Lafoot or Lafoobot!

Summer’08! I’m at home, doing nothing practically. No Internships, No Projects, No GRE plans (a little pushing for GRE has just started from the junta around.)

Just to kill some time and to learn some Python, I have begun to write an IRC chat bot <lafoobot> [Lafoot + Bot]. The present haven of lafoobot is #fosskelog @ irc.freenode.net. Join in, if you want to have a chat!
Lafoobot can presently do very few things

• “Yoyo”, a newly joined user
• “Hello”/ “Yoyo”, a user or pass on a Hello/Yoyo from user to another.
• Gives Local time / GMT
• Gives a random word and its meaning [put in for the junta preparing for GRE ]
• Gives out an MOTD or a fortune when it first joins #fosskelog
• Googles a search term and returns the top 5 results (This is my favourite feature and this is the reason partially for this post. “!google lafoobot” doesn’t return anything. Hopefully not anymore.)

If you have ideas for any other features or if you want to have a look at the source, comment here or join #fosskelog. lafoobot’s code is licensed under GPLv2!

Other than this, the summer has been relatively uneventful but for the two FOSS events I attended. Yes, two events, Sat and Sun, both by Twincling (There are two different Twinclings! Don’t ask me why) Hoping to have some more action this summer!

PS: There’s a Big discussion presently on whether lafoobot is a he or a she. What do you think?

Filed under: Programming , bot, IRC, lafootgiri, python

Bills and Billboards

I was travelling in a bus today, when I overheard two people sitting behind me. One of the guy was telling the other about his brother’s job and the hardships he faces. The guy they were talking about, practically risks his life, to be able to eat a square meal. He works on Billboards, used to paint them and now that there aren’t enough people who get them painted, pastes the vinly posters on to the boards.

All day a guy struggles hard, to transform an ugly looking, old hoarding into a huge attractive advertisement and he is paid so well, that he has to slog it out to make ends meet for his family of four. They who get the paintings made or the posters put up, are striking it rich with loads of money and fame. Those who drive by, are having a good time watching that beautiful looking woman there or fantasizing themselves in that wonderful car up there. Then why is this person here, who slogs it out, making so many people happy, struggling to see a smile on his daughter?

When people around can get paid handsomely for having a jolly time in the air-conditioned room, puking out a few lines of code each day, can’t this guy, sweating it out in this may heat, get a better deal? Isn’t there something fundamentally wrong somewhere?

Filed under: Ramblings , bus, money, work