The Blog of Thoth

Reading Update

2011-05-11T07:17:00.005-04:00

What have I been reading lately?

ANIME ThunderCats for Trailer 2011

2011-02-27T10:59:00.002-04:00

Thundercats was such a huge part of my childhood that when I saw this I was both super excited and full of dread. It looks different and I have to remind myself that the original series although an American show had a lot of anime influences (just check out that old intro) so this is a natural progression on that genre. And you know what it looks amazing. Can't wait to watch it.

Eagle Watching

2011-02-07T16:54:00.001-04:00

Bald Eagle
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Took Ami to see the Bald Eagles in Pembroke Pines and it turned into a lesson is DDT and Wildlife Conservation.

Cardinal

2011-01-16T10:18:00.001-04:00

Cardinal 2
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Got some great pictures of a cardinal this morning. A male and a female were darting around the bushes by where I run and I went back in the house and grabbed the camera. The female didn't stay still enough for me to capture her but I got a few good shots of the (more vividly red) male.

Fossil genome reveals ancestral link

2010-12-23T12:24:00.003-04:00

A distant cousin raises questions about human origins.

The ice-age world is starting to look cosmopolitan. While Neanderthals held sway in Europe and modern humans were beginning to populate the globe, another ancient human relative lived in Asia, according to a genome sequence recovered from a finger bone in a cave in southern Siberia. A comparative analysis of the genome with those of modern humans suggests that a trace of this poorly understood strand of hominin lineage survives today, but only in the genes of some Papuans and Pacific islanders.
More here: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101222/full/4681012a.html
And Discovery News: http://news.discovery.com/human/human-ancestor-bred-neanderthals-siberia-101222.html

Consider Phlebas

2010-12-15T18:45:00.006-04:00

Okay, I finally got my hands on a copy of Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks and enjoyed it immensely. The story is great, lots of really cool bits and despite the large size of the volume, it's all very fast paced. I love the ambiguity of it all. My one gripe: Most of the characters are total assholes. I found the snippy little robot to be the most likable character.

More on Human-Neanderthal Hybridization

2010-10-27T07:29:00.004-04:00

Just read two articles concerning Human-Neanderthal hybridization.

The first was in Discovery News about remains they've found in China with a mix of baseline human and neanderthal features.

The second more amusing article in Scientific American is about Ozzy Osbourne's genomes containing Neanderthal hints of DNA.

House of Suns

2010-10-25T15:32:00.009-04:00

Can't read as much as I used to and my book queue is getting longer. I was going to start Consider Phlebas but someone checked it out the second it hit the shelf... Bastards!

I loved Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space series so when my library got House of Suns, I jumped on it. I'm so glad I picked this up. What a fantastic read. It is one of my new favorites.

The characters are all interesting, likeable and real people (yeah, even the robots.) and the ideas and adventure are just massive, on insane timescales. I loved it and I want more.

I finished the first draft of my Man-Kzin story and I'm pretty proud of how it came out. What a fun universe to play in.

Sheathclaws

2010-10-06T07:01:00.007-04:00

Just when I thought I was done with Larry Niven and his Known Space universe, I managed to track down his short story, Fly-by-Night, highlighting the planet Sheathclaws. whose scant mentions teased me while reading Ringworld's Children.

The Kzin tend to be pretty one dimensional, like the Klingons in Star Trek, but the titular character, Fly-by-Night, is totally rounded and interesting. A latent(?) Kzin telepath born and raised on a remote planet where humans and Kzin live in peace (and play video games and go hand gliding) have given him the best of both worlds. He's got all the temper and cultural quirks of a Kzintosh, but he cracks jokes and sips cappuccinos. My one gripe with this story is the poor handling of population genetics (which Niven treats well in the Ringworld series) I mean Sheathclaws was populated by one male Kzin and six females (the humans are out of the equation because they can't interbreed), seven individuals does not make a viable population! A few generations of inbreeding would give Fly-by-Night all sorts of health problems. Trust me, as a Floridian, I'm all too aware of what a tiny population can do to big cats! It would've been easier if instead of picking up a Jotoki slave on Fafnir, Fly-by-Night would've been trying to either pick up more females or adopt young Kzinti to boost the gene pool on Sheathclaws and then transport them aboard Odysseus frozen like Shaffer's family.

Anyway, far from sating my curiosity about Sheathclaws this story has made me want to read more about this damned boondocks planet! I found out this is sort of a sequel to Hal Colebatch's Telepath's Dance, which deals with Fly-by-Night's ancestor Shadow and the events that led to the founding of this odd world. So I'll probably track that down, but seriously Larry Niven and Hal Colebatch should get together and write a novel exploring this weird corner of Known Space a little further. It's much too cool to go to waste.

Update!

I finally got to read the superb Telepath's Dance and it has inspired me to write a Man-Kzin story of my own. Should be fun.

Ringworld Series

2010-10-02T08:18:00.006-04:00

Just finished Larry Niven's Ringworld series and I enjoyed most of it quite a lot. The two high points for me were Ringworld Engineers and Ringworld's Children (the latter being my favorite). I beleive both these books did the best job of forwarding the mythos while telling complete and interesting stories. The third book The Ringworld Throne was disappointing and the main characters are reduced to minor roles and the book becomes way too concerned with rishathra (inter-species sex). Over all, a fun read and I loved Niven's huge brilliant ideas. Also, even though he's not given any credit for 3D characters, I grew to love Louis Wu. He's the most un-action hero protagonist I've ever read. His passive role is almost zen-like and over the course of the series it makes you wonder if isn't him, and not Teela Brown, that's been bred for luck.

I have to also mention that as much as I like the Kzin (humanoid warrior tigers from space) the Perison's Puppeteers have to be the most original alien species I've come across in fiction.

I'm really glad I visited Nevin's classic Known Space Universe through the Ringworld series and although I probably won't track down and read every book and short story set in this vast and complex universe... I've been left intrigued by mentions of the planet Sheathclaws, a colony of human and Kinti telepaths. So if I find a novel or short story showcasing this world I'll definitely pick it up.

Exo-Planet found in Habitable Zone

2010-09-30T06:28:00.006-04:00

This is amazing (if not totally unexpected) it seems like the first Earth-like planet orbiting within the cushy Goldilocks zone has been spotted. I know that at the moment we have no telescopes that can see it or probes that can make the 20 light year trip over there, but I would love to get a glimpse of Gliese 581g.

Here are some links:

Space.com: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/earth-like-exoplanet-possibly-habitable-100929.html

msnbc.com: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/29/5202633-alien-planet-looks-just-right-for-life

Discovery.com: http://news.discovery.com/space/earth-like-planet-life.html

updated!

Here's a cool interview with discoverer Steve Vogt:

http://io9.com/5653433/the-astrophysicist-who-discovered-zarmina-describes-life-on-second-earth

I'm 32!

2010-09-27T23:28:00.001-04:00

I turned 32 today! Man, time is going by so fast. Basically I spent all weekend eating and celebrating my birthday... having a huge breakfast at Cracker Barrel, devouring burgers at Fudrucker's Saturday. Marge's mom made some awesome tacos on Sunday.

I got an external hard drive for all my pictures and DVD boxsets of Fringe and Big Bang Theory... all I need now it time to watch them.

Family Portrait

2010-09-07T07:40:00.004-04:00

We finally caved and decided to get one of those cheesy family portraits done at the JCPenny Studio, which turned out really well, the photographer was really nice and patient (since Sophie wasn't having any of it) and the pics came out great. It's nice to have pictures of the three of us. Usually one of us is missing cause we're taking the pic.

Sophie's Baptism

2010-09-06T07:36:00.000-04:00

Baptism
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

I'm not particularly religious but Marge is and there was no doubt that Sophie was going to be Baptized Catholic. I really liked the ceremony though and she behaved absolutely wonderful. (We thought she was going to wail the whole time like Damien in the Omen.)

Sophie at 6 Months

2010-08-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

first words
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Sophie's been very talkative lately saying mama and dada a lot. Also, went to the doctor yesterday and she's 18.12 lbs. and 27 ½ inches long.

Quinces!

2010-08-27T23:30:00.001-04:00

Alex dancing with Lauren
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Who would've thought I'd be dancing 15s in my 30s! Still, I had a great time drinking mojitos and hanging out with my cousins... any excuse to bring the family together is a good one. The 15s itself turned out awesome. Loved the Cuban theme!

Family History

2010-08-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

I've been working on a digital scrapbook for my parents and I found this old photo of my great grandfather from the turn of the century (last century). Jose Ignacio Hernandez was the son of Canary Islander immigrants (Jose Antonio Hernandez and Encarnacion De la Nuez) who died in an ambush during the war for Cuba's independence. A relative of mine in Texas still has his war machetes!

I was also able to go back one more generation and get Jose Ignacio's grandparent's names (my great great great parents): Jose Sebastian Hernandez and Isabel Rodriguez Guerra.

9 years

2010-08-23T06:55:00.001-04:00

al & mai
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Today Marge and I celebrate 9 years together. (2 and a half married) and it's been awesome... here's to 9 more years.

General Update

2010-08-01T20:39:00.004-04:00

Man, I haven't had time for anything geeky now that Sophie is much more active and demanding 100% of our attention. I haven't been able to see any TV and only 2 movies. I have been able to read though (usually at 6:30 am before she wakes up) because it's quiet and I can do it in short sessions (10 pages here, 5 pages there).

So far I've read: Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, Larry Niven's Legacy of Heorot and I just started Larry Niven's Ringworld.

When I get done with Ringworld I'm going to hunt down and read Iain M. Banks' Consider Phlebas, which I heard was really worth the read.

My 1st Father's Day!

2010-06-21T20:44:00.001-04:00

Geek Dad
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

What a great day. Ate way too much though... still digesting.

SpaceX does it!

2010-06-04T19:41:00.000-04:00

So glad SpaceX was able to successfully launch the Falcon 9. Can't wait for them to get Dragon up there later this year.

I really do think this is the turning point for human space activity... These are the guys that will get us off this rock!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37509776/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Fringe is my new favorite show

2010-05-23T11:37:00.006-04:00

It's funny because when it started I gave it a 5 episode try and dismissed it as your sub-par police procedural show (a la C.S.I. & Bones) with a slight sci-fi bent. Every episode followed the same predictable format: There's an unexplainable crime, Walter rambles something cryptic, Peter applies snark, Olivia asks stupid questions, then Peter puts his bullshit aside and decodes his father's insane drivel and they all solve the case. I tuned out and never looked back.

But due to the constant claims from people who know me that I should watch the show and that I would love it, I bought the box set and watched the whole first season and though my assessment for the first half of the season remains intact I admit it got a whole lot better. I think they shed their new show timidity (and their C.S.I. veneer) and embraced their X-Files heritage. This show, along with Lost and Battlestar Galactica (both now over) is great sci-fi for adults. I can't wait to watch season two. Here's hoping they don't drop the ball.

Marge's First Mother's Day

2010-05-10T07:42:00.003-04:00

Sophie & Mai
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Wow, a year ago we weren't really thinking about being parents and yesterday we celebrated our first Mother's Day. We all had a nice time of course Sophie stole the show (as it should be) and all her grandparent and great grandmother jockeyed to hold her.

Can't wait for my first Father's Day.

I'm a Hybrid

2010-04-28T15:20:00.010-04:00

Just read the article: Neanderthals may have interbred with humans over at nature.com which simultaneously blew me away and confirmed what I've always thought. Here's an excerpt:

The researchers arrived at that conclusion by studying genetic data from 1,983 individuals from 99 populations in Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Sarah Joyce, a doctoral student working with Long, analyzed 614 microsatellite positions, which are sections of the genome that can be used like fingerprints. She then created an evolutionary tree to explain the observed genetic variation in microsatellites. The best way to explain that variation was if there were two periods of interbreeding between humans and an archaic species, such as Homo neanderthalensis or H. heidelbergensis.
"This is not what we expected to find," says Long.

So Africans are the only true Homo sapiens and everyone else is a mutt? I admit I am not an anthropologist or a geneticist so forgive my pseudo-scientific ramblings here, but this makes total sense to me. Europeans and Asians have been out of Africa for only a relatively short time (50,000 - 100,000 years) which to me isn't enough time to develop all the drastic physical differences between them. But if they hybridized with these other humans who had a lot longer to developed these different traits and then selected for them it makes more sense.

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100420/full/news.2010.194.html

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/04/early-humans-may-have-bred-wit.html

Update: The newly sequenced Neanderthal genome confirms the above. People of European and Asian descent have from 1 to 4 percent Neanderthal DNA.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/06/2295639.aspx

http://news.discovery.com/human/neanderthal-human-interbreed-dna.html

Barry Allen or Wally West?

2010-04-18T21:04:00.007-04:00

I was recently asked which was my favorite Flash and I instantly said, Wally West. Not that Jay Garrick doesn't have any die-hard fans out there, but Flash fans pretty much split into two camps: Team Barry and Team Wally.

Why did I pick Wally without a second thought? Two reasons:

1) Wally is a much more interesting character. Bare with me here... I see Barry Allen as a Jesus Christ figure, he was pure and perfect from the get go and the best thing he did was sacrifice himself to save us. Wally West is more of a Buddha figure. He's not perfect. In fact, in the beginning, he's a bit of a brat. He has to work to better himself and he tries different things and different paths. After he attains enlightenment by entering the speed force, he uses he new understanding to continue helping humanity. Both stories are great, but Wally is more relateable a character (to me anyways.)

2) Wally and I have grown up together. Wally went from Kid Flash to Flash around the time I was in middle school. He grew into the role of the Flash and became the best Flash while I was in college. He got married and had kids around the time I did. So if I seem biased it's cause I've spent more time with Wally West over the years.

New Space Vision

2010-04-17T08:37:00.007-04:00

On Thursday Obama spoke about his new space vision. I'm not going to go into it cause it's been all over the web for the past three days, but if you've read some of my other space-related posts you'll know I totally agree with it.

Let the private companies deal with shuttling people to and from low Earth orbit and let the big government funds take us to more distant locations. Will it work? Probably not, but we know the old way wasn't working cause we haven't gone anywhere in some 30 years. At least this has a chance.

If it works, I envision privately built ships taking us to privately built stations and bases in orbit and on the moon with NASA ships exploring asteroids and Mars and other far-off targets. If it doesn't work we'll be exactly where we are now so no harm no foul.

Some links:
http://www.space.com/news/obama-speech-nasa-plans-reaction-100415.html

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/04/15/2271747.aspx

Sleeping Through the Night!

2010-03-21T08:44:00.001-04:00

Sleeping
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Okay, Sophie's a bit older than a month now and she's slept through the night (in her own crib) for two nights in a row. This is a major milestone for us. I hope this is a new trend. If it is, the worst part's over. Woo!

Nocturnal Baby Log, Stardate: -313148.85

2010-02-24T09:08:00.001-04:00

Our little fam
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Baby Sophie is officially one week old and she had her first away mission around the block.

We seem to have worked out a system to control the baby at night with Marge and I taking turns and allowing us each to get small amounts of sleep. We don't know if this will work tomorrow night as we've had such systems before only to fail the following night... the baby is like the Borg. She constantly adapts to our defenses.

Finally got to meet Sophie!

2010-02-18T12:42:00.005-04:00

Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Born: Feb. 16th (Fat Tuesday) at 4:30 p.m.
Weight: 7 lbs. 8 oz.
Length: 20 1/2 inches
Sign: Aquarius/Tiger

Name meaning:
Sophie: Wisdom
Aden: Little flame
Hernandez: Bold voyager

She has Marge's hair and eyes and my complexion and mouth (supposedly) and a baby button nose which will only last her til her teens if her genes have anything to say about it.

Right now, Marge and I are beat, but we're getting ready to bring her home.

This is it...

2010-02-15T21:24:00.000-04:00

Alex & Mai
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

We're approaching the home stretch! Any day now Sophie will be born. I thought I'd be more nervous, but really at this point, I just want her to come out so we can meet her. She's due Thursday (the 18th), but I don't think Marge is going to last that long before popping.

Next post will hopefully include a pic of Sophie.

2010 - 24 Stories Challenge!

2010-01-28T08:04:00.005-04:00

At the beginning of the year I set myself the challenge of writing two strange short stories a month and put them on my new blog Ibis Ink. Since this is just a fun exercise and I won't even try to publish, I can crank them out. Don't know if I'm going to be able to keep this up once the baby is born but if all goes according the plan I should have 24 tales at the end of the year.

Patternist Series

2010-01-09T06:40:00.005-04:00

I'm a big fan of Octavia Butler and I loved her Xenogenesis Trilogy, which I read reprinted at Lilith's Brood a few years back. So after overdosing on the wonderful Hanish Cycle novels I wanted something different but I was still hankering her good old sci-fi that dealt with social issues. I picked up the Patternist Series (collected in Seed to Harvest) and really enjoyed it, especially the brilliant first half composed of Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind.

If you've never read Octavia Butler, I highly recommend her work. Xenogenesis is just awesome and Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind are must reads. My wife also recommends Kindred and Fledgling.

Anyone read her Parable series? How was it?

Vizcaya

2010-01-01T08:48:00.002-04:00

Mai
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

On the last day of 2009, Marge and I went to take pictures at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. It basically turned into a Marge photo shoot with us trying to do new and interesting things with her scarf.

The First Decade of the 21st Century

2009-12-30T08:15:00.005-04:00

I've been reading a lot of "Best of the Decade" lists as the 2000s come to a close and I figured I should make my own. So in order of cause-and-effect:

1. Travel! In the past 10 years I've been to England, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Mexico, and Belize and New York (twice)!

2. Marge! We met on our trip to England, which is probably the best thing that's happened to me this decade...

3. Moved out! Getting out of my parents' house was pretty defining. Although it was tough at times (trying to make rent with very little money) it did allow me to grow up and become a tad more responsible.

4. Marge and I got our own place! Not that rooming with Louis wasn't fun, but getting our own place is more satisfying.

5. Marriage! After 5 years of dating I proposed and a year later we were married. Has been great since.

6. Librarian! After flopping around for a few years after getting my bachelors. I finally stumbled into my ideal career, so I got a Masters in Library and Information Science.

7. Got a new car! All my previous cars were clunkers held together with gum and string and would overheat the second I left Hialeah.... My library job allowed me to get a 2009 Toyota Matrix.

8. Pregnant! Found out Marge was pregnant, which was great and scary all at once.

9. It's a girl! The second our Schrödinger's Fetus became a girl the prospect of fatherhood became more real.

10. Alan got married! Who would've thought? Really happy for him though so it's going on my list.

Avatar was Awesome

2009-12-20T22:08:00.005-04:00

Just saw Avatar and I loved the movie. Sure it may have the plot of FernGully... but it was incredibly fun.

James Cameron was never a brilliant writer. What he is is a brilliant fucking director who uses cutting-edge technology to make mind blowing action movies. We've all seen Avatar before... we've just never seen it like this!

It's Pocahontas and Last of the Mochicans for sure... but it's also Star Wars, and Tarzan, and Braveheart, and Jurassic Park and Battle Tech, and Thundercats!

James Cameron doesn't just borrow from all these stories... he steals them and makes them his own. That's why I loved Avatar because it was all the movies I've ever loved rolled up in one big beautiful package.

Also the science in this sci-fi flick is top notch... Cameron really did his homework.

Bald Eagle in Pembroke Pines

2009-12-17T11:49:00.001-04:00

Bald Eagle
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

After months of stalking the nest and bad timing, I finally got a pic of one of the Pembroke Pines Bald Eagles. This is the female and she's about to lay eggs any day now.

Rendezvous with Rama Would Make a Great TV Series

2009-12-14T09:27:00.007-04:00

I'm currently reading Rendezvous with Rama and I'm struck with how modern the writing style feels. It's funny, most of the time when I read a good book I think of it as a movie or wonder how a film adaptation would look, but this... this feels like Lost. Probably because it's about regular people thrown into a completely alien environment and having to adjust to survive.

I know the Wikipedia article says David Fincher was attached to a Rama movie that may or may not be made and I'm sure it would be great, but I would love to see what someone like J.J. Abrams or Ron Moore or Joss Whedon would do with a Rama TV show, where they would have time to slowly build on the characters and the mysteries week after week. If the Syfy Channel ever decides to cancle it's joyless and uninteresting Stargate: Universe I hope they try to produce a Rama series.

Sophie's Baby Shower

2009-12-06T11:40:00.003-04:00

Alex & Mai
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

We had Sophie's baby shower at Perricone's Market Place and Cafe this Saturday and it went without a hitch, great location, great food and fun games. It was really nice to celebrate Sophie's arrival with family.

Hialeah Park Grand Reopening!

2009-11-29T08:48:00.004-04:00

Quarter Horses
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

After 10 years of ruins the old Hialeah Park Racetrack is finally reopened to the public this Saturday and the place was packed with nostalgic and curious visitors. This might sound cheesy but it sort of filled me with pride. El Hipodromo was such a big part of my life growing up in Hialeah, not that we would go there that often, but it was always present. Although people would bash other aspects of the city, Hialeah Park was always spoken of with pride. It was our Vizcaya.

I went a few months ago when it was still in poor shape (see pics here) and the difference was palpable. I've got to give it to the people who resuscitated the old place... they did a fantastic job in a really short time.

My one suggestion to the owner and the City of Hialeah is that they create another entrance to the place, maybe on Palm Ave. One entrance just doesn't accommodate the number of visitors and is the source of bottlenecks and aggravation.

Hainish Cycle

2009-11-28T10:16:00.006-04:00

Recently I've been reading Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish novels and I'm really enjoying them. I don't know what moved me to pick them up, but I had a similar reading frenzy a few years ago where I read all of Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Robot novels in rapid succession.

The novels aren't really a series in that the story doesn't flow seamlessly between them. They're more like separate books set in the same universe. The stories are very sparse on the hard science fiction ideas, but each novel is full of great social commentary, which reminds me of the Star Trek episodes that were supposed to be allegories for the issues of the time. I wish I could say that the issues it deals with (i.e. race, sexuality, politics) are quaint and outdated, but unfortunately they remain current.

So far I've read Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions, and The Dispossessed. I still have The Left Hand of Darkness, The Word for World is Forest, Four Ways to Forgiveness, The Telling and a few short stories to go. Exile and Dispossessed being my favorite so far. I'll post more as I read more.

Life on Mars

2009-11-26T13:16:00.009-04:00

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Martian meteorite surrenders new secrets of possible life

This is fantastic news. Ever since they discovered the bacteria-like remains in this Martian rock I knew it had to be alien life from Mars' wetter past. I'm really glad that continued scrutiny has strengthened the evidence. For me this bring up two questions.

1) Is there still life on Mars today... maybe deep in underground caves? Life, especially bacterial life, is almost impossible to get rid of. Even LYSOL only kills 99.9% of germs and that surviving .1% will multiply. If life evolved on Mars, it's probably still clinging there.

2) Are we descended from this Martian life? We know bacteria have these magnetite crystals. Bees, fish and birds also use magnetite to navigate and we humans have magnetite in our brains. So do we all spring from these tiny Martians that traveled here millions of years ago on rocks?

Can't wait to learn more!

Update! Here are a few links provided by Alan Boyle's Cosmic Log:

Times Online (quotes McKay plus peer reviewer saying it's not a "smoking gun." Amen to that.)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/
news/science/space/article6934078.ece

Scientific American (quotes Colin Pillinger of Beagle 2 fame)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?
id=ancient-martians-were-carried-to-ea-2009-11

Research from the ALH84001 team, via NASA Watch:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_
udi=B6V66-4WJ3DX3-1&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F01%
2F2009&_alid=1110069163&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_
cdi=5806&_sort=r&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=120&_
acct=C000050221&_version=
1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5
=16ee9b784c5954b574478541063feb26

NASA Watch
http://nasawatch.com/archives/2009/11/more-mars-meteo.html

More discussion from BAUT Forum:
http://www.bautforum.com/life-space/97218-martian
-meteorite-alh-84001-revisited-new-evidence-martian-biology.html

Updated Again! Discovery News:

http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-meteorite-life-magnetites.html

Woodpecker

2009-11-16T14:26:00.002-04:00

Woodpecker
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Got a picture of a cooler looking woodpecker at Tree Top Park in Davie! This guy was hammering away at the tree and you could hear him a mile away.

Safari Paint

2009-11-15T18:45:00.000-04:00

I spent the entire weekend painting cute animals for Sophie's safari-themed room. I took the design of the animals from the bedding set. At first I was hesitant to do it myself cause I thought I was going to mess it up. Drawing them wasn't the problem but I'm not too comfortable with paint and brushes. Still, I think they came out pretty good and of course the best part is that I can now point to them and say I did them myself.

Maternity photos at the Ancient Spanish Monastery

2009-11-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

Mai
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Went to the Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach to take some maternity shots of Marge now that she's starting to show a bit. This one was my favorite photo of the day (if not ever!). It had been raining all morning and we thought we weren't going to be able to take a single shot but the second we got there the skies cleared up and we had the whole place to ourselves.

Geisha & Ninja

2009-11-02T16:32:00.001-04:00

geisha & ninja
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Marge and I went all Japanese this Halloween and I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out. She really pulled off the Geisha look (and 6 months pregnant) and looked fantastic. I don't look particularly Asian, but since I was covered from head-to-toe it didn't really matter.

Building the Private Space Ships of the Future!

2009-10-17T08:57:00.008-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything space related... I've been reading up on all things private space sector and there are a few folks I'm keeping my eye on:

Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Bigelow Aerospace, Armadillo Aerospace, Ad Astra Rocket Company, and Blue Origin (This last one is pretty mysterious and not much is known about their progress.)

I completely believe that these private aerospace companies are what's really going to get humanity into space in a big way in the next couple of decades. I admit most of these companies are in their infancy, but they're developing relatively quickly and cutting deals with NASA and finding funding... I have no doubt that most if not all will grow into major players in space. We're in the space version of the late 70s just before the big Internet boom of the early 90s. Trust me, once these guys take off (or blast off) they're going to play off each other and compete and it's going to snowball.

It's not a huge stretch of the imagination to envision a near future with ships routinely flying around the solar system made up of standardized components developed by these different companies. The ship could have a version of SpaceX's Dragon command module as the bridge, Bigelow's BA 330 habitats for crew and cargo, Ad Astra's powerful VASIMR ion drives propelling them to distant targets, and once there dropping down with Armadillo landers!

I, for one, am looking forward to my retirement cruise to Mars on one of these ships.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

2009-10-13T08:24:00.001-04:00

moorhen
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Visited the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Del Ray Beach yesterday and I have admit I was very impressed. The whole place was bigger than most of the preserves in Pembroke Pines and it was teeming with wildlife. I was talking to a guy there and he said that most of the birds aren't even there yet and tend to show up when it gets cooler like the start of November.

I gotta go back. Too bad it's kinda far from my house.

The Barnacle

2009-10-12T06:57:00.002-04:00

Mai on bench
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Marge and I spent the day at the Grove. We had lunch at GreenStreet Café, which is always good and walked around the Barnacle this Sunday. It was nice. The longer I was there the more I wanted a cute house surrounded by a hardwood hammock... preferably with on a bay or a lake.

Sophie Aden Hernandez

2009-10-09T14:25:00.002-04:00

Sophie Aden Hernandez
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Just found out our baby is a girl!Also last night Marge felt it move for the first time!

Cardinal takes off

2009-10-07T11:05:00.002-04:00

Cardinal takes off
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

This has to be the coolest picture I've taken by far. I love the colors, the position of the bird, the sheer luck it took to take it! Very proud.

Got the Woodpecker!

2009-10-04T08:27:00.003-04:00

Woodpecker
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

It isn't the most crisp picture I've taken, but I blame the woodpecker who was in the shade of the tree's trunk!

Still need to get that gray fox and maybe I'll step up my avian goal up to bald eagle!

Amature Photography

2009-10-03T08:17:00.012-04:00

I've become quite the nature photographer since getting my new Canon- PowerShot 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera (PowerShot SX20 IS). The camera is great and I highly recommend it. The one thing I'm not liking about it is that it takes crap night shots. Don't know if it's me or a setting issue, but I haven't been able to take a single night picture worth a damn. If anyone out there has a solution for this please let me know!

The nature photography started out as a way for me to practice taking pictures with the new camera, but it's become a hobby of sorts. The great thing is that Broward County has all these awesome wetland mitigation and conservation banks all over the place with boardwalks where visitors can see all sorts of native birds and wildlife. I find myself going out trying to capture more and more images of plants and animals. It's almost like hunting!

Right now my goal is to get a picture of a gray fox and a woodpecker. Wish me luck.

Kayaking at Oleta River

2009-09-27T08:26:00.004-04:00

Mai and Alex
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

I went kayaking on my 31st birthday weekend with my 4 and a half week pregnant wife and my bestfriend, Frank, and his girlfriend, Christina. We went to Oleta River State Park down 163rd street. This park is a very nice slice of nature in the middle of urban (suburban?) North Miami Beach, with kayaks, biking trails, picnic areas, a beach ...

The kayaks were a bit pricey($35 bucks for an hour and a half), but we had a great time, the weather was awesome, and the place was beautiful.

Here are more pics.

Hialeah Park RaceTrack

2009-09-21T15:30:00.002-04:00

Club House
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Went to the old Hialeah Racetrack and took some pretty cool pictures. The place is still beautiful, but now in a rundown haunted sort of way. I'm surprised to see the flamingos are still there.

Eventually they'll renovate it and make it all nice, so I'm glad I got some pics of when it was in disrepair.

Baby Bump

2009-09-14T08:11:00.001-04:00

Baby Bump
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

4 months and a week into the pregnancy, Marge is finally starting to show. Don't know what the baby is yet so we've been calling it Kiwi. We should know by next week though... wonder if the name Kiwi will stick?

Key Biscayne

2009-09-07T08:30:00.002-04:00

Lighthouse
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Me and the wife went to El Farito in Key Biscayne and took lots of pics. It was pretty cool, first time I'd ever gone up into the lighthouse's watch room.

More pics!

Backyard Swamp

2009-09-06T08:21:00.000-04:00

Hawk
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Bought a camera last week, a Canon Powershot SX 20 IS, and I've been taking lots of pictures of the marshes around my home. I'm really enjoying the zoom lens! Check them out.

The Mummy

2009-08-27T16:31:00.003-04:00

To Live Again...
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Just a dumb little comic strip I've been doing during my free time. Check out some more here.

I'm gonna be a dad!

2009-08-04T08:02:00.000-04:00

Ultrasound 7-20-09
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

I'm still in a state of mild shock and can't think of anything clever to write...

My Brother Got Married

2009-07-17T08:37:00.000-04:00

46
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

And I was basically the photographer. We did an engagement photo shoot at Fairchild Botanical Garden. Aside from the killer heat and the million swarming skeeters it was fun. I think I got some pretty good shots considering the horrible conditions.

The wedding was at the Hialeah Courthouse.

Transformers 2 = Suck

2009-06-29T10:30:00.004-04:00

Man, I was totally disappointed in Transformers 2. It was way too long, had very little story, was too silly without actually being funny. I hated that they spent so much time on those fucking annoying ghetto “twins”, when they finally introduced very cool female motorcycle bots only to do nothing with them! Not to mention the Autobots from the first movie got next to zero screen time.

And don't get me started on G.I. Joe (which they showed a preview for). That movie looks like digitized shit projected on a screen! Part of what I liked about G.I. Joe was that each of the characters were crazy individuals, but they were the best in their field. I loved that one of them wore a football jersey, on had a scuba suit (at all times...), and one had a fucking wolf!

This movie striped everything that made them cool, cut off their collective balls, and gave them uniform black rubber onesies and Iron Manlite accelerator suits!

Also, is it just me or is there no Cobra Commander in this movie? It seems like Destro is the big bad...

It's only a matter of time before they rape Thundercats!

Aquatic Ape Theory

2009-06-17T09:04:00.003-04:00

IMG_2372
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Man, I love the beach (not so much the sand that sticks to everything) but the ocean. Kinda makes you wonder if all the proponents of the Aquatic Ape Theory aren't on to something.

This is the first time it's ever occurred to me to bring my camera to the beach and since it's not water proof it was a bit tricky.

UP!

2009-06-08T06:53:00.002-04:00

IMG_2288
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

The Hot Air Balloon Ride I bought all the way back in March finally happened! It was well worth the wait though. The view of downtown Miami, rural Homestead, and the Everglades from 38,000 feet in the air (unencumbered by an airplane window) was absolutely amazing. I felt like a superhero flying around up there.

More pics here.

Crapica

2009-05-16T06:22:00.001-04:00

No, the title to this blog isn't a typo. To be honest, I found Caprica pretty boring. I don't really care for any of the characters and there wasn't enough sci-fi in it at satisfy my hunger geekery. The best part of the thing was the last 5 minutes, which gives me a tiny bit of hope for the series, but I'm really not holding my breath.

Overall, I give it three blahs.

Got Something Published

2009-05-14T16:32:00.006-04:00

A short comic I did a while back with artist JC Grande just got published by the anthology Shrunken Wool. Pretty neat! To buy a copy just click here.

The 80s were good to me

2009-04-20T07:44:00.006-04:00

(Note: I'm the one in the Spider-Man sweatshirt with matching Spider-Man sneakers.)

I saw this pic again in like forever and I was flooded with nostalgia. I realized a huge part of my childhood memories involved my brother, my cousins, and I staying at our grandma's house after school (notice the plastic slipcover on the avocado green furniture) and just watching cartoons like Voltron and Thundercats, playing with toys, and just running around wreaking havoc... Ah, just remember my cousin Jordan (far right in the pic) getting beat with an extension cord for chopping down all of my grandpa's banana trees with a machete while we were playing "ninjas".

Man, I had a great childhood.

Caribbean Cruise

2009-04-12T20:32:00.007-04:00

Just got back from a week-long cruise of Mexico, Belize, and the far away land of Key West! I got to see lots of great Mayan structures, which I'm a total geek for. Although I probably enjoyed visiting the ruins of Altun Ha and Tulum the most, I have to admit just lying on the beach, drinking Coronas and eating chips and salsa all day was pretty nice too. Here are some pics of the trip.

Man, it was really awesome. I didn't want to get off the boat. A team of five Filipinos had to drag me out of my cabin on Sunday morning!

Spanish Inquisition #2

2009-04-01T09:00:00.004-04:00

Second strip is up. The set up is a bit more complicated and the colors are bit more sophisticated (heh, we added the color blue) and it looks great!

Battlestar Series Final

2009-03-28T08:17:00.009-04:00

Okay, it’s been a week since this amazing show ended and I haven’t deposited my 2 cents so here they are. Basically, I liked the ending despite it committing a lot of the 7 Deadly Sins of Religion in Sci-fi, but I didn’t love it and that’s a shame.

I forgave the lame ploy of having the dead pilot release the nukes and destroy the Cylon Colony, or that Starbuck was a “material” angel all along, or that virtual Baltar and Six were not virtual at all, but fraking angels as well. I forgave all the useless flash backs to pre-nuked Caprica that added nothing to the characters when this time could have been used to resolve some current character issue like Six and Tigh dealing with the death of their child and splitting up. I for gave all that, but I just couldn’t forget it so I couldn’t bring myself to love the finale.

I did enjoy the rescue of Hera a lot and I loved that they landed on ancient Earth and mingled with the Cro-Magnons, which started modern humanity. I just love shit like that. I also like that Hera is the Mitochondrial Eve, which means all humans alive today are a little bit Cylon.

But the highlight of the episode has to be the scene of Adama giving Roslin his wedding ring. That is what made this episode at all satisfying to me. It wasn’t much, but it was powerful.

Here’s hoping the shoe-horned spin-off, prequel Caprica lives up to the standard left behind by this messy, imperfect, awesome show.

Mayorga and Haplogroup R1b1b2

2009-03-14T10:54:00.007-04:00

Marge’s dad just got back the Y-DNA results from the National Geographic's Genographic Project and it turns out he is Haplogroup R1b1b2 (formerly R1B1c), which is pretty common throughout Europe, but very common in the Iberian Peninsula. Here are some stats from Wikipedia:

Welsh 89%, Basque 88%, Irish 81%, Northern Portuguese 81%, Catalan 79%, Scottish 77%, English 75%, other Spanish 70%, Dutch 70%, Belgians 63%, Southern Portuguese 60%, Ossetians 43%, Italian 40%, German 39%

While doing some research on the Mayorga surname, which comes from a town in Spain and is a common surname in Nicaragua, I found this possible ancestor:

"Don Alonso Diaz de Mayorga y Arregui was born in Seville during the first half of the sixteenth century. His father was from Old Castile and his mother was Basque. He arrived in Nicaragua around 1608 and actively participated in the design of the new city Santiago de los Caballeros de León as the previous city had been destroyed by the eruption of the volcano, Momotombo, which forced the residents and authorities to seek a new site for relocating the city. It was relocated as the new town, consolidated on the site is now known as Santiago de los Caballeros de León. Don Alonso was one of those who collaborated on the layout of the streets of the new city, the location of the new church and buildings that would house the offices of the new authorities."

It seems most Nicaraguen Mayorgas are decended from Don Alonso Díaz de Mayorga y Arregui. The "Díaz de Mayorga" surname survived for like 9 generations before getting shortened to just Mayorga.

Spanish Inquisition # 1 is up!

2009-03-13T07:26:00.003-04:00

After having a conversation with the wife about the awesomeness of Blankets and Scott Pilgrim, she challenged me to write a comic that DID NOT involve superheroes or aliens or gods... so I took the challenge and Spanish Inquisition was born. Also I'd never written a comic strip (4 panels, self-contained stories) so I took that challenge too. I hope I can keep it up. It's a little like writing a haiku, but it's also very fun.

Watching the Watchmen (Then reading the book.)

2009-03-10T10:42:00.008-04:00

I’ve had time to digest the new Watchmen movie and I can’t shake how much I enjoyed it. I was one of those people who thought Alan Moore’s comic was unfilmable, but you know what? I was wrong. I think this film is a great compliment to the comic. Does it lose some of the depth and nuance and detail of the comic, of course it does, but that’s not unique to this title. Most book-to-film adaptations loose something. It’s just the nature of the transition. But I think Zack Snyder did an excellent job and this movie will live on as a gateway drug for the comic.

And that’s something to consider. I was introduced to the comic when I was in (or around) high school and the film had to live up to that. It was an uphill climb, but I’ve noticed a lot of people (and not just high schoolers) who have seen the movie first, after all Hollywood movies have a vastly larger audience than comic books, and were blown away. Then they picked up the trade (sorry, I can’t bring myself to call it a graphic novel) and delved deeper into the world of Watchmen. The film acts as an appetizer to the comic’s main course and that's a good and satisfying direction to go.

Crandon "Jurassic" Park

2009-02-23T14:21:00.005-04:00

Tree over water
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Went to Crandon Park for the first time in my life and really liked it. There's an abandoned zoo with all sorts of feral birds and reptiles running around (and since birds are nothing but feathered dinosaurs... That's where the Jurassic comes in!) We walked around the old zoo for a while, snapped a few pictures , then went to the beach where we encountered more birds. It was a pretty cool afternoon.

Canoeing with Marge en la Manigua

2009-02-17T10:14:00.004-04:00

Back seat driver (actually she steers.)
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Marge and I went canoeing the other day in Everglades National Park. If you click on the link you can see more pics of gators and herons and shit.

Traveling through this freaking thick ass manigua and bumping into snakes, crocodiles, and gators at every turn... I kept wondering how the Native Americans that lived here (the Tequesta, Calusa, then the Seminoles) managed to actually live here! Still, it was very cool and very beautiful.

Atoll at Sunset

2009-02-16T09:30:00.004-04:00

Atoll at Sunset
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Spent Valentine's Day at Mathenson Hammock Park with the wife. We had a picnic, waded in the sea, hiked through a mangrove forest, and took pictures. It was a nice romantic day and given these tough economic times it's was also pleasantly cheap.

Spanish Inquisition

2009-02-12T15:01:00.007-04:00

First rough look at Spanish Inquisition, a comic strip about a geeky Cuban-American kid dealing with overly religious parents. By Frank Ruiz, Chris Turner, and myself. The strips will be loosely based (and by that I mean exaggerated) on my own and Frank's childhood.

Fallen Tree

2009-02-04T21:53:00.003-04:00

Fallen Tree
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

Tree Top Park... This tree fell and kept on growing, if that isn't insperational, I don't know what is.

I still can't get used to the idea that there's such cool places near where I live. Here's a link to more pics of Tree Top Park.

Castillo de San Marco

2009-01-04T21:51:00.006-04:00

Castillo de San Marco
Originally uploaded by alexthoth

The wife and I went to St. Augustine (the oldest city in the U.S.) this Dec. Although it is very touristy it still has a genuine sense of history. Here's more pics of the trip.

Also, there was something very, um, vindicating(?) in the fact that the people who built the first successful colony in the U.S. were essentially me people (the Spanish). It was awesome to see houses and streets and restaurants with names like Gonzalez, Alvarez, Menendez, and yes, Hernandez. Take that, John Smith!

Spanish Inquisition Left Genetic Legacy in Iberia

2008-12-04T21:45:00.009-04:00

After reading this article in New Scientist I was amazed that I've yet to find any Jewish ancestry in my family tree. For those of you just tuning in, my family, Hernandez Morales, is of Spanish descent. We've all had our DNA tested by the National Geographic Genographic Project just for fun and I will say our findings do concur with the findings in the article. We pretty much split evenly between European and North African DNA with Y Haplogroups I1 (Germanic) and E3b (Berber) and Mt Haplogroups U4 (Celtic) and U6 (Berber) as the norms. Again, it's very odd that I've yet to find any Sephardic Jew in my genes...

'Tis the Season for Pagan Rituals

2008-11-30T08:58:00.004-04:00

Despite my cynicism with all things Christian, I do get a warm and fuzzy feeling about Christmas Trees. I love the scent of pine throughout the house. I love the lights and the ornaments. I love the presents that magically appear underneath on Christmas day. I justify this by telling myself that Christmas trees have absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. They are wholly a pagan ritual. The Romans used to do it to commemorate their winter solstice and the Germanic tribes used to do it to celebrate their Yule festival. So I'm going to keep enjoying this ancient heathen tradition even if my wife makes me place a Nativity scene beneath it.

A little barn in the middle of Hialeah

2008-11-11T17:27:00.002-04:00

I have such fond memories of Amelia Earhart Park. Where else in this city can you pet a tiny cow? I used to come to this park all the time as a kid (especially while on break for the holidays) and on the odd chance I get to visit now as an adult I find myself really enjoying it.

The Green Hornet! Whoo!

2008-10-28T11:04:00.005-04:00

When I was a kid I was a big fan of The Green Hornet TV show. It was a lot like Batman, only with more kung fu and less camp. Although, I liked Brit Reed as the Green Hornet, I absolutely loved Bruce Lee as Kato. He’s really what kept me watching. So when I heard that the Green Hornet was heading to the big screen, I was totally underwhelmed. My mind instantly flashed to a joyless adaptation with Tom Cruise as the Green Hornet and Jet Li as Kato.

Luckily, real life turned out to be weirder and cooler than I imagined. When Seth Rogen (Super Bad, Knocked up, Pineapple Express) was named not only writer, but as staring as the Green Hornet I couldn’t help but get excited. NOW though we hear that the brilliant Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle) is not just going to play Kato, but he's going to direct the damned movie too… I am totally ecstatic!

I may be setting myself up for major disappointment with these high expectations, but I don’t think so… these guys are going to knock it out of the park!

What can I say... I'm a Swamp Rat!

2008-10-26T22:18:00.004-04:00

Maybe it's cause I was born and raised in Florida, but I find great pleasure in trudging through the muck of the Everglades. It's beautiful country. Personally, I prefer canoeing and hiking, but I'm starting to like horseback riding through the trails. If you want see our swamp ( which my wife is quick to point out that it's not a swamp at all, but a river of grass) I'd suggest Everglades National Park or Big Cypress, but if you want a small taste of our wetlands without running into a gator I'd highly recommend Chapel Trail in Pembroke Pines.

Armadillo Aerospace News

2008-10-25T07:51:00.007-04:00

Armadillo Aerospace has won the first level of the Lunar Lander Challenge X Prize! I’ve been a big fan of these challenges and for the past three years I’ve seen Armadillo almost make it. Tomorrow they try for the second level so if all goes well, when Americans go back to the moon, they’ll be touching down on the regolith with Armadillo landers.

In other news, Armadillo Aerospace has teamed up with the Rocket Racing League to not only build a fleet of racers that will streak through the atmosphere, but to also design and build a new craft (with a transparent bubble-shaped cockpit) that will shoot out into space! I can already envision rocket drag races with orbit as the finish line.

Update on the Lunar Lander Challenge: Armadillo Aerospace wasn't able to win the second level of the event because their lander stalled and fell over. Still, they won $350,000 from the first level and they'll try again sometime in early 2009.

CUBA a comic by Miche Fiffe

2008-10-09T09:54:00.005-04:00

I wasn't planning to post today, but my friend, Frank, just sent me a link to this comic and I was blown away, not only by the superb art, but by its authenticity. As a Cuban-American and unabashed comic geek, I have to say that I totally loved this comic. The depiction of young Michel's visit to Cuba and his interaction with his family their was dead on. I highly recommend it and I look forward to seeing more of his work.

The CW Don't Like Dick!

2008-10-05T08:02:00.006-04:00

From the same insipid minds that brought you Smallville comes a new show that's bound to suck tremendous ass.... The Graysons! This is the story of Robin before he meets Batman. Um, so he's a circus acrobat. I'm riveted already. To add insult to injury, the CW figured that Dick's name is too offensive for prime time so they'll be calling him DJ instead. D fucking J! sigh.

Now, I do like Robin (a lot) and the animated Teen Titans proves Robin can carry a show… but as Robin. Thing with Dick (or DJ) is that much like Batman, he only becomes interesting after his parent’s death and soon after that he meets Batman so there isn't much time to explore the character's inner demons and motivations.

And look, if I thought this would be a cool combo between Carnivàle and Veronica Mars (which it could be in the right hands) I'd watch faithfully, but let's be honest... I never could watch an episode of Smallville (expect when they have Bart on the show) so I fear this is going to be on the same level of crappiness. Hey, wait! There’s a thought… why not give Bart his own show? I'd buy that.

Cuatro Hijos

2008-09-20T07:30:00.008-04:00

For more than a year now I've been sifting through old Spanish passenger lists looking to see if I could track down more information about my great great grandfather's arrival to the New World (i.e. Cuba) and I've finally found his name, Jose Antonio Hernandez Rodriguez, on a schooner traveling from Las Palmas, Canary Islands to Havana, Cuba in 1850. The ship was called Cuatro Hijos (Four Sons). The name, date, and locations all line up with the genealogical records kept by my family and it feels pretty cool to have added a bit to the record.

I've been corresponding with some genealogical researchers in the Canary Islands to see if I can trace my family further back than 5 generations and I'll post anything new that turns up.

Hey, Hey, We're the Monkeys!

2008-09-18T06:33:00.011-04:00

So I finally got my "Thoth as a Baboon" tattoo and I figured I'd share it with you all. Thanks again to Korshi, for designing the tattoo, to Janin for recommending the tattoo shop, Dharma Tattoo, and to Loco for actually inking me up.

Three reasons for getting this tattoo: 1) I wanted something on my left arm to balance me out. 2) I wanted to commemorate three awesome decades on this planet. 3) I wanted to celebrate finishing up my masters. Don't ever let it be said I don't suffer for library science!

Here's an older pic of my right shoulder:

Tattoo of Thoth

2008-09-03T06:56:00.010-04:00

It's time for another tattoo! 5 years ago I got a Thoth tattoo on my right shoulder in the form of a stylized ibis. It was my overly-dramatic way of demonstrating my commitment to the written word, whether as a writer or as a librarian. I asked my friend and talented artist, Korshi Dosoo, to design a cooler version of the hieroglyph for Thoth and he totally delivered.

Ever since then, I've wanted another tattoo on my left shoulder to balance me out, but I didn't really know what to get. I don't take these things lightly since they're going to be etched in my skin for life. So after 5 years of looking at the blank canvas of my shoulder and feeling a little lopsided, I realized that I was unbalanced because I was only displaying one aspect of Thoth. You see, the Egyptian god is not just a lofty scholarly ibis. He's also represented by a clever trickster... a baboon, and let's be honest, I'm probably closer to the baboon than the ibis.

So I turned to Korshi once again, bombarded him with references of hieroglyphic monkeys, and he knocked it out of the park again.

I haven't actually gotten this one yet as I'm still searching for a decent (and gentle) tattoo artist, (might need your help on this, Ingrid and Alli) but I will get it this month for sure, because part of the reason for getting the tattoo is to celebrate my three decades on this planet. I'll post pics of my actual tattoos once I get it. Stay tuned.

Top 10 Movie Robots!

2008-08-30T09:43:00.014-04:00

This is my own personal list and it’s based and nothing but my own conclusions and tastes. Also, I’m not including Six from Battlestar Galactic (even though I think she’s Top 10 material) because she’s on TV or R. Daneel Olivaw who I believe is the best fictional robot of all time, because he’s in novels. These are just movie robot. Feel free to suggest your own or dispute the order.

10) Gigolo Joe- He was the best part of A.I. The main character kid was kinda lame. Plus, he's the only sex bot on this list.

9) Sonny – His design is really cool, like an anthropomorphic Mac. Even though he was in the shadow of Will Smith, I'm hoping if he gets more screen time in I, Robot 2 he'll move up on this list.

8) C-3PO – This prissy ass robot always manages to be at the center of galaxy changing events… and survives! He’s probably the bravest bot on this list because he feels fear (or the computerized version of it) and still faces danger for his friends.

7) The Little Robots from Batteries Not Included- I was actually considering Johnny 5 for this position but these little guys from the same era are so much better! They're mysterious, alien, and freaking cute.

6) Andrew – I went into Bicentennial Man thinking it was going to suck, but Andrew won me over. Also he’s the only robot on this list to actually achieve humanity.

5) The Terminator – I’m lumping all the Arnold versions of the Terminator here even though they were three different robots. As an assassin he was cold and terrifying and as a protector he was just badass. Although I do like T-1000 more, Arnold managed to beat him, thus proving his ultimate superiority.

4) Bumblebee – I considered putting Optimus Prime here, but let’s be honest, Bumblebee is way cooler and totally stole the movie.

3) R2-D2 - C-3PO’s better half. He’s like a Swiss Army Knife and an Action Hero rolled into one, like a mecha MacGyver. I have no doubt this little robot would kick the metal crap out of any robot on this list, including the Terminator!

2) Data – The destination is not as important as the journey. If Andrew achieved humanity, Data's struggle to reach it is what makes him great. He's also the most complex character on this list. Hell, he'd totally be #1 if the current #1 wasn't so damned irresistible.

1) WALL-E – Pure cinematic perfection.

Sexy Seedster vs Hiro Nakamura

2008-08-29T07:24:00.000-04:00

With the addition of Hiro's super fast nemesis and despite the horrible crap that was season 2 of Heroes, I am still looking forward to season 3. I have faith that the show's creators have learned from past mistakes and without the looming writer's strike, the show has to be at least on par with the first season… right?

So why do I give this show so many chances and invent so many excuses for it, when everyone else I know has stopped watching? Because I'm a sad geek.

Even though I've been disappointed by this show over and over again, I still get a stupid smile on my face when Hiro and Ando or Clair and Bennet are on screen.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

2008-08-14T08:55:00.001-04:00

This is the blog formally known as Cocuyo. I changed the title because there was some confusion between it and my other blog, The Incredible Cocuyo. Hopefully, this will keep them distinct for readers.

I Am Officially a Librarian!

2008-08-02T09:54:00.001-04:00

Pic by Ian Simmons

I just finished my Masters in Library and Information Science. (Didn’t know you needed a Masters to be a Library Scientist, huh? I didn’t either when I started! Imagine the horror when I learned my hard-earned Bachelors wasn’t good enough!!!) I will say that despite all my crying and complaining these two years have flown by and now I am done. MUAHAHAH!

In another cruel twist of fate, I am the Children’s and Young Adult Librarian at the JFK Library. This is only ironic if you’re privy to the fact that I grew up coming to this library. I used to steal (um, borrow and then forget to return) the comics, I used to skate in the parking lot and front steps to the detriment of older patrons who were afraid a stray skateboard would crush their weak ankles, I used to play games for hours on the computers and argue with the staff, and most importantly I supplemented my crappy Dade County Public School education at JFK.

And now, I am forced to track down and replace conveniently forgotten comics (called manga now) with an ever-shrinking budget. I have to shoo away the rowdy skaters and threaten them with the police, while secretly admiring their awesome Kick-flips or Ollies. I have to tell the geeky kid, ready for a day of gaming, that PC Reservation won’t allow him to use the computer because he owes $5.20 (for that manga he’s yet to return.)

Of course, I turn a blind eye a lot of the time because these little bastards are inadvertently learning something while they hang out at the library (Lord knows I did!) and you never know which one will be the next Library Scientist.

Hialeah Library free of the Evil Eye!

2008-07-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

I got in to work today at the JFK Library in Hialeah only to discover a bunch of bananas tied in a red ribbon near the entrance. Someone left "un trabajito" on our stoop! Everyone was freaking out about it since they don't really know what it means and who ever left it is keeping mum on the subject. I thought it was actually kinda cool (enough to blog about it) so I did what any self-respecting librarian would do... I Googled it!

It seems this is an Ebo of the Santeria religion to remove the harsh effects of the dreaded Evil Eye from a specified area. The bananas absorb the bad juju while they rot. So you see, there's nothing to worry about. It was actually a beneficial trabajito or Ebo, as the case may be.

I think it's safe to say there aren't many other libraries in the United States that get ritualistically cleansed of the Evil Eye. To put this into perspective Hialeah has the largest population of Santeros in the U.S. and this sort of thing is quite common.

Yoga

2008-06-05T08:45:00.000-04:00

Last night I started going to yoga class. An hour into it time lost all meaning. I can’t say for sure if it was the swirling incense, the faux-Indian music, or my blurring vision, but as I held myself in some inhuman position, sweat generously running down my nose, chin, and earlobes, my body shaking like a cold Chihuahua... I came to an ultimate truth: I am soft in the middle.

Now this isn’t a spiritual truth, although I’m sure it wouldn’t be too far off the mark, this is harsh, material truth. For all my running and working out my abs and lower back are so soft and weak that even Lord Ganesh himself had to laugh.

I think I’ll stick with yoga, if only to strengthen my core… And you never know if that strength will eventually translate to another plane.

Up, Up, and Away!

2008-06-04T01:06:00.000-04:00

"You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior. But every day I hear people calling out for one." - Superman

I've been holding back on posting political stuff on here since this blog is mostly reserved for general geekery, but I have to admit, I totally geeked out when Barack Obama finally won the presidential nomination. I'm not the sentimental type, but I got goosebumps. The U.S. has come a long way in the last 40 years and this is actual, tangible proof that we live in a better world.

Now on to save the day from the rich, white guy in the expensive suit.

Lots of Space: Both Real and Fictional

2008-06-03T09:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can't believe I let the month of May go by without posting. Is it me or does time seem to be speeding up? I have been very busy lately, first with my Spring semester finals and then with starting my hectic and final Summer semester, so I’m sure it’s not due to some temporal anomaly of some sort. On to the post:

Despite my crazy schedule, I still find time to read regularly. I’ve been making my way through Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space series. So far, I’ve read the novels: Revelation Space, Chasm City, and Redemption Ark and I’m currently reading the novel Absolution Gap and the anthology of short stories, Galactic North. The series is great. Lots of big, insane ideas with realistic characterization. If you like hard science fiction mixed with a healthy dose of space opera, you'll love these books.

On the “real” space news front, lots of interesting things are happening. First, the Phoenix Lander arrived on Mars and almost immediately found ice, which is no big deal on Earth, but is huge for the potential past and present life on Mars, not to mention future life (i.e. us). Analysis of the soil and ice should begin next week.

Also, astronomers have discovered 45 Super-Earths around other stars. These are rocky planets that are slightly bigger than Earth as opposed to the gas giants they’ve been finding. This means that planet finding techniques are becoming more refined and it’s only a matter of time before we find an Earth-like planet. So far the smallest planet found is MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb, which is 3 times the mass of Earth. The article tantalizingly hints that the planet might be covered in an ocean, but doesn’t really go into detail. Bastards!

I figured out who the final Cylon is!

2008-04-04T16:05:00.000-04:00

I think I’ve figured out who the final Cylon is on the show Battlestar Galactica. This isn’t strictly a spoiler because this is simply my speculation but just in case I’d stop reading here if you don’t even want to speculate.

If you look at this sketch of the final five you’ll notice that it seems like they are 3 males and 2 females. So the last Cylon to be revealed is probably a woman.

The show runners have said that the mystery Cylon isn’t in the above picture. The individual would probably go in the gap between Tigh and Lee Adama. Instead there is a chalice. If you’ve read or seen the Da Vinci Code you know that a chalice is a feminine symbol so right off the bat I’m thinking the Cylon is clearly a woman. Also, I think it’s telling that Lee is by himself when Kara is with her Cylon husband, Anders, on the other side of the table. Where is Dualla?

Think about it. All the major players in human affairs is coupled with a Cylon: Adama has Tigh, Roslin has Tory, Starbuck has Anders, Baltar has Six. (Okay… I' not sure how the Chief applies, but maybe he’s like Boomer in that he was sent to breed.) Why doesn’t Lee, who has been a heavy hitter from the start, have a companion Cylon? Maybe he does.

If you look at Anastasia Dualla’s bio page on the Battlestar Galactica Wiki you’ll read that the name Dualla is linguistically related to the word Duality, something composed of two things (such as a humanoid Cylon). Also the name Anastasia is Greek for “Resurrection”. This wouldn’t be the first case of a Cylon infiltrator using a variant of the word resurrection as an alias. The Six in the Pegasus, Gina Inviere, notes that "inviere" is the Old Gemenese word for "resurrection". There are other linguistic clues thoughout the series, such as the Cylon (Lucy Lawless) that was looking for the final five was called D'Ana and the ship that was captured during the first Cylon War (whose crew was used to create the humanoid Cylons) was called the Diana... (Dee Ana)stasia!

This could all be a massive red herring, but why go to all the trouble of laying these subtle clues just to misdirect viewers?

Aliens!

2008-03-29T09:37:00.000-04:00

I’ve been reading about this a lot lately on various science sites and I was holding off posting a blog about it until something bigger was discovered, but after thinking about it for a bit I realize that this is pretty big. The Cassini probe has been investigating the Saturn system for a while now and one particular icy moon has been consistently stealing the spotlight. First, massive geysers were seen blasting out of Enceladus. This led scientists to the conclusion that beneath the surface Enceladus hid a big ocean of liquid water. The moon is too far away to be heated by the sun, but the constant tug of the planet Saturn flexes the moon and creates heat in its core. So scientists flew the Cassini probe through the stream of one of the moon's giant geysers and found traces of organic molecules mixed in with the water vapor. This is huge. The moon has all the ingredients of life: water, organics, and an energy source. It’s not a stretch to envision a strange ecosystem like the ones found around hydrothermal vents at the cold dark bottom of our own oceans.

Another recent discovery, a whole lot farther away, showed that organics are also present on an exoplanet (a planet in another solar system). Scientists cautiously state that this does not mean that there is life on the planet HD 189733b, because the planet is too close to its sun. This is a sensible statement, but how can we be sure these alien life forms aren't perfectly comfortable there, perhaps under miles and miles of protective cloud layer deep within their gaseous planet?

I’m not a believer in UFOs or Alien abductions or anything like that, but it’s starting to become increasingly clear that the building blocks of life (and possibly life itself) are common in the universe. I’d say that we need to ready ourselves because within the next few decades (if not years) we’re going to discover a Martian bacteria , a Saturian jellyfish, or an HD 189733b-ian incomparable to any living thing we have on Earth and things will be a lot more interesting.

Horseback riding

2008-03-03T12:15:00.000-04:00

The last time I rode a horse I must have been about 6 or 7-years-old. The moron at the ranch didn't tighten the saddle properly and as the horse took off, I found myself riding upside down between 4, very powerful, pounding hooves like some sort of screaming circus midget.

So when my wife casually mentioned she wanted to go horseback riding for her birthday I was instantly gripped with primal fear. Of course, we went anyway.

I chose the Bar-B Ranch in Davie not because of its close proximity to our home, but because on their website they mention that every summer they sponsor therapeutic horseback riding lessons for the mentally handicapped. I suddenly thought, "I want one of those horses!" Surely even I could ride these gentile and therapeutic horses across a pastoral landscape like Viggo Mortenson in Lord of the Rings.

I made it perfectly clear to the girl at the ranch that I was a beginner, and I heavily implied I had some sort of nondescript mental handicap. So she gave me Ricky, the slowest, oldest, most inept horse on the ranch. While other riders (my wife included) trotted here and there not unlike Viggo Mortenson, Ricky and I stood there, ate flowers, and peed incessantly.

At least I’m no longer afraid of horses, certainly not Ricky…. And to be perfectly honest I had a great time.