Friday, December 9, 2011

Can you see me?

                                 
                                       New planet in sight. Illustration by trrent


People are relentless these days - specially when we talk about Nasa discovering new planets. It`s quite interesting to note the last one, Kepler 21b, is 1.6 Earth size, ten times heavier, with no mild temperature at all (2960 F degrees).


A research group knows, after several months of observation, that it is in a zone that could be habitable. Don`t know if they are talking about the hot hot planet aforementioned, or other planets close by. Kepler 21b and other planets are around another Sun type of star, a lot bigger and younger than ours.


That is a sign for astronomers to keep looking.


They are 18 newfounded planets in total, researchers say, that could be habitable. Of course the distance from its parent star does impress anyone: 600 light years. Although they are far away, it`s possible to see the big star which they are close by, with a simple telescope. You just have to know what you are looking for.


According to a scientist I heard on the radio today, it`s the first step in order to attain something big. People are starting to get worried about what happens in the future, because the Sun and/or the Earth won`t last forever, so...


Nothing to be preocupied right now. Probably that`s why astronomers begun to look already (!!) Is this evolution making its way to forever be? Well, I only know that moving a whole lotta people across the galaxy is something quite curious to think about!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

This is Now a Goodbye

                                               Farewell, Steve.  
Picture from http://exame.abril.com.br/inovacao/noticias/5-conselhos-de-jobs-para-quem-quer-pensar-diferente


Some weeks ago I wrote a blog post about Apple without Steve Jobs. I considered that he would soon be able to announce new Apple products. I feel bad I didn't see the real reason for his impediment as president of the corporation. He died on October 5, in consequence of a rare pancreatic cancer.


If I had checked it, I would've given a concise statement. The thing is that he acknowledged he was cured from cancer on his Stanford speech to students, in 2005. 


It seems like he got the symptoms back in 2009 and endured in a liver transplant the same year. It was supposed to stop the spread of the disease and add more years to his life. 


This silent cancer is only known when it's on its advanced stages. He could have lived more, but chances of survival are between 6 and 10%.


I know I enjoyed to see every new product he would bring up. Every professional has something to learn with  him. 

You Know You Want It Too

                          Kid browses the Internet. Illustration by trrent


Facebook has never been much of my thing because I'd rather read the world wide news on Twitter. It sounds reasonable to me. Since people I know are stored on FB I don't have the need to check them all of the time.


Mark Zuckerberg proposes that people stay connected 24/7 on the new Facebook profile. He is gonna provide all you can think of on Facebook. Uhh, Internet within the Internet. I don't think it's something for me. I'm not engaged to Facebook in a way that makes me stay connected to it all day. Google is almost the same: it's everywhere on the Internet - everything seems to be floating around the giant web company.


Regarding Google it's a bit difficult to stay away as I have a gmail account. Nothing much against it - I don't have a Facebook email, though. Nonetheless, both companies, through interaction, provide charitable support, jobs, revenue and web services.


The new Facebook's profile is gonna revolutionize the market as we know it. It is gonna give marketers the chance to find the exact profile they are looking for. If you are really a Facebook user, prepare to be induced in whatever people are watching, listing, wanting. Facebook knows you want it too.

Monday, September 26, 2011

What is what I need

                           
             picture from http://photobucket.com/images/nirvana%20smiley/


What a weekend. After studying my ass off for a while, I got some time off watching Nirvana's specials on MTV all along. Yeah, I don't listen to those tunes anymore, they don't play on the radio as well, so get to watch/ listen them back again felt really good.


At the moment I'm tracking down whatever Nirvana tunes were released until now. I'm also listening to other bands from the 'Grunge' years - it represents a lot to me. It was a breath of fresh air listening to Nirvana and bands that came after, cuz there was nothing really innovative at that time - at least of what was available!


This celebration of Nevermind can be checked here too; it's a Spin magazine special for the curious ones, hehe. I'll drink to that! Cuz it's always good to listen to great music.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Melbourne! People say it.

                 Federation Square in Mel: Building is at the top ten ugliest in the world. 
                              Picture from http://allcity7.com/showthread.php?t=95




I just can`t get it. Melbourne is the most liveable city in the world? Yes, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s liveability ranking, in a recent Economist blog post. Incredibly, they say infrastructure and entertainment are some of the analysed topics.


Man, trains and trams are heavily crowded during rush hour period and beyond. You have no trains after 12am on weekends and it`s not difficult at all to have cancelled or delayed trains any time of the day. I lived in Perth and from there I could hear, along with the whole country, how bad public transportation in Melbourne really is . 


It`s crowded, indeed, and costly too. Okay, i`m not writing this to be controversial, but it feels weird to be living in a city that doesn`t make up for the statistics. There`s culture, but from time to time, it`s not everywhere and it`s not all the time. The city may be a bit effusive when you think of clubs, perhaps, but not to the actor Ashton Kutcher, who has mentioned Melbourne`s mid-week as lame.


Back in Brasilia, Brazil, where I grew up, so much has changed in some years while I was away. I think there`s more diversity in culture here than in Melbourne (!!?) Lots of festivals, concerts, plenty of exhibitions. You just have to pick one and go.


Nevertheless, I feel blessed to have lived in Australia, and Melbourne is a lovely place. So I know now how is it to live in the most liveable city in the world (at the year 2011.)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Don't worry be happy

                    Cartoon by Matador. Email: matadorcartoons@gmail.com


Steve Jobs quit, but not the way we think. His illness is the reason why he "leaves" Apple, but soon we gonna see him in October launching the new iPhone and in 2012, offering one more iPad.


His story is quite phenomenal; A garage-company turns to be a big rival of Microsoft.


Tim Cook, the "replacement" person, is someone markets are going to respect, but he doesn't quite properly fill Jobs' shoes.


What we gonna see next is Apple's stocks shaking a bit, but steady, as the second most valuable company in the world.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Good internet still far away

                                 Internet at a far distance. Illustration by Trrent


As I stated on Twitter sometime ago, I thought internet in Brazil was alright, but, no, it's not. I used to complain a lot in Australia, whether the internet was 3G or else, but in Brazil it is no good either. Checking on Google, it`s not hard to notice internet in both countries is quite deplorable.


In Brazil, internet is expensive - over 445 dollars a Megabit in Manaus, Amazonas, compared to 1 dollar and 15 cents in Japan, according to a Cisco's survey in 2007. Brazilian government recently spread the news that it plans on bringing down broadband connection costs. A Megabit, which is now an average of 45 dollars across the country at the moment, might be 22 dollars until October 2011.


I just tested my internet speed at Internet Speed Test website. My download speed is a good deal lower than the world speed - 1644 kbps against 4079 kbps. In Switzerland alone it is 8422 kbps. Im not even stating my download rate, upload speed and upload rate, cuz they are out of proportion as well.


Brazil needs to invest a lot more, foreseeing increased demand in the years ahead, according to Folha, Brazilian newspaper. Companies should be looking forward to an 11,25 Mpbs download speed.


Australia is another example how things turn out to be bad too. As far as I would remember, internet was not available everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean aboriginal ancient lands, just the nearby surburbs! Yeah, I worked in telemarketing there ( what a pity ) and would listen to people complaining about no internet connection at all.


Things are not so up to date till now. Internet speed over there is an average of 1,5 to 2Mbps upload and download. The country has a lack of investment in infrastructure; internet providers use phone wires to connect dwellers to the internet, the ADSL.


Australia has a plan in place to offer internet to all Aussies (in time) at reasonable costs, the National Broadband Network - or NBN. It has started slowly in Tasmania, but people disagree on lots of things. They argue about the costs, for example. A heading at the Australian website Adelaide Now says: NBN price higher, PM's promise 'flawed'. People would then rely on the same old ADSL again. Some days later the NBN was hacked by a fellow citizen of theirs.


Much alike Australia, Brazil has the PNBL, Plano Nacional de Banda Larga, which means National Broadband Plan, it is taking time as well to adjust things. The connection costs can be similar, but the Australian plan is deemed to reach 93 % of all homes, businesses and so on by 2020. In Brazil, the Plan is supposed to make internet available to 40 million homes by 2014 - not all of them yet. Maybe in 2020? 

Monday, June 27, 2011

B for brand and Benneton

I've always enjoyed the Benneton brand. When I was a youngster I always tried to get mom to buy me something from Benneton - I still wear stuff from it. : ) However, all of a sudden, the company`s outlets disappeared without a trace (at least here in Brazil.)


There were agitated moments in this brand`s lifetime. Their new approach to advertising back in the days got them famous. Some time after, it ostracized the brand and made its creative mentor - Toscani - leave the company.


Here are a few ads: David Kirby, AIDS patient, portrayed as Pieta; below is an albino African woman among others in her tribe.



Picture from http://shayco.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/benetton-what-a-shocker/



picture from http://www.kunsthandlung-schoenen.de


Before those ads, there was the brand itself. The string of controversial ads are, in my opinion, a way of  uniquely express themselves in the market. It`s weird, but nobody has to think the same.


It seems Benneton is back in the game. Their new addition to the team, You Nguyen, who is the new creative ahead of store fitouts and design, says Benneton must stay true to its identity. It's a valid concept, as image is everything you have in the end. It's the first association people do in their minds. 


Once a mighty company - selling more than any retail brand in the 80s - Benetton may be remembered by consumers as a controversial shop, but a single one though.


I'll stick to it, Benetton is still a big brand for me.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

FYI

iPad 3? Already? And a 3D one?


Wow, technology news these days make their way around the globe faster than celebrity gossip - more so if they are rumours - or upgrades.


You know, Im still enjoying my iPad (one).


I was considering the second version, when the tabloids rummoured a new one is on the works.


I then read a piece about iCloud on the local paper today. Steve Jobs came out of nowhere to announce it and make investors happy. Yeah, Apple is also getting ahead on the smartphone battle, leaving Blackberry behind.


Returning to iCloud story. It means to gather all media stuff you have and store it in this cloud. You can access it from your remote Apple devices. 5GB is for free, but service is 25 bucks a year. Brazil is not on the plans to get the service, yet.


There is the new operational system, IOS 5, to launch soon too. 200 (!?) new functionalities, like weather and stock markets on your screen right away.


And I was talking about... iPad 3! Hhm, after all those news, it turned out not to be that interesting anymore. But you can read more here. And here. More stuff here too.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Worth studying?



Since I have arrived in Brasilia, Brazil, I started to look for jobs. Of course, in Brasilia, the most bureaucratic city in Brazil, the majority of jobs are government's. If you are not Brazilian you should know you need to be approved in tough exams in order to join the government force.

That's what Im doing at the moment: studying for the exams. The thing is I'm a bit frustrated. The reasons are as follows:

1) The competition is far worse than anything else you are aware of (except for navy seals recruitment)
2) gov jobs are a dead end for someone's career
3) public administration in Brazil doesn't function well, actually it is horrible

The competition for those jobs is high and jobs in private companies are quite competitive too, but the salaries in government are a lot better than in most private companies. The job market situation in Brazil lately is favorable mostly to jobs in demand, such as hospitality, retail, and on the other end, technicians and engineers in constructions and stuff. It's hard to pay rent and support a family with an initial - and average - private company salary.

When Fernando Collor was president, he signed a law to give stability to public workers not only in the federal sphere, but to all others linked to government - public banks, post, police and so on. That decision relieved workers about the possibility of getting sacked (almost impossible). If anyone imagined something like pursuing a career in government, it has been revoked from constitution, then you are stuck in the position you applied for in the exam day til retirement. 

All this turns productivity at work pretty bad, no, maybe, terrible! When you work in a job you CAN'T get fired, then you know things aren`t right. Carlos Osmar Bertero, in a World Bank and Brazilian government request, in 1994, made a document (sorry, it`s in Portuguese) where he expresses his opinion on public management in Brazil - in brief: "Almost all things that oppose the common sense are practiced. Performance and quality of services to the population are poor and the costs to the nation are not low." 

I think you get my point. Well, now, excuse me, I have to go back to my studies.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

MarciOnline: Bayão

MarciOnline: Bayão: "Os alemães são os maiores fãs do Brasil. Todo alemão que tem uma casa, principalmente das classes B e C, faz no fundo do quintal uma praiaz..."

Monday, February 28, 2011

Responsible Tourism

Traveling as a tourist means enjoying things rapidly. Escaping from routine is like a relief for the mind and soul, though. People book accommodation, transportation, tours - if they have chance to do in advance - but sometimes forget to be responsible. That is the fact of caring about the environment at the destination.


Travelers should notice that it’s not only them that will remember the trip. The locals will remember it too. Whenever people visit different places than their own, there are positive and negative effects.


Responsible tourism tackles challenges in tourism nowadays. It started as a demand that ecological organizations would ask from societies. It grew up to guides and manuals edited by companies interested in the wellbeing of the planet.


Tourism is a lucrative business, generating almost six billions dollars in Brazil alone, in 2008. It’s going to be as lucrative as there are things to see. It makes sense to promote responsibility in tourism. All sides need to understand how to minimize their impact/actions – the tourists when bringing lots of packaging to remote areas for example, and the businesses owners, whose facilities don’t comply with energy saving rules.


Things are slowly changing. There are documented stories, like the ones at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel. It recently minimized its effects in the neighborhood by composting food scraps, and recycling different materials. The business is just following other hotel steps.


People are accepting these attitudes more and more. Tourists are probably going to include good deeds in their ‘to do’ lists in a future not too far (hopefully).

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Malbec Wine


Malbec grapes. Picture from http://wine-tasting-reviews.com/

Now that I’m in my home country again, it’s often easy to enjoy food I really like, which is food made in Brazil. They are açaí ‘smoothie’, pão de queijo, feijoada – Brazilians know better. My friends in town introduced me to something new, but not something from my own country.It’s simply wine, which I know, but from Argentina, the Malbec wine. This is a wine I wasn’t aware of.


My friends, Daniel, Márcio, and I were drinking beer at Daniel and Carol’s place one day, when Carol called our attention for a TV show, which topic was wines.

The program’s segment was showing the Malbec wine. That particular wine is delicious, according to them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste right there.


Back home, I commented the wine to my sister. She said the wine is made of grapes only grown at the Andes Mountains. ‘Uhh’, I thought – it is real special wine. I haven’t heard about it overseas.


Few days later I already tasted my first Malbec. Today I tried this one named, Elsa Bianchi, from 2009. Both of them are great. The latter is though crisp.


What I found out is that Malbec is minor wine in California, and it’s added to other wines only to give a bit of consistency. Bordeaux and Médoc, in France, use it in a very small scale. Nonetheless, Malbec is very good in Argentina, ‘where the heat and dryness bring out the best of your character’.


It is enough for me to keep enjoying it.