Most probably it’s your first time reading this welcoming post in my humble blog but, please, believe me when I tell you this is the third or fourth time that I’ve written a post like this during the current year. Yeah, I’ve done it while I was experimenting on several aspects and technologies of Web development with my now abandoned Rails personal websites. If you really wonder why I’ve abandoned those experiments, my answer is the following: Merb. In order to keep the promise (“I’ll be brief this time…”) I made before writing this post, I’ll leave this analysis and consequent discussion for some other time. The point is that now I don’t have the lame excuse not to write because I’m constantly deleting all the stored content of the test databases.
Well… I presume by now you have a mere idea of how verbose I can be, which guarantees that I would be writing about almost anything (if not everything…) that crosses my mind at a certain point of time. I suppose that you already know the iterative process of the typical blog (the “I write something, you comment, I reply, you respond again and so on…” thing). I just hope you would enjoy it as much I will enjoy writing non-sense from a very particular point of view: mine.
By the way, if you’re about to ask for the meaning of the title of this blog… this is the vinyl that me and my girlfriend are listening right now but also it’s a title of a Psychedelic Rock song composed by Iron-Butterfly in 1968 which mainly influences the origin of the Heavy Metal music branch. Ok, enough talking… now listen up!
Time is actually running out between my fingers quite too quickly lately… we’re approaching the end of January in just a bunch of hours. Unbelievable! I don’t know if you’ve realized of this triviality or not, but I assure you that every time I notice it I literally go over the edge due to all the things I’ve promised myself to do during the current year and which are still on my to-do list. Anyway, today’s topic is not about ranting on how quickly the time passes away and how unproductively I leave my time escape away from me but, still, I will definitely use this weird and improvised opportunity to leave you take a short break with this song. I suggest you to stop watching your screen for a couple of minutes, just sit back in the most conformable couch you’ve at your place and enjoy the melody…
Well… a couple of interesting events took place during the last couple of days all around the globe. I think the most important one, from my particular point of view, is the departure of this extremely peculiar character that was haunting that huge White House down there in Washington DC, USA. Yes, I really like the guy who took over last week but I’ve to admit that some part of me is already missing that kind of “special” charm and silliness the previous guy had. I’m referring to that kind of weird personality that make us hit our faces against the wall with his completely out-of-this-world quotes during his speeches or amaze us with his Spiderman-like reflexes when the flying shoes were going his way no matter where in the world he was standing. He was such a great yet undercover stand-up cowboy comedian looking for the respect and appreciation of his peers -imagine how tough can be an audience conformed of minority-complexed presidents, ever-loving prime ministers, petty dictators and egomaniac journalists from all over the world no less!!!-. Yet, he survived against all odds just to make us laugh until we drop and, yes, his most important achievement is, undoubtedly, the great legacy he left behind: Lil’ Bush, Resident of the United States of America. This animated TV series summarize the last 8 years of adventures starring the most wacko president the world have ever seen. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the countless hours and hours of joyful entertainment Dony, Condy, Dicky and specially you have provided to us all. Mission accomplished!
The legend himself!
One high priority matter for those films and video games lovers who are currently living in Amsterdam or nearby areas (let’s face it… every part of The Netherlands is nearby this city so everybody should get the first train to it at the station near your place tomorrow afternoon!). Tomorrow, January 29, one of the biggest personalities of the seven art will be signing films, DVDs, VHSs, posters, photos and some other crap you would like him to sign at the Fame Music Store next to the Dam. Now you’re wondering who’s the person I’m talking about, right? Well… I’m talking about the magnanimous, brilliant, talented yet misundertood German-born director… Uwe Boll! For those of you who are not familiar with his art and work, here I leave you a short list of his best must-see movies, inspired by renowned video games franchises such as Alone in the Dark, Bloodrayne, Far Cry, Postal and House of the Dead. Say no more! Tomorrow afternoon I will be there and I want my photo with the legend himself! In the case you’re not living nearby (I mean, you’re living in another country…) or you’ve urgent matters to attend, please I recommend you to read a couple of articles dedicated to one of the greatest director in the history of films (this one and this another one), enjoy one of his best interviews (done while having dinner), go to the Mr. Boll organization website and don’t forget to help him get the attention, status and respect he truly deserves.
Now, talking about myself for a little bit -very egocentric, you could say…-, the last couple of days I’ve been playing with a small yet powerful web framework known as Sinatra. It is developed with Ruby and it is not based on MVC philosophies. It aims to simplify the creation of both small/medium sized web applications and services as much as possible by defining a DSL that interact directly to the Rack instance installed on your web server.The argument I use to defend the use of this framework instead of other popular web frameworks such as Rails or Merb in this particular case is the lack of complexity defined in the design of my website as well as avoiding the overhead implicitedly added by such frameworks. What I really would like to know is how can Sinatra would react in cases of extreme complexity in a web application or service, but I expect to answer myself this questions in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I’m developing my personal website from scratch (including graphic design content creation with Illustrator and Photoshop… it’s being a long time since the last time I’ve played with this babies!) but I would integrate a couple of RESTful services that I’m requiring to it shorty. Of couse, I will keep you informed of any update I would be finding along the way during this development.
As well, I’ve finished most of the existing translations for the Merb Open Source Book project, which you can check and consult in my fork of this project on Github if you are one of those few people who are able and willing to help me a little bit on that. Even tough there were some content update lately, it is scary to see how the amount of activity fell considerably after the Rails-Merb merge announcement of last December. Particularly speaking, I still don’t see how the current content is going to be properly transformed in order to use it in Rails3 but these point is something that I would be asking to the project leader this week. For the moment, I will not discuss this matter any further in this current post.
Anyway, I think I’ve written too much again… and my question is: did I have accomplished something with it today? Only Time (not the magazine, of course) will tell…
I am very proud to tell you that I have survived one of my worst Christmas holidays ever!. Having survived Bulgaria‘s cold brutality (a huge amount of snow and a -10*C temperature almost every day!) and a huge dental crisis (you are supposed to go to the dentist regularly… now I understand that!) on New Year’s eve no less… here I am again!. Do not ask me how I did it because I really do not know and I am not willing to know that particular answer.
As you may have noticed in the last sentence, I do have a completely awkward attitude and bad feelings towards the Christmas season and everything it represents but I will not explain it in further details in this post. Most probably I’ll write about it next Christmas season but not now. I feel uninspired and it is usually better to rant at Christmas on Christmas time!. I’m terribly sorry for those Christmas haters like me but now it’s too late. I already know it was my fault not to write about it and but I’ve no excuses. I’m taking the blame here.
Now, let’s move to some serious things. As most of the people out there, I’m back to my 9-to-5 routine with absolutely the same excitement I had at the moment to go on holidays. Funnily enough, I’ve found these two articles (here and here) that talks about the “back-to-work blues” and I’ve to admit that is a great title for a very, very sad blues song. Originally, the Blues was the vehicle to express the oppression and frustration of the African-American slaves in the USA since the beginning of the 20th century. It fits with this kind of music perfectly!. I imagine, for example, the likes of John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan or even Jimi Hendrix playing that song inside my head and it’s a breaker. In particular, the Hendrix’s version, he would completely destroy my office with his flaming guitar at the end of the song. Yeah! If you allow me, dear reader, let’s watch a video example of what I’m talking about here so I suggest you to sit back and enjoy the view…
Now imagine that this guy is at your work place and, all of a sudden, he does that. Who wouldn’t cheer him up (at least, a little..)? I definitely would do that!
In the meantime, I’m also working on a particular Open Source project called Merb Open Source Book as a Spanish translator in order to get to know Merb web framework a little bit better. Even tough we’re just a few months away from the publicly known Merb-Rails merging in Rails version 3, I still consider vital to understand all those differences with the current version of Rails. I think that would be quite interesting to see what would the scenario when the companies start migrating their Rails/Merb projects into the next version of Rails. I’ve to admit that Rails is indeed a good web framework but have an important limitation that discouraged me from keep on experimenting with it: the Rails way of doing things. A couple of years back, when I get to discover Ruby on Rails, it was quite a mind-blowing experience and, frankly, having discover Rails then allow me to go further into the Ruby programming language and I consider it as a turning point as a Software Engineer professional and as a computer enthusiast.
There are two Ruby Interpreters that I will definitely keep an eye on from now on: JRuby and MacRuby. The first one is a mature-enough project that is coming in importance as a great glue language for the Java-ized enterprise world which can make use of the huge amount of existing Java code and libraries spread thoughtout the globe and that, whatever you like it or not, means business. The latter, still in its infancy, has the potential to become a great simplification in the Mac/iPhone application development by allowing the Ruby developer to create applications without the need to learn the Objective-C programming language. The big points about them is that they are native implementations of the Ruby 1.9 interpreter (in Java and Objective-C respectively) so performance, bridging and threading issues would be no problem at all.
As decided last year, this is the year of Objective-C programming language. Finally, I’ve decided to learn some Objective-C and play around with Mac and iPhone application development. I’m not doing it for the money, just for the thrill of it. Even tough I’m really curious about this language, after self-teaching Ruby I see that most of the programming languages out there are quite complex and intricate. Eventually, I really hope the MacRuby project to mature and take off so it can allow me to use my Ruby knowledge to develop applications for those hardware platforms but realizing the state of maturity of this project, I think I’ve to deal with the Cocoa framework by using Objective-C code. During a couple of weeks last year, I taught myself the basics of the Objective-C language and I started the development of my Vinyl Player application but still I don’t seem to get the logic behind the Cocoa framework. Most probably it’s me, because I still could find the time to study in further details this framework. But the time and spend a couple of weeks studying it will answer my question.Since I was a kid, I’ve been posponing my desires to learn a musical instrument but now I think I’ve been doing so for too much time.
When I was a kid I’ve a very special relationship with writing, visual arts and music but, ironically, these three activities are my most unexplored sides I currently have. One thing I regret is that I’ve been neglecting the pen, the pencil and the musical theory for much too long and, obviously, this relationship with my artistic side have been greatly severed. It’s absolutely my fault allowing my computer geek side to take over and the activities that I’ve been doing in my free time during the last couple of years are basically computing stuff and playing the Wii. I really feel a lit of bit frustrating about not satisfying my artistic needs of creation. I expect this year to start doing something such as write a little bit more often here, get into Comics books again and self-teaching Music Theory and a music instrument (either a bass or an electric guitar although I’m really tempted about drums!), for starters.
Apart from everything I’ve been telling you, my girlfriend left me alone here in the (in)famous Red Light District in the center of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I know what most of you guys would do in my situation but I swear to all the Gods: I’m not visiting my neighbors (especially in my street, who most of the working ladies are not necessary women!). Now being serious, after suffering that much cold (she’s still suffering that much cold, by the way!) we’ve decided to go to a warm and cozy place next time such as Cuba, Mexico, Maghreb or somewhere in South America. Being born in Buenos Aires, Argentina I grew up in a place where the coldest winter was roughly -1*C tempearture and I was quite fine with it… but -10*C is another completely different scenario!. It’s actually very funny because, every time we go there, we both usually finish very sick of something so the visit to her parent’s hospital is a must!. Luckily enough her parents are both good doctors and they usually take good care of us when we’re in her hometown, I can’t imagine these sickness situations there otherwise.
In order to put an end to this endless post, I really hope this year would be a turning point (for good, of course!) for everyone. As you can notice, I’ve a whole lotta artistic desires, programming languages and software engineering studies to fulfill. At the same time, I’ve some huge projects that probably I’d be announcing very soon that I’ll try to develop during the little free time I’ve. The real challenge that I see ahead is how I’ll going to combine all those interests I’ve into a path that, hopefully, would lead to successful projects and self-realization but I’m really excited to take the risk. The bottom line is there are a lot of opportunities around which I want to take advantage of.
I think I will be entertained for some time! I just need to give the first step.
This thought comes to me again. In the same way. At the same time. I have barely opened my eyes and my mind is already telling me to stay in bed and let the world keeps its course, turning over its axis. Do not interfere in any matter, just live and let die. Let the nature takes its course in solving the problems Humanity have been creating since the dawn of Humankind. Just close your eyes and go back to the subconscious domain where mundane matters becomes a mere abstraction. Take it easy. Just go with the flow…
I presume that you, honorable reader, have experienced the very same kind of feeling or sensation countless times, like the rest of employees and students all around the world usually does. From time to time, one can succumb to the fierce blow this thought provides but, in general, every each one of us usually tries to overcome it by appealing to the following known standard procedure:
Get up (mandatory: by any way possible).
Take a shower (optional: if you have some available time to do so).
Have breakfast (optional: if you have some available time to do so and something to eat or to drink in the fridge).
Off to work or school (mandatory: run like hell to catch the required public transport!).
In fact, it seems that Mondays have a very difficult and heavy connotation attached to our minds by default. Probably it is just another piece of information written in our DNA. Branded in fire on our collective mind due to the experiences of our ancestors. So I would like to go further in my analysis and try to understand why we all have this awful concept and attitude towards this particular day of the week. My reason behind this post? Simple! I am more than tired of blaming an abstract definition used to name a particular day of the week with no apparent reason at all while feeling like an absolute idiot for doing so.
For starters, the meaning of the word “Monday” is day of the Moon. Bad… very bad, indeed. The influence of the Earth’s natural satellite upon us is undeniable: arts, literature, mythology, tides, reproductive cycles, erratic behaviors, women freaking out for no reason once a month. For most of you out there, this very argument would be enough to start a hate campaign against our eternal sky watcher but I do not consider it as sufficient enough to do so. Just think about it. In the meanwhile, let’s take a closer look at the two most probable scenarios:
Upon the completion of every full moon cycle, which occurs every 28 days, one would be directly influence to complain against Mondays. As noticed, this scenario is unlikely because the common ratio of complain is once a week.
When the moon starts to hide behind the daylight mantle, from 6:00 to 8:00 in the morning (depending of the season and the location in this planet where one is currently living), one would be directly influence to complain against Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays… even Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays!. Again, this scenario is unlikely because I have never heard of somebody complaining against Fridays and Saturdays. That is an absolutely blasphemy!
While looking at the results of my basic analysis, I realized that I should also take into consideration one particular factor that was unconsciously ignored until now: the routine. The reason that drives me to consider this particular aspect derives after analyzing the typical feelings or reactions produced by the arrival of each Friday and Sunday afternoon. On Fridays one usually feels fine because the week is ending, no more getting up early the next day, work or school is out temporarily (unless you are required to work from home in order to make it to a deadline…), you are able to go out and have fun without worrying how you would make it to the office or the classroom the following day… in a word, Friday means freedom for us, an assured escape from that monotone weekly routine. On Sunday evenings, on the contrary, one is usually invaded by that special kind of depression due to the coming of Monday (a.k.a. the beginning of another monotone week), a day when one usually is in a state of absolute frustration, disbelief and lack of motivation. Undoubtedly, this vicious cycle produced by these mood changes make us lose time and focus on what we really desire as individuals while turning us into Lego blocks that build an invisible yet oppressive wall of dependent conformity.
After a careful observation and analysis of this subject, I have arrived to the conclusion that every individual who usually feels the previously described symptoms avoids his/her blame in not fighting for their own dreams and desires by accepting a mediocre status quo and by projecting his/her self-frustration to a mere and simple abstract definition. By doing so, each one of us have been neglecting the real significance of these frequent complaints and systematically acting like another brick in the wall without even trying to understand the problem beneath this rant. In order to be relatively free, one should be able to manage the relationship with the established and mundane routine limiting the interaction with it by just being professional and focused. Your personal life should be as isolated as possible from the previously-mentioned relationship in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts, no matter its nature.
I firmly believe that one individual can trace and lead the way to it’s desired future by using it’s dreams as objectives to achieve, making them a reality.
