A sabbatical

This post, is a different one in a couple of ways.
Firstly, I posted this from within emacs! I’m using the w3m browser within emacs to post this. I’ve started using (trying to use) emacs again. Hope to keep at it longer this time.
Secondly, I wish to inform junta about my sabbatical for a couple of weeks. I have decided not to use IM/IRC/SocialNetworking sites for the next couple of weeks. [00:00:00 IST 6th Jul'08 to 23:59:59 IST 19th Jul'08] I will, of course, be using mail and will also blog if and when I feel like. This is an experiment triggered by a few ideas from Chaitu^[1]and my own holiday lifestyle analysis. (Also Chaitu has volunteered to join me.) Hope to make it through and also get some valid, interesting results out of the experiment.

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Update: Firemacs add-on for firfox is very useful. I couldn’t get a decent browser for emacs that could open gmail, so I’m using Firefox with the Firemacs add-on to compose my mail. Its absolutely amazing. Believe me! [Jul 6, 2008]

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Links, References:
[1] Chaitu – Poetic Paradigm

Filed under: Ramblings , emacs, firemacs, IM, IRC, sabbatical, Social Networking

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