luminescente

Today while driving through the streets of Lisbon, but also applies to any other part of Portugal, is that the traffic signs are a like a erotic movie: you get some hints here and there, but the biggest part is left to your imagination. No wonder accidents happen. Show us some pure hardcore where nothing is left unsaid (and shown).

And don’t get me started on highway exits/entries, with the entry lane just before the exit, meaning the traffic interlocks while some try to get out but have to wait for others to get in…

Finally got the UPS. A cheapish 40 euro Mustek 600. Used the NUT driver made by [Carlos Rodrigues](http://tudo-sobre-nada.blogspot.com/). Connected it to the server using the supplied RS232 cable but still some configuration to do, meaning a long power failure can still bring the machine down, but as these are very rare (and happen normally during the winter) I think I have some time to do something about it.

Move the server and it’s new UPS to the attic. It’s very hot during the summer, so I’m left wondering if this was a wise move to do. Still have to power the cable modem and the router with the UPS. Dumb UPS had computer power plugs instead of regular wall plugs, so I have to hack one of the supplied cables into something more usable.

Rui talked about current handset offering here in Portugal.

I had to go to the store today to replace my SonyEricsson HBH-600 headset (the battery went dead in less than 4 months of light use). It was replaced by the folks at The Phone House in Carrefour here in Aveiro, after being forwarded to them by it’s sister store in Fórum Aveiro.

While waiting for my turn, a **mere** 45 minutes, the people in front of me were buying 3G camera phones. I saw 3 Nokia 6630 being sold and 2 fugly Motorola ones. It got me thinking how this is so wrong. I mean, these people were not tech-savvy, or else they wouldn’t need explanations on how to insert a SIM card and operate the menus.

They are not going to use iSync or similar to sync their phones to the computer, they won’t be using video calls (not with this phone, it needs a base station to do so), they are not going to use data services (I would, though, but it’s so fucking expensive unless you have some urgent work to do or you happen to work for some cell company and can do your leisure surfing with a 3G link. Yeah Rui, I’m envious of you).

In short, they are going to be using this phone like I used my old Ericsson 628. Voice calls and some text messaging. Even it they wanted to take pictures, there are a lot of phones that are under 100 euros that let you do it. Sure, they’re not 1.3 megapixels cameras, but I’ve seen so many people using 4 and 5MP cameras taking pictures in 640×480 because they think using the supplied 8MB card is enough.

People have their priorities all upside down. A phone, a damn appliance, gets heads and shoulders above everything else in the minds of these poor souls. Meanwhile, the operators make every effort in milking the last cent out of us, but we are happy because we can video-call our friends while we’re at it.

The operators used to give a lot of credit with their phones. A 100 euro phone with 50 in credit was not uncommon. Now they come with 5 and the phone costs 300. The promotions they had back then were nice. Now they charge us for the priviledge of joining the promotion. And their membership programs (like Clube Viva). There is no way for me and the other 95% of the population to gather enough points to get a new phone using it. The points expire after some time. A damn record on a database expires. Maybe they don’t want it to have it there rot forever.

I have to go now. I have to be a good citizen and get my T68i and call someone.

Here in this garden by the seaside, the speed limit is 120km/h, as it it was standardized years ago (30, I think).

As the speed limit remains unchanged, here and in most parts of the world, were we so reckless to post that speed limit with the cars we had back then? I mean, no airbags, ABS and other interesting [TLA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLA)s. Hardly any seat belts and no [crumple zones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumple_zones). Now we have all this and the limit just stays the same.

Of course, some people should never be allowed behind a steering wheel at even 50km/h, but it’s interesting to notice such a high limit was posted back then. It sucks that driving is one of the few things we like to do fast. Everything else in this country is as far from the fast lane as it can be.

Today I tried the [Qual é](http://quale.pt/) service. Heard a song I didn’t knew while watching TV, dialled 12266 and pointed the mic to the TV speaker. After 25 seconds or so the other side hang up and a few more seconds later I was receiving a SMS with the artist and song name. Impressive, and a very reasonable price (1 euro).

I can imagine myself using this more often, as it happens to me all the time wanting to know what I’m listening to, on the TV and on the radio. Most of the time it’s just trash I don’t care about, but there are times when I come across some gems. Once I emailed a [Antena 3](http://www.rtp.pt/wportal/antena3/) DJ to know what a particular song was, and within hours I got a reply saying it was Beth Orton, “Thinking about tomorrow”. Very neat that they not only read email, but replied a useful answer as well.

This time it was someone called Mandalay with “Beautiful”.