Finally!

I received my MacBook Pro today (well, yesterday, actually). It's simply amazing. I still haven't had the time to harness the power of this beast. With its 2.33 GHz Intel Core2Duo processor with 3 GB RAM, it's posing strong competition to my Dual Powermac G5 2 GB RAM.

The design is not only cool; it's also very apple-worthy. The integrated iSight camera is useful and a lot of fun. The backlit keyboard (which by the way only lights up when you're actually using the computer) is a clever idea. And there are some cool extras like the Apple remote.

The MacBook Pro has been running all evening and the case temperature seems acceptable. According to my skin nerves it was very close to its older brother the Powerbook G4.

It's late and I must get up early, so I'll summarize:

• The good: It's very powerful, lightweight, bright screen, it's got many features (MagSafe, iSight, backlit keyboard among others).

• The bad: Power transformer much bigger than the Powerbook's. I'm not sure whether the case mounting is 100% perfect as the space left when the lid is closed is uneven; there's more space on the left side of the computer (although we're talking 1mm approximately).

• The unknown: Still have not tested battery life. Superdrive makes strange noises which I have to identify. It reads disks without problems, though.

I'm too tired now so I'll probably write a second part tomorrow :)

Milestone

Photo by robw1882.

Ahir vam assolir una milestone important en tot el procés que suposen les festes nadalenques, que en el meu cas reben el tret de sortida el dia del meu aniversari, el 10 de desembre. Efectivament, ahir va ser Nadal, i amb això esgotem un dels dies d'aquest desembre, mes en què sembla que cada dia té un significat especial:

• El meu aniversari (egocentrisme, però des del meu punt de vista passa cada any).
• L'aniversari del meu germà, que coincideix amb El Dia de la Loteria.
• La vigília de Nadal.
• Nadal.
• Sant Esteve.
• Els Sants Innocents.
• L'últim dia de l'any, amb home dels nassos incorporat.
• Cap d'Any.
• Reis.

Demà és dia 27. En el calendari de festes és un d'aquells dies que no serveixen per res; és laborable, no és res especial... pràcticament podríem qualificar-lo d'intrús, de disruptor de la nostra alegria i joia nadalenques.

Però demà sí que serà un 27 poc habitual. És el dia en què l'Iván marxa a London via Liverpool per iniciar la segona part de la seva aventura per terres britàniques, i que espero que li vagi bé. És curiós com de hard-headed podem arribar a ser. Demà també és el dia en què, si tot va bé, el bitxo arribarà a les meves mans. El bitxo no és ni més ni menys que un MacBook Pro amb unes specs més aviat topped-up. Tampoc vull avorrir amb temes tècnics. El que sí que em preocupa (em preocupa entre cometes, o en cursiva, però crec que ja he abusat prou de la cursiva en aquest post) és que encara no he pensat quin nom li posaré. En l'estat de màquines actual no puc reaprofitar cap nom, així que necessàriament haurà de ser nou. Tinc alguns candidats:

• intrepid
• exeter
• lantree
• endeavour
• equinox
• columbia
• prometheus
• yamaguchi
• ahwahnee
• constellation
• volga
• yukon
• valiant
• fearless
• galaxy
• odyssey
• yamato
• brattain
• aries
• akagi
• yeager

Encara tinc temps per pensar-m'ho.

I de moment per avui ja n'hi ha prou.

Esperanza llamando

La filla de la cosina de la meva mare, que suposo que deu tenir algun nom en el vocabulari de parentescs familiars però que desconec perquè sóc dolentíssim per a aquestes coses, es diu Esperanza. Això no és res de l'altre món, però ens serveix d'introducció a aquest post.

L'altre dia sonava el telèfon mòbil de la meva mare, però ella no el tenia a prop, així que vaig decidir anar a acostar-l'hi. Qui trucava, com us podreu ja imaginar, era l'Esperanza. Pot semblar una tonteria, però em vaig quedar una mica perplex quan a la pantalla del mòbil apareixia això:

Esperanza llamando...
Opciones Silenciar

No només rebia una trucada de l'esperança, sinó que podia inclús silenciar-la o aplicar-li misterioses opcions!

Per desgràcia ja havia perdut molt de temps anant a buscar el telèfon i fent aquestes reflexions, de manera que va deixar de sonar. Efectivament, s'havia acabat de convertir en una trucada perduda.

New name, new way

Today I decided to change this blog's name, title, address and description. I'm committed to changing myself so much that latin idioms are not necessary anymore. I still want to be rational and think about life. But life is much more than a series of logical calculations which give answers to questions or find the causes of consequences.

I want to approach the most human aspects of life again. I need to rediscover my inner self, and that's why by changing something as insignificant as a blog, I begin this new personal journey.

I've got many favourite quotes, but I chose Antoine de Saint-Exupéry because not only is The Little Prince a great masterpiece, but it is also very representative of this change.

Walk alone

I never realised how it really was to walk alone until I spent some mornings walking along Hyde Park during my holidays in London.

What's most noticeable is the huge amount of time you spend thinking about life. If you are a good observer then you'll concentrate on many details, find an explanation in every leaf and beauty in every different colour.

By walking you see new things every second, which feeds your brain with stimuli and keeps your whole body working just for you, as if there was an effective distinction between mind and body in that very precise moment.

If you think loud enough you can even forget you're alone.

Although I'm an atheist I found it very appropiate to include a fragment from Ben Harper's I shall not walk alone.

Battered and torn
still I can see the light
tattered and worn
but I must kneel to fight

Friend of mine
what can't you spare
I know some times
it gets cold in there

When my legs no longer carry
and the warm wind chills my bones
I reach for Mother Mary
and I shall not walk alone

Hope is alive
while we're apart
only tears
speak from my heart
break the chains
that hold us down
and we shall be
forever bound

Way out

I wish life was as easy as it is to travel on the underground. In the underground there are signs everywhere which let you go from one point to another. Which basically implies answering two questions:

• Where am I?


• Where do I want to go?

Sometimes signs state the obvious, like the photograph shows. One can assume that the way out is "overground", especially when buildings and a light blue sky are clearly visible from the underground. But it would still be possible to ignore those evidences and get out just by following the signs.

Life, however, does not take care of you as much as the underground signs do. Nobody is going to tell you where you are, or where you can go, or where your future is.