Logitech, never again

I have just spend close to a month trying to track down unrepeatable behaviour in an application I am writing. The application is pretty hairy, and contains lots of matrices that are nearly singular, and I was imagining all sorts of weird numeric problems. But no. The problem was with the software that I installed for my Logitech video/web camera.
Essentially Logitech, in their wisdom, decided it would be a good idea to inject their lvprcinj.dll into everything possible, my program included. Something in that dll was causing unrepeatable behaviour in my program. Thank you Logitech for your malware. Problem solved. I for one will never buy a Logitech product again.

Children and toys

We end up buying a lot of toys for our children. Certainly for our son we seem to have amassed many more toys than I imagined we would have. They toys range in price and sophistication, and our son's interest in any toy varies over time, but there is no correlation I can discern between either the cost or sophistication and his enjoyment of the toy. There seems to be a general idea that expensive sophisticated toys make the best presents for a child, but in reality all he really needs is our love and constant provision of a secure and nurturing environment, and for us to show him how the world works. Like so much in this world, what works for children can easily be transferred to an adult scenario.

Burma

Reading about the situation in Burma it is intersting to see the role being played by the Buddhist monks. Not only are they involved in politcal protest, but leading through their own use of peaceful means, they have raised the level of their protest to one of morality and basic human rights. In so doing they have shown more leadership than anybody I can think of since Ghandi.
One could only hope that their example inspires those trying to change the Middle East, and the world owes them our support, to ensure that peaceful protest has demostrated results.

Update:  Monk stencils

Adlaï is 6 months old today!

Two little monkies
Originally uploaded by HugoD

Adlaï is already six months old. What a humbling experience it has been so far, in so many different ways. Having somebody rely on you all day every day for all their needs teaches much about patience and tolerance. At least I get breaks; Gabriela has been breast feeding and so doesn't get much time off.
Seeing Adlaï come alive over the last few months is a marvelous experience. You can see his hearing, sight and motor abilities change from one day to the next, and his fascination with the world is renewed and heightened every time he gets to experience it in a little richer form.
Having a baby suddenly makes people very friendly, and it makes you think about how reserved we normally all are with each other. Just having the excuse of admiring the baby is enough for many people, both complete strangers and also those we see on a regular basis in shops, neighbours, etc, to start talking with us.