Utmost Xaos

Thermically Warm

2009-09-21T00:13:00.003-03:00

This weekend was HOT, in the thermodynamical sense of the word. I'm almost melting right now, and its passed midnight!

I was thinking about the state o continuous confusion and chaos inside my mind today, and I realized something... It is time to bring some harmony to my mind, and to do that there is only one way... I have to transpose the confusion and chaos inside my mind to the "real" world. I need some peace of mind, and the world needs more chaos. That is not a menacing thing, though... Chaos has many faces, and some of them are not really that bad!

If someone observe some very unpredictable facts happening somewhere, I might be around... or maybe it is just the consequences of some of my yet to take actions. With some luck, my actions might just trigger the next Ice Age to start this year!

Today one sleeps, tomorrow another awakes!

This post was finished while hearing: The Perennial Sophia - Therion

Songs of Entropy I

2009-09-18T13:12:00.003-03:00

DUST IN THE WIND
by Kansas

I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes with curiosity

Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind

Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind.
Oh________________

Don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
All your money won't another minute buy

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind (everything is dust in the wind)

The Future Mirror's Tale of an Undreamed Past?

2009-09-17T00:52:00.013-03:00

I foresaw a future that is now in another one's past, and for me it seems lost... If lost, for how long? Maybe forever lost. But there is a future yet to happen, and that which this other foresees today could be the past of mine tomorrow... The lost will be found when no one seeks it anymore, or when you ask a Xaositect to find it for you. Know that Never is lost, when Forever is found. And when the future is not yet totally lost, where could it be retrieved?

There is still hope for the dreamer, when his life becomes his dream, and his dream becomes his life... This one should no be here, I know, but where? I also know the tale of the faerie who was afraid of a certain dragon, but now is not the time to tell this story. It, and everything else, shall be continued when that which may be lost, could be retrieved... Or when another one dreams the past of my future!

Strange but necessary...

I once saw the Mirror of Eyes, but It is now closed to me... What the Mirror showed me? A past that never was present, but was once a future... And Lo! Before the entrance to the Dreamland, the Mirror awaits for those who knows how to find it...

.sigh.

Hard Life to Live ends, while Summer in Berlin starts! The Eternal Idol Black Sabbath into Forever Young Alphaville... Now, all the desires of my Mind require a trip to the Dreaming, and there is my Mind's currently destination...

A Glass Desert

2009-09-15T23:39:00.004-03:00

Sometimes I feel like I need to pass some time as a nomad in the desert. Total silence, darkness, the cold wind blowing, a starlit sky, during the night! I prefer not to think about the daylight time, without a stillsuit and no melange.

I wonder if someday we will have a glass desert! It is somewhat distressful to think about the conditions that lead the sand in the desert to become glass, but that would be a sight to behold! Well, if there was any human left in the world to behold such a sight... Maybe cockroaches, scorpions, and flying jellyfishes...

Ok! I'm out of ideas... Synchronicity is almost over, and I want to sleep... Maybe tomorrow we will have a glass desert somewhere. While we don't have one, I will think about a sandy, or icy, or salty desert. Or just the silence, the darkness, coldness and stillness of the Void. (Without spice.)

The Poor Green Queen of Hearts!

2009-09-14T23:06:00.006-03:00

I don't know if my life needs more insanity, or if my insanity needs more life... But I know that in the future the world will be ruled by flying jellyfishes, and then it will end by hyper-dimensional tentacles...

.sigh.

The green Queen of hearts wants the martians out of the solar system, so she decided to use a reversed vacuum cleaner to blew Mars away... After that she decided to walk on the ceiling with her jellyfish companion. Unbeknownst to her is the fact that the jellyfish plots to overthrow her with the help of his were-lobsters minions!

So it has been written, and so it shall be done!

Raggatta de Blanc has just finished...

Restart

2009-08-12T10:19:00.002-03:00

This place needs a restart, and my life needs a boost...

I have posted this a long time ago, but I am feeling that I need to post this again. at least for me.

Litany Against Fear - Bene Gesserit

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."

Novo Natal

2008-12-24T14:51:00.004-02:00

A partir do ano que vem, comemoro o Natal no dia 27 de Setembro. Não é uma data aleatória, e acho que futuramente ela será lembrada por ter uma importância bem maior que a atual data... Eu acho! Ah, e não é o meu aniversário, diga-se de passagem.

Mas tomara que poucas pessoas comemorem o Natal nessa data, assim eu não tenho que me preocupar em enfrentar shoppings lotados na véspera do Natal.

Feliz Natal a todos! :)

Kallisto's Diary III - Brindol

2008-12-02T17:50:00.002-02:00

Brindol was a small city, but bigger than most of the other settlements the caravan crossed since I left my city. I can imagine around 7000 people living there. The majority of people living inside the city walls, and some fraction scattered around, living in farms. We arrived through one of the main gates, through a bridge crossing the Elsir River. It was night, and I was uncomfortably dirt, and very tired. I was too anxious to arrive there, and finally there I was...

Map of Brindol

I heard that the Silk and Spoon Inn was the best inn in the city. Ian decided to stay there with me, and later we found out that Zoltan was also there. Some of the other merchants in the caravan also got a room there. The Silk and Spoon is sponsored by the Ghallanda House, and that was a good sign. I got a single room, near Ian's room. The room was very clean, containing everything necessary for a very comfortable stay. The first thing I got after getting the room was a good and refreshing bath. Then I went to the tavern in the first floor to eat something, and then to bed...

Just the usual dreams... No sign of anything at all...

The next day I left the inn to walk around the city. I had to buy new clothes. The ones I had brought with me were already totally worn out. It took me all the morning, and part of the afternoon, to find something that suited me. I could not buy too many things, as I had just my backpack to carry my clothes. I like to wear blue and black, sometimes green or red, and black, too. I had bought with me three sets of clothes, and I had these three sets replaced in Brindol. A fancier set of clothes for the nights, mostly covered in blue and black, with some green details. And two sets of a more utilitarian nature to be used during the daytime, together with my leather armor, one black with red details, and the other one almost all covered in dark blue. If I had a horse of my own, I could buy many more clothes, and I would not have to worry about how to carry them in my backpack myself. As soon as I got the money I would buy a horse for me. I spent the rest of that day walking around the city. Nothing really exceptional. I started to wonder why I had to come to Brindol. It seemed just the usual small city. I spent the night at the Silk and Spoon's Tavern, having some fun. Ian was also there, but I have not seen Zoltan.

The people in Brindol was not so amazed to see a tiefling, so I really had no real problems while dealing with them. And most of them were really nice to me. The first impression was always an expression of awe, but after a while it was just normal. Just the usual expression of someone who have not seen a tiefling in a while, or was not expecting to see a tiefling...

The next day was just another day. Nothing worth of note happened. I spent the day walking though the city, looking for anything interesting, or a sign, something that would make my trip here have some sense, but there was nothing. I was starting to wonder about that dream, and if it was really an omen after all, or just a weird dream... I decided that if nothing happened before the caravan's departure date, I would follow the road with them, to whatever destination they have. I went to another tavern that night, the Marooned Schooner. I was not really excited that night, actually I was bored. I had the usual drinking in the tavern, while some bolder guys were trying to approach me... None of them really interesting... I was starting to miss home. I left the tavern and went back to the inn sooner than usual, much sooner, to spend some time alone with myself in my room. I slept, and I had no dreams that night.

Then came the third day in Brindol, and it was the same as the first two. Nothing really happened. I walked through the city again. Boredom was starting to fill me. I was anxious for something to happen, but I had the feeling that nothing was really supposed to happen here. The next day would be my last day in Brindol, and then I would follow the caravan again. That night I decided to have some real fun, at some other tavern. I called Ian, and he came with me to the Blue Parrot. We got a table near one of the walls. There was a group of patrons playing cards. That table would be a good place to make some money to myself, later... A while later, Zoltan entered the inn, and he sat at the bar desk. I have not seen him since the day we arrived here. I went to the bar to get some drinks, and to finally talk to Zoltan. I was decided to find out if he was really sent by my father do look after me. I asked him, if he would like to join me and Ian at our table, and he came with me to the table. I was finally starting to talk with him, when suddenly someone called Josh entered the Inn, psyched, thinking himself as the heart of the place, and just after that, the long expected sign finally came...

Inhuman Working Conditions

2008-11-04T14:27:00.004-02:00

Can anyone please quench the Sun? Or at least fix the AC Unit in the Astrophysics lab? It is simply impossible to work, melting inside the lab! I will have to strike until I have human working conditions again! All I wish is another Ice Age! Please? Anyone?

Coelhinho do Coração

2008-10-30T16:19:00.005-02:00

Como comentei na minha postagem anterior, estou jogando Spore. Em Spore você começa jogando com uma criatura unicelular no meio do oceano, a criatura vai evoluindo a medida que você adquire partes de DNA de outras criaturas, até ela adquirir patas e sair finalmente dos oceanos. Logo após, sua criatura continua na sua busca pela perfeição, continua evoluindo, até que ela tenha a capacidade mental pra se tornar um ser vivo consciente, e formar uma tribo. A tribo eventualmente se desenvolve numa civilização, e esta por sua vez um dia chega ao espaço e então você tem que conquistar a Galáxia.

No meu jogo mais avançado, eu já cheguei a fase da civilização. A minha criatura mais avançada é o Coelhinho, que vive no planeta Coração. É uma criaturinha singela, fofinha, como vocês podem ver abaixo nas imagens:

Bem graciosa, não é verdade? Os Coelhinhos são uma espécie carnívora, predadora e altamente agressiva, que durante o seu processo de evolução acabou exterminando várias espécies inferiores. E assim que eles saírem do Planeta Coração, farão da Galáxia o melhor lugar do Universo, onde a única espécie permitida serão Coelhinhos...

Caso haja alguma dúvida, na face dos Coelhinhos existem tentáculos, e não chifres. Os chifres se encontram apenas no alto de suas cabeças. E aquelas coisas nos ombros são espinhos venenosos que podem ser lançados a distância. =)

Cliquem nas imagens para ampliá-las, caso assim desejem. :P

Games for the Future (?)

2008-10-29T22:21:00.004-02:00

Here is the list of games that I have to buy and play in my near future:

Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)
Mass Effect (PC)
Bioshock (PC or PS3)
Little Big Planet (PS3)
Rock Band 2 (PS3)
Fallout 3 (PS3 or PC)
The Witcher (PC)

That is the list of games already released that I do not have. I still have to finish Assassin's Creed for my PS3, and I am kind of playing Spore for the PC too.

My first priority in that list is Fallout 3, and I guess I will give me that as a birthday present next month. :)

Of course, I will probably not be able to play all those games soon, as I have a PhD to finish, but I will use some of my almost ephemeral spare time to play something.

Actually, I also have a huge line of books to read, too...

Kallisto what?

2008-10-29T22:03:00.003-02:00

You might be wondering - who in The Nine Hell's of Baator is Kallisto? Well... Kallisto is simply my current RPG character, and I decided to write an adventure diary to her. Inside there you will find her views about the facts that happened in her adventures. Kallisto lives in a world called Eberron, in the continent of Khorvaire, and until now, lived her life in a small undisclosed town in the country of Breland.

If you have no interest in RPG or in a Fantasy setting, you might as well just skip all the entries in Kallisto's diary, otherwise, you can keep reading as her adventures unfold. There are at least three entries in her diary, that were not written yet, but they will be written in the next few days... And she will still have a lot of stories to share with you, I hope...

Kallisto's Diary II - Going to Brindol

2008-10-28T15:38:00.006-02:00

The trip to Brindol took around 3 weeks, and the caravan had no problems at all during the trip. That does not reflect exactly my situation though. I am a tielfing, and a tiefling is not a common sight is most of the Khorvaire's territory, not even in the cosmopolitan country of Breland where I always lived. The fact that I have demon blood running through my veins does not mean that I am an evil person, or that I am a bad omen, as some people think. And there are many other and worse superstitious tales regarding us tieflings. Merchants are used to meet tieflings in their trips, it is unusual though. During my entire life,I had not yet met even a handful of my kin.I am not a unique person, and we tieflings once had our own great civilization. Common folk, though, are more superstitious, and usually got uneasy with in the presence of tieflings. And of course that was bound to happend with the common folk travelling with the caravan. I am proud of being a tiefling, and I don't care about what people think about us, so I decided not to hide my racial identity. I never had any problems with my racial identity, and it won't be now that I will start to hide my heritage. To make everyone's life easier I had decided to be the further I could from those suspecting folks. And I was always near some of the more open minded merchants, and some of the more accepting travellers.

The trip was a very peaceful one, and after some days without incidents, people started to leave their prejudices behind and be more relaxed around me. I am good at dealing with people, and it makes me good at making friends. This skill helped me a "little" bit during the journey. I am a tiefling, but I am first a girl, and in my 18 years of life, I learned very well how to deal with most men. I also know that most men feel very attracted to me, they usually tell me that I have an exotic kind of beauty. The fact that I have a crown of horns in my head, and a tail, does not make me ugly. In fact, it quite the opposite. The fact that I am so different from most girls, make me attract men more easily than if I was just human or even elvish. This helps me a lot some times. Men, no matter if human, elven, dwarven, or whatever, are always the same, and they are always very eager to help a beautiful defenseless girl. Unfortunately, that usually does not work with the women, and most seems to like me less and less if their men start to help me too much. To gain the confidence of a woman you have to follow a different approach, and one that does not work for me all the time. Woman are much more suspicious than men, more yet when their mates did not take their eyes off me, as it usually happen.

To minimize all my problems with men and women, I chose someone to be my best friend during the trip to Brindol. A guy called Ian, a wizards as my father, and also going to Brindol. We had lots of very interesting chats about a lot of interesting subjects. He has a very deep arcane knowledge, and that is one of my favourite subjects. And he also knows a lot about history and other stuff, so he was always trying to impress me with his knowledge. It was very easy to become his friend, and I spent most of the time in the trip chating with him. He is kind of cute, but not really my type. I liked his company, and that was it. And of course, that help me with the women. At least, I was not alone, and I was not spending my free time talking with anyone else's boyfriend or husband. The women thought I was interested in him, and because of that they left me alone.

There was this other guy, Zoltan. He was the quiet type, with a very deep scar in his face. A man of few words. I got the feeling that if my father was paying someone to take a look at me, it was this guy. I got him looking at me from afar many times. Whenevert something troublesome was starting to boil near me, he was there to help sort things out. And he was also working for the merchants, as a hired guard. It was just a feeling.

I had no weird dreams during the trip, and that was very fortunate for me. It would surely arouse people's suspicious towards me. Strangely, with each passing day, I felt more connected to the stars. I started to fell that those uncontrolled powers were tamed after all. I don't know how that happened, I just felt that I could use them if I concentrate, whenever I wanted. Even feeling like that, I decided not to test if I really had such control over my powers or not... I thought Brindol would be the perfect place to test my control over my strange powers.

We passed through many small towns, and villages during the trip. And the caravan always stopped at those places for a day or two before taking the path to Darguun again. It was always good when we stopped at those civilized places. I could have some fun at night in the taverns, I could have a real bed to sleep, and the best thing was to take a good and needed bath. I got used to sleep inside tents on the cold floor with my bedroll, but I could not get used to be two or three days without a bath. Ian, always a good company during the journey, could not stay awake for a drink or two in the taverns. He always had something to eat, and drink, and always left before the party really started. I had to have my fun with the other people, with that I started to be closer to the other people in the caravan, and I always had a new friends the day after. Ian seems to be too old and grumpy sometimes, but he is a nice guy overall.

After three weeks of journey, the caravan reached Brindol. Most of the common folk that started the trip with me, left in one of those small towns. All the merchants and hired guards were already very friendly towards me. Just a few suspicious people left, and they were happy to see me finally leaving. The few clothes I had brought with me were already worn out and very dirty. I had to buy more clothes as soon as I was able. Maybe I could wash my dirty clothes and sell them somewhere. But my greatest desire after that long journey was a horse. If I had a horse I could carry a lot of clothes, and all the things a girl need to survive in the wilderness. Unfortunately, I had not enough money to buy my dreamed horse yet.

Zoltan, the strange guy, left the caravan in Brindol too. The merchants suggested the Silk and Spoon Inn, so we went there for a place to stay. We rented rooms there, and later we found out that Zoltan was also there. I was starting to get suspicious of this Zoltan guy. I had to keep my eyes open on him.

I was in Brindol after all. I had to test if my feeling about my powers were correct, and something was telling me that Brindol would be the perfect place for that. And I had to wait for a sign... After all, what was I supposed to do here in this city? I am sure something was going to happen, but what, and when? Would the sign be another dream or I would find them looking at the stars?

Kallisto's Diary I

2008-10-14T15:38:00.007-03:00

I always had those weird dreams, since I was a small girl, but never before they told me what to do. Even being just a dream, I knew that for some reason I had to go to that city, as I have seen in the dream. I was never so certain of anything as I was certain of that. And I could see, looking at the stars, that something was really supposed to happen.

Since my early teen years, for some strange reason, I started to discover some mysterious powers contained within me, and I knew the source of those powers were the stars, or maybe something among the stars. Strange names, words appeared in my mind, my mouth performed the eldritch utterances and what followed were small, sometimes not so small, bursts of energy, coming from my own being, or from the stars themselves. The understanding of that was far beyond my comprehension. I was just a kid, but I was never scared, and I knew that was part of me.

I can say that the stars, then the dreams, and finally those powers help me define who I am, or better, who I was by that time. Of course, my bloodline, my family and friends also helped to define myself, but the weird is what sets you apart from the pack.

After that dream, I got the revelation that my path would start at the city of Brindol, but that was not the only revelation I got that night. When I awoke I knew my real name was not to be used for a while. Something inside me told me that your real name was not a given name, but a name earned by yourself. Kallisto was the name my mother had chosen to me before I was born, when she was still alive, as my father always told me. And I always loved that name. My friends always called me Silver, though. So it was not so difficult to choose another alias. And after the dream I started to use the name of Silver. The name Kallisto was kept only in my identification and traveling papers, and the true name I earn is still lost among the unknown stars.

I had to find where was this city before departing, and after looking for information on the countless books in my father's library, I discovered it was in Darguun. I always thought about the day when I would leave my home, and my father, and start a life of my own, exploring the world, but I never thought my first stop would be in Darguun. I expected something like Aundair, the Eldeen Reaches, or even Zilargo, but never Darguun. The unexpected was always funnier and more interesting than the carefully planned. I started to made the preparations, hidden from the watchful eyes of my father. I knew it was very difficult to hide something from a wizard inside his own house, and my father was a very experienced one, but I tried it anyway. But the day after I started to prepare my things, he came to me to talk about my strange behavior of lately.

He always knew about the dreams, and the stars, and those weird powers, and that seemed to scare him a little bit. But he also knew it was part of me. When I told him about Brindol, he knew I was meant to go there. Coincidently, he had just met some merchants, part of a caravan that had just arrived at our town, and they were heading that way. That struck him as an omen. Of course, it was not so easy, as it seemed to be. I had to convince him, that I would stay safe, and I had to promise that I would not look for trouble, and if a dire situation arise I would leave the city immediately, and go back home. He did not think I was ready, but he knew he could not convince me otherwise. After all, once he was my age, too. And I am sure he paid someone in the caravan to keep an eye on me. I love my father, and I knew that he just wanted to be sure that nothing bad would happen to his only daughter.

I spent the last two days in my village, with my father during the day. He kept telling stories about his days of adventures, and about what to do, and what never do in case of danger. He covered so many situations that I could barely remember most of them. He was always a good father, and I miss him. The nights I spent with my friends, drinking, eating and singing at the local tavern. I will never forget those days.

The life of near ignorance of the world was gone. Before me was my path, a path I was not so sure was under my control, and a path that I did not know where would lead me... A path that would lead me to a far away city, in the middle of a unknown country... Brindol...

The caravan left my town in Breland, heading east to Darguun, five days after that revealing dream... Brindol was also near the Mournlands, a place covered by mistery, death, chaos, and decay... Was I ready for this trip? I was anxious, excited, but there was also fear... I was alone for the first time in my life... Would those uncontrolled powers help me if I need them?

Estagnação mental e um talvez qualquer

2008-10-06T17:31:00.005-03:00

Um mês sem escrever aqui, e o mundo está acabando. Economia mundial em crise, na próxima terça começa a invasão alienígena, e meu doutorado estagnado. O LHC está parado, e parou antes da primeira colisão. Muito sem graça. Nenhum buraco-negro foi criado para destruir o planeta, agora só no início do ano que vem. Vamos ver se a economia colapsa de vez, e logo, porque aí não precisamos esperar mais 6 meses para o fim do mundo. Ou que esses aliens apareçam mesmo e cheguem pra criar Caos no planeta.

Como podem notar, estou perdendo a paciência pra chegada do Apocalipse! :P

Jogando Half-Life 2 - Episode 2, ainda lendo Grande Sertão: Veredas.

Amanhã tenho uma prova didática para professor substituto no CEFET. Salário baixo, três matérias da matemática (Cálculo I, Cálculo III e Equações Diferenciais A), pra começar semana que vem, dando de 3 a 4 aulas por dia. Resumindo, ou me mato preparando e dando aulas, ganhando quase nada, ou continuo meu doutorado. A escolha é meio óbvia. Acho que nem vou aparecer lá amanhã pra perder meu tempo. E teria que apresentar uma aula de uns 20 minutos sobre Séries de Taylor. Prefiro dar prioridade pro meu programa que não funciona, e esperar um cataclisma...

Está na hora do mundo ficar cyberpunk de verdade.

Sobre Tapetes de Banheiro

2008-09-05T08:33:00.006-03:00

Eu nunca nem percebi que tapetes de banheiro têm frente e verso. A única finalidade do tapete pra mim é não deixar o chão do banheiro molhar assim que você sai do banho. Quando ele está pendurado no box, eu o puxo, jogo no chão e arrasto com o pé até mais ou menos a entrada/saída do box, e é isso aí. Depois do banho, piso nele, pego a toalha, e me enxugo sobre o aparato de tecido supracitado.

Tempos atrás, percebi que de repente, havia dois tapetes pendurados sobre o box. Pensei comigo mesmo que devia ser porque a parede onde se encontram as toalhas ficavam a mais de dois passos do box, e o segundo tapete era pra fazer uma ponte até a parede, para não molhar o chão. E desde então é o que eu sempre faço. Um pequeno caminho de tapetes até as toalhas.

Não é que eu estava errado. A finalidade não é essa, e ontem descobri o porquê dos dois tapetes. Segundo o que me foi dito, um dos tapetes é o tapete da minha irmã, que não gosta que eu o use, porque eu o uso ao contrário, do lado errado!!!! E o tapete fica molhado do lado errado!!!! Mal sabe ela que eu uso os dois tapetes ao mesmo tempo!

Pelamordedeus!!! Convenhamos, tapetes, como objetos praticamente bidimensionais e permeáveis, quando se molha uma de suas superfícies, automaticamente se molha a outra! Eu mal percebo a diferença entre o lado da frente e o lado de trás do tapete, na realidade, eu nem sei diferenciar os dois lados. Pra mim é tudo igual! Como alguém pode ser tão chato a ponto de reclamar que se usou o tapete do banheiro com a superfície errada voltada para cima, ou pior, que se molhou a superfícies errada de um tapete de banheiro!??? Será que também tem a posição certa para que ele seja usado? Com o lado menor totalmente paralelo ao vidro do box, e exatos 33,5 cm de distância do mesmo!? Será que esses fatores dependem do tamanho, cor e estilo do tapete? Alguém sabe de algum curso onde se ensina como colocar um tapete no banheiro!? E alguém sabe de alguma maneira de se molhar apenas um dos lados do tapete!? Talvez esse seja meu real problema!!

Só faltam colocarem uma etiquetinha, dizendo qual dos tapetes eu, como um ignorante sobre o uso de tapetes de banheiro, devo utilizar!

De qualquer forma, continuarei utilizando os dois tapetes para fazer a "pontezinha" até as toalhas, enquanto não faço um curso que me ensine os procedimentos corretos que devem ser adotados com os tapetes de banheiro.

Qualquer informação elucidativa sobre tais, agora misteriosos, objetos é muito bem vinda! :P

Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira

2008-09-04T12:16:00.003-03:00

Li o livro "Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira" em julho. Inicialmente me assustei com o modo de escrita do autor, José Saramago. Como português, ele utilizou o Português de Portugal, que é bem diferente do nosso Português no Brasil, mas nada que faça o livro incompreesível, só diferente. Aprendi um monte de palavras novas com o livro. Os diálogos sempre ficam dentro dos parágrafos, separados entre si e do texto do parágrafo apenas por vírgulas. É meio confuso no início, mas depois que se acostuma a leitura fica fluida.

A estória é bem interessante. De repente, ocorre uma epidemia de cegueira, pessoas começam a ficar cegas do nada, e a epidemia se espalha por todo um país. As pessoas têm que reaprender a viver cegas. O governo com medo da epidemia, isola todas as pessoas que adquirem a cegueira, presas e vigiadas constantemente dentro de um prédio, mas mesmo assim a epidemia não é contida. O autor narra os fatos que ocorrem dentro do prédio onde os primeiros cegos foram colocados de quarentena. Dentro do prédio, a esposa de um dos cegos se faz de cega para não deixar o marido, mas enxerga tudo o que ocorre. E ela começa a notar toda a degradação que vai ocorrendo enquanto o tempo passa dentro do prédio. As pessoas se tornando cada vez menos racionais, e animalescas.

O livro é chocante muitas vezes, e cheio de escatologias, mas não deixa de ser muito bom. Realismo fantástico. Diferente. E mostra que não existe uma grande diferença entre humanos e animais, e que a linha que divide os dois grupos é muito tênue, e quase imperceptível.

Eu ainda penso sobre o que exatamente o autor quis passar com o livro, mas ainda não cheguei a nenhuma conclusão. Parece que esta semana estréia o filme nos cinemas, e acho que é uma boa assistir, talvez eu pegue algo que não peguei durante a leitura, e consiga chegar a alguma conclusão.

Agora, criei vergonha na cara, e estou lendo Grande Sertão: Veredas - Guimarães Rosa. Apesar da leitura meio difícil estou gostando muito!

Zeitgeist

2008-09-02T18:10:00.004-03:00

Sometime ago I watched a movie called Zeitgeist, a documentary that tells some supposed truths about our world. It is full of conspiracy theories, but it is very interesting, and I believe some of the facts there are really true.

The first part is about religion, and that is the scariest but the best part of the movie in my opinion. The second part is about the World Trade Center Incident in 2001, and the last one is about the world economic system.

It is a long movie, about 2h 20min, and it deserves to be fully watched. But first, as you might have your world foundations shaken, and even shattered, be advised to be prepared before hit the link below and play it.

By the way, I love Conspiracy Theories! If I do believe in them? Well, sometimes, but not always...

Here is the link: Zeitgeist - The Movie

Legends of Dune

2008-09-02T13:43:00.003-03:00

The "Legends of Dune" is a trilogy of books that tells the story of the Butlerian Jihad, a conflict that defined much of what is known in the Dune Universe. Dune, by Frank Herbert, is one of the best books I have read so far in my life. It is must-read book for any Science Fiction fan. But Dune is not the book I want to talk about here today.

The "Legends of Dune" trilogy is composed by: The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade, and The Battle of Corrin. The story of these books happens around 10000 years before the original Dune. By that time the human civilization had already colonized a great part of the Galaxy, but was in conflict with the Thinking Machines and the Cymeks. The Thinking Machines had rebelled against its human creators centuries earlier, and since then started to enslave humanity as a mean to create more efficient worlds. Not all human planets were under the influence of the thinking machines, and these planets formed the League of Nobles that fought the machines. The Cymeks are people with human brains and machine bodies, that before Omnius takeover were the ones that ruled humanity ruthlessly.

When the story starts the Machines have already rebelled against humanity around a thousand years earlier, and since then humanity is fighting against Omnius (the Machine Evermind). The Cymeks, led by the Titan Agamemnon, are not under machine control, but they help Omnius, secretly plotting against it, with the real objective of turning all humanity in slaves or cymeks, and ruling the Galaxy again, as was before the machine domination.

The Machines do not comprehend humanity, and just want to create a harmonious and efficient society, and because of that they started to enslave the human worlds. The Cymeks hate humanity, because of their frailty and because of the stagnation and bureaucracy that covered their worlds. And the humans, hate the machines and cymeks because they have enslaved and slaughtered billions of humans over the centuries of conflict.

The "two-sided" conflict was in a stand still, and neither side had gained any terrain against the other for some time. That is the Universe situation when the first book starts.

"The Butlerian Jihad" tells how this conflict that was in a stand still for so long turned into a full scale Jihad against the Machines. "The Machine Crusade" tells about the time some years after the beginning of the Jihad, and also tells about some developments that happened during that time of war in the human side, and also in the machine side. And "The Battle of Corrin" tells about how the war against the machine was won.

Very straightforward, but the fun of these books does not lie in the Jihad exactly, but in how the Universe has been shaped by it. You can see the influence of the Atreides and Harknonnen in the conflict, long before they were named Great Houses. How have begun: the House Corrino, the Bene-Gesserit Sisterhood, the Spacing Guild, the Mentats, and the Freeman. How people started to get addicted in Melange. Why the Tleilax are hated and outlawed all over the Empire. How some of the human technological breakthroughs like the energy shields, the space-folding engines were developed. And obviously why the use of thinking machines, and nuclear weapons was banned by the Empire.

You have to have read at least the original Dune, to savor these books properly, and I am sure that if you are already a Dune fan, you will love these books as I did.

By the end the fanaticism and zeal of humanity against the Thinking Machines were so strong that they seemed to be irrational beasts fighting the machines, using whatever means they could to attain victory. While the Machines were just defending themselves, and fighting because they could not understand the unpredictability of the human mind, always trying to replicate the actions of humans. I can not see any of the Thinking Machines in the books as the great villains, some of the cymeks could be seen as villains, but the greatest of all the villains came from the human side, and no, none of them were a Harkonnen.

The ending of the trilogy was a little too fast for me, a lot of unexpected, stunning and very decisive events happening in the last hundred pages. I did not like that very much, but overall the trilogy of books is a very good one, and I suggest it for anyone who likes Science Fiction.

Idéias à Deriva

2008-08-19T01:04:00.005-03:00

Uma lista de textos que eu disse que escreveria, e que até hoje eu não escrevi, mas que podem ser escritos num futuro não tão distante:

Acontecimentos do último Reveillon;
Minha visão sobre a sociedade americana;
Minha opinião sobre a nova edição de Dungeons & Dragons;
Dia de Falar como Físico.

Agora uma lista de textos que eu já pensei em escrever, e nunca escrevi:

A carta aleatória para uma pessoa aleatória;
Sobre Smallville;
Livros que eu li ultimamente: Ensaio sobre a Cegueira, e a trilogia "Legends of Dune";
Sobre a última Escola Avançada de Astrofísica;
Alguma coisa sobre o Batman (pensei neste hoje);
Déjà vu (e neste também).

Devem ter outros, do quais não estou me lembrando no momento, mas pode ser que um dia eu volte a lembrar. Talvez eu utilize esta lista para os meus próximos textos, ou talvez eu nunca escreva nada sobre as coisas nessa lista... Quem sabe?

O pior é eu ter ligado o computador, já indo dormir, só pra escrever essa lista. E "déjà vu" é uma coisa deveras sinistra!

THE "Mihalas"

2008-08-13T21:38:00.004-03:00

Yes!! Now I have an original copy of the "Stellar Atmospheres" book, by Dimitri Mihalas. The book is like The Bible for everyone who works with Radiative Transfer in Astrophysics. Since I first got my hand in this book, 2 or 3 years ago, this is the number ONE book in my wish list, but, unfortunately for me, the book is out of print since a time immemorial, and no one who I knew have this book would sell it. I could find used versions of the book, but always for more than $200.

Last month, I was browsing through Amazon looking for books to buy, and then I decided to look for it again. Then I saw it, a copy of the book being sold there by less than a hundred dollars. The description was saying the book was in good conditions. Then I thought with myself, or I buy it now, or I will never find such a bargain again in my life. I thought for 2 seconds, before adding it to my shopping cart. And then the waiting started...

Today THE book was delivered at my place, here in Brasil, after a little more than 2 weeks. I was just expecting it by the end of August or maybe even mid-september, but it took only 2 weeks! I was also expecting a somewhat used book, maybe a worn used book, but when I look at it, I was stunned... The book was in an almost perfect condition, and seemed to have barely been used at all. Just some small scratches at the edges of the hardcover, and it is a 30-YEARS OLD book. I am gleeful with my new aquisition!!

NOW I HAVE THE LEGENDARY "MIHALAS"! And I can even dream with my PhD, without remorse of not having "THE Mihalas". I swear that I will put the book to good use, and I will not use its power to strengthen the Evil in this world. It will only be used to bring more Entropy to this dimension! =D

Header Phrases - Battle of Corrin

2008-08-11T21:47:00.003-03:00

Greatness had its own rewards... and bears its own terrible costs.
Primero Xavier Harkonnen

The path to victory is not always direct.
Tlaloc

The line between life and death is sharp and quick in the desert.
Admonition to Spice Prospectors

The Universe constantly challenges us with more opponents than we can handle. Why then must we always strive to create enemies of our own?
Swordmaster Istian Goss

Those who have everything value nothing. Those who have nothing value everything.
Raquella Berto-Anirul

War is a violent form of business.
Adrien Venport

Technology should have freed man from the burdens of life. Instead, it imprisoned him.
Rayna Butler

Evolution is the handmaiden of Death.
Naib Ishmael

If there is no plausible hope for survival, is it better to know that you are doomed, or simply exist in the blissful ignorance until the end?
Primero Quentin Butler

When men achieve paradise in this life, the result is inevitable: They go soft, lose their skills, their edge.
Zensunni Sutra

Successful creative energy involves the harnessing of controlled madness. I am convinced of this.
Erasmus

The deadliest of poisons cannot be analyzed in any laboratory, for they are in the mind.
Raquella Berto-Anirul

The Weird that might not be so weird

2008-08-02T15:21:00.005-03:00

... and if all those absurd conspiracy theories, that seem to come from the delirious mind of some people, were nothing but a background to confuse, and hide the real conspiracy!?

There are so many weird conspiracy theories around the world, regarding whatever theme suits you best, and most of them are so absurd that it is very easy to simply regard them as just fantasy, bullshit, and the work of a very delirious mind... But, if that was something planned, something carefully woven as the great tapestry of all time. A tapestry of facts, where 99% of them are just too absurd to be believed, but the remaining 1% is not so absurd after all, and actually mirror exactly what is really happening... You look at the bigger picture and all you see is fantasy, illusions, a world that seem so far from the truth that you disregard the whole picture, not even looking at the Real details... Blindness and Disinformation.

Why? Because we think that we are too smart to be deceived. We are simply arrogant in our own blindness. The ones who know the truth, thus can control you, watching your blind life, and laughing at it...

Just a small rant about things yet to come...

2008-07-29T00:07:00.007-03:00

Iblis Ginjo, the Counsel of the Jihad, and the Jipol suck!!!

Xavier Harkonnen, Vorian Atreides and Norma Cenva rule!!! \m/,

ALL MY PRAISES TO THE LADY OF PAIN, THE ALMIGHTY RULER AND GODDESS OF SIGIL!! (I wonder how long will it take for HER to find me out, and maze me! =D)

Bolinhas de Gude e Bene Tleilax!

2008-07-28T23:34:00.006-03:00

"The spice must flow, and the green transparent marbles must be hated." - The Spacing Guild Handbook of Galactic Paper Folding and Commercial Enterprises

Se tem uma coisa que me deixa MUITO nervoso, são bolinhas de gude! Elas são verdes, e meio transparentes! Tem coisa mais revoltante do que coisas verdes e transparentes!? Claro que não!!

Eu sou verde, entretanto, eu sou totalmente opaco! Aceitável pelos padrões sócio-econômicos normais e pela CNTP! Mas eu não sou mau, e portanto sou a exceção viva à regra: "Se é verde, é mau, e deve morrer!" A maldade está diretamente ligada ao processo de produzir energia através da fotossíntese! Bom... eu acho! Sei que ainda não faço fotossíntese, mas quem sabe um dia!? Mas será que quando este dia chegar, eu serei alguém mau?

Bolinhas de gude são más! Pelo menos hoje, elas são... Amanhã talvez eu sinta um pouco menos de asco em relação a elas, ou talvez eu nem me lembre de que hoje eu as tenha odiado! Ódio é uma palavra muito forte, mas cabe bem no caso... Eu ODEIO queijo, e hoje, bolinhas de gude! Queijo eu sempre odiarei...

O que seria da raça humana se não fossem os médicos!? Minha opinião é a de que seríamos mais baratas, e mais humanos... Homens-baratas!? Não... Antes que perguntem, eu nunca li! O quê!? Se você se sente confuso, não se preocupe, você também nunca leu, o que não importa. Talvez os humanos fossem até mais verdes... Hmmm... Então seriam maus, e deveriam ser exterminados! Azul é uma boa cor... Talvez fossêmos homens-baratas-azuis! Com certeza seria mais divertido...

E o que as bolinhas de gude têm a ver com isso!? Bom, em algum momento você leu que elas eram culpadas de alguma coisa!? Se leu está enganado! Eu simplesmente odeio bolinhas de gude hoje, pelo simples fato de ter que odiar alguma coisa todo dia... Odiar políticos, advogados, e queijo não tem mais graça! Preciso de um ódio novo! Bolinhas de gude verde e transparentes hoje, e amanhã, hmmm... Amanhã é um novo dia!

Vou continuar lendo "The Battle fo Corrin". E eu sinto, também, uma certa repulsa, talvez eterna, pelos Bene Tleilax a partir de hoje... "Axlotl Tanks"!? Tleilax é uma palavra muito legal de se pronunciar, agora Axlotl, eu nem sei se alguma língua terrestre consegue reproduzir tal som com perfeição, mas mesmo assim eu adorei a palavra. O problema é o conceito ligado aos "Axlotl Tanks". Acho que nem mesmo a mais verde é má das criaturas seria capaz de por em prática tal conceito, só os Bene Tleilax mesmo! Deve ser tudo viado!