In awe of modern inventions
Jun 27, 2017
Before photography was invented, people could only see that in front of their eyes. To experience the rest of the world, people had to physically travel, or, if they couldn’t afford it, to use other’s interpretation of remote places via narrative or painting.
That’s why the invention of photography was so huge for the human race. It removed a limit that most people didn’t even thought was there, and it opened the possibility of exploring the physical world beyond our reach.
Today we don’t believe anymore that everything important was already invented, but we have an attitude of cynicism to every new thing that comes along. In 2017 we even have cars that drive themselves, and we aren’t excited at all.
These are two (now) very basic inventions that occurred during my lifetime and changed me forever.
The Internet
One of the first things that blew my mind when I first experienced the internet back in the 1990s wasn’t the web, or email, but the possibility of connecting with random people all around the world.
I remember chatting with people from Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Philippines, Malaysia, Spain. At the time I hadn’t traveled more than 500km from my hometown, so these conversations always left me in awe, even when they usually went on superficial subjects from “how’s your house/street/city” to “what kind of music do you listen to?”.
Google Earth
The first time I used Google Earth, I felt a mix of excitement with something very similar to fear. It was awe again. I moused all around the sphere on my screen, watching aerial views of famous locations, then known cities, then my house, my relatives houses, my school. In every single step I took, I expected the experience to fail, but every single time, the experience delivered.
When photos were invented, we still needed somebody going places and taking pictures. With the internet chatrooms, we could only talk to people logged in to the same chat room we were in, but with Google Earth, everything was there. Not the necessary stuff, not the important stuff, everything.
Months after that, Google started adding maps, street photos and directions on top of Google Earth. This kind of stuff made the tool practical for everyday use. But at first, Google Earth simply removed a limit we didn’t knew we had. And that was, again, awesome.
Qué linda es la lluvia
Jul 02, 2013
El aroma a tierra mojada me hace volver a mil novecientos ochenta y seis, cuando a mi hermano y a mí ese olor nos anunciaba una tarde divertidísima saltando entre los charcos de las calles sin pavimento y la posibilidad de quedarnos en casa la siguiente mañana si la escuela se inundaba.
Me recuerda aquel huracán dominical que amenazaba nuestra casita, cuando mamá nos llevó a refugiarnos en la casa de la vecina con todo y la tele Philips blanco y negro de doce pulgadas. Me recuerda su cara de angustia y luego su sonrisa de alivio cuando, horas después, el radio de baterías anunció que el huracán se desviaba.
Me recuerda el beber café con leche y tortillas de harina envuelto en una toalla. Dentro de unos años, probablemente me recuerde la noche de hoy, cuando me senté en el porche con Andrés, mi hijo, a ver llover. Me recordará su voz emocionada y espontánea cuando corrimos a la tienda a comprar galletas mientras el agua helada nos caía en la cara:
—Papá, qué linda es la lluvia. —Si hijo, es muy linda.
The beauty of smaller communities
Jun 04, 2013
I keep Facebook because of my family. My wife and her beautiful posts about our son, the daily communication with my mother —who lives miles away— and the chat. Everybody’s on Facebook, and that makes it the perfect instant messenger. Otherwise, Facebook is a giant wall of spam that you need to scroll ad nauseam fishing for interesting content. I’ve tried everything: lists of interesting friends, hiding people from timeline, etcetera, but they keep changing the rules so you actually get the spammy stuff no matter what, because that’s their business.
IMO, the problem with Facebook is that it is not about real communities anymore. It got so big that everyone’s there: your uncles, your awkward cousins, your whole high school class, and every one of those people you incidentally met in the last event you attended. They all send you friend requests and most of the time it feels really rude to say no.
What we need is smaller communities. Groups of people that resemble more closely our everyday social groups. In small groups, communication tends to be more direct, more enjoyable and there’s practically no spam.
At my office we have a music related chat on Skype. I’m also on a private coding community on Google+, a song-sharing private blog and a movie club. Every one of these communities is way more enjoyable and fulfilling than Facebook or any other open social network, and they’re all under 10 participants.
We now have the tools to craft our online interactions in the way and with the people we want. Don’t let the major social networks ruin your experience. But keep the Facebook chat. Everyone’s there.
