Singularity

Nice tidbits of info in this YouTube presentation

frankly, I’m not so sure about all the data shown in the video. Regardless, it makes some interesting insights.

wrong wrong wrong…

the NY Times stick his foot in it…

“Pro Evolution Soccer, a popular soccer game produced by Electronic Arts.” wrong wrong wrong, PES is made by Konami. I just had to say it to someone I know you don’t care…

The Departed

So, yesterday I almost forced my GF to watch this movie, which had been setting top of my list since last week. What can I say? very very nice movie, although I admit that I may have missed some nuances of the plot and dialogues. Sharp and hard on all accounts, it eaves you hoping until the end that things will turn for the better, but no, they just go down to hell… It’s nice to get an american movie without the feel-good Hollywood ending, from time to time…

So, did it deserve the 4 oscars? I don’t know – Martin Scorses was long due for one, sure… Best writing, probably yes. I liked the idea – the symmetric play remindimg me of a chess game, where every opponent has the same pieces and the same likelihood of victory (at least, thisi is what I believe in my ignorance). Bes Editing, most likely, although haven’t had the time to check the other nominated for this. But as I said, it’s sharp, with no unnecessary scenes. Best movie? It certainly is a good one. I voted it a 9 on the imdb – very good but not perfect – not one of those movies which win your heart. Well, not mine.

But I’d suggest anybody to watch it – that is, anybody who doesn’t mind seeing some ten brain splattered on walls.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Oh yes, I also saw The Pursuit of Happyness this weekend – my girlfriend choice

Nothing special. Will Smith as usual (plus one son). American dream as usual (crap-effort-success!). Happy Ending (but were’s the wife? Did he take her back? did he marry a beautiful actress that the boy will hate for the rest of his life? Will the two fight for the inheritance of Will’s fortune? – Pah…

The Osteodensity machine sucked, though… And the rubik cube scene too…

Mind you, an enjoyable movie, but will forget it within the month. time filler. My vote on IMDB: 6 – Avg User rating 7.4

Good for a laugh…

I know, I’m late for the party, but will give it a link anyway.

Since wikipedia is apparently too biased, they build their own – surely unbiased, just look up the name… Conservapedia… How this people can hope to pull something like this? May be it’s just a prank. Nope. Sadness…

The Sinhas at Nr 43

or the Kumars at Nr 42?

Last weekend I spent it with an indian colleague and family in a chalet in the Ardennes. I realised when I arrived that the flat number was 43. just one number off the famous 42, which main character Sanjeev chose because of the Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

What a coincidence, uh? I wonder if there’s any deeper meaning…

Disintoxication…

…from Battlestar Galactica

Two weeks without it. more in fact. and I am not feeling the lack of it

I’m going to celebrate buying or downloading “The Good Life“, a BBC series which I adored when I was in the UK, where it’s constantly re-aired…

Belgian Police sucks

There’s no other way of putting it. they must sucks socks…

I was notified a speeding ticket (for a whopping 200 EUR!!!) three months late, may be ’cause it was done on a rental car – and the company, not me, rented the car. so i could have understood if they had had a bit of difficulties to trace me, back then. Anyway, I paid as soon as I got it. and forgot about it.

Last month, i get a call from a secretary or like at the company, telling me that the police is asking them the money (again!!!) and they’ll pay and detract it from my salary. I look for the receipt in the online bank service, print it out and send it to them, they say OK it’s all fine now. Sod the police.

Now, a policeman phones me up telling me that he absolutely has to talk to me regarding this. they want another copy of the receipt – but I’m pretty sure the belgian government would rather have me pay another time – not a chance in hell – unless this is a new fine – But I seriously doubt it… pof!!!

I hate this place!!!

No wonder French and Dutch make jokes on Belgian being kinda thick… We in Italy make jokes about the policemen bein particularly ‘unclever’… may be the union of the two things (a belgian policeman!!!) is the archetype of thickness? mah…

Anyway. I decided to get rid of my car. I know I haven’t had it for one year. But I think it’s rather pointless to keep it. If I move, and commute by train, it’ll stay at home al week long. I will not need it in the weekends since my girflriend will live with me, and we;ll go together to places… so what’s the point of paying 400 euros per month? they would be better spent in food, holidays, gadgets. or may be a cradle, in one year’s time. who knows, a baby may be on his/her way here from god-knows-where-babies-come-from…

I’ve run out of space…

On my hard drives (both). External and Internal. So, no more downloads until I get paid, and can afford a shiny new one, or at least a pack of DVDs… pants!!!

on the BloodBrainBarrier

Just today I started working on BBB, or Blood Brain Barrier – and here comes a post from Omics quickly explaining how it works (so that I don’t have to) and why Avastin, an antibody avoiding vascular growth which would otherwise feed the tumor, may be able to cross the barrier even if usually antibodies aren’t allowed in the Sancta Sanctorum of the human body, the brain – which has its own immune system, apparently.

So, the trick (may be) that the brain tumor itself seems to impair the BBB functionality, so that avastin can slip through… and kill it. Kind of a burglar which leaves open the door of the apartment he’s robbing, only to be surprised by a policeman who got curious about the open door. But why does the BBB give in where a brain tumor is growing? Apparently, this may have to do with the fact that the tumor needs to be fed by new capillaries, and for growing this the tight junctions have to be disassembled. Tough chance for the tumor. Good for us, and some hope for those patients who may, one day be saved.