Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Though most historians seem to agree that the date is off by several days, Christmas is supposed to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. My birthday gift was to volunteer at a shelter for the homeless on Christmas day.

I'd been thinking about volunteering for a long time; then I realized that thinking about being good doesn't make me a good person -only what I do.

I also got some gifts for myself -a stereo bluetooth headset and a subscription to The Economist.

Cheers!

Beta

After "upgrading" my blog to the new beta, my URL was gone. I could edit and manage everything through the dashboard, but the blog address was not found. After a few days of messing around and thinking about moving to MSN's Myspace, I was able to recover it by changing the URL to something else, saving the settings, and changing it back. I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner.

It feels good to be back in blogland -like a reunion with an old friend.

Refugee

A great storm affecting Washington and Oregon states has left me -and about a million and a half others- without power. Since everything at my place runs on electricity -including the heating- I cannot stay there. It's been 3 days, and over half the service has been restored -though I am still waiting, so I have to depend on the hospitality and kindness of others, for which I am very thankful. But I wonder if I've been especially lucky; excluding camping trips I have never in my life until now been without electrical power for more than a few hours at a time, even in the developing world.

It makes me reflect on how much we take the comforts and easy life of civilization for granted, and how fragile it really is.

Power

There is no greater power than that of the human mind.
It took me almost four decades to understand that simple sentence.
Well, better late than never.

Light

There is much talk about how much evil there is in the world, and how in this materialistic society everybody cares about nothing but themselves. But there are many -many- who shine like suns, casting light all around them. Rachel is just one of them who made it to the news. I am thinking about all those who, unknown, redeem humanity's soul every day.

Darn

It's already tomorrow and I am tired and I have to get up in less than five hours. And I can't sleep.

Honor

Do you wish sometimes, to live in a world where everybody was truly honorable? Do you ever think how much better life would be, if giving your word was more reassuring than signing a contract? Imagine you could leave your door open at night and only have to worry about animals taking anything that is yours. Yes, I can do my part, but that is not enough -I want everybody to be this way, every last person in this world... I take some comfort in the knowledge that there are many, many people lke this in the world today, and I know some of them.

Civilization

It is a concept almost impossible to define. The word is derived from "city". But how are the two related?

When humans learned to cultivate the land and became sedentary, they began to concentrate, and cities were born. Grouped in far larger numbers than the original nomadic clans, humans had to develop new social rules in order to sustain successful coexistence in this new environment.

Out of necessity, these rules were quite different from the ones of those who did not live in cities. Thus, for those humans part of the city-culture, civilization -in this case defined as “living in cities” became synonymous with a higher, more evolved culture.

It so happens that written history also had its birth in cities; so we can easily see the very causal connection between the concept of civilization and that of city. (As a side note, it is interesting to consider that nomadic cultures may also have the same concept, but based in a completely different word). Back to the birth of civilization, we can picture the fabric of it being woven out of many threads: the necessity for elaborate codes of law to regulate interaction between individuals, and new economic activities. The birth of institutions such as religious orders, trade guilds, military structures, etc. The ability of many to engage in activities other than procuring food, thus enriching the culture. But those are just the rougher threads that enabled finer, more elegant textures to be added later. It is not hard to see how these codes and regulations, embedded in the daily life of a citizen, ruling their lives, enforcing peaceful coexistence and respect of individuals and institutions, would evolve into the idea that it is not the enforcing of the laws, but respect itself, the rule of law in our minds, the belief that serving one's nation or king rather that ourselves, is what constitutes civilization.

This is mostly what we mean today when we say that we are a "civilized people". Perhaps a very dramatic example of this took place when we saw the 9-11 attacks: most of the world felt united in the fact that what we saw was not something any of us would do, it was the ultimate example of an uncivilized act. Thus we can say there are two kinds of civilization: the physical one we inhabit with our bodies and the one where our laws and values live.

Glory

The world's biggest sports event, hosted by Germany, is commanding the attention of soccer fans accross the globe. I am no exception. Here are my predictions for the results:

Semi-finals:
Germany - Italy
Brazil - England

Final:
Brazil - Germany

World Cup Winner: Brazil

Northwest

In the 5 years I lived in Florida I managed to never visit Key West, or to ride an airboat on the everglades. In all my time in Caracas, I never hiked to the top of mount Avila. I have never visited the Acadia national park, even though I lived in New England for several years.
I intend to change this trend. I promise myself that I will explore the Puget sound and visit the San Juan islands, travel along the Pacifc coast, and stand upon the rim of Crater lake. The Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful corners of Earth, and I refuse to let it slip through my fingers...

Bats

There's nothing like a nice conversation to rest from a long walk. After the excitement of a bright day filled with interesting sights, sitting in a quiet room while speaking with a kindred soul and basking in the tropical heat, can be relaxing and also entertaining. In almost total darkness, broken only by small LED lights barely bright enough to see by, we considered the simple pleasure of a quiet conversation, as the bats crawled on the ceiling, and lazily stretched their wings.

Purple

Possibly the best Web creation ever conceived, the ultimate cyberspace that no one can enter. At first, you may wait for it; with time, you may come to understand it.
Perhaps the simple mind cannot grasp the purest simplicity.
I call it... the Purple.

Turmoil

There is a perfect, peaceful state. Budha knew where it was. Rocks can feel it. Sometimes, I see it when I am not looking. On the opposite side is emotion. This is a place of chaos and danger; a loud maelstrom, overwhelming, terrible, darkly bright and seducing... like a siren's song in the sea.
Beware.

Communication

What are the elements of effective communication?
Lack of ambiguity. A clear signal. Redundancy, error-checking. Language and protocol, for sure. Timing has to be a big one.
Encoding and encryption.

None of that matters of course, if you're not really sure what it is you are sending out. And of course, all is subject to meta-communication factors.

Could it be that the only perfect communication is absolute silence?

War

I have been invaded and am currently under attack by microscopic entities. During the next few days the invaders will steadily infiltrate and subdue my own cells, forcing them to produce more and more copies of the invaders, steadily tipping the balance of the battle in their favor. My own microscopic defense force will target and destroy my own cells in a fruitless effort to stop the enemy. The battle will continue to worsen, and the enemy's victory will seem just a matter of time. Collateral damage will translate into pain and other macroscopic symptoms, worsening over time. While this fearful battle is taking place, however, my own microscopic intelligence agents will gather data on the enemy, perfecting smart weapons as they are tested on the invaders. Eventually, a lethal countermeasure will be found that will effectively neutralize one of the enemies. This smart weapon will soon begin rapid mass production. Released into my bloodstream, they will quickly home in on the enemy, obliterating the attack force. Once again, my immune system will emerge victorious.

If my prediction is inaccurate, however, I shall soon meet my maker. Either way, I win :)

Decline

Making entries in this blog is not as present in my mind as it used to be. Though I am not predicting its demise yet, it is clear that I am not so interested in it as I once was. Whether this is a temporary or a permanaent thing, I do not know. Perhaps I need to be more spontaneous with my entries, and take less time thinking about them.

As always, time will tell.

Name

His name, is Robert Poulsen

Socializing

We are a social species, so we are all social individuals at a basic level. In everyday speech, however, we refer to social people as those who thrive and seem happier when in the company of others. Usually talkative, these people prefer to spend their free time with others rather than alone. Many consider me to be very sociable because I attend social events and get along well with others.

But if you look around, you'll find the truly sociable people -they prefer to spend their lunch time in the company of others, rather than reading a book. They always adapt to the needs of the group they're in, rather than go their separate way. They are always comfortable in the company of others, happy to do nothing but chat, and they see all strangers as potential friends. I like sociable people a lot
-I'm just not one of them.

Gadgets

When all else fails, read the user manual.

Science-Fiction

As I never tire of explaining to anyone who will reluctantly listen, the answer to all of life's questions can be found by reading science-fiction.
If that's true, why don't I know all the answers to life's question's?

Obviously, I haven't read enough.

Coffeeshop

I remember with deep nostalgia the gloomy coffee shops of yore; they were places where one could sink down in the not-so-new furniture, and feel an enveloping privacy bubble protecting one from the harshness of social interaction. Not that the other patrons had the slightest interest in anything outside their own books, papers, or laptops. No, the dissheveld professor with the mysterious books, the researcher with the odd-format document stacks, the sleep-deprived student -always different, always there- they had not the slightest interest in me or anyone else. I miss them terribly. Reading my favorite book to the incesant background chatter of hyperactive teenagers at a shinny-new Starbucks... well, it just isn't the same.

Rainwalk

Today I implemented stage two of my startegy for a healthier life. I walked home from work. 3.5 miles. Under the pouring rain. I feel good. Actually, I feel great. This is my first step towards getting back in shape. Cheers, champagne toast, a pat in the back...

Powerpoint

The thing about presentations is that they almost invariably make your brain want to doze off... Unless you've just had, say, a venti mocha with an extra shot to try to prevent that exact situation, and the darkened room and monotone of the presenter aren't enough to put you out. So you actually pay attention to it, or try to. Of course, after the first 30 seconds or so of each slide, there isn't any new information for your brain to absorb, no matter how hard the presenter tries to repeat the same thing in different ways. That's when you start trying to remember when was the last time you saw that particular background, and getting annoyed by the corny "appear from top" effect for the bullet points... I mean, please... doesn't everybody know that the "fade in" effect looks much more professional? And you should use the same effect through to the last slide... and at the end there is yet another meeting, so of course, another day working OT just to do your regular work... you really need to get out of town and do something fun this weekend; possibly hiking on Sunday if the weather cooperates and you can get Sam to come, and maybe Mike, but he's probably sleeping late, like he did after his house-warming party back in the summer of '03, the night you met Lana, that girl that ironically enough, looked just like Lois Lane form the first Superman movie, or was it the second one, the one with Gene Hackman playing Lex Luthor... and Lex Luthor is saying something... what? No, wait, you're in a dark room and someone is asking you a question about slide #17 but the last thing you remember is slide #5...

OK, shock is fading, normal brain functions kick in. You take a breath and keep your cool while your mind races ahead... You need time to think, but have none, therefore you must make some.
So you grab your chin, frown, look down at the printed copy of the presentation as if you were reading something and you say, very apologetically, "I'm sorry, I should've asked this before, but there is something I am not really clear about... do you mind if I ask you an unrelated question?" This has the effect of shifting the spotlight to the inquirer -he or she has to go into input mode. The rest of the participants who a second ago were thinking you were distracted and were anticipating some mild but God-sent comic relief at your expense, now have to pay attention in case your question has something to do with them -all prospects of amusement forgotten.
The trick, as you know from using this same technique in a number of occasions since your high-school days, is to find something you do remember that can credibly be seen as ambiguous, and ask for clarification. Now while they answer your question, you have plenty of time to figure out the missing slides -by the time they finish their answer, you are all set. "Great, thanks, that makes sense now", you say with your best smile. More often than not, the inquirer has forgotten they had a question for you, but if they do, all you have to do is apologize and have them repeat the question, which by now no one else remembers either.

As you take a last sip of your now cold venti mocha, you sadly come to the realization that a mature, confident adult would have simply smiled and said: "I'm sorry but I totally spaced-out there, can you repeat the question while I look at my copy?"

Transparent

by Sentimiento Muerto

Mirando sombras en la pared
Gritado por su encierro
Todo es, alguna vez, los ecos
Lagrima que corta el vidrio en dos
Se lleva en ella un mar
De sentimientos; los ecos

Looking at shadows on the wall
From their confinement, shouting
Everything is, sometimes, the echoes
Tear that cuts the glass in two
It carries with it a sea
of feelings; the echoes

Mirada resquebrajada
Hay un vacio frente al espejo
Soy transparente, no me veo,
Soy transparente, no me encuentro

Broken glance
there is a void in front of the mirror
I am transparent, I dont see myself
I am transparent, I do not find myself

Al fondo se ve un murmullo
Que que flota entre vapores de bano
Y notas, que le huyen al sol

In the backround a whisper is seen
Floating among bath steam
And music notes that flee from the sun

Lagrima que corta el vidrio en dos
Latigo rompe el silencio, rompe con el

Tear that cuts the glass in two
Whiplash breaks the silence, brakes away

Mirada resquebrajada
Hay un vacio frente al espejo
Soy transparente, no me veo,
Soy transparente, no me encuentro

Broken glance
there is a void in front of the mirror
I am transparent, I dont see myself
I am transparent, I do not find myself

Al fondo se ve un murmullo
Que que flota entre vapores de bano
Y notas, que le huyen al sol

In the backround a whisper is seen
Floating among bath steam
And music notes that flee from the sun

No me veo, no me encuentro

I do not see myself, I do not find myself

Duel

Apache vs. Lotus
Win Mac

Simple

A few days ago I was thinking about what I like. What is the common denominator of most things I like? The apparently equivocal answer eluded me for quite some time.

I consider myself a simple person. I like simple, elegant solutions. My thought process could be described with the following question: "what is the minimum number of words needed to enunciate a thought accurately?" I dislike ambiguous situations. I favor freeways over city roads, open space over clutter. My behavior in general seems to indicate a preference for directness and simplicity.

However, when it comes to my tastes, I almost always tend to favor complexity. My favorite books have multiple plot lines, many characters in many locations, and multiple perspectives, both personal and historical. I like movies with very unpredictable plots, unique characters, great photography, outstanding and mood enhancing soundtracks, an unusual "angle" to the story, etc. I prefer dishes that combine many flavors -Indian and French cuisines are at the top of my list, (even though I was brought up on meat and potatoes). Modern symphonic and electronic music, with many simultaneous elements, are among my favorites (though I grew up on rock and 80's pop, and I will never stop liking those). There is a device recently introduced to the market that combines the features and functions of 4 or 5 different gadgets -I find it absolutely irresistible. I tend to gravitate to people whose personalities have multiple layers of complexity and I can't figure out after just meeting them a few times.
After a while I saw a pattern emerge; I think it is safe to say that I am a simple person who likes complexity.

Funny

The Five Secrets of a Perfect Relationship

It’s important to have a woman who helps at home, who cooks and cleans from time to time, and has a job.

It's important to have a woman who is smart and can make you laugh.

It's important to have a woman who you can trust and who doesn't lie to you.

It’s important to have a woman who likes you and is good in bed.

It’s VERY, VERY important that these four women don’t meet each other!

I found this in an Arabian blog and I thought it was too funny, and quite to the point... sometimes it seems that finding someone with the right attributes is somewhere between unlikely and unreal. But not to worry! There is always something new to learn, a new friendship to be made, an unexpected thrill around the corner...

Spirit

I was just reminded of a parable I learned in school. The subject was anthropology. The question was not new: at what point in our evolution did our ancestors become human? This is how the teacher answered it (well, close enough):

"A group of primates was moving in search of a better life. After several years of drought, life was hard, and many had starved in the arid land. Propelled by hunger and hope, they traveled towards the setting sun. Eventually they reached a place where some food could be found, but it was not enough to sustain the clan for long. After a few days, they continued forward -they had no choice. Further on, the promise of abundant water and fresh pastures was carried by the wind blowing from the west. The clan was given renewed hope and marched on. As the sun set, the scent of water was very strong, so they were reluctant to stop even after the first stars shone. Eventually, exhausted but hopeful, they slept.
The next morning, most of the clan was woken by the calls of distress of the early risers. A clear note of despair could be heard in their shouts, so the rest of the tribe hurried in their direction.
They found them ahead, on the path they were following, not far from were they had spent the night. The path ended at the edge of a cliff. On the other side of the abyss, barely beyond reach, a rich land of green pastures and vast herds could be seen. A deer could have jumped over the gap, but the hominids were overwhelmed by fear, and some couldn't even stand at the edge of the cliff. There was no way around, they saw the gap extended as far as they could see, and the path ended in the smallest gap between the two great walls. The clan stood at the end of the path, unable to believe their misfortune; some of them, however, refused to accept their fate, jumping and wailing in anger at the abyss and the tantalizing vision in front of them. Suddenly, one of them ran towards the edge, and jumped.
He managed to reach the other side with one hand, but he failed to find purchase. He fell for a long time, screaming all the way down, not in fear, but in anger and defiance. The clan stared silently at the mote that used to be their comrade at the bottom of the abyss. Soon, another one jumped. She landed on her feet on the other side. Another, older one jumped, caught the edge with one hand and started to slide down towards his doom, but the first one caught his arm and pulled him up. Soon more were jumping, with the stronger helping the weaker, the infants tossed across.
Then, there were no more jumps. Looking back at the other side of the gap, they soon realized that those left behind -some young, some old, some big, some small- wouldn't join them, even knowing that staying behind would lead to their demise, they couldn't make the leap.

Both groups stared at each other across the gap; one one side, the hominids turned around and walked away from the cliff.

On the other side, the humans did the same."

Anniversary

Today was the one-week anniversary of my new carless existence. I have not driven a vehicle in 7 days. I am in good health, and have experienced no withdrawal symptoms so far. Amazingly, I have been driving almost daily since I was eighteen. There was a period of a few months, when I took the subway to work, back on the east coast. Even so, I would drive at least 3 or 4 days a week for errands or other reasons. Driving was almost therapeutic too; whenever I felt stressed or ill at ease, I would go out for a scenic drive and listen to my favorite music, and I would immediately relax and find peace. But I can accomplish the same by walking or biking. I have the utmost confidence that in eight days time I will be breaking my previous record, which I will exceed by orders of magnitude. My goal is a minimum of six months. I have decided that if I accomplish my goal, I will reward myself with an exotic two-seater with a nice manual transmission; perhaps I will even start my own restoration project.

Who knows, in six months I may not even miss owning a car, or I may have other priorities. Perhaps the most appealing part of this experiment is to see if I still have the potential to change myself in a radical way.

Time will tell.

Workplace

For no particular reason, I found myself reflecting about the modern workplace.

From my experience in the IT industry at least, things are very progressive. Micromanagement is discouraged, individual initiative is rewarded, cooperation encouraged, and mobility unrestrained. Employee well-being is seen as a key to high productivity, and so corporations strive to pamper their employees with perks of all sorts. Power structures tend to be horizontal rather than vertical. Horizontal structures make for more dynamic teams, bring the decision-making closer to the stakeholders and ensure subject matter experts' voices are heard. Everybody (personality conflicts aside) working in happy synergy for the common good -and the stock's upward trend. Horizontal (cross-functional) teams can make quick decisions without going all the way up and down the corporate ladder. This is a good thing.

There are of course, drawbacks -PMs know these well; but those belong in another posting.

Carless

My New Year's resolution: to give up my car. I will donate it to a charity, and bike, walk, or bus to wherever I need to go. The advantages: helping the environment, saving money, improving my health by exercising more, and perhaps most importantly, find out if I have enough self-discipline to do it. Disadvantages: increased travel-time and reduced mobility. No late-night social events. Innability to give my friends rides, no large-bulk cargo hauling ability. My last attempt lasted two weeks. I am determined to make this second try last longer.

P.S.: This isn't entirely an intellectual decision. I have never liked this car, even though I've owned less appealing vehicles in the past, I just could never entirely befriend this one. Sorry, car. I guess that makes it in part an emotional decision.