Last month, Google purchased Zingku, a mobility social networking web site. Today, they announced that they acquired Finland based Jaiku, which allows posting short messages that friends receive on their mobile phone, much like Twitter.

Google Phone?

With the rumored GPhone set to launch before end of 2007, Google seems to be reaching out wider in the mobility field.

This joke is priceless ...

If they had used db_query() with %d or %s, this would not have happened. 

Since today was unseasonably warm, we all went out to a park and did some fishing. On the way back, we passed by some dirt hills by the garbage dump west of Waterloo.

Southern Ontario is experiencing unseasonably warm weather. The temperature today was 27C, although my van's dashboard said 31C.

This makes it feel like summer, and not early October. While many trees have changed colors or shed their leaves altogether, others still have green leaves on.

In the news, you can read about it in the Canadian Press.

Two wireless providers in Canada started offering laptop access via PC cards.

Bell Canada has introduced laptop cards that provide internet connectivity anywhere in coverage areas. The ads tout the fact that they can be used in a cab or on a train.

These cards use the mobile phone frequencies and data infrastructure (EVDO).

The monthly unlimited plan is $75 which is reasonable.

According to the Daily Mail, one in three Britons dreams of emigrating to ease financial worries.

They quote a YouGov poll citing cost of housing and tax burden on the middle class. People between 25 and 34 are the most likely to leave.

If that is the case for Britian, I wonder what the ratio in Egypt would be?

It seems that at DrupalCon Barcelona, there was a sinster plan to make me one of two external contacts for the security team, the other victim being Chris Johnson.

Heine contacted me about this, and I said yes, mainly because I do that anyway, trying to keep a neutral tone to replies to misguided souls. The new role formalizes this.

Later on IRC, I get this from Heine:

12:44 * Heine bows for kbahey; the interpreter of the novice's words, and the oracle of gently advice.

12:45 < kbahey> heine, [blush]

If you love Open Source, and happen to be close by, Ontario Linux Fest is being held on October 13, 2007.

Hurry up and register before Wednesday to pay a lower fee than at the door.

I will be presenting on Performance tuning and optimization for large web sites, using Drupal as a popular LAMP application. According to the schedule, this is on 15:30 in Hall C.

Several indicators of a strong economy are causing the rise Canadian dollar.

Fuel prices

Something strange has been happening to gasoline prices. For the first two weeks of September, it only fluctuated between 96 and 98 cents per litre, despite crude oil prices exceeding $80 per barrel and only a few dollars from the all time record of $84. Moreover, the price was identical in all stations around the city.

This last week, the price fell to as low as 92.5.

This is all good news, but why was gasoline 130 cents when Hurricane Katerina hit?

Classical 96.3 FM is a Toronto based radio station dedicated to classical music.

They recently switched to Drupal 5.2 after being on a proprietary platform for a long time.

The site looks good aesthetically. 

Hope those who did can present it at a future Toronto Drupal User Group meeting.