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PULLEYS AND TEETER-TOTTERS
Pedro Bonifacio Palacios (May 13, 1854 – February 28, 1917), better known by his sobriquet, Almafuerte , was a famous Argentine poet. Below you'll find the almost impossible translation of some of his poems (believe me: they sound great in Spanish). AVANTI (from the Italian...
10/22/15 12:48 pm
Picture by Artiom P under Creative Commons License You are heating up a pizza, or zapping on TV, when your child is about to ask (or rather: declared that) he needs a costume for Halloween is coming. For those Hispanics who...
10/22/15 12:22 pm
Few cities are so strangely related to fantasy as Venice, the Repubblica Marinara. Almost bordering Neverland, Venice has always aroused dreams, inspirations and inflamed the imagination of poets and artists from around the globe.
It is a city that, in itself, was a republic in the late middle Ages and early Renaissance. Although its buildings are continually threatened by water erosion and tidal changes, all the splendor of the republic is still visible in the magnificent monuments, in the splendid palaces along the Canal Grande, as well as in the testimony left in the artworks of the museums and streets.
The plan of the city is in many cases more than rambling. In these cases, the Canal Grande and the Campanile in Piazza San Marco serve as an urban compass.
Venice did not come out of the imagination of a lab project that proposed to mount a town half on land and half on water, but it was the natural and spontaneous development of urbanization of a studded lagoon with about 118 small islands. In this city there are about 150 canals and 409 bridges.
There are three bridges that cross the Grand Canal: the Ponte di Rialto , the Ponte dell'Accademia and the Ponti degli Scalzi. Out of these three strategic points you must get a vaporetto to cross from one side of the city to the other.
For its vanguard position on the Adriatic, Venice has always been in close partnership with the Eastern nations, and in particular, with Byzantium. La Serenissima Republic of Venice was a great maritime power during the late middle Ages and early Renaissance, when it acted as a strategic retreat to the Crusaders who traveled Eastwards to Jerusalem.
One of the most emblematic buildings is the Campanile, the tower that looms above Piazza San Marco, and can be seen from many points of the city. The architecture of the square in totum is quite emblematic: just a sketch of 10 or 15 strokes might be enough to distinguish this place from any other place in the old or new world.
NURSERY RHYMES FROM ENGLISH INTO SPANISH
OpenClipArt image for gsagri04
Georgie Porgie in Spanish - Georgie Porgie en Español
Versión en Español Georgie Porgie, budín y pastel, Besa a las niñas y las hace llorar, Cuando los varones vienen a jugar, Georgie Porgie se echa a correr. English Version Georgie Porgie, Pud...
09/17/15 1:43 pm
Jack Sprat in Spanish - Juan Manaza
(Versión en español) Juan Manaza no comía grasa Y su mujer no comía magro Asi que entre los dos –verá señor- Limpio, muy limpio, dejaban el plato. Jack Sprat (English version) Jack Sprat could eat no fat. Hi...
09/17/15 1:24 pm
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep en Español
Versión en Español "Mee, mee negra oveja" Mee, mee negra oveja, ¿Tienes algo de lana? Por cierto, por cierto, Tres bolsas bien llenas: Una para el señor, Otra para la dama Y una para el niñito que vive en la otra cuadra. English Version Ba...
09/12/15 8:51 pm
Versión en Español Humpty Dumpty se sentó en la pared, Humpty Dumpty de la pared cayó, Ni todos los caballos, ni caballería del Rey, Pudieron componer a Humpty otra vez. English Version Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a ...
09/12/15 8:16 pm
When we hear the term "The Cloud" or "Cloud Computing " we immediately think in a vague and intuitive way of the Internet (and it's true, in fact, that the expression computing cloud has a lot to do with the Internet). However the Internet, in its most proto-archaic form, exists for over 40 years and it is popular for at least 20 without the term cloud being associated to it in any way. Indeed this term was coined in recent years to give account of a new phenomenon related to the Internet [i] of a new form of access to applications (the term software is barely used nowadays). Years ago the way to access a program, application or software was typically go to the computer store, purchase some discs and load them into the computer ( hardware). Almost inadvertently, this type of access to computing applications has been displaced by its use online .
Without straining much the memory, we can mention the example of Adobe Acrobat, which until very recently called for a download of the program on the computer and now, however, only requires the user registration while all information is supported online . It is true that the documents you create can be downloaded into your private computer (although it is also possible to opt for storage in the cloud ) but the use of the service itself does not require any download. Another example is the emergence of platforms such as SoundCloud which doesn't require any software download but allows users to store their favorite songs and access them from their computers or any other computer.
The concept of cloud computing is very broad and covers almost every possible kind of service online but when companies offer an utility hosted inthe cloud, they usually refer to one of three modes: software as a service ( SaaS ), Platform as a Service ( PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Software as a service (SaaS) refers to a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a company or service provider and made available to users throughout a network, usually the Internet. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a set of utilities that supplies the user with operating systems and associated services via the Internet without the need of performing any download or installation. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)refers to outsourcing of equipment used to support operations such as storage, hardware, servers and network components [ii] .
Ultimately, the term "The Cloud" does not refer to any "big one-eyed, omni-present mythical creature out in the land of the interwebs" [iii] .but to a new way of accessing and using computing programs.
[i] The origin of the term cloud computing is unclear. The expression cloudis Commonly used in science to describe a large agglomeration of objects That Appear visually from a distance as a cloud and describe any set of things Whose Further details are not inspected in GIVEN context. Liu, [edited by] Yang Hongji, Xiaodong (2012). "9". Software reuse in the emerging cloud computing era . Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. pp. 204-227. ISBN 9781466608979 . Retrieved 11 December 2014 . (Cited in Wikipedia "Cloud Computing." Wikipedia . Wikimedia Foundation, nd Web. 29 Oct. 2015).
[ii] "What Is Model SPI (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)?" - SearchCloudComputing Tech Target, Feb. 2012. Web 29 Oct. 2015.
[iii] Greenlee, Greg. "Get your heads out of the Cloud!" Blacks In Technology." Blacks In Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
HOT EMBER NEWS
Hot Embers News
The Basilica of San Marco is a three-dimensional account of the magnificence that reached the Republic of Venice in the late eleventh century. The origin of the square, also covers the history of the Crusades. At that time it was common for Venetian merchants to stop to pray at the tombs of saints. In 828 two Venetian merchants (Rustico and Buono) would have stolen from Alexandria and brought to Venice the remains of the apostle San Marco. The Basilica was built to house and pay homage to the saint.
Its architecture is a mixture of Byzantine, Roman and Venetian style, built by workers of diverse origin and forged in the passing of centuries.
The design of the Basilica is based largely on the Byzantine model of the Church of the Apostles in Constantinople.
The main structure consists of five domes supported by five enormous columns. But beyond the magnificence of its engineering, attracts even more the visitor's attention the shimmering beauty of its mosaics, which have been carefully arranged in different positions to reflect light from all angles.
Preliminary Guide to take a glimpse on what you'll find in Peru
The author of the picture you see here (among many other artists who do the same) might have something important to teach us: this artist has a bunch of quality artwork published in Flickr under Creative Commons License. This is how I see a more fair model of market economy: when we find individuals like Frits who selflessly share their talent, we should embed their work into ours and distribute it all around (of course we are the first beneficiary of this sharing activity) but at the same time we act as promotional agents spreading the word through social networks or even graphics or television media (whatever is available to us). Maybe the fundamental point is taking good care of making the due authorship attributions (I even put links to their websites so that their authorship is better guaranteed). Ideally at some point we can create a critical mass of demand for the author who can now continue with its share of selfless work but also gain an increased number of royalties by doing other works of different nature. It is a model that can be applied to literature, music and not only art but also many other markets. The rule of gratuity combined with the rule of gratitude can produce profound changes in the way we exchange goods and services.
Picture by Scott Pakulski under Creative Commons License
Peru is undoubtedly a fascinating country; a rich deposit of beautiful attractions for both the casual visitor, the eternal globetrotter, or the professional botanist.
It doesn’t come way too reductionist to point out that the Peruvian territory is divided into three clearly distinguishable regions: the Andean Peruwith its high mountain topography; the Amazonian Peru, with its narcotic exoticism of flora and fauna; and Coastal Peru, flanking the Pacific Ocean with its barren and desert nature.
Peru offers immense possibilities. The naturalist will be dazzled by the largest variety of birds in the world, and the anthropologist or historian will be fascinated by the cultural wealth of this country where evidence of different civilizations overlap each other like an onion peels (the Chavin, the Moche, the Inca empire and finally the Spanish empire).
Peru is home also to an admirable botanical diversity: a journey through the Amazon Basin near Rio Madre de Dios and Tambopata, just to mention a few, resembles an amazing journey through a Jurassic landscape.
In short, this country is a cult destination for those who enjoy both natural beauty and mighty historical heritage.
I was researching a topic that fascinates me: the changes produced by what is called the Open Source Paradigm and I came across this Ted Talk (find link below) that impressed me deeply because, among other things I'm an Argentinian and I'm specially worried about the political model of my country. I was deeply surprised when, in the middle of the talk, shows up an Argentinian lady named Pia who proposes to extrapolate the Open Source concept into politics in order to achieve some sort of Greek democracy, where citizens can vote straight forward the laws that are discussed at the representatives chamber by means of an App. Last year Pia has founded her own political party called: "The party in the Net." (I imagine that they don't rely on big sums of many to found their party so I encourage my fellow compatriots to investigate this new party's platform, what they are doing, etc and spread through social networks or other means if available, should they think that this proposal is viable and can be an alternative for positive change in our country). Personally, after listening to this Ted Talk I don't think that Pia is dreaming of Utopia (though I can easily sense that some adjustments must be needed) You might say that poor Argentinian people don't have usually access to computers. However, if the country continues the path it's following now, soon people will have to spend days buying basic supplies as it occurs now in Venezuela. Instead they can sit a couple of hours a day in the computer parlor whenever it's subjected to consideration the continuation of their own assistance plan. May even participate in the debate and, if not, the representative of "Party in the Net" will be required to compute their vote as if every one of the resolutions that there they passed were a referendum. Here the talk: Listen Now: Open Source World
A spectre is haunting America — the spectre of a growing viral xenophobia, of a raging reinforced conservatism. The political arena seems more agitated than ever, while police are shot every other day, minorities claim for the value of their lives in public demonstrations, and State Clerks are imprisoned for refusing to issue marriage license to gay couples. The nomination of a black-american president seems, somehow, to have over-stretched the society's bonds. It seems like liberal forces in America are going to a rushing pace while a big part of the society is not willing to embrace these changes. That's maybe why antagonic voices are growing in number and speaking out louder. For the sake of the country I wish that social changes will be delivered in more moderate intakes and that tolerance and good judgement will prevail.
It took as long as some centuries to conquer a sort of racial balance in the United States. Most of us thought that the election of an Africa American president in 2009 was the definitive prove of that mutual understanding. However, in spite of that common belief, the recent shooting of a young black man in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as the following reactions that the shooting triggered, cast some doubts on that belief.
Is there a threat of Neo-Racism in the United States?
It seems like the social balance is going nowadays through a crisis. As any other crisis, this might carry on an opportunity for individual and collective grow. Whether the recent events in Ferguson will ignite a negative or positive change, depends a great deal on the future reactions of the social groups involved, i.e. the whole American community.