Monthly Archives: June 2006

another reason why I love mac

Today I should reduce 73 pictures of size. Each one over 70% of its size. If someone has done that type of work, will agree with me that it is not fun, and really time consuming.

How ever, I know that Automator exits, and I have never use it until now. And in here, in public I want to say, THANKS MAC for Automator. It took me around 5 minutes to understand how does it work, and after try my first workflow, it worked, changing all those pictures in less than a minute. WOWOW!!!

Also for the hardcord programmers, I must say, that this is the first time that I see a programming tool that manage Objetcs in such intuitive way, against fools to reach a goal, and at the same time really powerful. Worth to see! And better to use it!

By coincidence, right now it is playing a new advertisement WIN vs MAC which is worth to see 😉

If you liked it, and want to watch more, select from the new ads from mac website, really good ones!

first_workflow.png

reading and writing.

On April 17th, I mentioned that some of my priorities into my “to do”  list are reading and improved my writing skills. However after exactly 2 months from that post I came to be aware of some obvious things, which actually I should have learned since elementary school:
– create a senseful strategy for reading, (into wide and deepness)
– understand what the author wants to say
– think and digest this information / knowledge,
– think again before writing,
– write thoughtful (and remember simple + short, it is beautiful!!!).

In addition, to develop our own thinking is challenging. As any other Art, I would attempt to say, because it requires discipline and to be constant in its practice. All these is harder than what I thought! Or it seems in the hurry to discover the world and its possibilities, or to survive in it, I had really forgotten some of the valuable basics.

On the other hand, I am quiet surprised to realized this too. Because being someone that had spent so many years in a diversity of educational systems, and that enjoys to learn, it has taking me over two decades to get at this point, which might only mean I am a good survivor into school systems (no sure if my ex-teachers would like to hear this). Or as any human being, we have different stages, plus there are so many things to learn and digest in our life, besides school, that we are only able to really understand any subject when we are ready for that (as in a ZPD ). In the mid time keep on being open and practice your skills. As in any game, be ready for your next turn.

still actualizing…

One thing that I love and enjoy a lot of game researchers, or of the people that is engage into games is: to sense some kind of energy of life and passion, which involves this topic and environment, and that it is spread all over, generating more energy. OK, I shouldn’t generalized on this, plus it is not exclusive of the “game world”, however I find it quite often in this “world” 😉

Which by the way remaind me to recommend a book that I am just finishing to read: FLOW from Csikszentmihalyi, quite interesting.

And from my virtual life, Kovacs shared me some time ago a though from an USA ex-president, which I admit I like and I feel to share it:
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
– John Calvin Coolidge

PS. Some days, as today, I confirm how much I like technology (seeing it as a complete neutral tool, that can be use for good or not good) . But this virtual world in general is amazing!!! all what you can do, discover, share…. wow!