Wednesday, July 30, 2014

The sound of the Universe...

It sounds new-age/hippy but is not.
Actually is the opposite.
I found that Voyager have recorded (is recording) the "sounds" that planets emit.
Here some Science to explain what is happening.
Basically: everyone should know that in the space sound can't be propagated. But is not actually true.
Every planet (asteroid, comet, everything basically) emits an electromagnetic wave that can be recorded and converted into a sound (= a vibration that can be propagated in air/water/etc. and that can be, in this case, perceived by human hear).
Ok, beside the scientific (and maybe boring) side of the story, the cool part is the sound that comes out from this recording.
It's amazing and little bit scary.
Scary because it gives me (once again) the idea of my meaningless compared to what is out there.
My life (our life, the life of everything) doesn't mean anything. Humans will be extinct and this giant planets will still "sound" in this way. They won't care about us.
We are zero, we are nothing, we are insignificant. Everything we do, say, think, build is nothing. And this "sound" is here to remind us this.


...and, once again, I don't see any trace of "god".






Here some of examples (on youtube you can find all of them and CD are also available):




Monday, July 28, 2014

Cedar Ridge Preserve trail run...

...a.k.a. "how to get your ass kicked in only 36 km".

...because that exactly what it was and how it felt.
CRP is a hard course, or, as they say, is "technical".
Add in top of that the classic end-of-july nice weather of Texas, and there you go: you have only 36 km hard as hell.
Anyway, since if it doesn't hurt I'm not happy, I'm happy of my 6th overall position. The race was awesome, hard, intense and off course funny.
As always, nice and relaxed people (by the way, fellow indoor climbers, you should learn how to behave).
I've had also the opportunity to try the night-run-trail mode, since I will need it in two weeks: not bad, it works pretty much well.
Note to myself: I still have to improve my down-hill run. I'm fine with the up-hill, not with the down-hill.
Well, that's it, I'm busy.
Hug a tree.




(Happy birthday "Ride the lightning": 30 years old, but you still kick ass. I've spent my youth listening to you. You're awesome.)

Monday, July 21, 2014

Apollo 11.

On this day, 45 years ago, a man walked on the Moon for the first time.
Science works.
I wish I could go up there (or even further).





Friday, July 18, 2014

I won! I'm lucky!

I want to tell this.
So, I've just won a couple of tickets for a TooL' tribute band live show at The House of Blues.
I don't even remember what I did exactly in order to win: I think it was just a facebook-crap-thing and I applied.
Anyway, I want to tell this funny story related to winning something...
I've never been lucky in my life, and I've never won any prize or money or whatever...
...beside one thing.
I was really young (like 10 years old, or even younger) and I was doing some running race somewhere back in Italy.
With the registration for the race they gave me also one ticket for a lottery. After the race, if your number was extracted, you could win something.
Well, they extracted my number, and I won...









(suspense)























...




















(more suspense)



















...a wheelchair.

Yep, a wheelchair.

I left it there.









Wear the grudge like a crown of negativity.
Calculate what we will or will not tolerate.
Desperate to control all and everything.
Unable to forgive your scarlet letterman.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Andersen Prunty "Satanic summer": book review

Here I am, again, trying to spread the name of one of the best writer of these last years: Andersen Prunty.
After the wonderful "Fuckness" (here for my previous review), this is the time for "Satanic summer".
Long story short: a nice kind-of-horror tale, with a lot of funny and gross (really gross) moments.
if you're into metal, you have to read it: one of the hero (maybe is the anti-hero) is a metal head, and Prunty cites several times the norwegian black metal scene.
I think this book resembles pretty much the vision of Prunty about religion.
I won't spoil anything, so here's the morale of the story: it doesn't matter which side you are. Organized religions are there just to control yourself, they suck and they are bad.
Read it!





Monday, July 14, 2014

El Scorcho 8

Well, is done.
The El Scorcho 8th is done.
It was hard. I don't know if it was hard because of the heat, because of the midnight start or because of the extreme boredom of running 50 km on a 5 km loop.
I've really felt tired this time, and I think it was because of the midnight start. I've tried to sleep more in the morning, and I've tried to take a nap in the afternoon, but if I can't sleep more than 5 hours straight, there is nothing I can do to improve my sleep.
Anyway, whatever was the reason, I really felt it this time: on my legs, on my stomach and on my spirit.
But I did it, and I finished in the top ten athletes, and that is alway good. A little ego-boost is a good prize after all the sweat.
Peace.





Unrelated note: on 7/22 the new Dog Fashion Disco' album will be out.
Don't be an ass, buy it.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Five hard weeks...

...in front of me.
Let me explain.
This Saturday night: El Scorcho. 50 km on a 5 km loop on concrete under the Texas heat. It starts at midnight, but it will be hot as hell.
After that, one week of "rest", just in time to prepare for the 36 km of Cedar Ridge Preserve. I know, I know, it's almost lame: only 36 km... Booooo... But Cedar Ridge is hard... Up-hills, down-hills, rocks, roots, etc... Need to be fast there because is in the morning: once again, the heat doesn't forgive.
After the CRP, almost two weeks of nothing, in preparation for the total awesome 60 km Capt'n Karl's trail series at Colorado Bend State Park. Starting gun at 7:00 pm: headlamp on, run all night in a forest. I hope i won't get lost after 1 km like I always do.
Five hard weeks.
I'm psyched!
Awesomeness overload.
High five everyone!


 Something for keeping high the morale and the spirit:







Note: I really don't have time to check for errors/mistakes/typos/whatever. Deal with it.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Pink Floyd.

...and then it happens that you're alone in the lab, working and writing your paper, while Pink Floyd's "Pulse" is playing straight into your brain.
And you realize once again how big and amazing Pink Floyd are.
...and how lucky you've been to see them live.



(written in one shot, under the inspiration of one of the greatest band in the history of music)

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Brainstorming (Pt. 4)

Ok, off course I'm busy.
Essentially with Science.
All day, non stop. I barely find time to eat.
So, off course I don't have time to write.
Here some random stuff:

- In June I've run 619.84 km (385.15 miles): that's a lot (also, is my new record).

- My PCR is magic: it creates things from nothing.

- Why my favorite band ever (Isis) should be associated with some form of bad thing that is happening right now? Is not fair.

- Sunday I almost died because of the heat while I was doing my 50 km. I'm still alive though.

- I love Botch: they kick(ed) ass.

- Tapering is a two-weeks period that drags you down in a black pit of desperation, desolation and pessimistic perception of the reality.

- Also the new Eyehategod kicks asses.

- I'm tapering, I just started.

- Now, put together Eyehategod and tapering: depression at 100%.

- Fact: the very last experiments never work.

- My army of mighty Squirrels is growing.

- Climbing: so sick and tired of climbing on plastic, locked up in a stinky/dirty/crowed gym. What's the purpose of climbing on plastic? I could complain for pages and pages on this topic...

Time's over, I'm going back to my experiments.




(I'm pretty sure I've posted already this song. So what?)