R.J. Salicco

Football has started back up. I am not talking about the NFL, I am talking about Northeast Tampa Pirates football. I am now out at practice up to 5 days a week and loving it. Football is a great sport and I think our team is going to have a great season. We are defending our title here in the Tampa Bay area so I know the other teams will be coming for us. The bad thing is that I miss playing football. I can only coach football now so I have to stick to playing sports like golf.

The Web has been a big part of most of my adult life and I am sure it will be an integral part of my future. Most of us have come to rely on Web based services like email, search, news content and social networking to stay informed and to feel connected to society. The Web as a platform can provide much more value than what we are experiencing today but Web accessibility is limited. There are millions, if not billions, of people who still have limited or no access to the Web and yet some of us take broadband connectivity for granted. The potential of the Web is out there. According to http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm, only 26.6% of the world’s population has access to the Web. Imagine merely doubling that number to 52% and the possibility of sharing/collaborating/interacting with another 1/4 of the world’s population.

What the pasta fagioli is going on in Italy? An Italian prosecutor decided to hold Google executives responsible for a video posted on YouTube. Then, an Italian judge ruled to convict 3 of the 4 executives on violations related to Italy’s privacy code and sentenced them to 6 months in jail. The sentence will be commuted because they are first time offenders, but Google is going to appeal the verdict according to a blog post. It is pretty disappointing to see a justice system that is/will be tied up while engaged in this type of litigation. This puts Google in a weird place because they now have to consider their future in Europe and I am sure this will spill into the land of litigation happy opportunists in the United States.

I just back from a great trip to Washington, DC. I had a great time with my friends and family. I love the District for many reasons and it is a great place to visit. I have even thought about moving to our nation’s capital to experience something different than a suburban Florida lifestyle. I enjoy the history, the ability to walk to local destinations and the public transportation system, all of which are things that are somewhat lacking in Tampa, FL. The Real Estate market is just a bit different from the Tampa market, but I am sure it is relative. I enjoy the city no matter how many times I visit. Hopefully, I will be able to visit again before the end of 2010. Great friends, food, history and an overall vibe that cannot be found just anywhere.

I would love to find some Henriot Champagne here in the US. I had some (quite a bit) in France at my friend Myriam’s wedding. I enjoyed the refreshing taste and it wasn’t too sweet. I don’t drink Champagne all that often but I enjoy it from time to time. I am not a wine or Champagne snob but getting a hold of Henriot would remind me of France. I might just have to get a bottle Moet White Star because it is also a very tasty sparkling beverage.

I have been thinking about buying Windows 7 to run as a virtual machine on my MacBook Pro. I currently run Windows XP and Ubuntu x.x with VMWare’s Fusion. I really do not need Windows 7, but it would be nice to work with it so I can be somewhat knowledgeable about what it has to offer. I really didn’t have any desire to purchase or work with Windows Vista and I am very satisfied with that decision. So, do I become an early adopter or do I just sit and wait?

I have been listening to the French duo Air quite a bit lately. They are great to listen to while I am writing code. They have a great sense for melody and texture while keeping things under control. I currently own Talkie Walkie and Moon Safari and I need to pick up a couple more albums when I get a chance. As with most artists these days, their albums are available on Amazon.com or most other places you buy good music.

If you are into experimental/progressive/electronic rock, then you need to check out Ozric Tentacles. Their music can be found on Amazon.com. I recently picked up The Yumyum Tree. Wow, it is some good stuff.

It has been almost 2 months since I went to Paris, France to attend my friend’s wedding and I miss being there. I really like the city life and I felt more than alive while I was there. I also enjoyed visiting the French countryside towns; Cherbourg, Flamanville and Urville-Nacqueville were very beautiful. My experiences in France were incredible. My girlfriend, Shannon, and I had a great time and I definitely know I will try to return to Paris after I have visited a few other places I need to experience.

I have decided that I need to further my education and I am looking into a few programs at USF. I need to get signed up to take the GRE and I also need to spend some time preparing for it. I am horrible at taking written tests, but I will figure out a way to do what I need to do.