I am composing a paper about instant messaging (IM) and chat, two modes of communication that are becoming more and more popular today. Unfortunately I have caught a cold so things have been delayed, and I've been required to stay indoors, rest and drink tea, I hope to make a speedy recovery and get it done. Regardless, it's a very interesting and relevant topic, I don't know many people who don't have an IM account and use it daily so I was hoping maybe you, my dear blog readers might share your views and bring some more insight.

The primary way to store information on computers and digital media today is in text form and the reasons for this are traditional, it's easy to search and store text and it takes up little space. Stepping outside the traditional and limited sign systems of the digital era, allowing users to introduce their own signs, drawings and diagrams, seamlessly with typed text, will emulate the properties of traditional paper based media and add semantic richness to digital content.

Browsing my regular website for news related to the Internet and information technologies, idg.se, I came across a reference to these articles about the revised DMCA that would introduce penalties of up to ten years in prison for attempting piracy, far more than the sentences for assault, robbery and rape, a clear indication of how mega corporations look upon the human worth as compared to it of money.

Here's a short diary, or rather recollection, of the week I spent in Val Thorens skiing. I hope it will come in useful for others planning to spend their vacation in this area or are just curious about it. Comments are welcome as always.

Half the week has passed, I'm coming online here to check on things and post another short update. I'm having a great time, I can't say I've ever seen or experienced such fantastic skiing so accessible and enjoyable. If you get away from the lower slopes which are dominated by beginners, who tend to make skiing riskier for everyone else*, you'll be treated with high altitude pistes that go for miles and if you venture outside the marked path you will, without much difficulty, find perfect powder.

I've been in France since the past four days, enjoying awesome skiing in Val Thorens in the French Alps near the border of Italy. I'm currently in an Internet cafe that is overpriced just like everything in this village, a tribute to tourism and commercial exploitation. The worst thing with Val Thorens is doubtlessly its lack of atmosphere, genuinity and soul. Imagine three dozen sport hotels built out of concrete on some distant mountain top surrounded by 30 lifts and you get the idea. Basically everything here is expensive, and quite boring, it's all about the money! You're here to do one thing: ski! So about the skiing.

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