Don't Think Again

I was watching again the whole beginning of the Naruto Anime Series. Actually, I'm skipping the fillers and I also didn't like the movies. By far, the greatest thing up to now have been remembering the soundtracks. Today I just got to watch the episode where Sasuke and Naruto try to kill themselves off using their newly learnt Chidori and Rasengan. The scene is beautifully portrayed: they go to the top of a building and run around fighting amidst white sheets hanging on treads. Highly recommended.

In economics, a revealed preference is what you call it when a given consumer already chose this product over the other at given prices. Comparing the brazilian ( here ) and the "non-brazilian" ( here and here ) blogosphere, we clearly have a greater desire to get commented. People shut down their blogs if no one reads them,

This is one cool device, built by the guys at http://fotosisdiy.blogspot.com/ Is it possible to do this with EWB?

Are these guys cool or what? This one goes for my baby: bezetacil!

Some people have been claming that machines have been changing votes from Barack Obama to John McCain . If you're trying to cheat on an election, you'd simply change the output of the machine, then set up a perfectly working interface to fool the voters, right? Clearly, the touchpads weren't properly calibrated. Can these north-american citizens really be so technologically dumb? Is it possible that: (1) the US would allow for "defective" machines to be used? and (2) dumb voters to cancel their vote? If McCain wins because of this, it'll be quite a laugh, but how come none of this problems happened on our brazilian widely used voting machines ?

It's awfully strange that a whole country would simply allow for huge sites like wordpress.com , youtube.com and now blogger.com to be banned .

I wish I didn't have to write about this. I really don't think we would be thinking so much about the environment if the media didn't force us to. But the media is not a single entity. Actually, it's comprised of several corporations whose primary purpose is profit. Now that I came to think of it, I'm guessing the media corporations have chosen to talk about the environment because they believe it's gonna bring money, or audience. And only the really bad things get audience: wars, children getting killed (or killing), sex (and related subjects), money and... the environment. It's quite impressive that the environment is now considered as important as money, at least comparing by the number of times it appeared in the news. However, it's incorrect to think we take good care of the environment. On one hand, people don't burn money, but they burn trees. On the other hand, you might get fined and go to jail by burning trees (a lot of them, that is), ...

This is an example of a viral ad. A good one too.

Then, as the pattern grows intricate, the questions become more subtle: is it enough just simply lay around doing something to make money? Sure, you'd choose something that is reasonably close to what you like. Of course, some collateral considerations might shift your choices: you want something that gives you lots of money, you want something that's respected as a profession, you want something cool. You study a lot, then get good grades on high school, then you get all stressed out because of the application process to a college (even if you get in or not). Considering you made it to college, stretch the part about studying to get good grades for some more years, just like you did in high school. In any case, you'd be getting a job (or a career) by now. You could move out, get married, get kids... or not. The problem now is that you're going to die. Your marriage is going to end. Your job doesn't give you enough money.

For a very long time now, I've been struggling with myself trying to figure out what would be the right thing for me to do. At the beginning, the question I was trying to answer was: what legacy do I wish to leave behind? [or] what objective will make my life worthwhlie? [or] is there something that would surpass the value of everything else? [or] is there something worth giving my life to? To all those questions, I answer no.

Can you really say that you're hungry when you know exactly what is it you wanna eat?

There's a saying around a town I used to work: God doesn't give wings to snakes. It's usually said when you're thinking about someone's situation and comparing what you'd do in the same situation, usually meaning that you're the snake without wings. Well, it works the other way around too... birds don't have venom. I'm thinking about the last place I used to work: I was suppose to behave just like a snake, except I'm really not a snake. And I feel good this way.

To some people, it's relatively normal to call themselves crazy. Most older and more traditional fellows, on the other hand, don't see this with good eyes. To be crazy isn't something they're used to think about themselves. I'm guessing that so-called crazy people have undergone some kind of turnaround. A rupture happened to them. Surely, there are people who go through crazy situations, but those situations simply don't affect the way they think about themselves or about life and reality itself. It's not just about the turnaround, but the way you consider that turnaround.

I read this post and responded with this: I've already graduated from college, and my college life was not interesting or happy. Yes, you could say that I've learned a lot and that my professional success comes from my years in college. But wouldn't you simply forget me on that line of thought? "Someone went to _that_ college." Who is that someone? Why is the name of the college more important than the person? And why does this crushes everyone on high school? My guess is that people think there's a plateau somewhere in life. And they think that if they can get there, everything will be stable and solid... and will just stop. So we destroy ourselves trying to get to that inexistent plateau: another myth. It happens at your job, at college and at the high school too. Any of you have brother with a busier schedule than Madonna's?

I've clearly chosen everything that I am now. Maybe I couldn't chose or have any real power over my life by the time I was 15 years old, but I can say that what I get now is a product of my choices. These choices aren't conscious choices most of the time. And they will determine what happens next... for you and for everybody you have influence on.

Anywhere we might go, anything we might do. It won't change the world. Not because you took one small step. But it matters, if you do take that small step.

I was just thinking about something that long ago crossed my mind: what is the difference between two bands that make a huge break with one single, but one of them simply doesn't go any further than this? Simply put, you gotta have consistency. Even if you're thinking about getting internet audience.