Bruno Kerouanton

Hello. This is my first post of the month, my blog has been put in standby mode since a few weeks as the end of the year is coming very fast and that I am deeply commited in many projects that are due by the end of this year. So no holidays, and no time to blog

1. Wishlist for Christmas, geek version
Christmas is approaching, and (as a former geek) I am focusing on some gadgets and more… (be informed that I also like non-geeky presents, such as… the list is too long !)

Wii : Although I am not fond of videogaming, I like the concept of the Nintendo Wii, especially its wiimotes. And I have seen the trailers of the Raving Rabbids, those are great and seem addictive !

Lego and Mindstorms : I am still enjoying Lego, and Mindstorms are interesting (but a bit expensive).

Maths and Physics : This one is not a wish since I own it, but I really recommend it if you want to make a gift to someone that is a bit interested in maths and science. A few years ago I bought a this awesome book : Promenades mathématiques. Its author has set a dedicated website including downloads, erratum and links to some software like geometry design tools.

Having said that, how about mixing all those to make a perfect gift for geeks !

gravity sensor + Mindstorms + geometry design tool = Macbook controlled robot.

wiimote + physics modeling = WiiSticks. Interesting experiment. The developper seems very good, his website and software are a must to see and test. See below :

physics modelling + games = walaber.com, its author develops a lot of really nice looking freeware games using a great physic modeling engine. He even has started to take the use of Wiimote as stated before. My favorite is the JelloCar, here is a YouTube video :

Maths and physics vizualisation software

The maths software that is used for the gravity sensor + Mindstorm application, Cinderella 2, is very nice and addictive, and you can play with it here, but it is $50 (although the demo version runs 15mn, that is enough for most uses). This was also a surprise for me to discover that macs had embedded motion sensors…

Another nice program if wou like maths, is SpaceTime, (not the 3D search interface for Windows, but the calculator). A fun application that runs on PC, PocketPC and Palm that is able to display and animate 2D and 3D math figures. Also a good scientific calculator. Definitely worth to see… but maybe not to buy : previous versions were not free but included all functions. Now, you must pay for each individual function : +10$ for the 2D, +10$ for the 3D and so on… It’s up to you, I guess it’s not not worth the price but it is still a nice program.

I have many other “geek” wishes for christmas, but they aren’t in my shortlist…

iPhone / iTouch : altough awesome, I will wait for… version 2.0, and lower price. I bet that Apple will be offering some software enhancements…

HexRays : Really great for IDA users, but also really too expensive for me : $2000 !

Any additional ideas for a geeky Christmas ???

2. Busy job, great job
Finally, a great news : I have been nominated by the government as member and coordinator of the Canton’s Security Committee. The role of the committee is quite simple to describe, as it establishes and applies policies and guidelines to ensure the government’s ability to continue delivering all services even in case of major issues. So I am now not only involved in IT security, but also in global assets security and safety, including staff and people working for the administration, buildings, and so on…a very nice job, but huge task indeed From the positive point of view, that means I am now not only hierarchically linked to the IT department, but also functionnally linked directly to the government and Chancellor, and that I now have a transversal role to play in all departments, thus leveraging my ability to enforce security policies globally, something I would probably have been limited to do regarding to a pure IT role. As an example, the policy I am writing now should be validated by the government itself as a legal document (can anyone help me with the translation of the legal terms “arrêté, “ordonnance” et “décrêt” ?).

And I have also my own IT security projects to work on… So I’m sure you’ll understand that I am a little quiet on my blog !