Europe

Do not get confused. The topic relates to Europe the satellite, not the continent.

Before starting out talking about this curious satellite, let's say that I've been going over wikipedia again, and I've found quite a few articles talking about the universe. How I came to this I don't know, but it is probably due to my everlasting curiosity of learning new things. Yep, wisdom is based on knowledge and how you interpret it. No info -> No knowledge -> No wisdom... :D Besides, It's been the 40th century since the first time man landed on the Moon.

Europe is one of the four main satellites of Jupiter. It is also the most interesting at a scientific level. It is approximattely the same size of our beloved moon, but a bit more colourful, and not as dusty. :D Europe's atmosphera is a weak layer composed by oxygen (100%), but this is not a biological oxygen (which means no plant or biological being has created it). The underlying theory about it says the oxygen is freed due to a surface's reaction to the sun beams. The magnetic field is quite weak in comparison to other planets, however it is rather influenced by the field generated by its father (Jupiter) which is one of the strongest ones in the Solar System. Moreover, sciencists speculates that Europe's core is made up of iron.

Here comes the interesting thing: Europe's surface is not made of earth or silicates as the Earth's is, on the contrary it is made of water, and this layer of water is 90 km deep, which totally forms the crust of the satellite. The surface is frozen due to the low temperatures outside (-170º) and it keeps a salty ocean underneath it, which is likewise warmed by the core activity.

Let's say this water rallies all the conditions to hold life in it, and real beings live within. Wow! That would mean we are not alone in the universe, and there's something else out there. Of course we must think in lifeforms like bacteria or microorganisms. I wont bet my ass there are carnivorous monsters twice the size of a human swimming and killing each other under that thick layer of ice... That would be awesome though, wouldn't it?

Tenada

Finally, I ended and hanged my first serious webpage on the internet. The page can be viewed at www.tenada.es under firefox 3.0 / IE 8.0, according to my tests.

First of all, the spanish word "tenada" refers to an old building to store the grass and food for the cows. This building was used in the past by people from León and Asturias (Northern provinces of Spain).

Now, this word has been taken for more than 17 years to refer to a folk band composed for more than 30 dancers and quite a few musicians. They all keep the Leonese tradition alive by means of dancing, playing instruments and singing. They preserve the songs of old that are being lost through the years, since old people do not transmit them to the new generations. Besides, they investigate and put together old works, old costumes and old traditions aiming for a better understanding of the leonese society, and maintaining the integrity and identity of the old lifestyle adopted long ago.

Technically, the page has everything they need to start out on the internet. News, events, pictures and contact info. Moreover, the control is taken by them and not by me (The webmaster) when it comes to update news or upcoming events. Now, I am working on extending the functionality, specifically creating a mailing list where you can input your e-mail and receive notifications.

I have learnt a lot (PHP, server-side scripting, java scripting and domain related stuff), and I feel a bit proud of it. Hope you enjoy it folks! I've contributed to the Net, at last!

No sense at all, part 3

I jumped onto the next room. In a blink, I saw the lamp nearby the armchair falling over, and the shutter over the armchair thumping violently back and forth. I run to it and peered to the outside. Nothing was there. The street was empty, well, almost empty. A black cat was crossing from one side to the other. He stopped and gazed at me. His expression was like "what the hell?". He leaped a fence and disappeared.

I closed the shutter and turned around. Jeez Louis... What's wrong with you, boy?. When I went back to the kitchen I saw the earring again, and felt a shiver running along my back. I didn't touch it. Neither move it or drag it or pick it up. I just stood there looking at it, as if it was somewhat "alive". Something was telling me that If I touched it, I'd ended up being a victim of murder once again.

I learnt we both could live that way. I did not touch it and it did not try to kill me. However, that tactic didn't reassure me at all. I couldn't stay near that thing for long, even more, I couldn't stay in the same building, so I took my coat and left the house. I needed time to think about what had happened, and give it a try to sink in.

I opened the door and directly run into Terah's presence.

Neural networks

So yeah, this is the topic I´m working on now. Sounds pretty cool doesn´t it?

In fact, Neural Networks is an optional course in computer engineering. And it is so, optional, so many many will miss it. It´s a pity, though others will consider it a salvation.

What is this stuff? Well, Neural networks is a relatively modern branch derived from AI (Artificial Intelligence yo, dummies). In a sentence: It´s the computational representation of human brain. But this definition is way too far from what a human brain really is, since we do not know anything about human brains yet, or at least not as much to create a 'bionic' copy of it, and make it work out.

Aside, it´s been possible to emulate the behavior of a biological neuron. You know, the electrical pulses between connections, and that chemical substance in between where knowledge is somehow stored. (Remember from the school?). So if a neuron can be emulated, then a whole bunch of them can be emulated creating subnets, nets and so forth. The drawback is the human brain is formed by millions of millions of these little things... Up to now, computers cannot store a representation of an entire human brain network. (Not unless we tile the entire planet with ram memory slots and connect each other to finally reach a mother board).

As far as I know neural networks are used to pattern detection, imagery, function approximation and error detection in industrial processes. Real application are Cancer detection, missile targeting, or character recognition.

Playing around with them under Matlab environment (You engineers should know about the program) tought me they are pretty powerful tools. Basically it´s like raise a little brain as baby, teach it with some kind of data (Images of lung cancer, for example) and then try its response inputting a testing parameter (A new lung cancer image) and see if the network has learned something. It usually does!!

All right, enough engineering for today. Listen to some punk, it will cheer you upright to heaven... ;)

Highway Donkey

Today, my message is clear and punctual.

"I´m not going down the highway
I've got the might to stop and turn around before it's too late

Instead I'm slowly going my way
If I don't reach the top I still have loads here I appreciate"

No sense at all, part II

Sparring some minutes more, thinking deeply about what had happened, I decided to flee. My clothes turned dry as I walked. The sun rose high by then, and I was even getting a little suffocated in the end. I went in the town, turned couple of corners and found myself walking down my street.

No one on sight. The less crowded the better, I said. If someone saw me like that: wet-dry, dry-wet, I would have been a nice topic to talk about during the endless summer afternoons with some neighbors in a bench in shade.

I was about to get to my door, when the purple blue door at front opened. Terah came out talking with someone inside,and shut up when could take a glance at me. She frowned and smirked like saying "Boy, you'll never change". Terah was an old girlfriend, well, at least we both thought we were "together" four years ago. Our relationship ended after accomplishing a stupid chain of childish kisses, shamefulness and impetuous making-outs in the dark, afar others' glances. She was gorgeous, her body slender and curvy. Her breasts perfect. I usually come to her in my mind, but only seeking for old memories that could turn me on, just for the pleasure of imagining she was still mine.

Anyway, I did not say much and enter. My heart almost bumped out my chest.

There it was, on the kitchen table, in the perfect middle of it like saying "ey! how is it going": The earring of the cliff.

It took me a while to come around again. First blinking in a frenzy, then rubbing eyes attempting to figure out what the heck was going on...
I got closer, step by step, my eyes fixed on the object that almost killed me atop that damned cliff. A feeling of distrust invaded me. My feet pinned to the floor. The thought injected into my brain like an acid jab between the eyes: "Look what happened on the cliff when you tried to pick the thing up. You almost got killed! Why it should be different this time?". My hand backed off slowly. In the distance, I squinted at the object. That couldn´t be true. Someone might be pulling my leg... till the point of murdering me.

An odd snap flew from the stairs. From where I was standing I couldn´t see' em since the inner kitchen door was ajar. I snapped at the door knob. I was not alone at home.

Simplest RPG ever... cards!!

Today, I've got a good topic which deserves a mention here, at my blog :)
It has to be with RPG (Rol playing games) and cards, two things usually bound together. (Mental note, talk about RPGs in another post, though maybe I'll need four or five... ).

We all know that some RPG's develop their own cards in order to make them playable, and easier than their older brothers based on complex rules written in manuals.

I thought the simplest form of RPG was "playing a role", or just "being an actor", both typical games at early ages. But that doesn't involve chances or mishaps, as though dices determine, for instance.

Today I hit on an idea while playing cards with my little cousin. We pretended that she was reading my future over cards, simply taking out one from the deck and making up the story. As you may know, the main aces on the Spanish deck are Coins, Clubs, Swords and Cups (weird, I know). Well, my "fortuneteller" took in mind the following assets:

Coins: Fortune, money, reputation, good stuff
Cups: lust, leisure, laziness, pleasure, drunk as hell
Clubs: beat-ups, violence, bad things to me
Swords: Kind of a mixture between pointed objects and Chinese acupuncture, but in the end they represented the law, justice, the cops.

We ended up making the story of my life, beginning earning money but balancing it by frittering away the income in nightclubs and drinks, followed by starting out a business consisting on a sect of depraved members, wherein new guys never stopped to join in. That enriched me, and my life turned into a mafia dog-eat-dog style whose end was hardly predictable. However the police came after me, busting the entire association down into jail.

The cool thing is we two got a nice flying-free moment laughing at our own inventions, with the add-up of depending on the randomness of discovering new cards each time, and using their value (1 to 12) to deem the impact of it.

Just like RPG at its simplest essence!!

King's wisdom

The following text was created during my stay in Burlington, VT USA. It describes how an elf king feels at the verge of battle against Melkor's forces, on an fictional place and moment. Quite influenced by Tolkien's books, but also by a folk-metal band called Elvenking. Enjoy.

As part of the ancient world,
as good being amongst all creatures
I daresay no evil harms me
no ghoulish thought has ever taken
place in my mind, though I've not the
need of beholding such inexistent weakness,
neither of my sons shall be vanished to that doom
since gods bestowed my rage of elvish nature

Then when time to fight arrives, and
weapons must be released from their sheaths,
this beloved pride of race comes to me,
like sunshine after storm, making my eyes and
my spirit bright in a magic whirl of purity
which neither dirt nor darkness may bind.

At the border of the barren skirt, where battle
shall be delivered, I hand the hilt of my long sword
'Aelah inne', sister of ancient elven smiths, given as memory
of old and keeper of all the good things on earth, which
one simple touch to her makes me feel that no fear or worrisome
can chase me down.

There they come, wrapped about darkness and terrible evil,
running over the fallen, cracking, thumping, as mass of tort through the gorge.
Melkor's offspring, born to slay, to torment and overwhelm
elves and men, whose end is to finally dip us in death and sharp sorrow,
now I say: "You shall not pass through this point while I'm standing
on my feet, because no wicked creature has ever crossed the frontier
of my parent's realms in which evil has no further concealling.
My sword is eager to know of those bold enough to face her.

Time to war is upon us, brothers"
Soldiers turned arround to gaze at me, less fear within their eyes.
"for the death oath that bound us since our birth, for all the beautiful
things of this world that you love and that love you with same devotion,
For our women, now praying hard skywards to our safety, and for Arda and the Valar,
our gods, who give these prayers back in truth. For our honor, duty and own lifes,
now I claim you, brothers: To battle!"

FrontKick... WACK!

Well, here has risen up a new rock band. Slightly rocky, tending to punk style, harsh voice (not to the point of tiring you up) nice melodic tunes, chorus phrase repeating on and on (but if it sounds quite good, why the hell not?) as I really like, all to the unstoppable pleasure of making you feeling good. Wow, seems like I've got a crush on them... maybe.

the way I discovered them is quite odd . I was playing a dvd on my laptop, you know, one of those dvds that goes along with magazines. this one's about bikers. Freestyle bikers made in Spain (that's the original title, in fact). I'd have called it bike divers... all the stuff these guys perform while driving bikes is just awesome.

I stumbled across this tune, called "heartbreak hotel"... damn!! It got me whirling around my room like mad, even before realization! (Freak)

they promise much more though, check their website: Frontkick (only for punk lovers) and take a glance upon this old school punky band that really rocks!

Graduated, at last

Today I´ve received my university title certifying I´m a major graduated professional in computer science. I can only say one thing: Oh yea! That´s in weird contrast to the idea of beggining a blog a month ago, though.

It´s been 6 years of my life studying in the university, well, 5 better said, since my year enjoying the abroad program on Vermont doesn´t count that much.

You give a relatively long period of your life (youth) and in the end they give you a signed paper. Sounds kind of unworthy. Far beyond the looking of it, it´s not just a pretty mere piece of paper. This says you can work as a professional within the area of knowledge you chose several years ago. It is also understood that your past choice is of your liking, otherwise... what a puke!

And now, right now, another period of life begins. That means looking for a job, move out, take decisions, responsabilities and all the gorgeous stuff we all know. However it also brings money (supposely), traveling, family? and other nice things that are supposed to pay off...

I´m thinking in doing a doctoral research to finish my career in the university. What the heck, I´m doing it. I´ll squeeze it for taking out all things university offers me. Now or never...

No sense at all, part I

Walking by the brink of the cliff I came across something on the ground. It was bright, ring-shaped, however it wasn't a ring. This metal piece was wholesome more similar to an earring made especially for someone young since its needle was too short for someone with bigger ears. Maybe a little girl's gift.

By the time I was bending forward to pick it up, something drove at me from the rear. The impact was sheer, and somewhat painful. My eyes got bigger as soon as I saw how the magnificent scene overlooking from topside was coming closer as I went forward.
I stumbled clumsily for the thickets around engaged my legs, like mosquito's in cobweb. Despite it, the thrust I received pushed me along so hard that those plants barely could stop it. I was inevitably meeting my incoming doom, ahead.

So I finally got close to the brink and realized I was falling. At that point I took the decision that saved my life. In lieu of attempting to grab and hold on, I just jumped and dove. Instantly, in a fraction of a second, I decided I'd rather plunge into the water rather than into the rocks below.

The vertical, sheer drop sank me into the water ten feet in. Then a wave drew me way up directly outside and I took a deep breath while looking upwards. I didn't see anything since my eyes were blurry due to the salty water. Moreover, the fact I'd survived that fall hadn't sunk in yet.

I swam towards the beach nearby, and glad but confused started shaking my hair, and my clothes to the shiny sun rising that morning. When eventually I came on my feet again, I climbed up the path to the cliff. There was no one there, certainly, and when I checked the area where I'd founded the earring I couldn't find it anew.

Pretty much a bad joke. Who the hell would try to shove me off the cliff just for a tiny thing? ... This murderer might me someone cruel, of course. Well, I think someone's life's worth much more than a stupid object. At the least mine.

(Sorry guys, felt like writing good english today though the story lacks of any sense)

Bullfightin'

First of all, bullfighting is one of the most old and popular traditions in my country. Its origins go long time back in history, thanks to the fact that stockbreeding has been developped for centuries, as a practise aside farming and survival.

According to the Spanish Royal Academy, bullfighting ("torear") means the art of fighting bulls. However, fight is a tough word for that since fighting in some cases may be just misleading the bull in an artistic fashion, and then return him to his fold.

Sticking aside the topic about fanaticism, bloody spectacle or degradation of human superiority before animals, what is this art about? What is interesting in fighting a bull in front of hundreds of people and (not always) eventually killing him?
As far as I think, the interesting thing about the bullfighter ("torero"), paying no attention to some people´s comments like "bloodthirsty fanatics" or "murderers", is that he bases his entire life in breeding, looking after and taking care of the bulls in a bullfold on his own property. What I´m saying is bullfighters live with the bulls along their lifes, and learn from them (can I say the other way around here?).I do not see them as simple killers who come out onto a bullring, kill some animals and go back home to fritter away the money they earn, which is usually a whole lot. No at all.

Actually, whether it wasn´t for bullfighters (and the entire festivities), wild bulls wouldn´t exist. Bulls would be like cows. That´s true.

There is a lot of controversy about this topic within society. Generally people use to think that it´s a bloody spectacle which should be banned, but I do not agree. I consider myself a pacific person, nevertheless I do not consider bullfighting as a degradating practise. I believe that cruelty lives in mother nature as it has been created, I mean, the more intelligent rules, the more powerful rules, and we´re at the summit of the nutrition chain. Human beings have been cruel all along history, and I do not think bullfighting is cruelty. We do not have to demonstrate bulls we love them or hate them, that´s a premise far beyond their minds. All right, that does not mean we should kill them all, however bullfighters love them, take care of them, breed them and even worship them their whole life (long life they live free). Fixing eyes on the last moment (the killing) sounds sort of unfair to me.

However, I also believe there´s an argument far beyond my understanding. I should live my entire life surrounded by bulls, and fight them to really achieve the concept of bullfighting as an artistic way of life.

I chose computer science. I fight computers, which can be dangerous, too.

Morcheeba

Well, These past few days I´ve found myself listening to this artist (band, better said). I turn my ear on to Morcheeba's music while I´m working, especially on Mondays... my efforts (usually minimal on Modays) catch up with its rythm. I feel like things are going on, slowly, but still going.

Her music can be described as Chillout mixed with some vocals, which results in a very soft melody, slow beat and whispering voices floating around you. She can make you dozing off, but other tunes quite awake you! like those funky jazz themes sometimes I come across while listening.

Talking about the lyrics, I've founded they rely on the very common topics nowdays. Love, friendship, and feelings above all. Though I remember one song called "Woman lose weight", which tells about a frustrated husband who kills his wife because she's become a whole lot fat and unattractive. "I had to kill her"...

Haven´t checked the band history on wikipedia however, but I´m sure she´s worth it.

Check out this fabulous url: http://www.nutsie.com/music/Morcheeba. Take your time skipping some songs.
I'll talk about Nutsie somewhere else all right?

Snow

What can I say about snow? From start, it is my favorite water state over Earth (liquid water's so normal, and water gas's normally invisible and if not, ephemeral).

When it snows, it just reminds me to Christmas time, which leads on thinking in winter and definitely, my beloved family. No other image comes to my mind when it comes about comfort: Being inside a little cottage, looking through the window seeing how the snow falls down slowly while you are nearby a bright fire, reading maybe a nice book.

Have you ever noticed that, even though it might be snowing hard, snow flakes do not make a sound when hitting the ground? they may be as big as fists but when touching down they're as silent as hell. Kind of shocking. (Am I mad?)

What about stepping on snow? It's just so nice stepping on a virgin pile of snow on the ground... not only for the sound it makes (which is... like compacting), but in other to destroy such a beautiful structure, talking at a molecular level.

Structure of snow flakes is just amazing, look at the picture. Damn! perfectly symmetrical. But you don't need to look at them under microscope as in the picture to figure out their structure. I remember while skiing, gotten one single flake on my glove, and fixing my eyes on it I discovered its truly appearance, and it was like... oh god! this is real!

Besides, without snow no winter sport would be possible to play (excepting those that can be played on sand instead of snow... yes, they exist...)
But I will cover the topic relating skiing in other post, not yet.

Enjoy these days, because snow luckily wont stop falling, and you couldn't go to school, to work or whatever linked to an strict timetable, and if really lucky, you'll get snowed in and not doing much more than sit down and relax for the rest of the day!

By the way, it's snowing here in Leon... lightly, but constant :)

Scatman John

I usually come back to Scatman John when feeling blue. He has the special ability of cheering me up with his music. Surely you know him, that's why I wont extend talking about his songs. Remarkable "Scatman's world" theme, and the universal "Scatman" very well-known all over the world. Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-ba... damn, once I was able to do it. One of my favorites is "Everything changes". Sung in slow beat, clear message and good Johnny givin' out the real vibe. The beginning of this song inspires me a curious scene, clear night under the stars, driving an expensive brand-new sports car along a non-traffic road way, surrounded by bright skyscrapers reflecting the city lights on the go while feeling the world is absolutely yours, like going in the right direction. Ah... (Probably this feeling comes from a computer game. Surely "Midnight Club 2")

Ploughing through wikipedia random pages I came across Scatman John. Did you know he was awarded by the Stammering community and got 14 gold LPs throughout his career? One of his sentences shocked me> "turning my biggest problem into my biggest asset". Also, he tried hard to convince listeners that life is not as hard as it seems. Well, when you listen to his songs you feel cheered up, and your moral rises quickly... at least that is what I feel.

He died in 1999 due to a lung cancer. Despite knowing it, a new last LP was released in the same year, as a present for everybody.

He was such a big dreamer, showing his trend on equality, happiness and most of all, respect.

Good ones die early (relatively). But John left a deep footprint over the word while he lived. He deserved it.

Cheers Scatman John, this one's for you!

|MazZzta|

MSN and those unwanted contacts

Have you ever received an invitation from someone completely unknown? But you have to accept firstly, otherwise you might be refusing someone you really know and would like to get into your friends' list. Email addresses sometimes do not describe properly other people's identity, do they?

This happened to me 5 minutes ago. Someone added me, I accepted. instantly, this person popped up me and started talking to me. On the upper-right corner I could see a picture with some kind of female breasts rubbing each other. Interesting buddie.
First question (Directly, not wasting a single second)> hi, age/sex/location
I answered.
Second question> Dude, I woke up today and I feel so f***ing horny, I'm starting my show in a few minutes using my webcam. wanna join in? *link to a suspicious webpage*
I said politely no, thank you.
He insisted (Something told me this person was a man...)
third question> he explained me how to pay through a credit card and bla bla...
I said "You think I'm idiot?"
After insisting for 5 more minutes I said> "If you feel so horny today, why don't you go f*** yourself in front of the mirror?"
After that he didn't replied and quit.
I banned and deleted him/her/it from my list and game over.

Besides, this... rascal was responding at an incredible speed rate. Probably he was copying and pasting everywhere.

To sum up. Tits as bait, web page as trap, msn user as the idiot... this was my first time talking with a "fisher" on msn. What is this world coming down to?

|MazZzta|

Welcome

Well, I've just decided to post my first message. This is my first blog as well so I feel a bit newie. However, I will try to post as often as possible, talking about topics like Computer Science, role playing games, ski or simply any aspect of my life that I decide is worth it. uuuh! haha

The truth is that most of the upcoming content will be thoughts, statements or anything that can be committed to be a nice, cool and philosophical matter to discuss, (or to be read). Along the day sometimes I catch myself up thinking about things that I consider I should share with someone else, just for fun or for unleashing a manner of keeping them up somehow. So be ready, xD

Let's see whether I'm able to keep this along or not. God give me strength.

cheers!

|MazZzta|