Carnet

I am old

Today, I turned 24. When I look at all the things I've done over the years, I must admit, this year has been quite crazy.

I've travelled a little more than last year (Paris - two times, New York, Yosemite, Hawaii), attended LeWeb, and I've been involved in several important projects that have changed YouTube, such as technical leader on the visual redesign.

Also, for the last year, I've been applying for a green card. Despite my job at Google and my strong involvement within the company, getting one is still uncertain. But maybe I'll just be lucky?

Time will tell!

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San Francisco

Planning a trip to San Francisco for a weekend? Here are few things you might want to check during your stay, especially if this is your first time in the city of hearts!

In the contrary of New York, San Francisco is really small. It's easy to get around with public transportation (MUNI) and you should be able to get a lot done in two to three days. if you plan to stay for more, I would recommend to check the other cities of the Bay Area such as Berkeley, Palo Alto.

Let's get back to San Francisco. If you are into touristy spots, there are severals stops to make. In the order: Alcatraz (great visit during a foggy day), Golden Gate Bridge, Exploratorium, Alamo Square, Piers 39, Lombard Street, and of course Castro.

Close to the Golden Gate Bridge, there is a park worth visiting: Golden Gate Park. It has a couple of interesting attractions: Academy of Sciences, Conservatory of Flowers, Botanical Garden and de Young Museum.

Downtown San Francisco, you have another good museum: MOMA. It's smaller than the one in New York but the roof access and the exhibitions are often unique and original. Also downtown, there is the trolley (you often have to wait a long time before getting in, not sure it's "that" interesting to do).

San Francisco is a good place for organic food. There are couple of good restaurants that are often recommended: Chez Papa (French Cuisine), Basil Thai (Thai), Ozumo (American / Japanese fusion), Boulevard (American / French fusion), Slanted Door (Vietnamese), Osha (Thai), and Little Star (Deep Dish Pizza). There are a lot more, this is not an exhaustive list.

Feel free to give feedback about your own experience in San Francisco in the comments!

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Invisalign

When I was a kid, the only option I had to put my teeth in the right place was to use braces. My experience was, so to speak, horrible. It hurts. The metal can cut your mouth, you can't eat anything you want and you need to trust 100% your orthodontist.

Only 3 years after the braces have been removed, my teeth have moved again due to the lack of retainer and filings. Wearing braces again was not an option. So I look around for alternatives. That's how I discovered invisalign. Some co-workers at Google were really happy with the results and recommended it to me.

I looked for orthodontists in San Francisco and easily found one close to my apartment (convenient to live downtown). The price is really expensive (about 35% more than braces) for 10 months, if the treatment was longer, the price would have been the same tho.

When you start the invisalign process, the orthodontist gives you access to a website where you can preview the evolution of your teeth during the treatment. It somewhat reassures. In addition, he will give you your first sets of trays. I started with 3 bags and in each one tray for the top, one tray for the bottom. You switch them every two weeks (easy).

After 10 months, my teeth are back to normal. It was a very easy treatment and my overall experience was great. Since invisalign are transparent trays, you can remove them at anytime to eat or clean your teeth, you can also smile, nobody notices it since it's completely invisible.

The only condition (and you have to be serious about it) is to wear them a minimum of 20 hours per day (simple). When you switch trays, it can make your teeth sensible but it's about a day.

This article is non-sponsored, I just want to send a message to everyone who has the option to think between braces and invisalign. To be honest, I wish this technology was available when I was a kid.

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iPhone5

Today's event was highly expected by the Apple community. We were looking forward the iPhone 5 announcement along with the launch of new iOS. Instead Tim Cook presented the iPhone 4S that has no real innovation. I must admit, I have been quite disappointed.

I always wanted to have an iPhone just for the luxury to say "I have one" and be proud about it. Apple has been a permanent source of inspiration, and I have a giant respect for the company.

Regardless of all my passion for Apple, when you look at the iPhone in America, it comes along with a 2-year contract at $99/monthly with AT&T and Verizon (the worse companies to have a contract with). I pay today $50 monthly no-contract with T-Mobile (unlimited calls, unlimited text and unlimited web). I save about $50 per month ($600 per year, a trip to Hawaii).

The second thing is all the improvements Apple has made: they are nice but nothing is new. For example: Siri. When you attack the voice recognition, you also need to make sure this will work for everyone. I speak English with a French accent, this is definitely a feature that will give me an hard time.

When you look at what the competitors are up to, Apple is sadly really far behind: the screen, HD video and 8 Mega-Pixel camera are not big news. The improved performances are made for the new operating system. iOS still look amazing compared to Android but it is missing important key features.

I will wait for the next iPhone: 4G, a real bluetooth system, a good free navigation system and hopefully some interactions I've never seen before. Hopefully, we won't have to wait 16 months to have the same type of announcement.

Apple, I know you as a company of innovations, why are you now and today far behind?

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Splice the movie

I discovered this weekend via a friend of mine a great movie: Splice. It's a French/Canadian movie directed by Vincenzo Natali and it is starring Adrien Brody (the Pianist) and Sarah Polley (Dawn of the Dead).

Plot: This great science-fiction movie is based on the story of two scientists: Clive and Elsa. For many years, the couple have tried to find a universal cure to human diseases such as cancers by splicing together the DNA of different animals. After successfully creating 2 hybrids, they try to start the phase 2 of their project: adding human genes in the experiments.

Opinion: I really liked Splice, this strange movie definitely reinvent the genre. Those 1:30 hours are entertaining: you observe two mad scientists playing with the limits of genetics by giving birth to a creature that has human genes. If you haven't seen it yet, you should!

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