My favorite album of all time

This is my favorite album of all time. Enjoy!

http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/williamson-afew/

10 doublings in 10 years for SD cards!

I have just realized that SD cards have increased 1000 in size in the last 10 years that means they have doubled their capacity 10 times! I am amazed.

So in 2000 I was starting at Nokia in Vancouver and one of the things I was asked to design was a music player for a touch screen phone. One of the interesting things is that this device was going to be in the market in 3 years at the earliest. At that time music players using SD cards or internal flash memory had between 16 and 64MB of memory. That gave you enough space for around 20 songs max. So we started designing with that in mind. At some point it dawned on me "wait a minute! how much storage are we going to have in 3 or 5 years?". At that time I used the moore's law (1 doubling every 18 months). So the rounded number we came up with was 100 or 200 songs.

Today, 10 years later, your 100 dollar SD card is between 16 and 32GB with 64GB available for a prime. So basically 1000 times more storage than in 2000; that's 10 doublings or 1 doubling per year! Wow!

Another tidbit I have been following is what type of computer you can buy for 2000 USD. This particular trend I have been following since 1987 when I started reading Byte magazine. At that time 2000 dollars was on the cheap side of prices. Typically prices ran a bit higher than that. I think my first computer (1988 or 89) was an IBM 2 or something with an 8086 processor, 640 RAM, 5MB hard drive and the first version of the 3 1/2 floppy disks (they were making their debut in this machine). At that time I am pretty sure the 80286 was already available but it was too expensive to buy. At school we had 8086 clones with 640KB, 2 floppy drives and no hard drives. I am pretty sure that is what you could buy with around 2,000 US dollars (I need to check my facts though).

So today we can buy pretty powerful computers for less than a 1000 USD. But for 2000 bucks you can get a huge gaming machine with an Intel I7 Quad core processor at 2.8Ghz, 6GB RAM and 650GB of hard drive; not to mention an unbelievable graphics card (Dual ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of memory), DVD/CD reader writer, etc.

Processor speed has increased 500 times; but if we include the quad core idea then it is 2000 times or 11 doublings (is that a word?).

RAM capacity has increased 10,000 times or 13-14 doublings.

Hard drive has increase 100,000 tunes or 17 doublings (approx).

In addition to that I have not included inflation which supposedly has been 27% ; which I doubt. I mean this year alone gold has gone from 700 to 1350! Inflation 27%? yeah, right! At any rate, if we factor the 27% inflation (ha!) then we should be paying 2, 540 for the same 2000 dollars back in the year 2000. But we are now paying around 1,000 for a run of the mill machine. So there you go, another double (or halving of the price).

One side comment: this is why I totally get Apple when they launch a flash memory only laptop or Cannon when they launched a flash memory only camcorder 3 or 4 years ago.

Plus now we can get flat screens, wireless LANS, cellphones, bluetooth, blueray, etc, etc.

This is one of the cool things about working on the high tech industry; you get to design things that will work with technology that will be available in the future. Although this is also a downer when you go to the store and see only the old stuff available. You get so used to working with things that will be available in the future that current things are no longer so exciting.

Anybody want to venture what we will have in 2020? Don't ask me, I only work 3 years ahead :) I get the feeling that we will have a quantum leap that will take us in another direction; totally unexpected. So no need to make predictions, they are overrated.

Senate vote to kill Climate Act disrespects Canadians and democracy

Dear prime minister Harper,

I just cannot believe this government did this!

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/panther-lounge/2010/11/senate-vote-to-kill-climate-act-disrespects-canadians-and-democracy/

As a Canadian I feel very strongly about the future of the climate and this planet. I know that with a very adverse climate there will not be ANY economy to defend. What is so hard to understand about that? We need the Climate change accountability act yesterday!

My jaw is on the floor, I cannot believe this government is acting so irresponsibly.

I hope you find it in your heart the courage to act now so that we will not have to answer to our children tomorrow why we acted so irresponsibly and left them with no planet to live in.

Sincerely,

Victor Palacios

Montreal

2010 is almost over

So! 2010 and my contract with Nokia is almost over. Wow how time flies! So many things have happened in the part of the world of tecnology that I follow: iphone 4, Android phones, Google buzz fizzed, Google wave also tanked, facebook places and messages has just been launched (I am interested in what happens there), iPad, N8... etc. The latest political things that I have followed: Republicans take back congress (damn!), TSA scandal, Obama's trip to asia with 3000 guests, 65 airplanes and 35 war ships (whole mole!) and came back empty handed, Gordon Campbell resigned from his post as prime minister in BC, Canada, Canadians for question period reform, G8 in Toronto and the police abuses and that shadowy piece of legislation pulled off from the mayor's sleeve (That's Canada marching to the elite's tune), Lopez Obrador (in Mexico) getting ready for the next presidential election... and of course the economy... yikes have you seen gold?from 700 last year to 1350 today! basically that means that the US dollar is now officially devalued 50%. And I mean officially because with all those bailouts creating so much money out of thin air the real devaluation should be much severe. Mind you the US dollar is supported by nothing, i.e. it's just paper, it actually has no value, thus the wars the US has been involved in just to keep the dollar going. But now after Obama came back empty handed (could not get an agreement on the currency wars going on now) it means that the US dollar and most probably other currencies are going down! Word of advice buy physical gold or else!

I am still waiting for Disclosure... Not much time left.

Holly macaroni there is so much happening that my head is spinning! I did not even went through a quarter of my list. But this much has to happen in order to give way to the new.

Peace

Bon jour Montreal

Now working at Nokia Montreal. OMG its freezing!
Ahora estoy trabajando en Nokia Montreal. El frio esta jijo!

The committee of the 300

So this is the committee of the 300! Finally I know who they are (according to Benjamin Fulford's list):

Abergavemy, Marquis of.
Acheson, Dean.
Adeane, Lord Michael.
Agnelli, Giovanni.
Alba, Duke of.
Aldington, Lord.
Aleman, Miguel.
Allihone, Professor T. E.
Alsop Family Designate.
Amory, Houghton.
Anderson, Charles A.
Anderson, Robert 0.
Andreas, Dwayne.
Asquith, Lord.
Astor, John Jacob and successor, Waldorf.
Aurangzeb, Descendants of.
Austin, Paul.

Baco, Sir Ranulph
BalFour, Arthur.
Balogh, Lord.
Bancroft, Baron Stormont.
Baring.
Barnato, B.
Barran, Sir John.
Baxendell, Sir Peter.
Beatrice of Savoy, Princess.
Beaverbrook, Lord.
Beck, Robert.
Beeley, Sir Harold.
Beit, Alfred.
Benn, Anthony Wedgewood.
Bennet, John W.
Benneton, Gilberto or alternate Carlo.
Bertie, Andrew.
Besant, Sir Walter.
Bethal, Lord Nicholas.
Bialkin, David.
Biao, Keng.
Bingham, William.
Binny, J. F.
Blunt, Wilfred.
Bonacassi, Franco Orsini.
Bottcher, Fritz.
Bradshaw, Thornton.
Brandt, Willy.
Brewster, Kingman.
Buchan, Alastair.
Buffet, Warren.
Bullitt, William C.
Bulwer-Lytton, Edward.
Bundy, McGeorge.
Bundy, William.
Bush, George.

Cabot, John. Family Designate.
Caccia, Baron Harold Anthony.
Cadman, Sir John.
Califano, Joseph.
Carrington, Lord.
Carter, Edward.
Catlin, Donat.
Catto, Lord.
Cavendish, Victor C. W. Duke of Devonshire.
Chamberlain, Houston Stewart.
Chang, V. F.
Chechirin, Georgi or Family Designate.
Churchill, Winston.
Cicireni, V. or Family Designate.
Cini, Count Vittorio.
Clark, Howard.
Cleveland, Amory.
Cleveland, Harland.
Clifford, Clark.
Cobold, Lord.
Coffin, the Rev William Sloane.
Constanti, House of Orange.
Cooper, John. Family Designate.
Coudenhove-Kalergi, Count.
Cowdray, Lord.
Cox, Sir Percy.
Cromer, Lord Evelyn Baring.
Crowther, Sir Eric.
Cumming, Sir Mansfield.
Curtis, Lionel. d’Arcy, William K.

D’Avignon, Count Etienne.
Danner, Jean Duroc.
Davis, John W. de Benneditti, Carlo.
De Bruyne, Dirk.
De Gunzberg, Baron Alain.
De Lamater, Major General Walter.
De Menil, Jean.
De Vries, Rimmer.
de Zulueta, Sir Philip.
de’Aremberg, Marquis Charles Louis.
Delano. Family Designate.
Dent, R.
Deterding, Sir Henri.
di Spadaforas, Count Guitierez, (House
Douglas-Home, Sir Alec.
Drake, Sir Eric.
Duchene, Francois.
DuPont.

Edward, Duke of Kent.
Eisenberg, Shaul.
Elliott, Nicholas.
Elliott, William Yandel.
Elsworthy, Lord.

Farmer, Victor.
Forbes, John M.
Foscaro, Pierre.
France, Sir Arnold.
Fraser, Sir Hugh.
Frederik IX, King of Denmark Family Designate.
Freres, Lazard.
Frescobaldi, Lamberto.
Fribourg, Michael.

Gabor, Dennis.
Gallatin, Albert. Family Designate.
Gardner, Richard.
Geddes, Sir Auckland.
Geddes, Sir Reay.
George, Lloyd.
Giffen, James.
Gilmer, John D.
Giustiniani, Justin.
Gladstone, Lord.
Gloucestor, The Duke of.
Gordon, Walter Lockhart.
Grace, Peter J.
Greenhill, Lord Dennis Arthur.
Greenhill, Sir Dennis.
Grey, Sir Edward.
Gyllenhammar, Pierres.

Haakon, King of Norway.
Haig, Sir Douglas.
Hailsham, Lord.
Haldane, Richard Burdone.
Halifax, Lord.
Hall, Sir Peter Vickers.
Hambro, Sir Jocelyn.
Hamilton, Cyril.
Harriman, Averill.
Hart, Sir Robert.
Hartman, Arthur H.
Healey, Dennis.
Helsby, Lord.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Her Majesty Queen Juliana.
Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix.
Her Royal Highness Queen Margreta.
Heseltine, Sir William.
Hesse, Grand Duke descendants, Family Designate.
Hoffman, Paul G.
Holland, William.
House of Braganza.
House of Hohenzollern.
House, Colonel Mandel.
Howe, Sir Geoffrey.
Hughes, Thomas H.
Hugo, Thieman.
Hutchins, Robert M.
Huxley, Aldous.

Inchcape, Lord.

Jamieson, Ken.
Japhet, Ernst Israel.
Jay, John. Family Designate.
Jodry, J. J.
Joseph, Sir Keith.

Katz, Milton.
Kaufman, Asher.
Keith, Sir Kenneth.
Keswick, Sir William Johnston, or Keswick, H.N.L.
Keswick, William Johnston.
Keynes, John Maynard.
Kimberly, Lord.
King, Dr. Alexander.
Kirk, Grayson L.
Kissinger, Henry.
Kitchener, Lord Horatio.
Kohnstamm, Max.
Korsch, Karl.

Lambert, Baron Pierre.
Lawrence, G.
Lazar.
Lehrman, Lewis.
Lever, Sir Harold.
Lewin, Dr. Kurt.
Lippmann, Walter.
Livingstone, Robert R. Family Designate.
Lockhart, Bruce.
Lockhart, Gordon.
Linowitz, S.
Loudon, Sir John.
Luzzatto, Pieipaolo.

Mackay, Lord, of Clasfern.
Mackay-Tallack, Sir Hugh.
Mackinder, Halford.
MacMillan, Harold.
Matheson, Jardine.
Mazzini, Gueseppi.
McClaughlin, W. E.
McCloy, John J.
McFadyean, Sir Andrew.
McGhee, George.
McMillan, Harold.
Mellon, Andrew.
Mellon, William Larimer or Family Designate.
Meyer, Frank.
Michener, Roland.
Mikovan, Anastas.
Milner, Lord Alfred.
Mitterand, Francois.
Monett, Jean.
Montague, Samuel.
Montefiore, Lord Sebag or Bishop Hugh.
Morgan, John P.
Mott, Stewart.
Mountain, Sir Brian Edward.
Mountain, Sir Dennis.
Mountbatten, Lord Louis.
Munthe, A., or family designate.

Naisbitt, John.
Neeman, Yuval. 
Newbigging, David.
Nicols, Lord Nicholas of Bethal.
Norman, Montague.

O’Brien of Lotherby, Lord.
Ogilvie, Angus.
Okita, Saburo.
Oldfield, Sir Morris.
Oppenheimer, Sir Earnest, and successor, Harry.
Ormsby Gore, David (Lord Harlech).
Orsini, Franco Bonacassi.
Ortolani. Umberto.
Ostiguy, J.P.W.

Paley, William S.
Pallavacini.
Palme, Olaf.
Palmerston.
Palmstierna, Jacob.
Pao, Y.K.
Pease, Richard T.
Peccei, Aurellio.
Peek, Sir Edmund.
Pellegreno, Michael, Cardinal.
Perkins, Nelson.
Pestel, Eduard.
Peterson, Rudolph.
Petterson, Peter G.
Petty, John R.
Philip, Prince, Duke of Edinburgh.
Piercy, George.
Pinchott, Gifford.
Pratt, Charles.
Price Waterhouse, Designate.

Radziwall.
Ranier, Prince.
Raskob, John Jacob.
Recanati.
Rees, John Rawlings.
Rees, John.
Rennie, Sir John.
Rettinger, Joseph.
Rhodes, Cecil John.
Rockefeller, David.
Role, Lord Eric of Ipsden.
Rosenthal, Morton.
Rostow, Eugene.
Rothmere, Lord.
Rothschild Elie de or Edmon de and/or Baron RothschiLd Runcie, Dr.Robert.
Russell, Lord John.
Russell, Sir Bertrand.

Saint Gouers, Jean.
Salisbury, Marquisse de Robert Gascoiugne Cecil. Shelburne, The Salisbury, Lord.
Samuel, Sir Marcus.
Sandberg, M. G.
Sarnoff, Robert.
Schmidheiny, Stephan or alternate brothers Thomas, Alexander.
Schoenberg, Andrew.
Schroeder.
Schultz, George.
Schwartzenburg, E.
Shawcross, Sir Hartley.
Sheridan, Walter.
Shiloach, Rubin.
Silitoe, Sir Percy.
Simon, William.
Sloan, Alfred P.
Smuts, Jan.
Spelman.
Sproull, Robert.
Stals, Dr. C.
Stamp, Lord Family designate.
Steel, David.
Stiger, George.
Strathmore, Lord.
Strong, Sir Kenneth.
Strong, Maurice.
Sutherland.
Swathling, Lord.
Swire, J. K.

Tasse, G. Or Family Designate.
Temple, Sir R.
Thompson, William Boyce.
Thompson, Lord.
Thyssen-Bornamisza, Baron Hans Henrich.
Trevelyn, Lord Humphrey.
Turner, Sir Mark.
Turner, Ted.
Tyron, Lord.

Urquidi, Victor.

Van Den Broek, H.
Vanderbilt.
Vance, Cyrus.
Verity, William C.
Vesty, Lord Amuel.
Vickers, Sir Geoffrey.
Villiers, Gerald Hyde family alternate.
Volpi, Count. von Finck, Baron August. von Hapsburg, Archduke Otto, House of Hapsburg-Lorraine. Von Thurn and Taxis, Max.

Wallenberg, Peter or Family Designate.
Wang, Kwan Cheng, Dr.
Warburg, S. C.
Ward Jackson, Lady Barbara.
Warner, Rawleigh.
Warnke, Paul.
Warren, Earl.
Watson, Thomas.
Webb, Sydney.
Weill, David.
Weill, Dr. Andrew.
Weinberger, Sir Caspar.
Weizman, Chaim.
Wells, H. G.
Wheetman, Pearson (Lord Cowdray).
White, Sir Dick Goldsmith.
Whitney, Straight.
Wiseman, Sir William.
Wittelsbach.
Wolfson, Sir Isaac.
Wood, Charles.

Young, Owen

Drunvalo Mechizedek

Saquen sus palomitas y ponganse comodos que esto "estam guenisimo". Ademas tiene subtitulos en Espanol. Que lo disfruten.

----

Get the popcorn and put your feet up that the show is about to start (in so many levels). Enjoy!

My Fellow Canadians

My fellow Canadians: I am absolutely disgusted by the elections results! I can't believe the Conservatives won again! I can sum it up as follows: you are as spineless stupid as my fellow Americans!

Enjoy your fricking government! and go back to watching Canadian Idol, hockey and whatever stupid TV program is running nowadays. You definitively have the government you deserve!

BLAH!

The disclosure project - 2 hour DVD

I found one of the DVDs from The Disclosure project on Google video.

Part 1

Part 2

This is the original disclosure on May 2001 at the National Press Club.

It is interesting to see how this story was taking force but then 9/11 happened so it went on the wayside.

Do you want to see even more crazy stuff? Check www.projectcamelot.com and www.consciousmedianetwork.com .

It's just a ride

THE truth can certainly come from anywhere or from anyone.

This is more or less how it goes:

=====

The world is like a ride at an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it, you think it's real, because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round a round, it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud. And it's fun, for a while.

Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: 'Is this real? Or is this just a ride?' And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and they say 'Hey! Don't worry, don't be afraid - ever - because ... this is just a ride'.   And we kill those people.

'Shut him up! We have a lot invested in this ride! Shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry; look at my big bank account and my family. This has to be real.

It's just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that - ever notice that? - and we let the demos run amok. But it doesn't matter, because... it's just a ride, and we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort. No worry. No job. No savings and money. Just a choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy bigger guns, close your self off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one.

Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, into a better ride. Take all that money that we (the US) spend on weapons and defense each year and, instead, spend it feeding, clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would do many times over - not one human being excluded -  and we can explore space together, both inner and outer, forever... in peace.

=====

USA election 2008

So who would I vote in the USA 2008 election (if I could)? I would vote for Ron Paul. I actually would vote for Dennis Kucinich but he dropped from the race (darn!). 

My favourite Ron Paul's ideas: 

• Eliminate the federal reserve and go back to the gold standard. That alone would change the world in so many ways. If most countries would do that that would eliminate pretty much all wars, economic bubbles and busts, etc. Ever since 1913 or so we have been run by bank cartels. Both world wars and other wars have been created and funded on both sides by the bank cartels. The way money is created out of thin air causes inflation which is a flat tax on everybody but the elite. Also most of the income tax in the US and Canada is spend on paying the interest that central banks charge when they create money out of nothing! So they create money out of nothing and then charge interest on top! And we are paying our income taxes only for that! 
  
• Getting out of any wars. I guess everybody can agree with that. But in reality this could be accomplished as a side effect of eliminating the federal reserve and the bank cartels.
• Energy. That's another arm of the bank cartel: the energy cartel. Even though Ron Paul is focusing on the known energy technologies including nuclear, which I am not fond of, I like the idea of eliminating subsidies on nuclear. I, of course, like the tax credits on solar and wind energies. One thing though: I would love to see investment and support for other alternative energy sources such as zero point energy and cold fusion. That would completely change the civilization as we know it.
• Government secrecy. I have not found this on his list of issues but I have seen it mentioned in some of his speeches. I am for open government (who isn't). I would say that most of the secrecy in current governments is because they actually are the elite servants. And secrecy is used to maintain the illusion that governments are here to serve the general public.
• Wars and foreign policy. This is a big one. I mean the threat of war with Iran is scary. Not only that, the main reason why the US is at war with Iraq and Afghanistan is to limit the production of oil and keeping the prices up. Again this is done by the banking cartel via the governments (USA, Britain, Germany, etc). And now they are threatening to go to war with Venezuela? Also, they change governments all over the world, including the last stolen election in Mexico. So definitively I am for "non policing the world, talk and make deals with the countries of the world". 

Least favourite ideas:

• Health care. In principle he is right that the current way health care is handled in the US is appalling and that HMOs should be eliminated. But I don't agree with the argument that we Canadians would prefer the US health care. The canadian healthcare needs a lot of improvements and right now is currently under heavy attack by the Harper Conservative government by decreasing its funding and forcing private industry involvement (well, actually the health care industry is forcing this government to do so). But it is probably one thing that canadians are the most proud about. I love it. I mean the fact that when you have an accident or have to use the hospital for any reason, you don't have to worry at all how much it is going to cost is awesome! In this year alone I have saved a ton of money. My wife had a baby and we spend around 4 days at the hospital and that cost us zero dollars! Then she had a skin infection and had to have a small surgery plus multiple trips to the hospital to get IV antibiotics. My daughter had a wrist fracture and had to go to the emergency room and got a cast plus follow ups. And all the visits to the pediatrician and vaccines and whatnot. Everything at a cost of zero. Well not really, we need to pay a monthly fee of 108.00 canadian dollars. That's it! I mean how cool is that! But I would love to have the nordic system where they get the full royal treatment: Hospital, doctors, medicine, etc paid by taxes. All levels of school paid by taxes (all the way to PHD level, which is why the minimum level they consider worth doing is a masters degree). 
• Which is why I am not that big on small government. I mean, sure everybody would like to get the government off their backs (me too), but we the people via the government should be able to decide what is best for us. One thing that I would change in the way of laws is the corporation personhood. Which is where I coincide with Ron Paul.

This post could go on forever, but I think I capture the keystones of my ideas and why I would support Ron Paul (If I was a US citizen).

Healthy alternatives

I found this awesome health store just 2 blocks from my place. It's called Healthy Alternatives. Besides the healthy supplements, herbs, seeds and whatnot, they have a library about these subjects plus a large room where they have meditation and healing sessions most of them free of by donation. I mean what else do you need? The owner is open to other uses of the room, anything spiritually and healing related goes. Pretty nice.

Windy

I wonder if it shows that its windy.

General Currie school

This is the original General Currie school in Richmond.

The heat is on!

Right now it's 14 degrees. The wind is cold but the run stings!

Small town Richmond

One thing I like about Richmond is its small town feel. Even though there are a lot of high rises going us now. It still retains its small town feel. Open horizon.

Minuet in F major

Work in progress. She's getting good at it.

Ajua! / Yahoo!

El Caracol

Celebrando el día de las madres en el restaurante El Caracol.

Club penguin

Club penguin is a virtual world site for kids and teens and "others" types :). It was brought up at a recent conference about content management and web 2.0. Also second life was discussed of course. Did you know some companies use it as a collaboration tool? Cool. More power to them!