Contact avatars, Summer Of Code & Stuff

[Tobia Tesan]

Hello everybody!
I'm new here.
I'm a twentysomething CompSci freshman (yes, I started out late :) from 
Italy and a Pidgin user.

I'm gonna cut straight to the chase here.

§ First - I was thinking of applying for Summer Of Code this year and 
I'm having a look at a number of participating projects.
I noticed that Pidgin is participating, and, being a longtime Pidgin 
user (I think Gaim on Mandrake Linux 7.2 or something on a Pentium MMX 
was my initiation) I'm wondering if there's a way I could apply.

The big, fat disclaimer: I have real world programming experience with 
small and medium projects and I'm a reasonably good student (my grades 
are around 95/100 - or, roughly, I'm in the top 5%), but I have never 
hacked Pidgin.

I read the proposed ideas, but I'm not sure if they are doable without 
previous experience with the codebase.

Now, tell the truth:

*  Do I need to stop daydreaming or should I give it a try anyway?

§ Second - there is one particular feature I'd like to propose, which 
does not seem absurd to me.

I've always wanted the ability to display my custom photo for Google 
contacts.

As you know, Google Contacts lets you define a custom name and picture 
for each of your contacts that, at least in GMail and in various 
Thunderbird plugins, supersedes the one defined by your contacts.

I'd like to have the option to display my custom picture (defined in 
Google Contacts) instead of the one defined by each contact.

The case for this is twofold:

1. Consistency is a good reason in itself.
I'd want Pidgin to display the same picture I see in GMail and in 
Thunderbird.

2. My friends use silly pictures of animals and memes and I have a hard 
time knowing who's who. I know I'm not the only one.

Is there a good reason not to do it?
Has it already been discussed, is it (surprisingly) undoable?

Thank you a lot and then some!

P.s.: My English may sound a bit shaky. Because it is. Sorry about that!

-- 
Tobia Tesan
<tobia.tesan at gmail.com>
"I've hired you to help me start a war. It's an prestigious line of
  work, with a long and glorious tradition."
	-- The Princess Bride