Very intense weekend with Aila: lots of things to discuss, not much time. I have been working too much for some time now. But we managed - and the summer has just begun.
We had a good time with our guests, though. And fixed many things in the garden and around the house. This place is very beautiful and we have just started.
Now I’m off-line until the 30th of June - see you all then! Enjoy the summer!
Aila wants to get to our summer house as soon as possible. I don’t want to rush anything today, but we have guests and have to leave pretty soon.
I don’t like the thought of being off-line during this weekend. Next week I’ll be off everything - or maybe on. And that’s the way I want it.
This feels too soon, before I have had time to unwind. But maybe it’s all for the best - I’ll soon find out. I’ll definitely be back on Saturday the 30th of June. Have a nice holiday!
I do feel better about things today, but there is a sadness to being this tired.
Even closer now… it’s well after midnight and I’m writing documentation. Today is the next-to-last day before my vacation.
Welcome back, Garret!
I received the final GUI framework-code early this morning, too late for testing or integration with the docs. We fixed it on-site, then burned new CD:s right there - it worked, the last code was beautiful and the customer is satisfied. But something about the final rush left a bad taste in my mouth: that last-minute-stuff should never have had to happen at all.
On the other hand, we did create a working system AND a clean, open design that solves a fairly difficult problem. Maybe I’ll feel better about it tomorrow.
Stockholm is wet, wet, wet today.
I’m wrapping up: making and waiting for phone-calls, writing documentation, preparing for an on-site course tomorrow. That’s about it. Also, I had forgotten I’d get my place cleaned today, so I had to leave and make my way through the rain to Aila’s place. That’s where I am right now.
Somewhat less successsful today: one customer unexpectedly postponed his next project. Very satisfied with the current one but unexpectedly had no money for the next. It left a bad taste, but there was nothing I could do about it. This was the first setback so far, and unless we have another one it doesn’t really matter.
I slept only about three hours last night. But now it’s slowdown time - only three more days to go and enough time to get things done. So I’ll get a good night’s sleep first.
LATEST NEWS: Congratulations to Olov Schedin (my business partner) and his girlfriend Sara! Today they had another daughter: Sara’s fifth and Olov’s second. The show must go on, however - Olov is closing in on our final deadline and says he will be working tonight. It’s good to know we’ll all have several weeks vacation soon.
I’m home after a first visit to our summer house. I’ll spend more time there after the final deadline. But first a little blogging…
Hal links to The Right Livelihood Resources. Food for thought. Thanks!
Robert Scoble had this to say to a supporter of Microsoft Smart Tags:
During this weekend’s top EU meeting in Gothenburg (Sweden’s second-largest city), demonstrations turned into violent fighting. Masked people were running wild, smashing up cars and shops. Three people attacking the police were shot. At the same time, several hundred non-violent demonstrators were arrested, and some people (including press photographers) were beaten bloody by the police. Swedish demonstrations almost never end this badly. The media coverage so far makes it very hard to tell what really happened.
Richard Stallman: Science must push copyright aside.
Der Schockwellenreiter already links to most of the Python-related goodies I would otherwise have pointed at today - go there!
Jörg also passes on this Brief intro to Graphical models and Bayesian networks and several good Prolog links gathered by Chris Langreiter. BTW - one goes to Amzi, a nice little Prolog that I have used with great success in one large project.
Doc Searls thinks the unclear licensing plans of the new MP3-standard is yet one more reason to look at Ogg Vorbis: Open FREE Audio. I’ve been planning to do so for a while now… I still don’t listen to enough music while surfing. Silence is beautiful, but so is the right music.
Me and Aila recently bought some old comics. She had never seen Mr Natural before, but immediately bought a few:
Now she’s looking at me in a new way when I walk around naked at home (that is, most of the time) and talk a lot. Hmmm… 
Dave Winer is suggesting Microsoft-free Fridays. I’ve been using Opera as my main browser for several months now and feel really good about it. Brent doesn’t like the way it looks - but like he says, that’s a matter of taste.
Opera does have far better support for using the keyboard and configuring windows than any other I know - for a power surfer, this can really save both hands and eyes. And while the speed is nice, it’s also has more informative messages during page loads and (optionally) very good cookie-control. Surfing with Opera for a few months will give you a better gut-feeling for what really happens when you click around.
Hint to Dave: I’ve tried to login at www.userland.com using Opera, but the Manila interface won’t let me. Good thing to fix while we are all thinking about alternatives.
Alwin summarizes what nurses do:
We do the unglamorous to the unhealthy at the ungodly hour that the unexpected happens.
Hal links to Failure at nonconscious goals explains negative ‘mystery moods’. He also wonders if this could be another good reason to meditate. Well, why not?
I’ll visit our summer paradise for the first time today. People think I’m joking when I tell them I learnt about our house in the country when I saw it on my girlfriend’s homepage. But it’s true. Have a nice Saturday!
Great day yesterday. More meetings today. Just a few more days to my vacation now - I can do it.
Very hot in Stockholm now. This time of the year there is very little reason to go elsewhere: sun, water, green things and beautiful people everywhere. Summer is finally here!
I am walking around with a big smile, meeting nice people and trying to figure out the best way to do fun things together. It’s serious, we are talking real business - but today I spent all day talking to people I like and trust.
Reading Swedish news, you might think that IT-consultants in Sweden are currently an endangered species. Well, maybe… but I don’t see much of that.
Dave Winer is right - the Web is under attack from many directions now. I see worrying things every day. His advice to enjoy what you have now is profound and true. But I’d like to add: be prepared to pick a good fight or two to preserve some freedom.
I AM switching hats, like I said I would. But right now I am in between. Not working anymore, but too tired to sleep. Thank God I can sleep late, before the meetings and demos.
Woke up early but strangely rested. When I looked into the mirror my eyes were dark, smiling and very clear. My preparations had paid off - I knew all I had to do was look at somebody and say: this is how it is. So I did.
Wow - what a great demo! Looks like one more client is on board.
Twentyfive degrees now! Hot, hot, hot… on my way home I stumbled into a small African cafe and had dinner. Never even knew it existed. Great food, good music… Stockholm is very alive now.
Richard Stallman writes about how the Hague treaty could make American software patents enforceable almost everywhere. This has been going on for a while and just seems to get worse. I’d hate to see the increasing lunacy of American software patents slow down the rest of the world, too.