Language things

I'm a person who thinks that the English language is kind of messed up. I mean, there are words that you can write using exactly the same syntax, and they mean different things. There are also words that sound similar, but have different meanings, and there are also words that sound exactly the same but not only they have different meanings, but they also don't have even one letter in common.

That's all comparing it to the Spanish language, where you have so many words...you have four and five different words to say something....well that's also messed up...I guess.

Anyway, today I received an email, with a nine letter word in English, which you can start removing words one by one from, and every time you remove a letter, the remaining letters make a valid word in English. The word is:

Startling
remove the L

Starting
remove the T

Staring
remove the A

String
remove the R

Sting
remove the T

Sing
remove the G

Sin
remove the S

In
remove the N

I


That's kind of cool...is it not?

-R

Now it's easier to search for videos @ Google and YouTube

In a previous post I talked about my almost inexistent tv watching habits. Somethings have changed since then. First, a friend of mine upgraded her TIVO box and gave us (my and my wife) her old one.

I've always been a fan of TV on demand. I think that you should watch what you want, and not what TV producers want you to. Now with TIVO, I can specify the kind of programs I like, and when I get home (or when I have time to sit in front of the TV), I can review the recordings that were made while I was out. It's really cool.

Anyway, that's one thing that has changed. The other one, just came into effect today. You know that Google acquired Youtube a while back. Since then, there has not been much of a change. Google video and Youtube pretty much remained the same. Well, starting today, you can type your search parameters in Google Video, and you'll get results of both Google Video and YouTube. This is really useful. Imagine...I have a friend who is obsessed with watching girls fight. Now it's easier for him too!

Give it a shot!


More on this story: Google's Official Blog

-R

Truly amazing art!

This guy is an amazing artist. Check it out.


Open hands:


Closed hands:



Click HERE for more

-R

Songs in english, with phrases in spanish

This is really cool. Is somewhat old, but a friend dropped by my house yesterday, and we started talking about it. I knew that I had it somewhere in my hard drive, so I looked it up and decided to post it here.

This is a flash movie which contains a few songs in English, but some parts sound as if they were spoken in Spanish. It's really funny how we missed them.

Enjoy.

My all time favorite band in the whole world: Dream Theater

I've been a huge fan of Dream Theater since 1992, when a friend of mine from college showed me a few of their songs. Since then I've been obsessed with the band, buying all their albums, VHS's, DVD's, downloading bootlegs, learning about their history...the whole shebang.

I once flew to Orlando just to see them live together with Fates Warning (my second favorite band), and Queensryche.

Of course, I went to see them when they came to San Juan last year...an excellent show. I recently found in You Tube, videos of Dream Theater in Puerto Rico, and I thought that they might be of interest to some of you, so here they are.

Rock on!

-R

Music@home

I'm a music lover. When I was young, I used to play the bass guitar. I then switched to play keyboards. Later I settled for the guitar, which I have been playing for over 15 years...on and off. I've had one rock band - Bandidos back in the early 90's. I then, about 6 years ago created AJ Project with a friend of mine, now guitarist for Temple of Heads. With AJ Project we did a few really cool home recordings, but then life took over and we stopped playing together. I really enjoy playing the guitar, and I really wish I had more time to play.

On special occasions, I try to record something special for my wife. There are songs that at some point have been important to us, and I simply record my own version.

Now, for the first time ever, I make two of these songs available. The first one is "Allegretto by Bond". This one is pretty straight forward. I took the actual song, and simply recorded an electric guitar track on top. I'm very happy with this one.

The second, "Por tí me casaré, based on Ednita Nazario's version". This one was a lot tougher. I programmed all the drum and bass tracks using FruityLoops. Rhythm and lead guitar were recorded by me....I just didn't had time to record a solo.

Notice that I don't have expensive equipment...this is all recorded in my laptop computer...the same one I use for work.

Please enjoy and send me your comments. Perhaps I some day decide to record a whole album.


Alco-Allegretto



Alco-Por tí me casaré




-R

Are technology and love compatible?

I have a friend that finds it very difficult to understand the benefits of technology. He is the kind of person that browses the internet, but when he needs to register, he doesn't because he doesn't know how to. He browses online stores, makes his picks, and then calls and order over the phone because he doesn't understands how online ordering works. He's a pretty intelligent dude, but he simply doesn't wants to learn. The funny thing is that this person is 27 years old.

He often tells me how technology has changed the world for the worst. He once mentioned the example of places like RAHOLA and CINE FOTO, places where you used to take your 35mm film rolls and get them developed. Most, if not all of these stores have closed down, because digital cameras have made traditional cameras obsolete. Printers allow you now to print your own photos at home, and if you want them professionally printed, just upload them to COSTCO.com and go and pick them up later.

I get into many arguments with him, because I make a living out of technology. I develop software to pretty much replace "brick and mortar" operations. I think that we need to constantly re-define ourselves to catch up with our environment, and technology is not an exception.

However, today I found a site that really scares me. This website allows you to automatically generate poem to your loved one. Simply go to the website, type in the name of your recepient, and optionally if you're going to use the poem along with a gift, and BOOM...you get your "base" poem, which you can then refine, changing the contents of different lines. Notice how the other lines adjust in order to keep the rhyme.

Here's one I wrote for myself.

I wrote this letter especially for you
To prove that my love for you is true
Never shall I kiss someone else's lips
Never will we make any boring trips

I would rather have you than a million bucks
Or than a mansion, no matter how deluxe
Words cannot express
What I felt when you said 'yes'

Alco, you mean so much to me
I never knew this could be
You are my sweetheart day by day
I hope you will never go away

I hope you can put this XBOX 360 to use
It is a gift you cannot refuse
This poem has come to an end
There are many more I would like to send


-R

Serú Girán

About fifteen years ago, I was introduced to Latin Rock. Of all the bands that I was exposed to, there were two bands that really stood out. The first, Baron Rojo from Spain. A friend of mine gave me two original cassette tapes (which I still have in my car) of the albums "Volúmen Brutal" y "Tierra de Nadie". This last is my favorite, and its title song I learned to play on my guitar, when I myself used to have a rock band. I just found in You Tube an interview, and the presentation for the song "Pico de oro".

The other band is Serú Girán. This band was really amazing, and was dubbed "The Beatles of Latin America". The main architect of the band was the infamous Charly García, a musical genius if you ask me. Their music is kind of weird, with classical-sounding piano parts, and sometimes heavy guitars with dissonant melodies.

One of my favorite Serú Girán songs is named Seminaré (Original Version - Live Version). Almost at the end, the song says - "Si pudieras olvidar tu mente frente a mi, se que tu corazón diría que si". I've had lots of fun with that line...if you know what I mean ;).

Long live Serú Girán!

-R

Parking assholes - Pt. 2

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a web site that has very cool templates that you can use when someone "parks like an asshole". You know, leave a note on their windshield...

Well, I just came across this funny note. I wonder if it really happened.




-R

Do you like Jay Leno's Headlines segment?

If you're like me, I really enjoy the Headlines segment of the Jay Leno show. I don't usually watch much tv. I watch Charmed on TBS on mornings on TBS while I drink coffee and get ready for work. All Monday nights I watch No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on Travel Channel. I also like Modern Marvels on History Channel and a really cool program that I sometimes catch on Spike TV with a bunch of asians doing silly stuff. But that's about it. I usually devote no more than 10 hours per week to watch TV. Oh, I do watch TV on my computer via Google Video and You Tube, but I guess that doesn't count.

Anyway's, about headlines. I found this website that has some cool ones such as:

• Is there a ring of debris around Uranus?


• Organ festival ends in smashing climax


• Panda mating fails - veterinarian takes over

More here: http://funnies.paco.to/Headlines.html

Sponge Bob is DEAD!

This's just in.

Sponge Bob was found dead in a north-western town of Puerto Rico.





Larger Image

My son's coming back!!! Yay!!!

My son went on vacation with his mom (I'm divorced) on December 23, 2006. He'll be returning this next Saturday January 6. I've missed him very much during the Christmas season. Can't wait to pick him up at the airport. Too bad that school starts the 10th.

Richard Dawkins: Man of the year 2006

The BBC has elected Richard Dawkins as "Man of the year 2006". For those of you who don't know him, he is a professor of Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University.

Some of the reasons:

• For being everywhere this year, with the publication of his global bestseller, The God Delusion.



• For writing a book (The God Delusion) which enabled Terry Eagleton to write the most negative review ever published.



• For thinking clearly in a world that doesn't much value clear thinking anymore.


• For saying what he thinks.


• For defending the delusion that science and religious faith are incompatible.


• For creating the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science.


• For making people talk about the dangers of religious fundamentalism.


• For lobbying atheism and humanism into the headlines more than anyone else has done before.


• For being the face of science on television across the western world.


• For not having been given an honour by the Queen, while being a recipient of the Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic and many scientific and literary prizes.


• For raising questions that need to be answered by any intelligent religious believer wishing to develop a coherent worldview.


• For being a scientific fundamentalist and the worst advert for atheism currently doing a book tour.


• For raising a debate about the nature of "science" and how future generations of schoolchildren should be protected from "pseudo-science".


• For being rude and getting away with it.

My suggestion to any open-minded person, is to at least watch Richard Dawkins' documentaries "The root of all evil?" and "The virus of faith". If you feel inclined to keep on evaluating his view points, go ahead and grab a copy of "The God Delusion".

If you like these documentaries, pass them along to people you really love.

-R

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2006/12/person_of_the_year_2006_1.html

Amazing artwork

Hello y'all. This is my first posting of this year 2007.

This is not really news. A friend of mine was telling me about this yesterday. I had seen it over a year ago, but couldn't remember the web site's address. After searching a little, I found it, and decided to post it here. Hopefully I won't forget to look here the next time I'm searching for it.

This is the art of Julian Beever, a UK-based artist that specializes in pavement drawings...but take a look. Most of the drawings are designed to be viewed from a specific point, resulting in a very cool 3-D illusion.

Enjoy.




Look for more at:
http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/sidewalk.asp

http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/index.html