New year's resolution

At the beginning of the year 2013 is necessary to improve my English. Last night, I watched a movie with my son: "Cowboys & Aliens". We watched the movie completely in english, with english captions. I understood that i need to listen more native english speakers in real context.

So, how to improve my english language? Here there are some ideas:

• watching more movies in english language with english captions
• listening to english programs like "6 minute BBC english"
• make a review of the movie or the article 
• write a post with a summary of the movie or article
• learning new words and put it in a new contexts
• write the article in different times (future, past, and so)

Any other idea?

How to solve traffic jams

Hi,

Today I'll speak about an interesting web site: TED (www.ted.com)

This web site contains riveting talks (in other words: very interesting talks) by remarkable people.

I chose the video "How to solve traffic jams" (http://www.ted.com/talks/jonas_eliasson_how_to_solve_traffic_jams.html). This video talks about congestion, traffic congestion, and how the different measures taken by the authorities seem to not work. The main reason or problem, according the video, is trying to plan the lives of the people, all details, and what they should to do.

In the rush hours, the traffic doesn't have a linear behavior. So, in the Stockholm city, with the correct incentives, the congestion traffic reduces by 20%. 

The summary of the article is: create incentives, don't plan all details and people will figure out what to do.

Insomnia: a little big problem

Hi,
Today I read an article about the insomnia problem at the guardian newspaper (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/22/dreamland-insomnia-sleep-cbt-drugs): What's the solution for insomnia? Drugs? Therapy? sleep patterns natural?

David K. Randall wrote the book named "Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep".  Every night, about a third of adults have problems falling asleep that aren't related to a persistent sleep disorder. Sleep is not only a precious thing … but it is the most important one.

Treating insomnia isn't easy. Part of the reason is that science, as a whole, has a fuzzy definition of what constitutes the disorder. For example, one night of bad sleep because of a blaring car alarm or an upcoming stressful day at work doesn't classify as insomnia. Instead, in peaceful nights during which a patient can't fall asleep when he or she wants to.

One interesting issue, according the article, there is no medical test that proves whether someone is suffering from a temporary bout of sleepless nights or a more serious disorder. It's because we can't easily judge the time that we are asleep. Some patients in sleep labs say they took for more than one hour to falling asleep, but the brain chart shows it happened within the first 10 minutes. Others, wake up in labs claiming that they didn't sleep at all during the night, despite hours of video and brain wave evidence to the contrary.

When insomnia appears, many people turn to pharmaceuticals. But popular sleeping pills don't offer a major boost in sleep time or quality. Other uses therapy. Carol Worthman says insomnia is an "ancient survival mechanism", due to our modern comfortable life.

What 's next?  Go to the doctor now !!

An interview with Nicolás Kittsteiner

Today, I interviewed Nicolás Kittsteiner.


Nicolás is very quiet & special person. He was dressed casually with blue jeans and slippers. 


Nicolás arrived to Kapsch on March, 2009. He feels comfortable on this company. He studied computer engineer at the USACH university, but his studies are incomplete, because he has two and a half years left. 


Nicolás is married and he has one little child six year old. His wife is studying to be a teacher for little kids. Nicolás enjoys spend his free time with his family, specially with the little Nicolás. He is close to his parents too. He enjoys to play soccer with his colleagues.


Some days he comes to Kapsch by bike. He is planning to continue his studies on 2013.

My favorite piece of technology

All my life turns around computers. I could think in picture cameras, video cameras, DVD or blue Ray players, smart phones, pen drives, MP3 or MP4 players and so. Moreover, I could think in tablets, pads, netbooks. But, I have to be honest: my favorite piece of technology, at this time, is my notebook. with my notebook i can do everything that I need: connect to internet, play games, search & investigate, work on my job, tasks, chat, talk with friends, watch movies, store my favorite pictures, share music & video with my family.

I use it every day, including in my free time for entertainment. Maybe the only problem is the size of my device. It is not a little or portable device, but it's comfortable. Some day, when the smart phones become more powefull and it can be used as notebooks, they will be my favorite piece of technology.

Artist Richard Wilson hangs out 'Italian Job' bus to teeter on Bexhill pavilion

Eight tons of steel girders hold in place the teetering coach hanging off one of the most striking buildings on the south coast, until October: De la Warr Pavilion building.

To the relief of anyone who looks that scene, the artist Richard Wilson says: "it's designed for the worst case scenario".

The installation is a recreation of the final scene in the film The Italian Job, and it's part of the London 2012 Festival within the Cultural Olympiad. He said: "By the end of 2012 I would hope the word goes out from our country that not only do we run excellent world events, but we also balance coaches on the edges of buildings like no one else ever could."

Ruth Mackenzie, director of the London 2012 Festival, said: "I am not allowed to have favourites, but if I were allowed, this commission would be a favourite. It says everything about the world-class ambition and innovation of the UK's great artists and arts centres and, as well as being brilliant, it has a quirky humour that is great as well as British."

The most annoying thing about websites

For me, the most annoying thing about web sites is a web page full of advertising but with poor useful information. I dislike these kind of websites, moreover when I have few time to get any information and the first ten or more web sites are of this kind of web pages. I feel lost.