Hi! I'm Horia Dragomir. I am a passionate web developer, snapshooter and guitar enthusiast based in Timisoara, Romania.

Tech Support

I got a nice phone call the other day:

Hi, Horia! I have a problem.

Hello! Let’s see.

I have this Trojan notification from my antivirus…

What options does it give you?

“Copy(!) to Quarantine”, “Terminate” and *gibberish I could not make out*

Okay; click the Quarantine one.

OK. I clicked the red X and it’s now asking me if I’m sure. It also says that if I take no action, my computer could be at risk.

Right, click No, then Quarantine, then Terminate.

I clicked Quarantine and it’s not doing anything.

Click Terminate.

Nothing. Wait. It went away then came back again.

*I imagine they’re refering to the notice*
Please disconnect from the internet.

Okay, hang on. *I hear a lot of commotion* I closed Opera. And all the files. Now what?

Did you disable your wireless connection?

Why?

Please disable your wireless connection.

OK, let me start up Opera first.

Wait, no…

OK. Now, to disable the wireless, I need to plug out the black box from down there, right?

Erm, I guess that would work too. Go ahead.

Ah, I found the switch on my laptop. I disabled the wireless, but now I still get the notice.

Quarantine, then Terminate.

Ok, it came back.

Close Opera, please.

Ok. Wait, I can’t.

*I figure a download prompt is keeping them from closing the browser*
Press Ctrl + Shift + Escape for me, please.

So, C-T-R-L *sounds of them straining* Shift and.. what?

Escape. To the top left.

Ok. I get this funny window with…

I know. Click on the tab labeled “Processes” … Now find Opera.

Opera.exe!

Right. Now, right click on that.

Click or double click?

No, the right mouse button.

OK, I get a menu that..

I know. Click on End Process Tree

Right click?

No, regular click. Left mouse button.

OK. Hey, Opera disappeared.

Yes. Now start Opera again
*I figured a mallicious script on a website they were on was to blame. Opera can be set to restart with all the tabs from the previous session opened without prompt. To get rid of the tab, I had to throw Opera into error recovery mode so that they could select to start fresh, with no tabs. Otherwise the tabs would be loaded from the cache*

OK…

Now, a window should appear with…

*To herself* Tabs from previous session, OK…

No!

Oh, I get the notice again!

Yes, in the task manager, close Opera the same way as before.

Oh, I closed that window. How do I get it back? C-T-R-L…

Ctrl+Shift+Esc, Processes, find Opera…

Yes, yes. OK, closed Opera.

Start Opera again. This time, when the startup screen appears, wait for me. Okay?

OK. So, Tabs from previous session

Okay, anything but that option. Try “Start with Speed Dial”.

OK… It started. Hey, where are all my tabs?!

They needed to be closed. Do you remember the link in last tab you were on? Stay away from it!

I don’t remember.

Gah, well. What version of Opera are you using?

I don’t know.

Click Help, then About Opera.

Oh, OK. Opera nine point…

Upgrade! Go to Opera.com and download a new version, please. Opera 10.10.

OK. I’m on the site… Download..

Wait, didn’t you disable your wireless?

No, why?

Nevermind. Please scan your system to make sure the infection did not spread.

OK. But later. It makes my laptop run slow. Erm, Horia, thank you.

Don’t mention…

You don’t mind me calling you when I run into trouble like this, right?

No, I don’t. Because now you know how to fix this kind of issue. So when something like this happens again, you’ll know what to do and you won’t have to call me.

Erm…

Right, goodbye!

Posted on the 11th of January, 2010 | 11 Exquisite Comments

Because Small Talk Will Only Get You So Far

Do you really listen when someone’s talking to you?

When you’re having a conversation with one person, or more, you should be trying to analyze each single bit of information that comes out of their mouth. Piecing them together to form a tale or a great idea.

What really happens is: you stop at the first keyword you hear. You then remember a story you can tell that’s somehow connected to the idea. Are you familiar with this feeling?
“Boy, just wait until I tell them this. They will so think I’m awesome when I’m done! They have to, because I do…”
You know, you’re thinking that story is so damn awesome that people will be awestruck.

The problem is, by the time you’ve thought all that, and ran the story through your head, the other person has exhausted their idea. And you missed out on all that! They took the blank stare in your eyes as a sign of you being uninterested with the particular subject. And they moved on, changing the topic, most likely.

Then you smuggle your little story into the conversation. It’s only slightly pertinent, but you make a big point as to how all-relevant it actually is. That same thought is still pounding in your head. “When I finish this story, boy, will they ever think I’m cool!”

That’s one of the things I hate about conversations today. With some people, it’s not an actual conversation, they’re just waiting for their turn to speak!

If you’re looking for great conversation, you shouldn’t need to look further than the people you already know. Just listen to them. Well, most of them.

Posted on the 8th of January, 2010 | 18 Intelligent Comments

One Year Later

Yes, more than just keyframes and echo`s is now one year old!

And, in no particular order, I’d like to thank:

The old friend, for talking to me
Ralu, for reminding me how silly teens can be
Flavia, for the awesome tricks she can do
Karina, for making it big
Andreea, for the laughs, the field trip and the countless heads-up
Iordache, for the great tales
Paul, for being helpful — always
Beth, for the long Skype sessions and for always pushing me and for teaching me
ily, for taking me dancing
Anda, for making me pass the test
Bogdan, for becoming something awful
Sibi, for the beer and cold cuts
Tudor, for welcoming me back
Claudia, for the occasional bash
Johnny, for the occasional funny link
Codru, for being curious
Radu, for being down-to-earth
Dan, for his irritating tone
Randall, for xkcd
Sorin, for the serendipity
Alena, for reminding Alen who I am
Alen, for teaching me passion is not always about things you like
Delia, for still being hot
Muse, for the melodic new album
Mada, for understanding I love my sister more than her
Kumm, for a night to remember
Marius, for the long cigarette breaks
Andreea, for being the cutest boss
Radu, for his interest in my vision on HIV
Razvan, for showing me skill without passion is useless
Andreea, for moving out and staying away
The two hotties in Budapest that thought I was gonna snatch their purses
Ada, for the promised beer
Romy, for the morning laugh
Andreea, for the smirk, innocent flirts
Steve, for Digsby
John Resig, for having time for it all
Mike, for turning into his younger brother
Alex, for the awesome stones and jams
Andrei, for reminding me to keep in shape
Andrei, for always reminding me of Marie
Simona, for trying to get me
Andrea, for her ever-present PMS
Maria, for the awesome workshop
Anda, for coming back from the dead
Corina, for I can never remember who she is
Laura, for the person behind the ass and pierce
Adriana, for being caught in the same corporate shitstorm
Radu, for all the coffee
Adriana, for quitting and showing me it can be done
Denisa, for missing that train
Alina, for being childish beyond belief
Liz, for following the road I set her on
Iasmina, for the promise I’ll have to keep
Anca, for calling me “daddy”
Camytzi, for teaming up against Clawd
Scott Adams, for the awesome ideas
Ioana, for the nice warm hug
Dana, for her passion for photography
Oana, for coming to her senses before I had to perform an intervention
Roxana, for showing me why I like small teams
Eszti, for the ring
Mara, for being both hot and smart
Todo, for sticking to what she knows and believes
John, for the trips to the store
Roxi, for that great snow fight
Radu, for showing me how important passion (or lack thereof) is
Mirciu, for outgrowing his brother
Marian, for those great drummer talks
Andy, for the man-hug
Chris, for finally sending me a reply
Teo, for the invitations to see Canada
Opera, for never stopping the innovation
Steven Wilson, for giving a damn, and a great show
The hot waitress in Van Graph, for guessing what I’m gonna want
Delia, for still being hot, again
Octav, for remembering he owes me money from two years ago
Jess, for the old-school shows
Deme, for watching
Jason, for the coffee in downtown Budapest
Bianca, because I can finally remember her name
Adi, for showing me there is fun after marriage
Tudor, for being young
Yoyo, for always making me laugh
Rob, for the laughs, the talks and the pancakes
Andrea, for her warm body and stormy mind
Andra, for the invitations to see Tennessee
Florentina, for finally leaving me alone
Bubu, for at least trying to stay in touch
Ilina, for the fiery fight
Richie, for being wise, and being there
George, for the awesome board game
That Pakistani that served us the crepes
Anda, for rocking out
My brother, for showing me the ropes
Ionut, for finally getting the hang of jQuery
Razvan, for letting me know I should cut down on the fags and start eating more
Bubu, for learning a thing or two about property
Simm, for being a chipmunk on speed
Anna, for the exquisite photos
Alex, for moving on
Andrei, for his much younger girlfriend
Pucca, for her funky chicken
Diana, for not letting go
Andrei, for trying to make us speak the truth
Anca, for the tequilla
Ted, for not forgetting about me
Donald, for the shared passion
Marian, for learning how I like my Cuba Libre
Cosmin, for the cool projects
Victor, for recommending Tweetie
Iancu, for not freaking out when I would spend the night coding at the office
Carmen, for the vodka, again
Daciana, for that nice set of balls she has
Iulia, for reminding me of that faithful summer
Oana, for following her dream and always getting lost along the way
Cinzia, for keeping him happy
Alina, for documenting my front-row-center position
Dani, for the fat and phat jokes
Gloria, for her silhouette
Roman, for letting me know what I missed out on
Theresa, for creating a Skype account just so she could be my side at odd hours
Eva, for just being cool
Julie, for keeping on the right track
Nada, for getting me confused, again
Ami, for being ye small
Silvia, for being bigger than her sister
Cipri, because we all need to laugh
Mile, for believing
Roxy, for the ever-sexy fat lips
Fla, for finally getting up on his feet
UOvi, for bringing me to the blogmeet, and for the countless beers
Moni, for the early coffee
Cristi, for asking me for advice
Bogdan, for sharing the newbieness
My sister, for coming back home
Riki, for how nice our asses fit together
Dada, for the questions asked
Nia, for getting to London
Hera, for the impressive pumping
Timmy, for not selling out and for hardening up
Dani, for never letting go
Alina, for trying to get me in trouble
Vlad, for never letting go
Flavia, for her joyful spirit
Cristi, for the high hopes
Andra, for thanking me for setting her on that great path
Cristi, for the unforgettable photo shoot
Silvana, for giving up while she was way behind
Petre, for being picked on
Vita, for the pep-talks
Robert, for being the coolest teacher in private
Mihai, for showing me what a coward can do
Ale, for teaching me about Chinese
Cata, for the drenched talks and keeping my hands tied
Nicoletta, for the uncontainable laughs
Andrei, for taking it like a man
Raluca, for bringing the camera
Mary, for doing what she does best
Simona, for the movie talk
Dani, for having a soft nose, and not knocking me out after I broke it
Jimmy, for reminding me of Targu Jiu
Nico, for growing up
Melinda, for the interest
Senta, for the joyful laughter
Cezar, for the talk and the camera talk
Serafin, for being my sysadmin from far away
Diana, for realizing coding is not for her
Ruxi, for the promise of another great summer
Clawd, for the man behind the jokes
Codruta, for the invitation to see London
Cristina, for that pose I will never forget
Joanna, for getting back in touch
Simo, for recognizing me
Blogu, for sharing his tent
Vuco, for telling me to get some sleep
Brenn, for the shows and the beer
Seth Godin, for the ponder
Oana, for gaining weight
Cristi, for the t-shirt talk
Peecock, for the freedom to laugh
Dee, for coming to me when it comes to IE
Flavius, for the strong dose of selfishness
Andy, for the heads-up on the new Scottish
Ovi, because thank you
Ami, for learning I drink Carlsberg by the litre
Timeea, for not getting drunk
Ramona, for finally speaking the truth
Andreea, for that three-hour long swim
Irina, for finally getting to meet
Aghi, for the sorority invites
Bleau, for all the great ideas
Liviu, for being like my dad
Horvath, for the giggle
Laura, for still looking like a bitch
Dora, for making me tear
Vali, for his loud voice
Ioana, for learning and believing
Theo, for not letting go and for the jams
Adriana, for keeping my dear friend company
Paul Houle, for the great IDE idea
Alexandra, for coming back
Andie, for showing us that the freaks can make it big
Alexandra, for the cab rides
Simon, for treating me as an equal
The cute waitress in Van Graph, for the discount
Crispy, for the awesome talks
Mirela, for liking Manson
Alina, for the old-school email conversation
Stefan, for the crash course
Elena, for not letting her other name stop her
Andrei, for that close-to-stone
Razvan, for being himself, and losing in style, twice
Ioana, for manning up
Alex, for finally burying the hatchet
That guy from Bucharest, for getting us in 15 minutes before the gates opened
Alex, for giving me a better cause
Andrei, for proving how secure Opera is
Simona, for the occasional bit of wisdom
Mircea, for always wearing a suit
T-Shirt Hell, for the great marketing move
Ildi, for making a Cuba Libre almost half-price for one whole week
Andy, for letting me walk her home
Max, for never giving up on me
Andreea, for remembering she owes me a Wilde book
Cristina, for the never-ending surprise
Amalia, for reminding me I was stupid once too
Vlad, for quitting while ahead
Raul, for having the balls
Laura, for turning me down
Hanti, for getting an awful haircut at the same time I did
Florin, for learning that I want a Cuba Libre
Adeline, for being clumsy
Cartitoi, for the backgammon
Julie, for putting on weight
Andrei, for being a pillar of seriousness
Alexandru, for the cool project
Bogdana, for her lovely watch
Anca, for being a hot boss
That old man in Budapest, that set us in the right direction
Dan, for the cool project
Cami, for her young lust
Oro, for keeping me company at The Rock House
Iovan, for becoming sensible again
Gabi, for the cool drumming, and cutting his hair
Lavy, for showing me which way to not go
Ionut, for teaching me a lesson about being lazy
Nuzzu, for being there when it matters
Barcelona, for the stunning everything
Alexandra, for being as tall as I am
Armand, for being ever-slow
Andrei, for the countless means of communication
Arthur, for the true smile
Diana, for being special, even though I never told her
Simona, for that cold night
Corina, for grabbing my ass at the right time
Ale, for the person behind the boobs
Monica, for failing my course
Raul, for the brawn and the nice New Year’s Party
Google, for letting me use their everything
Andy, for taking them home, so I may walk
Alexandra, for showing me both sides
Adi, because I know too well
Amplifier, for the collector’s CD and the handwritten postcards
The Dragon, for leaving me alone this time
Victor, for finally loosening up
Laura, for finding an ancient photo of me
Georgiana, for telling me to stay away
Mirela, for learning my name
Madalina, for that lovely neck of hers
Calvin, for putting me in the fast lane
Crina, for the unfathomable interest
The Strassers, for the awesome hospitality
Adi, for the great music talk
Mom and Dad, for putting up with my crap
Richard D Worth, because jQueryUI
Andrei, for Google Wave
Marian, for not shoving things down my throat
Elena, for getting to shake my hand
Rodica, because Java’s not that bad
Peter, for starting the eye-craze
Activestate, for Komodo, my trusted tool
Dorian, for his interest in Agile
Michael, for speaking up against evernote
Flavius, for learning from me
Iza, for knowing what it’s like
Iza, for keeping my dear friend company
Casandra, for thefeminist talk
Pera, for the inspiring book
Shawn, for the awesome funnies
Jorn, for the great articles
Larisa, for being in the same huge room with me
Nebu, for her birthday
Dojo, for the handshake
Cristian, for the Apple/thankyou talk
Brad, for being the humane client
Jeff Atwood, for answering, and shouting out
Jon, for the kick-ass Opera revamp, and for talking to me
Mamama, for being herself and calling me out

I know this is not everyone, so if you’re not on this list, nag me!

See you next year!

Posted on the 25th of December, 2009 | 14 Smart Comments

It’s Complicated

A week ago, Horia went from being “single” to “it’s complicated” and you instantly had an opinion about it. Especially the ladies.

Now, let me explain. I don’t have a complicated relationship with a girl. No, not even her! And I do not have a complicated relationship with a guy either. Although recent evidence might suggest otherwise.

I just decided I have a very steady relationship with code and coding.

I love its braces, its commas, its mood swings and its get-things-done take on life!

While it’s very rewarding, it is time consuming, and it does have its limitations. And yes, I’m thinking sex-wise.
But then, you can’t have it all; can you?

So, it’s complicated!

Posted on the 14th of December, 2009 | 21 Extraordinary Comments

Hey, Stupid!

I am allergic to stupid people. Myself included.

While in a conversation on the matter, I realized that my way of making this obvious is not the best one.
What I do is to politely let the stupid people know they are being stupid.

While it yields results quickly, it counts for nothing in the long run. The stupid only pretend to understand, and they forget their mistake the second I exit the scene. Because I’m only being funny, and that gets the message across, but it does not always make it stick.

I will hereafter try to leave a deeper mark, make a snarkier comment when someone proves their inability to think.
I think dumb-ass and dumb-tits should do for starters. For the Romanian version, see the inspirational post by Mircea Popescu. You can read this post from ily’s blog to see how stupid people can affect us if left unattended.

Oh, right. You get bonus points if you’re also pig-headed!

Posted on the 10th of December, 2009 | 3 Mouth-watering Comments

Undisclosed Desires

Oh, how I yearn to lay down on my perfect mattress, black bedspread over it. No pillow. It’s useless anyway.

I feel your thighs as you sit down upon me. You’re warm and sweet, like dear May. You gently touch my neck. Your hands are ice cold. They make my skin tighten, sending shivers into my very core. I struggle to contain them, to no avail.

Your nails peel off bits of me as you start moving your hands. Slowly and firmly.
I take a deep breath and sigh with pleasure of the like that only a special few get to feel.

You squeeze hard! Letting loose only to squeeze again. And again. Until you decide to move, and give me a good yank as your hands come tangled in my hair.
I get warmer, catching fire and bursting into flames. You’re caught in the inferno, but you love it. You go harder.

We keep going for as long as you can last. The end is, as always, abrupt and intense for you, relieving for me. Then, you roll off, laying down next to my smiling face. I could be very well asleep right now, but I choose to savor every sensation instead. I thank you.

Yes, that is how much I need a massage! Not from anyone, though. I only want you.

Posted on the 6th of December, 2009 | 6 Brilliant Comments

Tools for Spreading the Word

I’m talking about the buttons that read ‘save to delicious’ or ‘digg this’ or ‘stumble this’

People who don’t frequently tweet or save to delicious won’t start because of a huge button on your website. The ones that do, already have their own tools and MO for doing so.

The services that don’t provide cool bookmarklets or API’s or tools are the ones that benefit from those buttons. People appreciate the time saved, but are those services really worth the real estate their buttons take up? I mean, have you ever used Fark?

Why not make your site cleaner? Those buttons are almost always hideous, save for some very few, but very cool, designs. Plus, they steal attention from your own call to action buttons. Like ‘comment’ or ‘buy’

People who don’t use twitter or facebook or digg or delicious or what have you are simply nauseated by the constant ‘Tweet This’ call out they see on sites. Wouldn’t you be?

Posted on the 4th of December, 2009 | Feeling Smart? Comment!

Take to the streets

Fuck with the stupid or hard-nosed and that’s what you get. People in the streets.

And on the day that was deemed our National Day because of the blood of those who took to the streets twenty years ago. People that faced the tanks and firing squads.

People that climbed to that faithful Opera house balcony and chanted with glee: “we are free!”

Angst, fear, uncertitude and stupidly strong convictions filled that square today. For a much lesser cause. For a dirty purpose, any way you look at it.

Some dirtied the memory of our heroes, some betrayed our trust, some proved once more that they are toads.

Right now, I’m enjoying my freedom, having a nice dark beer in the Irish pub.
Happy Birthday, Romania! To the rest of you assholes, Fuck You!

Posted on the 1st of December, 2009 | 19 Remarcable Comments