Tuesday, 13 August 2013

Fiesta On Wheels

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Just to show you that the Spanish don't concentrate their attention entirely on nudes riding through the city on bicycles (Yesterday's Blog and photo), here you can see them enjoying the festivities in high spirits.

More than 15,ooo people, on bicycles or skate-boards took part, including some foreign visitors. They set off from 2 starting points, Bicycles from one, led by the Mayor himself, and skates on another, running on many streets in the centre of Barcelona, covering 15 kilometres in total.

The 'Fiesta' concluded in the Forum, where the party really started, with all sorts performances, the most spectacular were the displays on wheels and competitions of skills and acrobatic exhibitions, singly or in groups. Participants are of all ages from children to grandpas and grandmas.

This is an annual event, to respond to the call of using more environment friendly transports while keeping good health through physical exercise.

Women Who Made History In Communication

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Communication as we know it today is not just connecting people, by words, mail, phones, social pages or why not, being together with others, actually face to face talking, singing, gossiping, arguing ... but in hundreds of ways, fields, across mountains, oceans and space, globally and even between planets. It's a concept unimaginable say just half a century back, let alone well over a century ago.

But, in the factual history, there had been a few women, granted, only a handful, who had got in their heads the idea of practicing what is now called 'hacking', like Lisbeth. the word has diverse meanings and the majority of them practiced the less aggressive: to be excellent programmers.

As far back as in the beginning of the 18th century, when speaking to anyone not in your immediate vicinity within a few yards, would have meant making a trip involving horses and carriages, yet there was this woman, Ada Byron, Daughter of the poet Lord Byron, born and died in London (1815-1852). She was later considered as the first programmer and mother of communicative programming. Self-taught, she worked with Charles Babbage, father of the computers by his invention of the analytic machine.

Eniac was the first electronic computer (1946). It was programmed by 6 women, specialists in mathematics: Betty Snyder Holberton, Jean Jennings Bartik, Kathleen McNulty Mauchly Antonelli, Marlyn Wescoff Meltzer, Ruth Lichterman Teitelbaum and Frances Bilas Spence. Together they have worked and calculated manually the course and paths of the bombings in the 2nd World War.

Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1996). She was one of the 3 people who designed a programme for the 1st electromagnetic computer, the Mark 1. Participated in creation of the 1st commercial computers Binac and UNIVAC 1 Supervised the department that developed the 1st compilation and the 1st programming language of high level, orientated to the management and administration, foresaw the artificial intelligence, the parallel processors, and the day to day use of the computer.

Evelyn Berezin, born in 1025, invented in 1953 the office computer when working in Underwood. Developed the 1st system of flight reservations. Was known as mother of processors of text since she developed the idea, in 1968, of a programme that permitted storing and editing texts.

Lynn Conway was born in 1938. Pioneer in the field of architecture of computers and microelectronics. Great part of the evolution in the design of chips based on her work. In 1965 she participated in the 1st super scale computer.

Jude Milhon (1939-2003) was mother of the Cyberpunk, programmer, writer, rebel, and defender of cyber rights.

Frances E. Allen, born in 1932, was the 1st woman that, in 2007, received the Turing Prize, equivalent to the Nobel of Information. She is the investigator of IBM and pioneer in the automation of parallel tasks.

Living High Up A Tree

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Who has not fancied at some point of their life, especially in childhood, to experience spending a night in a tree house? For those who still do, even though children no longer, can now do just that. Way up the tree like birds, without the city noises, smoke and contaminated air; with panoramic views of far away mountains of the Pyrenees, and below you the edge of the sea. With adequate comfort inside the tree house. There are beds and a table for writing, work or enjoy your food, adjustable ventilation, but with the certain inconvenience of not having running water and electricity.

This pioneer project was designed and developed by the same company which, in 2004, had opened up their then another pioneer project, the adventure in the wild, with cabins in the remote forests. This present one, actually called Tree Cabins, only 2 initially, had taken 2 years to materialise. Each cabin can accommodate 4 people, and costs €100 per night. Not too bad huh, for a night of absolute peace, tranquillity, breathtaking views, and a very unusual experience. There is a villa at a very short distance of just a few metres offering full services, for bathrooms, fresh food and kitchen, etc.

The company assures that they have gone through thorough investigation and detailed studies as to safety issues, to the millimetre, both for the people and for the trees. No harm at all would be done to the trees, which continue their natural growth, as the weight of the cabin is not supported by the tree trunk at all, but suspended by 4 heavy metal cables on the top surface to support the structure, a bit like funicular trolley-cars. 
 
The location is within my province of Girona, near Sacalm, only a couple of hours from Roses. I do not fancy the idea of sharing with 3 other people in a confined space, nor without a bathroom, nor pay the full price to keep it for myself; but the rest of it sounds very interesting. I could always enjoy it during the day, and go back to my humble home for the night.
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Tags:treehouse