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.