Procyon

Just finished 'The Best American Short Stories 2012', a must be compilation for me. Next is 'The Best American Science 2012'. I highly recommend these annual compilations, there's a book for major genres: mystery, erotica, etc... This year, as I couldn't get one in time for the holidays, I decided to try an e-book. I got both Kindle and the native iBook and decided to try both.First, I was not much happy with this, I thought that reading a book in my iPhone would be disappointing. I thought I'd miss the feeling of the book itself, the pages turning, the smell. To my surprise, I enjoyed it a lot. After the first 'page', I completely forgot the medium and got immersed in the story. I also had the idea that it would take me longer to finish the ebook, and quite the contrary, I finished it faster. I think this is because i had my iPhone with me 24/7, so whenever I had 10 minutes to spare I just had to grab the phone. So, it was good. I decided I will buy more ebooks than paper books, as the technology is clean and saves some trees, or so I hope. The minus point in this story is that I do miss the book on my bookshelf, I hope that some sort of a physical volume (as long as it is enviro-friendly) could replace a 'real' book, for storing purposes. PS. By "I got Kindle" I mean the app. iPhone display was very friendly in this first experience, so I don't see the need to buy the Kindle device.

I wish that 2013 be the best year of our lives!! I was in a beautiful farm, it started raining dogs and cats since mid-afternoon and the lights went out, it was a hot day. Then, at 23:45, the rain stopped all of a sudden, we went out to light the fireworks my father-in-law had bought. Midnight arrived when all of us were in the fields enjoying the fireworks, neighboors from distant farms releasing their own fireworks too, it was great. When it was finished, the rain resumed its work, and it took away the hot weather and brought some cold. So, it was kind of magic, the rain stopped for 15 minutes to allow us to go outside and do the fireworks. The supper was in candlelight. Tomorrow we will cross the border to North Uruguay, in a paradise landscape they call "los pampas" - which I understand as "the moors". Edit: thank God that due to the lack of electric power, there was no music around.

These phenomena show how much we don't know about the Earth. Thing is that Earth is a living thing - meaning it's in constant move, causing friction, thus noises. In some places, even when the wind is still, there are no birds around and everything is in complete silence...well, it's not silent at all. If we had the ears of dogs, we would hear a constant buzz - that comes from the movement of magma against rocks deep down the surface. Some sensitive ears can hear that, it's what some call "The Buzzing". And there are more noises, we can't understand none of them. The most interesting IMO are the ocean ones, like "The Bloop" or "The Train Whistle" registered by NOAA. Also, submarines have registered that even when a submarine machine is turned down in the middle of the ocean, there's a buzz that is heard even clearly. Some scientists say it's the water currents moving that make that sound, but a vast majority discord.

One of the best TV series is not available in English. It is a Mexican sitcom called "Chavo", which is a group of adult artist impersonating kids in a poor suburb, as simple as the series is, it's one of the best ones ever. I am sure if there's another Spanish/Portuguese native speaker here, other than me and Jisnegro, he will agree with me 100%. Just a line I saw in today's episode: -Oh dear, our baby has my face! -Yes, but he is healthy and that's what really matters...

Why don't AP release these new track remixed by some old (Man With No Name) and new (Nova Fractal) school artists, mentioning a few talented ones? The way these previews sound, I am ready to bash them .

SWM's and Kali's tracks are good examples of tech-trance, IMO. Liked them a lot. Today I listened to the Epic Trance radio in DI.FM. Switched some times to the Psy/Goa radio, but the Epic Trance radio was a winner: much groovier, uplifting and trancey than the Brainiac set from last Universo Paralelo. Am I the only one thinking that the psychedelic scene has become boring?

My favorite ones, among a hundred favorites: 1. Jackie Brown (1997). IMO, the best Tarantino. Fatal women all the way. I would love to have a coffee with Pam Grier in that kitchen, listening to that wonderful collection she has. 2. Close Encounters of the Third Degree (1978). Just saw it yesterday, again. I am an ufologist, and this movie is one of the best that depicts ufology. And the final 25 minutes are superb, Spilberg created maquete scenes that are much better than CGI effects in more modern movies. 3. Romeo Is Bleeding (1993). Another fatal woman movie. I would avoid at all cost to have a coffee with her. Somewhere down the list: Melancholia (2011). Another masterpiece from Lars. What doesn't make my list: any of the Woody Allen movies. Pathetic movies.

@draeke: you're going to two extremes: the North is very hot this time of year, but not so much right now, as the rainy season has just started. And Florianopolis is one of the most European influenced cities, in some places you can still hear people speaking in Polish, German and Ukranian. Besides being one of the most rich and beautiful.

Astral.

Prince has a history of writing too many good songs that would fill more than 2 albums a year, and some of his songs he thinks are better sung by a female voice (though his falsetto is almost feminine, but he uses it in a hilarious way and sounds ridiculously good, like in "If I Was Your Girlfriend"), like "Nothing Compares 2 U" or "I Feel For You", both written by Prince and sung by Sinnead O'Connor and Shaka Khan.

If you think you're right about this, then let it be. Uh, are you, by the way, a western medicine doctor, or an Ayuverdha?

?? Go figure...anyway, here's talent at its best in this version of "Crimson and Clover", IMO. It is a pity that the audio is crap. One thing that I love about Prince is his musicians, sexy, fatal women. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs9g82_crimson-clover-prince-sheila-e-ellen-degeneres-2009_shortfilms

The AP aspect, I accept that: I have no reason to believe that my opinion is worth to other, as I am not an artist or have released anything. I may appreciate then, while the rest don't and I may be wrong. I may dislike their work now, while other consider it great. No big deal here. Reger, the same rule I mentioned to measure Sideffect - in this subject - serves you well too. So, I don't take your opinion seriously in this matter. Feel free to dismiss mine too.

Alright, you are unreasonable to me too. Let me finish telling you that I don't believe that your work in the health-care system, at all. The day you prove it, then I will stop thinking this is a lie. I also rest my case, I too pity the fool that thinks that he knows what is to deal with disabled people, only from searching the net and typing what he wants on forums, & starts judging others based on that...

While you feel ok asking me to "widen my parameters", I ask you to wider yours too. Deal? The day you tell me that you take the effort of getting out of bet at 6:00 am once a week and spend the day in an orphanage or hospital as a volunteer, or any other kind of volunteer work related to helping disabled people, I will respect your opinion on this subject. Other than that, your words are empty of any sense or content to me, on this subject.

Just to close my argument about this: I am a volunteer at a hospital and one of the golden rules of the hospital for its personnel is never mention 'cure' or 'recovery' with conditions like a person with a missing arm, among ten other health or mental conditions. Down Syndrom among them. There's an association called APAE that invest millions of dóllars every year in campaings to make people aware that people with DS are perfectly ok to integrate with society, some businesses are even opening doors and hiring them. So I know the efforts to make people accept them as they are, for they won't change their health or mental status anytime. Templar comment may have been light, but as a volunteer I don't agree with the association of words 'expect' 'recovery' 'Down Syndrom' and idea behind them. To make things even clearer, his comment here in Brazil is considered offensive and would get him an expensive fine. And prison. This already has happened many times. My last words on this.

Perhaps Veracohr, but there would be a 50% chance of not happening so. Anyway, it would be better than the 100% sureness we have now that Brazilian gov't is not willing to stop it.

Rotwang, you're right. Go in peace. You're a person I don't feel comfortable chatting with.

Yes, I understood that, what I wanted to say to him is that a person does not need to recover from DS, but one needs to recover from a cold. As you said. Using your example, a cold is a disease, while DS is not. So, he, unintentionally, called a DS person "sick", which I disagree and I am sure all of you do too. But, no offense taken, I just wanted to share with him how nice DS people are.

@needleninja: I applause you returning to college for this serious reason. People need to understand more what's going on, before it's too late. Elaborating a little more about Brazil, we are one of countries that will suffer most with the higher and higher temperatures. But we are also the ones to be blamed: Brazilians have a strong culture of thinking that a city with buildings is the best place to live (which send us back to that Oscar Niemeyer topic, I am sorry for his passing, but can't deny that I don't miss him as an architect), which is one of the reasons that the Amazon jungle is being devastated in record speeds. Politically, I do hope that US invade the Amazon jungle, it's possibly the only way to stop deforestation as we see now. Brazilian leftist gov't is tied to bribery involving the wood industry, so they don't see the need to stop deforestation as it brings money from taxes and briberies. That is why I hate the anti-American speech that the leftists keep alive around the world. I wouldn't mind at all if Amazon was invaded and taken from Brazil, at least it would not have the fate it's having now: it will become a desert land, with the modernization. I suggest you search Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant and the Transamazon Road, to have an idea of how our gov't is helping with great effort destroy the Amazon jungle. But Amazon is in the far North, I myself haven't been there. Brazil is too huge. But this kind of mentality (which we inherited from our Iberian colonizers: destroy to the ground and take everything away) still pervades our culture. I would say that 50% of Brazilians think it's great it's becoming hotter and hotter: they only visualize the beaches, the naked women, and beer. They don't see that in the long run Brazil North part already is a desert, and if scientists are right, it will be the new Sahara in 100 years time. I am part of the other 50%, I fight with my neighbors when they cut down trees in front of their houses, I call police when I see someone setting fire in empty lots to have it "clean" instead of doing a proper cleaning job. I buy recycled paper and do the most I can to help the Earth. But it's too little. I hope Brazil (and every other country, as the air knows no boundaries) wake up and start fighting for a better environment as soon as possible. I say again that people living in the Northern hemisphere does not realise weather change, for the most part of the year, even when temperatures get higher, they still feel the weather is good. They don't feel 210 continuous days of temperatures reaching 30C and above, or droughts. But this will spread globally soon... Sorry for the book...

So, please cast some light on my lack of understanding: what did he suggest then?

As I have a cousin with DS, I feel I have to say that I don't see why a DS person has to "recover". They are people who has the most sincere affection, they are laid-back, always wanting to help, they are soft souls, and certainly they have a lot to teach us about tolerance. That said, I hope you visit an orphanage where you certainly will find DS children, this will make you think twice who are the ones who need "recovery".

Sorry for saying this, but I think they should not release this album at all and call it quits. They are far past their prime, and are doing mediocre work. They're becoming the Rolling Stones of goa trance scene: should have retired some 15 years ago.

Thanks Jisnegro, for the link. I have no words for this track. I listened to first minute of it, then deleted it from my Mac.

^ It is only me, or is the player not working? Ultra curious here...