Thursday, July 21, 2005
From Arica to Santiago overland
I just take a long long ride, driving from Arica, my town, to Santiago , 2050 Km. away down south.
Two and half days driving, two days in Santiago and then come back to Arica, It was crazy but I had made the same trip many times ago so It was not so hard to me. If you want to see some of our crazy geography and my adventures clic here to see the pics I made along my trip.
North of Chile is not a "nice" place, as a typical touristic expects. It is incredilbly dry, arid, wild and desolate. Humans fell dwarf in front of the huge nature. There are small mining tonws and many ghost towns along the way to Antofagasta, then miles and miles of "nada" just desert and desolation up Copiapó. Then landscape turns gradually green and thing are at a human scale again. There is a shocking contrast between the giant desierto and the civilized Zona Central
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Kabloom!
Bombings on London's transport system filled news media around the world passing time after time the same images and similar comments. In practical terms, this huge media coverage just help to terror purposes. I bet that in London has died more than 40 peoople in a day due traffic accidents, if they would have paid the same media coverage, surely people would be much more carefully driving. But bombings sell, and serve to political purposes also.
So that is the way on the public opinion, feed by TV and pollitically correct comments, develop an irrational fear, starting from the most coward and most impresionable people. Terror aims to cowards, those that are easily shocked and impressed with the image of death or suffering and media coverage is special to spread fear and insecurity among those people.
The goal of terror actions is mostly psicological, even the biggest strikes are neglictible compared with any conventional military attack but it is aimed to spread the fear among the cowards. There is no need bravery to plant some bombs, explode them remotely and then run, it is an action made by and aimed to cowards, but I think that british people is not easily amedrented, propably the effect will be oposed than those the terrorist wished.
Anyway all we must die some day and, if I could choose I surely prefer to die in a blasting instead of a long, dirty and expemsive illnes. In my view is a nice way to die, maybe that is why the bombings do not impress nor scare me, nothing at all.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
The trap of a confortable life
Time ago I met a guy which I met in the eigthies, when I was poor. He rented a bigger room than mine and worked as mailman, I remember him about my age, married with a big woman and his finances was far better than mine; paycheck assured every month with no problem to finance room and food, much more than I obtained with sporadic jobs (when I can get one).
Well, the fact is that he recognized me inmediatly, for me was hard to recognize him, he seemed a very old man with holes instead of front theets, he explained me that he was working as junior, cleaning and carrying cases in a shipment office. He was very impressed to see me driving my own car and I cannot convince him that I was not into drug traffiking, for him it was no other logical explanation for Mr. "zero pesos" that he met in the eigthies now had a car to drive, and a truck also.
This made me think how lucky -at least in fiancial terms- I was since those hard times, It is true that I live now with few money but my economic progress was amazing: years ago no one gave a cent for my future, my natural place in this word was -with luck- to be a mailman or a junior same as my friend, working hard like a trained monkey for a couple of bucks every month. Now I see all those people which I lived in the eighties and all of them are in the same misery as before.
I was thinking that if I would followed the commonsense to look for security today I woud be the same, or worse, than they. Thanks God I never considered look for security.
So, if some young people who is starting his own figth for existence is reading that I will give him this good advice for free: never look for a confortable life, this is the worst trap. If you like take it, if not leave it.
Monday, June 27, 2005
To live with style
I was reading the Steve Jobs speech to Stanford graduates, thinking that surely those words will be very popular in the future. Every certain time an impressive speech or piece of writing appears amazing people and remaining as inspiration for years to come.
This happened with Churchill speechs, the Macarthur farewell, Luther King, Lincoln and many others in the past. Now Steve Jobs with simple and clear words talked to graduates about his own story, his shinning times and cloudly times.
As most of motivational adress Jobs told a lot of obvious things, so obvious that we rarely are aware of them: the importance to do which we like most, to be able to stand up after the fall, how important may sometimes become some insignificat things as calligraph, and the onminous reality of our death.
But besides to be a good piece of text, which I liked most of the speech was the fact that Jobs itself cannot be considered as a winner in the traditional sense. He does a lot of bad moves and mistakes, under his first ruling Apple was close to bankrupt and most of his long term strategy finally was far from good.
Compared with Gates, Steve Jobs achievements are not so impressing, however he has always exited the imagination of people and has harvested consistently a lot enthusiatic followers. Steve Jobs is a happy guy with a great ability to transmit enthusiasm. He is a real champion despite the fact that Bill Gates has defeated him, same as Muhammad Ali was still the champion after Foreman made it bit the dust after broking his jaw.
So ¿what is my moral?, I think that the achievemnts are not the esential, any asshole with a little luck -or some skill- may obtain a big achievement, but to live with style and be consistent with your own beliefs is a very different matter. Not any asshole can do that, no way.
This happened with Churchill speechs, the Macarthur farewell, Luther King, Lincoln and many others in the past. Now Steve Jobs with simple and clear words talked to graduates about his own story, his shinning times and cloudly times.
As most of motivational adress Jobs told a lot of obvious things, so obvious that we rarely are aware of them: the importance to do which we like most, to be able to stand up after the fall, how important may sometimes become some insignificat things as calligraph, and the onminous reality of our death.
But besides to be a good piece of text, which I liked most of the speech was the fact that Jobs itself cannot be considered as a winner in the traditional sense. He does a lot of bad moves and mistakes, under his first ruling Apple was close to bankrupt and most of his long term strategy finally was far from good.
Compared with Gates, Steve Jobs achievements are not so impressing, however he has always exited the imagination of people and has harvested consistently a lot enthusiatic followers. Steve Jobs is a happy guy with a great ability to transmit enthusiasm. He is a real champion despite the fact that Bill Gates has defeated him, same as Muhammad Ali was still the champion after Foreman made it bit the dust after broking his jaw.
So ¿what is my moral?, I think that the achievemnts are not the esential, any asshole with a little luck -or some skill- may obtain a big achievement, but to live with style and be consistent with your own beliefs is a very different matter. Not any asshole can do that, no way.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Politically incorrect
I´m aware that may be not pollitically correct to say that, but what is the idea behind Creative Commons licences? Okay, I understand that people who earn their living writing may be afraid to be copied their valuable work, but It seems to me hilarious that blogs like mine and yours claim for a sort of "license". Maybe bestsellers like Tom Clancy or Isabel Allende may be interested to "protect" (and I doubt they can do it) their writings, there are extreme cases like J. P. Salinger, if you even write his name you are in danger to be sued, however every Salinger book that I had read, I had obtaines in the web, illegally, of course.
So what is the purpose to claim certain "rigths" on the trivialities that we write daily in blogs? I think that those ideas only strenght among common people the ideology from the big editorials and entertainment industry: that people has sort of natural rigths on every single thing that they can write, or sing or whatever.
But the Internet spirit has been always opposite, freedom to copy for masses, even being illegal. I said at first, may sound pollitically incorrect to endorse something ilegal, but is the reality. Slavery was also legal in the past and when we live under dictatorship here in Chile, we experienced many unfair or stupid laws, may we obbey blindly even stupid laws?.
The strongest support of any law is the punish: without trials and jails very few laws would survive and, as long as technology allow to broke laws with no practical consecuences, people will begin to disrespect them. Frankly speaking I had no guilt sentiment infracting copyrigth laws. So, acording with this idea I wrote my own:
"Not so Creative and Uncommon License
The contents of this weblog are not protected under any kind of licence, so please fell free to copy (just as I does) anything you wish. However in sake of basic good manners I kindly advise you to mention the source, if not you are exposed to receive the old curse from my gipsy ancestors, you surely will catch AIDS and may every tooth will fall apart from your mounth!"
Which I added to my blogs to unprotect them from any of my hipotetical copyrigths
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Karma NOW!
For those who love mechanics (like I do) surely will understand my feelings when I heard the big crunch in the rear axle of my truck followed by onminous sounds of iron pieces falling apart as long as I acelerated, the dices are trowed I say to myself, and continued driving up to my home with the axis noising as close to explode.
So, me and my neighbor who is a skilled mechanic openned the case to see what had happened, well: the morons who adapted a new rear axis left loose the nuts which support the assamblage so they crashed. "Cheap things cost a lot" states a popular saying, it is true. You can find very cheap labour here, but you must be very luky to find the rigth man. So I am almost one month with the truck broken and praising will not have the need to tow my trailer!
To move myself meantime I find a "new" (second hand really) rear axis I had to invoke the Gods of mechanics and repaired my old and stroked Mitsubishi Colt 81, which now runs nice except I have no papers for this car , hope no policeman stop me because I will have to give a lot of explanations.
Anyway, I love mechanic works so I will got some fun making the fixes, but anyway I wish the stupid mechanic which left loose the bolts loose their theets, one by one, same as my truck, I demand for karma now!
So, me and my neighbor who is a skilled mechanic openned the case to see what had happened, well: the morons who adapted a new rear axis left loose the nuts which support the assamblage so they crashed. "Cheap things cost a lot" states a popular saying, it is true. You can find very cheap labour here, but you must be very luky to find the rigth man. So I am almost one month with the truck broken and praising will not have the need to tow my trailer!
To move myself meantime I find a "new" (second hand really) rear axis I had to invoke the Gods of mechanics and repaired my old and stroked Mitsubishi Colt 81, which now runs nice except I have no papers for this car , hope no policeman stop me because I will have to give a lot of explanations.
Anyway, I love mechanic works so I will got some fun making the fixes, but anyway I wish the stupid mechanic which left loose the bolts loose their theets, one by one, same as my truck, I demand for karma now!
Friday, June 17, 2005
I feel the earth move under my feets
I feel sad about Huara, a small village with clay houses where I used to stop frecuently when I traveled trough the desert between Arica and Iquique, I had developed a sort of romance with this tiny town since time ago, when my truck broked in the middle of nowere and I was oblied to spend a couple of days there while the fixing process was made (nedless to say, towing broken cars is the biggest buz in Huara: in the middle of desert you will barely bargain prices). Those days I discovered the way of life of people living in a tiny, sunny and bored town year after year, I made some friends there and -as I said before- I tried to stop there everytime I can. I cannot remember better siestas in my life other than I slepp in the cementery, near the town, in the most impressing silence.
Well, most of Huara has falled down, nothing to do except to remember how lovely it was. Anyway this quake is not the big one which we are waiting for since 1877, but it serves us to be prepared in a sort of excercise, when el grande comes we will be accustomed.