© Foto: Ricard Ramon. Pieza de cerámica en la Bienal de Cerámica de Manises del año 2018.

Hoy abordo una pequeña reflexión sobre la necesidad de reivindicar los circuitos artísticos pequeños y locales, como una vía de trabajo natural de la educación artística y de las artes, para un verdadero desarrollo cultural accesible. La situación actual, no solo en el mundo del arte, sino también en todas las prácticas culturales, prioriza el éxito de unos pocos artistas escogidos por grupos de críticos y comisarios con poder mediático y apoyos institucionales, públicos o privados. Determinados artistas se han convertido en gurús de la creación y, sobre todo, en inversiones económicamente muy rentables destinadas a prestigiar la imagen de algunas instituciones o personas privilegiadas de amplio poder adquisitivo. Sin duda, el reconocimiento de algunos de esos trabajos es justificado en función de su calidad; eso no lo niego.

No obstante, mi posición crítica, profundamente antielitista, me convierte en un descreído de todo este sistema de intereses y juegos legítimos, pero criticables y con alternativas posibles. Frente al arte de grandes eventos, yo propongo que es hora de revalorizar el trabajo de toda una legión de hombres y mujeres artistas anónimas, por poco conocidos en el universo mediático institucional, y de aquellos que ni tan solo se consideran artistas.

Artistas que producen obra muy interesante a precios asequibles, y sobre todo razonables, que nos permiten tener acceso a obra de calidad y que están fuera de los grandes circuitos recurriendo a modestas galerías o buscando espacios y salas de centros culturales en los que exponer su obra. Creo que se debería reforzar el desarrollo y la consolidación de estos circuitos alternativos y no desdeñar la importancia que juegan estas salas, en ocasiones carentes de gestión, y siempre carentes de presupuesto, para el desarrollo y las posibilidades de estos artistas y del desarrollo cultural comunitario, en general. Pero no hay que desdeñar otro aspecto fundamental de estas salas, como eje vertebrador de la cultura local, demasiadas veces mal planteada y conducida y con enormes posibilidades educativas muy desaprovechadas.

Estas salas se convierten muchas veces en espacios de exhibición de artistas amateurs y aficionados locales, que por desgracia, la mayor parte de las veces, orientan su trabajo hacia la imitación de modelos culturales del arte de élite, dejando pasar la oportunidad de un desarrollo cultural propio y alternativo al de las altas esferas culturales, que resultaría mucho más enriquecedor.

Sin duda, estas salas, son un instrumento por explotar por parte de la educación artística que tiene en este público una oportunidad para orientarles en el desarrollo de culturas propias, que deben ser revalorizadas, evitando así el papel de puro reflejo social por pura imitación del arte consagrado.

#reflexiones #cultura #exposiciones #arte

Looking for special things inside

Listening to Superman by Five For Fighting this morning. The line 'I'm just a man in a silly red sheet' is really striking a chord.

We all have a lot on our shoulders. Sometimes, it's just our own baggage. The detritus of life and being an adult. Sometimes... it's more. That weight can also be a lot of other people's decisions and problems. Their responsibility becomes yours in the form of their well-being as counselor, teacher or caretaker.

Personally, I suck at it. And maybe you do too.

Did you grow up desiring to care for the emotional and spiritual well-being of others? With the exception of longing to be a parent, I’m guessing the answer is no. Wouldn’t you much rather just be a writer or an artist, dancer, or musician? Using those energies to exorcise your demons instead of caging them.

At heart, I’m guessing you are a ditch-digger. A button-pusher. A door-opener. Not the guy who tells others to lay down on the couch, but the guy who delivers the couch. Up 8 flights of tight, twisting stairs if needed. Like you though, in a moment of need, i can arise to any occasion.

The problem: people perceive that as ability.

And so the loads keep coming and the couch stays full and the needs never stop. Then one day, you're wearing the red cape and have the letter on your chest and you realize you're nothing but a damned imposter and you just can't do it anymore. You've given and given and given and given and given.

You are all given out.

More than an a bird and a plane. No longer able to symbolize the hero they all need. You can't carry them.., or really even ambulate, much less fly.

This is what burnout looks like.

If you drive a car long enough without maintaining it, you will find its components will progressively fail until the vehicle either no longer functions or it becomes a catastrophic liability. Think brake failure.

Burnout is like that.

A cursory examination says everything is fine. A catastrophic experience is only one intersection away.

You reach a point where you understand your function, but you just cannot do the thing you should be doing. You press yourself and where every other time you delivered, now you are just empty.

Take care of yourself. Listen to the warning signs. You aren't any good to anyone (especially yourself) if you let it go too far. And too far is where the walls exist. Very, very solid walls.

Though, it might be pretty good for the art.

A friend's words echo in my mind... 'schedule regular breaks and opportunities for refreshment or your body (and mind) will force it.’

men weren't made to live with clouds between their knees

#essay #confession #music

wrinkled pages

(Name: XXXXXX) – Status: Deceased Experiment #0003

Starting Observations: After being forcibly woken up with Excitas gas, the patient immediately proceeded to bite his own fingers. He failed to notice me until I tapped the glass of the containment chamber, approximately 10 seconds after they began. By the time that happened, ID0025 had already ripped off half his index and middle fingers. After the last experiment, this left the patient with only 5 remaining full fingers.

Experiment Procedure: The experiment proceeded as follows:

1. ID0025 was given a new experimental drug that enhanced his body’s ability to recover itself. The intention was to dissuade the patient from cannibalizing his own body.
   • Result: The patient started biting himself at an increased rate, matching the rate of recovery and eventually outpacing it. Though ID0025’s fingers all eventually recovered after an hour, it took only another hour for the patient to eat 5 of their own fingers again.
   • Conclusion: Even when it is futile, the patient will keep devouring their own body.
2. ID0025 was given a known drug that increased their body’s physical resistance. With this, I hope to stop the patient from being able to keep biting through his own flesh.
   • Result: The patient could not manage to keep tearing apart his own fingers. However, they kept trying. As the previous drug made their torn-apart fingers grow back, ID0025 began to sob uncontrollably while attempting to eat them before they could fully grow. After 30 minutes passed, only one cannibalized finger remained. The patient broke a few of his teeth while continuing their attempts. Eventually, all his fingers recovered.
3. After an hour with his fingers recovered, ID0025 began to repeatedly bash their head against the glass of the containment chamber until their skull cracked wide open. At that moment, ID0025 died.

Background Details: ID0025 was a runaway criminal who had strangled his wife to death a few years prior. The patient changed his name and performed an illegal operation on himself to change his appearance in hopes of escaping his previous life. One day, he approached me after repeated episodes of PTSD in which he felt himself strangling his wife at repeated intervals. The truth serum I gave him forced him to reveal everything, but I promised to keep everything a secret if they agreed to help me with experimental research in return. The procedure caused his fears to manifest, and ID0025 began to bite his own fingers in guilt for what he did.

Result: By extracting the memories from ID0025’s brain after his death, I have managed to fine-tune the potion I made to deal with violent urges. When dealing with thoughts of harming someone else, the brain will receive negative stimuli from watered-down versions of ID0025’s memory and hopefully prevent the person from acting on those thoughts.

Rabu entered the containment chamber and tapped the body of his subject with one of his feet, smiling down at him while crossing out the image of the patient on the page with red ink. Seeing people suffer saddened him. But they always seemed to be much more peaceful after dying. No longer could they act violently at others or themselves, no longer could they torment each other with words, no longer could they feel any form of pain. Instead, the only thing that was left was a comfortable silence that embraced them.

“Don’t worry,” Rabu knelt down in front of his patient, caressing his flesh with disregard for the blood that glued itself to his fur. “I’ll put your pain to good use. This will help a lot of people… You’ll live on in everyone’s mind.”

He stood up, not expecting a response from the deceased. Rabu turned around and left the containment chamber.

“I wish he didn’t die, though. I had a lot of experiments planned for him…”

This mask, these masks

Impermanent, I know

Limiting, comfortable

But I cannot stand idle

While everything burns

Cracks in the porcelain

This shade of me, shimmering

My crimson rage

Channeled into words

Perhaps I have time

Time before words become acts

Before this fiction is cast aside

And I die once more for my cause.

#poetry #writing

I'm on a train to London to give a talk on open-source scientific equipment at OpenUK London Meetup #19: Open Hardware this evening. Here are the slides for my talk:

Yo estaba recién empezando la universidad cuando falleció mi tío más cercano. Él no solo era hermano de mi padre, sino que se había casado con la hermana de mi madre, por lo que yo tengo un grupo de primos hermanos con exactamente mis mismos apellidos. No solo lo veía todos los fines de semana sino que viví en su casa algunos meses. Era además el dentista de toda la familia.

A pesar de esa cercanía, sin embargo, mi tío no era de las personas que daban besos o abrazos. Yo lo saludaba y me despedía siempre un poco distante porque no quería invadir su espacio personal y forzarlo a algo que sabía que no le salía natural. Por años fue siempre esa nuestra dinámica.

Hasta su última semana de vida, cuando lo visité en el hospital. Ya súper delgado y con muchos tubos en el cuerpo, al despedirme quise abrazarlo. Entonces le dije, tío, yo sé que tú no eres fan de los abrazos pero quisiera darte uno ahora. Él abrió los ojos con una cara de sorpresa total.

Yo pensé que el que no gustaba de abrazos eras tú, me dijo. Por eso no te daba nunca ninguno, por no incomodarte. Ahí estaba, veinte años de un malentendido, miles de abrazos perdidos.

Nos dimos un gran abrazo, el último, y aprendí que nunca debe uno asumir cosas y quedarse callado. Feliz aniversario tío, esas muelas que me curaste siguen ahí perfectas.

One time in middle school in PE when we had to run a mile, right at the start I tripped and got crushed by the rest of the kids and had the wind fully knocked out of me for the first time. While several other people came over to make sure I was okay including the teacher, I was desperately trying to breathe and I could not. I didn't know what was happening but I thought that in that moment something happened to my lung and I would die, I have no clue how I could possibly breathe like that. I was struggling to get air for what was about a minute but felt like forever, but then slowly I was able to breathe a little bit more and more. Soon enough I was completely back to normal aside from the fear of what had happened, but I of course fully recovered. In that moment I didn't know how I could possibly get better but in just a little bit of time it works itself out and you continue surviving.

A momentary glimpse of the divine

Burning me to my core

Wonder replacing skepticism

Tentative hope supplanting despair

Where are you now, my goddess

Was my joy mere imagination

Or is your existence something more?

#poetry #writing

Prayers, etc.: * 05:00 – Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel * 06:00 – praying The Angelus * 06:40 – praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, followed by the Memorare * 10:30 – Thought for today from Archbishop Lefebvre: Vocal prayer is what we can do just ourselves, like the recitation of the rosary or of various prayers which we can say at home. It can be individual or in community. It moves us to interior devotion. It renders to God His due, because the body takes part, as well. It is normal that the body participate in prayer. Vocal prayer is in a way the overflowing of devotion, with devotion being the interior aspect, vocal prayer being the external aspect. So vocal prayer can and should increase our devotion. * 11:45 – Praying to Atone for Rome's 2025 Jubilee Mascot * 12:00 – praying The Angelus * 13:15 – Readings from today's Mass include – Epistle: Rev 21:2-5; Gospel: Luke 19:1-10. * 16:00 – prayerfully reading The Athanasian Creed, followed by today's Daily Meditation found in Benedictus Magazine. * 18:00 – praying The Angelus * 20:10 – praying the hour of Compline for tonight according to the Traditional Pre-Vatican II Divine Office, followed by Fr. Chad Ripperger's Prayer of Command to protect my family, my sons, my daughter and her family, my granddaughters and their families, my great grandchildren, and everyone for whom I have responsibility from any demonic activity. – And that followed by the Monday Prayers of the Association of the Auxilium Christianorum.

Health Metrics: * bw= 215.06 lbs * bp= 145/81 (67)

Diet: * 06:30 – toast&butter, mashed potatoes * 09:40 – garden salad * 10:20 – cheese * 12:45 – lasagna * 17:00 – 1 ice cream sandwich

Chores, etc.: * 05:50 – bank accounts activity monitored * 09:35 – start my weekly laundry * 12:30 – watch old game shows and eat lunch at home with Sylvia * 14:15 – fold and put away laundry * 15:10 – watching women's college basketball, Le Moyne vs Illinois *16:30 – follow news reports from various sources * 19:15 – listening to the Cowboys vs Texans NFL Game

Chess: * 09:55 – moved in all pending CC games

posted Monday, 2024-11-18 ~20:20 #DLNOV2024

Winding down a pretty good Monday. I handled the regular Monday chores without any hassle: hauled the brown trash bin out to the curb for collection, then back to the backyard after, and; got my weekly laundry done, two loads through the machines then folded, hung up and put away.

Caught a women's college basketball game this afternoon, and I'm listening to the Monday Night Football Game now, Houston Texans vs Dallas Cowboys.

posted Monday, Nov 18, 2024 at ~7:50 PM #QNNOV2024

This went out yesterday as issue 19 of The Angelo Report, a weekly newsletter published every Sunday afternoon.

The lease is almost up on my 2021 Mazda3 Sport hatchback, so I’ve been shopping for a new car.

One vehicle that piqued my interest was Toyota’s Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid that now has both enough power and pizzazz to merit a look. In Quebec, it qualifies for $7500 in combined federal and provincial rebates, making it almost affordable, too.

(Side note: what happened to small, affordable vehicles in North America?)

The Prius is hard to get — I’ve heard of delays of at least six months, and as much as over a year. But I spoke with a dealer near me that had a used 2023 Prius available to test, which would allow for a close-enough comparison. I made the appointment for a test drive, showed up, and waited fifteen minutes only to find out… the car wasn’t there.

The rep called me back the next day to ask me how the test drive went. You can imagine how that conversation went, and it pretty much ended as you might expect: a big shrug and a half-hearted apology for my experience.

Interestingly enough, the call came through as I was heading out the door to test drive a new Impreza at my local Subaru dealer. There, I received a warm welcome, was given the keys to take the car out for as long as I wanted, and zero pressure to do anything beyond think about my experience.

(Side note 2: I hate to admit it, but the best test drive experience I’ve had so far has been at Tesla, where everything was handled through a web form, the car had a pre-programmed route I could follow to experience its handling on all manner of Montreal roads, and then a long conversation to answer any questions we might have.)

I’m not especially interested in trying to find another dealer for the Prius test drive. The experience really soured me on the brand, and right now I’m strongly leaning towards the Impreza.

I think we can all point to two companies in the same industry that offer vastly different experiences. In my own experience, there’s Air Canada vs Porter, The Bay vs Simons, Dell vs Apple… and the list goes on. One company has an almost adversarial relationship with its customers, and the other strives to make the experience special.

When I checked into a Fairmont hotel in September, my birth month, there was a small serving of macarons and a birthday card waiting for me in my room. I hadn’t mentioned anything about it when I made the reservation; the team saw that my birthday was coming up in a few days, and surprised me with it. This is hospitality.

When I pulled into the parking lot of an independent garage one morning to get some work done on my old Civic, the manager greeted me by name; I suspect he looked up my license plate as I parked and saw I’d had an oil change done a year earlier. This is hospitality.

In the end, every business is a hospitality business, but only a few of them know it.

Around The Web

• We’re tiring of algorithmic recommendations —which are almost always wrong, at least in my experience— and instead moving towards (online) human recommendations.
• This week’s episode of Raging Moderates featured an introspective conversation on some of the reasons behind the results of last week’s U.S. election.

Thought Of The Week

I’m so tired. That’s it. That’s the thought.

I hope you’re doing okay.

🐉 I was recently invited to join an in-person Dungeons & Dragons campaign—using real paper character sheets and dice! We've just had our Session Zero and started creating our characters, and I am absolutely thrilled.

What’s funny is that even as an adult, this is my first time playing D&D in person, rolling actual dice. While I’m familiar with some of the D&D lore—I’ve read books and understand the basics like creating characters, the six core abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma), proficiency points, modifiers, armor classes, skill checks, and saving throws—I’ve never had the opportunity to experience the game “old school” with pen, paper, and dice.

When I was a teenager, I thought D&D was the coolest thing ever. I desperately wanted to play, but I grew up with a very sheltered upbringing. My parents wouldn’t allow me to go to friends’ houses, let alone join a group to play. Sleepovers? Never.

And back in the '90s, especially in Brazil, D&D groups were pretty much a boys’ club. That made it even harder for me to join any in-person games. My parents definitely wouldn’t have approved of me playing with a group of boys.

But thankfully, there was the Internet! I discovered MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons), text-based online games powered by imagination and simple commands. Many of them were inspired by D&D and were the precursors to today’s MMORPGs.

That’s how I started playing a MUD called Realms of Despair (which is still active to this day!!). I played for years and loved it! I made online friends, and we joined forces to go on quests and adventures. The community back then was incredibly supportive and respectful. It was entirely anonymous, which made me feel safe, and I had so much fun developing my characters. It was also one of the ways I kept practicing English in Brazil (reading and writing a lot!).

Later, I dove into D&D-inspired video game series like:

• Neverwinter Nights
• Baldur’s Gate
• Temple of Elemental Evil
• Dragon Age

I’ve replayed these games countless times, creating new characters with different classes and species each time.

Interestingly, my partner—the love of my life—is also a D&D fan! We met at university, and he was the first person I could openly nerd out about D&D with. We exchanged gamebooks like The Shamutanti Hills by Steve Jackson, which are single-player role-playing adventures where you make choices that affect the story’s outcome. They’re super fun!

Ironically, though, I’ve never played D&D with my partner. He had his own group of childhood friends, and their sessions were always full. Then, adult life made it even harder to find time or a group to play with. So, I stuck to my video games, D&D novels, and sharing my love for the game with him.

And now, after all these years, I’m finally playing D&D for real!

Our group has seven members: me, my partner, three friends from work (one of whom is the Dungeon Master), and two new friends who know the DM.

That’s it—just a little tale about my long journey with Dungeons & Dragons. 😊

—-

Post 56/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Day #DnD #NoisyMusings

#001999 – 17 de Novembro de 2024

Do Soajo até Lindoso. Etapa em pleno Verão de São Martinho. Joelhos refrescados pela água gelada de um riacho, depois de muitos quilómetros.

#001998 – 16 de Novembro de 2024

De Adrão até ao Soajo, quinze quilómetros de monte.

Okay so writing everyday seems like a really good thing. And this platform seems to capture the vibe I’m looking for — I basically want an actual blog that’s as easy and low-friction as Twitter. I don’t want to build and/or host it myself, and I don’t want all the bells and whistles you get with eg Medium or Wordpress. I just want to be able to type words (on my phone or on my computer) and then post them on the internet. This seems to do that really well.

Anyway, today I’ve been hard at work concocting renovatebot config that tries to balance timely upgrades with minimal pull request noise. And can play ball with our private CodeArtifact repos. I’m very excited about where this is going to — once it bakes a bit in our testbed repos I’m going to roll it out org wide and see what happens (and start farming for feedback).