TEDxNicosia photos are online

When I went to TEDxNicosia event last month, I forgot to take my camera.  I was a bit sad to miss such an opportunity.  But during the talks I caught myself thinking that it’s probably for the better that I didn’t have the camera with me.  The talks were so interesting and engaging that I would either forget to take more pictures or miss parts of the talks while making shots.  And then again, sitting in the middle of the row it wouldn’t be too easy to move around.  And we all know how boring are the picture taken from the same place.

Anyway, now all my thoughts are put to rest.  As I mentioned before, TEDxNicosia was very well organized.  And part of that organization was arranging for an excellent photographer – Andri Josef.   I remember seeing Andri all over the place during the event – next to the stage, on the floor, in the cafeteria, and always behind the camera.  She must have taken a gadzillion images during that day!  Now, you can have a look at some of them in TEDxNicosia Gallery, covering the speakers, the venue, the organizers, the attendees, and more.   Here is a check-in image of Michael and me.  We just got our badges, heading for the coffee.

 

 

Day in brief – 2011-12-14

  • I favorited a @YouTube video http://t.co/yJCC6GBr Зима не будет #
  • Our IT is so good they do scheduled works with 45 minute downtime in the middle of the day and week. No wonder cloud computing blooms. #
  • @KarthikDot Agree on the concept. Doubt the date. #
  • @KarthikDot I don't think JS is at its pick yet. And I don't think it will get there in 2012. A couple of yesrs from now – maybe. #
  • @KarthikDot I think more people will realize that they can build cross-platform mobile apps with js. Like #PhoneGap That might be huge. #
  • [demotivator] Медведев завёл блог в твиттере (760×554) http://t.co/gPJCKBFN #

Day in brief – 2011-12-13

Death by a thousand clicks

If you don’t know or remember the expression “death by a thousand cuts”, it refers to an ancient Chinese torture.

Slow slicing [..], also translated as the slow process, the lingering death, or death by a thousand cuts [..], was a form of execution used in China from roughly AD 900 until its abolition in 1905. In this form of execution, the condemned person was killed by using a knife to methodically remove portions of the body over an extended period of time. The term língchí derives from a classical description of ascending a mountain slowly. Lingchi was reserved for crimes viewed as especially severe, such as treason and killing one’s parents. The process involved tying the person to be executed to a wooden frame, usually in a public place. The flesh was then cut from the body in multiple slices in a process that was not specified in detail in Chinese law and therefore most likely varied. In later times, opium was sometimes administered either as an act of mercy or as a way of preventing fainting. The punishment worked on three levels: as a form of public humiliation, as a slow and lingering death, and as a punishment after death.

Then, of course, there is a modern day office variant – “death by a thousand papercuts”, which I won’t go into any detail – you can get the idea.

Well, today I discovered yet another, even more modern variation of that – death by a thousand mouse clicks. And even if you’ve heard that before in regards to a bad user interface, there is another meaning to it. Yesterday I paper cut my right index finger. While it’s not that bad on its own, when combined with a mouse button it is indeed a new form of torture.

Do you have any idea how many times you click, double-click and wheel-scroll every day? A lot! I tried to count but I don’t know a number that large. Except gadzillion, to which I don’t know how to count. Anyway, even if you don’t use your mouse so much, you still need to type, don’t you? And typing with the cut on the index finger is more annoying than with any other finger. All because of those little nobs they put on keys F and J so that you could find the home row. Good thing I’m not bleeding at least…

Day in brief – 2011-12-12

  • I've tried a few WordPress to Twitter plugins in the last few days. Twitter Publisher is the best I could find. http://t.co/zfEKpWrQ #
  • @cyprusmail There is a problem with your website. http://t.co/kYmXMATC #
  • @emtaylor Good luck with that. I'm Russian, but even I have troubles with the grammar. Tough language. :) #
  • The new Twitter web interface – I like it, I like it a lot. #
  • IT vs. Legal – 1:0. Summary: don't fight with the Internet, you can't win. :) #
  • @emtaylor I hear sound is very useful. As in if you hear a bumping, knocking or scratching, you should stop reversing. :) #
  • I favorited a @YouTube video http://t.co/zJnOsCYW Rubik's cube world record: 5.66 seconds Feliks Zemdegs #