Emotional Age Test

Yesterday I did one of the tests that pretend to determine your Emotional Age: Emotional Age Test.
This one is in Italian, but there are many other in the Internet in English.
Well, my emotional age is 27... what about you?

HotWax Media @ ApacheCon US 2008

Here we are... ApacheCon US 2008 has been officially announced by the Apache Software Foundation:

press release
registration and details

ApacheCon US 2008 will be held 3 November through 7 November in New Orleans, Louisiana.
I am going to participate at the conference, where I will do a presentation and probably also part of the 2 days training at the OFBiz Symposium: I will post more information about this event soon.
Most of all I am proud to work for HotWax Media, one of the main sponsors of the event:

ApacheCon US 2008 Sponsors

"With world leading technology companies such as Google, Hewlett-Packard, Hippo, Hotwax Media, IONA, Linux Magazine, SpringSource, and Yahoo! sponsoring this year's gathering of Open Source users, enthusiasts and vendors, ApacheCon US 2008 has ensured that it continues its mission to encourage the uptake and development of Open Source software through raising awareness and generating public interest."

This is going to be my very first ApacheCon... and I really hope to meet you all in New Orleans.

I don't wanna grow up

In my humble opinion, "I don't want to grow up" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

When I'm lyin' in my bed at night
I don't wanna grow up
Nothing ever seems to turn out right
I don't wanna grow up
How do you move in a world of fog that's
always changing things
Makes wish that I could be a dog
When I see the price that you pay
I don't wanna grow up
I don't ever want to be that way
I don't wanna grow up
Seems that folks turn into things
that they never want
The only thing to live for is today...
I'm gonna put a hole in my T.V. set
I don't wanna grow up
Open up the medicine chest
I don't wanna grow up
I don't wanna have to shout it out
I don't want my hair to fall out
I don't wanna be filled with doubt
I don't wanna be a good boy scout
I don't wanna have to learn to count
I don't wanna have the biggest amount
I don't wanna grow up
Well when I see my parents fight
I don't wanna grow up
They all go out and drinkin all night
I don't wanna grow up
I'd rather stay here in my room
Nothin' out there but sad and gloom
I don't wanna live in a big old tomb on grand street
When I see the 5 oclock news
I don't wanna grow up
Comb their hair and shine their shoes
I don't wanna grow up
Stay around in my old hometown
I don't wanna put no money down
I don't wanna get a big old loan
Work them fingers to the bone
I don't wanna float on a broom
Fall in love, get married then boom
How the hell did it get here so soon
I don't wanna grow up

by Tom Waits.

However my favourite version is the one played by The Ramones:

Meeting face to face with the OFBiz people

It is exciting to play a role in the community of an international open source project like Apache OFBiz: you have a chance to interact with smart and brilliant people from all over the World.

Here is a visual representation of the committers and PMC (Project Management Commitee) members of the OFBiz project: ASF World Map.

As you can see, mostly all the continents in the World are represented, and we also have users from South America, Africa and China.

And in the last few years, I had the pleasure to meet face to face several of the OFBiz people; yesterday I was really happy to meet Christian Geisert here in Padova.

Here is the list of the persons that I met so far:

Olivier Heinz in Padova
Si Chen in New York
Andrew Zeneski in New York
David Welton in Padova
Yoav Shapira in Padova
David Jones in Salt Lake City
Tim Ruppert in Salt Lake City
Christian Geisert in Padova

I am sure that I will have a chance to meet many others during the next ApacheCon event that is going to happen in November in New Orleans. I am going to write more about it in future posts.

MBP in Italy

If you think that MBP stands for Mass Balance Potential aka the melting and recession of glaciers caused by global warming, then you are totally wrong.

The real meaning of MBP is... ManBearPig!

Al Gore, in episode 145 of South Park, provides a rigorous and unexceptionable definition for the threatening ManBearPig: ManBearPig is a creature "half man, half bear, half pig."

Italian newspapers, each and every summer, exaggerate about the weather conditions, and the risks and consequences; for example, according to them the temperature is never normal, because it is always over or below the average temperature of the period... which is normal since an average is the result of upper and lower values.

Any sightings of the ManBearPig?

Why French don't like Italian people: love songs

Italy and France are very close countries, but between French people and Italian there is not a huge feeling: French are usually very critic with Italians and they are very good in spotting all our defects... however they are not so good in spotting out their own ones; on the other hand Italian people consider French people boring and arrogant.

But all in all, who can really blame the French people for not loving the Italian ones? Just watch at this two videos, two love songs: "Quelqu'un m'a dit" by Carla Bruni for France and "Ricominciamo" by Adriano Pappalardo for Italy... Pappalardo... the name alone would be enough to justify them!
The two songs are about the same subject, the two artists both miss a person that they used to love; but they treat the subject in totally different ways.

Just look at the grace, politeness, the measure and sweetness of the beautiful Carla Bruni:

and the histrionic, ugly and noisy Adriano Pappalardo:

PS: this post is just a joke, I like playing with commonplaces. I have some good friends from France, and I don't think they are boring and arrogant! And Pappalardo is not really loved in Italy too.

The Misfits CD Box Set

Last night, I've won an eBay bid for "The Misfits CD Box Set", and now I can't wait to get my package from the US.
I used to listen to the Misfits's ironic, weird, funny horror punk songs at the time of the High School: I had a lot of them in a poorly recorded tape and I couldn't even think to purchase such an expensive box set.
Now I have enough money in my pockets to make irrelevant the amount spent, but I have to admit that there were many (most important) things that I could do at that time and I cannot do anymore.
However, I still like most of the things I used to like, and I'm sure that the Misfits' CDs will be in my CD player for a while.

"I'm gonna live my life to destroy your world
Prime directive, exterminate
The whole fuckin' race"

From "Astro Zombies", The Misfits

Homer the Idealist

“I understand, honey. I used to believe in things when I was a kid.”

This is what Homer Simpson said to his daughter Lisa in response/acceptance to her switch to vegetarianism ("Lisa the Vegetarian" Season 7, Episode 5 of "The Simpsons'").
It is funny and sad in the same time as only real life can be.

Downbound Train

She just said "Joe I gotta go

We had it once, we ain't got it anymore"

She packed her bags, left me behind

She bought a ticket on the Central Line

Nights as I sleep I hear that whistle whining

I feel her kiss in the misty rain

And I feel like I'm a rider

On a downbound train

From "Downbound Train" by Bruce Springsteen

Quattro Stracci

After a very long time I add a new post here... it is not mine actually, it is a lyrics by Francesco Guccini, the great Italian songwriter, and, of course, it is in Italian :(

"Quattro Stracci" by Francesco Guccini

E guardo fuori dalla finestra e vedo quel muro solito che tu sai.
Sigaretta o penna nella mia destra, simboli frivoli che non hai amato mai; 
quello che ho addosso non ti è mai piaciuto, racconto e dico e ti sembro muto, 
fumare e scrivere ti suona strano, meglio le mani di un artigiano 
e cancellarmi è tutto quel che fai; 
ma io sono fiero del mio sognare, di questo eterno mio incespicare 
e rido in faccia a quello che cerchi e che mai avrai!

Non sai che ci vuole scienza, ci vuol costanza, ad invecchiare senza maturità, 
ma maturo o meno io ne ho abbastanza della complessa tua semplicità. 
Ma poi chi ha detto che tu abbia ragione, coi tuoi "also sprach" di maturazione 
o è un' illusione pronta per l'uso da eterna vittima di un sopruso,
abuso d' un mondo chiuso e fatalità; 
ognuno vada dove vuole andare, ognuno invecchi come gli pare, 
ma non raccontare a me che cos'è la libertà!

La libertà delle tue pozioni, di yoga, di erbe, psiche e di omeopatia, 
di manuali contro le frustrazioni, le inibizioni che provavi quì a casa mia, 
la noia data da uno non pratico, che non ha il polso di un matematico, 
che coi motori non ci sa fare e che non sa neanche guidare, 
un tipo perso dietro le nuvole e la poesia, 
ma ora scommetto che vorrai provare quel che con me non volevi fare: 
fare l' amore, tirare tardi o la fantasia!

La fantasia può portare male se non si conosce bene come domarla, 
ma costa poco, val quel che vale, e nessuno ti può più impedire di adoperarla; 
io, se Dio vuole, non son tuo padre, non ho nemmeno le palle quadre, 
tu hai la fantasia delle idee contorte, vai con la mente e le gambe corte, 
poi avrai sempre il momento giusto per sistemarla: 
le vie del mondo ti sono aperte, tanto hai le spalle sempre coperte 
ed avrai sempre le scuse buone per rifiutarla!

Per rifiutare sei stata un genio, sprecando il tempo a rifiutare me,
ma non c'è un alibi, non c'è un rimedio, se guardo bene no, non c'è un perchè; 
nata di marzo, nata balzana, casta che sogna d' esser puttana, 
quando sei dentro vuoi esser fuori cercando sempre i passati amori 
ed hai annullato tutti fuori che te, 
ma io qui ti inchiodo a quei tuoi pensieri, quei quattro stracci in cui hai buttato l'ieri, 
persa a cercar per sempre quello che non c'è, 
io qui ti inchiodo a quei tuoi pensieri, quei quattro stracci in cui hai buttato l'ieri 
persa a cercar per sempre quello che non c'è, 
io qui ti inchiodo a quei tuoi pensieri, quei quattro stracci in cui hai buttato l'ieri 
persa a cercar per sempre quello che non c'è...