You gotta run, run, run, run, run

I’m too busy to write anything and since all I would do is post links to articles and videos, just add me to your google reader “people you follow”.

When I have some time I’ll write:

- Bubba takes the high-speed train to Málaga
- Racism in Spain: Who’s the racist?
- Bubba organises the PIPA2010 conference (1st Symposium on Parallel Implementation of Polymorphic Algorithms)

…and other delights…

Deception II

Diary Entries Competition

Match the three diary extracts below to these three writers:

a) Fernando Pessoa
b) Bubba Tribunales
c) Krishnamurti

Correct answers by females win a night out with the authors of the diaries, if living. Correct answers by males get a free torrent download of their favorite pop song. Good luck!

1. Οι τεράστιες μάζες των ανθρώπων είναι πέρα για πέρα αδιάφορες για όλα αυτά – ‘ανθρωποι ανεύθυνοι που ψάχνουν να γεμίσουν τη δική τους εγωιστική ζωή εξευγενίζοντας τις επιθυμίες τους, αλλά παραμένοντας εγωιστές. (loosely translated by me and google-translate: The huge masses of people are completely indifferent to all this; irresponsible people looking to fill their own selfish life, by refining their desires, but remaining selfish.)

2. …so I did what the Danes do, I wrapped myself in the airplane style blanket and sipped my 5 euro coffee. Welcome to wonderful Kobenhavn. You WILL be happy! … on the SAS flight back to London, the screens were showing the pilots eye view! Yeah, that’s where the excitement ends, because NOTHING happens. No birds being squashed on the windshields, no aliens flying about, no juggling homeless angels cleaning the windows at the lights…

3. I experienced the pain of truth when I saw myself there, because, inevitably, it was my face I looked for first. I have never had a very high opinion of my physical appearance but never before have I felt such a nonentity as I did then, comparing myself with other faces, so familiar to me, in that line-up of my daily companions. I look like a rather dull Jesuit. My thin inexpressive face betrays no intelligence, no intensity, nothing whatever to make it stand out from the stagnant tide of the other faces. But they’re not a stagnant tide. There are some really expressive faces there. Senhor Vasques is exactly as he is in real life – the firm, likable face, the steady gaze, all set off by the stiff moustache. The energy and intelligence of the man – qualities which are after all utterly banal and to be found in thousands of other men all over the world – are stamped on that photograph as if it were a psychological passport. The two travelling salesmen look superb; the clerk has come out well but he’s half hidden behind Moreira. And Moreira! My immediate superior Moreira, the embodiment of monotony and routine, looks much more human than I do! Even the errand boy – I detect in myself, without being able to suppress it, a feeling that I hope is not envy – has a directness in his smile that far outshines the insignificant dullness of my face, of me, the sphinx of the stationery cupboard.

Three Little Gems

Three passionate voices. Dedicated to my neighbour

Love

“Love can die, but you don’t have to kill it before it does”

Krishnamuna

BSA

“Hello, Big Spiros Algorithms, how can I help you?”

Bullshit World Records

I read an interesting news item on a Greek portal today. Here’s the article in Greek. Here’s a free-style translation:

Romania is a country with many successes in the Guinness Book of World Records in the last 23 years. According to the weekly newspaper Capital, Romania first got in the book in 1986 and since then has 30 Guinness World Records, while 1/5 of them were made in 2008.

Raymond Marshall, head of business affairs for Guiness World Records, was in Romania last week to inspect the making of the biggest paper bag in the world, by the department store Kaufland.

Some of the Guinness world records done in Romania are the biggest easter egg in the world (height 7.25 metres, diameter 4.6 metres), the heaviest cake (with whipped cream and fruit, 281 kilos), the biggest Santa Claus parade (4,000 people), the longest hotdog (392 metres), the longest brides gown in the world (1.579 metres).

Putting aside the current state of the world, with the collapse of the economy, avian flu, Sri Lanka situation, Israel, Korean nuclear tests etc., more information and details on the biggest Santa Claus parade would be welcome. Absolutely fascinating.

A day at the office

How was work today dear?

Fruit of the Year

And the winner is:

the cherimoya

what Mark Twain called “the most delicious fruit known to men” and “deliciousness itself!”, according to the *free*-speech internet.

At number two we find a fruit that’s been in the top-ten list for 38 years:

the orange

end of blog.

If you’re being harassed by debt collectors

This letter is not a joke. It’s a template that can and has been used successfully (in England).

Date

Dear Sir/Madam

I refer to your letter dated the xxxxx in which you allege there is an outstanding balance of £xxx owed by me to your company.

I do not acknowledge any such debt to your company.

I ask that you no longer process my data and that you cease all further communications as is my right under Section 10, subsection (1) of the Data Protection Act 1998.

You have 7 days from receipt of this letter to state that you comply or intend to comply with my request. Should you not comply or intend to comply, you are to state your reasons as to why.

Please be aware that I will regard any further approaches other than in writing as harassment under S40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970, and any inappropriate written contact as harassment under that Act or S1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

As such you are now to cease any telephone calls to my residence or workplace. Furthermore, should it be your intention to arrange a “doorstep call”, please remember that there is only an implied license under English Common Law for certain people to visit me on my property without express permission; the postman and people asking for directions etc (Armstrong v. Sheppard and Short Ltd [1959] 2 Q.B. per Lord Evershed M.R.).

Please therefore take note that, I revoke license under English Common Law for you, or your representatives to visit me at my property and if you do so without my permission, you will then be liable to damages for a tort of trespass. You would also be conspiring in a trespass if you sent someone to visit me nevertheless.

Should you decide to ignore or continue to contact me about the alleged debt, I would ask that you provide documented proof that

a) the debt exists and

b) you are acting legally in your instruction for the alleged debt.

Failure to comply with any of the requests in this letter will result in further action being taken by me. This may include and may not solely be restricted to a complaint being made to The Office of Fair Trading and the Credit Services Association with regard to your professional conduct.

Please note that you will receive no further correspondence from me on this matter. The only communication I would now expect to receive from you would be confirmation that the matter is now closed. This matter is not going to go away and ignoring the problem could potentially make your situation worse and I therefore strongly recommend that you heed the contents of this letter.

Regards

Name