week 10 of 2011
Joensuu, Finland
March 11, 2011
Japan
No more words are needed.
shocked
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Tag Archives: crisis
my actual phd student pray
I am thankful to have corrections, because it means someone is reading carefully my work and s/he is helping me to improve. I am blessing for that, and I hope to continue on this track. Thank you!
Please, provide to my supervisors and readers TONS (in an exponential sense) of patience and guidance.
Keep my ears and mind open; my emotions calm and cool to understand the suggestions of improvement. Offer me the wisdom on how to RE-WRITE sentences, paragraphs and chapters when I realize I am not able to transmit the message.
god of the words,
god of the clarity,
please remember to illuminate this phd student (aka me)?
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggghhhhhhhrrrrr_men!
image source: here
life full of contradictions #2 – Nature is smarter than us
I had been writing about my concern on natural disasters (e.g. here and here), specially stressed with earthquakes. My last entry was with Chile, now in early April 2010 a 7.2 earthquake shook Mexicali, Mexico , last week a 6.9 earthquake in Qinghai, China, and last night in Papua New Guinea.
Most of the dead tolls are our own fault. We support the growth of over-populated cities with lack of urbanism research and strategies. In addition we build low quality shelters, and so on.
Apparently most natural disaster are between the tropics.
But on April 14th, north European countries have been affected by the eruption of Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland. The airspace has been closed in most European airports for the danger that implies to fly through the ashes. The Europe flight grounded creates passengers inconvenience at different levels (I am lucky to do not be in such a situation) and millions of euros lost in direct and indirect industries e.g. carrier of goods, suppliers for airlines.
However and unfortunately all the media I read, except of the article from Alain de Botton, a critical reflection point is missing: nature is making the obvious explicit. We need to slow down our life styles and harmonize with the rest of life forms in the planet. We should be wise, instead to pretend to be smarter than nature. The price of our stubbornness is rising every day. Anyway, we keep making history.
What I am proud of is the positive attitude of most of the travelers. Social Networks are the best!
Screenshot of #getmehome in Twitter. Great attitude from people!
rejection upgrade
In a conference of 34% acceptance rate, I was not from the lucky ones.
But this post attempts to make the best of my actual situation. If I do not look this positive, I will drive nuts. The positive fact is that the rejection of my paper has been upgraded. Meaning, my referees had NO problems with my focus. I should say HURRAY!!!!! 😉
Actually this is a HUGE step in science for me. I want to thank to those who are helping me to focus. Your patience and efforts are giving results 🙂 . Now my challenge is methodology! Damn!
To keep me afloat, now I got these supporting referees comments such as:
- …. it is a promising direction that would benefit from refinement and detail.
- …the paper contains much serious work, so these are problems that could be rectified by a rewrite
- The paper presents an interesting premise, etc.
I must keep cool and calm. Things ARE moving sloooooooooowly, but moving! 🙂
Let’s see how long can I survive.
surviving!!!!
credits of image source here
social media and natural disasters
I am impressed of the power of social media. No for the technology itself, I confess. I am marveled of what human beings can do as soon as they have the access and the know how to use technology.
Today my personal use of social media is limited to these three areas:
1. Research (main topics within technology enhanced learning and games research)
2. Re-connecting with my past
3. Keep myself informed about some actual events
Maybe it sounds not much, those topics, but the amount of information is huge 🙂 But even with these few topics, I can be sure that a new culture is raising strongly, a culture sustain by e-habits independently of the physical location, we are connecting ideas and people.
What I like and attracts me of social media is: I have opportunity to listen individuals in more “personal” basis and with natural language. It is not the demagogic speech, or the news built up to sell. We are talking about real and natural people.
Just to share a bit of what I mean:
Feb. 2010: from Chile’s earthquake:
- f3rq RT @fieritacatalano: RT @briascoi: RT @aschek: Si estás en Chile y tienes WiFi, abre acceso para q otros puedan com. con sus seres queridos #terremotochile half a minute ago from Tweetie
//Translation: “If you are in Chile and you have WiFi, open its access so that others can communicate with their love ones”
- ovario RT @layoli2000: RT @MonikaMDQ: Hoy Twitter sirvió para algo útil. La cruz roja localizó familiares de las víctímas por medio del hastag #terremotochile less than 20 seconds ago from TweetDeck
// Translation: “Today Twitter was useful. The red cross was able to localized family of victims through the hastag…” //
- helua RT @lasseweb20: Qué interesante ver que la información en Twitter y Ustream es 10 veces mejor y actual que lo de CNN #terremotochile
//Translation: “How interesting to see that the information from Twitter and Ustream is 10 times better and actual versus CNN “//
Jan 2010: Foreigners after the earthquake in Haiti:
- RT @carelpedre It’s sad! It’s Been 4 days now and we’re begging for some water on twitter!about 7 hours ago from Twitterrific
- RT @jacquiecharles: 80% of dwntwn PAP gone. ” irony of life is all of the prisoners are out & judges are buried…,” said Michele Montas.
- RT @jacquiecharles: Just left a pregnant woman who’s baby is dead inside her after beam fell. Red cross says mom has 12hrs to live. #Haiti half a minute ago from TweetDeck
- RT @JimCarrey: watching Haitians singing in street, destroyed me. we never get as close to each other as do in these terrible moments #Haiti
- act7286 You know what pisses me off? Our government never does even half as much to help our own people as it’s doing now for #haiti half a minute ago from web
- Who is planning for the survivors? Victims need to start registering their name and lost. Coordination and leadership is cruciAl. 20 minutes ago from Echofon
- many emotions,anger grief, survivors guilt everywhere – why did I survive, why was my house the only one left standing about 21 hours ago from web
Jan 2010: Hatians raising their voice after earthquake in Haiti.
- RT @Haiti2015: 3 sisters – Michaelle, Judith, Roselle Angrand are trapped at : #43 Ruelle Sylvia Avenue Pouplard call: 3554-7314 RT please
- Why organizations feel the need to advertise themselves in this momen of crisis.Could everyone just serve without worrying about recognition
- Who is in charge in Haiti? Yes, it is important to know. Last I check, Haitians should be allowed free passage in their own country.
- @MissionMANNA seriously, some Haitian leadership with a Haitian long term plan. We need international assistance, not control.
- Now they want to focus attention on insecurity, while million are still homeless and suffering. What a shame. Haitians wake up please. about 22 hours ago from Echofon
- It is no time to lead with emotion. We need calm head to prevail, and sound plan to be implemented If not, all these efforts will be a waste 9:51 PM Jan 18th from web
- What is the difference between humanitarian relief and a military invasion? Urgency! How long did it take to invade Bagdad? about 22 hours ago from Echofon
- Ki altenatif “what’s the alternative?”We have to remain strong and build back up from the rubbles.The youth of Haiti are still its best hope
As my focus right now is to finalize my thesis I can’t put much time on this right now :(, unfortunately, but I will :). There is so much ideas and emotions, hopes and frustrations triggered by social media. there are lives and it just deserves my attention and a reflection, which I want to share.
To finalize a photo from the city of Conception, Chile by Astro_Soichi. He is a Japanese astronaut in duty right now, and he has been sharing his photos on twitter. He is amazing!!!!
Concepcion, Chile. Photo taken from the space by Astro_Soichi few hours after the 8.3 earthquake
Photo source: twitpic Astro_Soichi