Dancing Eye on N.Y.
My friend and sometime road companion Christian de Sousa - has, in his own low key fashion, published a new work on the web. I am not especially professional nor refined in my vocabulary of photojournalistic criticism, so I'll just say I really like these.
My particular favourite represents that which is so remarkable and simultaneously insightful and creative about Christian's work. Do I sound pretentious enough yet?! No? Shame.
Of course when I get my digital camera I'll be merrily blogging reams of high quality images such as these and Psi's collection from the same New York weekend. I'm waiting until I can afford one small enough to secrete in my lower lip and trigger with a mere pout.
On "Free Software for Freedom" advocacy
Richard Stallman is one of the most ardent advocates of Free Sofware (also sometimes knows as "open source" although he insists that the two are distinct). He perpetually irritates others in the open source/free software world with his pedantic insistence on his political and ethical principles. Despite this, and the fact that I don't agree with all his positions, I have huge respect for him. I think it is best summed up by the post below by "4of12" posting on Slashdot
I can believe that he does.
I can also believe that Richard holds his principles so strongly that he himself is constantly being rubbed the wrong way by nearly everyone around him.
History is witness, though, of many men of principle and vision, unwilling to sacrifice or compromise with the conventional wisdom. These are the key people that leave a legacy of progress from which all of society benefits.
More common, though, are plain garden variety assholes that do not possess principles or visions, or at least none apart from a primal need for ego maintenance and inflation.
I think Richard belongs to the former category of "perceived assholes" rather than the latter.
F-I-R-E-I-N-tck-tck-R-I-O
"It is lamentable that this happens when we have a record number of tourists" - Cesar Maia, City Mayor.
Fortunately I was busy enjoying paradise at the time. Incidentally a week ago I visited Cidade de Deus, the slum depicted in the eponymous film. Although I didn't see any heavily armed drug traffickers the place felt just a touch more intimdating and broody that the South African townships I know.
Mad dogs, Germans, a Minnesotan and an Englishman
We've just returned from a brief sojourn on the tropical island paradise of Ilha Grande - from Rio just a couple of hours by bus and another two by boat. We were myself, Shannon, Catherina and Tomas and on both Monday and Tuesday at midday we lived up to the title. Something about us northerners I guess, showing a complete lack of respect for the full force of the tropical sun.
Which OS are you?
You know this quiz seems remarkably insightful:
Gore Vidal on conspiracies
CLANCY: Gore Vidal, you've suggested that corporate greed is the driving force behind this war on terror going back even before September 11. This smacks of a conspiracy theory, no?
GORE VIDAL, AUTHOR: I know that we're all supposed to chuckle and slap our thighs at the word "conspiracy theory" because it means we believe in flying saucers.
The world is full of conspiracies. What, after all, is a political party but a conspiracy to get money and power?
Brazil Nuggets
Yesterday we were sitting having lunch outside Cafe Felice, which incidentally has the best sorvete - ice cream - in Rio. My personal favourite flavour is Cinnamon and Apple - I'd give you the portuguese but I don't recall. "We" is myself and my favourite person Shannon. The food was great. All in all the scenario would have been wonderful if not for the deafening sound and toxic emissions of the garbage truck parked across the street. The silver lining was that this was the first time I'd eaten out in Ipanema and not been able to hear "The Girl from Ipanema". Because of the garbage truck, not the venue's music policy I might add.
In other news a 'carioca' woman was arrested for driving without a crash-helmet. Fair enough you might think, except that she was driving a car.
Photos of my last trip here.
timguest.net
Happily timguest.net is back up again with lots of new fun content.
Not so happily the site appears to have been hijacked by Tim's less friendly alter ego, the onetime "Puffy G".
We can only hope that usual service will be restored soon, and I will no longer feel impelled to leave comments making use of the word 'Bitch'.
Time and a love of ephemera
(Several deadline looms and I'd rather go out and get drunk in Rio with Shannon, so that's about all I'm mustering today)
Quotes for today
"Google's blind spots obscure a smaller majority of the web than its competitors" - The Guardian
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." - Mr Einstein
