Quick status report

have not blogged here in a while because I keep awfully busy elsewhere (primarily Boycott Novell) and also because I have spent the past few weeks maintaining and upgrading this Web site’s different pieces of software. I shall return to posting more regularly pretty soon. Thanks for the patient subscribers, some of whom I haven’t heard from in a while.

I rarely bother to share personal stories here, but I’ll quickly make one exception. As you may know by now, I finished my practical work (comprising mainly experiments) on the PhD when I was 23/24. but I then slowed it down a bit… well, thereby neglecting my goal of obtaining a PhD at the age of 24. It would have been nice, but priorities changed.

On Friday I had my viva and I passed conditionally (just need to fix one chapter, and for that I have plenty of time). All in all, it’s all good news and all! Yes, it’s a messy sentence by design.

Time flies when you do something you enjoy

have been fairly pleased with my last weekend, which is now over. For a a change, I went out to a nice dinner last night and I also managed to relax as the workload is reduced (thank you, summertime). Yesterday, a journalist and author who appears in CNN, NBC and many other top-tier networks got in touch with me. We’ll see where it leads, but all in all, I am less worried about my future than I once used to be.

My worry is not associated with inability to work, but rather it’s about the possibility of no longer doing what I consider play (for a living!). My job at the University pays me over $40 a week for just 5-10 minutes of actual effort. It’s fantastic. How long will this last? We shall see.

For the time being, life treats me fairly well. I live a modest life, my spendings are minimal, but passion transcends and supersedes all else.

[NOTE: streams of consciousness post]

HE past year has been an amazing year for me. I keep making excellent progress. Google have contacted me again, without me even applying. And apparently, it’s the #1 company to work for, based on the most recent US surveys. They actually have interest in my skills, which is the greatest ego boost one can wish for. While the door may be open for me to join them (as they got in touch with me in the past as well), I can only suspect that, given more time, I can do better independently, maybe as a freelancer. It’s clearly an investment. I will complete my current endeavours, which is important for status — however pointless it may seem — and then try to establish my own career, which may or may not revolve around activism. I have been in contact with some managers and prominent figures. Together we have an impact on the government (through the Open Source Consortium), as well as some of the world’s largest companies.

Some of this enlightening direction came from frustration. The frustration resulted from the morbid state of the IT industry, which I was probably destined to reach as a Software Engineer. Recently, someone shrewdly pointed out that people who work in computing nowadays either work for Microsoft or support them. It is an insult to one’s intelligence because Microsoft deliberately slows down innovation. It helps this suppressive establishment sustain a monopoly while keeping R&D spendings low and approaching no risks (disruptive technology). All they deliver are binary ‘blobs’ for Windows on a 32-bit x86 architecture. It’s very restrictive. In the past it was the norm to provide source code. Things are changing now, for a reason. There are benefits to be reaped. Also, the backlash that was formed due to ‘imperialism’ in the computer industry simply craved for older days to return, probably for good. The transition to Free/Libre Open Source software can be seen anywhere we go. It happens to also reduce waste, which helps the environment.

For those who refuse to be fooled by cliches and be sucked into a lavish lifestyle, here is a liberating point of view: Ask yourself not how much you wish to spend and how much work would cover it. The less you spend, the less you need to work. This leaves time for hobbies and luxuries.

I began with research and a couple of jobs as my main occupation. I had many hobbies on the Web, which in turn began paying the bills (Netscape). That is when my hobby and passion became a job, as well as a 24/7 commitment. My PCs have been up since a campus-wide outage in July (running a 2.4 Linux kernel), so the principles I advocate have my full faith. I stand behind everything I preach.

If it were not for delays that I cannot control (e.g. the involvement with and procrastination of other people), I will have probably finished my degree on time, at the age of 24. At the moment it feels as though I’m on semi leave, but I will complete things shortly. One thing I learned while working toward the Ph.D. is that long sentences make it hard to digest the input, let alone breathe in. I improved my writing and presentation skills. Beyond this, I can’t help but feel that 3 years in industry can teach much more than academic experiences. Those who say that a doctoral degree means very little are most likely correct.

As for the future, it’s too hard to tell. I am against long-term projections, which are unrealistic. Technically speaking, predicting the future will involve taking into account all atoms, even neurons of every organism and then building an infinitely-complex simulator and running it for almost an eternity. Let’s just wait and see. I think I’ll be fine.

Screen-shot of Metisse for FVWM

Photo from around 1984

EREK tagged me almost a fortnight ago, but I didn’t realise this until Technorati (also known as Egorati) flagged a related ping from Dave. Initailly, I was not going to tag anyone because my response is so overly belated, but in order to carry on this chain and off the top of my head (and feed reader) I’d choose Homer, Computer Guru, Michele, Chetan and last but not least—Harvey.

So, five embarrassing (by choice) things you did not know about me:

1. I never tie my shoes these days. Whether it’s sneakers or something more formal, I tie the laces just once and then use the shoes as though they were flip-flops.
2. As s child, I wanted to play the trombone
3. I worked at Burger King for a year
4. I have had imposters in the past. Misrepresentation and social engineering then became more of a threat.
5. I always use the computer while I eat

The path of this chain so far: me » Derek van Vilet » Chris Finke » C.K. Sample » Jason Calacanis » Amanda Congdon » Michael Ambs » Rick Rey » Steve Woolf » Steve Garfield » Jeff Pulver.

A short essay of mine has been published over at newassignment.net. It is a short writeup which, at least at the time, contained ‘inside information’ from a project that I am involved with. The unedited version lies below:

By its very nature, learning involves exploration. Exploration requires transparency, versatility, and openness. Therefore, one of the areas that benefits education the most is the Open Source paradigm for development, collaboration, as well the widespread use of Open Source software.

There is an ongoing debate in the United Kingdom. The Open School Alliance recognised the fact that an Open Source approach to education would benefit the students not only by providing necessary skills, but also by reducing costs. There is an absurdity which took many observers’ attention. While recommendations are made by a government body called BECTA to acquire Open Source software in schools, facts on the ground suggest that these recommendations are completely ignored. Instead, pricey proprietary software is being acquired. It restricts the scale of knowledge offered to students, as well as leads them to depending on companies.

Members of the parliament have entered this vibrant discussion. They are presently working to reverse the worrisome trend. They wish to introduce more schools Open Source software rather than retain a state of ‘neutrality’ wherein vendors use incentives to promote their closed systems. To date, eighty-six members of parliament have questioned the exclusion of open source software from UK schools. They respond to an early day motion (EDM) tabled by John Pugh.

John Pugh MP has recently said: “In my experience a school is a key part of the community and as such has a role to play in the economy of that community — the emphasis on somethings seems to be local supply but not for information technology.”

In journalism, just like in school and academia, one needs to find a state of independence from industry. This rationalises a symbiotic relationship that exists between the community-oriented approach — that which replaces reliance on products and their vendors — and its appraisal. This culls out the tendency to incorporate bias, whether deliberately or not.

We sent the word out to the press/wires the other morning. We have approached the 100-MP milstone with 97 signatures by now.

Related links:

• egovmonitor.com
• computing.co.uk
• itweek.co.uk
• theinquirer.net
• vnunet.com
• netscape.com
• digg.com

Related articles for some context:

• MS unfazed by OSS schools report
• UK schools ‘wasting millions’ on Microsoft
• MPs: Open source faces exclusion in schools

It has been long weeks since I promised that I would publish my short interview with a Wired Magazine reporter. So finally, here it is:

Opening Question

Are sites like Digg and Netscape threatening the job of editors the way blogs have threatened reporters?

These are most definitely a threat. Anyone who denies that is, well….. in denial. Academically-speaking, peer-reviewed content suffers in quite the same way, primarily due to CiteSeer et al (publication farms) and the “just Google it” culture. I have had elaborate discussions with colleagues about this…

Interview

First, can I get some background on you. How old are you, where do you live and what do you do? One thing I want to convey is the every-dayness of contributors. I want readers to understand that people in their 20’s are able to manipulate as much web traffic as the New York Times’ editor.

I am a 24-year-old Ph.D. student from Manchester University. I have been studying here since I was 18 and I am amidst graduation (the viva). My daily routine has changed significantly in the past year. From being a (or “just another”) blogger I soon became a highly involved contributer in forums (technical newsgroups and mailing lists in particular). As time went by I found myself infatuated. A new phenomenon emerged, which offered access to a large audience. That was the point when I joined Digg. I was soon heavily (albeit not always happily) entangled. The longer I was there, the more influence I had. I was able to drive traffic to articles that appealed to me. I was even contacted by people whose site I had ‘Dugg’. The loveaffair continued as the momentum was there; there was something charming and addictive about it.

I am going to talk to some people about how they approach Digging, but I wanted to ask you more about how you approach being a Netscape Navigator. I, of course, am unfamiliar with your duties. How is it different from when you were a free contributor to Digg? Does it feel different because you are getting paid?

So… I shall assume that your input from Diggers obviates the need for me to deliver information about that side of the fence.

In Netscape, our duties involve the delivery of at least 5 submissions per day (on average). I personally exceed that by a factor of ~6, which means that votes, owing to their distributions, get ‘diluted’. Beyond the contribution of content, there are no commitments or responsibilities that are mandated with an iron fist. In fact, the atmosphere is very nice as the bosses are lenient. The ambition comes from within rather than from above. Commitment for the site is a driving force. We have some lively mailing lists ‘at the back’ and we attempt to find and intercept spam submissions using some rudimentary tools. There is an increasing number of so-called ‘clans’ or ’sock puppets’ that try to game the system.

More importantly — social bookmarking in total (digg, redit, netscape etc,): Do you feel your role as a “Top Digger” or “Netscape Navigator” give you a certain amount of power over web traffic? Is that a safe power for anyone to have? How do you think that relates to the control of a traditional newspaper editor?

As a Navigator, there is definitely a certain power that comes from the number and quality of one’s submissions. Recognition helps too and Navigators have the advantage of having their avatars appear in many places. And that certainly gives additional control over Web traffic. I hope this addresses your question.

The power is safe to have as long as the user/contributer (mind the subtle difference in terminology) can be trusted. Bear in mind that people’s submissions reflect on their passions and beliefs. In a political context this has led to some friction. I can’t attest to the experience of an editor in the press. However, be aware that there is no master mind (editor in chief), neither do we have real moderation or balancing mechanism (an ongoing issue to address). Supervisions appears to be minimal or very sporadic/selective.

Important point to add: social networks are driven by votes, so prominent content is being determined by the minds of the readers, whether it’s correct or not, whether it’s balanced or not. Social networks should always raise skepticism, so an outsider must never trust them. Social networks can be clannish and they can repel a certain crown while being a magnet to another. Digg, for example, is being transformed into an Apple turf, among other topics for which member have a passion.

Followup questions

1. Do you consider social bookmarking a new type of profesion? If so, how do you define it, what skills are involved?

Social bookmarking is, judging by my own perception, a contribution that enjoys a symbiotic relationship with one’s passion and interests. In many cases it can be a residue of one’s browsing habits; it has a (financial) reward bound to it as well.

The skills involved are few and the ‘entry barrier’ is, in general, very low. This does not necessarily indicate that there is motivation for dumbing-down of content. As short snippets bound to links are no longer a sin per se, there is this danger that journalism, attributions, and sources will be redefined.

2. Have you or anybody else ever recieved offers to get paid to submit a specific link? I’m getting the impression that this is not unheard of.

No, I was never approached with such an offer. I have, on the other, recently become aware of sites that encourage manipulation of content. This is worrisome.

3. Is this a good way for people to get their news: Is it as informative as a regular newspaper?

As I previously said, social networks and sites that represent a certain clique are bound to have bias. It’s seems inevitable that corruption and spamming will become more widespread and less detectable, too. That said, newspaper are no exception, albeit they are more closely regulated and artificially-balanced/moderated. Take the following as an example.

Bill Gates lends cash to buy newspapers

$350 million to MediaNews

Gates involvement has been very behind the scenes. In fact many of those involved in the deal didn’teven know he was one of the investors. It was carried out through the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropy outfit.

Source

E have probably all become familiar with Open Source software. The Open Source concept has extended its reach to what can only be described as remotely sensible areas of life. Take, for example, Open Source beer, an Open Source Cola drink recipe (PDF warning) and… Open Source journalism.

Inevitably, journalism will go online. Nobody denies this fact. The press as we know it must evolve to take advantage of new informartion delivery systems—those which facilitate collaboration. Yes, with the Internet, collaboration is finally facilitated and feedback can be obtained and made public in real time. Blogs exemplify this whilst their rising popularity (readership) makes traditional publishers nervous.

An article I read on the WSJ over a year ago stated something like “Journalists and newspaper publishers come to realisethat all rivers run dry”. This was said in reference to advertisements, audience, classifieds, etc. The quote to stress here is: “evolve or die”. Open Source journalism is about adaptation to change, which keeps things competitive and gains avid readers. These readers usuaully appreciate the added value of comments and TalkBacks (like the ones you would find in ZDNet and C|Net). There’s a two-way pipe that prevents the reader from being muted.

I have a little announcement to make: I joined NewAssignment.net a couple of weeks ago. This site is committed to leading the way as it explores a new paradigm for journalism. Trailblazer it might not necessarily be, but many eyes are watching the concept of Open Source journalism as it stands in practice. My active (and visible) participation appears imminent and I truly look froward to it. I don’t know yet if I’ll be premitted to dump copies of the material submitted there onto my blog (much like Matt Asay, whose writeups on Open Source I always enjoy, does in InfoWorld. I noticed that he also changes the title for SEO-related advantages).

My heavy involvement in social bookmarking sites such as Digg.com and Netscape.com seems to have paid off. Social bookmarking is one thing that enriched my life tremendously. My participation in Netscape has had people sign up merely to leave a comment on something I had submitted. Mailing lists as a form of communication is another thing which, along with newsgroups, has opened many doors. I recently received a thank-you from Red Hat for defending them in the Microsoft/Novell mess.