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Saturday 31 July 2010

MuseoGames: from Pong to Pokemon and beyond

MuseoGames_Xbox

Nowadays in terms of turnover, video games have just overtaken the world cinema industry. It has also a great impact on our society and our entertainment habits. Now, there are even international competitions and some on-line games involve millions of passionate gamers. Video games are not a trend, it is finally a mature industry and the market will continue to grow. Whatever they are casual, serious or "hard-core", there are games for everyone.

However, few people really know about video games "glorious" history. Perhaps because it is a very young industry, much younger than cinema (1892). Indeed, Pong, the first mass market video games has been released in 1972... So what a very good initiative to hold an exposition about video games history, and certainly a still better idea to visit it.

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Sunday 18 July 2010

The Football World Cup is over...

World_cup_2010

... And everything went well. Haters, pessimistic people, afro-skepticals and journalists looking for sensationalist stories can be disappointed. The first football world cup in Africa was a tremendous success!

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Wednesday 9 June 2010

iPhone 4: Apple relaunches the race

iPhone4

After the Google I/O conference in early may 2010 (Android "Froyo" 2.2 release) and the Gizmodo case, some people were quite skeptical about how Apple could once again cause a stir. Finally, as they claimed it themselves, Apple has just changed everything again with its new iPhone 4. The new piece of jewellery designed in Cupertino comes with very impressive innovations (retina display, ultra slim design, pentaband connectivity, front camera, HD video recording, powerful processor) which should reinforce Apple leadership. Except some technical issues, the Steve jobs keynote was totally successful and has reached its goals, making the iPhone 4 the new "must have" of the highly competitive smartphone market.

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Friday 21 May 2010

Expo 2010 Shanghai : already successful

Expo 2010 Shanghai China
After having led one of the most impressive and well-organized Olympic Games ever, China is aiming to blow away the world with the Shanghai 2010 Expo. This 75th universal exposition is being held in Shanghai, the economic capital of China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. The theme of the exposition, "Better City – Better Life", means a lot of for a metropolis like Shanghai which is one of the most polluted city of the planet. This world fair also "signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as the "next great world city".

According to my friend, Wikipedia, the Shanghai World Expo is the most expensive Expo in the history of the world's fairs. In terms of area, - the Shanghai Expo is located in the widest World's Fair site ever (5.28 square km) and in terms of participants - more than 190 countries and more than 50 international organizations have registered to participate in the exhibition, the Shanghai World Expo is the largest ever. China expects to receive almost 100 foreign leaders and more than 70–100 million of people from across the world to come and visit the World Expo. Having said that, this event has also a special meaning for me.

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Thursday 20 May 2010

68th Carrefour des Possibles, 05/18/2010, Paris

Carrefour_Des_Possibles2

Two days ago I attended to the 68th edition of the Carrefour des Possibles at the Paris Descartes University. Ten innovative projects related to e-commerce, social web, fair and sustainable trade, services, and virtual tourism where introduced to the audience. Among the project initiators, there were entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, researchers and associations… Despite an important diversity in terms of approach and purpose, these 10 projects have all a point in common : their ability to take advantage of technology for boosting creativity and creating new uses. Most of them were quite convincing and well-conceived. However, two of these projects really caught my attention: Yoocasa and Madmagz.com.

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Saturday 15 May 2010

Why I will never purchase a netbook

netbook_collapse

When people ask me some advice before buying a netbook, I always make a disappointed face. Indeed, from my geeky point of view, netbooks are the worst computers ever created by the IT industry. So, do not even expect from me any positive statements about these gadgets. In fact, I think these devices are useless and are just pushed because of an irationnal and already old fashioned trend. Let me explain to you my point of view.

First and foremost, netbooks are generally cheap (above €400, I consider they are too expensive) but they deliver very low performances. They are dramatically slow because of their Intel Atom processor (which was supposed to be incorporated in smartphones...)

2nd. There is nothing they can do properly. The user experience while using a netbook is so disenchanting, that you fastly understand you can not ask too much to these "baby PCs".

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Wednesday 31 March 2010

Conference "Apple et le design", 30/03/2010, Paris

Apple et le Design

Yesterday, the "Musée de l'Informatique"* (Computers Museum), located inside the roof of the famous Grande Arche (Paris, La Défense), hosted a captivating conference about the way Apple considers design and how they manage to conceive so attractive products. The "keynote" was animated by Guillaume Gete, an Apple expert, also known as an author, trainer, independent consultant and blogger passionate by the Steve Job's company. This event was held for ending the successful exposition "les 25 ans du mac", which celebrated the Macintosh birth, 25 years ago. As Philippe NIEUWBOURG, director of the museum, said himself, this exhibition has attracted about 200 000 people in 6 months. Initially it was supposed to last 3 months...

During about one hour, Mr Gete gave us a presentation both funny and very professionnal. Some samples of very rare Apple products was introduced to the audience, and I had the chance to touch some legendary device like the Newton, for the first time. Amazing feeling. Obviously, the majority of the people which attended the conference were mac users or Apple fans; a very compelling audience as you can easily imaginate.

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Thursday 11 March 2010

DESERTEC : an exciting green project

DESERTEC Project

Few months ago, when I was still a junior lobbyist in Brussels, I heard about an amazing project related to renewable energies. This umpteenth new project sounded like an utopia. Conceived by the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), an international network of scientists and politicians aiming to solve Europe's energy problem, the well-named DESERTEC, seemed to be the craziest green project I ever heard. "Their vision is to turn desert sun into electricity, thereby harnessing inexhaustible, clean and affordable energy. Under their scheme, so-called parabolic trough collectors collect sunlight like a magnifying glass, the heat is then used to turn water into steam, which drives turbines that produce electricity".

The technology involved in DESERTEC is called Concentrating solar power (CSP) and sounds quite simple and affordable nowadays. Solar thermal power plants have operated successfully in California since the 1980s. Unfortunately, the technology has been held back, because oil, gas and coal have been far cheaper sources of energy... until now. So thanks to the dramatic increase of fossil fuel prices, solar thermal power becomes "trendy" once again. Thus, Spain is also investing in CSP. In the province of Granada, the biggest solar thermal power plant in Europe is being built.

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Tuesday 23 February 2010

My opinion about the iPad

iPad_Presentation

"The most eagerly awaited tablet since Moses delivered the Ten Commandments". This is how Michael Gartenberg, a technology journalist, analyst and blogger described the iPad before its launch. Few hours after Steve jobs revealed "the most important thing he ever made", two categories of blogers/people have emerged, the pros and cons of the iPad. As usual with a new Apple product, debates are passionate about knowing weither yes or not the iPad is a must have.

While Apple has just anounced the official release date of the iPad (beginning of April), I can not help myself to imagine how the iPad will continue the revolution introduced by the iPhone. After the mouse, the multi-touch technology has become the brandnew Graphic User Interface paradigm. Though I did not even tried the thing (like 99,99% of the basher-blogers who posted the first series of negative reviews), I am already seduced by all the possibilities offer by this new hype device which inspire me the following statements :

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Sunday 7 February 2010

Salon des entrepreneurs, february 2010, Paris

Salon des Entrepreneurs

France is changing... Last year, thanks to the creation of the auto-entrepreneur status, the number of setting-up companies hit the record level of 580 193. That means a 75,1% increase compared with 2008. Since january 1st 2009, doing business has never been so easy and affordable in France. Consequently, all the spotlights were focused on this new category of businessmen and businesswomen during the 17th edition of the «Salon des Entrepreneurs» in Paris, which I attended on Februrary 3th and 4th.

As François Hurel (President of the Union des Auto-Entrepreneurs) claimed, it is possible to create an «auto-entreprise» in just 10 min on the website : www.lautoentrepreneur.fr. According to a poll from Opinionway, the most attractive disposals of this new status are the freedom feeling, the simplification of the administrative process and the fact that is not necessary to pay any taxes if the turnover is under or equal to zero.

During his speech, Hervé Novelli, secretary of state in charge of SMEs (Small and medium enterprises), was very pleased that this entrepreneurship freedom is the Key factor of this success story. In a country where people use to get bogged down in paperwork for any initiatives they want to take, and where so many people envy public servants benefits, this successful initiative is a real (positive) cultural revolution.

Wednesday 20 January 2010

UNeECC Week : Making easier student mobility

Youth_in_Programme

As a member of the UNeECC student board, I participated to the last UNeECC general assembly in Vilnius (Lithuania). During the student workshop, we had to do a brainstorming about Innovation, Creativity and Culture in order to conceive a project which can include all these elements. With Karl Fromberger, from the University of Essen in Germany, we developed a new concept of student exchange programme : the UNeECC week.

In few decades, European Union managed to build a political union between so different countries and people. However, when it comes to culture, citizenship, and identity, Europe seems to be still on progress, mainly for a majority of young people who are still looking for answering the question : what does it mean to be (a young) European?

Nowadays, student mobility tremendously contributes to intercultural understanding. While a lot of European programs like Erasmus or Leonardo succeeded in making progress the feeling of belonging to Europe, and promote the purpose of the European building, for many reasons, they unfortunately concern only a little part of students or youngsters in the EU.

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Sunday 17 January 2010

Here the kind of "afroptimistic" TV show that I like

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

It's been a while since I was surprised by a TV show. Saturday afternoon, my cousin introduced to me a brand-new (at least for me) comedy-drama series produced by the BBC and the american television network, HBO. In a TV landscape where it is quite difficult to fall on something really amazing, I felt in love with "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency", a program inspired by a series of ten novels by British author Alexander McCall Smith.

The main character, Mma. Ramotswe, is performed by Jill Scott, a very famous and respected american soul singer. The detective agency is located in Gaborone, capital of Botswana, and the 7 episodes were all filmed on location in this beautiful country which welcomed for the first time a major film production.

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Friday 15 January 2010

The Treaty of Lisbon from a Lobby point of view


After many setbacks (simplification of the Treaty, holding of a 2nd referendum in Ireland, Czech President and Euro-pessimists opposition) the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1 December 2009. It is supposed to "provide the EU with modern institutions and optimised working methods to tackle both efficiently and effectively today's challenges in today's world", such as globalisation, climatic and demographic changes, security and energy (according to the European Commission website). 

However, from a lobbyist point of view, the Treaty of Lisbon Introduces some changes and novelties which should change the rules of the "game". So for Eurodom, my ex-consultancy (where I worked 8 months as a fresh graduated trainee), it seemed necessary to make people realize how this new treaty will change the way we work and interact with European decisions makers. Consequently, I was in charge of achieving a 20-slides presentation for the General Assembly of the cabinet. At the beginning it was no big deal for such a powerpoint/keynote expert as I am. Nevertheless I worked hard on it with my boss, Mr Bally, and after some sleepless nights, and a working sunday afternoon, we managed to achieve the presentation he wanted. 

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Tuesday 12 January 2010

Next step : Korea?

Seoul_city_center

Have you ever noticed that when you start a discussion about Asia, most often people spontaneously mention a short list of over mediatised countries. So when I first announced to my relatives and my friends that I was planning to move to Asia, they first think I will go to China. Obviously it was not a bad suggestion, all the more so I already studied a bit of Chinese (mandarin). Others evoke Japan, India or Singapour (for the most ...). Finally, when I admitted that I would rather go to South Korea, they were quite doubtful. However, after some explanations they realized that my interest in Korea was quite judicious.

I always been attracted by Asia and that is why I started learning chinese (mandarin) two years ago. To my mind, Asia, cradle of millenium civilisations, is the most attractive and inspiring places around the world. Now, among the Asia-Pacific countries, South Korea is the eighth largest trade partner of the European Union, but it is still little-known by European people. I think that has to change. If I want to go to Korea, that's because first I already have some friends and professional contacts mainly located in Seoul.

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Saturday 9 January 2010

Why Apple could conquer emerging markets with the iPhone?

MTN

While everyone is expecting Apple releases this month a new revolutionary device, I can help myself thinking that the iPhone success is far from getting is culminate point. Apple has already sold 40 millions iPhone across the world. Whereas the Steve jobs’ company managed to get “only” 8% of the global Smartphone market, it cumulates 40% of the whole industry profit.

Unfortunately for Apple competitors, this outrageous successful trend does not seem to be temporary; Apple has clearly built a unique and powerful business model – not only based on the iPhone, but the Appstore and iTunes - which will be very difficult to equalize. Apple is going ahead as the leader (in terms of innovation, profitability, customer satisfaction, graphic user interface) of the Smartphone market. Speaking of Market share, RIM is still first, however all the other cellular phone manufacturers are seen as followers nowadays. However, when I claimed that Apple is able to progress so much more, I was thinking about the fact that Steve Jobs' company could get a much bigger market share outside the western market.

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Saturday 7 November 2009

Apple Store Carroussel du Louvre, inauguration Day : I was there!

Apple store 2

Like thousand of other brave Apple fans, I was this morning among the first customers of the first Apple store opened in France. I was so exciting by this inauguration that I decided on the fly to go to Paris from Brussels... in carpooling, for the first time (thanks Maya).

Finally, I was not disappointed... this opening was just impressive : 1,5 km of people standing in a queue, around 5000-6000 people waiting for discovering this brand new Apple store at 10 o'clock, 150 employees for supporting or advicing customers, 5000 collector t-shirts (in a magnificent - pyramid - package) for the first customers, some french famous people (Yvan Attal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Luc Besson, Vincent Cassel) in a sumptuous area... the Carroussel du Louvre.

Tonight I am the happy owner of a brand new Apple remote in aluminium, a beautiful collector T-shirt and many photos of this "historic" event. I will post more items as soon as possible, but for the moment I need to rest in order to recover from 3 hours of standing in line, in a quite cold weather. Anyway, this Apple store is a very charming and pleasant place and will surely succeed in attracting many visitors and customers.

APPLESTORE_050.JPG

If you want to see more photos, check out the blog of my friend Nathalie : www.theparisienne.fr

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Saturday 31 October 2009

UNeECC student workshop II, Vilnius, Lithuania, 23-25/10/09

UNeECC Student workshop Vilnius, nov. 2009

The General assembly of the University Network of european Capitals of Culture was held at the end of october in Vilnius (Lithuania). As an ex-member of the Student Committee Board, and a participant of the first UNeECC student workshop in Pécs (Hungary), I was kindly invited to participate to the second student work shop organised on the occasion of UNeECC General assembly.

Like in Pécs, some representatives of student associations came up to share ideas, good practices and make some brainstorming about possible UNeECC projects dedicated to european students. 10 different nationalities were represented ; there were students from Bologna (Italy), Antwerp (Belgium), Sibiu (Romania), Pécs (Hungary), San-sebastian (Spain), Warsaw (polonia), Graz (Austria), Essen (Germany), Vilnius and me who was considered as a representative of the Catholic University of Lille (France). The main topics we discussed during this workshop were creativity, culture and innovation. We had to consider these 3 subjects within their mutual interactions to find some innovative ideas which could be put into practice within the student UNeECC network.

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Monday 12 October 2009

Open Days, october 2009, Brussels : "European clusters for recovery"

Open_Days_2009

On october 2009 5th to 8th was held by the regions comittee and the European Commission, the 7th edition of the Open days. This annual event is dedicated to growth and innovation issues from a regional scale. There were plenty of great conferences and debates during all the week, however for professionnal purposes and booking issues (too many applicants but limited places) I finally attended to only one conference. The talk was focused on Clusters and innovation in regions and was very interesting.

The most captivating speaker was Dr. Schuurmans, former professor of Solid State Physics, former Executive Vice President at Philips Research / Philips Medical systems, and currently Chairman of the International Advisory Board to the Biomedical School of Information Engineering in Shenyang. His message was clear and very meaningful : compared with Chinese, Indian or US education system, the European systems is globally far behind in terms of innovation and R&D, and our education system is not enough pragmatic and efficient. Too much theory and insufficient practical knowledge and ability. Another element was enlighted during the debate: the obvious lack of synergy between European regions. I totally agree with this analysis, and really hope things will change quickly, if not European competitivity and attractivity will decline dramatically.

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Saturday 3 October 2009

Digital World Forum, Final event, Brussels, 30/09/2009

Digital World Forum : final event

Wednesday 30th september, was organised the final event of the Digital World Forum in Brussels. This initiative held by the european Commission was supposed to bring together experts, NGO and firms working or involved in the ICT field. During two years ideas, good practices, concepts were shared and discussed to make more affordable, accessible and inclusive ICT (Information and Communication Technologies).

The Digital World Forum, which is a European project set within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), is focused on the use of ICT to leverage economic development in Africa and Latin America. As I also demonstrated it in my master thesis, «using ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) would be the easiest and possibly only way to develop and deploy minimal services (health, education, business, government, etc.) to rural communities and under-privileged populations». Thus, the final aim of this project was to study low-cost ICT technologies to deploy in developing countries, and more specifically low-cost laptops, low-cost broadband wireless infrastructure, and mobile.

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Thursday 10 September 2009

Inside the lobbying world of Brussels

Berlaymont-European Commission Brussels
Since the beginning of may 2009, I have been a lucky intern in a consultancy cabinet - EURODOM - located in Brussels and focused on european affairs. Our main activity is to defend the economic interests of the European outermost regions, mainly the French ones (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyane, Réunion, etc.). Working in this area is very exciting but also very compelling. Most of the time, you work on macroeconomic issues and deal with politicians or high level experts. In the European affairs microcosm, there are few vacancies but many applicants... Indeed, I met a lot of overqualified and high skilled people who are looking for a job - since months - in the european affairs field. That's the reason why I feel very lucky to do my trainee period in this area.

Moreover, lobbying is a controversial activity which triggers many fantasies. Some are over-exaggerated and other are quite true. However, it is something more natural and transparent than people think. In Brussels, which is the second most important city in terms of lobbying (behind Washington), most European affairs cabinet are registred in a special register for transparency purpose.

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