Today will never come again

Today is already Christmas Day, 25th Decembre 2006. Today will not come again, it will not pass again in the whole history of the world. It is an unique day as the others. But Christmas Eve used to be a special day some years ago. And it really was.
Today I have felt very worried about future, maybe for the first time. Many "What if's" have covered my mind and make me feel very bad.
As I am drinking some red wine and listening to The Appleseed Cast I know this moment will never come back, and I know that every time I will remember "that Christmas Eve when I was 30", I will remember how horrible it has been, and I will never be able to change it.
Live your life as happy as you can feel, and do not ruin any day of your life or another's, do not ruin special days, they will never come again.

Hyvää Joulua kaikille!!!

Genetic Memory // Memoria Genética

As usually: Scroll down to read the english version

Hace unos 10 días, tuve la oportunidad de ver un documental sobre un tema científico muy interesante, la verdad es que decir eso sería poco.
La cuestión suena absurda, planteada desde el punto de vista del ciudadano de a pie, pero para un cientifífico, podria tener un significado mucho más serio, y, por qué no, preocupante. La pregunta es simple: ¿Podrían nuestros comportamientos o condiciones de vida influir en el normal desarrollo de nuestra descendencia? Y ese ciudadano normal y corriente diría: No, ¿por que me habrían de influenciar las condiciones de vida que llevó mi padre o mi madre a mí hoy en dia?
Pero la respuesta podria no ser tan sencilla. Investigadores han descubierto evidencias que demuestran que, por ejemplo, las siguientes generaciones de los individuos nacidos en un ambiente de hambruna, aún sin estar en las mismas condiciones que sus padres, desarrollan las características que llevarían a pensar que tienen poca comida a su disposición. Este caso concreto fue estudiado en un remoto pueblo de Suecia, aislado en los largos inviernos lapones, u, por consiguiente, con un bajo suministro de comida. Se descubrió que, las generaciones consecuentes desarrollaban los mismos detalles fisiológicos característicos de la hambruna, aquellos que sus progenitores ya poseían, y, esto es importante: incluso sin estar expuestos a esa hambruna.
¿Cuál puede ser la clave que lleva a heredar estas características, por otra parte, tan poco deseables?
El cuerpo humano está compuesto de células, millones de ellas y de muchas clases, que dan lugar a los diferentes tejidos. Cada célula por sí sola contiene la información genética que nos define: el ADN (plegado formando los cromosomas), en 2 copias, excepto los gametos: las células que están destinadas a la reproducción: poseen una única copia de la información genética.
A grandes rasgos, el ADN está formado por genes, que más tarde, en dos procesos llamados transcripción y traducción, da lugar a las proteínas, que, a su vez, tienen, cada una, una función específica en la célula o fuera de ella.
Existen millones de genes, cada uno da lugar a una proteina diferente o incluso a más, con lo cual la complejidad de la red es grandísima. No sé si alguna vez se llegará a conocer completamente. Pero no todos los genes que existen se traducen en proteinas: hay genes que llamamos latentes: no se expresan bajo condiciones normales, con lo cual, no se ve el efecto que causaría si diese lugar a la proteina que codifica.
Ahora bien, imaginemos que recibimos un estimulo externo que hace que un gen que NO se expresa normalmente lo haga. Hasta aquí todo sería normal, el gen se expresaría con o sin un efecto en nuestro organismo. El cambio de la teoría está en que la expresión de ese gen sería heredable, es decir, se daría una Memoria Genética, transmitiéndose a nuestra descendencia. La posible explicación a este fenómeno estaría en que ese estímulo incidiría en todas las células del cuerpo humano, incluidos los gametos que serán utilizados más tarde en la reproducción, con lo cual, los hijos o hijas del individuo en cuestión tendrían un gran probabilidad de presentar los mismos síntomas que el o los progenitores.
Ilustremos esto con otro ejemplo. Se investigó en mujeres embarazadas más de 7 meses el efecto que podía tner el estrés en sus vidas, y en las de sus futuros hijos. El estrés al que se sometieron las madres debido a sus ajetreadas vidas tuvo el efecto de producir Cortisol en su organismo, y, de algún modo, ese Cortisol introdujo un cambio en la expresión de un gen, demostrándose después que los hijos eran propensos a sentir estrés, incluso si las condiciones no eran adecuadas para ello.
Y, extrapolando a las consecuencias más desastrosas que éste descubrimiento tendría: abuelos expuestos a un agente externo que causa una enfermedad alterando el ADN pasarían ese gen mutado o sobrexpresado a su descedencia, con lo cual, sus nietos, por ejemplo, tendrían una más alta probabilidad de sufrir esa enfermedad que el resto de la población normal, sin estar expuestos a ese agente externo.
Ya no sólo nosotros tendríamos que preocuparnos de que lo que hacemos sea perjudicial para nosotros, tendríamos que preocuparnos de las consecuencias que podríamos provocar en nuestra descendencia.

English

About 10 days ago, I had the opportunity to watch a documentary on a very interesting scientific topic, the truth is that saying very interesting could be a little adjetive.
The question sounds absurd, raised from the point of view of the normal citizens, but for a researcher, it could have a much more serious meaning, and, why not, worrying. The question is simple: did our behaviors or conditions of life may influence the normal development of our offspring? And this normal citizen would say: Why should I be influenced by the actions of my parents?

But the response might not be so simple. Investigators have discovered evidences that demonstrate that, for example, the following generations of the individuals born in an environment of famine, yet without being in the same conditions that their parents, develop the characteristics that would lead to think that they have little food at their disposition. This concrete case was studied in a remote village of Sweden, isolated in the long winters of Lapland, and, consequently, with a low supply of food. It was discovered that, the following generations were developing the same physiological details typical of the famine, those that their progenitors already were possessing, and, this is important: even without being exposed to this famine.

What can be the key that leads to inheriting these characteristics, on the other hand, so little desirable?
The human body is composed of cells, millions of them and of many classes, which give place to the different tissues. Every single cell contains the genetic information that defines us: the ADN (folded forming the cromosomas), in 2 copies, except the gametes: the cells that are destined for the reproduction: they possess the only copy of the genetic information.
To big features, the ADN is formed by genes, which later, in two processes called transcription and translation, form the proteins, which, in turn, have, each one, a specific function in the cell or out of it.

Millions of genes exist, each one gives place to a different protein or even to more, with which the complexity of the net is the biggest. maybe it won't be completely known . But not all the genes that exist are translated in proteins: there are genes that we call latent: they do not express under normal conditions, so, we do not see the effect that it would cause if it forms the protein that it codifies.
Now then, let's imagine that we receive an external stimulus that makes a gene that does not express normally to express. Hitherto everything would be normal, the gene would express with or without an effect in our organism.The change of the theory is that this change in the gene expression would be inheritable, that is to say, a Genetic Memory, being transmitted to our descent. The possible explanation to this phenomenon would be in that this stimulus would affect in all the cells of the human body, included the gametes that will be used later in the reproduction, with which, the children or daughters of the individual in question would have one great probability of presenting the same symptoms that the progenitors.
Let's illustrate this with another example. There was investigated in pregnant women, more than 7 months, the effect that stress could have in their lives, and in those of their future children. The stress to which the mothers surrendered due to treir harassed lives had the effect of producing Cortisol in their organisms, and, somehow, this Cortisol introduced a change in the expression of a gene, being demonstrated later that the children were inclined to feel stress, even if the conditions were not adapted for it.
And, getting close to the more disastrous consequences that this discovery would have: grandparents exposed to an external agent which causes a disease altering the DNA would pass this mutated or everexposed gene to their offspring, and their grandsons, for example, would have a higher probability of suffering this disease than the rest of the normal population, even without being exposed to this external agent.

Already not only we would have to worry that what we do in our life is harmful to us, we also would have to worry about the consequences that we might provoke in our descent.

The Lake House

I watched "The lake House" last thursday night. It was a very good film, full of love, magic and coincidencies, in this case with me.
It is the story about a man and a woman, who live in the same house (a marvellous one, by the way, see the picture) , but with 2 years of difference, and, somehow, they deliver letters to each other in real-time, just leaving the letters or messages in the letter box, also present in the picture.
But that is not the important thing to know, and, besides, if I tell you more about the film, I would ruin a possible attendance to the cinema.
On thursday I recovered a book I had to read since a long time ago. It is "Persuasion" by Jane Austen, a book that me and my class mates had to read 2 years back in time during Christmas 2004/05, just when I knew I was leaving to Finland. Of course, I did not read the book, I was lazy andI was getting prepared for my trip, and also I was reading "Pride and prejudice", also by Jane Austen, so I had enough, for me they are quite difficult books to read, so, I was not going to read 2 at the same time , No way! But then I tried twice or three t¡mes without a success until thursday, I started in the underground while I was coming back from visiting my grandma, and it grabbed me!
Then, in the film it is the favourite book of one of the main characters. What a coincidence! It seems that the book is about 2 persons that fall in love but could not be together at that period of their lifes, and then, after some years, they meet again. Some of the sentences Keanu Reeves pronounces could have been said for me some months ago. Sometimes things like this happen, a film then exactly shows something similar to what you lived, and of course touches you... it is normal.
So, definitely, I am determined to read the novel, also to practice my english after my graduation (now I am only going to finnish). And see what does it have for me, what things can I learn from the novel. You always get good things and new experiences from everything, that is why I like to do many different things.
I hope all the coincidences are back in my life. I need to believe in them again (I still do, but I have not seen them in some months), I need to believe that I will be happy in life. Let's believe and choose the right way.
Good night.

Autumn finally... or something like that

Finally, after months of a more than usual warmer temperature for october and november, it seems that the begining of the winter is here. It is true that it has rained a lot ( what a relief!) but the temperature was really warm for this period of the year. Now, more or less for a week, temperatures have dropped a little bit, although they would be similar to those during spring in Europe or even summer. Today was sunny (it is already dark, at 18:25), and temperatures were nicer, at least for me. I can' stand when the weather is not what is supposed to be in a period of the year. Something like 10 days ago I felt like wearing my coats, but I obviously couln't, it was 20 or even more. Climate change I guess.
I played 90 minutes footbal game with my team, and it was horrible, with more reason because I also played with hangover. Maybe this was the very reason I felt so bad.
Anyway, here you have the link to see the weather forecast for Madrid.
I know that for many people in Europe this would be a stupid complaint, but I need a little bit of coldness down here in Spain. I am sorry!

Blogger beta..., good or bad?

Bueno, al principio, cuando mi amigo Litri nos comunico que se había pasado a la versión beta de blogger en nuestro querido blog del Rakiss Meiniss, una punzada de incertidumbre rondó todas mis ideas acerca del diseño de la página, patrimonio de todos los jugadores y fans, y, a la vez, de mi blog, éste que estáis leyendo ahora. Realmente pasé horas hasta que "diseñé" uno que realmente me gustara y en personalizarlo, poner mil y un enlaces y códigos web de los que poco sé. Miles y miles de pruebas y presionados de ese "Vista previa". Y ahora, alarmado, veo como otros internautas se echan las manos a la cabeza y cuentan cómo han perdido TODO su blog al actualizar a la dichosa versión beta. Aparte de la incompatibilidad de algunas de las plantillas, sobre todo las más complicadas. Y la mía opertenece a ése rango, quité algo de aquí, sustituí los tamaños de algo, el color, etc etc etc. Incluso conseguí después de mucho trajín hacerlo de 3 columnas.
Con el paso de las horas, leyendo auún más comentarios y páginas web con toneladas de información sobre el tema, creo que no es tan preocupante, al menos en cuanto al diseño, más fácil, quizás, porque te permite cambiar y añadir cosas sin tener que tocar el template, cosa que tuve que hacer en este blog. De hecho ya he encontrado un template de 3 columnas muy interesante y que actualmente estoy testeando.
El problema puede resumirse en que mi blog, de 1 año y 4 meses de antiguedad, desaparezca por completo en cualquier agujero negro de la programación html. Y ahora que me acuerdo, tengo también un par de blogs más, secundarios, uno de fotografias que me gusta mucho, donde sólo posteo eso, fotografías, y otro de categorías que probablemente desaparezca con el nuevo estilo. Veremos.

Nueva cuenta adscrita a Google y más de una queja

Una cosa que no me gusta, aunque en principio carece de cierta importancia, es que tu nueva cuenta es la misma que la que posees en google (gmail), y, si no tienes una, has de crearla obligatoriamente. Un buen truco de Google para hacerse con más usuarios para su servivio de correo electrónico. Pero ya se sabe, a más grande y rica una compañía es, más tratará de serlo. Lo raro es que el rey de las búsquedas en internet no hubiera hecho nada hasta ahora con blogger, ya que fue comprado en el año 2003. Google crece sin parar, hace poco compraba también You Tube, servicio de almacenamiento de videos por excellencia del web.

No han sido ni uno ni dos los internautas que he comprobado que no gustan de Blogger beta. Algunos, obligados, por la traumática desaparición de su espacio web, y otros, simplemente porque no les ha gustado el cambio.El tema trae cola en los foros desde el momento en que se produjeron las primeras migraciones.

Recomendaciones

Mis consejos y recomendaciones son sencillos, hemos de tener paciencia con el cambio. No cambies sin estar seguro de que tu plantilla va a ser soportada sin ninguna alteración. Más vale un poco de investigación y lectura en internet y tardar un poco más en cambiar (aún no es obligatorio el cambio pero lo será en un par de meses, dicen) que encontrarte con que has perdido tu plantilla o, peor todavía, tu blog entero.
Haz un backup de TODO tu blog. Hay herramientas que lo permiten, basta tan sólo con echar un vistaz en ñblog , excelente web para utilidades de blogs. Aquí se explica fácilmente cómo hacerlo.

English version

Well, initially, when my friend Litri reported to us that Blogger had passed to beta version in our beloved blog of the Rakiss Meiniss, a twinge of uncertainty was getting about all my ideas over the designing of the website, patrimony of all the players and fans, and, simultaneously, about my blog, this one that you are reading now. Really, I spent hours until I "designed" one blog that I really liked and thousands of hours also in personalizing it. Thousands and thousands of tests and pressed of the "preview " button.

And now, alarmed, I see as other internet users throw the hands to the head and tell how they have lost ALL their blogsdue to having updated to the new version thread. Apart from the incompatibility of some of the templates, especially the most complicated. And mine belongs to those, I took something from that one of here, replaced the sizes of something, the color, etc etc etc. Even I managed, after many hours spent, to do it of 3 columns.

With the step of the hours, reading even more commentaries and web pages with tons of information about the topic, I believe that itis not so worrying, at least as for the design, easier, probably, because it allows yourself to change and to add things without having to touch control yourself, thing that I had to do in this blog. In fact, I have already found a template of 3 columns very interesting and that nowadays I am testing.
The problem can be summarized in that my blog, of 1 year and 4 months of exage, should disappear completely in any black hole of the programming html. And now that I remember, I have also a couple of blogs more, secondary, one of photographies who me pleases much, where only posteo it, you come out in photographs, and other one categories that probably it(he,she) eliminates with the new style. We will see.


New account assigned to Google and more than one complaint

A thing that I do not like, though at first lacks certain importance, is that your new account is the same that the one that you possess in google (gmail), and, if you do not have one, you have to create it obligatorily. Google's good trick to be done by more users for its e-mail service. But already it is known, the bigger and rich a company is, the more it will try to be. The strange thing is that the king of the searches on the Internet had not done anything untill now with blogger, since it was bought in the year 2003. Google grows steadily, they bought also You Tube, most famous service of storage of videos in the web.

They have been neither one nor two the internet users who I have verified that they do not please Blogger beta. Some, obliged, for the traumatic disappearance of their blogs, and others, simply because they have not liked the change. The topic brings tail in the forums from the moment in which the first migrations took place.

Recommendations

My advices and recommendations are simple, we have to be patience with the change. Do not change without being sure that your template is going to be supported without any alteration. More it is worth a bit of investigation and reading on the Internet and being late a bit more in changing (still the change is not obligatory but it will be in a couple of months, they say) that to check that you have lost your template or, worst still, your entire blog.
Do a backup of ALL your blog. There are tools that allow it, it is enough to take a look in ñblog, excellent web for utilitiesfor blogs. Here it explains easily how to do it.

Maaaaybe tomorrow, I find my waaaay hooome

Acabo de terminar de ver la película "Crash", la verdad es que me ha dejado impresionado, realmente ha sido una muy buena, después de la cual me tengo que replantear seriamente por qué no veo más cine. En fin, y ¿por qué el título de este post? Cuando el film acaba, la canción "Maybe tomorrow" de Stereophonics comienza a sonar, y es una canción que me gusta especialemente, parece que definiera mi búsqueda. El largometraje da una lección a los espectadores, esos, por qué no decir todos, que juzgamos a los personajes que encarnan los actores, y con similitud con la vida real, donde no paramos de juzgar. No sé si alguien tendrá derecho a ello, a juzgar a las personas por lo que hacen, los jueces lo tienen, cierto, pero no siempre aciertan, ni siempre juzgan moralmente.
Procuro no juzgar a nadie, trato de veras de no hacerlo, porque eso significa encasillar a la otra persona para ya difícilmente dejarla salir de ese juicio. Y qué dificil es, si, realmente lo es. Personas en este mundo hay 6000 millones, más, y creciendo. No todas son personas muy buenas, otras muchas no han nacido en el lugar ni el tiempo adecuados, pero no las juzguemos por sólo 10 segundos de aparición en pantalla, si acaso molestemonos en ver el resto de su película.


I have just watched the film "Crash", the truth is that I am impressed, it really was a good film, after which I have to seriously reconsider why do not I watch more films. Well, and, what about the title of the post? When the motion picture ends, the song "Maybe tomorrow" by Stereophonics, starts to being played, and it is a song that I truly like, it looks like it defines my search..
The movie teaches the audience a lesson, those, why not saying everyone, we judge the characters whose are performed by the actors, and with a similitude the real life, where we do not stop judging. I do not know if somebody has the right to do it, to judge the people due to the things they do, Judges have the right, but they are not always right, and they do not always judge morally.
I try not to juzgar anybody, I truly try not to do it, because that means to type-cast the other person and he/she would hardly find a way to get out that judgement. And how difficult it is, yes, it really is. Persons in this world are more than 6000 millions and growing. Not every of them are good persons, many others were not born in the correct place and period of life, but let’s not judge them just for 10 seconds of appearance on the screen, let's better take a look at the rest of his/her film.

"So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home"

Promised pictures of Norway

Ridderspranget, with its impossible shapes of ice, November 2003

Aqui están dos reproducciones de las fotos que tengo en diapositivas de mi estancia en Noruega. La primera es en Ridderspranget, un lugar atravesado por un río y con una montaña(en realidad no recuerdo si era el nombre de la montaña). Hay numerosos desniveles y cañones y unos saltos de agua espectaculares. Imprescindible una visita si estás cerca. En verano, hasta se baña la gente. En invierno, como podeis comprobar aqui, ya en noviembre parte de río está congelado y las paredes del cañón son vestidas por extrañas, pero preciosas formas imposiblesde hielo.
Allí donde criaturas de leyenda como los trolls, y animales tan reales como el alce habitan, sin embargo, igualmente difíciles de avistar que los primeros. Un lugar mágico. La segunda es de una mini-excursión que hicimos a las puertas del parque nacional Jotunheimen, este es un lago inmenso que delimitaba el parque. Al fondo se pueden ver las grandes cumbres del parque, entre las que se encuentra el más alto de Noruega.
Las fotos no están muy bien escaneadas, pero, de todas formas dan una visión de lo descrito.
En el post "Three years ago"cogué otra foto tomada en Noruega. Disfrutad!

The pictures are not so well scanned, but, however, they give a view of what is described.

These are two reproductions of the pictures I have as slides, taken during my stay in Norway. The first one is Ridderspranget, a place crossed by a river and with a near mountain (in fact I am not sure if the name corresponds to the mountain). There are many drops and canyons and some spectacular water falls. Indispensable to visit if you are nearby. In summer people even have a bath there. In winter, as you can notice, here, even in november, part of the river is frozen and the canyon's walls are dressed with strange, but beautiful and impossible ice shapes.
There, where creatures of legend like trolls and animals as real as moose live, however, equally difficult to see. A magic place. The secong picture was taken in a mini expedition to the doors of the national Park Jotunheimen, that was an inmense lake that borders the Park. In the background of the image can be seen the high peaks of the Park, among them is the highest mountain in Norway, Galghøpiggen.

In the post "Three years ago" you can find another picture I took there as well. Enjoy!