Back in 1989, when I got my first PC, an 8086, I became obsessed with fractals and more specifically, the famous Mandelbrot set, along with 3D simulated mountainous range. At the time, I was programming using an OOP version of Borland Turbo Pascal and I created multiple DOS applications to generate, visualize, and marvel at those mathematic constructs. I had to take photos of my screen since my dot-matrix printer was not up to the task. When I took the computer science exam as part of the tests to enter the School of Geology, I brought with me pictures and programs on 3″1/2 floppy disks and it helped me get a good grade.

My favorite mathematician, Benoît Mandelbrot died at age 85. He was quite an inspiration and part of the reason why I am doing what I am doing today. In the video below, Professor Mandelbrot, discuss some of his work.

Yesterday morning the engine light on my car flashed yellow, and I had trouble reaching high RPM on the highway. I immediately stopped and called the road assistance. They suggested that I drive the car to the dealership as soon as possible, which I did.

Quickly, the service representative diagnosed that the car had a firmware issue and ordered a reprogramming.

The problem is that the PC that was reprogramming the firmware crashed in the middle of the operation and now the car is FUBAR. I was even unable to open the truck by pushing the corresponding button. We are now waiting for a technician to show up with a laptop and fix the car.

This shows how dependent we are on computers and software in so many unconscious ways. Here, we have a computer crashing in the shop, that in turn renders another computer, the on-board CPU, inoperable.

This is nothing original. I am sure that it is a common occurrence and the news stories on different Toyota models illustrates how software bugs can be life threatening in some instances.

Where will we be in ten years from now? What can we expect from our cars, or other common devices that have existed for decades before the birth of computers?

I am certainly a Luddite but I sometimes wonder about this love-hate relationship I have with computers. I cannot live without them and they like to remind me.

This also reminds me that I need to pay more attention to QA on my day job. :-)

Original photo by oskay.

I have learned a lot, traveled quite a bit, met with friends and family. I was thrilled with everything new I got to experience and it helped me grow some  more. I stayed in touch with quite a few people and found new enriching relationships along the way.

I also, and very importantly, realized that some individuals, even though I am rarely in contact with them, were taking care of me in ways I was not expecting. I am so grateful.

I am looking forward to 2010, to see what this new year has in store for all of us. I also hope that 2009 was great for you, and I wish you the best in the new year.

All right, if you have not been living under a rock for the last six months, you all know what twitter is. I kind of used it in the past by tweeting all the posts on this blog. I have started to use it again and you can have a look at my profile.

I don’t know about you but when I decide to delete an account from an Internet service provider, I would really like to see all my data gone. Until recently, I was quite annoyed at Facebook for not offering the option. You could only deactivate your account. Now, it is possible to fully delete an account. I found this method in their forums. For me, this is good customer service.

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Go to this page:
http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account

Click “Submit” and follow the instructions.

Your account will be deactivated for two weeks, and if you don’t log in during that period, your account is permanently deleted.

This method is official and should be complete, i.e. no need to delete individual photos, comments, messages or items from your profile or anywhere else on Facebook!

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