Somebody please take down this server (or otherwise notify some authority to do so):

http://211.158.34.250/citifi/

It's trying to get bank data. I do know better (and have no Citibank account), but some people don't.

"Dear Customer:

Recently there have been a large number of cyber attacks pointing our database servers. In order to safeguard your account, we require you to sign on immediately.

This personal check is requested of you as a precautionary measure and to ensure yourselves that everything is normal with your balance and personal information.

This process is mandatory, and if you did not sign on within the nearest time your account may be subject to temporary suspension.

Please make sure you have your Citibank(R) debit card number and your User ID and Password at hand.

Please use our secure counter server to indicate that you have signed on, please click the link bellow:

http://211.158.34.250/citifi/

!! Note that we have no particular indications that your details have been compromised in any way.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and thank you for using Citibank(R)

Regards,

Citibank(R) Card Department

(C)2004 Citibank. Citibank, N.A., Citibank, F.S.B.,
Citibank (West), FSB. Member FDIC.Citibank and Arc
Design is a registered service mark of Citicorp."

Most of us aren't, because google is good enough. OK it's amazing... or at least it was some years ago, last time we checked. Ever tried Clusty? By default, one of its tabs is "Encyclopedia" (guess *which* encyclopedia, if you know me!). That alone hooked me long enough to take a second look. The tabs are customizable, meaning you can, if you are scientific, put a PubMed tab... or remove some of the default tags if you feel like it. Other examples of non-default tags? Slashdot! (Or also Reuters, if you are more conventional). I think I will give it a try for the next few days...

Oh, I guess I didn't mention the clustering of results, by different criteria... you'll have to try it yourselves. When you have, come again and tell me that big-brother-google is still the one and only.

This may not be the year of linux on the desktop... but it may very well be the last year of Explorer on the Internet! w3schools confirms it: Explorer is dying!

YMMV, but everywhere the trend is the same: IE is losing dominance, from more than 95% to less than 90% to (for some, at least) less than 80% !

You can lend a hand to make the web a better place for all of us! Are you sure nobody you know is using IE? Friends help friends installing and using a modern, standards-compliant web browser. Yes, and that goes for relatives, too ;)

Del Servicio de Atención al Cliente de la Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios:

"Ref MM-131184-04 Formato word

Socio: Alejandro Gaita-Arinyo

Estimado socio,

No podemos sino darle la razón en su comentario. Le pedimos disculpas por cualquier inconveniente que le haya podido ocasionar la recepción del fichero adjunto en formato word. Asímismo tendremos en cuenta su comentario para adjuntar ficheros con formato .pdf, .txt o .html en el futuro, de manera que la lectura de la información sea compatible con cualquier ordenador independientemente del sistema operativo y de la herramienta de tratamiento de textos utilizada por el usuario.

Atentamente,"

I know this isn't for europeans just now, so maybe I shouldn't care... but software patents also started in the US and we are now smelling the danger at this side of the Atlantic.

Please, US voters, take a look at this and stop an incoming nightmare. You might save not only your freedom, but also mine :)

Terminada la tesis y las vacaciones de Agosto, creo que he recuperado muchas fuerzas. Me he preparado un archivo TODO (usando el Vim y manteniendo el formato .tex para disfrutar del resaltado por sintaxis que me resulta ya tan familiar), y parece que cunde bastante.

Como nota OFFTOPIC: Visto el pucherazo de las últimas elecciones estadounidenses, en las que había papeletas de papel que recontar, qué pensáis que ocurrirá en las próximas? Servirán de algo los observadores de la ONU, si el programa que maneja las máquinas de Diebold es de código cerrado?

A ver cuándo recupero las fuerzas y vuelvo a trabajar en aquello para lo que me pagan (investigación científica). Por ahora, vegeto, ocio, y me dedico a la wikipedia...

:-D

Ya he pagado las tasas.

Cómo me siento? Pues aliviado, por motivos burocráticos (no me pueden dar nada postdoc sin ser doctor, por ejemplo)... pero hay tantas cosas más importantes en mi vida que me temo que esto no es la culminación de mi existencia, ni nada similar. Me alegro, sobre todo, de haber terminado la tesis, porque ahora estoy más libre (free as in friday) para dedicarme a otros asuntos.

Tras una inexplicada y alarmante frenada hace un par de meses, la es.wikipedia.org vuelve a coger ritmo. Me parece que hay mucho que acelerar este verano si queremos seguir en el carro del crecimiento wikipédico (en la en.wikipedia.org crecían a un artículo por minuto la última vez que lo miré, en la hispana con más de 50 al día nos damos con un canto en los dientes...).

No sé exactamente qué nos falta para atraer a más público. A mucha gente le empezamos a sonar, porque se nos encuentra al buscar en google. En las noticias salimos de vez en cuando, y tampoco creo que nos merezcamos salir mucho más... Quizá si nos supiéramos ganar al colectivo de profesores de instituto, podríamos tener a una oleada (tras otra) de alumnos de bachiller, dispuestos a echar una mano. Quizá si consiguiéramos desplazar a sitios tipo "El rincón del vago"...

Otro público al que ganarnos sería la comunidad de bibliotecarios, claro. Esta gente con amor por los libros y la cultura podría hacer mucho por la enciclopedia libre.

O probablemente podamos atacar desde los periódicos digitales. Si las publicaciones digitales se acostumbraran a enlazar a artículos de la wikipedia para ampliar conceptos, ganaríamos muchísima visibilidad.

I think we can consider the Free Software vs Privative Software Wars won (joking!), so I'm going to move on to Free Music vs Privative Music, a much more hardcore camp, imho. I'm still using iRATE to get new music, and I plan to buy a bunch of CDs from www.magnatune.com, as soon as I have a clear selection (they call it "try before you buy!").

I would appreciate alternative suggestions for where to get/buy my Free music (octal666, cómo era eso que solía salir en barrapunto? la...nosequé?).

Soon enough, I expect to be handling over CDs with Free music to my friends and relatives. World Domination will be one step closer! Haw, haw, haw! :D

On a side note, I'm organizing a LaTeX activity tomorrow. "Office bueno, office muerto!"

Vaya, pues ya soy doctor. (O no, realmente no tengo ningún papel que lo atestigüe...).

Mola :-D

Come on, people! Move your asses and lend a hand! The greatest, biggest, collaborative usability study for gnu/linux / openoffice / kde / gnome / mozilla / various_distros is underway! You can do your bit, wiki-style, on http://www.grokdoc.net . Just remember when you were a newbie, or find one, and post the usability problems -in greatest detail- there. They will be analized by experts, and better manuals, and better software will come from the whole experiment :)

Can you feel *more* pain? I hope when it comes back, it will work fine (last days were pretty bad: when you need a wiki-dose you don't like to wait 10 minutes and 4 re-tries until the edit is finally successfully stored!).

I should say now that, on the plus side, my productivity has improved and all that b***s**t. I won't. One of my main sources of "productivity" right now is the study of magnetochemistry and quantum chemistry, because I will read my thesis in 3 weeks or so and I would like to refresh my knowlegde to the max.