tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243197402024-03-07T20:41:08.932+01:00The best ideas are common property.Sometimes I get an idea that is just so crazy I have to write it down somewhere.Stecchinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897782022515387068noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24319740.post-16539359201303439332010-06-22T15:45:00.004+02:002010-06-22T15:53:50.593+02:00House tech specsFor those who like to geek out on technical specs:<br />I've summarized all the technology use in our, almost complete, solar passive house on <a href="http://onetoc.blogspot.com/2010/06/our-solar-passive-house-summary.html">a dedicated blog </a>.<br /><br />The obligatory pretty picture:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dHagi-przjU/TCC_9XGnayI/AAAAAAAAAo4/SdedZEFymRI/s1600/20062010072.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dHagi-przjU/TCC_9XGnayI/AAAAAAAAAo4/SdedZEFymRI/s320/20062010072.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485595407031954210" /></a><br /><br />And there is more on the linked to post.<br /><br />BartStecchinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897782022515387068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24319740.post-72113796562406248522010-02-02T13:22:00.001+01:002010-02-02T13:27:38.522+01:00Guess What!<a href="http://www.fosdem.org"><img src="http://www.fosdem.org/promo/going-to" alt="I'm going to FOSDEM, the Free and Open Source Software Developers' European Meeting" /></a><br /><br />But probably only one day.<br />Anyone planning a KDE dinner?Stecchinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897782022515387068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24319740.post-11052909652321663982009-12-29T21:07:00.009+01:002009-12-31T11:31:19.901+01:00What we'll be doing the coming monthsWe'll be building a house, that's what.<br /><br />For the past 3 years Wendy and me have been planning this project and it's damn time we started.... which we did the past 2 days. Here is photographic evidence:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJawuhZzP4kX5jPTz6K4Kxd5it9GZNNHNXOfE4nTOcv7Iz8oYwDajY2rJMiqgzGjpj2tZpMcovqU0KhC0K3mGAN2Zpu8PmqeaWEsd3KhpK62d0NCR8h6Pt10Px7zRaob235eE/s1600-h/DSCF0610.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJawuhZzP4kX5jPTz6K4Kxd5it9GZNNHNXOfE4nTOcv7Iz8oYwDajY2rJMiqgzGjpj2tZpMcovqU0KhC0K3mGAN2Zpu8PmqeaWEsd3KhpK62d0NCR8h6Pt10Px7zRaob235eE/s320/DSCF0610.JPG" border="0" alt="big hole in the ground" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421337540788469122" /></a><br /><br />That big hole in the gound is only the start of what, over the next few months, is supposed to become this beautiful piece of architecture:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeViLrRgHFFdzO6KwcxnsBNVc9D7PJXiS_LUhGKhYXXYwnJtO9qk_y8IjlEvaXQF99wMkHYDB1jPznGrRzyU24lCIMrbRofqivelgtndYmWffFPJdrzXrP9uB91y1Jq3E2SGG/s1600-h/conceptschets1_small.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeViLrRgHFFdzO6KwcxnsBNVc9D7PJXiS_LUhGKhYXXYwnJtO9qk_y8IjlEvaXQF99wMkHYDB1jPznGrRzyU24lCIMrbRofqivelgtndYmWffFPJdrzXrP9uB91y1Jq3E2SGG/s320/conceptschets1_small.png" border="0" alt="The architects first sketch" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421338094314476018" /></a><br /><br />Notice the sun in this sketch because it's what this house will use as it's main heating source. It will be solar <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house">passive house</a> meaning it will use about 10 times less energy to heat then a regular house here in Belgium. If the budget allows we'll put enough photo-voltaic panels on the roof to never have an electricity bill over €15 per year. And since we are geeks it will have domotics and multi-room audio.<br /><br />Designing and building your own house is common in Belgium. According to a saying we have "a brick in our stomach". We are not using bricks though, it's a combination of a concrete "pit" containing a wooden frame clad with cement bonded panels. And the layout is upside down, bedrooms downstairs (and partially underground) and the open-planed living spaces about 1.5 meters above ground level, which itself is 2 meters above street level.<br /><br />This is as unconventional as you can get in this country but anyone that knows Wendy and me could guess we wouldn't have it any other way :).<br /><br />If you are interested and can read Dutch (or just want to look a the photo's): we maintain <a href="http://www.ecobouwers.be/blog/bartcerneels">a blog</a> on a eco oriented site for (potential) builders called <a href="http://www.ecobouwers.be">ecobouwers.be</a>.<br />And I'll add a few <a href="http://onetoc.blogspot.com/search/label/EN">English posts to my other blog</a> which I named after the house number we've been assigned: 12C.<br /><br />Greets<br />Bart & WendyStecchinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897782022515387068noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24319740.post-41286536186272838162009-07-16T11:11:00.015+02:002009-07-16T16:48:41.885+02:00Apple breaks Palm Pre compatibility. Or: an open letter to PalmDear Palm,<br /><br />When you launched the Pre everyone was very excited about the excellent job you did. Everyone except Apple that is, they don't like such strong competition.<br /><br />You decided to reverse engineer the iTunes database "protocol" used in Apple products and implemented it from the device side on the Pre. This has the benefit of being able to sync the Pre with iTunes on any PC or Mac without installing extra software.<br />And you didn't have to invest in development of your own desktop software, which is not a differentiating feature for you. You're in the business of selling phones, not software. I don't think deciding to "outsource" this to Apple was a smart move though.<br /><br />So now the bully is attacking you on *their* playground:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/07/15/itunes-8-2-1-brings-pres-music-syncing-capability-to-a-halt-2/"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 299px;" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/07/itunes-821-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br /><a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com><span style="font-style:italic;">From Engadget Mobile</span></a></a><br /><br />And then <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2009/07/apple_to_palm_i.html">they say it's your own fault</a>. You could go crying to the principle (or whatever you want to call court you want to file the anti-competitive lawsuit with).<br /><br />But if you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the <span style="font-weight:bold;">AMAROK-TEAM!<br /></span><br />The media-player support in Amarok 2 is shaping up to be very flexible, complete and easy to implement thanks to the hard work of 2nd time GSoC student and <a href="http://amarok.kde.org/blog/categories/29-xevix">hacker extraordinaire Alejandro</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://nhnfreespirit.kollide.net/pics/amarok_multiple_collections.png"><img style="float:right; margin:10px 10px 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px;" src="http://nhnfreespirit.kollide.net/pics/amarok_multiple_collections.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />We can quickly add support for the Palm Pre, or any other player, providing there is a way to access the database and we have documentation of the data-format. We already have iPod and MTP support and the same system is used to implement audio CD as a collection. iPhone OS 3.0 is being worked on as well as UMS (generic USB device) and OBEX (many cellphones).<br />We promise not to change our application to prevent users to use Amarok with your device. Not only do we care about our users, we are not a competitor to you or have any ulterior motives.<br />Amarok is already fully supported on all flavors of Linux and we have beta releases on Windows and Mac OSX which just need a bit of polishing and stabilization.<br /><br />Serious business proposals can be send to the Amarok team at business@getamarok.com (these emails will not be publicly readable).Stecchinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897782022515387068noreply@blogger.com8