Think Different

“Here’s to the crazy ones.  The misfits.  The rebels.  The troublemakers.  The round pegs in the square holes.  The ones who see things differently.  They’re not fond of rules.  And they have no respect for the status quo.  You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.  About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.  Because they change things.  They push the human race forward.  And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.  Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”—Apple’s Think Different brand image campaign by BTWA\Chiat\Day

Snapshot of a lovely red candle, together with my Kindle Fire, displaying a picture of Steve Jobs from Walter Isaacson’s book, “Steve Jobs.” And of course, the symbolic red apple. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

A tribute to a visionary who left us too soon; there was so much more he could have done.  We miss you Steve!  Good Bye!

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Juicy Mangoes From the Tropics

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Facebook Reaching Out for the Fat Lady

Credit: Opera Corporation

After a brutal and tumultuous IPO, Facebook is moving on looking for new avenues for potential revenues.  One of these future options could be owning a Web browser.  After all a browser is the only connection between a would be customer and a seller of a product and/or service.

Last week the Cloud was loaded with rumors about the possibility that Facebook could be interested in gobbling the Norwegian Web browser Opera.  Nothing is in black and white as of now, it’s only that—a rumor.  But you know, when there are rumors, maybe the real thing is underneath the surface.

According to sources at Pocket-lint, Facebook is looking to purchase Norwegian browser makers Opera Software for an undisclosed (but likely sizable) sum. The appeal is obvious: as Facebook moves to expand its presence not just on its main site, but across the entire internet, Opera would be a relatively easy and powerful gateway to embedding more users into its growing ecosystem.

By purchasing Opera, it could integrate Facebook features into the most widely used mobile browser on the market (Opera Mini), expand its smartphone browser penetration (Opera Mobile) and create a Facebook-branded version of the little-used desktop version. Opera already supports extensions and is considered one of the fastest desktop browsers on the market, though competitors like Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer are far more popular.

Opera recently released versions of its browser for the iPad, iPhone and Android, and it is still very popular on Symbian. There are roughly 200 million people using Opera on a daily basis.  Opera makes various web browsers that work across an array of platforms including mobile phones, tablets, PCs, and TVs.  This is a browser really worth its salt and the Facebook people are fully aware of this fact.  It will surely send cold water down Google’s spine if the deal with Facebook goes through.

Remember that while it’s not too hard to believe that Facebook is readying its horse to enter the browser race, this rumor is just that: a rumor.   We’ll keep our antennas full alert to see if the rumor turns out to be true.  I wouldn’t be surprised; Mark Zuckerberg has turn out to be a sly fox.  Good Day.

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Duo

“1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ²Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”—The Holy Bible

In Genesis we learned that Creation was produced by God who worked hard for six days and rested on the seventh day which He blessed and made holy.  We will never know how big his work really is, for it extends in infinite directions in the Universe.  What we do know is that there is a pattern of symmetry in Nature.

The number two seems to be pervasive everywhere.  First there was Adam, and God corrected the prime number, and created Eve, and made it a pair.  The first human beings were two.  There is always two.  There is time to sow and time to reap what you have planted.  There is the beginning (Alpha) and the end (Omega).  You have tall people and short people.  Colors are white and black.  These two colors have created much pain and incomprehension amongst many of us.  You have the pretty women and the ugly women and we take our pick.  There are the heavy ones and the light ones.  Always the pair, the ubiquitous number two—the duo.  The list goes on and on.  You get my point.

With this idea in mind, I decided to buy a large red candle and a small green one.  On top of each candle I taped the word “Duo” and the number “2″ to make my idea more explicit.  After the composition was finished, it was exposed with my small photographic device which in English we call camera.  One picture was taken during the day, and the others were taken during the evening.  There again notice the duo—morning and evening.

Below are the pictures of two candles—one being big and the other small.  I hope you enjoy the composition.  Here we go.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

“If you’re not busy being born, you’re busy dying.“—Bob Dylan.  Another duo.  Good Day.

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Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue…

Below are some poems using the theme of roses and violets which have become classics in the United States.  Almost everyone of us has written his own version of this theme when we were growing up and we had a crush on a classmate.  I know I did my own version, albeit I never captured the heart of Isabel—that was her name.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
But not as sweet as you.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Please, lets get married
Tomorrow at 2:00.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
You are my best friend,
I’m glad I met you.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I didn’t start living,
Until I met you.

In order to entice today’s blog post with flowers, last week I shot several pictures of red roses which are synonymous of love and friendship; two attributes the world is hungry for.  Lay back, take a deep breath of fresh air and enjoy.

Snapshot of a bouquet of red roses which we displayed in our living room for a short time. They lost their charm in three days. But the days were joyful while the flowers had their charm. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Did I put a smile on your face and a feeling of bliss in your heart?  If the answer is “Yes”, I feel content.  If the answer is “No”, I’ll try something else next time.  Anyway, have a great week end, and drive safely.  Au revoir!

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China’s Economy is Flying South

After being an economic powerhouse for several decades, China is beginning to feel the pinch of the global recession.  The economy is losing its steam.

A nationwide real estate downturn, stalling exports and declining consumer confidence, have produced what a Chinese government official, quoted on the official government Web site this week, characterized as a “sharp slowdown in the economy.”

Though the Chinese economy continues to expand, construction workers are losing jobs in droves and retail sales grew last month at the slowest pace in more than three years.  Investments in fixed assets have increased more slowly this year than in any year since 2001.

China’s unexpected economic difficulties are starting to unnerve investors in world markets, especially commodity markets, as China is the world’s largest consumer of most raw materials and second largest consumer of oil.  The United States is the first oil guzzler.

The good news about this economic slowdown, is that the price of oil could go south and that would be a sign of relief to our drivers who are preparing to hit the road this summer.  The bad news is that fewer ships could transit the Panama Canal decreasing revenue.  This revenue is badly needed to pay the expansion of $2.5 billion currently underway at the international waterway.

It will be a nail-biting experience to monitor this lagging economic situation of the second largest economy in the world.  Good Day.

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The Inspirational Commencement Speech of Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman, English author. Credit: the age.com.au – Justin Mcmanus

Surfing the web in my quest to improve my skills in the proper use of the English language, I happened into an inspirational speech addressed to the 2012 graduating class of the Philadelphia’s University of the Arts on May 17, 2012 by Neil Gaiman.  Everything he said made perfect sense to me.  It was not only what he said what struck me, but the suave way he said it with an exquisite British pronunciation.  The eloquent speech reminded me of the famous lecture given by Steve Jobs to the students of the University of Stanford in 2005.  Both are extraordinary pieces of oral communication with very deep thoughts to mediate upon.

Neil Richard Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theater and films.  His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels such as Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.

In the speech, he discussed the value of ignorance stating, “If you don’t know it’s impossible, it’s easier to do.”  He also stated there there was nothing wrong with making mistakes.  Instead he said, “Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes make glorious and fantastic mistakes.  Break rules.  Leave the world more interesting for your being here.  Make.  Good.  Art.”

Perhaps most importantly, Gaiman reiterates the importance of simply making good art:

“When things get tough, this is what you should do: Make good art. I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician—make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor—make good art. IRS on your trail— make good art. Cat exploded— make good art. Someone on the Internet thinks what you’re doing is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before —make good art.”

For your ready reference, below is the commencement speech which I found at YouTube.  Its duration is 19 minutes and 55 second, but every second is worth its price in gold.  I strongly recommend viewing it, if you are interested in squeezing the juice out of life.  This is it.  Good Day and Best of Luck.

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Panama Subway in Progress

The construction of the first subway in Middle America began on Monday, February 14, 2011 which by the way, is Valentine’s Day in Panama.  It has an allotted budget of $1.6 billion and should be finished sometime in 2014.  This year will coincide with the last year in office of President Ricardo Martinelli, who made the construction of the subway, one of his main campaign promises, as well as a radical reform of the education system.

“I want to be remembered as the person who transformed Panama’s mass transportation system and improved the quality of life of Panamanians,” said Mr. Martinelli when he awarded the building contract.  The whole project includes four subway routes, one of them over the Panama Canal towards the west of the Isthmus.

The subway—ninth in Latin America, but first in Central America—is being built by an international consortium that includes France’s Alstom, Brazil’s Norberto Odebrecht and Spain’s Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas.  Alstom will design and build the trains and electromechanical systems for the mass transportation public project.

The system will open with an initial capacity of 15,000 passengers an hour in each direction, with more being added over a period of several years to peak at 40,000 passengers.  When it is completed, trains will travel a 8.7-mile line in 23 minutes with stops at 13 stations, some above ground and others below.  It will run between the highly densely populated San Miguelito Special District and Albrook national bus terminal.

Last Sunday, May 20, 2012, I drove over to the Trans-isthmian Highway to take pictures on the progress made on this mega-project.  The railway support beams are now being built and can be seen above ground.  Take a look at the pictures which shows the work in progress.  Here we go.

Snapshot of the construction of the Panama subway in Panama City, Panama on Sunday, May 20, 2012. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

You can see a Metro bus towards your left.  Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Raising the Education Bar in Panama

One of the main political campaign promises of Ricardo Martinelli, current President of Panama, was to change the educational system.  In order to remain a competitive economy in the region, Panama had to modernize the learning process of the country.  With Lucy Molinari at the helm of the Ministry of Education, important modifications are being introduced to reform the system.

For many years there have been structured flawed governmental and educational policies that have marginalized a considerable portion of our student’s population.  The still-pervasive belief that all students can learn in a similar fashion is simply ludicrous and essentially a disservice to thousands of students and their parents.

It’s about time to start the arduous task of retooling Panama’s public education system.  It is mandatory to dispel the myth that every student can and should be taught using the same flawed and old-dated public education policies.

The latest development in this supercritical area, is the wide distribution of 93,500 laptops in 156 educational entities to high school students all over the country.  Ms. Molinari said the purpose of providing high school students with laptops which could be connected to the Web, was to pursue “the massification of technologies”.  The laptops are free of charge, but only targeted to public educational centers.  The total cost of the program is $23.3 million.

The specific objective of the public project is to minimize technological illiteracy in the country.  Providing laptops to students connected to the Cloud would be a stimulus for students to continue the educational process, since about fifty percent of students in Panama are dropping out of high school.  The social cost is too heavy to bear; something had to be done as soon as possible.  The name of the government initiative is called “Provision of Educational Laptops to Students—Spreading Technology.”

As you know, the devil is in the details.  Below are the basic specifications of the electronic learning tools:

• Equipment Format:  Clamshell
• Processor:  Dual Core Atom, N550, 1.5 GHz
• Main Memory:  2 GB DDR 800/1067
• Internal Hard Disk Drive:  250 GB (Minimum)
• Color:  White
• Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7
• Screen:  10″ (diagonal)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Software:  Adobe Reader, Fax and Scanner for Windows, Microsoft Internet Explorer 9, MS Office 2010 (Starter), MS Security Essentials, Windows DVD Maker, Microsoft Mathematics.
• Ports:  three USB ports, one 15-pin connection jack for a projector or monitor, one headphone jack, one microphone jack, and one Internet Connection
• Webcam

Raúl, the Twisters‘ stepbrother, who is in 10th grade at Instituto José Dolores Moscote High School, brought me the laptop he just received, since I was interested in taking a look at it.  This is how the puppy  looks like.  Here we go.

Snapshot of the laptops that are being distributed by the Ministry of Education of Panama. The name of the device is Balboa engrained in blue. Balboa is the Spanish Conquistador who discovered the Pacific Ocean for the Europeans in 1513. It was then called The South Sea. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the keyboard of the Balboa laptop, which is being provided by the Ministry of Education of Panama to public high school students free of charge. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

All laptops are properly identified with the name of the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) in black letters. “Para toda la vida” means, “For the whole life” in English.  Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

In this picture, you can clearly see the name of the Balboa clamshell laptop in blue. These devices were specifically manufactured in Portugal  for the Government of Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

In this image you can see the USB ports and the connection for the Internet cable. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the USB ports, and the jacks for a headphone and a microphone, and a 15-pin jack for an external monitor or printer. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

I think this educational program is a giant leap forward towards modernizing the country’s work force.  If we pretend to become a First World country, the gateway to do so is a modern educational system.  It’s time to elevate and differentiate Panama’s academic standards.  This is only the beginning of a long process.  There’s a lot of wood to chop.  Good Day.

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Love

Nope, it’s not Valentine’s Day nor our Wedding Anniversary Day.  It’s Love’s Day!  Me thinks, Love Day should be every day of the year, because without this essential emotion, our world would be in a constant state of chaos till the end of time.

We love our family.  We love our pets.  We love our country.  We love our work.  We love our neighbors and friends.  We love our planet.  Yep, it’s the power of love that glues the Universe together.

Throughout the history of art, literature and theater, the themes of friendship and love have been the most prevalent in numerous compositions, including Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Plato’s The Symposium, these themes are recurrent as the main topics of discussion.

Plato considers love a necessity of life that enables “human being to acquire courage and happiness, in both life and death.”  Aristotle and Plato believed that love leads a person to eudaimonia, or happiness.  The latter thought love is the source of art, leading men to satisfy by the creation of beautiful forms their innate longing for the absolute beauty they can never possess.  Wherever there is true love, you will find true beauty.  The artistic world is full of examples.

I tried to capture the spirit of love with this minimalistic photographic composition.  I hope you like it.  It was fun doing it.

Snapshot of a heart made up by folding two pages of a book, flanked by an enticing red rose. I wanted to give love a face and this is what popped into my head. Picture was taken with a P&S Canon PowerShot A720 IS. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

This shot was taken with a DSLR Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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