8_bit trip

Courtesy of Guillermo.

(Un)Allan Watts by South Park

Bank's and ownership links

European banking ownership links uncovered.

Our brain is plastic

PLASTIC, n. and adj.


B. adj.

I. That moulds.

1. Characterized by or capable of moulding or shaping clay, wax, or other soft or formless materials.

2. Causing the growth or production of natural forms, esp. of living things; formative, procreative; creative.

3. fig. Generating or adapting non-material, aesthetic, or intellectual ideas, concepts, etc.; creative.

II. Able to be moulded.

4. a. Of non-material things and conditions: able to be moulded or modified; impressionable, pliable; susceptible to influence; fluid, flexible.

b. Of a material: that can be (easily) moulded or shaped; pliant, pliable; that readily takes a new form.

c. Biol. Relating to or exhibiting an adaptability to environmental changes; spec. relating to or exhibiting an ability to alter the neural connections of the brain as a result of experience, in the process of learning, etc.

5. a. Relating to or produced by moulding, modelling, or sculpture.

b. Relating to or involving a permanent change in shape of a material, without fracture or rupture, by the temporary application of a force.

6. Med. Capable of, exhibiting, or producing organization; forming tissue, esp. fibrous tissue.


III. Of or relating to plastic as a material.

7. a. Made of or containing plastic; of the nature of a plastic.

b. fig. Artificial, unnatural; superficial, insincere.

La invasion de los espias

Un articulo de Juan Gelman sobre un programa de la CIA para financiar estudios en areas estrategicas de conocimiento.

The Wedding at Cana by Peter Greenaway

Check a review in the nyt.

Years pass, ideas evaporate

I have seen so many movies that I frequently don't remember the titles. Sometimes it is hard to remember the director, the actors. Sometimes different movies blend into one. Like those first Jim Jarmush movies are just one long movie.
What remains is a blurred dreamlike juxtaposition of images, sounds and personal mental states:

a)fumado
b)borracho
c)sereno(?/!)
d)enamorado
e)...

Something similar happens with books and music. Everything melts like wax and the more you access an old memory, the less accurate it becomes. Years pass, ideas evaporate.

The fog of war

A documentary about Robert McNamara, Defense Secretary with JFK and Johnson during the Vietnam war. His views on war and politics during a crucial historical era adorned with music by Philip Glass. A must see as far as I am concerned; even more if for free.

HOME, a documentary.

Check out a great documentary about your home, the earth.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

The lovers took an elevator to the gallows

The lovers took an elevator to the gallows. miles davis was softly wispering, and he did it not once but twice. De repente un disparo y un hombre cae al suelo. Otro hombre esta encerrado en un ascensor pensando en su amante.

He feels like the freest person in France. He is rich and successful, he need not worry about tomorrow. No matter what he does or what happens, he doesn't need to worry about tomorrow. At this point, in his 30's, he's freed himself from almost everything. Morally, religiously, in practically every way.

Pero ella esta en Paris, huye del aburrimiento de una vida provinciana y de un desagradable marido. No puede ayudarle, in fact, while her lover is trapped, she is at a polo game. She is about to go to bed with a handsome spanish polo player.

Tomorrow things will be different. Both together now, she will be driving her car, followed by the police who suspects them in a murder case. De hecho, ha sido ella, so suspicions are well founded. ella se escapa, y deja a su marido y a su hijo detras. Su carrera, la de el, hubiera sido la misma en todo caso. La de ella no.
Un amor furtivo cambio su vida para siempre.

References: "The lovers", "Elevator to the gallows", Louis Malle interviews.

El barbecho es un geiser silencioso

A veces no es momento de plantar ni de recolectar; ni la tierra esta preparada, ni las semillas germinaron. Es el momento del barbecho. El momento de que la lluvia penetre en lo mas hondo, humedezca un corazon acelerado y ahi se forme un vapor subterraneo que asciende lentamente desde el calor magmatico hasta la superficie y desde alli a la atmosfera exterior y el espacio estelar.

Es el momento de que los gusanos digieran la tierra pintando Pollockuadros, surcos de oxigeno y venas de nitrogeno, caminos para que la lluvia descienda hasta el magma inflamado y lo envuelva en un abrazo calmo y de regreso, evaporado, devuelva el calor a una atmosfera fria para asi renacer en medio de la primavera.

Leonard Cohen doc

Overlapping sound loop

This weekend was the best since I got back from Spain. I did a bit of everything and I also did nothing. So it was rather complete.
A friend was in Chicago and we got to hang out a bit. It made me feel i was home while being in the US which is a remarkably unusual feeling. It might only happen when i sleep.
So today I got to work and I heard barely any noise; that made me think that either the construction work was over or I had become some kind of minimalist composer. The latter being more likely than the former i will stop writing to focus on the overlapping sound loop, so that whatever happened will happen again.

Coming in like El Nino

El Nino is spanish. It is the spanish word for child. Like all things spanish it is dangerous. It kills people and burns down trees. This is more than a child. It is a storm. A deadly storm that kills people and burns down trees.

See the rest at and have a good laugh.

The sound projector

The Sound Projector is a UK radio show and magazine. They have numerous playlists available on their web ranging from folk, progresive, post-rock, jazz, minimal, electronic dub ...

A quote on their web says "It’s a music magazine so esoteric that it makes The Wire look like Smash Hits". I guess the sentence gives guidance as to what to expect.

You can even download the music to your comp. simply a mind blowing discovery.

Bankruptcy's the American way of life

It is the beginning of the end. the pieces are already scattered in the floor -- she said. i thought she was totally right, but as i was coming from far it stroke me anyway. with the fog that distance creates, i did not think any friend saw the band the same way i did, but it had happened before and it will happen again. a group is like a heart expanding and contracting, like a star sequentially exploding and imploding.

LUCAS: Yeah, bankruptcy's the American way of life. Think of all the great corporations that have disappeared in our lifetime. Oh, I'm sorry.

- That's ok. No worries.

People take different directions because they are different. but there is less to lose in america. in europe everything's older so if you choose to rebuild what you end up with is really not the same. on the contrary, here everything's new so it can be destroyed no problem. or i might be a small town catholic boy with a bias towards the familiar;

-- did i say that?
-- i don't know but that's ok as well.

Amanece que no es poco

Esto es un regalo del cielo para todos los mortales. Una pelicula que muestra la Espanya profunda, del pueblo, el vino tinto, el cura, el borracho, la puta, etc. en clave de un humor algo surrealista. Ese humor que a veces te parte de risa y a veces no entiendes. Con algo en comun con muchachada nui o los monty phyton.

La podeis descargar gratuitamente. Simplemente seguid los links y las instrucciones en megavideo. Si estais puro gueviando podeis aprovechar para descargar otras peliculas en castellano del mismo sitio.

Especialmente dedicado a Aniol, Arnau, Evan, Felipe, Irune, Koldo, Tomas y Willis. Much love cabrones!

On memory deletion

Some time ago I posted a radio show on a scientific discovery. A chemical substance that could delete specific memories. To me, that seemed sci-fi but it was the state of affairs in neuroscience. Now, the NYT writes about this topic.

It seems that after all, a spotless mind will be an option. Or maybe not?

A couple classics at your fingerprints

Check out this blog if you like rock. You will be able to download a couple classic albums. If you are into jazz, try this other one...

Que dia mas productivo, joder!

Gossip

Interesting NYT article about how some schools tackle gossip in a classroom. Something like this should be implemented everywhere in light of what happens in my sister's school.

However, I think many adults would benefit from some of this too. LOL.

Buddhism and christianity

A long time ago, a catholic friend and I had a discussion about buddhism and christianity, and I did my best defending the case of the intellectual debt that the latter had towards the former, but I am afraid I didn't do a great job.
For what is worth, I want to share this link because I think it highlights, at a glance, the common ground.
At the same time, I would never consider buddhism a religion, but that is a totally separate matter.

Fotografia social

El periodico EL Mundo, segundo en difusion en Espana, nos informa desde Londres sobre las actividades del dia programadas para nuestros lideres.

Creativity in schools

Sir Ken Robinson welcomes talibans and prophets and destroys a couple pyramids on the way.

New York Times best seller(s)

A New York Times best seller... but hei, don't judge a book by the cover!

Bienvenido taliban

Pocas cosas hay mas ridiculas que ver como la gente se autoconvence de que hay un lugar y/o un tiempo donde la vida funciona como a ellos les gustaria.
Los ejemplos son innumerables. Desde un budista pensando que los tibetanos levitan, un humanista que cree que los males del mundo se arreglan estudiando a los clasicos, los judios, que todos sabemos son el pueblo elegido...

Parece que en toda disciplina existen talibanes. Pues yo me rebelo!!! me levanto en armas contra semejante chorrada. Los indios son unos tirados y borrachos. Los judios unos ladrones. Los humanistas no entienden de matematicas. Los tibetanos, por desgracia, unos muertos de hambre.

Y tan verdad me parece una vision como la otra. Y si solamente pudieramos apreciar el conocimiento que proviene de cada lugar, cultura, persona, animal, estariamos todos mucho mejor. Pero tambien os digo, que hay mucho ahuevonado por ahi suelto, que se dedica a hacer de profeta en tierra de todos!!!;entonces, como dice Benny, que se vayan a la chucha todos los huevones!!!

Despachado el asunto que hoy nos ocupaba, solo me queda despedirme con una accion teatral, o psicomagia si lo prefieren. Cojan al individuo por las solapas y al apelar "Budista!!!" le dan un buen tortazo, y ante la cara de estupefaccion del susodicho, arrimense a su oido y susurren: "el Dalai Lama solo vive porque le han cortado la cabeza".

Astral Weeks, dissected

What could be Van Morrison's greatest album, Astral Weeks, dissected and digested for you at Sound Opinions, a music program at Chicago National Public Radio.

Gema Alava, artist statement

Gema Alava es una artista espanola que acabo de conocer a traves de la gaceta de becarios de la Caixa.

Su trabajo resulta bien interesante. Me he sentido particularmente identificado con la parte en que dice que no le interesa expresar sus ideas individuales y que "su arte no es sobre su persona":

"I try never to produce work that communicates only a single idea. I want to be open to different interpretations and I'm not interested in communicating my own individual ideas. My ideas are not the most important thing. That is not why I make my work. It is not about my persona, it's about things that intrigue me".

Producto chileno de calidad

gracias a felipe por la recomendacion y....

que se vayan a la chucha todos los huevones, enchufa!!!

boy with balloon

Poor execution but, oh well, time is scarce. You get the idea anyway.

References: The red balloon, which by the way is an awesome short available on the criterion collection allong with "white mane", an equally beautiful movie.

Royal Canal -- Indians and cowboys

Crazy irunatarrak!! Check their myspace profile, their song "simulacro alienigena" is fabulosa_joder.

life as a poem without a title

I know what i need to know, that is, nothing
my brain is naturally fed
neuron induced dizziness,
high quality self-triggered waves.

i am nothing but a man,
which is simple, ok try it, hard.
ellerie showed me the light,
she deserves credit for that,
his name, she said,
is philip glass.

but let's be clear,
some say life is not real.
and i find proof some nights,
my brain melts away,
and its waves die.

still during the day i work, i eat
and sometimes, at night, i am able to sleep.
then again, the beatles sing
good morning, good morning.

a deep feeling is not the point

To have some deep feeling about Buddhism is not the point; we just do what we should do, like eating supper and going to bed. This is Buddhism.