Moving on, moving out

I'm happy to announce I bought my first domain: http://therubio.com.
The new address for the blog is therefore gonna be http://blog.therubio.com.

Cheers!

Well, I don't know a lot about him...

... or what he does, but it feels like he has the best job/life in the world. Read and view only if you have about 5 minutes, because you won't be able to brake away.

A superhero for the 21st century

Well, to paraphrase Prince, you don't have to be rich, you don't have to be cool, I just want your extra time and your.... very clever algorithm for "Content Aware Image Resizing".



Shai Avidan is the guy behind the program, well, he's half of it, together with Ariel Shamir, and he's just been hired by Adobe. I read his CV here, and found out that although he's been working in the U.S. for a while now, the dude is Israeli and even graduated from the Hebrew University. Kinda cool, innit? Now we just have to wait for Photoshop CS4 or 5 to try it out for ourselves...

Can SHE find the U.S. on the map?

Update: You know what, my heart goes out to her. At first I obviously thought it was hysterical, but seeing how it has ballooned all over the internet... Poor girl, really. I mean look at this piece of art work - try and follow it while the video is playing:

Does anyone really read these titles any more?

I've been meaning to write a decent post, a long one, for quite a while. Something verbal, with maybe only a small picture or something, and actually that day has... not arrive yet. I'm sorry, this is another short, unplanned post, just a way to deliver something cool I found.
You probably know writer/director Kevin Smith. I really love him: all his movies, his blog, his podcast - really, he's so irreverent you can't just not adore him.
While i was rumbling through old posts, I noticed this - it's just a few pictures of his house, but for me it's just a bit more then that. Let me put this into context: In MTV's cribs, each week, a different small unknown rapper\producer invites you to see his house - I must have seen hundred of episodes where the house is usually some monstrosity, filled with empty rooms, golden bathtubs and big screen TV's.
Well, just check the link. finally a house I can live in. If I had all of Mr. Smith's money my house would probably turn out to be a lot like his, maybe a lit less messy...

Oldschool

I'll just do this for a while...

1. Here is a cool site about the dangers of caffeine. It seems that if I gulp down 317.65 cans of Diet Coke I'll be history. Did you know there used to be a Diet Raspberry Coke? I'd have tried that, it doesn't sound too bad. On the other hand, it would take 14,294.22 Hershey's Kisses to take me down. As much as I love them, I don't think it would ever come to that - I tend to limit myself to 10,000 a day.

2. This is an amazing interactive commercial for a toilet bowl, it's a very heavy flash site, so be patient. It's worth the wait though - until I saw it I didn't really know how badly I needed to flush a towel.

3. Did you ever ponder what Arnold Schwarzenegger's dog would look like? Here is an article about a muscle mutation disease in dogs. Forget about the article - just check the picture...

4. Too good for words:

Interim post

Home

As you might have noticed, I took off all the pictures from Flickr, since I really hated them. I am now using Picasa: go here and take a look at all the photos. I took some bigger panoramas, but I still have to photoshop them together, so maybe I'll upload them later to a separate folder.
I know I'm not the best photographer in the world, some of the pictures might not even mean anything to you without my commentary, and I didn't even take to many photos anyway. Anyhow, I hope you still get something out of them...

Day 12

The days of the free internet connection in the conference site in Venice seem so very far away, and right about now I'd pay double what I did to get the wireless connection I had in Bologna (and that was expensive as it was).
Thing is, I'm now in the hotel in Rome, it's about 00:15, Ohad and me are back from a very stylish pub we found in a neighborhood called Testaccio (after a small hill on which it resides), I fire up the laptop and lo and behold - the tech gods have smiled upon me and there seems to be a semi-stable and, above all, free wifi connection I can use. I don't like updating the blog from internet places because I need time and to feel relaxed to properly express myself, so for the past few days I haven't really told you about what happened in Bologna, or Firenze, or Toscana, and Rome (so far), and what's worse is I haven't even uploaded any pictures!
I'm sorry about that, really, but you're going to have to show a little more patience with me - the connection doesn't really allow me to upload much of anything, and I'll have to be a bit brief about what happened till now:
Ok, after that day in Bologna, which really was magical, I went to San Lazzaro the next morning. It was really weird - every time I am abroad, I feel uncomfortable until I come back to Jerusalem. It's more then feeling uncomfortable, it's feeling like a fish out of the water, a feeling of insecurity. And in San Lazzaro that feeling went away, I don't know, on one hand I wasn't really home, because Jerusalem is home now, and on the other hand I felt really comfortable: I knew were I was, I never got lost, I even took shortcuts I remembered. In any case, I got to see both our neighbors still alive and well, and even catch up with a friend and his family. Nothing has changed - they are all still there just the way I left them, as if they have been waiting for me, preserved in a big jar of formaldehyde.
That took two days, and on the spare time we had left, we got to drive to Maranello, where Ferrari's are made and tested, and where there's a big museum full of old models. It was very cool, since it all happened on the day of the 60th birthday of the Ferrari namebrand. A LOT of people where there, a lot of beautiful cars, and even 9 jet planes flew by in a whole bunch of formations. Quite the celebration.
Then, we left Bologna and we drove to Firenze. Driving felt great - I love our car (which we decided on calling Maurizio) and we got there through small back-roads in about two hours. Thing is, by then it was unbelievably hot and crowded, so we left pretty early after seeing all we could see in one day (which wasn't a lot, but it sure felt enough).
After leaving Firenze, we decided on settling in Montepulciano for the night - a small Toscan town, which is comprised of a small bunch of red brick-houses huddled together on quite a steep cliff-side. The next morning we toured a few of the local wineries, after consulting a local wine shop in town. Very, very cool endevour that is, touring local wineries - I whole-heartedly recommend it.
Well, after cooling off, we drove very fast on the autostrada, south, towards Rome. We found the hotel, which is very nice, and we've been doing all of the attractions for the past three days, trying not to miss any of the must see's.
I have to finish, I've rambled for long enough anyway and I have a busy day ahead of me.
Ciao!

Day 6

I've been staring the blank screen for the past 10 minutes, not nowing how to describe this past day. And to think it's all been just a prelude for what lies ahead for tomorrow...

In any case, Ohad volunteered to write for me, so here it goes:

I don't know what the procedure is for someone other than the blog-owner to write, but in this case I can best attest as to what happened. At first we went around town looking for the Cinema Roy's father worked in and Roy spent his days as a child. At the cinema he didn't know anyone but they directed him to a woman called Cinzia (I couldn't pronounce it with a gun to my head) who now worked at another cinema. So we went to the other side of town to meet this woman and to be honest I was a bit skeptic, 15 years have passed, and she might not even remember him. I didn't want to rain on his parade, even though it was really hot outside, and so I tagged along to the other side of town. When we got to the new cinema, he took a deep breath and went to the cashier and introduced himself with "Cinzia? I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Roy" (both you and I don't understand Italian, so I'm translating). It took her a second, but than she started with an ecstatic voice, RRRoy, RRRoy (In an Italian accent). She ran from her both and opened the door to hug and kiss him, as even I got some kisses and excited unknown Italian words. It was a reunion like a reunion ought to be, that's why he had a hard time putting it in words. It was one of the moments you see in movies. Then they reminisced for a while, and she was overwhelmed with how time had passed and how she remembered Roy as a little boy and all of his family. It was really moving, and so I can only imagine how it was for Roy, but I'm sure he'll be more expressive with a bit more time to digest and rethink that moment.

Day 5

I'm just gonna put it out there – I still don't have the suitcase. This is ridiculous. For now I'm managing, although the charger for the camera is in there, so for now, no more pictures. Only for now, I hope.

Up until yesterday I had been quite the good boy: I went to most of the lecture sessions, and the poster session. That might give you an idea of why I haven't posted anything - I didn't think you'd be interested in spin-chemistry. Yesterday, however, I decided to skip everything and go to Murano. I wouldn't have had time to do that otherwise, and I really wanted to go. It was nice, the island is quite small and peaceful, and when you scratch the surface nothing is as big as a tourist trap as it first seemes. The same goes for the main island of Venice – at first I really though there wouldn't be much of anything besides piazza S. Marco and a gazzilion of tourists, but after coming back from Murano I managed to get lost in the northern part of the main island, crossing the Rialto and going into the more quiet part of the city. Very, very nice - more of an ambiance-soaking experience then sightseeing, but I really enjoyed it, just as much as the visit to Murano.

In any case, today Ohad will get here and god willing the suitcase will too. Tfu tfu tfu.

Next update will be from the hotel in Bologna, I hope, so check back tonight.

update #1: We're not in Bologna yet, but i think the news merit the update. The organizers of the conference went t the airport and found the suitcases there. They are on the way back here, and after I get them I'll leave to meet with Ohad. Oh, and I managed to squeez a few minutes out of the camera's battery... Good update, right?

update #2: Bologna. Suitcase. Fresh Underwear. Alfa Romea 159 1.9 TurboDisel. And to top it all off - a belly full of Pizza Rustica (tomatoes, mozzarella, salsiccia , potatoes) . Goodnight :-).

Day 1

Ok. About three quarters of the first day have passed, and right up until about an hour ago I was about to give it a 2 out of 10. Since I had time to cool off a bit, I'd say the day is up to a 5.

I decided to not go into details here, no reason to bum anyone out; I'll just say that Alitalia left my luggage in Milano while I'm in Venice. In any case, I hope to get my stuff back by tomorrow morning, so no biggie.

Update: had pizza prosciutto and gelato. The day is officially ended as a 7.

Two videos and a site...

...to kick-start the morning!

1. A new trailer for the Simpsons' movie.
2. Highlights from the Pistons vs. Cavs playoff game.
3. I know cat-pictures site are a dime a dozen, and I even linked to two of them in past posts, but here's another one. All I have to say for myself is that they are possibly the greatest past-time on earth. God save the internet.

San Servolo #2

Let's begin on a side note. I just noticed I'm posting on a Thursday again, and I wonder If anyone ever researched the creative powers of a sunny Thursday morning. Obviously I'm speaking only for myself, but at the end of the week I tend to be more relaxed, because I'm safe in the knowledge that if I only make it through just a few more hours I'll have made it through another week. It is a well known fact that relaxation induces creativity*, so the connection seems quite clear, doesn't it?

Now, to the subject at hand. The trip to Italy is all planned out. I'll be in Italy for two weeks, starting from the 17th of June: the first four days I'll be with Linn (my coworker) at the conference, and the remaining 10 days I'll be joined by my friend Ohad. You can have a look at the schedule I've prepared, here (sorry - Hebrew).
We have already payed for the hotel in Bologna, the hotel in Rome, and the car we'll be driving. I was expecting to be most exited about the trip to San Lazzaro, but the mere thought of driving an Alfa for a week make makes me tingly all over...

For now, switching subjects again, I'll leave you with a clip that really speaks for itself. Some of you might have seen it already, because it really spread like wildfire for a while, but I don't care - watch it again, it's worth it.



____________________
*OK, I just made that up, but if there's anything I learned from watching the Colbert Report is that if something just feels right it is right it IS right. Evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or actual facts cannot be invoked to prove otherwise!

Thursday's "links-o-plenty"

OK, so no post for a month. All I can say is that I've spent a couple of weeks completing an art paper I got a 100 for, so time well spent.
Now, here's what I bookmarked so far, in hopes of everything becoming one coherent post:

1. Blur are reuniting. It seems that this summer they'll try to have a go at it, see if they can come out with something they can sell. I guess Graham Coxon's career didn't take off like Damon Albarn's...

2. This is just too ridiculous, I heard it on the Colbert Report and had to look it up. A Japanese company called "Toto", which is "Japan's leading toilet manufacturer" had a bit of a snafu with their latest Z-series of bidet accessories - they apparently can catch fire spontaneously. All I have to say is, that what made me really laugh was what the spokesperson had too say: "Fortunately nobody was using the toilets when the fire broke out ...the fire would have been just under your buttocks". That's just insightful.

3. Recently I've come across two new products that although seem very cool - I can't really see the point in them, no one can, for that matter. The first is a flashlight with an integrated cell phone. I can understand, maybe, an integrated camera (you know, for spying and whatnot), but this is just going a little too far. The second isn't really that far fetched, but still - it's a Tuscan TVR computer mouse. Oh, and by the way, if you are into novelty mice (and maybe into taxidermy) you might find this interesting: it's the real mouse mouse!

4. I saved the best for last. Since 1994, when I bought my first "FIFA soccer" game, there's been a constant voice in my life, and if you ever played any "EA sports" game you might have it too. Everyone I know tried at least once or twice to imitate it, you can't help it, but with this you'll be screaming "it's in the game" like a pro.

Portrait of a modern family

Yet again: Short #3

I found a post called "Most Awkward Interviews" (via digg).
All I'm gonna say is this: Tom Cruise is such a huge asshole, he really really is. As much as I love Jon Stewart (and that clip from 2004), if you can only watch one clip watch the one with Tom Cruise: if we all work hard enough to raise awareness, maybe one day everyone will acknowledge just how big of an asshole the dude really is.
You know what - here it is:

Rona Yekirati

Well, as you'll soon see, this post will be bilingual. I don't want to get into why I've been writing in English and not Hebrew – I have multiple reasons and I'm sure I'll get to them someday. What I would like to do is post a letter I wrote a few days ago to an Israeli singer-songwriter called Rona Keinan. Again, I know, it's in Hebrew. Most of you will appreciate having a break from the English, and those of you who won't – you'll just have to deal with it!

Now, before reading on, you have to keep in mind two important things: I might have embellished a bit (well maybe a lot) just so I could get the point across more clearly, and above all – it's a very personal letter, and though I'm not sure Rona will ever get what I sent I guess posting it here has its value, maybe she'll get here by Googling herself…

"רונה יקירתי,

מוזר לי לכתוב כאן, אבל היות והרגשתי שאני צריך לכתוב לך ולא מצאתי דרך יותר טובה, אז הנה...

ראשית ווידוי - אף פעם לא שמעתי שיר שלך עד לפני כמה ימים. אני לא אדם גלגל"צי ומרבית המוזיקה שאני סופג מגיעה מהמחלקה של המוסיקה "האלטרנטיבית" והעצמאית הלועזית. לפני כמה זמן שמעתי שיר שלך בגלי צהל בזמן שנסעתי באוטובוס, ולמרות שאחרי כמה דקות כבר הגעתי ליעדי, ואחרי כמה שעות יצאתי והגעתי הביתה, השיר לא עזב אותי. וזה לא הטריד כי ממש נהניתי מהשיר, "prison by the sea" זה היה. בקיצור, קניתי את הדיסק האחרון שלך יום למחרת.

אז למה אני כותב? אוף, זה קצת יותר מורכב ממה שציפיתי. אמשיך בכל זאת.

אמא שלי נפטרה לפני חצה שנה (אני לא מאמין שכבר עבר כל כך הרבה זמן). אבא שלי נשאר די מפורק מזה (היא הייתה בת 49, הוא בן 56) ואני די מנסה למלא את הוואקום שנוצר בבית, בעיקר בשביל שלאחותי עוד תהיה מסגרת שפויה לגדול בה (היא בת 17). מה שאני מנסה להגיד זה שכבר שישה חודשים אני מנסה למצוא כמה דקות מרגוע כדי לבכות בשקט, להתאבל בעצמי, ועד הבוקר לא מצאתי. כי זה לא כל כך פשוט לי – אני אדם שלא מסוגל לערב אנשים אחרים באבל שלו, השיבה שלנו הייתה חוויה שמחה כי לא הייתי מסוגל להיות עצוב כשכל הבית מלא באנשים שאני אוהב, ובכלל אני חושב שהייתי זקוק לזרז כלשהו שיגרום לי...לא יודע....

אבל הבוקר הזדמן לי להתחיל לשמוע את הדיסק: בו נגיד ש"נס" ממש ריגש אותי, לא כי המילים יותר מידי נגעו לליבי (בכל זאת, הייתי באמצע נהיגה והשעה 7:30 בבוקר) אלה אולי בגלל המנגינה הנוגה, אבל כשהפזמון של "עיניים זרות" נגמר, הייתי כבר בדמעות. עצרתי לרגע בצד ובכיתי במשך כמה דקות.

אני זוכר את השבת בו אמא שלי נפטרה, והרגע בו היא כבר לא הייתה שם, ואני עומד מול מה שנשאר ממנה, וחושב את מה שאת אומרת בשיר. ויכול להיות שאני לא מבין את השיר, שזה רק משהו פסיכוסומטי אצלי, מין שמיעה סלקטיבית, שגרמה לי להבין מה שרציתי להבין, ולא באמת מה שניסית להעביר. אבל עכשיו שהגעתי לעבודה, והשעה כבר 8:15, ויש לי כמה דקות כי הבוס בטח יגיע רק ב-9, אני כותב לך כדי לומר תודה. הייתי ממש זקוק לבכי הזה, שאחרי חצי שנה רק חיכה להזדמנות שלו.

אחרי כל דיסק שאני מחליט לקנות, אני בטוח שזה הדיסק הכי טוב שקניתי עד היום, אבל שלך מיוחד. באמת מיוחד. תודה."

"This post was NOT sponsored by Microsoft"

After having vented about Apple's latest dealings, and why I'm not going to buy anything they make for at least a while, I feel like now it's Sony's turn to feel the wrath of my crosshair.

Maybe I didn't buy a Sony audio receiver, or a Sony monitor, or a Sony CD deck. They could go on making money, I don't feel responsible, I did buy a walkman and a small boombox with their logo on it - for a kid thats a lot of money after all. And they had my respect, everybody's for that matter. You payed a lot but you knew you were getting your money's worth.
What I don't understand is how they could have gone soooo wrong so quickly. How could the same company invent such a revolutionary gadget like the walkman and then screw up so badly when implementing awful DRM schemes? How could the same company make something so utterly perfect like the PS2, and then produce such an expensive doorstop like the PS3.

I read an article on Wired a while ago, where they attributed a big chunk of the mess to the way Sony's R&D dept. was run: in the old days the dept. was comprised of small groups, sometimes individuals, competing against each other in creating the next big thing. Such was the way the PS1 was created, for example, and I think so did the PS2. So what happened? Paradigm shift - it seems competition is passé, and it's being replaced by collaboration. And Sony didn't make the switch and now they produced the aforementioned doorstop.

I don't know. Shouldn't there be more to it? Could it be that simple? I didn't only want a PS3, it's more than that, I wanted to want a PS3, maybe just because not wanting one means wanting an Xbox360. And now I'm screwed, because I want a 360, but I never wanted to want one.
I mean, Microsoft made it, you know, the only corporation in the history of capitalism to have horns and a red tail...

I guess I'm not the only one - have a look at this: