tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140381292024-03-18T10:37:58.375-05:00THINKING IS STILL FREEJosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.comBlogger577125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-55034073561735191352024-03-18T10:37:00.001-05:002024-03-18T10:37:14.696-05:00My review of "My Heart Is a Chainsaw" by Stephen Graham Jones on Goodreads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711617-my-heart-is-a-chainsaw" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="My Heart Is a Chainsaw (The Indian Lake Trilogy, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623264202l/55711617._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711617-my-heart-is-a-chainsaw">My Heart Is a Chainsaw</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/96300.Stephen_Graham_Jones">Stephen Graham Jones</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6327554861">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is an excellent book. I gave it four instead of five stars because I felt it was a bit too long, at four-hundred pages it felt longer than it needed. <br /><br />Jade is a troubled teenager that knows everything there is to know about "slashers" horror films like Friday the 13th and Halloween. There's a killer in her little Idaho town and she immediatly realizes that she's in the middle of slasher herself, she must find the "final girl" to help her survive the imminent slaughter. <br /><br />I like that the book is more than a good scary story. There's food for thought in there, commentary about social conditions of American's first people. There's also ton of slasher knowledge, you can tell the author is a slasher fan, you can totally see the Stephen King influences, specially the short story "The Raft" ...but I don't want to spoil it. <br /><br />The neatest thing about the book was also the hardest for me to read. The author pulls off writing from the point of view of an slasher-obsessed teenage girl, at times her internal dialogue rambles away with forced metaphors or un-funny puns and it gets a little annoying, however it adds to the vibe of the book I suppose.<br /><br />I picked up this book because I really enjoyed "The Only Good Indians" by the same author. That book gave me the heebie-jeebies for real. I was looking for a good scare. This book will give you that, but it's somehow "lighter" to read, not as horrific. If you are into that though, go ahead and read it, there's plenty of gore, blood and guts. <br /><br />-JV
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-43831220912600458922024-03-11T10:19:00.003-05:002024-03-11T10:19:39.125-05:00Ten Years in Seattle<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwaobBqVhnjaVaskTklX0bgVwG4pc10KXi20Y7rydS9hKExVnQbu3PM2FF9VRqXryo_achmUSXhpEpCVhZA5rEV9kKRyxjSvqWAkIoYexOtr7FeOW-Cm1ZBdRHjiiOdkPjTNxbtvLL6f2g98UAbii67cgDyBlpz-Yo2wbk7aSQThyphenhyphen7Zip8UYfoQ/s10436/20140803_201924-PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="10436" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwaobBqVhnjaVaskTklX0bgVwG4pc10KXi20Y7rydS9hKExVnQbu3PM2FF9VRqXryo_achmUSXhpEpCVhZA5rEV9kKRyxjSvqWAkIoYexOtr7FeOW-Cm1ZBdRHjiiOdkPjTNxbtvLL6f2g98UAbii67cgDyBlpz-Yo2wbk7aSQThyphenhyphen7Zip8UYfoQ/s320/20140803_201924-PANO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My wife and I fell in love with the PNW back in 2006. We went on a visit to Portland in the winter, it was literally the day I got my undergrad we went from the commencement ceremony straight to the airport, it was a nice trip. We ended up moving to Seattle in 2014 after 3 months of job-hunting, one failed interview at Amazon, a couple of false starts from Intel, finally a RFID company named Impinj gave me an offer and we haven't looked back. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We wanted to raise our kids here, we liked that people here are educated and nicer, we love the mild weather, the mountains the tech scene. It's not perfect but we love it here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbJtoKXEVO1VPgruSwZ1GAt14zX8fLPID3Dmczi17PmfJEpRi3P7QP3KnNoGyGBfX1OujBhtt23UfazZTHj3X3lysT1qr69iWhZygYdVsEOG-Cn0Ocfa3V7h_kWwgZ01XepE9Sg-_B0vlciFpvExIS6nFuiteuAAop_PNGAThVFYj6hq2I4wntQ/s3264/20140322_130840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbJtoKXEVO1VPgruSwZ1GAt14zX8fLPID3Dmczi17PmfJEpRi3P7QP3KnNoGyGBfX1OujBhtt23UfazZTHj3X3lysT1qr69iWhZygYdVsEOG-Cn0Ocfa3V7h_kWwgZ01XepE9Sg-_B0vlciFpvExIS6nFuiteuAAop_PNGAThVFYj6hq2I4wntQ/s320/20140322_130840.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>We lived in South Lake Union for the first five years. We wanted to know what it would be like to live in the middle of a city. Seattle in 2014 was growing fast, thanks to Amazon there were new building going up every week, and the atmosphere at the time felt exciting like Seattle was a boomtown. A new gold rush. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9wA_U7GcvUpK98T99LYzKxLrMHsvMdcmgjV2KTevkHqCF0Z1KVgRlwb3H7YLgSvdrj0KEQs1qg-SeX8DDnhpRlWqOrCp7ml7-tpDwYjmutCPUPzQSlwyStBz_RxcMNrgcRbne4YinJnerCpHf1B4aWpkIJm5Bt06FawyVkssiklsdU_YcwpCDw/s3264/20140413_173528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9wA_U7GcvUpK98T99LYzKxLrMHsvMdcmgjV2KTevkHqCF0Z1KVgRlwb3H7YLgSvdrj0KEQs1qg-SeX8DDnhpRlWqOrCp7ml7-tpDwYjmutCPUPzQSlwyStBz_RxcMNrgcRbne4YinJnerCpHf1B4aWpkIJm5Bt06FawyVkssiklsdU_YcwpCDw/s320/20140413_173528.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Personally, we felt like this was an improvement. I was afraid that we weren't gong to like it, like it would be a big mistake. It was not. This is home now. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC15XGg0PHH5RWVaLLNkNwT6B02S0dTYljnqkjUrofMO6hBtHWXjybG-q1ejKvfOpGidqiScIOwm5cLXCw8HOgMpnLt8lBYctikFX_kT2L0sZb2Z8ymUh75kcD6XTvFBwkBICr_TfsGsG-3KYblcPOjUQbuLUJbqJNnR4xIxwEMtEQPv1OC9Q-A/s3264/20140427_125942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC15XGg0PHH5RWVaLLNkNwT6B02S0dTYljnqkjUrofMO6hBtHWXjybG-q1ejKvfOpGidqiScIOwm5cLXCw8HOgMpnLt8lBYctikFX_kT2L0sZb2Z8ymUh75kcD6XTvFBwkBICr_TfsGsG-3KYblcPOjUQbuLUJbqJNnR4xIxwEMtEQPv1OC9Q-A/s320/20140427_125942.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have made a life here. We bought a home in the Georgetown neighborhood 5 years ago and we want to stay. There are things about Seattle that annoy me, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I do miss good Latin food and the beach, but Florida is in the past. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPgsBtzhcdpXkhWIORQXzz-0JEmqWXi18vMwmGLX5Rki_MVwv3KMDhmuhL2VOD8ozBvnx-fiA1Jn3g0xMiorMCCydIawkYfuqzY2N403s5WUrN1mLXxbvjT7Grnaj2U_p42MT3hc7JZZzLNp4tEYcvpCIlCRpb-_sWoA4yn0dtS_latgMKNmOVQ/s3264/20140623_201324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPgsBtzhcdpXkhWIORQXzz-0JEmqWXi18vMwmGLX5Rki_MVwv3KMDhmuhL2VOD8ozBvnx-fiA1Jn3g0xMiorMCCydIawkYfuqzY2N403s5WUrN1mLXxbvjT7Grnaj2U_p42MT3hc7JZZzLNp4tEYcvpCIlCRpb-_sWoA4yn0dtS_latgMKNmOVQ/s320/20140623_201324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>I didn't realize then how this tech migration would affect the city, how the infrastructure was not ready to grow with the population influx. Home prices are inflated, Public transportation sucks (still better than South Florida) and the job market is unpredictable. If I knew then what I now know. I'd still would have moved. The PNW vibe, the laid-back culture that gave us grunge music, Starbucks and Twilight is it for me. I can never say I am from Seattle because I have lived in too many places but I definitely call this our home. </div><p></p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-16269083095279527432024-02-26T17:08:00.001-06:002024-02-26T17:08:09.739-06:00My Review of "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" by Rick Rubin on GoodReads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-act" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Creative Act: A Way of Being" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1663707011l/60965426._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-act">The Creative Act: A Way of Being</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/427020.Rick_Rubin">Rick Rubin</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5327008859">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is one of the best books I've read.<br /><br />Rick Rubin gives us his philosophy for creating art. He warns us against the things that block creativity and provides wisdom and tips to foster our best work.<br /><br />The books reads like daily meditations.<br /><br />I liked the book so much I read it as slowly as possible because I didn't want to be done reading it. I liked to read a few pages at a time and thought about what it was saying.<br /><br />I liked the author's style. His words read like taoist book of wisdom.<br /><br />I liked the perspectives I gained from reading this. I can apply what I read to almost everything creative.<br /><br />Excellent read
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-46878074070089007772024-02-23T18:29:00.004-06:002024-02-23T18:38:03.432-06:00On Writing<p> I've been thinking about writing lately. </p><p>I am going to write that book. I don't know when or what exactly will be in it but I've known for a while that my true calling is writing. Nothing gives me more joy than the simple act of creating ideas with words. I want to share my voice, my thoughts and experiences with the whole world. It really doesn't matter to me if nobody reads it, it's the act of creating that excites me. </p><p>I haven't decided yet if I want to write fiction or memoirs. Novels or essays. Write about tech or write about politics. Why not all? Maybe, but one thing at the time and first things first. </p><p>I have a lot to say about the war in Iraq. There are many war memoirs but there aren't any stories written from the perspective of a Venezuelan nerd with ADHD. I did my whole tour, did not leave my post, but I realized in Iraq that I am not a warrior, I freaking hate violence with all my heart. </p><p>I have a lot to say about tech. I am fortunate to work in a place where I see the state of the art advance. I love to write code but I am not your typical tech-bro. How many Spanish Speaking people do you know work in big tech companies as engineers? Not many. </p><p>I have a lot say about being a Dad. This is the thing that came more natural to me. Loving my kids is easy to do. Not sure I can bring anything new, but then again, maybe I should say it and write it down anyway. </p><p>Stephen King had a quote about you are only a writer if you get paid, and use your paycheck to pay the water bill. So if you are starving, and use your words to pay the bills, then you are a writer. </p><p>Hmm, well, I don't know. I do write at work. I write technical documents and I write software. Writing software is just another kind of writing, you have different audience, one is the machine that transform the code you write to machine instructions, but the most important audience is other programmers. When you write code, other coders will eventually go over your code when they need to change it or debug it. Well, I digress. My point is that I am writer already, but now I want to write more than software and technical docs. I want to share stories, opinions and whatever else comes to mind. </p><p>Stay tuned. </p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-34355464219773556592024-02-23T09:53:00.000-06:002024-02-23T09:53:04.133-06:00My Review of "Is Math Real?" by Dr. Eugenia Cheng on GoodReads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62610160-is-maths-real-how-simple-questions-lead-us-to-mathematics-deepest-trut" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Is Maths Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1663357166l/62610160._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62610160-is-maths-real-how-simple-questions-lead-us-to-mathematics-deepest-trut">Is Maths Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9259857.Eugenia_Cheng">Eugenia Cheng</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6041841422">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
In this book the author wants to let people know that if you hate math it's more likely because of the way you were taught. In fact, if there are things that don't make sense to you and you've asked "dumb questions" then you probably think more like professional mathematicians. <br /><br />I found this book through to Ali Ward's <a href="https://www.alieward.com/ologies/abstractmathematology" rel="nofollow noopener">Ologies podcast</a><br /><br />Dr. Cheng talks about many mathematical concepts with an explanation of why and how mathematicians come up with concepts. I was blown away in the section "why is 1 + 1 = 2" because it turns the question on its head. We should think about "When does 1 + 1 not equal 2" for example, when you are painting, if you have one color, adding another color gives you a new combined color, not two colors, in this case 1 + 1 = 1. So then a good definition of *when* does 1 + 1 = 2 is in order. <br /><br />I like that Dr. Cheng hates it when people try to use math to make themselves sound smarter as if knowing these things makes you a better, superior person somehow (it does not, it's your character)<br /><br />I liked the little commentary on current events sprinkled here and there, I suppose that some people will balk at that, that's fine by me. <br /><br />I didn't like that the material for me was introductory, I didn't walk about with new mathematical theory (well, at the end she goes into her category theory research) but it's an introductory book aimed at people who don't do math. <br /><br />Overall, this is an excellent book. Highly recommend it. Math if for you and for all of us.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-4760401733535260142024-02-23T09:51:00.005-06:002024-02-23T09:51:58.145-06:00My Review of "The Nineties" by Chuck Klosterman on Goodreads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58445515-the-nineties" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Nineties: A Book" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629842853l/58445515._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58445515-the-nineties">The Nineties: A Book</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/375.Chuck_Klosterman">Chuck Klosterman</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4910560367">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book is a collection of essays that cover different aspects of the 90's things like music, tv shows, the internet, politics, historical events of the era, etc. The author gives us his take on things and contrasts with how we see things today. <br /><br />One main theme of the book is that people tend to judge the past through their current point of view. It's easy and tempting to judge history based on what we know now. He challenges that notion and tells us how we used to see and think differently. <br /><br />I enjoyed this commentary, but to me, it's just that, commentary. Yeah there is some data and stats but this is a book filled with opinions and generalizations about a culture. Not that he's off the mark, but I don't know what to do with the information I just learned. Reading this felt like reading a entertaining article in a magazine...in the 90's. Fun, engaging but am I a different person after reading this? Did I gain a new perspective in life? Maybe not.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-59597447154745967072024-01-29T12:30:00.003-06:002024-01-29T12:30:50.443-06:00My Review of "Exit Interview" by Kristi Coulter on Goodreads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138346840-exit-interview" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682188625l/138346840._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138346840-exit-interview">Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17267113.Kristi_Coulter">Kristi Coulter</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5986575255">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Exit interview covers Kristi Coulter's eleven years at Amazon. This memoir gives the reader an insider's view of the what is like to be a smart, capable woman in an the male-dominated, competitive world of Amazon corporate. <br /><br />Kristi's frustrating journey comes across as honest and real. It helps that she is incredibly funny. The stories are incredible but as someone who has been at Amazon for five and half years (and counting) I believe 100% of what I read. I don't get to see sexism myself first hand because my team is mostly composed of men but I know enough to know it still happens. <br /><br />A lot of the points brought up in this book resonate with me. I hate the fact that the women in tech problem is considered a "Pipeline" issue. It's also considered a women's issue or minority issue. When it should be considered a "everyone" problem. Particularly the group that can do the most to fix it: Men. (yes, myself included)<br /><br />I recommend this book to anyone concerned with non-fiction current affairs. 10/10<br />
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-50359889499719005582024-01-25T09:16:00.000-06:002024-01-25T09:16:58.916-06:00My Review of "I've Been Thinking" by Daniel C. Dennett on GoodReads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77264999-i-ve-been-thinking" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="I've Been Thinking" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1676788347l/77264999._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77264999-i-ve-been-thinking">I've Been Thinking</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6952980.Daniel_C_Dennett">Daniel C. Dennett</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6071686382">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
"I've Been Thinking" Is a memoir written by the philosopher, cognitive scientist and outspoken atheist Daniel C. Dennett.<br /><br />This was a fun book, reading it felt like having a beer with a good, well-read friend, full of amusing stories and personal anecdotes. Did you know that Dennet's father was in the CIA? you didn't? sorry for the spoiler. Did you know that Dennet spent time living in Beirut in the 50's but ended up in a farm in Maine? Some people may find his stories pointless, but I enjoyed his description of life in Maine, his academic triumphs, intellectual curiosity and sharp, insightful questions. <br />I felt cringe when he called out "academic bullies" in the latter part of his book, it is petty to call out personal grievances with other famous authors out in public, even if some of them already <br />passed away. For some reason that didn't feel...classy. <br /><br />I loved "Breaking the Spell" and "Intuition Pumps" but I was not able to get through his less political and more theoretical "Consciousness Explained" and "Darwin's Dangerous Ideas" <br />I say read this book for the journey, you won't be more enlightened in the philosophy of biology or know the nuances of what it means to have a conscious mind. You need to read his other books for that. <br /><br />I recommend to read it in order to use his life as an example of a life well lived. When I am old, I, too want to be able to reminisce all the good times with my loved ones and my not-so-loved ones as well. <br /><br />
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-1947713073584749312023-12-04T11:50:00.002-06:002023-12-04T11:52:23.510-06:00My review of "Butts: A Backstory" by Heather Radke<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366123-butts" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Butts: A Backstory" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667415133l/59366123._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366123-butts">Butts: A Backstory</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21927321.Heather_Radke">Heather Radke</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5942572880">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
In this book the author tells us the history and origin of all things butt-related, particularly women's butts. What it means for many to be the owner of a woman's butt and how that relates to race and class. Heather Radke makes insightful observations in a light, funny and sometimes sobering narrative that comes off as honest and moving. <br /><br />I enjoyed learning the history of many of our cultural hang-ups about this part of the body. She made connections between fashion and racism that I had never noticed or thought about but seem obvious after you see it. It made me conscious of the big difference between walking the world in a male body where I am not objectified for my body parts, I don't have my character or sexuality judged by the size of any of my visible body parts. I learned about the effect our culture and the media has on people. Specially those that don't meet the "normal body" standard, which happens to be a bunch of made up bs anyway, because there is no such thing as an "average" body since all bodies come in various shapes and sizes and there is no "wrong" way to have a body. Bodies just happen to exits, but we place meaning to body shapes and sizes in order to justify the power structures we construct. <br /><br />Excellet read. 5/5.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-44960185584515491592023-11-27T18:32:00.000-06:002023-11-27T18:32:00.052-06:00Reading list: 20 books about japan<p> https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/books-about-japan/</p><p>I would like to learn as much as I can about Japan before April, just saying. </p><p><br /></p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-25653305505292582912023-11-15T09:31:00.000-06:002023-11-15T09:31:00.307-06:00Amazon's best books of 2023<p> </p><p>Check out Amazon's list of best books of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/best-books-of-2023/b?ie=UTF8&node=17276804011">2023</a></p><p>I have not read any of the books on that list. :(</p><p>I'll fix that next year. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-11745073234764873832023-11-09T09:25:00.004-06:002023-11-09T09:25:55.094-06:00Check out the new images from Euclid<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t1Pl7l1g9dS-fANS4neqkKg6cqkqocYfC5L8FK8hdGaedw-Pke-h2EZmfjyRwW4dEZzV9YS9YKnC9tlMlrLPe0bEfD83nUCBVLPTrR59CxsmTE0UId8fD_TCUKPPuWXNkg8Au8q0cdwbLwgtK4N-ZbIljrLrVZmTsnTWZ2OAg6jH0SAmL7qbgg/s1920/Euclid_s_view_of_the_Perseus_cluster_of_galaxies_pillars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t1Pl7l1g9dS-fANS4neqkKg6cqkqocYfC5L8FK8hdGaedw-Pke-h2EZmfjyRwW4dEZzV9YS9YKnC9tlMlrLPe0bEfD83nUCBVLPTrR59CxsmTE0UId8fD_TCUKPPuWXNkg8Au8q0cdwbLwgtK4N-ZbIljrLrVZmTsnTWZ2OAg6jH0SAmL7qbgg/s320/Euclid_s_view_of_the_Perseus_cluster_of_galaxies_pillars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The new pictures from the European Space Agency's <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid">Euclid</a> are amazing. <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid/Euclid_s_first_images_the_dazzling_edge_of_darkness">Check it out!</a><p></p><p>The picture reveal galaxies never seen before. The image quality is crisp, and the range is much farther than we've ever had. Take a break from your earthly tasks and take a look at the stars. </p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-47005054167204244792023-11-06T08:40:00.001-06:002023-11-06T08:40:25.839-06:00How to be better at arguing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyoN0-FxrD-IXKbOEVQVp7Bxed6lN75f6qo_5KQpxRvmGHKiyPrDct3Xl7cGUDWUELGWEE4b22TqPL4Ot3aL5-knPGFdX425EO7cBtR78zy6ghJGF4tAremv9t_6MWjpT-TmTyH2bx-TDNoRUQjinCjA7ffEdWDgGfZUX-yj1UK6CP2RAmdv5-A/s275/argue.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyoN0-FxrD-IXKbOEVQVp7Bxed6lN75f6qo_5KQpxRvmGHKiyPrDct3Xl7cGUDWUELGWEE4b22TqPL4Ot3aL5-knPGFdX425EO7cBtR78zy6ghJGF4tAremv9t_6MWjpT-TmTyH2bx-TDNoRUQjinCjA7ffEdWDgGfZUX-yj1UK6CP2RAmdv5-A/s1600/argue.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p>We've all been there, a co-worker, a friend, a relative or someone you met on the internet has the audacity to not see things the same exact way you do. How dare them! So you proceed to engage in an exchange of ideas in the hopes that this other person can see the light and thank you for changing their erroneous ways. You would think that if you make your case plain, loud and simple enough the other person will just change their mind as a result of your awesome rhetoric. </p><p>How did that work out for you?</p><p>Yeah, I didn't think so. </p><p>So, I thought I'd share my approach, because I actually see arguing as an opportunity to learn something new, a new perspective not considered before or a deeper understanding of a nuanced situation. </p><p>Here is a list of things to think about next time you have a disagreement. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">1. Learn to see things their way. </h4><p><br /></p><p>This is huge. In order to make yourself understood, you have to understand what's going on first. You must learn how to make the argument against your case better than the person you are arguing with. You need to know how to see things from a different point of view, even if you don't agree with it. Especially if you don't agree with it. This is a must because this is how you learn empathy, and having empathy is what keeps you from being a jerk. </p><p>Making your own counter-argument makes you consider the fact that you could (gasp!) be wrong. Changing your mind and admitting you were wrong are strong sign that you value the truth and that you are not insecure about your image. </p><p>This is the reason debate teams make people argue and counter-argue the same topic. It's a skill worth practicing and improving upon. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">2. Don't take it personal and don't make it personal. </h4><p>Learn to separate the idea from the person. Don't go after the person, go after the idea. Don't assume that a person that disagrees with you is going after you personally. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">3. Listen more than you talk. </h4><p>This one always applies, but when you are arguing I think that most disagreements stem from misunderstandings, it could be that you both actually agree but were framing the argument differently. You or the other person could be making assumptions that may not be obvious. </p><p>One technique I use is to repeat what the other person just said, in my own words. Synthesize, analyze and understand what they are saying, from their point of view, with their context and then without judgment tell them "What I am hearing is that we shouldn't run these tests in Gamma because...X,Y, Z"</p><p>When you do this successfully you can iron out most good faith misunderstandings. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">4. Pick your battles. </h4><p>If you feel the urge to always be right, you should evaluate your intentions. What are you trying to achieve? Is this the best way? </p><p>When T***p got elected in 2016, I needed to understand how anyone could vote for that sort of person. I thought that engaging with people online would be useful, but I quickly got tired and I lost my faith in humanity a bit. Don't feed the trolls. </p><p>Keep the long term in mind. What is this discussion really about? What happens if I don't say anything? A new perspective can make the right choice obvious. </p><p>Sometimes there are hills worth dying for. Know what those are and engage with the long term goal in mind. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">5. If you are wrong. Admit it right away. </h4><p>Be the grown up. People will respect you for it. Believe me. </p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-85792900943104719742023-10-31T11:04:00.001-05:002023-10-31T11:04:21.974-05:00New post in my technical blog<p> So last year I started a new technical blog titled "<a href="https://josevillalta.github.io/">Yes Way Jose</a>" in order to improve my technical writing. </p><p>Just posted an article review for Google's SRE team's <a href="https://josevillalta.github.io/posts/twenty-years-of-sre-lessons-learned/">Lessons Learned</a></p><p>Go check it out! </p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-48645087535005683202023-10-30T13:49:00.002-05:002023-10-30T14:01:34.945-05:00How to Grow as a Person: A personal manifesto<p> You probably hear the phrase "growth-mindset" all the time. There's a $5-Billion industry out there aimed at the "wellness <a href="https://www.precedenceresearch.com/health-and-wellness-market#:~:text=The%20global%20health%20and%20wellness,5.5%25%20from%202023%20to%202032.">market</a>" But what does that really mean? How do you grow as a person? </p><p>I am going to tell you what growing as a person means to me. I hope that you will find this useful to your own life and purposes. I do not have everything figured out yet and I struggle with taking my own advice all the time. Yet, I am never going to stop striving, your journey may look a lot different than mine but you should hear me out. </p><p>There are three ways to grow as a person: Your Character, Your Impact and Your Work. That's all you need to focus in order to grow. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Your Character</h3><p>There is a whole scientific area of research called "Positive <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/positive-psychology-harnessing-the-power-of-happiness-mindfulness-and-inner-strength">Psychology</a>" that uses evidence-based studies to figure out what sort of "thing" affects real, long term, lasting happiness. </p><p>Personally I got a lot out of reading Martin Seligman's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Martin-E.-P.-Seligman/author/B001ILOB78?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true">books</a> TL;DR: Focus your efforts on improving the things you control, more specifically put energy into improving your character. You don't have to buy his books or anything to benefit from his findings. You can look <a href="https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths">here</a> to see the 24 character traits listed in his books. For convenience this is the list of character traits: Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, Bravery, Creativity, Curiosity, Fairness, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Honesty, Hope, Humility, Humor, Judgement, Kindness, Leadership, Love, Love of Learning, Perseverance, Perspective, Prudence, Self-Regulation, Social Intelligence, Spirituality, Teamwork and Zest. </p><p>It turns out you can always grow your character, you can never have too much wisdom, you can not go wrong when you work on improving all the traits instead of just one. The key is finding the right balance. Too much of one thing will come at the cost of something else. </p><p>Some of these things may come easy to you, I am naturally inclined to curiosity and I love learning new things. I have to make a conscious effort to improve my Social Intelligence, Self-Regulations and Spirituality. </p><p>There are surveys online you can take to learn where your strengths are. I encourage you to find out for yourself where you are at. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Impact You Make</h3><p>How does your life affect other people? Nobody is an island so your connection to the world matters. Do you inspire the masses? Your child? Are you a good spouse/parent/sibling? Are you a good friend? </p><p>You can say that these things are also related to your character but you can think about something that is bigger than yourself. A cause that matters to you and others. What can you do to make the world a better place to not only you but the people that will come after you. </p><p>I want to make clear that I struggle with this. I think about the things that I think I'm doing well, for example I think I could have been a lot worse parent, but then again, loving my kids came super easy to me. What about the people in my life that need help? People in my family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. I think about what else I can do for others, for a good cause. Conserving and restoring the environment, pushing for equality, for a more just world, for a kinder world. This is an area for growth, we can always do something. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Work You Do. Push for Excellence</h3><p>For me this means the code I write, the work I create as an engineer should be as good as I can make it. There's always a lot of work to do with deadlines and pressure to deliver. I want to ensure that what I create is excellent. You can apply this to what you do. This sounds like it applies to artistic endeavors only but that's not the case. When you create something, that artifact (it could be a sandwich or a novel, a song) is a reflection of you. It's an opportunity to express yourself. Take your time to strive for excellence. You may not think it matters, but this makes an impact. This is also an area of work for me. What can I say about my works? What is my legacy? The good thing is, we have time, we're here, we can always do better. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">List of things that don't work</h3><p><b>More money, more pleasure:</b></p><p>Money matters, a lot. Being poor is bad for your health and your happiness. It should be obvious. However, after a certain point, having more money will not make you more happy. After all your basic needs are met, things like food, shelter, health care, doubling your salary will let you buy nicer things and have more freedom but will not double your happiness. Buying nice stuff will not bring you lasting happiness as you will adjust to it and will long for the next thing. </p><p>A similar thing is seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. You can live a life with constant traveling, partying, feeling good and still feel a void inside. More pleasure doesn't equate to lasting happiness. </p><p>You can learn more about this in the <a href="https://positivepsychology.com/hedonic-treadmill">Hedonic treadmill</a></p><p><br /></p><p><b>More Fame</b></p><p>If you seek validation from outside yourself you will never feel whole. Validation comes from within. You must learn to value and accept yourself before expecting the same for others. Side note, everyone you meet is dealing with the same thing, keep that in mind before you judge what other people do. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Being Smart</b></p><p>A lot of people value "being smart" or more accurately, they value appearing smart to other people. They obsess about grades, credentials, achievements and intelligence. Comparing yourself to other people only makes you more miserable. Strive to do better for its own sake, not for what it will do to your image. There's always people way smarter than you. Focus on the impact of your actions and improving yourself. Learn for curiosity, growth or just because, truth is, nobody cares that you are smart, they care about how you make them feel, what you do for them, to them. Being smart for its own sake is meaningless. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Conclusion</h3><div>Dear reader I hope this helps your efforts to grow as a person. like I said, I am an imperfect person that fails all the time, but this is my north star, this is my personal guideline to growing and what it means to be excellent. </div><div><br /></div><div>-JV</div>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-17071424381495363812023-10-30T10:21:00.004-05:002023-10-30T10:21:46.297-05:00My review of "Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors" by Edward Niedermeyer<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45715944-ludicrous" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557550231l/45715944._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45715944-ludicrous">Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19156156.Edward_Niedermeyer">Edward Niedermeyer</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5573670430">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This books covers the history of Tesla up to 2019, with an Afterword that includes the 2020 pandemic. <br /><br />This is an honest attempt to write the story of a car company that went from 3 people in 2004 to a household name less than 2 decades later. <br /><br />I liked that the author discloses his involvement with the company and makes it clear that he is not entirely outside of the events that occur in the book. The author is a blogger and he posted a story about Tesla making its customers sign non-disclousure-agreements (NDAs) in order to perform "goodwill repairs" of defective cars. This is a big no-no because it makes it really hard to report safety concerns if you are legally bound to silence. I am neither a Tesla fan or a Tesla hater, but I'm never, ever, ever going to buy a car that has a higher chance of killing me than the other cars in the market. That's just me though, maybe I'm not the target demographic for those cars. <br /><br />The only issue with the book is that it needs to be updated to cover what has happened since 2020. The company is still around, but no new cars have come out (?) <br /><br />Overall, very entertaining, insightful page-turner. I learned a lot about Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the process. The book debunked the myth of "Other Auto-makers are not investing in EVs" it turns out there are a lot of viable alternative to Tesla if you want a safe, tested and high-quality EV. <br /><br />I don't think Tesla is going to die anytime soon, but it's overrated for sure.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-26267453645815058882023-10-30T10:08:00.004-05:002023-10-30T10:08:40.547-05:00My review of "What Tech Calls Thinking" by Adrian Daub<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55584192-what-tech-calls-thinking" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley (FSG Originals x Logic)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602019561l/55584192._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55584192-what-tech-calls-thinking">What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/448716.Adrian_Daub">Adrian Daub</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5924122507">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is an exposition of the origin and history of the ideas that fuel Silicon Valley Techies. Specifically the billionaires that influence the culture of the executives, engineers, as well as the press. <br /><br />I liked the non-obvious insights and learning about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimetic_theory" rel="nofollow noopener">Mimetic theory</a> as a tech worker myself, a lot of the content did not come as a surprise. I am aware that Silicon Valley is not dominated by liberal thought, contrary to what the right-wing media decrees, there are a lot of conservatives in tech. <br /><br />The author could not hide his disdain for S.V. and the ideals they spouse. At times it felt like he was stretching things a bit. I am aware that I have my biases but still, the author errs on the side of "tech people suck" a bit too much. I get that hyper-capitalism yields inequality that hurts real people. I am not a fan of causing harm. I just think that the arguments the author makes sometimes feel like he's reaching too far. That's just me. This doesn't invalidates the main message though, the things that tech calls thinking is not a new or innovative as you may think.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-78271666038468302152023-10-30T08:59:00.003-05:002023-10-30T08:59:45.212-05:00My review of "Black Friend: Essays by Ziwe"<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74346559-black-friend" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Black Friend: Essays" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1697067429l/74346559._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74346559-black-friend">Black Friend: Essays</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/34588688.Ziwe_">Ziwe,</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5917046710">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a collection of funny essays from famous (?) influencer Ziwe. I didn't know who she was until I accidentally saw her interview on one of the morning shows, that and the fact that my wife knew her and thought highly of her made me get this book (Public Libraries FTW!) <br /><br />If you are a white person that gets easily triggered by people of color calling out racist behavior, then maybe you should read this book, but you won't have a good time. I always learn something from these books. It was an quick entertaining read. My only issue with this book is that it was too short. I read this on a plane ride from Seattle to Boston. I am not a fast reader. <br /><br />-JV
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-36987896332984911122023-10-08T19:52:00.004-05:002023-10-08T19:54:04.614-05:00Cancun, the good, the bad and the meh<p> Just got back from spending 5 days vacationing in Cancun. If you can go, go! It's nice. Highly recommend it. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The good:</h4><div>1. The beach, no question, white sands, blue water, warm water. Loved it. I spent as much time in the water as I could. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiur2e57U1MKnI4SAQixhyz9rTInzx70Ui2JxAMEfdGT-SZs5A051MUhKzGvHoOcO6ejZ9LERGUyjfpnBv4BiF53zTaJj2WkP3DRXPljvgMdY71aOiO3KEniaRGWbEBh82O_xOaP11NCTME-BP4136ESqe6IsWPPVnuCtav1R1HdBh71dNbqxUBg/s4000/20231003_121154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiur2e57U1MKnI4SAQixhyz9rTInzx70Ui2JxAMEfdGT-SZs5A051MUhKzGvHoOcO6ejZ9LERGUyjfpnBv4BiF53zTaJj2WkP3DRXPljvgMdY71aOiO3KEniaRGWbEBh82O_xOaP11NCTME-BP4136ESqe6IsWPPVnuCtav1R1HdBh71dNbqxUBg/s320/20231003_121154.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>2. Private tours. Chichen Itza ruins. We had an amazing guide, Nef (@guiacancunguide on IG) was friendly, knowledgable, bilingual and professional. He did an amazing job of answering all our questions, driving us everywhere and giving us tips for finding the best spots to see. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_3knZJ1uTuvyRj8oZbasr3ggY4urNZI8aPd1QMHPptzvMbj2SJunH8g59iA-Lm52zIKRm_uTLm-DFn4nXdzhFhz_V-eQ1exLFHBBuYppr0YBxQPTOSydcF-HAQndStoQBZPiW7n5zd4er36yPGOcUZeF3DEYrSHakQyN_c1kjMQPvXmW2rHOGw/s4000/20231002_101806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_3knZJ1uTuvyRj8oZbasr3ggY4urNZI8aPd1QMHPptzvMbj2SJunH8g59iA-Lm52zIKRm_uTLm-DFn4nXdzhFhz_V-eQ1exLFHBBuYppr0YBxQPTOSydcF-HAQndStoQBZPiW7n5zd4er36yPGOcUZeF3DEYrSHakQyN_c1kjMQPvXmW2rHOGw/s320/20231002_101806.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza">Chichen Itza</a> was amazing. It was incredible to see the ruins. I couldn't believe that these pyramids were just sitting there in someone's private farm for years until they were bought and restored. <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>3. The fam. </div><div><br /></div><div>I liked that I got to spend time with the girls and the family, we met my wife's cousin with this family and we hung out and caught up. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. The resort</div><div><br /></div><div>I was happy with the hotel, it was one of those all-inclusive resorts. Food was good, the staff was friendly, the building is starting to show its age but it was well-kept and clean. </div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Meh</h4><div><br /></div><div>1. Exchange rate favors the US but prices were not a lot cheaper. I mean, things like food and drink are still cheaper, but not by a lot. </div><div><br /></div><div>2. Taxis are pricey but buses are cheap. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. There's no uber. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Bad</h4><div>1. Delta airlines. We've been faithful customers for a long time. They did us dirty this time. On the way back we had a one-hour layover in Salt Lake City. We had a checked-in bag so we had to go get our bags, clear customs, go through security and get to the gate all under one hour. The plane took off 20 minutes late out of Cancun, we raced to the baggage claim but didn't get our bags until 15 minutes before our flight was supposed to leave. Martha took one for the team and stayed back to get the checked bag while I went to the plane with the girls. I asked the person at the boarding gate if they could wait for my wife to clear customs and security, she was like "she's got 15 minutes" anyway long story short, they shut the door in her face, could not get in even though it was the airline's fault. Delta booked her to the next flight which thankfully was only two hours later but the whole thing felt foul. </div><div><br /></div><div>2. It was hot and humid, but that's part of going to the beach I guess. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. Only there for 5 days. I wish I had stayed longer. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So that's all folks. Thanks for reading. </div><div><br /></div><div>-JV</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-4489945370946538002023-10-08T15:55:00.004-05:002023-10-08T15:55:32.335-05:00Mi opinion hacerca de "Fortuna" de Hernan Diaz en GoodReads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/97142243-fortuna" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Fortuna" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1676714454l/97142243._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/97142243-fortuna">Fortuna</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/392822.Hernan_Diaz">Hernan Diaz</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5556768981">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Una novela con un estilo original. No quiero revelar nada que hecha a perder la experiencia del lector. Se trata de la vida de un millonario que hizo sus riquezas en Wall Street en la decada de los '20 del siglo pasado. Pero realmente hay mas de una version de lo que paso entre el y su mujer. Cual el la verdad? Que fue lo que paso? <br /><br />El libro abarca temas de la politica, economia y de el amor marital. Muy bien escrita. Me lei la version en Castellano porque crei que la version original salió en español, no es cierto pero la traducción me pareció muy fiel a el text original.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-67248559818497475852023-10-08T15:44:00.001-05:002023-10-08T15:44:24.946-05:00My Review of Mastermind by Maria Konnikova on GoodReads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25760379-the-confidence-game" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494595546l/25760379._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25760379-the-confidence-game">The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6461111.Maria_Konnikova">Maria Konnikova</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4385998066">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A book report on all things Con Artists, the people who do the cons, the people who fall for it. The tactics, strategies and weaknesses con artists use to get people to give away money and possessions because they were fooled by a non-violent liar and thief. <br /><br />I really wanted to like this book. I've always been fascinated by this subject. Everyone is vulnerable to scammers and con artists, even educated people and hard-core skeptical folk. Me and you can be fooled, it's not as hard as you think it is. <br /><br />The problem with this book is that I couldn't not find a unifying thread or message other than "con artists" I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I read the author's other book <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15805442-mastermind" rel="nofollow noopener"> Mastermind </a> and really, really liked it. That book was organized as a journey to understanding how people get really good at something. This book was not like that. This book felt more like a loose collection of anecdotes about con artist. It's very informative and entertaining but it's not the author's best work.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-48979281127279893662023-10-08T15:31:00.005-05:002023-10-08T15:31:47.175-05:00My review of Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond on Goodreads<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74852010-poverty-by-america" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Poverty, by America" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677904375l/74852010._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74852010-poverty-by-america">Poverty, by America</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/915500.Matthew_Desmond">Matthew Desmond</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5861149547">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a fierce and concise report and how the world's wealthiest country has so many people living in poverty. The author makes the case that the system is this way on purpose. The people who have the power to end poverty don't do it because they benefit from keeping people poor. This book explains how our government helps people who don't need our help, neglects those who need help the most and sell the idea that there's nothing anyone can do about this problem. <br /><br />I like that the author backs everything up with data, he concedes when his statement or point is debatable and seems like a good faith effort to make people decide to do something about the current situation. The style is direct and effective. The author voice is compelling, you can feel the passion he feels about the situation. <br /><br />The thing I like the most is probably the weakest part of the book, the book calls for action, but he is honest about the fact that it's not going be pleasant and we, the people who benefit the most from the status quo are not going to like it. Yet he lays it out for you. I have always thought that poverty was an inevitable fact of the human condition, but the author makes the case that we are the way we are because we like it and want to keep it that way. I don't like that there's people suffering but I get it. <br /><br />This book is important. Everyone should read it.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-71705139815520079732023-08-28T09:42:00.001-05:002023-08-28T09:42:09.944-05:00<script async="" src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-7GC8D54S8G"></script>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51884240-divergent-mind" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569053305l/51884240._SX98_SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51884240-divergent-mind">Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18937358.Jenara_Nerenberg">Jenara Nerenberg</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5203799554">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book is a bit hard to describe, part personal reflection, part report, the author shares a lot of info to the readers, the things that stick out the most are:<br /><br />1. The author wants to reframe the language we use to talk about neurodiversity. This is because language does matter, the way we frame ADHD, HSD and Autism influences what we do, how we hire, fire, treat, judge and treat people who have a different wiritng<br /><br />2. Women have been left out of medicine and that's starting to finally change. Historically, straight white males were the ones that started the field of psychology back then women were treated differently, women were simply ignored and left out of the research of ADHD as a result many women go through their whole lives without knowing they are living with ADHD or Aspergers. <br /><br />3. Everyone needs to be aware of these conditions, nobody thinks adult women with careers and families are living with these conditions usually associated with boys. Women go all their life without a diagnosis. <br /><br />I'm glad this book exists. I gave it four starts because at times I wasn't sure what the chapter was really about, like, it took me some effort to grasps the message, but maybe that's on me and not the author.
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-12577587476048797352023-08-17T18:42:00.001-05:002023-08-17T18:42:22.830-05:00My Review of "The FerryMan" by Justin Cronin on GoodReads<script async="" src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-7GC8D54S8G"></script>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61920791-the-ferryman" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Ferryman" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660081825l/61920791._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61920791-the-ferryman">The Ferryman</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45315.Justin_Cronin">Justin Cronin</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5606958684">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Proctor Bennet works as the director of Human Transitions at Prospera, a perfect society where everything and everyone is thriving....or are they?<br /><br />This was a fun sci-fi thriller. I liked the pace of the book, the narrative. The story was a bit too sentimental for me.<br />
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Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14038129.post-14217170732967287812023-08-15T12:17:00.001-05:002023-08-15T12:17:06.415-05:00I finally got Covid<script async="" src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-7GC8D54S8G"></script>
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<p> I can't believe that after 3.5 years of avoiding Covid I finally got it. SMH.</p><p>We were all vaccinated and boosted so we got a mild version, but still, that shit sucked. </p><p>We must have gotten it on our way to Buenos Aires, Martha had symptoms first, she wears an N95 mask every time we fly, so she must have gotten it at the airport, who knows. Gaby and I got sick later. All 3 of us tested positive when we got back from Argentina on the 9th. Martha tested negative the following day. Gaby tested negative yesterday and I tested negative today. </p><p>I really hope I didn't give it to anyone else. I feel crappy about flying sick but we didn't know it was Covid. We always wear masks, specially Martha. Glad we are past it. Yesterday I felt the worst, very congested, headache, low energy. Getting work done like that sucks. </p><p>-JV</p>Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471417659641301420noreply@blogger.com0