Monday, December 24, 2007

You know it's Christmas when...

You see a bunch of cars with Reindeer Horns

collage

Yes, that is the latest fashion in Mexico City. They are all around us, a reindeer invasion. They even have red noses! I like it.

I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas!

PD. Frohe Weihnachten! (That's 'Merry Christmas' in German).


Quote of the Day:
You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise.
--Lucius Annæus Seneca

Monday, December 10, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows... READ

Last night, after almost six months, I finally finished the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Yes I know I might seem to anyone like a s-l-o-w reader, but I read it slowly on purpose. I was slow because I like Harry Potter books a lot, and I enjoy reading them, so if I read it too quickly I would be left out with no more HP to read. So I decided to read two chapters of the book each week.

Just wanted to share a few opinions...

(Spoiler alert ON) Don't read on if you haven't read it!

It was a great book, worthy of the Harry Potter series. The last two chapters had me on the edge of the seat. I am glad that there were no main characters deaths (Hermione, Ron or Harry). The deaths of Lupin, Tonks, and Moody were sad, but Fred's death was the saddest. It did ended as I expected, with Voldermort dead and Harry Potter "The boy who lived" alive. It was a nice touch that Voldermort died by it's own curse backfiring.

(Spoiler alert OFF)

I am sad that there will be no more Harry Potter books, but at least we have the movies to look forward to.

It's been great knowing you Harry, good bye and farewell!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Birthday No. 27

Hello! Today is my birthday! Yay!!

The most special day of the year, the weather is awesome and I'm feeling exellent!

I've got up to an early start today since I had German class (more on that later) in the morning. But besides that, it is a lovely day! :-)

At German class they sung me Happy Birthday in German, it was cool. I've written it down for you to read:

Viel Glück und viel Segen,
auf al deinen Wegen.
Gesundheit und Wohlstand
sei auch mit dabei!

which literally translates to:

Much luck and much benediction,
on all your ways.
Health and Prosperity,
may also be added to the list.

bye for now..

music note While writing this, I was listening to "Wake Up" by The Arcade Fire music note


Quote of the Day:
Wherever you are -- be there.
--Anonymous

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanks... giving

Hello. Just wanted to write a quick post wishing all my US readers a great Thanksgiving. Hope that you enjoy this holiday with your family and loved ones.

I also want to thank to all my readers (yes, you all 5) for continuing reading my blog, Thanks.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Facebook News Network

For all those Facebook users (addicts).


Quote of the Day:
I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.
--Winston Churchill

Monday, October 15, 2007

Blog Action Day

Bloggers Unite - Blog Action Day Today is Blog Action Day 2007.

Thousands of bloggers unite this day to post about one issue, the environment.

As I previously posted in previous posts like the one about the World Water Day 2007 and I'm, I usually support the movements that remind us to take care of the planet.

Although I am not inspired at this time to write a long post about the need that we have to take a better care of the environment, I'll try to forward you to three places where you can find tons of info on how to protect the environment.

You can find more info on the Blog Action Day at blogactionday.org.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Mini Baja (Baja SAE) Anahuac, six years and counting

number six I cannot believe it. It was six years ago on a Thursday September 27th that we held the first ever meeting of the Mini Baja Anahuac Team.

It seems like a far memory when we first gathered around in a classroom and start discussing the idea of having a team dedicated to building a car to compete in the USA. It was un-thought at that time to have that kind of project in our University, some have tried to but never succeeded.

After that meeting, we began our attempts to design a car and enroll more team members. It wasn't until a couple of months later when we got funding from the University and the Ford Company that things started to look clearer.

In February 2002 we took some persons that were interested in participating in Mini Baja to a competition in the city of Queretaro. That was all we needed to convince them. They got hooked up and the rest is history.

Along these years I have been the Captain and now Faculty Advisor of the Team. Lot of people have gone through the team and I hope that it has changed them. We have built some cars, participated in a few competitions, and have lots of fun.

Right now the team is struggling to survive (yea I know, again!), let's hope that it succeeds and keep alive what has come a tradition in the Engineering Faculty of the Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte.

I leave you with some numbers that reflect what has happened in these 6 years of Baja:

  • 6 years;
  • 3 cars built (and one more in construction);
  • 10 competitions (2 in USA, 8 in Mexico);
  • 12 competition entries;
  • 1 test first place;
  • 1 disqualification;
  • 4.83 average grade of all entries;
  • 6 Captains;
  • 2 Faculty Advisors;
  • 2 broken transmissions;
  • 1 guy with blue face ("the smurf");
  • 1 guy temporarily blind (less than a day);
  • An unknown amount of lost tools;
  • About 5 rollovers; and
  • ONE TEAM

That was a long post and it could be longer. Remembering the Tlacaelel, Homer, and Coyote.

Friday, September 14, 2007

TiVo

tivomex4

Forget your VCR, TiVo is finally coming to Mexico.

That's right, TiVo, the famous DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is being offered  by Cablevision in Mexico City (which fortunately I am subscribed to).

Now you can pause, fast forward, or rewind live TV. You can record your favorite series using Season Pass. You can skip commercials! That's sweet!

The service will cost you an initial payment of $499 pesos (about 45 USD) and a monthly fee of $149 pesos (about 13 USD).

I almost sure that I will get it :-)

Gizmodo article: Cablevision Offers TiVo To Mexico City, But Not To Me.
Cablevision website: www.cablevision.net.mx.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Enjoy! New iPods for (almost) every taste

Wow, it was an exciting Apple Special Event. Three new iPods and a refresh on one iPod.

The iPod lineup has gone wild. We have the same iPod Shuffle that spots new colors, 1 Gb for $79. The iPod Nano "fatty", smaller, thinner, new colors, new interface, coverflow, larger screen with better resolution, video, 4 Gb for $149 and 8 Gb for $199. The updated 6G iPod Classic, thinner, new interface, coverflow, silver and black colors, 80 Gb for $249 and 160 freaking Gb for $349. And there's the iPod Touch, basically a phone-less iPhone, thinner, Wi Fi, iTunes WiFi Music Store, Widescreen, Multi touch, Video, etc, 8 Gb for $299 and 16 Gb for $399.

These are all pretty exciting and cool products. The only thing that makes me wanna complaint is that they should got more storage into the iPod Touch. All right it is cool, and has the multi touchy thingy but come on 16 Gb is not what I was expecting for.

I am only left with a tough choice to make, which iPod I should buy, or if I should buy one. The iPod touch is soo cool, but lacks storage. The iPod Classic has storage but not a widescreen. Tough choice indeed.


Quote of the Day:
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten
--Robert Fulghum

Monday, August 27, 2007

My new phone


Well the same week that I was drooling over the iPhone I finally got my new phone. After 2 years with my old phone (a K700i from Sony Ericsson) I finally found a phone that convinced me and wouldn't break my bank account, the Sony Ericsson W610i.


Although it's not the most spectacular phone ever, it is nice and get the work done.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

A few minutes with the iPhone

Yesterday I was at a family lunch celebrating an aunt's 60th birthday. Suddenly I looked to another table and some piece of electronic was being passed around the table and everybody was impressed. Then I saw it, it was the iPhone (let me remind you that the iPhone has only been released in USA)!

After reading so much about it on the Internet in the past few months I was limited to wondering if the thing is that cool.

Almost at the end of the party the iPhone came to me. They were showing some photos around and eventually got hold of it. The iPhone is sweet! It is one of the most amazing gadgets to ever get to my hands. I played with it for just a few minutes, basically in the photos application and the home screen. Bust just those few minutes were sufficient to make me want one. When it was my turn to pass it around, I couldn't let it go, it was like trying to take away a favorite candy or toy from a baby.

Finally I let go of it. Now I understand the why of the iPhone craze. I want one!

It's been a busy month...

Hi. I just wanted to tell you sorry that I have not posted anything in the last month. It has been a busy month, with my mom being a little sick, me leaving my job, and other things.

I will try to post a lot more. Among the thing that I'm planning to post about, you will hear about Baja SAE some as we continue the work on the car looking to the Mexico competition in mid November.

Sorry again for the lack of posts and thanks for keep reading my blog.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Baja SAE 2008, tentative schedule

A few weeks ago I posted some info on the possible places for the 2008 Baja SAE competitions (link). The latest Collegiate Design Series Newsletter includes the tentative schedules for the 2008 competitions:

  • Baja SAE - Tennessee Tech University May 1-4, 2008. Cookeville, Tennessee. (This is the water event)
  • Baja SAE - Central Illinois May 29 - June 1, 2008-. Caterpillar Facility - Peoria, Illinois.
  • Baja SAE - Ecole De Technologie Superieure June 12-15, 2008. Montreal, Canada.

The newsletter also details that the Baja SAE rules should be out in early August. It also states an 100 USD increment on the inscription fees. The registration opens on Monday, October 1, 2007 at 10.00 am EST.

From the proposed schedule it seems that our team will be intending to attend to either the Illinois or the Montreal competition, we'll see if it happens.

Funny Friday: The Internet Crash of 2007

Welcome back to the Funny Friday. I stumbled on this video while surfing lifehacker.com is from the Onion News Network. Although a little geeky, it's hilarious, check it out...

via [lifehacker]

Quote of the Day:
Passions are vices or virtues to their highest powers.
--Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Less than two days for Harry Potter 7, no spoilers please!

Saturday July 21st is one of those days you want and do not want to arrive, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book will be published. On one hand I've waited so long for it, but on the other it means the end of the Harry Potter books.

The potter craze is at an all time maximum with the Order of the Phoenix movie just released last week and the publication of the book around the corner. The rumors of what is going to happen are flying high on the net. Hence my request for all those who read this blog and/or know me, don't pass spoilers on me, please! Thanks.


Quote of the Day:
An argument is the longest distance between two points of view.
--Dan Bennett

Monday, July 16, 2007

You haven't seen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix until you've seen it in IMAX

After a wait of a few months plus 2 days (because I wasn't able to get good tickets for the Thursday release) I finally got the chance to watch the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film on Saturday evening. The theatre was crowded, the functions for this past weekend were al sold out. It meant only one thing, the beginning of two weeks of Harry Potter hype! (next week, the publication of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

I liked the movie, I liked it a LOT! The movie lives up to my expectations. It is a very good adaptation (maybe a little too diluted) of the most complicated book in the series so far, this book defines a turning point in the series in which Hogwarts is no longer the focal point of the story. As always with the Harry Potter movies the cast selection is excellent. The visual effects are, as usual, brilliantly executed.

And the important thing in this post, IMAX. You just have to see it in IMAX to fully experience the movie potential. It is soooooooooooooo awesome! The crisp, clear projection, the exceptional sound, the enormous screen size... all makes good reason for the IMAX experience. But there is more, 20 minutes of the final of the movie are in 3D!, all of the visit of the Potter friends  to the Ministry of Magic. It really enhances the movie and when you leave the theatre you want more.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Friday the 13th, Chickens in Masks!

Just another Friday the 13th...

Nice comment!!: I bet the bumper sticker on Jason's car says:
"My child is an honor student at Elm Street Middle School"


Quote of the Day:
I not only use all the brains I have but all that I can borrow.
--Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Carlos Slim, a Mexican, is wealthiest man on Earth

Maybe you have heard/read the news on this, maybe you haven't. The news have been revealed today by Mexican publication "Sentido Común" (Common Sense). The Mexican Tycoon, who has a 33% participation in the stocks of America Movil (the largest mobile telecommunications provider in Latin America) passed Bill Gates as the World's wealthiest man this past second quarter.

The fortune of Bill Gates rises to $59.2 billion and Slim's fortune goes up to $67.8 billion, a difference of $8.6 billion claims the publication.

What is most shocking about this news is that Carlos Slim comes from a country with a great amount of poor people. This only remarks the inequality that exists in this country, where the income is unevenly distributed and you can find very, very rich people as well as very, very poor people.

I hopes that Mr. Slim can give a little back to his country and contribute to it's development.

Original story from "Sentido Común": link (english translation).
Story at The Guardian newspaper: link.

Quote of the Day:
Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.
--C. Archie Danielson

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Probable 2008 Baja SAE locations

Now that another season of Baja SAE is over is time to start thinking on the new season. Certainly my mind is already set on the 2008 US competitions Big Grin and which one our Team will try to attend to.

I just found a list of the sites currently considered to the 2008 events:

  1. Cookeville, Tennessee (TTU);
  2. Peoria, Illinois (Caterpillar, I think); and
  3. Montreal, Canada (ETS, or just Montreal Section).

The information does not specifies neither date or event types (West, Midwest, or East). Let's hope that they organize good, quality events characteristics of the Baja SAE series.

It is my wish that the Baja Anahuac Baja SAE Team compete in one of there events, hope that the Team is up to the challenge.

Quote of the Day:
Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.
--Marcus Tullius Cicero

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Baja SAE Rochester 2007, a story from an unattending team

Maybe you can remember some of my past posts regarding the "intention" of the Baja SAE Anahuac Team of participating in the Baja SAE Rochester 2007 competition.

First, let me talk about why it turned from a goal, to an intention, to a deception. Some of you may know about it, some of you don't. The team was on time (not on schedule) to finish the vehicle and compete in Rochester. So, why did the team didn't go to the competition? We had a setback. The captain of the team couldn't keep up with the needs of the team and his school needs. So the captain decided to pull back his efforts on the team and the car in order to focus on his academic activities and to maintain his scholarship. You see, in our current team structure and status the captain is the person within the school team (that means to leave the advisors behind) more knowledgeable about the project and, therefore, the responsible of getting the things done. So when you have a captain that can't maintain the effort and momentum of the team, things start falling appart.

It is a pity that we didn't assist to the competition. It is a pity because we were capable of doing so, capable of returning to an international event and getting a good result. It is another story and another deception in the book for our team, we have had a few along our history (see MBQ2003, MBQ2004, MB100, and MBQ2006).

So, what's in store for the team? you ask. First is a s-l-o-w summer period with little to none work done. Then we have the responsibility of finishing the car for the Baja SAE Mexico 2007 competition, 148 days away from today (17-19 November, 2007). And hopefully have a car for the 2008 US competition.

Expect few posts about Baja in the summer and more frequently as BSM2007 comes near.

Oh, yes about the competition in Rochester... It seems that it was a lot of fun, lot of teams, with a Brazilian team taking the first place, Sherbrooke in second, and Tennessee in third (BSRIT 2007 results).

Finally after a very long post (maybe the largest ever in my blog so far!) I leave you with two videos from Baja SAE Rochester 2007. The first one is the start of the endurance race (see the amount of teams competing), and the second is the offical video from SAE, hope you enjoy them....

 

Friday, June 15, 2007

Funny Friday: Will Ferrell in David Letterman

Will Ferrell is very funny. Sometimes it borderlines on extreme stupidity, you just have to be in a good mood to enjoy some of his jokes.

Anyway here is a clip from David Letterman in which he appears as The Phantom of the Opera.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Funny Friday: Hamster wheel gone wrong

Very funny, it makes me remember when I had hamsters.

Hamster wheel gone wrong

Funny Friday: Almost There!

Since last Friday I skipped my Funny Friday tradition, here is another one for today.

An image is better than a thousand words...

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

mmm... donuts

You Are a Caramel
Crunch Donut
You're a complex creature, and you're guilty of complicating things for fun. You've been known to sit around pondering the meaning of life... Or at times, pondering the meaning of your doughnut. To frost or not to frost? To fill or not to fill? These are your eternal questions.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Windows Live Writer Beta 2

Finally! They have updated Windows Live Writer.

Windows Live Writer is a nifty tool that allows you to create posts and publish them directly to your blog. I personally use it for all my blog posting. If you are on Windows and never tried it, you should give it a go.

Windows Live Writer

Harry Potter Theme Park

Harr Potter Theme Park rendering From BBC News: "The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter will open at the Universal Orlando Resort, in Florida, in 2009".

The new park will be located within Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. It will feature the Hogwarts Castle as well as the Hogwarts Express. The production designer Stuart Craig, who has worked on the Harry Potter films, is leading the design team to ensure it will remain faithful to JK Rowling's vision.

Construction in the park is expected to begin in the next few weeks and the opening is planned for 2009.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling said: "The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed."

I hope that they pull out this one fine, otherwise it can seem as a desperate measure to increase the revenue of the Harry Potter Franchise.

You can check the complete article at the following link:

BBC News: Harry Potter theme park planned

UPDATE: Harry Potter site MuggleNet has some updated info. The parks is currently scheduled to open on early 2010, it will be built on "Islands of Adventure", "Important that the theme park represents the entire saga from Book 1 to Book 7". There is also an official website up www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter where you can sign up for e-mail updates.



Quote of the Day:
If your number one goal is to make sure that everyone likes and approves of you, then you risk sacrificing your uniqueness and, therefore, your excellence.
--Anonymous

Friday, May 25, 2007

Funny Friday: Bumper Stickers

Bumper stickers are funny. Bumper stickers at times speak of greater truths. Bumper stickers are sometimes annoying. See some for yourself:

  • "Rock is dead. Long live paper and scissors."
  • "Warning: Dates on calendar are closer than they appear."
  • "Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks. "

and the list goes on and on.... Bumper Stickers

A Long Time Ago in A Galaxy Far, Far Away....

Happy 30th birthday Star Wars.

On this day on 1977 George Lucas' centerpiece, "Star Wars Episode IV: A New hope", opens to the public. Seven Oscars, $461 million in U.S. ticket sales and a gross of close to $800 million worldwide partially reflects it's success.

Star Wars revolutionized the way movies are made and the way we look at movies. It created movie cult.

Star Wars grew up to be one of the most profitable movie franchises ever. With the movie release came tons of toys and paraphernalia that got incredible sales.

The Star Wars story is currently made up of six movies or episodes: the original trilogy, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of The Jedi; and the new trilogy, The Phantom Menace, The Attack of The Clones, and The Revenge of The Sith.

I like the Star Wars sixtology a lot, some are among my all-time movie favorites. They have a great story (based on the struggle between good and evil), great special effects, great characters, extra care of details, etc.

If you haven't seen the Star Wars movies, I highly recommend them because they are a classic and are very entertaining.

PD. For you Star Wars fans out there check the following on Windows:
1. Go to the Start menu, then click on run;
2. Paste the following: "telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl" and click OK; and
3. Enjoy.

"May the Force be with you"
-Obi Wan


Quote of the Day:
Goodness is the only investment that never fails.
--Henry David Thoreau, 19th-century American essayist and nature writer

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Wii

Finally, after thinking about it a lot, Friday I made up my mind and bought a Nintendo Wii.

I do not consider myself a gamer (my last game console was the original Nintendo), but just a few days after using a friend's Wii I got hooked on it. I mean it is SOOO MUCH FUN to play with it. Another thing that I like is that anyone can play it, including my mom and my dad, who barely have played a video game in their life's. The included game, Wii Sports, although very simple is very entertaining and a great way to get hooked on the Wii.

That's all for now, signing off...

Quote of the Day:
Vegetarian is an old Indian word meaning bad hunter.
--Anonymous

Friday, May 18, 2007

Funny Friday: Hilarious Bush Impersonation, Girls are evil

I found lots of funny things today, but this video from The Late Show with David Letterman got me laughing so hard...

And as a plus for this Friday here is the scientific explanation that the girls are evil (just kidding girls):

Friday, May 11, 2007

Thursday, May 10, 2007

There's Going to Be a Ballpark There, from: Bats - Baseball - New York Times Blog

As I have mentioned before, the Yankee Stadium is scheduled to death. As this baseball season evolves with it's ups and downs for the Yankees there is a looming shadow over the Yankee Stadium, the construction cranes of the new stadium.

I found this post at the Bats Baseball Blog from the New York Times. This post remembers a song from Frank Sinatra called "There Used to be a Ballpark" that reflects on how we will feel in the future when there is no more "The House that Ruth Built". How does someone looking for the tons of memories from the Yankee history would feel like? How can future fathers tell their sons "look over there, that is the home plate that Joe DiMaggio used to bat in"?

I'll leave you with a picture of the construction of the new stadium (click on the picture to go to the post at the New York Times).

In the shadow of Yankee Stadium, construction on the team’s new ballpark is underway. (Ruby Washington/The New York Times) 
In the shadow of Yankee Stadium, construction on the team’s new ballpark is underway. (Ruby Washington/The New York Times).

Link to There's Going to Be a Ballpark There - Bats - Baseball - New York Times Blog

Friday, May 04, 2007

Funny Friday: Somewhere under the rainbow..

Somewhere under the rainbow
Very near
There's a place that I heard of
Stocked full of yummy beer...

Friday, April 27, 2007

Funny Friday: Student Exam Answers

 For those you engineers out there. I specially liked the one with the elephant.

Link to Funny Student Exam Answers

U23D

Super-hyper-mega cool!!

From u2.com: "U2 3D is heading for cinemas later this year"

I want to see this. I enjoyed the show so much first in Madison Square Garden in New York City and then in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. I like U2 music a lot and they have great spectacular shows.

One thing more from u2.com: "The 3D shoot took place over seven shows in Mexico..." maybe it contains images from the concert I went :-).

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

46 Mexico City Legislators: Killers

Just one little thought I wanted to share with you. 46 of the Mexico City Legislators are killers! Yes, they have voted to approve a legislation legalizing the abortion in the first three months of the pregnancy. They are allowing to kill innocent people that can't defend themselves, I am angry, it is an atrocity!

Friday, April 20, 2007

Funny Friday: Europe vs. Italy

 A funny movie found via stumbleupon.

Link to Europe

Baja SAE new car update (Apr 20)


BSA007 Car 02
Originally uploaded by velascomike.

We are working very hard on the construction of the new Baja SAE car. As promissed, here is a photo of the progress so far.

The front structure is almost done, hope this weekend we can complete the whole structure and move on into the suspension.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Baseball is ON!

Winter is long gone (although in some parts it refuses to leave, see Cleveland last week). April has come and with that the start of the baseball season. Between April and October each team faces a 162-game regular season plus, if they can, the post-season games.

It is too early and I am not that knowledgeable to make predictions about who will go to the post-season and to the World Series, less who is winning it. But I do really hope that my favorite team, the New York Yankees make their way to the postseason and, maybe, win the World Series.

For almost any team a 6 year drought of World Championship can be seen as reasonable time, but for the Yankees (26 times World Champions) it is an eternity! Besides, it would be so cool that the Yankees win a World Series now that the Yankee Stadium has it days counted (see 2008 MLB All*Star Game @ Yankee Stadium (not yet confirmed)).

Although I love baseball and enjoy watching the games, it is difficult (near impossible) to watch every a single baseball game out there. I mean just consider watching 162 games of your team, plus the Home Run Derby, the All*Star Game, and all the postseason (must-see games). I will try to see the most Yankees games that I can and others interesting from other teams, at least one game per week.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Rochester... We have tubes!!

uh????

What the h* do I mean with that?

Saturday morning the "physical" work for the the new Baja SAE Anahuac vehicle started. Just a few details are missing from the structural design and in the meantime the work has begun.

We have an awful amount of things to do between now and June 7th (only 74 days) but I am confident that the team can work it out :-).

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Save Water! World Water Day 2007

Today, March 22, is World Water Day 2007.

We must remember that, as with all the non-renewable resources on Earth, we (E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E) are responsible for preserving it. It is not "ours" it is lend to us.

No water means no life (no brainier here), but sometimes we forget about it.

There are many ways to save water and to preserve it clean and free of pollutants:

  1. Take shorter showers (I declare myself guilty on this aspect and try to shorten my showers);
  2. Replace old high water-consuming toilets;
  3. Fix any water leaks in the house;
  4. If you see any leak at your work or at the street, notify it to the person(s) required to fix it;
  5. Water your garden early in the morning or in the evening, it is more efficient;
  6. Use less pollutant and fewer detergent to wash your clothes;
  7. Use less electricity (most of the electricity needs water in various forms to generate it),
  8. more, more more.

These are only a few ideas that came to my mind this moment but you can do a little research only in sites like Grist Magazine to find tips, solutions, and alternatives to preserve the vital fluid.

Quote of the Day:
You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.
--Liz Smith

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

SAE Extreme!

SAE is the one behind great competition such as Formula SAE and Baja SAE. These competitions are becoming more and more famous and recognized. One sign of this is that the registration to almost all the events of these competitions are filling up rather quickly.

SAE also organizes other events such as: Clean Snowmobile Challenge, Formula Student, Formula Hybrid, Aero design, and Supermileage.

The folks on SAE are working on improving the presence of these competitions by launching a video on YouTube! It is a good video that gives you sneak peaks to what these competitions are all about.

Up next on YouTube! "SAE Extreme"...

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Can Apple Keep Stalling a 6G iPod? Our Views, and Yours | iLounge

Just found this very interesting article about the new generation of iPods (not iPhone). Some comments are very interesting and reflects how I feel about Apple and the future development of iPods (their greatest product ever). 

Link to Can Apple Keep Stalling a 6G iPod? Our Views, and Yours | iLounge

Friday, March 02, 2007

i'm

Just found out about a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger "i'm Making A Difference". You just need to put up a code on your messenger display name and each time you start a conversation shares some money to the organization (Red cross, Stop global warming, Boys and girls clubs of America, UNICEF, etc.) you chosen.

more info @ i'm Making A Difference

Just one week to WRC Corona Rally Mexico 2007

Next weekend will be the World Rally Championship Corona Rally Mexico 2007 in León, Guanajuato. For those who are not familiar with the Rally, a Rally is an auto sport in which production cars (regular cars that are available to the public) are modified to certain specifications and then race against time. The cars run in different surfaces snow, ice, gravel, and pavement on regular roads (not a closed circuit). Each rally is made up of timed "Stages", usually around 15 of them. The WRC is the premiere series for rallying, organized by the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA) and is the equivalent of the Formula one in rallying.

The WRC season begins in January and ends in December. It goes around the world in 16 rallies: Monte Carlo, Sweden, Norway, México, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, France, Japan, Ireland, and Great Britain. Each rally gives points to the top drivers and manufacturers/teams and at the end of the season the one with most points takes de Driver's Championship title and/or the Manufacturers's Championship title.

Corona Rally Mexico is in it's fourth year as an WRC official event. It is held in the mountains outside León, Guanajuato in México. It is a gravel rally with fast stages and the highest altitude of all the championship.

I will be attending for the third year in a row simply because it's loads of fun. You have to get up very very early in the morning to get to the stages because the roads are closed as the dawn draws closes and they are far from León (about an hour because of the rough terrain). But once you get there you have amazing views and, as the fans from all over the world gather a great ambient. Then you can head to the service park, where you can see the cars being repaired in less than 20 minutes (or they get penalized) by incredible mechanics just metres away from you! You can also go to the superspecial stage in the Leon Race Track where you can watch them running side by side at night.

You can find more information on the WRC site @ www.wrc.com and at the site for the Corona Rally Mexico www.rallymexico.com.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

100 days to Baja SAE RIT 2007

100. 100 days to Baja SAE Rochester Institute of Technology 2007. This could be the next competition for the Baja SAE Anahuac Team. Currently we are struggling with some issues, among them the time constrain, to get the new car on wheels on time for the competition, hopefully we do :-). One thing that I can assure you, we don't give up easily.

As the time draws nearer I will keep you informed of major breakthroughs and updates of the Team.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

New design (again)

I am trying a new design for my blog, a little more clean and with a nice header. Hope you like it. If you liked the previous design let me know on the comments, thanks

And tonight the Oscars!!!

I love movies. They make you laugh, cry, remember that lfie can be tough sometimes and splendid in other times, entertain, and sometimes even make you sleep :P.

Tonight is the movie celebration, the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Science (AMPAS) Awards, better known as the Oscars. Tonight at 5.00 pm PST the Oscars will be transmitted all around the world.

There are very good pictures nominated this year (so far none of the ones that I have seen have disgusted me). Ten Mexicans are up for an Oscar tonight, meaning there is a good chance that at least one grabs an Oscar.

I have seen a good number of the movies nominated, but not all. I will definetily try to see the ones that I am missing, specially the ones that win something tonight (you should too).

Well, that's all. Tune in the Oscar and enjoy one of the TV live shows with more audience in the World.

Friday, February 23, 2007

after a month...

Here I am back again. I have disappeared from my blog for a little more than a month, sorry, just didn't have the inspiration for writing.

I have been doing a lot of things lately. I have been on vacation, working, and working on Baja SAE.

I'll tell you more about the things going around my life in upcoming posts. Glad to be back writing.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

2008 MLB All*Star Game @ Yankee Stadium (not yet confirmed)

The Baseball Cathedral, a.k.a. the House that Babe Built, a.k.a "The Stadium", a.k.a. Yankee Stadium is agonizing. And by agonizing I mean that it will be enjoying it's last two seasons in 2007 and 2008 (unless a miracle happens and saves the almost 84 year old stadium). In 2009 Opening day will be played on the "New" Yankee Stadium, just across the street from the Yankee Stadium on the Bronx, NY.

As reported by ESPN.com and some other sources over "the nets" Yankee Stadium has a good chance of hosting the mid-summer baseball classic, the All*Star Game. It is a very exciting news, it will be a great farewell to the most famous stadium in baseball.

If this rumor is confirmed it will mean one thing, start planning and saving up for a visit to the Big Apple on July 2008. I mean, I "must" go to that game.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

iPhone and Apple TV

Well, today we saw the announcement of two new apple products that were widely expected among technology enthusiasts, the Apple TV and the iPhone.

The Apple TV (www.apple.com/appletv) is the product formerly known as iTV. It is a device for holding and streaming media like videos, podcasts, music, photographs from your regular PC or Mac. It is a nice thing to have, though not in my priority list right now.

Now, the Apple's iPhone (www.apple.com/iphone) is what I consider a "state of the art" gadget. Actually it was introduced as three products in one. The first one, a widescreen iPod (4 & 8 Gb), great for viewing movies also plays music and podcasts. The second a mobile phone with a terrific interface. And third an Internet device, with included WiFi. All with incredible technology included like multi-touch interface, proximity sensors, accelerometer for detecting device orientation, Google Maps, etc., etc. Go to the website for incredible images and more details. Available in June in the US.

I am highly expecting a product with the same characteristics as the iPhone minus the phone part. I mean, wouldn't it be nice if you have a 80 Gb widescreen iPod, I now I would like to :-)

That's all for today

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

2007, a New Year and fresh bread

Hello and welcome again to my blog. Thank you very much for visiting again. Here we are starting a brand-new year. I don't like New Year's celebration that much, I mean, if you think about it every day starts a new year. But anyway it's a new year. My brother was just telling me about an National Geographic TV ad regarding the New Year and it stated that among the world's population only an astounding 35 percent celebrate the New Year on January 1st; the other persons (Jewish, Chinese, Muslims, and others) celebrate the New Year on different dates. Impressive... you bet!! I felt that way when my brother told me. You can watch the ad by visiting the following link "Ni te lo Imaginabas 2007".

Now you're thinking "New Year and fresh bread", what the h** has to do one with the other. I have an answer. For the first day of 2007 I decided to bake some fresh bread. As a foodie I love eating, cooking and baking. This bread took a little time on the making (due to it's 20 hours of repose, I actually began preparing it on 2006) but it was totally worth it. Everyone on my family liked the crispy exterior and the soft, tasty inside. I am definitely be doing this bread a lot.

Well thank you again, have a magnificent 2007 and hope you can achieve everything you try.