A work in progress on my online resume

Here you can take a look at my first online resume on vizualize.me

False celebrity death reports

There are many examples of premature obituaries, many celebrities were announced dead despite they were still alive. The Internet and the social networks emphasize the phenomenon because informations can circulate very quickly, without any verification of sources.
For example, one week ago, there was rumours that the famous singer and guitarist Carlos Santana was deceased. There were even fake Carlos Santana death pictures.The rumour began on Twitter when users said that Santana look like Muammar Gaddafi and pictures of Gaddafi were published with the mention "RIP Carlos Santana". Many fans thought that Santana was really dead and started to panic a bit.
One more time, it shows that  the Internet and its users create false death rumours, but false celebrity death reports existed before the development of the Internet.

But, with this kind of performance, Santana will always live in my heart!

The relation between democracy and human rights

What is the relation between democracy and human rights? First, we must define these two notions. In theory, democracy is a political system where citizens are sovereign. For Abraham Lincoln, “democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people”. Human rights are something else, a concept, almost an ideology that says that human beings have universal rights.

There is a tendency to associate democracy and human rights but we can notice that there are many counterexamples. For instance, a tyrannical political regime like the Terror (during the French Revolution) pretended to respect the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen”. And almost all the democratic countries, even France or the United States, don’t always respect human rights. This is why the European Commission for Human Rights sometimes condemns France.

Some people criticize the human rights ideology. They wonder whether human rights should really be the same for everybody, without any distinction of country, place or culture. Are human rights an imperialist ideology? For some people, human rights are the perfect illustration of the occidental civilization and of its cultural imperialism. For universalists, they are a big progress for mankind and must be defended in any situation, everywhere and at any time.

Cloud computing

To show how the Internet can allow mobility, I would like to talk about virtual offices and cloud computing. A virtual office is a computer program, which centralizes (stocks) our computer data on a distant server. The user can access is personal data from everywhere. He just needs a computer, a smartphone or a numeric tablet and a good Internet access. The virtual offices also offer the possibility to work online on some programs. It often reproduces classical computer offices and it has the same functionality.

Apple is about to appropriate this idea of the cloud computing with its iCloud. With iCloud, you can synchronize your iPhone, your Macbook, you iPad or your iPod and have access to the same content (music, photos and applications) for free. It automatically actualizes your mails, your address book and your calendars.

It appears that cloud computing could be the future of the Internet and shows that the Internet allows more and more mobility.

A real blogroll

Well, I think that this is a great example of Internet mobility and how we can share knowledges toward the same goal !

If you don't understand what's going on, start here !

Working in a network environment ?

For me, one of the major advantages of working in a network environment is the possibility to work together on a same text/document without being in the same place. It’s extremely practical for group work and it allows to gain time. No more never-ending meetings! No need to find a common schedule!

For instance, Google Docs allows us to share some content and offers the possibility to correct or to complete someone’s text. It creates synergy, all the members can contribute to the work and the result can only be better. We just need an Internet connexion to share content.

On the other hand, personal contact can be very important for creativity. Creating something in common is not just about sharing information but also about physical presence. The sound of a voice, eye-contact and so on are part of the communication which can be necessary to develop ideas. 

Treme: take a little trip to New Orleans

Treme is an American series co-created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer. David Simon is the author and the creator of the critically-acclaimed series The Wire. Treme is broadcasted by HBO since April 2010. For now, there are only two seasons but HBO has renewed it for a third season.

The series takes place in New Orleans, especially in the neighbourhood called Trémé, three months after the hurricane Katrina. It shows the everyday struggle of several New Orleans inhabitants, who are trying to rebuild their homes and to find again their ancient lives.

Two of the main characters, Antoine Batiste and Albert « Big Chief » Lambreaux, are both musicians. Antoine Batiste (played by Wendell Pierce, a New Orleans native, who also played Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire) is a trombone player, who is always looking to find his next gig. Albert Lambreaux is a Mardi Gras Indian Chief and he’s trying to reunite his tribe despite the destruction of the bar where they were practicing.

Mardi Gras Indians are “African-American carnival revelers in New Orleans, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel”.

It’s interesting to notice that many local and non-professional actors and real musicians play in Treme. In The Wire, there were many local actors too. It shows that David Simon wants to be as realistic as possible.

For people, who love great music and The Wire, Treme is really an incredible series but I think is also very interesting for people, who want to discover New Orleans and the everyday life of the inhabitants after a major disaster like Katrina.