February 2019

February 2019

I realize that I make systematically a couple of typos on each article. If that is the case, don’t worry. As soon as I re-read the blog entry, I will correct the error when I see it. At the moment I won’t use any proof reader, so the word might go unnoticed. But, better late than never, as the saying goes.

I have started a new series about bus tickets around the world. Each time I find a ticket from my past voyages, I will post an article about it. I wish I find those beautiful tickets from Naples, where stamping was done by cutting off one of the four corners of the ticket. Great idea at that time (just before 2000).

One word about posting. As you have already noticed, most of the posts are published at exactly 0500 UTC. Thanks to WordPress, it is possible to schedule an article to become public at a specific date and time. For the last several months, the articles have been published this way, with a very few exceptions. In many cases, an article written today would get published the next day at 5am. This has some advantages, like reviewing the article for spell errors. I don’t use grammarly or any proofreading software. Some errors may go unnoticed. Don’t worry, even for an article published one year ago, the moment I see the misspelled word I make the change.

Since September 2nd, 2018, the Wessex Bus company has no service in the Bristol region. I’ve put a notice at the beginning of this article. Arghh!, the risk of internet websites. If a site breaks links, there is no way to be notified.  Maybe there should be an API that informs 3rd parties that the links become broken. Mr. Berners-Lee, what do you think about this ?

As you have already seen, I am interested in debating over the new trend of installing platform doors in the subway and in the application of this new technology to traditional railway stations. I have confidence that by eliminating the possibility of errors one can increase the reliability of a system. That is what platform doors are.

By the way, one week ago I visited what is considered to be the #1 animation & graphics school in the world.  I was very disappointed to find out that it could be easily be called The Adobe School of Graphics. I was expecting to find drawing tools invented by them. Far from that.

Time and again I tested Photoshop and there is one thing I can say: it is hard to use, not intuitive and of course overpriced. The problem is that the alternatives are as not better at all. So I’ll stick a bit longer with Open Office, until I will built my own tools. As Alan Kay said:

People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.

I believe one can replace the word hardware with tools. I will always remember when the lady at the desk asked me:

“Which software program did you use ?”

and I answered:

“I’ve built my own”

Yes, the best tools are the ones you need, not the ones that exist. Sorry to say that, but the world really lost a lot when Steve Jobs stepped down for the second time. He should have stayed CEO till the end. How I miss the skeumorphics!

As for now, it will take a bit longer, but I will build that graphic tool easy to use, even by a 90 old person.