Random thoughts at random time

Why Bill Gates is better than Steve Jobs

2010-01-30T22:13:00.009+02:00

By the title of this blog post, you might think I am crazy. How could Bill Gates can be in any way better than Steve Jobs? Bill Gates is geeky, dresses weird, is a bad presenter, and off-course represents Microsoft, one of the most disregarded software company. On the other hand Steve Jobs is cool, is a very good presenter, and he represents Apple, on of the most fashionable technology company. It is like comparing Microsoft with Apple, Windows with OSX, Zune with iPod. So definitely the title must be wrong.

But I still believe that in one important aspect Bill Gates is better than Steve Jobs. After he retired from Microsoft, Bill Gates dedicated most of his time and money to philanthropy. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation directs most of its attention to global health, education and agriculture in the third world and has committed more than $21 billion since it was established in 1994. On top of that, recently the foundation announced plans to invest $10 billion in the fight against a number of illnesses including AIDS and said the record donation could save nearly nine million lives. I would argue that these are the best 'invested' money as they could be.

So, from one point of view, you could say that the money won from that 'crappy' operating system are used for greater purposes. I agree that most of the money went to the share-holders, and only a small part went to Bill's account; but as I said is just a point of view. Bill Gates was ruthless in business and his company was very aggressive with the competitors, but in the end all the money he won in those times are now spent for noble purposes.

From this point of view I am more that happy to contribute to the success of his products. From this point of view I would rather buy an Microsoft products than a trendy Apple product.

Disclaimer: I have nothing personal against Steve Jobs or Apple. I even admire him and some of his work at Apple. He is presented here only as an icon representing the fashionable trend in technology today.

Portret de huligan

2009-06-16T09:16:00.007+03:00

Toata lumea a auzit deja de evenimentele de la finala cupei Romaniei la fotbal, intre CFR Cluj si Politehnica Timisoara. Dar din pacate nu din cauza spectacolului fotbalistic sau a spectacolului de lumini, ci din cauza "spectacolului" din tribune.

Circumstantele partidei nu au fost deloc favorabile: o organizare defectuoasa, un stadion neadecvat, un arbitru incompetent sau rau voit, forte de ordine cu excess de zel.

Deoarece fotbalul din teren lasa de dorit, suporterii au avut initiativa si au pornit propriul lor joc de fotbal la concurenta cu cel din teren ("Am ajuns la concluzia ca noi / Jucăm fotbal mai bine ca voi!"). Nici vorba de scandal sau probleme, ci de fotbal, bucurie si scandari.
Dar din lipsa de inspiratie miuta din peluza a fost oprita brusc prin confiscarea mingii si printr-o serie de neintelegeri si riposte violente a inceput haosul.
Unul din suporteri, exasperat ca echipa lui nu este in stare sa dea nici macar un gol, a intrat in teren sa bage el mingea in poarta si putin i-a lipsit, dar centrarea a fost prea in spate.
Jandarmeria a ripostat cu forta exagerata si in loc sa vizeze pe cei cativa care erau recalcitranti, au atacat la propriu intreaga peluza, impartind bastoane si spray paralizant in stanga si in dreapta, la copii, femei si oricine le iesea in cale. Intreaga peluza a fost evacuata si inchisa pe un teren sintetic ca o turma de animale. Apoi au fost dusi la sectie si amendati abuziv, fara dovezi in marea majoritate a lor, rezultand o serie de procese verbale copiate unul de la altul ,ca la bacalaureat, datate ori in timpul meciului ori la ore ca 24:30 si impartite la nimereala fara nici o logica. Tarziu in noapte, mult dupa miezul noptii suporterii au fost lasati sa plece acasa.

Si acum o scurta prezentare a "huliganului" tipic care a fost amendat in urma incidentelor:
- doua fetite de 13 si 14 ani
- o doamna de vreo 40 de ani
- 3 austrieci veniti in vizita (ma intreb ce parere au de tara noastra)
- un aradean coborat de la tribuna oficiala inainte de terminare meciului si care a avut ghinionul sa paraseasca stadionul prin spatele peluzei
- si lista continua...

Singura vina a lor a fost ca au fost la meci si au tinut cu Poli. Dar se pare ca a fost de ajuns. Este trist.

Mai multe detalii nu am, pentru ca din pacate am fost in tribune si nu in peluze, dar puteti sa-i intrebati pe cei din peluza sau sa cititi aici.

Si cativa "huligani" pozati ca dovada:

Vreau "sa felicit" Jandarmeria Romana pentru recordul de 230 de amenzi; o sa fiti nominalizati la premiul jandarmul anului. Suporterii amendati cred, de fapt sigur, aveau mai multe clase decat toata Jandarmeria orasului. "Unde nu-i cap vai de picioare", dar din pacate nu a fost cap pe de-o parte si a fost vai de cealalta parte.

Shift Happens - Globalization and the Information Age

2007-03-23T18:03:00.000+02:00

Information and computation capabilities are growing faster than you can imagine. Did you know? that it is estimated that 1.5 exabytes (10^18) of unique new information will be generated worldwide this year, more than the previous 5000 years. Did you know? that predictions are that by 2013 a supercomputer will exceed the computation capabilities of the human brain, and that by 2049 a $1000 computer will exceed the computation capabilities of the human rase. There so much things we don't know and we can't even imagine...

The following video, Shift Happens - Globalization and The Information Age, was originally created by Karl Fisch, and later modified by Scott McLeod. It tries to illuminate us as what living on earth in 10 or 20 years will be like.

Noi suntem Poli!

2007-03-19T13:49:00.000+02:00

17.03.2007 - 15.000 de suflete violete au aratat in Piata Operei (locul unde s-a nascut Romania libera) ca Timisoara este mai presus de orice interese, politici, bani si coruptie. Aici se iubeste! Pana cand va realiza si restul tarii acest lucru va trece multa apa pe Bega.
Pana atunci: Forza Viola! si fiti la fel in continuare, ca nu au ce sa ne faca.

Violetii fara vina

Tesseract

2007-01-28T17:07:00.000+02:00

In geometry, the tesseract is the four-dimensional analog of the (three-dimensional) cube, where motion along the fourth dimension is often a representation for bounded transformations of the cube through time. The tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square; or, more formally, the tesseract can be described as a regular convex 4-polytope whose boundary consists of eight cubical cells. A tessarect is a particular “hypercube”, one with only 4 dimensions.

A 3D projection of a rotating tesseract. This tesseract is suspended and oriented so that all edges, faces, and cubes are either parallel or perpendicular to the direction the projecting light is pointing. The tesseract rotates about a 2D axis perpendicular to the direction of the projecting light.

New blog

2007-01-22T16:16:00.000+02:00

Beside this personal blog i started a new one, called "Thoughts on programming". This a blog in which i express my personal ideas in programming and some other's people ideas which i agree with. I hope you'll like it.

The Standard Model

2006-10-27T21:02:00.000+03:00

The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory which describes the strong, weak, and electromagnetic fundamental forces, as well as the fundamental particles that make up all matter. Developed between 1970 and 1973, it is a quantum field theory, and consistent with both quantum mechanics and special relativity. To date, almost all experimental tests of the three forces described by the Standard Model have agreed with its predictions. However, the Standard Model is not a complete theory of fundamental interactions, primarily because it does not describe the gravitational force.
See explanatory image.

Google Code Search

2006-10-06T09:41:00.000+03:00

Need some code fast? Why write it when you can search it at Google Code.
Try it! and you won't be sorry.

Quantum Physics Fun

2006-10-03T23:00:00.000+03:00

Learn some Quantum Physics, while having some fun:

Einstein quote

2006-09-28T22:13:00.002+03:00

"Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid;

humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant;

together they are powerful beyond imagination."

- Albert Einstein

An Inside Look at Google

2006-09-21T14:11:00.000+03:00

Would be nice to work @Google (very nice ;) ).
Just take a look:

Sfarsitul vacantei

2006-09-21T13:59:00.000+03:00

Se termina si ultima vacanta pe care o mai am in anii mei de scoala. Dar, din pacate, nu a fost mare lucru de vacanta: noroc cu prima saptamana dupa sesiune cand am reusit sa fug si eu unde sa mai "chill out" putin, ca de atunci sunt tot la lucru (zi de zi - 8 ore pe zi). Deci cam naspha pentru ultima mea vacanta. Acum incepe ultimul an de faculta. Nici nu stiu sa ma bucur ca e ultimul sau sa fiu trist ca se termina si incepe viata... Mai vedem...

Am si eu un blog

2006-09-17T23:33:00.000+03:00

In ultima vreme toata lumea are un blog. Asta e, mi-am facut si eu unul. Acum ramane de vazut cat de des o sa am timp sa scriu si mai ales cine o sa-l citeasca.