying your usb-stick, but much more secure (no chance to loose it), much more reliable (since it is saved on a secure server). It is faster, accessible from everywhere, and fun.

The Free Softwrare Magazine has published, about a month ago, an article by Terry Hanncock, intitled Ten Easy Ways to Attract Women to Your Free Software Project. I did not read if for a long time, knowing what I can expect... Well, it was worse than I thought.

Are there "easy ways to attract women to free software projects"? I research this problem for years now, and I have not found and "easy solution". Not only this, but the advises the author provides do not match with the reality. I would even say, by quoting FLOSSPOLS and val Henson's guide on How to attract women in Linux, he has invented his home-made solutions.

This is great! But does this answer the reality?

After taking this so important decision that:

1. I don't want to plan 10 years in advance and apply for PhD
2. I wish to go and find something else to do, some target group for which I can later write a PhD work
3. I will now concentrate and finish (after I start) my master's thesis

I just got to the conclusion, that what I really was struggling about, is to preserve my freedom. Because, "freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that the heavens gave men". And if I would be kept into universtiy for so long, no matter how good it can be, I will be feeling my freedom taken. So, I need to go ahead slowly and to find out my way.

"La libertad, Sancho, es uno de los más preciosos dones que a los hombres dieron los cielos; con ella no pueden igualarse los tesoros que encierra la tierra ni el mar encubre; por la libertad, así como por la honra, se puede y debe aventurar la vida, y, por el contrario, el cautiverio es el mayor mal que puede venir a los hombres."

(Source : Wikiquotes)

I have been having a major dilemma for the past two days: to PhD or not to PhD. The problem is that for the past 2-3 weeks I am doing nothing but preparing my set of docs for a 3-years scholarship. It is getting almost done when the last document, the one where you describe your 3-year studies plan (2 pages only) just did not go well. What was wrong?

Why would you change the day care of your 19 months kid, if it went there for just a couple of weeks?

Here is a short list of things that we experienced with the ex-day care of our daughter:

1. Bad food. In fact, no idea what kids eat each day, change of menu all the time, McDonald's for a birthday party, cakes, defrosted food, no quality guarantee. I would not bring a grown-up to Macdo, what left for a year-and-a-half old?

Augury has sent me a great song, hosted on youtube to wish me a happy birthay.

And now, ladies and gentlement : Stan Kenton and his Happy Birthay to You!

Благодаря ти, Светле. You really make me feel like celebrating!

By searching a definition of a geek for a new research project, I got this one:

by PHDcomics.com