Hard to say I'm sorry

CSS, RSS and all I always wanted to know about the semantic web -and didn't know who to ask about!

That's what I'm on today. I've left aside TS2 for a while -yes, you heard right, just for a while- and I'm devoting my efforts to this other thing that I'm just beginning to discover. I was stuck to web 1.0, according to what I've been reading these days, so I must hop to web 2.0 if a want my websites to be cool. And I do.
I know I'm late far more frequently than I'd like to, but today I came across these articles:

• http://www.htmldog.com



• http://alistapart.com/authors/g/patrickgriffiths



• http://www.csszengarden.com/

and now I worship every word of them. They have deserved a root folder in my bookmarks, which is something extraordinary.
Well, don't take my word so literally! ;-P

Today's song

Goodbye Yellow Brick, by Elton John. And, no doubt, George Michael's duet with John in Don't let the sun go down on me.

Reasonably happy

There's a little paper craft back at school that I found several days ago at The Toy Maker. It consists of a Thanksgiving candy box with six Thank You coins. I though it was a nice paper craft for children to make and also for we, grown-ups. Just think about it -it sounds like the desert island question-, who would you give your six coins to? You've got only six, so you must choose most accurately six people -animals are admitted too, according to my very own rules- you would give one of your precious -and scant- coins.

What criteria would rule your gratitude? Would you give them out all in a while? Would you wait for one of those special occasions to give them out? Would you mind if your family and friends found out what you were doing? Would you exclude people who only occasionally did a favour to you? Material favours? Family or friends? Would you include your colleagues too?

Aren't you thinking how stupid these questions are? Why are we -you and me- wasting our time with this Thank You coins stuff? As far as I'm concerned this is a recurrent type of ideas coming to my mind when I'm extremely tired. My brain eludes to take charge of major ideas such as projects, commitments or whatever I'm supposed to respond to and easily sails away and meets these thoughts in its way. And then just lets them sail on by. And that's when I feel reasonably happy and at ease.

Whoa!!!

Last 48 hrs.: computer issues, made some snapshots for a web I had to absolutely revamp, held three different meetings within two hours, hurried home, webdesigned, cooked dinner, webdesigned, went to sleep, dreamt of webdesigning, gone to work, went shopping in a rush, drove home, thought about webdesigning, cooked lunch, webdesigned, back to work, gathered more materials for webdesign, welcomed my little dearest nephew, drove back home, prepared him a snack, welcomed my brother, took some family snapshots, waved my brother and nephew goodbye, webdesigned, made dinner... Whoa!!!

Shocked at the shaking -really

I came across this last Saturday by chance; I was just wandering around because of a terrible cold that left me useless for anything good. A small-fonted, streaking question shocked me and called my curiousity: Have you destroyed a paysite today? As I was reading I passed through very different moods - disbelief, astonishment, sadness, interest, then worry and a sense of injustice. I don't think I miss a feeling.

I must say that on Saturday and Sunday I cheated too, I confess. And now I'm not proud of it. At first I didn't understant the reach of it all. I though it was just a personal revenge against a specific person, which didn't seem very fair to me but, according to my Sat. and Sun. logs, I didn't care too much about.

Then, on Sunday afternoon I found this. Then I finally understood where Delphy wanted to get with his mission statement for MTS2. When I read it for the first time and even included a post there I wasn't aware of what it was all about. Now, after this weekend, after reading about LyricLee's story, Delphy's answers to The site that must not be named, the loss of talented people and good sites in the battle, ... -well, I guess I know better.

Even admitting that I took things from there -and at the risk that now both sides might ban me forever- I must say that I do not like the ways. Where does all that hate come from? How long has it been incubating within this community? Is it the myth of Cain and Abel once again? When calling names and insulting others appear in such a gratuitous, unfair way; when one attacks and mocks and bullies another with the help of a big group supporting in the back in his own terrain I think the reason is gone and other more toxic feelings come to the surface.

It's terribly sad for me to be aware that, for now, this community has split into two and, in the process, extremely talented people, respected for their abilities by all of us outstand now, not for their merits, but for having sided with one or other party.

I'm still quite confused by now, also because all this took place in front of my face -my screen- two or three months ago and I didn't notice it. But somehow I feel that despite the fact that I spent some hours this last weekend acting against somebody else's wishes one thing is clear to me now. People are free and so is artistic creation and personal taste. It's most disrespectful to insult a person simply because one doesn't like what he creates. Or because he has a high idea about himself. Or because he wants to be paid for his art. Simply don't buy. Don't visit that site. Don't promote him by talking for hours about him. Ignore them and give us all a proactive alternative: make better things yourself, and offer them for free. Yes, I insist. For free. I can't see the point of making such attacks taking advantage of a link on a site the main page of which shows a big 39.95 a month. Or maybe it's just kidding and -again- I'm missing a big part of the joke?

This is a big world and there must be things for all and for all tastes. Let everyone do as he likes, provided he doesn't harm another. The EULA says you can't be payed for modding? Let Maxis do what they should. That there's young players that can't afford a fee? Create those same contents yourself and offer them for free. Give positive alternatives and let the world spin.

As for me, I'm not going to pay for any modded or hacked item ever. Personally I think it's a very selfish way to thank a generous community which openly gave their tuts and knowledge for free. But I'm not proud of having taken some of them sneaking in a server and I don't feel like doing it again.

I don't know whether I'll refer to this again in future. But in case you're interested about this, I recommend you these two articles: Swinging on a star by Devilfish and The ways in which the sims community is completely insane by Liegenschonheit.

The gift

I came across http://www.orisinal.com by chance last week and I can't stop wondering how come there are so much talented people around there. I especially admire artistic, creative people who have good technical knowlegde and eventually create such a jewel as Orisinal is. I love it!

Untitled

Tough days, blank nights, uncertain future, commiting decisions...

Maybe the glimpse of a hope and a 'don't you dare wishing' ahead...

I'd like to be forgotten, unrecognizable, invisible...

I'd like to disappear and become one with nothing...

Seen shadows where there's plain light?

Back to the not-so-good old days

Monday. New Year. Back to work. I assume I am not part of those few gifted ones who don't have to keep a job to earn their living. In fact I'm not sure at all that there is a person enjoying that nowadays. The matter is I feel like a slave or like a thinking machine -and maybe here, the thinking issue-is where the problem lies. I'm absolutely selfish about that and despite I know I should be socially ashamed for what I'm going to state, I positively hate having to go to work. Ever. Even for a single second in my life. I don't like depending upon other's wishes, humour, fancies; I don't like renting part of my days to another's just for the sake of a full dish on my table. Yet that's how things are and I've got to put up with it.

Well, I had to say it.

Titles and moods

It's the most difficult thing for me, since the title catches the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega. And I'm usually very bad at foreseeing the end of all things from the beginning.
Anyway I liked the concept in this title since it expresses one of my fav moods -the way I feel when strolling along the seaside in a cloudy winter afternoon, just me and the salty smell of the splashing waves behind me...