I open a new tag with a video.

Most important things in the life are so easy…

Thanks to… errr… Pensamiento I discovered a very interesting tool based in OpenCascade. This program is called Salome, and it provides a framework to build a pre- and post-processor for numerical analysis. The screenshots are very impressive:

The list of partners of the project it’s very impressive too

Today I pre-registered in the Spanish Civil Engineers College. It is a step that usually we take when we are in the latest year of the degree. It has some advantages for students, but, it’s more important, it is an interesting window to see what is happening with the profession.

Of course, I don’t forget the more ancient Civil Engineers Association. I become a member some years ago. It was the original defender of civil engineers in Spain, but it turned its operations because the foundation of the College. Today is a reference in activities that promote good technical, social, human practices.

(And yes, I saw the banner “optimized for IE6 and 1024×768″: next generations will have to do an effort to change some things )

Via JamSession, Randy Brecker Electric Band in Ourense, next May 26th in “XII Festival de Jazz de Primavera 2008″. I would like to listen both brothers in concert, but it won’t be possible

And via Toma Jazz, Wayne Shorter in “Imaxinasons” next June, 29th at Vigo. It’s a very bad date for me, but I’ll try to go.

The day before of Dudesconf my friend Javi Calvo and me went to the Jofre Theater in Ferrol. That was the late evening/night of Marlango.

Some years ago I saw their first public performance in a TV. In that moment they were still working in their first album “Marlango” (2004), but that scoop promised a good future for the band: a nice jazz/rock/pop fusion performed by good musicians and a not great but very passionate, female voice. “Marlango” and “Automatic Imperfection” (2005) were the main part of my soundtrack for last summer (along with “Alone” (1968) by Bill Evans, “Full Circle” (2002) by Jon Mayer and, of course “A love Supreme”).

“The Electrical Morning” (2007) is the last album of Marlango. I like it much, but I miss part of jazz style of the former albums. Oscar Ybarra’s trumpet sounds under cover, and the music is a bit psycodelic. So, I had one doubt because it.

I had another doubt too. Well, Leonor Watling is a very pretty woman and a good actress. And she sounded well in the studio. But how would she be on the stage?

Last concert cleared up me the two doubts. The band is even better on stage than in the studio. Not only playing music, they created a good air joking with the audience. Leonor performs every song with voice, body and soul. She’s funny. She’s shy. She’s lovely. She has an impressive presence on the stage.

So, the guiness and cigarrettes after the concert pleased us very much

This week was a time for recover after Dudesconf. Last year I passed four phases:

1. Two months before: To organize a Debian meeting rules
2. Chaos, death and destruction of the previous and the first day: I *never* will be involved again
3. Congratulations in the last day, and the days after: Ok, we survived… but next year I can’t involve again
4. Two months after: Has anybody some ideas to improve the meeting next year?

Now I’m in the phase number 3

Really we spent a good time in the Dudesconf. Some Debian people that didn’t came last year to Coruña joined to the people that repeated, and it was a very nice combination. We were like a family. I hope too the meeting will help a bit releasing Lenny.

It was a good time for GPUL too. These hackmeetings involve new people, and they force us to tune and improve our infrastructure and to make some new experiments. The congratulations after prove that even when we were bearing bad times with very few new activists, we have a great right staff. I’m very proud of my mates in GPUL.

And now… I return to the civil (engineering) life again

OpenSolaris 2008.05 is out. You can ask for free CD’s too

Thanks to Carlos, via Glynn Foster

…and I suppose the time will certify that the last saturday has dead the last decent president of Spanish democracy until today.

In memorian, civil engineer Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo (1926-2008).

It’s 2:50 at the gym/hotel at the Dudesconf. Lights off. Some dudes dream sweetly, some dudes try to dream sweetly, some people try to win an audible competition But most of dudes… err… see the photo

It’s nine o’clock. Contrary to what half Spaniards that are going four days for holiday, I’m in the UDC Campus of Elviña a bit stressed. I’m having a coffee in the Faculty of Laws, because the coffee of the Faculty of Computer Science requires you a stomach trasplant after having it. The music of Marlango still sound in my ears (as Leonor Watling presence on the stage is still in my mind ;-)). But I’ll write about it later.

So, I take Dato’s meme, and I write: I’m going to the Dudesconf II: Attack of the Dudes

I have been hearing jazz all my life. But I begin to listen to jazz the first time I heard John Coltrane’s quartet. My first album was a Verve compilation “John Coltrane For Lovers”, and it meant for me the first piece of the jazz puzzle. I began to look for the rest of the pieces.

I read about Coltrane’s career. I began to buy John Coltrane Quartet reeditions, and albums where Coltrane was sideman of another jazzmen, and albums of those jazzmen without Coltrane.

“A Love Supreme” (1964) took me too much time, because it was difficult to buy in my usual stores. Some months after I bought it, I lend it to a mate and I never saw it again. But in those months I understood the importance of those album in the history of the music.

Last year my friend Carlos brought to me a vinyl edition. A month later I found in a Fnac store a new reedition, and I bought it too.

A love supreme was the culmination of 1960-1965 Coltrane’s music evolution. And yesterday was for me the beginning and the end of a circle. Tonight, McCoy Tyner, the lone member of the Quartet that is still alive, played in Coruña. He came with Gerald Cannon at the bass and Eric Kamau at drums, and Joe Lovano as guest star. It was a vibrant concert from the beginning to the end, with only one moment for McCoy playing a ballad alone. After the first encore, people asked for more, and we think it could be possible. But it didn’t happened. McCoy was very tired. In fact we could observe how he moved out the stage slowly dragging a leg.

I waited a minute down aside the stage, then I saw a hostess and I explained her I only wanted McCoy signed the cover of the album. She kindly explained me where are the dressing room’s out doors. So I went through the crowd that was going out, rounded the building and I reached those doors. Gerald Canon was signing autographs, I gave him the programme and he signed kindly. Then he went in again with 3-4 persons that another hostess allowed it. I waited some minutes, then I got alone, so the hostess allowed me to go in too. At this point I must say it: hostess of the Opera Palace are the best in the world!!!

When I went in I saw some people taking photos with Joe Lovano, and taking photos to McCoy Tyner who was trying to rest in his dressing room, he was trying kindly to close the door . I found this action of the people disagreeable: they seemed paparazzi. I understood I would have only a chance, so I approached to him with the cover. I beg him “Please…”. He seemed surprised. I suppose it was because I was the only person there that gave him a vinyl cover. While he was signing it I said him “This album saved my life” (because I listened heavy metal before, I thought ;-)), he thanked me the words. It was the moment I never thought it could happen. 70 years of the best jazz in a humbly, tired old boy, in front of me.

After this moment I seized the opportunity to talk with Joe Lovano. He is a smiling man. We saw in the first Kamau solo how he re-adjusted the position of Kamau’s microphone, because Kamau got aware it was too much near of the drums. It was a gesture of a great professional, not of a primma donna. But he had another humbly gesture. I thanked him for the great concert, but he waved his head and made a face of self-unsatisfaction. He laughed again when I explained him I was in the ScoLoHoFo (Scofield/Lovano/Holland/Foster) concert some years ago.

The night ended for me celebrating with Guiness at Mathew’s. I went back to home to sleep soon. It was a very intense day for me

Two days ago, Nemesio Fernandez Villa died at the age of 79. It was a sad new for Agarimo, the boys town he founded in Arteixo, near Coruña. But it was a very, very sad new for the Portiño, where he worked decades and founded the school where my group of volunteers currently teach to the children.

I would like to believe we do the 1/1000 part of the work he do.

In memorian, Father Villa,1929-2008

It seems the designer of the street where EmilioJ lives doesn’t know the cul-de-sac. Even if you doesn’t like the traditional solution you have new styles [ISon21,ES].

These days we had 1.5 good news about wireless & free software:

1.0: There is now WPA/WPA2 support mainstream in OpenBSD. I’ll must wait support for my Atheros minipci card, but it’s a good new indeed

0.5: Luis Rodríguez, ath5k developer, has been hired by atheros. We’ll hope it’s a sign of change in their free software policy.

Last year my friends Marta, Raquel and me did a work about the lighthouses system of the Laxe, and Corme. After the field visits, the main work were to show some proposals to remodel the lighthouses and give them new uses in the future. The Laxe and Corme lighthouses would had a new auxiliary building for scientist and students who wanted to watch the whales, and the Vilán Cape lighthouse would be re-structurated to host a museum. Last Friday we did a presentation in my School about this work, and we were not sure how was those ideas accepted.

Today I read in a local newspaper the Port Authority of Ferrol-San Cibrao will take similar actions near Prior lighthouse. So, we feel supported in our little madness

I’m enjoying a lot at this time reading the book “Eduardo Torroja, Engineer” (Ed. Pronaos, 1999, dual Spanish-English) by José Antonio Fernández Ordóñez and José Ramón Navarro Vera. It’s a very complete book about one of the greatest civil engineers of the history: the technical-artistical historic context, the relationships with another great engineers, and exhaustive review of his works:Zarzuela Racecourse, Algeciras Market, Sancti Spirit Chapel… and, of course, the milestone Frontón Recoletos.

I found via En.Wikipedia an… errr… brochure about this book

I don’t forget I’m trying to get my degree ASAP. But it’s  GPUL’s X anniversary, so I must do the last effort and work hand in hand with my friends to organize the 8th free software conference in Coruña that begins in two days, and the 2th in  Ferrol (the  other extreme in the metropolitan area).

Ten years are too many years. It’s true, I needed a change.

I recently feel confortable being a bit friendly with non-IT people. But I was tired of explaining them the different layers in GNU/Linux systems when they saw my old-style WindowMaker, and why I used a so simple graphic environment.

Last week I was making an experiment with a frankenstein terminals server. I installed a desktop. It was beauty and light. And I fell in love again.

I’ll never forget WindowMaker. It was my wm the first time I installed Debian, and it is a great wm with a nice story behind. I’ll maintain it in some of my machines. But I’m beginning to work with Xfce in my laptop.

Mike West (Cowboy Programming) released an interesting, two-part article about simulating fluids (visual simulation, not mechanical simulation): Practical Fluid Dynamics. The article was published in Game Developer Magazine (March and April 2007).

Via Hackszine.

…it happened.

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