Marking Time

The ubiquity (thanks Tinyspell) of Microsoft never ceases to amaze me. I know that their software has taken over desktops everywhere but I always assumed that for the critical systems of the rough-and-tumble real world that there would be a more robust solution. Then I discover that the electronic voting system is built using Visual Basic and Access and now I find that the the Madrid Metro TV is running (or more correctly, not running) on Windows Professional 2000.

The picture above (taken using my €50 digital camera, apologies for quality) shows the ‘It is now safe to turn off your computer’ screen well known to millions of desk top users. And while it may be safe to turn off your computer in the comfort of your own home, I’m not sure of the wisdom of doing it on a subway train travelling at over 100km an hour.

While attempting to view the Metro channel I have also been invited to Debug for Memory Errors, to reconnect a loose cable and to press CTRL-ALT-DEL on the infamous blue screen. It must feel like a living nightmare to the office workers of the city when after finally escaping the daily battle with Windows at the office and hoping for some relaxation on the way home they are forced to relive the whole experience all over again.

I can’t imagine what those commuters who have no computer experience think of all these warning messages.

Having said that, the Madrid metro is an excellent system overall and something that the people of Madrid can be proud of. The latest project introduced 30 new stations on time and on budget. It provides a stark contrast to our own shambolic efforts to bring a functioning public transport system to Dublin.

Today I attempted to update and restructure my CV into something that was actually readable. It wasn’t easy. I’m looking at other peoples CV’s and reading tips from job sites but it seems everybody has a different approach.

This is what I’ve come up with so far.

There is a technology fair in Madrid this week. All the big names in IT, telecommunications and consumer electronics will be there.

Even though it starts today I went along yesterday to watch them set up. I was able to wander around the stands without paying an entry fee. The security were too busy looking at the cool stuff to bother with me.

I was struck by how little techonology was being employed in the construction of the stands. It was basically a lot of hammering, sawing and glueing along with some paint and stencils for the logos.

I was also priviliged to be able to browse the wares at my leisure without the onslaught of the various marketing departments.

It opens today for trade-only and the general public can visit at the weekend for €10 (shouldn’t they be paying us? They’re advertising after all). I’m not sure if I’ll bother. I get the sneaking suspicion that I’ve already seen the best of it and the super-slick logos don’t seem to dazzle so much after seeing the kindergarten style process of their creation.

One year ago today we arrived in Madrid and today I took my first Spanish language class.

What’s more interesting is that after surviving in Spain for over a year with no formal tuition in Spanish, when I do finally succumb to the classroom my teachers turn out to be a bunch of Mormon missionaries from Utah.

They have a church near where I live and offer free Spanish and English classes every Saturday morning. I guess it’s part of their duty as a missionary.

It should be fun.