Frédéric BLANC's Blog

This blog has moved

2010-04-30T23:59:00.001+02:00

This blog is now located at http://fblanc-en.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://fblanc-en.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

I'd like to celebrate this historic day…

2008-11-05T19:19:00.001+01:00

… 'cause today I "clicked"! (Read: I've ordered my next Mac after ~~months~~ years of waiting!)

From ADC Online…

2008-11-04T17:42:00.001+01:00

… to ADC Select. Yay!

Next step? To order my MacBook Pro! YAY!!!

My MBA: A Follow-Up

2008-03-03T11:43:00.005+01:00

A li'l mistake was to be found in my recent "My MBA…" blog post.

Indeed, instead of:

(…) I'm now pretty sure to end up buying the next revision of MacBook Pro!

one should have read:

(…) I'm now pretty sure to end up buying the next next revision of MacBook Pro!

Sometimes, a single word says it all…

(And yep, I'm once again sorry for those who still believe I'll see the day where I buy another Mac :/ !)

Now, let's take a break…

2008-02-06T18:40:00.000+01:00

A couple of months ago, I blogged about my successful dive into the marvelous AAPL world. Today, the opportunity to go a bit deeper into it was too huge to let it go. And in an additional bunch of months, I hope I could blog about how I've managed to grab a shiny, brand new MacBook Pro… for free ;) !

Now, it's indeed time to take a break…

Heath Ledger (1979-2008)

2008-01-22T23:28:00.000+01:00

I'm sad, very sad tonight. I've just learnt that this great, extremely promising actor has passed away. He only was 28. So young…

I may have seen Heath playing in a couple of films before, but his acting in Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm was what makes me take the time to look for who he really was. Of course, just a bit later, his role as Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's critically-acclaimed Brokeback Mountain revealed to the world how tremendously talented he was. We will miss you.

My heart goes out to his family.

My MBA…

2008-01-19T20:49:00.000+01:00

Me: "Finally. Got my MBA!"
You: "Really??? From which school?"
Me: "From Apple."
You: "What?!?"

OK… Now that the joke is over (sic), let's get serious :) ! By "MBA", one should understand "MacBook Air", of course ;) ! And by "joke", one should get that… I still haven't ordered what will be my next Mac :/ ! I know, I know, I owe you some explanation. But let's start with a "quick" sum-up of the previous episodes…

In December '05 (ouch!), I "gave" my old+beloved Power Macintosh G3 (B&W) to my sister (snif…) I was pretty sure Apple would release some new, amazing, Intel-based laptop as soon as January, during Macworld '06; and of course, I was plain right (sic). *BUT* I didn't plan them to only release a 15" model… Yep, their new MacBook Pro indeed was a-ma-zing; but I was ready to buy the "small" version, the follow-up to their great PowerBook G4 12". I wanted something I could grab+carry everywhere I'd go (read: at work too). So, I then decided to wait for Apple to migrate their entire offering so that it's 100% Intel-based. (Note: This waiting has only been possible thanks to my dad buying a new, Intel-based iMac in February '06… Without that, I would have failed waiting for so long, that's for sure!)

When Apple introduced its new MacBook line, it also took me a while to decide… that it wasn't good enough for me :( ! The size+weight were great, but the graphics chipset was too limited. As a user, it was OK for me: I just use my Mac to browse the Net, send e-mails, and above all… to (X)code. *BUT* I wanted my new machine to fully handle Leopard's forthcoming Core Animation technology; not as a user, but as a developer who crafts apps for some other users. Argh! I then waited for some more, hoping I wasn't the sole customer to expect a small, yet powerful Apple laptop ("Hi Japan!") Later on, some evidence (yes, patents) appeared that Apple was working on such a beast. Till Macworld '08…

So less than a week ago, Apple completed its, ahem… already-complete laptop offering (sic) with MacBook Air… I was once again A-right and almost choked while listening to Steve, announcing its specifications ("OMG!") *BUT* when I calmed down, I realised it alas wasn't the dream machine I was waiting for :( ! I'd like to apologise for those 2 years of soft "complaints" and doubts, but please let me explain you why…

In September '07, my employer abruptly ended my contract for, ahem… economical reasons after 6+ years of loyal devotion. (Life is hard when huge benefits are coming quarter after quarter, isn't it? But sorry, I digress…) Since then, I'm working on building my own software company (hint, hint) *from home*. I'm however still 100% sure to want a laptop, even though I'm not as mobile as I used to be. Yes, if I look back at the previous months, I could have lived with a desktop: I wouldn't have taken my laptop with me in Iceland, and I nicely handled my egyptian trip w/o one either. *BUT* I probably would have planned some more stays in the French Alps if I could have brought a laptop with me! I would also have found some occasions to enhance a couple of visits here and there thanks to my new mobile friend, etc.

But why not MacBook Air? I do plan to go on watching my DVDs. I still prefer listening to CD-quality music (and I own 500+ CDs I'd rather like to *use*.) I'm not that fond to put 1699 € into a great, but somewhat limited laptop (1.6 GHz?!? 80 GB?!?) when I could grab something way more powerful for less money (iMac) or for just a bit more (MacBook Pro). And since I still plan to bring my Mac with me, you know what remains… So yes, I'm gonna buy a Mac soon. Yes, it will be a laptop. No, I'm not A-OK to put 1699 € for MacBook Air. And after waiting a couple of years, I also think I can afford buying something a tad more pricey than MacBook ;) !

Conclusion: Today is almost historical 'cause I'm now pretty sure to end up buying the next revision of MacBook Pro! I can't wait :) !

TODO: Buy Tickets for June '08 New Radiohead Tour

2007-12-11T16:02:00.000+01:00

Done!  ("Yoohoo!  Yay!  Yeehaa!")  Yep, I've got my ticket for Nîmes (France), June '08!!!  Now, let's wait some more, and in a couple of days…

Update: +1!  And since I wasn't talking about some additional show in Nîmes ("Surprise!"), I reiterate my previous sentence: let's wait some more, and in a couple of days…

Update 2: In a couple of days… it will be SOLD OUT :( !  Argh!  I finally didn't manage to grab my tickets for Paris concerts.  And now, after some attempts to buy some from an indirect source, I know there are very li'l chance I'd put my hands on some :( !  So, it appears there's finally no Step 3 for me either.  But wait: I still got my 2 tickets for Nîmes's, don't I :) ?

A li'l quote about Android

2007-11-17T11:26:00.000+01:00

Reading Steven Frank's newest post re Google's Android announcement, I couldn't resist in quoting how he concluded it:

And that's why, despite all my grumping and flailing about of hands, I wish Google the best of luck with Android, and I'm looking forward to seeing it run on some actual hardware, and what happens after that. Even if all you do is bury Palm and Windows Mobile with a quantum leap in quality, you'll have done the world a great service.

Ah, ah, ah :) !

AAPL

2007-11-01T16:58:00.000+01:00

Today is just historical to me because another dream of mine came true! Some might say it was too easy a goal to achieve, but I can assure them it was not (and for a couple of reasons, really). I've tried to tick this check box in my Dream List way before today, and recurrently! But, let's get back to the exciting news 'cause, as some may have guessed from this post's title, I now own… a chunck of Apple, Inc.! No less :) !

If I've always (pro)actively promoted Apple's fantastic products around me (can provide references upon request… and at will ;) !), I've been rather passive all these years as a trader ("thanks" to some rigid French banks, I have to admit!) People were often amazed about my *huge* motivation to "sell" them the latest Apple goodies—from early morning to late at night (sic)—, and often thought I was an Apple employee and/or one of their shareholders. That was not the case… until today!!! (*)

(*) If I briefly was an Apple employee, I alas no longer am :( ! But I'd give anything I have to work there again. So Apple, don't hesitate to send me your offer :) ! Thanks.

Sure, it may have been a *huge* argument to convince them ("Why does this guy want me to buy a Mac then? What would he earn in doing so???") But it's time to think a bit about myself (and a li'l bit more about Apple as well, of course ;) !) So I recently decided to move to the next level, selected a new bank, opened an account, and today bought a nice share of Apple stocks. Yay! I'm happy :) ! Now, let's get prepared to buy a cute iPhone, plus one of those perfect MacBook Pro 13.3"… (Yep, this thin/slim/sub/whatever version to hopefully come soon ;) !)

Disclaimer: Yes, I (now) am an Apple shareholder :) !!! So from now on, I might virtually earn some money from my natural, ongoing, still strong propaganda :P ! You've been warned ;) ! (Note to self: Really have to learn to stop using smileys…)

In Rainbows: 9.2/10

2007-10-14T12:07:00.002+02:00

Average rating coming straight from my iTunes!

OK, so Radiohead's In Rainbows has landed, and it's no Kid A.  It's a beast, that's for sure, but a different monster.  It's not a revolution.  It's not an evolution.  To me, it's "just" the sum of all parts; a logical follow-up to Hail to the Thief, but with this additional pinch of magical cohesion that makes *albums* and not song containers, that li'l plus that lacks sometimes.

I'm glad not to have blogged about it the day I listened to it for the 1^st time 'cause I would have given it a perfect 10 ;) !  I would say I'd like to give it a bit more than iTunes (like 9.5); but if it *sounds* perfect, there's some more room to be filled to reach such a level.  No song is 3-star rated, all of them have at least 4 stars; *but* only 2 are 5-star rated (Nude and Videotape).  It's a bit disappointing to claim it's the Best Album of All Time ;) !  (To me, Kid A may still be a tad better—dunno yet for sure—, but it's not rated 10 either… "thanks" to Optimistic :( !)

It's very cohesive, but diverse and balanced at the same time.  Superbly produced (once again) by Nigel Godrich, it sounds more natural/warm (thanks to the return of acoustic guitars, a children choir, or a not-so-edited-Thom voice) though still decorated with electronic drums, beats, and pops.

In a few words, it's a great addition to the work they produced so far…

In Rainbows

2007-10-10T02:30:00.000+02:00

On October 1^st, '07, Radiohead (aka the Greatest Band in the World) announced in a surprising move the forthcoming e-availability of their LP7 for October 10^th, '07; i.e. for TODAY!!!

So, we're just some hours away from discovering what this new sound is, some hours away from this special moment when suddenly—as maybe only Björk can do—all the other bands just fade into oblivion. Therefore you're right: to say that I'm excited would be a massive understatement…

I've succeeded in avoiding any material from this new album till today, and I have high hopes my *huge* efforts will pretty soon find some reward. Will In Rainbows be another Kid A? It's a risky game I'm playing right now since I've got more chance to be disappointed, but I really feel the timing is right for them to once again change the rules.

I'm now gonna try to find some sleep to calm down and ease the waiting ;) ! Pfew, it's hard…

(And of course, exactly 2 minutes after the announcement, my £40 discbox was ordered! So the waiting won't stop in a few hours, but only on or around December 3^rd, '07!!!)

My Icelandic Month

2007-08-24T19:41:00.000+02:00

It's over now :( ! But… it was plain great :) !

If you were not aware of that, I was on vacation in Iceland, from August 11^th to August 20^th. It was the 2^nd time for me… and most definitely not the last one (I hope…) On August 21^st, I then attended Björk's 1^st concert in Nîmes (France) to end it all yesterday evening with her 2^nd gig (in Nîmes as well… but you must be aware of that last part if you read my blog ;) !)

Of course, everything was A-perfect :) ! And I'll certainly post some goods on my Flickr account soon. So stay tuned!

Ah, ah, ah!

2007-05-11T17:00:00.000+02:00

Copied/pasted from CNBC.com, a brand new golden quote from Steve Jobs during yesterday's shareholder meeting:

Finally, another shareholder recognized that Apple's R&D budget is steadily declining, now 4% of revenue. And he worried that major revenue-generating projects could be delayed, or missed all together. (…) Jobs said research is a lot more about people and quality engineers than it is about the money.   I wish developing great products was as easy as writing a check, said Jobs. If that were the case, Microsoft would have some great products.   And the crowd cheered again.

;)

Today is the day: Volta is out

2007-05-07T12:19:00.000+02:00

Björk's 6^th album should now be available from your preferred reseller. So unless you're waiting for the limited edition (like me…), just go out and buy it ;) !

To celebrate, I'm currently listening to her May 5 concert in NYC, broadcasted from NPR.org. (Advice: Don't miss the impressive, new reorchestration of Army of Me, magically followed by her next hit, Innocence; they just flow naturally!)

WOW, WOw, Wow, wow…

2007-04-09T00:12:00.000+02:00

It's April 9, '07 now, since a dozen of minutes, and Earth Intruders, the new single from Björk, is available on the iTunes Store! I obviously couldn't resist anymore and listened to the 30 second preview there… And, I agree: she's back for real to break it all!!! Yoohoo :) !

I'm gonna see her… again

2007-04-07T11:49:00.000+02:00

After an endless month of waiting, doubts, and even black scenarii ("Could it have been cancelled?" Or: "Will I be aware of when the sell is finally going to start?" And then: "Would I end in having a chance to grab one?", etc.), I finally put my hands on the Next Big Thing to me: a ticket to Björk's next concert in France! Yeepee!!!

As of today, I've been lucky enough to (very quickly) see her climb Cannes Film Festival's stairs to present Lars von Trier's brilliant Dancer in the Dark feature film in 2000; and then, to hear her live in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for her Vespertine tour in 2001. Now the date is saved for her come back in the Arena of Nîmes: I'll be there on August 23, '07 to sing along with her on Volta tunes and all :) !

Once again, I can't wait…

Update: I'm gonna see her again… and again! Twice. In a row. (Almost.) 'Cause I'm weak and just bought a last-minute ticket for her additional date in the Arena of Nîmes scheduled on August 21, '07. Yeepee!!! (bis)

100 150 Days!

2007-04-06T21:24:00.000+02:00

It's been ~~100~~ 150 days today that I'm in the Top 3 of the best French Quinn players:

I know this won't last long… but let's celebrate it while it lasts ;) !

Update: It's over now: I've just lost my 3^rd place :( ! Sniff… But I'll be back ;) !

Make a Wish!

2007-03-17T11:34:00.000+01:00

Some may remember that quite recently, I've been able to make an old dream come true. And today, I prepare myself… to smash another one!

Indeed, and like a couple of other examples I couldn't have dreamt of (more on them in some future posts…), I'm gonna live something I thought impossible, and in some odd circumstances too!

Note to Florian: You may think I'm gonna reiterate the li'l teasing game I played with my readers in some previous posts; but you're wrong :) ! Here, I'm gonna tell you all in this very post!

OK. So let's be more specific…

Most (?) of you know I'm a die-hard fan of Tears for Fears. (Frankly, I'm not sure I still am; but I definitely was.) It consciously (*) started in 1989, with the single release of Sowing the Seeds of Love—and more precisely with the constant airing of its terrific video by the French TV channel MCM (new at this time). I won't go into much details now, but in no time, I was hooked.

(*) Actually, it subconsciously started in 1985, with my sister playing Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World in Repeat mode in her bedroom ;) !

Alas, the duet split soon thereafter, and I haven't had the opportunity to see them live… Until today :) !!! Indeed, I'm about to see both of them live, on the same stage, and IN MY OWN CITY!!! This is simply *A-MA-ZING*! So the date is saved 'cause on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, from 08:00 PM, if all goes well (gasp), I'm gonna tick another check box in my Dreams-to-do List ;) !

I can't wait…

Update: And of course, it was a blast, as Curt said on his blog:

We arrive in Marseilles around 6.30pm, just enough time for a quick shower and an early dinner with the family before we're back in the bus and on our way to the show.

The audience tonight were fantastic, all on their feet and joining in, it was fun.

INLAND EMPIRE

2007-02-07T12:58:00.000+01:00

I've just seen it, and a *single* word comes to my mind: "Wow…" (<- Please note the final ellipsis.)
Warning: This is definitely not a film for everyone. You've been warned…

Update: And just 2 days later, I've been back to see it again! A first for me. Result? 4.5 stars out of 5! (I'm just keeping a slot for David Lynch's next film ;) !)

Certifications

2007-01-18T19:57:00.000+01:00

Since December 1^st, I'm a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).

And since January 5^th, I'm ITIL Foundation-certified.

This is just neat, and I really thank my company for that.

And the winner is…

2006-12-31T01:59:00.001+01:00

… me!

So here are the 2 ribbons I've thus won:

Yay!

(More on the subject soon…)

The 1st Quinn Contest is 'round the corner

2006-12-30T16:44:00.000+01:00

That's right: we're just a few hours away from the 1^st Quinn Contest! If you're a Mac user (you, lucky!), if you've received an invitation from one of the 9 8 (even luckier) participants, if you're (still) listed in the Top 100 Best French Players when registration is up, if you've registered within the right timeframe and are available+online when the alarm clock is finally ringing (which is today, from 9:00 PM), then you may become the 1^st Quinn Champion of the History ;) ! OK, okay, I calm down… But, you know, I'm quite excited :) ! Registration deadline is now behind us, and in a few hours, we'll know who from Olivier, Sébastien and myself is going to grab this prize :P ! But now, let's relax and concentrate a bit :) ! Pfew…

Update: I've finally managed to produce 2 prize ribbons for the winner. Just in time…

Now I know it's true!

2006-12-26T01:36:00.000+01:00

Time has passed since my initial post on this topic (see "I still can't realize it's true! (Part 1)"). That's why I'm now convinced it really happened. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a photo showing a detail of my ol' "friend":

Yep. All this buzz was about a very old computer. To be more precise, it's all about… an Apple //e (sigh). But this is not a common Apple //e; this is the Apple //e I've extensively enjoyed using during my childhood. Indeed, I've managed to get my hands back on it, so many years after letting it go…

You're right, it may just be a machine. But it's a machine that learnt me English while I was not 11 years old yet. It's a machine that initiated my (still-alived, and very strong) passion for Apple—and, in a broader sense, for quality. It's a machine that made me dream while being a child, that built my desire to become a software engineer while being a student, and it's still it which is the reason why I today earn my money happily working in this industry. So yes, it's just a machine, and I'm deeply glad it's back at home.

I'll finish this post by thanking my father for turning me into an Apple boy years ago, and all the people who've been involved in helping me get my ol' friend back today; they know who they are… I've just made another dream come true. Next :P !

A New Home (Sort Of)

2006-12-05T20:38:00.000+01:00

Short version: I finally decided to "buy" the domain fredericblanc.fr.

And what about the longer version? It's on its way…