A new version of BerryUnitConverter is up. This one adds data units as well as Blackberry Storm compatibility. Let me know of any problems. Get it at the usual place.

So today as we take the dogs for a walk and go to Burger King to get lunch, I’m waiting with the beasts in the parking lot. Since nobody respects handicapped parking, the lot’s handler has placed two carts, one on each parking space, to reserve them for people who actually need them. However, big mistake, he left enough room for one car between the carts.

So indeed, this cretin arrives, squeezes his car between the carts and in the process uses up not just one, but TWO handicapped spaces. He leaves the car running so his daughter inside can enjoy A/C; never mind that the idiot has the sunroof open, letting hot air inside. He then goes into the store and spends I don’t know how long inside. I don’t know because I left. The best part? there were open spaces elsewhere in the parking lot.

Here in Mexico you see this sort of thing all the time. People don’t seem to respect the law or regulations or signs or anything. They just do what they want, and usually nobody even tries to stop them. In any case they usually get off with some snide remark.

So people double-parking  at school to pick up the kids, using up handicapped spaces, or even two parking spots (nice semi you got there, idiot), running traffic lights because, hey, nobody’s coming anyway so why should I wait?, or parking in front of other people’s houses “I’ll only be a minute, thanks!”, it’s bread and butter here.

A chronic lack of respect for your co-citizens might speak badly of a few rude people if that’s all there was. However the phenomenon is rampant and happens more and more every day. So I have to think that it’s an education problem; people no longer think it’s necessary to be nice to your neighbor. Indeed, the consensus is now that “it’s better to come off an abusive cretin than a yielding loser”. Sorry but I’d rather not stay here long enough to start thinking that myself.

Few internet companies or services or phenomena, if you will, seem to attract as many visceral reactions as Twitter. First there was the whole buzz about Twitter and Ruby on Rails,  which always excites passions. Then the “Rails doesn’t scale” debacle. Next the “built wrong” accusations. Twitter even got some sprinklings from Zed Shaw’s spectacular departure from the Ruby scene. Then Twitter screws over their users and stops SMS service basically everywhere but the USA.

Recently Twitter indirectly angered another user community when they hired Rael Dornfest, creator of personal productivity apps I Want Sandy and Stikkit. The problem is that Mr. Dornfest decided to kill both services, altough he will take the “intellectual property” behind them to Twitter. Of course he is within his right to terminate a service that was free and under no promises, but all the users who had come to rely in these apps certainly don’t agree.

Sandy’s user community seems to be, by far, the most affected: messages at Rael’s “going offline” announcement range from the indifferent few to the truly upset, inflamed and disappointed at the whole Web 2.0 thing, specially Twitter. “Karma’s a bitch”, says one comment, and it’s true that Rael’s decision to leave users hanging out to dry will bring him and a whole bag of negative karma to Twitter. As another poster said, “I’d be weary of using any Twitter product with your name on it”.

Will Sandy and Stikkit return as twitter add-ons? possibly, but the real lesson to remember here is this: Twitter itself is also free, so it might go away at any time the creators decide it’s in their best personal interest to kill it and move on. So are most Web 2.0 apps. So if you must use them and learn to depend on them, you’d better make sure you choose the ones that, at least, let you get your data out when they die.

Prior to my current iPhone i had a Blackberry Curve. And the single most important feature it had was Blackberry Messenger. I messaged other blackberry users a lot, and since I paid a flat fee for data usage, I could basically send 1000 messages a day and not get charged extra. Even considering the extra cost for the data plan, the blackberry was cheaper than my previous Nokia phone, where I had to pay for each SMS I sent.

Then I bought an iPhone. Mind you, in Mexico we had to wait for Apple to create the iPhone 3g. Then we had to pay through the nose for the device, and then again a significant amount for the monthly data plan. All in all, phone service + data plan pretty much equals what I was paying monthly for my Blackberry. However, due to SMS usage to replace what I previously did with Blackberry Messenger, the iPhone was costing me about twice as much as the Blackberry each month. I had to cut back on my messaging;  spending that amount of money for a communications device and then having to cut back on your communications just doesn’t make sense. Why did this happen?

The iPhone has no Blackberry messenger equivalent. Sure, there’s fring and plenty of other messaging applications, but since Apple didn’t see fit to allow for 3rd-party background processes, none of these applications work unless they’re in the foreground, unlike BB messenger which would deliver messages at any time.

Can it be done? Sure it can! Apple’s applications (Mail, phone, SMS) do it all the time, beeping and popping a nice notification icon to let you know “you’ve got mail”.

“Not to worry”,  I thought. “At WWDC where the iPhone 3G was announced, Apple announced a push notification service where applications could send, through Apple’s servers, background notifications to any iPhone app, to be displayed in several different ways.” This would enable messenger functionality for almost any application and would mean you could send instant messages without incurring SMS charges. After all, I’m paying through the nose for an unlimited data plan, I should put it to use. Apple said the service would be available by September.

September came and went. October came and went, and so did November.

iPhone software updates came and went: 2.0 was the original iPhone 3G release. 2.0.1, 2.0.2, the 2.1 major release on September 12th, and 2.1.1. By now we were wondering where our push notifications were.

Apple announced the 2.2 firmware in October. Expectations grew high that it would include the vaunted push notification functionality. But on November 21, we were disappointed again: 2.2 includes mostly eyecandy improvements. Apple, come on! this is an expensive device, and you can’t keep delivering disappointments. Performance and stability improvements are welcome, but WHERE THE HELL are: 1) the PUSH NOTIFICATION SERVICE YOU PROMISED YOU’D DELIVER TWO MONTHS AGO and 2) A FREAKING CUT/PASTE FUNCTION LIKE EVERY $20 PHONE ON EARTH?

This is an official call for Apple to stop wasting time and delivering the functionality I was promised; Now don’t get me wrong, I like the iPhone, but the lack of this service is costing me money, since all those messages I have to send through SMS are not cheap. The thought of going back to the blackberry has crossed my mind; so Apple, you either deliver this sooner rather than later, or I’ll snatch a Blackberry Storm the first chance I get. Because yes, the iPhone is THAT expensive; It’d be cheaper for me to purchase a Storm at retail price, than keep subsidizing, through SMS,  the iPhone’s inability to come into the 21st century with regards to BASIC functionality. Oh, and maybe then I’d be able to keep using my wonderful Blackberry unit converter, which I’ve been unable to port to the iPhone because, hey, I can’t afford the $100 to enter the iPhone developer program, because I spend it all on SMS!

As part of the ongoing public safety mess in Mexico, the president himself sent a document to the Senate, detailing the findings in a “trustworthiness” evaluation that was performed this year to Mexico’s security forces. The unsurprising result: 50% of all law enforcement personnel don’t fulfill the required trustworthiness requirements.

The report itself is ridiculously incongruous, with high ratings for states such as Tabasco, Mexico City (where every inhabitant knows that cops are a joke) and, bafflingly, Chihuahua, with a 97% approval rating. Mind you, world-famous capital of violence against women, Ciudad Juárez, is in Chihuahua, so this information is so obviously and flagrantly flawed, that it calls into question the entire study, as well as the prowess of the so-called statisticians who gave a 97% approval rating with only 82 cops taking the tests. Yes, we’re supposed to believe that 100% of Tabasco’s law enforcers are trustworthy and reliable.

What are the implications of this? there are many, for starters, how flawed was the hiring process that allowed this high an amount of worthless people to get to such a position of power and influence? second, as the article points out, how reliable are the people who administered the test? meaning, basically, that the percentage might even actually be higher.

But the real problem is, now that we know this, what is the government going to do? Because  the sensible thing to do would be to fire all these people. Of course, since the process was wrong from the beginning, it’s now a tangled, unsolvable mess where the obvious solution won’t work. You can’t fire half the cops in the country, which is already in the middle of a public safety crisis, and expect things to improve. You need time to fix your training and screening procedures, because they are so flawed that they are partly to blame for this mess. You need time to find and train new personnel (which the unemployment rate might make a bit easier, assuming most applicants actually make it through the screening procedure).

Assuming you did this, in the meanwhile you’d have close to 30 thousand people out of a job. Mind you, these people have a certificate for unreliableness, as well as police training. So we’re looking at two possibilities: either they start to make a living out of illegal activities (kidnappings, robberies, drug dealing, racketeering schemes) or they join private security companies. Now, these companies are a huge success because, if there’s something the average mexican wants, is security. So I foresee a situation where, desperate to have more personnel to get more customers, these companies will hire those, certified unreliable, former law enforcers. Ironically, as someone concerned about security, I might hire one of those companies who would then send a security guard with questionable integrity to watch over my property. Who’s to say he won’t tip his friends off so that they can rob or murder me?

This problem is indeed so complex that a solution eludes the mind. But indeed this is how things work in Mexico most of the time: it looks as though the government is hellbent on digging itself (and us) into the most tangled, deep hole possible, so that as there is no solution possible, none will be demanded of them. But it is time that the mexican people started demanding something from the people who amount to our (quite highly paid) employees.

Kidnapping in Mexico has been a big security problem for several years now. A crime previously unheard of, kidnappings are now common, fueled by a number of circumstances. Chief among them is the fact that authorities are completely inept and bound to be useless in cases of kidnapping. Many times former police staff have been involved in this crime. Naturally, then, when a family suffers a kidnapping, the last thing that crosses their mind is reporting this to the authorities.

Once again, Mexico exhibits its kafkian nature: if you work hard and get rich, you’re a target for kidnappers. Even if you don’t get rich, you’re still a target. And are most kidnappers poor people who do this out of necessity? no, they’re already quite wealthy but will keep doing this because it’s more profitable than having a company or investing in the stock market.

Fernando Martí, a wealthy sports store owner, had his son kidnapped and murdered earlier this year. The case received a lot of publicity mainly because he’s a well-known businessman. Not even government officials are safe from this: Nelson Vargas, who was president of the national sports commision, also had his daughter kidnapped, about a year ago. However, as is most usual, he kept quiet about this: the public only knew about this when, after Martí’s murder, Vargas made a public statement revealing his plight. Back then he pleaded for the authorities to do something. Today, however, he exploded and actually, amidst profanities, demanded, in a press conference, that the authorities find his daughter. As usual, said authorities are clueless: even Vargas has provided them with clues and insight on who might be responsible and where to begin investigating. And still nothing. Who are they protecting? Shouldn’t we all be really worried that even an important man like Vargas is ignored? or is the true reason to worry seeing that the authorities just don’t know what they are doing?

Another related article tells about a 15-year old who escaped the safehouse where he was being held for ransom and told the authorities, who then proceeded to catch the criminals. So here we have it, short of someone telling them “I was kidnapped, I escaped and they live in this house over here”, nothing will be done to help the victims.

So how did the kid escape? “the kidnappers were sloppy”, authorities explain, “and were not very experienced in this business. Just a bunch of beginners”. They say this with utmost confidence and almost arrogance.

Please! Wake up! They need to realize that this comes from the fact that Mexico has diminishing, instead of increasing, opportunities. So what are people going to do? indeed, they are being forced into kidnapping because there’s nothing else to do. And they target your average citizen, in this case the son of a moderately successful couple of street merchants. The fact that this particular band was unsuccessful shouldn’t be a cause for self-congratulating. It should be a wakeup call that while something needs to be done to curb crime in all its forms, the true heart of the problem is the lack of honest opportunities in Mexico. As long as there are none, people will resort to the next easiest way to make money. Drug dealing yesterday, kidnapping today, and I can only wonder in fear about the “self-made opportunities” for tomorrow’s Mexico.

Just released Berry Unit Converter 1.2.1, to fix a stupid bug with ounces and stones conversion. An upgrade is advisable. BerryUnitConverter is free software. Get more info and a download from here.

So here’s the thing. Everybody’s gaga about security these days. And biometrics are big because, hey, you always carry them around. At work, we already scan our fingerprint instead of punching cards, and it’s saved a ton of time for everyone.

However, the problem arises when you talk about a high-security setting. Because, everyone fears, what if someone, just to get your access, cuts off your finger? that would be much worse than having your keycard stolen, wouldn’t it? the prospect of losing a thumb or (in some cases) an index finger is scary to most people.

So here’s the proposal: let’s use our pinkies instead. I know losing a pinky would be just as painful but bear with me for a second. The loss of a pinky will impair you a lot less than losing an index finger or thumb. So while painful, it will let you get on with your life a lot better. Imagine not being able to grab anything, or to point at things. Look at your hands when you’re typing; I bet you barely use your pinkies anyway. You’re supposed to lift them when you eat or drink, so again, you’re not using them. So I think they’re a good choice when you absolutely must lose a finger.

So there; particularly if you live in a violent country where people wouldn’t think twice about mutilating you just to get in that high-security facility you work at, be sensible and ask your HR staff to scan your pinky instead of your thumb. Might save you a lot of grief.

Or, was it an accident? There’s plenty of speculation about the plane crash that cost Juan Camilo Mouriño, Mexico’s secretary of the interior (Secretario de Gobernación) and (so far) 12 other people their lives. Theories ranging from a simple accident to a narco-fueled vendetta abound.

But the fact is that the tragedy should be looked at from a humanitarian point of view. 13 dead and over 40 injured, 3 of which might also die in the next few days. It’s a time for mourning, yes, but for us to mourn for all the people who died, not just mr. Mouriño; a time for the entire mexican society to give their support to the families of the deceased, just as we would in any other tragedy.

Let me be cold-hearted for a while and state this: Mouriño’s death will not have a great impact for Mexico or even for president Felipe Calderón’s team, his plans or aspirations. Because for all the power his position brought, Mouriño himself was a rather grey politician. So yes, let the president give speeches about how we lost a “great mexican” (he was born in Spain so even that is debatable). But the truth is, Mouriño will get replaced by someone else, with similar political prowess, capabilities, aspirations and a similar position to further Calderón’s plans, whatever they are. And in the public eye, Mouriño will fade and then disappear, to become a footnote like Ramón Martín Huerta (whose name, incidentally, has resurfaced in connection with the Mouriño tragedy).

He will disappear, that is, in the eyes of everybody but his family and friends: these people didn’t just witness the death of a high-ranking government officer; they lost a friend, a father, a husband, and a son. To them, and to all the relatives of the deceased, the tragedy has a very personal feel. This is the level at which us normal people can empathize and understand the magnitude of what happened, for any loss of human life is to be regretted. So indeed, let our prayers (for those who pray) and our condolences and best wishes be with mr. Mouriño’s family, as well as with those of all the others who lost their lives or were injured in the tragedy.

Peseros in Mexico City are a fact of life; indeed, due to several mishandlings of transport policy (yes, the government again), they have thrived and carry up to 60% of the city’s passengers. Yet, as everybody knows, they’re unsafe, dangerous, rude and cause endless traffic jams and problems.

Watching two of these behemoths racing down an avenue, in a contest to win god knows what (but usually more passengers, never mind that the poor schmucks already on board are risking their lives), is a sight to behold and a prime example of just how out of control the situation is.

Pesero accidents are quite common, but sometimes they take a turn for the tragic. And strangely, high-profile accidents are the ones that bring the neglect and impunity of the Pesero problem into light.

On October 29th, 2008, a pesero was driving too fast, then rolled over. The tragic result: 15 injured, 2 dead. The two casualties were crushed by the (precarious and strength-lacking) roof and side metal as the vehicle flipped over and ended upside down. The entire scene was gruesome.

People were shocked; the driver escaped. Authorities reacted by launching a massive manhunt for the driver, opening legal procedures against the unit’s owner who is considered an accomplice, as well as cancelling the Pesero’s concession. This is a first, never before has this been done in response to an accident of any kind involving a pesero. So everyone is happy about what happened, right?

Think about this for a minute. Pesero accidents are a dime a dozen. The driver is most often responsible; the owners just ignore the fact and protect themselves with lawyers and amparos (a legal procedure to harbour yourself against government action). People have died before in pesero accidents, as pedestrians run over by Peseros, car drivers or passengers hit by out-of-control units, or everyday passengers.

So why is this the first time one of these negligent criminals has had his concession suspended? While the driver is mostly responsible, it’s the vehicle owner’s responsibility as much as the driver’s. So indeed, any owner whose unit is involved in an accident should have the concession revoked. It doesn’t matter if it was the driver’s fault (why do they hire 18-year-olds with no experience and entrust them with the lives of up to 50 passeners?), or a technical failure (most of the units are in sad conditions, falling apart, and lack even the most basic security measures)  or a simple traffic accident (pesero drivers are known for purposely hitting other cars when they feel like it, because their units barely suffer any damage). It’s their responsibility to provide quality service with safe, courteous drivers in up-to-spec units and upholding all traffic regulations; if all, they should be even more cautious than other vehicles.

This of course is never going to happen; the accident will help to make an example and then things will go back to normal. Few people will remember this the next time a fatal accident is caused by a Pesero. Hopefully this article will help change that, so that eventually, Peseros can be replaced by something better. But it won’t happen unless authorities change their policies regarding this problem.