MUNDUKO BAZTERRAK

IT Services in Japan

2011-09-16T14:44:00.001Z

It has been a long time since I published on this blog. But there has been many changes in my life and forgot about this blog. We moved from the Canary Islands to Japan. I had a job, I quit, I studied Japanese and mos recently I started an IT company in Japan. It is in Kawaguchi very near from Tokyo.

It has been a huge challenge because of my limited Japanese, but my wife helps a lot and we are starting to see the fruits of our work. We offer many IT services, such as PC Repair, smartphone repair, and our most recent service addition data recovery from iPhones.

I never thought about offering data recovery from iPhones. But I got a phone from a customer that would not boot and I started to research how to get the his pictures. I even called a data recovery company to see if I could outsource the service and they told me that it was too difficult and they did not offer iPhone data recovery services. So time passed and I was trying different approaches, most of the time I was expecting any result. But after about two months of having the phone in one corner of my office and after trying many unsuccessful techniques (thankfully my customer was not in hurry) a light lit on my head and I found how to do it.

I will probably tell more about LoreTec (that is the name of the company) in the future. Let's ganbare!

ROBOTS DESDE JAPÓN

2008-04-29T23:23:00.003Z

Hoy estaba leyendo la última entrada de Kirai y me he acordado de cuando estuvimos en la Expo de Aichi en Japón. El espectáculo de Toyota fue el más impresionante para mi, ver aquellos robots tan cerca.... Este es un vídeo que he encontrado, pero ver el vídeo no es nada comparado con lo que sentí cuando estuve allí. También fue bastante sorprendente el pabellón de Mitsui (uno de los bancos más poderosos de Japón). Cuando entrabas en el recinto te hacían posar durante unos segundos frente a una cámara tridimensional. Después parecía que nos iban a poner una película de animación... Pero allí estábamos nosotros, mediante el escaneo del inicio cogieron nuestras caras y se las pusieron a los personajes de la historia, increíble.

Aquí dejo varios vídeos más de Asimo y una mujer androide que da un poco de miedo.

Parece que Asimov tenía razón. En los mundos espaciales que habían adoptado la robótica ampliamente la tasa de natalidad era bajísima y cuantos más robots se introducían en la sociedad más se reducía la natalidad. El extremo era Solaria, un planeta con sólo unos miles de habitantes que viven en gigantescas haciendas sin ver nunca a ninguna otra persona y con miles de robots que se encargan de todo. Supongo que todo el mundo puede ver la analogía, cuanta más tecnología tenemos más se reduce la tasa de natalidad. Y en Japón, los reyes de la tecnología, también tienen la menor tasa de natalidad del mundo.

LOS COCHES ELÉCTRICOS SON MÁS RÁPIDOS

2008-04-13T23:42:00.002Z

Primero los vídeos:

El coche sin capó es el eléctrico.

La explicación:

El par motor (fuerza que es capaz de ejercer un motor en cada giro), se mantiene constante en un motor eléctrico, independientemente de las revoluciones a las que este funcione. Esto significa que tenemos la máxima potencia del motor disponible desde que el motor está parado hasta que el motor alcanza su número máximo de revoluciones. En un motor de combustión se alcanza la máxima potencia en un pequeño rango de revoluciones. Es por eso que un motor eléctrico siempre tendrá la capacidad de acelerar más rápido que cualquier otro de combustión interna.

Gráfico del par motor del Tesla Roadster:

Basura en Gran Canaria

2008-04-06T23:18:00.007Z

Yo no me explico como la gente de Gran Canaria pueden ser tan guarra. El otro día estuvimos en güigüi. Una playa a la que sólo se puede llegar tras dos horas andando o en barco. Cualquiera pensaría que debería ser un paraíso al estar tan lejos de cualquier zona urbana. Cual fue mi decepción al ver docenas de bolsas de basura en medio de la playa. No saqué fotos de la basura, pero me dio tanta rabia, que hoy he salido con la cámara a sacar fotos por un camino cualquiera, que te podrías encontrar en Gran Canaria. La verdad es que nunca he encontrado un lugar en el que te puedas encontrar tanta cantidad de basura como aquí, en cualquier barranco te encuentras coches abandonados, frigoríficos, lavadoras... a veces me pregunto como es posible que la basura haya llegado hasta allí, ya que está en lugares realmente inaccesibles.

Manifestaciones en Serbia

2008-02-23T22:12:00.003Z

Este vídeo ya ha alcanzado casi un millón de visitas en un par de días. Lo que me ha llamado la atención, es como gracias a Internet cualquiera puede darnos una visión mucho mas cercana de lo que hemos visto en las noticias y llamar la atención sobre un comportamiento tan deplorable. No es que estén robando comida porque tengan hambre, son tías pijas robando la ropa (se suponía que era una manifestación contra la independencia de Kosovo).

Caliente o No caliente

2008-02-17T23:16:00.004Z

Acabo de leer en el blog the Marting Varsavsky, que los creadores de www.hotornot.com han vendido el sitio web por 20 millones de dolares. Lo curioso de esta empresa es como empezó, los propios creadores Jim y James lo cuentan así:

"Un martes por la tarde, Jim nos comentó a mi hermano y a mi, que la chica que acabábamos de conocer era un 10. Mientras tanto, yo estaba bebiendo. ¿Alguna vez mientras estabas de marcha con tus amigos, has tenido una idea completamente loca basada en lo que alguno de ellos había dicho? Eso es lo que pasó.

Jim construyó el sitio web, enviamos algunos e-mails a nuestros amigos comentándoles la página web... En menos de una hora empezó a llegar gente que no conocíamos de nada... ahora ya llevamos 12 millones de votos"

Pocos años después han vendido la empresa por 20 millones de dolares y al menos es una empresa que hace dinero (5 millones al año), no como otros proyectos de Internet que se venden por miles de millones y se convierte en un chiste.
Por ejemplo: Telefónica compra Lycos

Aunque podríamos vivir perfectamente sin esta página web, lo positivo de esta historia, es como unos chicos hicieron realidad una idea loca, perseveraron y recibieron su recompensa.

Bugatti Veyron VS Eurofighter Typhoon

2008-01-03T17:27:00.000Z

¿Que harías si tuvieras dos de las máquinas mas potentes de la tierra? Echar una carrera claro. En este caso veremos quien es más rápido, si el Bugatti Veyron recorriendo una milla dando la vuelta y recorriendo la otra milla de vuelta o el Eurofighter Typhoon subiendo una milla verticalmente y bajando para pasar por la salida a ras de tierra.

¿Quien crees que ganará? La respuesta en el video. No me gustan ni los coches ni las armas. Pero esto es mas bien un espectáculo tecnológico impresionante. (Lo bueno empieza a partir de los 4:30)

Energía de las pisadas

2008-01-03T17:03:00.000Z

Parece mentira que todavía todo nuestro mundo dependa de una energía cara y contaminante como el petroleo. He aquí un ejemplo más de como generar energía limpiamente. Está claro que esto no va a solucionar ningún problema energético, pero es curioso cuanto menos.

En holanda han construido una discoteca que aprovecha el agua de lluvia, tiene techo vegetal y además aprovecha las pisadas de los descarriados discotequeros para generar energía.
Ahora ya no hay excusa para no saltar en la discoteca.

Y en japón aprovechando la masiva afluencia de pasajeros en las estaciones de tren, quieren instalar el mismo sistema para generar energía con las pisadas. El objetivo es generar suficiente energía para que las pantallas de la estación no necesiten fuentes de energía externas.

*Contador de los wh producidos

700500700

2007-10-07T18:51:00.000Z

Al principio utilizaba las tarjetas para llamar a Japón. Pronto me pasé a Skype y después a los números 902. Cuando tenía a mano el ordenador utilizaba Skype y cuando no era posible los 902 que sirven para llamar al extranjero. Pero hace poco encontré el 700500700 que funciona igual que los 902 pero es un poco más barato. Así que lo publico aquí para que la gente lo conozca y sepa que existe una alternativa aún más barata que los 902
700500700 0.044€/min horario normal y 0.037€/min en horario reducido.
902999812 0.067€/min horario normal y 0.040€/min en horario reducido.

Los números que he puesto son un ejemplo y hay muchas más opciones, sobre todo de 902, pero los precios son los mismos.

Espero que sea útil para todos los que tienen que llamar al extranjero y no siempre tienen un PC con internet a mano.

Proyecto A119

2007-09-15T16:17:00.000Z

Estaba paseando sin rumbo por la wikipedia, cuando vi que el artículo de Carl Sagan había sido nombrado artículo destacado así que decidí echarle un vistazo. Es un artículo bastante completo, pero lo que más me llamo la atención fue el proyecto A 119.

Resulta que en plena guerra fría, la URSS se estaba adelantando a los americanos en la carrera espacial (habían lanzado el primer satélite y al primer humano al espacio). Así que los americanos decidieron que había que hacer algo espectacular. La duda estaba entre llevar a un ser humano al espacio o hacer explotar una bomba nuclear en la luna. La fuerza aérea de los EEUU puso en marcha el proyecto A 119 o dicho claramente = explosión nuclear en la luna. El objetivo era que la explosión se pudiera ver desde la tierra, para demostrar la superioridad de los EEUU. Carl Sagan estuvo involucrado en este proyecto, ya que le encargaron calcular la visibilidad de la explosión desde la tierra. Parece ser que la explosión se podría ver perfectamente desde la tierra y la tecnología de los 50 ya permitía mandar un misil intercontinental a la luna con un margen de error de unos pocos kilómetros.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_A119

CRUZ DE TEJEDA - ARTENARA

2007-03-11T21:48:00.000Z

La caminata desde la Cruz de Tejeda a Artenara es muy sencilla y muy recomendable para todos los amantes de la naturaleza. Además tiene una ventaja, se puede llegar y volver en Guagua. Para llegar a la Cruz de Tejeda, tienes que hacer transbordo en San Mateo y te vas a tener que levantar pronto, pero el lugar lo merece. Para volver desde Artenara hay una guagua sobre las 5 o las 5, pero lo mejor es que preguntes en la estación de guagas antes de salir.

La única cuesta del camino la tenemos nada más comenzar. Empezamos a subir por detrás del parador dejando la carretera que va a Artenara a nuestra derecha. Tras esta cuestita de unos 15 minutos ya casi todo el camino será llano. Seguimos por un sendero precioso al borde del barranco con vistas a la caldera de Tejeda. Y llegamos hasta el mirador de la degollada de las palomas. Este es un punto especial, porque si te asomas al mirador puedes observar todo el sur, y si te das la vuelta y cruzas la carretera, podrás disfrutar del verde del norte y probablemente del mar de nubes, cubriendo parte de la isla.

Desde el mirador continúa el camino y volvemos a dejar la carretera a la derecha. Tras subir una pequeña cuesta, el camino se convierte en pista que deberemos seguir casi hasta el final. Durante el camino podremos disfrutar de partes de laurisilva y de un bosque de pinos que ya ha reverdecido tras los incendios del año pasado. Justo antes del final, cuando ya veamos la carretera que va a Artenara, es recomendable bajar por un atajo que sale a la derecha del camino, que nos llevará al pueblo de Artenara. Llegamos a la parte alta de la loma donde se encuentra la ermita de la virgen de la Cuevita. Desde allí bajaremos entre casas cueva hasta la calle de la ermita, disfrutando de un maravilloso paisaje.

Junto a unas cuevas con inscripciones aborígenes.

Yo mismo, con el Roque Nublo al fondo.

Las ovejas pasaban de nosotros.

¿Meditando o echando la siesta?

Bajada por una calle de casas cueva hasta la ermita.

comida de año nuevo y asadero

2007-01-25T21:00:00.000Z

Una ex-profesora mía (muy maja) de la escuela de japonés, se encontró con Tomoyo y nos invitó a comer el 1 de Enero y la semana pasada a una barbacoa. Todo era una mezcla de Japonés/Canario. Encima de la mesa convivían perfectamente las papas arrugadas y el sushi; en las conversaciones convivían el japonés con el castellano y todos contentos...

¿COMO ES LA SALIDA DE LA TIERRA DESDE LA LUNA?

2007-01-13T22:32:00.000Z

Has pensado alguna vez como sería estar en la luna y ver aparecer la tierra por el horizonte. Gracias a esta foto nos lo podemos imaginar.
En el primer vuelo espacial a la luna en 1969, Michael Collins no pudo pisar nuestro satélite ya que se tuvo que quedar a bordo del módulo. Sin embargo pudo sacar esta increíble foto.

Siguiendo con la luna, a un norteamericano bastante visionario (por llamarlo de algún modo) se le ocurrió registrar la luna en 1980 en el registro de la propiedad de los EEUU. El caso es que nadie le dijo nada y según la legislación estadounidense, si registras un terreno que estaba sin registrar y nadie lo reclama en 10 años, es tuyo. Ahora dice que la luna es suya (ha hecho lo mismo con Marte, Venus, etc...) y se ha proclamado e l "Jefe del queso" en referencia a la luna. Ha hecho una declaración de independencia en la que se autonombra "Jefe del queso y absoluto y último gobernador omnipotente" (no es broma).
El caso es que está vendiendo su historia bastante bien y los terrenos en la luna a través de la página web http://www.lunarembassy.com/ Puedes comprar a partir de un acre por 19.99 dolares y también te puedes asociar y comprar grandes extensiones con el objetivo de formar ciudades. Así a lo tonto, ya ha vendido terrenos a mas de 3 millones de clientes (entre ellos dos expresidentes de los EEUU y varios famosillos) y ha ganado bastante pasta. Además se está gastando bastante dinero en juicios intentando demostrar que la luna (y el resto de los planetas) son suyos e intentando que ninguna otra empresa venda terrenos en la luna.

La realidad es que el tratado sobre el espacio exterior de la ONU de 1966, dice claramente que el espacio exterior es patrimonio de la humanidad y no puede ser apropiado por ninguna nación. El señor Denis dice que como el no representa a ninguna nación, sino que es un particular, este tratado no es aplicable.

¿Quién se quedará con la luna?

Siguiendo con el espacio, pero ahora con un tema bastante más realista e interesante, he visto que Sir Richard Branson (dueño del imperio Virgin), ya acepta reservas para un corto viaje al espacio mediante su empresa Virgin Galactic. El viajecito cuesta 200.000 dolares y va a empezar a operar en el 2009. Está claro que el espacio va a seguir siendo un lugar para ricos, pero esta empresa va a crear un boom en el mundo del turismo espacial al abaratar y poner al alcance de mucha gente este servicio (hasta ahora un viaje con los rusos a la estación espacial cuesta unos 20 millones de dolares y las plazas son limitadísimas). Por si acaso se acaban las plazas, Stephen Hawking ya le ha pedido a Branson que le reserve un huequecito el primer vuelo de su nave espacial.

Un par de vídeos para que veáis como se las gasta este tío:

Let the journey begin:

Presentación:

El escándalo de las tetas falsas

2007-01-02T14:31:00.000Z

250: las llamadas recibidas quejandose porque se vieron a chicas medio desnudas durante una de las actuaciones del programa especial de nochevieja de la NHK. No eran mas que unas mallas de color carne, aunque bastante realistas. Al final los responsables del programa tuvieron que pedir disculpas. Este es el video que causó la furia de los más retrógrados:

31 de Diciembre - Barranco de los cernícalos

2006-12-31T16:51:00.000Z

Ya hace tres años que no he subido al Gorbea, pero he intentado mantener la tradición, en Japón las dos últimas navidades subí al Takaosan (foto del Fuji desde Takao). Este año hemos ido al barranco de los Cernícalos y ha sido una buena aventura. No hacía frío como en el Gorbea, pero varios desprendimientos y árboles caídos han hecho el camino un poco más complicado. Si no sales de las carreteras principales de Gran Canaria, puede parecer una isla desértica, pero el barranco de los cernícalos se parece más a una selva. Ahí van unas fotos.

Una foto artística, aunque un poco tenebrosa.

Varios árboles que se han caído con las últimas lluvias han destrozado el tenue camino entre los juncos, hemos tenido que dar un rodeo y este era el camino más accesible que hemos encontrado para seguir adelante, imaginad el resto.

El camino del fondo del barranco discurre junto a este riachuelo, para seguir adelante hay que escalar la pared de la cascada.

Las Cometas tiran de los barcos

2006-12-28T10:54:00.000Z

La empresa alemana Skysails esta completando el desarrollo de una cometa de forma muy similar a los parapentes, que se acopla a la parte frontal de los barcos y literalmente tira de estos. El funcionamiento está completamente automatizado y la cometa se eleva hasta 300 metros donde los vientos son más estables y tienen más potencia. Según la empresa, se puede ahorrar entre un 10% y 50% del combustible dependiendo de las condiciones del viento. Por el momento han desarrollado el sistema para cargueros y grandes yates, pero también van a adaptarlo a barcos pesqueros.

Por cierto si tienes 50.000€, tienes hasta el 31 de Diciembre para comprar una participación en esta novedosa empresa Invest Skysails, yo me tengo que conformar con la participación de la lotería de navidad, pero me gustaría ver a grandes cargueros colgados de un parapente, vaya espectáculo y además ahorra petróleo.

Si quieres ver la vela en funcionamiento pincha aquí.

Tambadaba y el pozo de las nieves

2006-11-04T01:24:00.000Z

Tamadaba es un lugar mágico, espero que se conserve
siempre... Aquí estamos en el fin del mundo

Estas son las vistas hacia el norte, con el puerto
de Agaete a la Izquierda.

Conseguí salirme con la mía y convencí a dos chicas
de ciudad para ir de caminata. Fuimos con un grupo
de senderismo desde El Pozo de las nieves (casi 2000m) hasta
San Mateo (unos 900m). En la foto vemos todos los pinares
que rodean el pozo de las nieves, el roque nublo y
Tenerife con el pico del Teide al fondo.

El pozo de las nieves es el punto más alto de la isla, y hay
realmente varios pozos donde se guardaba nieve. Antiguamente
guardaban la nieve del invierno en profundos pozos cubiertos
de paja. Así podían disponer de hielo hasta Abril o Mayo.
Lo malo era que los pozos eran propiedad del poderoso obispo de
Las Palmas y el hielo se utilizaba para hacer ricos helados para el
obispo. Este no conocía la virtud de la abstinencia...

Mis queridas cumbres

2006-11-04T01:10:00.000Z

No es como el Aizkorri, pero me encanta.

El Roque Nublo.
Las vistas, las formas, el cielo, todo
es espectacular en esta zona.

Espero que no se caiga...

También hicimos una caminata hasta esta cueva.
Imagina que vas por un camino y
de repente ves una abertura en la roca de unos
tres metros y cuando te asomas, ves esto de aquí
arriba. Es el sitio ideal para pararse y almorzar
mientras disfrutas de esta ideal ventana.

El pueblo de Tejeda, con sus casas blancas
e inumerables huertas preparadas sobre
terrazas a lo largo de todo el barranco.

Gran Canaria y 2

2006-11-04T00:41:00.000Z

Nicole sacó unas fotos desde la terraza de nuestro apartamento,
esto es lo que se ve:

No tenemos unas grandes vistas, pero es tranquilo y agradable.

__________________________

Nicole quería ir al sur a disfrutar un poco del
sol de Gran Canaria. Yo decidí hacer un rodeo y nos
encontramos con esto.

La presa de La Sorrueda, con sus palmerales.

Después del bonito pueblo de Fataga, ya de
camino a Maspalomas. Estaba nublado, hacía frio
y llovía a ratos.

En el mismo sitio pero mirando hacía el norte.

Hacía un momento estabamos con la chaqueta
y estaba lloviendo. Pero en Maspalomas la
arena quemaba y había un sol abrasador.
Las nubes llegaban hasta unos 500 metros de la costa,
era espectacular el cambio entre el sol que venía del sur
y el temporal que cubría todo el centro de la isla.
Puro microclima.

El puerto de Mogán, también libre de nubes.

De camino a casa, no pudimos resistirnos y paramos un
rato a disfrutar de esta maravillosa puesta de sol.

Una semana en Gran Canaria 1

2006-11-04T00:12:00.000Z

Nicole, una amiga de Tomoyo, vino a Gran Canaria a visitarnos. Aprovechamos para alquilar un coche y enseñarle la isla. Todos nos lo pasamos muy bien y se fue muy contenta.

Parque de Santelmo

Vegueta, la ciudad antigua

La playa de las Canteras

Tomoyo preparó un Soba riquísimo.
Comida japonesa en casa... ¡Que lujo!

SUIKINKUTSU - 水琴窟

2006-09-25T21:23:00.000Z

Hace un par de meses leí un artículo en el blog de Kirai sobre el Suikinkutsu. Se trata de una mezcla entre una fuente y un instrumento de música. La clave está en que cuando te mojas las manos en la fuente, las gotas de agua caen a una cavidad subterranea diseñada de tal modo que produce unos sonidos muy relajantes.
Me pareció algo tan peculiar y bello que decidí crear el artículo del suikinkutsu en la wikipedia, casi todo lo traduje del inglés, pero también puse mi granito de arena. Entre otras cosas averigüé que según la tradición, si escuchas un Suikinkutsu vivirás tres años más.

El artículo que yo hice http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suikinkutsu
El artículo en inglés http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suikinkutsu
Y si sabes Japonés http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/æ°´ç´çª

まだ日本語が分かりません - MADANIHONGOGAWAKARIMASEN

2006-09-20T08:30:00.000Z

Hace tiempo que no escribo nada... Hoy no he podido evitar volver al blogger y poner este video de Gaijin Invasion. Ya se que un video bastante gilipoyas, pero puede ser divertido. Además estoy casi seguro de que está grabado en Kichijooji, mi parque favorito de Tokyo. Durante el video se ven unas escaleras, es una de las entradas al parque. Pués al lado de las escaleras hay un restaurante bastante famoso (creo que de yakitori) donde siempre hay cola, y la verdad es que con el olorcillo que sale entran unas ganas de comer...

Se me olvidada deciros que si vais a Kichijooji con vuestra novia no os monteis en las barca del lago, ya que según la tradición las parejas rompen se si se montan juntas en este lago. Yo no creo en esas chorradas, pero por si acaso.

Las letras - Lyrics

well i’ve been a lot o’ places in this big old world
but i’ve never seen a place like this.
the buildings’ kinda tall and the people kinda small and everybody eat a lot of fish…
the streets are pretty busy it can make you awful dizzy when your trying to find your way around
so heres a little rhyme you can use it all the time when you’re lost in Tokyo town.–
chorus x 2Wakarimashita, [ I understood. ]
Wakarimasen, [ I don’t understand! ]
Wakarimas ka ? [ do you understand? ]
Doko desu ka ? [ where is it? ]
Itsu desu ka ? [ when is it? ]
Nani desu ka ? [ what is it? ]
–it’s a fascinating city
but it looks a little shitty
when it’s raining and it’s grey
when the sun’s done a sinkin’
and the lights are on and blinkin’
and baby it looks okay
well they say its futuristic but its also innovistic
its a contradictory place.
when im walkin’ through Shibuya feel like singin halleluyah
even though theres limited space.–
Wakarimashita, [ I understood. ]
Wakarimasen, [ I don’t understand! ]
Wakarimas ka ? [ do you understand? ]
Doko desu ka ? [ where is it? ]
Itsu desu ka ? [ when is it? ]
Nani desu ka ? [ what is it? ]
–Omotesando! Ikebukuro! Shinjuku! Harajuku!
Meguro! Hibiya! Roppongi! Ginza! Shibuya! Ebisu! Mita! Aoyama!Akabanebashi!–
Wakarimashita, [ I understood. ]
Wakarimasen, [ I don’t understand! ]
Wakarimashita ka ? [ do you understand? ]
Doko desu ka ? [ where is it? ]
Itsu desu ka ? [ when is it? ]
Nani desu ka ? [ what is it? ]
–Sumimahhhhseeeeeehhhhnnnnnnnnnn

DVD - Days of Velvet Donkeys

2006-07-29T11:29:00.000Z

Dejad de saltar de página en página durante 17 minutos y disfrutareis de un corto divertidísimo. Sobre todo no os perdais la canción del final: copyright for love :-)))
Corto de Ciro Altabás

DOÑA SEÑORA

2006-07-25T21:21:00.000Z

A Tomoyo le suelo decir de coña "Señora Doña"
y siempre me dice muy seriamente "¡NO! SEÑORITA". Cuando llegó esta carta del consulado japonés nos reimos mucho. Además hace referencia a un tal esposo al que no se conoce muy bien ¿sere yo?

PERSONA SERIA

2006-07-08T21:59:00.000Z

El mundo está loco o quizás sea yo el que está loco, eso nunca lo sabremos. Y una parte de ese mundo que se ha vuelto loco, es el mundo inmobiliario. El otro día apareció este cartelito en la entrada de mi bloque de apartamentos. Ahora ya no solo hay que ser responsable también serio. ¿Quiere decir eso que si una persona es divertida no puede alquilar el apartamento? ¿Hacen un test de seriedad? ¿Es esa la razón de que mis vecinos tengan esas caras tan largas y aburridas? y la pregunta mas inquietante ¿Soy yo uno de ellos?

LAGUNEN DANTZA

2006-06-23T18:47:00.000Z

Zelako dantza! Mis amigos son la leche y si no os lo creeis mirad las fotos y el video que he preparado.

Nos juntamos todos en la sagardotegi, también los japoneses...

Con algunas copas de mas (broma), y la incombustible Mika

... y los maestros

No os perdais este video, ya se que no es muy bueno, pero lo he hecho con el corazón :-)

DONDE COÑO ESTÁ MATT

2006-06-23T18:27:00.000Z

MATT NO SE CANSA NUNCA DE BAILAR. CURIOSO ¿NO?

H. bombín

2006-06-21T12:43:00.000Z

H. bombín, es un amigo e investigador científico de primera clase.
Para saber de que va eso de la investigación quántica están disponibles en Internet algunos de los artículos que han escrito:
http://www.citebase.org/cgi-bin/fulltext?format=application/pdf&identifier=oai:arXiv.org:quant-ph/0602063
http://www.citebase.org/cgi-bin/fulltext?format=application/pdf&identifier=oai:arXiv.org:quant-ph/0503013
http://www.citebase.org/cgi-bin/fulltext?format=application/pdf&identifier=oai:arXiv.org:quant-ph/0605094
http://www.citebase.org/cgi-bin/fulltext?format=application/pdf&identifier=oai:arXiv.org:quant-ph/0605138

Yo no entiendo nada, pero seguro que es interesante. La mente de Mr H. Bombín siempre produce creaciones sorprendentes...

LA CANCIÓN DEL VERANO

2006-06-21T07:45:00.000Z

DENTRO DE POCO VA A SER Nº 1 EN LAS LISTAS DE ÉXITOS

EN BICICLETA POR EL RIO ARAKAWA - CYCLING ALONG ARAKAWA RIVER

2006-06-16T09:32:00.000Z

Llevo un tiempo pensando que sería un reto interesante y divertido cruzar tokyo de lado a lado en bicicleta. He estado intentando buscar información sobre el tema, pero me parece que no es un objetivo sencillo ni gratificante. Hay demasiados coches, cruces, semaforos y casi ningún bicicarril. En japón se utiliza mucho la bicicleta, pero en trayectos cortos, a casi nadie se le ocurriría ir de un lado a otro de la ciudad.
Buscando por el google, he encontrado a una asociación de aficionados al ciclismo que se reune el tercer domingo de cada mes y hace una ruta desde Ukimafunato Park hasta el Kansai Rinkai Park en la bahía de Tokyo. La ruta discurre por los márgenes del rio arakawa. Parece ser que los márgenes de los rios es el único método de hacer grandes distancias cómodamente y sin salir de Tokyo.
Afortunadamente el comienzo de la ruta a lo largo del rio arakawa queda muy cerca de la casa Tomoyo, espero poder hacerla la próxima vez que vaya a japón.

EL BLOG DE KITIKITIKITTY

2006-06-03T16:27:00.000Z

No os perdais el Blog de kitikitikitty, es muy interesante y es de una chica japonesa muy guapa.

http://www.fotolog.com/kitikitikitty

CONSTRUYE TU CASA CON FARDOS DE PAJA

2006-03-18T13:48:00.000Z

La imaginación no tiene límites, continuamente surgen ideas que de un modo sencillo, nos hacen ver como en nuestra sociedad hay elementos excesivamente complejos que no aportan nada positivo, pero conllevan muchos dolores de cabeza.

Por ejemplo, la vivienda. Hoy voy a escribir sobre un camino más simple para tener una casa digna, ecológica y muy agradable. Lógicamente, si deseas construir una casa necesitas un terreno que normalmente estará en una zona rural.

Hay muchas formas de construir casas con fardos de paja, pero todas tienen en común el deseo de minimizar nuestro impacto en la tierra y la satisfacción de vivir en una casa que tu mismo has construido con la ayuda de otras personas.

Si no tienes conocimientos de construcción, necesitarás a alguien experto que te guíe durante la construcción. Además necesitarás un arquitecto que firme el diseño y pedir los correspondientes permisos si deseas construir legalmente.

Se suelen organizar talleres en los cuales se colabora para construir la casa de otra persona, a cambio de la experiencia y aprendizaje que eso supone. Así que en una obra de estas características, idealmente, nos encontraremos a una o dos personas que dirigirán la obra y un grupo de amigos que con un buen ambiente colaborarán para construir la casa. El precio puede variar desde 1000€ para una casa hecha con materiales reciclados hasta 50.000€ para conseguir un acabado de calidad. A mi me encantaría vivir en una casa hecha con fardos de paja. Algún día…
Podéis encontrar mucha más información en los enlaces que he puesto a continuación y navegando por Internet.
www.casasdepaja.com
www.epsea.org/paja.html
Artículo de Terra.org
http://www.strawbale-building.co.uk
www.strawbale.com

GRANDES INSTALACIONES DE ENERGÍA SOLAR

2006-03-07T21:35:00.000Z

Siempre me han apasionado las energías renovables y últimamente estoy más metido en el mundillo de la energía solar, he recopilado información de grandes instalaciones de generación de energía eléctrica a partir de la energía solar. La verdad es que hay algunos proyectos muy esperanzadores. Quizás las regiones del sur y centro peninsular se conviertan en una gran potencia solar.

Torre Solar 40MW

Todavía es sólo un proyecto, se prevé que se inicie su construcción en el 2007. Sin embargo, es impresionante. Seguid leyendo…
El lugar más alto en el que he estado nunca es la Torre de Tokyo con 333 metros (9m más que la torre Eiffel) y dos miradores situados a 150 y 250 m. Imagina ahora que vas por Castilla La Mancha y te acercas a un pueblecito llamado Fuente el Fresno, situado entre Toledo y Ciudad Real. Ya desde la distancia divisas una gran torre ¿Quieres saber cuanto mide? ¡¡750m!! Si, 750 m de altura. Bastante más del doble que la torre de Tokyo y supera ampliamente a las gigantescas torres gemelas que tenían unos irrisorios 415m. Extendiéndose 3km desde la base de la torre observarás una estructura de cristal similar a un invernadero, y esta vez no estás confundido, se trata de un invernadero. Ahora te preguntarás que tienen que ver un invernadero de 3km cuadrados y una torre de 750 metros de altura en el centro. La respuesta es muy simple, el sol calienta la gran superficie de los invernaderos y el aire caliente como todos sabéis tiende a subir. Como la única vía de escape es la torre central, todo el aire se acelerará hasta alcanzar grandes velocidades ya dentro de la torre. Esa gran masa de aire a toda velocidad moverá unas grandes turbinas a través de las cuales se obtendrá la energía eléctrica. Pero eso no es todo, una torre experimental estuvo funcionando en la misma zona durante bastantes años, y se pudo comprobar que las plantas crecían en los invernaderos, ya que debido a las altas temperaturas se condensaba la humedad por la noche. Por eso una parte de esa gran extensión va a cumplir dos funciones, como elemento de la torre solar y producción agraria. Todavía hay más. Si te atreves, podrás subir en el ascensor que te llevará al observatorio que se va a situar en la parte más alta de la torre ¿Te lo imaginas? Puesto que Fuente el Fresno está a 720m de altura, si le sumamos los 750 de la torre ¡Estaríamos a 1470m! Los habitantes del pueblo que estaban acostumbrados a que el campanario fuera el edificio más alto, van a tener la torre más alta de Europa. Puesto que la tecnología parece ser bastante simple y las zonas semidesérticas abundantes quizás tengamos que acostumbrarnos a ver altas torres rozando el cielo para obtener la inagotable energía del sol. Ojalá sea así.

Para saber más:
- Ingeniería Campo 3 (a cargo del proyecto)
- Empresa Alemana propietaria de la patente
- No os perdáis este video de un proyecto similar que se está desarrollando en Australia ¡MUY BUENO!
- Video of the experimental plant that operated in Manzanares, Spain - Video de la planta experimental que funcionó en Manzanares entre 1982 y 1989

Toledo PV 1MW

Se trata de una instalación fotovoltaica no demasiado grande, ya que últimamente están proliferando instalaciones fotovoltaicas de varios MW. Toledo PV se halla en el término municipal de La Puebla de Montalbán (pueblo del escritor Fernando de Rojas), provincia de Toledo, junto a la central hidráulica de Castrejon. La instalación fotovoltaica está compuesta por dos campos de estructura fija de 450kW y un campo con seguimiento solar de 100kW. Su interés radica en que se trata de una instalación con objetivos didácticos que podemos visitar.

Para saber más:
www.toledopv.com

ANDASOL 1 Y 2 50MW y 50MW

El proyecto consiste en dos plantas termosolares de 50MW en el Valle de Marquesado (Granada). Los colectores de energía solar son de cilindro parabólicos del tipo SKALET junto con un almacenamiento de energía térmica de unas seis horas a base de sales fundidas. Gracias a este sistema, se puede atender la demanda eléctrica durante el día y la noche, aumentando el rendimiento de la planta. Los colectores cilindro parabólicos siguen al sol de este a oeste mediante un sensor óptico de alta precisión. En su línea focal poseen tubos absorbedores, por los cuales circula un fluido de transferencia de calor (aceite sintético). El fluido térmico actúa como el medio de transferencia de calor entre el campo solar y la central de generación del ciclo de vapor, calentándose en los colectores solares y enfriándose al producir el vapor que demanda el turbogenerador.
Creo que ya han comenzado las obras y está prevista su puesta en marcha para mediados de 2007. Los constructores son el grupo ACS-Cobra y Solar Millennium AG.

Para saber más:
www.solarmillenium.de
www.grupocobra.com
www.flagsol.com

Huertas solares de Acciona Solar

Es una de las empresas que más huertas solares ha instalado. Hasta ahora han construido seis huertas en los municipios de Arguedas, Sesma, Cintruénigo, Rada y Castejon con 10.21MW instalados. Sin embargo el último proyecto que está previsto se empiece a construir este mismo año en el municipio de Milagros, prácticamente va a sumar la misma potencia que todos los demás juntos. Se van a instalar unos 1300 paneles que sumarán una potencia de 9MW. Para llevar a cabo este proyecto se invertirán en torno a 70 millones de Euros. He leído que los paneles van a ser los primeros de 100m2 y 13kW. Sin embargo los cálculos no cuadran, ya que 1300 paneles de 13kW no tienen una potencia de 9MW, sino casi el doble. Aunque los periodistas siempre se lían con estos temas y en la página de acciona solar aún no hay información sobre este último proyecto.

Por si alguien no sabe lo que son las huertas solares, lo voy a explicar resumidamente. Inversores particulares compran cierta cantidad de módulos en función de sus posibilidades y una empresa del sector se encarga de todos los permisos, instalación, mantenimiento, etc. De ese modo se divide el riesgo y se alcanzan economías de escala que abaratan los costes de instalación y mantenimiento, al tiempo que se logra concienciar a la población por medio de inversiones ecológicas. También supone una gran descentralización de la producción de energía eléctrica, tradicionalmente ha estado en manos de grandes empresas, y permite participar de ese negocio a pequeños inversores. La energía solar fotovoltaica no es rentable actualmente excepto en casos de zonas aisladas. Aunque hemos de tener en cuenta que el coste de las energías no renovables no lleva incluido los daños medioambientales que producen, la concentración en pocos países y empresas, la falta de seguridad que supone la dependencia del exterior en temas energéticos, la reducida creación de riqueza para la comarca donde se consumen comparado con las energías renovables y su alta incidencia en las economías locales y el empleo, su escasez y posible agotamiento. Es por ello que hace unos años las plantas de producción de energía eléctrica de origen renovable reciben una prima sobre el precio normal de la energía eléctrica, que en caso la energía de origen fotovoltaico es del 575% de la tarifa normal durante los primeros 25 años de la instalación y del 460% en los años posteriores. Además tanto las personas físicas como las jurídicas (SA, SL), tienen derecho a una deducción del 10% de la inversión, durante el primer año, en la declaración de la renta y el impuesto de sociedades respectivamente. Esta deducción se puede prorratear a diez años. Debido a estas ayudas y otras subvenciones que ofrecen diferentes organismos, la energía solar de origen fotovoltaico es rentable económicamente además de social y medioambientalmente.

Señalar que he elegido las huertas de Acciona porque es una de las empresas más importantes del sector, pero hay iniciativas similares de muchas empresas, asociaciones, etc.

Para saber más:
www.aesol.es

SOLUCAR PS10 y Sevilla PV

PS10. Central solar termoeléctrica de 11MW en el municipio de Sanlucar la Mayor , 15 km al oeste de Sevilla. El presupuesto es de 35 millones de Euros y entro en funcionamiento durante el verano de 2006. PS10 es una planta de torre. Está compuesta por un campo de helióstatos, espejos móviles que reflejan y concentran la radiación solar sobre el receptor que se sitúa en la parte superior de una torre de 100m de altura. El receptor central producirá vapor a 40 bar y 250ºC. El vapor se envía a la turbina donde se expande para producir trabajo mecánico y electricidad. Para los periodos nubosos transitorios, la planta incorpora un sistema de almacenamiento de agua saturada con una capacidad de 20 MWh (50 minutos de funcionamiento a media carga).

Sevilla PV. Campo de 126 helióstatos de 100 m2 con una potencia nominal de 1.2MW. Los helióstatos, en vez de concentrar la radiación solar sobre una torre central para conseguir altas temperaturas, concentran la radiación solar en el centro de cada helióstato, donde se ha colocado una panel fotovoltaico a través del cual se produce la energía eléctrica.

Para saber más:
www.solucar.es

Si todavía quieres saber más:
Energía eólica producida en España en tiempo real
Energía eléctrica producida y consumida en España en tiempo real
Solar power plants in the world
Curso de energía solar a distancia
Solarweb - Todo sobre la energía solar
Planos para construir cocinas solares

Derechos Humanos - Human Rights

2006-02-27T19:13:00.000Z

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed long ago, it was one of the highest achievements of the human race. Let's remember it, it is never bad to reread it again.

La Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos fue firmada hace bastante tiempo, fue una de las metas más altas alcanzadas nunca por el ser humano. Recordémosla, nunca es malo volver a leerla.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

La declaración en español

Aldarrikapena Euskaraz

世界人権宣言

La Cultura Japonesa 2

2006-02-27T00:11:00.000Z

Como ya habréis comprobado empleo "América" para referirme a los EEUU y "americano" para los oriundos de los EEUU. Ya se que no está bien utilizar la palabra que da nombre a un continente, para designar a un país que tan solo supone una fracción del territorio y población del continente americano. El caso es que en el libro utiliza América continuamente y para no liarme con la traducción, he decidido no cambiarlo. Seguro que la autora no lo hizo con mala intención, puede que sepa mucho de la cultura Japonesa y Estadounidense, pero quizás la utilización de esa palabra denota que es un poco corta de miras, y eso a pesar de vivir entre dos continentes.

Debido a la naturaleza del blog la información se ordena por fecha de publicación y eso no tiene mucho sentido en este caso ya que el primer capítulo aparecerá como el último. Pero bueno, si quieres leerlo en orden busca “La cultura Japonesa 1” y cuando lo termines sigue hacia atrás.

He tardado bastante tiempo en publicar el segundo capitulo, pero no me dedico solo a traducir el libro de Haru Yamada, paciencia.
Vamos allá con la siguiente entrega.

Métete en tus asuntos

La frase "métete en tus asuntos", representa el ideal norteamericano de individualismo. Significa "soy un individuo con mis propios asuntos que cuidar. Yo me encargaré de los míos y tu encárgate de los tuyos". También encontramos otras frases muy populares siguiendo la misma línea: "Tengo que ser yo mismo", "Tengo que buscar mi manera de hacer las cosas", "Tengo que ser independiente". Encontramos a menudo estas frases en populares libros de autoayuda como el ideal a perseguir.
La antítesis de la independencia americana es convertirse en un ser dependiente y sin poder. Dejar que otra persona dirija tu vida es una resignar a lo mejor de tu persona de un modo patético y fatalista. Ser dependiente es ser un perdedor. Jerry Greenwald en un libro de autoayuda sobre relaciones escribe lo siguiente:
Aviso: ten cuidado con la persona que implícita o explícitamente envía el siguiente mensaje, "Quiero que alguien me cuide" Hay posibilidades de que él o ella tengan una falta de autocontrol y sentimientos de estabilidad y amor propio.
Lo mismo se aplica a frases como "Necesito tiempo para mi". Como el espacio personal, el tiempo significa autonomía en las relaciones, y la autonomía -cuando nadie te dice lo que tienes que hacer- es poder.

¡Haz lo que te apetezca!

Métete en tus asuntos, es una manera de avisar a alguien de que está cruzando el legítimo límite de la relación. "Haz lo que te apetezca" se traduce de un modo similar al Japonés. Pero aquí, en vez de recordar la independencia, al decir "Katte ni shiro" se refuerza la interdependencia. A la persona que hace lo que le apetece se le llama egoísta: katte. Sin embargo, la persona que complace a los demás con una cierta cantidad de interdependencia es reconocida como preservador del wa, la integración armoniosa del grupo.
Muchos sociólogos, psicólogos y antropólogos han elegido el término amae (literalmente, dulce) para explicar la percepción Japonesa de interdependencia. Definido originalmente como, sentimiento mutuo de preocupación por y dependencia en el otro. En la práctica una de las partes es la que complace con dulzura "amaeru" y la otra la que obliga "amayakasu".

Como en nuestro idioma la palabra dulce no es fácilmente utilizable para la traducción, he elegido traducir amae=dulce por complacer en numerosas ocasiones.

En esta interdependencia idealizada de "complacer" y "ser complacido", ambos se benefician, como una madre y un hijo, formándose una unión de cariño. Con el tiempo, el que complace y el que es complacido puede que intercambien su posición, como una madre que complace a su hijo en las primeras etapas de su vida y un hijo que complace a su madre posteriormente.
Pero amae (dulzura) no está restringida a la relación entre una madre y su hijo. Es inherente a numerosas clases de relaciones en Japón, extendiéndose a cualquier combinación de sexos, y extendiéndose más allá de lo que los americanos considerarían como relaciones más personales. Al igual que ocurre entre hermanos en casa, sucede entre los trabajadores de una empresa. Es más, una persona que sabe como cuidar de los demás es reconocida como mendoomi ga ii hito (persona que cuida bien de los demás), cualidad altamente buscada en los encargados, una persona que sabe como contar con los demás es muy bien vista y se le cuida mucho. En ambas direcciones, complacer en la justa medida es deseable.

Pero el balance es delicado, y tanto el que el que cuida del otro como el que es cuidado pueden estropear el equilibrio.
En las relaciones Japonesas, alguien que no sabe como ser interdependiente es considerado demasiado individualista y katte, egoísta. Mostrar un fuerte carácter individual se considera kosei ga tsuyoi (literalmente, fuerte personalidad), una persona que siempre actúa independientemente se califica como hageshii, carácter duro y fiero. Los Japoneses sienten lástima e incluso menosprecian esa clase de personalidad, llegando a la conclusión de que esa persona ha sido abandonada en un mundo duro en el que nadie se preocupa por ella, o ha rechazado la red de amae (dulzura) ella misma.

Cuando amae (dulzura, complacer) se interpreta en los términos que los Japoneses entienden el tiempo y el espacio, nos ilustra de nuevo la preferencia por una fuerte interdependencia compartida sobre la división individualista. En las casas tradicionales, por ejemplo, las habitaciones no tenían ninguna función específica ni estaban asignadas a ningún miembro de la familia, y esto significa que toda la familia comía, trabajaba y dormía en una gran habitación. Aún quedan muchos vestigios de esta tradición, por ejemplo en las casas con bañera, toda la familia comparte la bañera y en las que no tienen, la familia comparte los baños públicos. Los americanos normalmente entienden lo que para los Japoneses es "compartir" el espacio común, como una violación del derecho individual a un espacio personal.

Esto lo he experimentado en numerosas ocasiones. Las habitaciones se comparten y tienen diferentes usos. En cuanto al baño, explicar que primero ha de acicalarse uno bien en la ducha y después se entra a la bañera ya que no se vacía la bañera cada vez, tan sólo una vez al día. Cuando fuimos a casa del abuelo, me ofrecieron ser el primero en utilizar el baño, lo cual es un gran honor. También merece la pena explicar, ya que no lo he leído en ningún lado, la tradición de limpiarse mutuamente la espalda si vas a un baño público. La situación puede parecernos algo pintoresca así que más vale ir prevenido je je. Se supone que es un acto de mucho respeto si limpias la espalda del otro hombre, cuando a mi me pasó yo no lo sabía, y aunque no me imaginé nada raro, pensé que quizás el creía que yo no me sabía limpiar bien. Pensé “seguro que estos Japoneses tan limpios piensan que los extranjeros no nos sabemos limpiar”. Pero no, resulta que era un gran honor y no lo debía haber echo él, sino yo, puesto que yo soy el que debía mostrar respeto a esa persona. De todas formas debe ser una tradición que se está perdiendo, ya que en todas las ocasiones que he ido a un baño público nunca lo he visto.

De todas formas si tenéis la oportunidad de ir a alguno de los numerosos baños de aguas termales (onsen) no la dejéis escapar. Normalmente están en zonas de gran belleza natural y dentro de los hoteles tradicionales Ryokan. La última vez que estuve en Japón fuimos a Minakami, una zona montañosa al Oeste de Tokyo. Y por supuesto el Ryokan tenía un gran Onsen. Como no podía dormir me bajé al Onsen a las 6 de la mañana, el agua como siempre estaba muy caliente, directamente de las entrañas de la madre tierra. Al cabo de un rato me fui a la parte exterior. Estaban cayendo los copos de nieve sobre mi cabeza y alrededor de la zona de baño había una gran capa de nieve que se elevaba más de dos metros, al cabo de un rato comenzó a amanecer y asomaron entre las brumas las montañas nevadas, mientras yo estaba calentito en el agua, disfrutando del espectáculo.

El baño comunal es una expresión de interdependencia entre los Japoneses que tiene sus orígenes en lo profundo de la historia religiosa de Japón. El monje fundador del Budismo Zen, Doogen Zenji, enseña esta interdependencia mediante la clásica cita:

"Un necio se considera a si mismo como un individuo, una persona sabia considera a los demás como a si mismo"

Las enseñanzas Taoístas también promovían la interdependencia. Según el Taoísmo, puesto que las cosas existen respecto a otras cosas, una persona no puede existir sin otras. Hoy en día esta enseñanza está plasmada en la ética Japonesa según la cual la moral y las reglas sociales son decididas por los demás. El comportamiento de los Japoneses está delimitado por el punto de vista de los demás “que dirán si hago esto”.

Una madre Japonesa, Kaeko, recientemente me ofreció una lección de este sistema de auto evaluación basado en los demás. Cuando intentaba que su hijo de dos años dejará de poner caras raras delante de mi, en vez de decir “No hagas gestos raros a Haru”, Kaeko dijo, “¿Por qué estas poniendo una cara tan rara? Me apuesto lo que quieras a que Haru piensa que eres un niño extraño. Seguro que piensa que eres raro” Diciendo a su hijo que yo iba a pensar que él era raro si seguía poniendo esas caras tan raras, Kaeko estaba enseñando a su hijo a verse a si mismo desde mi punto de vista.
Las enseñanzas de Confucio también refuerzan el principio de la interdependencia basada en los otros. Una antigua cita dice:

"Si uno quiere establecerse, ha que establecer a los demás. Si uno quiere alcanzar la perfección para si mismo, ha de alcanzar la perfección para los demás"

Expresiones como doozo (después de usted) y osaki ni (siento haber pasado primero) muestran como el principio Confuciano de los otros primero se ha convertido en un ritual en las relaciones diarias japonesas.

Los seguidores de la tradición Judeo-Cristiana realmente esperan que las personas se ocupen primero de si mismas. El dramaturgo Inglés John P. Webster, citaba a menudo “Es una de las recompensas más bellas de la vida que ningún hombre puede sinceramente ayudar a los demás sin ayudarse a si mismo”.
Los extranjeros que viven en Japón encuentran a menudo que la cantidad de interdependencia esperada es excesiva y demasiado entrometida en su privacidad.

Cuando un Japonés decide mantener una relación estrecha con un extranjero, este puede sentirse como si estuviera siendo espiado continuamente. Sin embargo la expectativa americana de que cada uno se encarga de sus asuntos resulta fría para los Japoneses –como una amistad superficial que nunca alcanza el satisfactorio nivel de la confianza- .

ALTA TENSIÓN - HIGH VOLTAGE

2006-02-25T21:30:00.000Z

Para mi que trabajo con equipos de muy alta tensión, este video resulta especialmente significativo. Cada vez que tengo que hacer medidas de voltaje dentro de una emisora de onda media, con miles de voltios danzando por todos lados, un escalofrío recorre mi cuerpo. Sobre todo porque he visto, cortocircuitos, arcos y explosiones de varios elementos del transmisor. Me imagino como se sentirían los operarios después de ver este arco, es como volver a nacer.

Memorias de una Geisha - Memoirs of a Geisha

2006-02-25T20:05:00.000Z

En pocas palabras: el libro es entretenido aunque nada del otro mundo. La película, para mi gusto bastante mala, lo mejor la escena del baile de primavera. Yo recomiendo la versión que podéis ver si hacéis click en la flecha de la imagen, una gran obra de arte ;-)

In few words: the book is interesting, not outstanding though. In my opinion the film is quite bad, the best is the beautiful scene of the spring dance. I recomend the version you can see if you click on the the arrow of the image bellow, a great artwork ;-)

AMANECER - EGUNSENTIA - SUNRISE - 日の出

2006-02-10T22:42:00.000Z

Hoy el amanecer ha sido espectacular. Cuando salgo de casa apenas se ve el cielo entre tantos edificios, pero en el camino al trabajo tengo que subir una cuesta y a partir de allí ya puedo ver el cielo, el puerto y el mar que se funde con el horizonte. En ese punto siempre le dedico una miradita al amanecer. Hoy había llovido y gran parte del cielo estaba ocupado por grandes cúmulos de nubes que subían desde el mar hasta las alturas, pero las nubes se estaban rompiendo y dejaban huecos por los que se veía el mar y el sol que comenzaba a asomar por el horizonte, surgiendo un efecto de luces, colores y formas casi mágico. Me encanta ir con la bici, así me puedo permitir el lujo de disfrutar de cada amanecer. Y en días especialmente espectaculares, como el de hoy, detenerme unos segundos y disfrutar del espectáculo.

Aristóteles - No Comment - Ave del Paraíso

2006-02-08T23:09:00.000Z

"Toda acción y elección, parecen tender a algún bien; por esto se ha dicho con razón que el bien es aquello a que todas las cosas tienden"

Ave del paraíso - Strelitzia reginae
Una belleza natural

El término científico de esta planta "reginae" del Latin = reina, está dedicado a la reina Carlota de Mecklemburgo-Strelitz, esposa del rey Jorge III de Inglaterra, muerta en 1818.

Hábitat

Se encuentran en regiones tropicales y sub-tropicales.

Descripción

Plantas herbácea siempreverde, con forma de mata y hojas con largos pecíolos. Hojas alternas, pinnatinervadas y dísticas. Su principal atractivo son las flores en forma de pájaro, con pétalos rojos y amarillos. Las flores son hermafroditas, asimétricas, polinizadas por aves , en grupos cinciniformes protegidos primariamente por grandes brácteas varias laterales y con frecuencia largamente pedunculadas.

Ave del paraíso

El perianto de 3+3 tépalos, los externos iguales y libres, los internos desiguales y generalmente soldados, uno de mayores dimensiones y plegado en forma de flecha rodeando al estilo. El gineceo de 3 carpelos soldados, ovario ínfero, trilocular, numerosos primordios seminales.
Fruto de cápsula valvicida por 3 valvas. Altura promedio 1,50 y diámetro 1,80.

Cultivo

Necesita luz intensa tres o cuatro horas diarias de luz solar directa, no florece con luz inadecuada. Durante el periodo de crecimiento activo, puede cultivarse en condiciones normales. Necesita de riego moderado y humedad normal. Entre marzo y octubre requiere grandes cantidades de agua, así como una solución de abono completo cada semana. Las aves del paraíso son muy sensibles al ataque de las cochinillas.

La Cultura Japonesa 1

2006-02-05T17:23:00.000Z

Hace poco leí un libro muy interesante sobre la cultura Japonesa y Norteamericana, puesto que no ha sido traducido al Español, a partir de ahora voy a intentar hacer un resumen, creo que vale la pena que más gente tenga la oportunidad de leerlo. Como la autora dice, no se trata de decidir cual es mejor sino de aprender. También incluiré fragmentos de otros libros o de observaciones propias. El libro está escrito por una Japonesa que ha vivido toda su vida entre Japón y EEUU. Aunque las comparaciones las hace con EEUU, la mayoría sirven para nosotros. Por ejemplo, he comprobado que la fábula de Esopo, está traducida al castellano igual que en inglés, tal y como era la original.

Para diferenciar mis comentarios de la información obtenida de otras fuentes utilizaré el color azul.

Las palabras clave que definen la cultura japonesa son:

INTERDEPENDENCIA: todos dependemos unos de otros. Para no dañar la interdependencia hay que ser muy diplomático y nunca expresar tus opiniones muy directamente. Hay que ser como los demás, destacar no es bueno.

EL GRUPO: el grupo es donde toma forma la interdependencia. Por orden de magnitud los grupos son la familia, la empresa, los amigos, los vecinos, el país.

EL IDIOMA: el idioma japonés está hecho a medida de estas tradiciones. Tiene multitud de frases para incrementar la interdependencia y cambia completamente cuando se trata de gente de “tu grupo” o de “fuera de tu grupo”.

DIFFERENT GAMES / DIFFERENT RULES, Why Americans and Japanese Misunderstand Each Other. Author: HARU YAMADA.

Capítulo 1 DOS HISTORIAS, DOS JUEGOS

Un domingo estoy sentada viendo la televisión con las dos hijas de mi hermana en San Francisco. Están viendo unos dibujos animados basados en las Fábulas de Esopo, “La cigarra y la hormiga” En la versión occidental, las hormigas trabajan todo el verano para acumular comida para el invierno, mientras que la cigarra se pasa cantando todo el tiempo sin trabajar. En pleno invierno la hambrienta cigarra va al árbol donde viven las hormigas y les pide un poco de comida. Una hormiga sale fuera y le pregunta que le han pasado a sus provisiones para el invierno. La cigarra responde que se pasó todo el verano cantando. Entonces la hormiga le responde, “ya que estuviste ocupada cantando todo el verano, ahora ponte a bailar a ver si te alimenta durante el invierno” Las hormigas ríen y la cigarra se va hambrienta.

En este punto mis sobrinos ríen de la cigarra, sin darse cuenta de que morirá de hambre. Estoy sorprendida, no por la cruel lección de la fábula, sino porque el final que yo recuerdo es completamente diferente. En la versión que mi abuela me leyó cuando era niña, las hormigas invitan a la cigarra cuando va a pedir comida y la historia termina con la moraleja “durante todo el verano, las hormigas trabajaron tan duro como pudieron y las cigarras cantaron con todo su entusiasmo. Ahora era el momento para reunirse en la fiesta de invierno”.

Dos historias que provienen del mismo origen, pero con un final completamente diferente. La dibujos americanos enseñan la recompensa para las trabajadoras hormigas, y el castigo para la vaga cigarra. El cuento Japonés de mi infancia muestra los méritos del esfuerzo de los dos grupos. Esopo puede descansar tranquilo, las dos historias enseñan la moraleja de que hay que trabajar duro, pero de un modo muy diferente.

La historia americana demuestra la importancia de trabajar para ti mismo. Así la hormiga dice “estuviste vagueando todo el verano, ahora tienes que pagar el precio” La clave de la historia americana es que cada uno es responsable de su propio destino. En cambio, la historia japonesa sobre el trabajo duro, demuestra que todos tenemos un sitio en la sociedad, y refuerza la idea de dependencia en tiempos de escasez. La historia americana promueve la independencia, pero la historia japonesa, interdependencia.

En la historia Americana la diferencia entre hacer las cosas a tu manera o depender de otros es total: vida para la hormiga independiente, hambre y muerte para la cigarra dependiente. En la historia Japonesa los beneficios del trabajo duro se asumen y la historia se centra en el esfuerzo. Como las cigarras cantaron lo mejor que supieron y lo hicieron con el corazón, las hormigas les invitaron a la fiesta de invierno.

El contraste entre el mensaje explícito de trabajo duro independiente en la historia americana y el mensaje implícito de trabajo duro interdependiente en la historia japonesa, demuestra las diferencias entre la comunicación japonesa y americana.

El objetivo en la comunicación en occidente es que cada individuo hable por si mismo, y explicar el mensaje de la forma más directa posible. El objetivo en la comunicación en Japón es que los miembros de un grupo dependan unos de otros hablando de experiencias compartidas y expresando los mensajes de la forma más implícita posible.

En América la empatía se muestra dando “al otro” la libertad de formar sus propias ideas y tomar sus propias decisiones, mientras que en Japón la empatía se refiere a anticipar y tener en cuenta lo que “el otro” quiere.

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Fragmento extraído del libro "dirección y objetivos de la empresa actual" que estoy estudiando para la carrera de turismo. Quizás venga de aquí la extraña teoría que tenemos en España sobre la "huelga a la japonesa" según la cual, en vez de dejar de trabajar trabajan más. Lógicamente no es así, pero seguramente esa idea provenga de sucesos como este y de la inevitable distorsión que se produce en la comunicación.

Un director estadounidense relata cómo transcurrió una huelga en una fábrica en Japón, cuya propiedad y dirección eran americanas:

Nos avisaron como seis semanas antes. En el día de la huelga una barrera de piquetes con pancartas nos forzaron a cerrar durante esa jornada. Pero cuando miré por mi ventana a las cinco en punto de la tarde, no sólo no quedaban pancartas ni panfletos, sino que los propios trabajadores estaban recogiendo las tazas de café y las colillas de los cigarros, dejando el suelo inmaculado. Al día siguiente, recuperaron la producción perdida, sin necesidad de horas extras. No entendí el significado de esa actitud, así que llamé a un operario que conozco para que me la explicase. "Teníamos algunas desavenencias con la dirección. La única manera de que ustedes se dieran cuenta de nuestra seriedad era movilizarnos y salir a la calle. Pero esta empresa también es nuestra y no queremos dar la impresión de que le somos desleales".

En efecto, la cultura japonesa se caracteriza por la extrema lealtad del trabajador hacia su compañía y viceversa, lo que permite una gestión totalmente diferente. El trabajador japonés responde de forma obsesiva a la filosofía del Ichiban (o ser número uno), ponderándola con una escala de valores en la que lo primero es la empresa, por encima de la carrera profesional. Una vez que un trabajador se incorpora a la organización, se considera que va a prestar sus servicios de por vida. En los primeros años, pasará por todos los departamentos y sólo con el paso del tiempo, no por méritos, podrá ascender. La empresa cuidará su formación, su calidad de vida, sus relaciones sociales y será el centro del trabajador japonés. Pese a los cambios habidos en los últimos años, esto sigue siendo esencialmente válido.

THE ALTERNATIVE, SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY; THE SIMPLER WAY

2006-01-25T14:07:00.000Z

Summary:
If the limits to growth analysis of our predicament is correct we have no choice but to undertake radical changes in lifestyles, values, the geography of our settlements and especially change to a different economy.
We must move to The Simpler Way. The required alternative society must involve far lower rates of per capita resource consumption and environmental damage. This must mean materially simpler lifestyles, in highly self-sufficient and cooperative communities, within an economy that is not driven by market forces and profit and that does not grow over time.
The Simpler Way would not involve hardship or giving up modern technology. It would improve the average quality of life.
All the ideas and technologies we need already exist and are in use in many places. There is now a Global Eco-village Movement in which many small groups are developing settlements of the required kind.
______

Our society, based on market forces, the profit motive, affluent living standards and economic growth, is grossly unjust and unsustainable. It only works well for a very few of the world's people. Even more importantly, it has run into the limits to growth; it involves levels of resource consumption and environmental impact that only a few can have for a short period of time. (For the detailed analysis see The Limits to Growth.)

If the limits to growth analysis detailed in an earlier sectionof this site is basically valid some of the key principles for a sustainable society are clear and indisputable.

-- Material living standards must be much less affluent. In a sustainable society per capita rates of use of resources must be a small fraction of those used today.
-- There must be mostly small scale highly self-sufficient local economies.
--There must be mostly cooperative and participatory local systems whereby small communities control their own affairs, independent of the international and global economies.
-- There must be much use of alternative technologies, which minimise the use of resources.
-- A very different economic system must be developed, one not driven by market forces or the profit motive, and in which there is no growth.
-- We must shift to some very different values, especially away from competition and individualism, and to frugality and non-material satisfactions.

The alternative way is The Simpler (but richer) Way. We can and must all live well with a much smaller amount of production, consumption, work, resource use, trade, investment and GNP a than there is now. This will allow us to escape the economic treadmill and devote our lives to more important things than producing and consuming.

Unfortunately any suggestion of a move to less affluent ways is usually met with horror. The main problem here is that people do not understand that The Simpler Way is not a threat to a high quality of life or to the benefits of modern technology. The following discussion will show that in fact The Simpler Way is the key to a greatly improved quality of life, even for those who live in the richest countries.

Although The Simpler Way is radically different it could be easily achieved – if enough of us opted for it. To save the planet we do not need miraculous technical break throughs, or vast amounts of investment. We just need a change in thinking and valuing.

Simpler lifestyles

Living more simply does not mean deprivation or hardship. It means focusing on what is sufficient for comfort, hygiene, efficiency etc. Most of our basic needs can be met by quite simple and resource-cheap devices and ways, compared with those taken for granted and idolised in consumer society.

Living in materially simple ways can cut enormous amounts off the money a person needs to earn. Consider housing. A perfectly adequate, and indeed beautiful house for a small family can be built for around $5000 ($A 2004). (See Note 1.) This indicates how The Simpler Way will liberate people from slavery to consumer-capitalist society, enabling most time to be put into more fulfilling activities than earning money.

Living in ways that minimise resource use should not be seen as an irksome effort that must be made in order to save the planet. These ways can and must become important sources of life satisfaction. We have to come to see as enjoyable many activities such as living frugally, recycling, growing food, "husbanding" resources, making rather than buying, composting, repairing, bottling fruit, giving old things to others, making things last, and running a relatively self-sufficient household economy. The Buddhist goal is a life "simple in means but rich in ends."

Local self-sufficiency

We must develop as much self-sufficiency as we reasonably can at the national level, meaning less trade, at the household level, and especially at the neighbourhood, suburban, town and local regional level. We need to convert our presently barren suburbs into thriving regional economies which produce most of what they need from local resources.

The domestic or household economy already accounts for about half the real national output, but this is ignored by conventional economics which only counts dollar costs. Households can again become significant producers of vegetables, fruit, poultry, preserves, fish, repairs, furniture, entertainment and leisure services, and community support.

Neighbourhoods would contain many small enterprises such as the local bakery. Some of these could be decentralised branches of existing firms, enabling most of us to get to work by bicycle or on foot. Much of our honey, eggs, crockery, vegetables, furniture, fruit, fish and poultry production could come from households and backyard businesses engaged in craft and hobby production. It is much more satisfying to produce most things in craft ways rather than in industrial factories. However it would make sense to retain some larger mass production factories and sources of materials, such as mines and steel works and railways.

Almost all food could come from within a few hundred metres of where we live, most of it from within existing towns and suburbs. The sources would be, a) intensive home gardens, b) community gardens and cooperatives, such as poultry, orchard and fish groups, many small market gardens located within and close to suburbs and towns, d) extensive development of commons, especially for production of fruit, nuts, fish, poultry, animal grazing, herbs, bamboo and timber.

The scope for food self-sufficiency within households is extremely high. It takes .5 ha, 5,000 square metres, to feed one North American via agribusiness. However Jeavons (2002)and also Blazey (1999) document the capacity for a family of three to feed itself from less than one backyard, via intensive home gardening, high yield seeds, multi-cropping, nutrient recycling, and eating mostly plant foods. In addition backyards can produce large amounts of fruit, nuts, herbs, poultry, rabbits and fish.

Most of your neighbourhood could become a Permaculture jungle, an "edible landscape" crammed with long-lived, largely self-maintaining productive plants. Much food production would involve little or no fuel use, ploughing, packaging, pesticides, marketing or transport. Having food produced close to where people live would enable nutrients to be recycled back to the soil through compost heaps, composting toilets and garbage gas units. This is imperative -- a sustainable society cannot be conceived without thorough nutrient recycling, and therefore without a local agriculture.

There would be research into finding what useful plants from all around the world thrive in your local conditions, and into the development of useful foods, materials and chemicals from these. Synthetics would be derived primarily from plant materials.

Meat consumption would be greatly reduced as we moved to more plant foods, but many small animals such as poultry, rabbits and fish would be kept in small pens spread throughout our settlements. The animals could be fed largely on kitchen and garden scraps, and by free ranging on commons, while providing manure and adding to the aesthetic and leisure resources of our settlements. Some wool, milk and leather could come from sheep and goats grazing meadows within and close to our settlements.

The commons would be of great economic and social value. These include the community owned and operated woodlots, bamboo patches, herb gardens, orchards, ponds, meadows, sheds, machinery, workshops, bicycles and vehicles. These can be located in parks, beside railway lines, on derelect factory sites, and on the many roads that will be dug up when they are no longer needed. These commons would provide many free goods, although they would be maintained by working bees and committees.

We should convert one house on each block to become a neighbourhood workshop, recycling store, meeting place, surplus exchange and library. Because there will be far less need for transport, we could dig up many roads, greatly increasing city land area available for community gardens, workshops, ponds and forests.

Settlement design will focus on these basically Permaculture principles, such as the intensive use of space, complex ecosystems, stacking and use of all available niches, multiple cropping and overlapping functions e.g., poultry provide meat, eggs, feathers, pest control, cultivation, fertilizer and leisure resources. These techniques will enable huge reduction in the present land area and energy costs of food provision.

It will not be necessary for most people to be involved in agriculture. Providing food now takes perhaps one-fifth of work time, when transport, packaging and marketing are added to the farm work. That’s about eight hours a week per worker. Intensive home gardening requires about four person-hours per week per household, so averaged across the town and including small farm work food production, would probably require well below the present amount of time. The difference derives from the much greater productivity of home and small farm production, and the elimination of much intermediary work, such as transport and packaging.

In addition many materials can come from the communal woodlots, fruit trees, bamboo clumps, herb patches, ponds, clay pits, meadows, etc., including leather, oils, dyes, timber, chemicals, medicines, energy crops and clay.

One of the most important ways in which we would be highly self-sufficient would be in finance. Firstly The Simpler Way requires little capital. Most enterprises are very small, and it will not be an expanding economy. Virtually all neighbourhoods have all the capital they need to develop those things that would meet their basic needs, yet this does not happen when our savings are put into conventional banks. Our capital is borrowed by distant corporations, often to do undesirable things, and not to improve our neighbourhood.

We would form many small town banks from which our savings would only be lent to firms and projects that would improve our town. These banks could charge low or negative interest, or make grants.

We will couple the banks with Business Incubators which provide assistance to little firms, such as access to accountants, computers and advice from panels of the town’s most experienced business people. These two institutions will give us the power to establish in our town the enterprises and industries it needs, as distinct from being at the whim of corporations and foreign investors who will only set up in our town if that will maximize their global profits, and in any case will not set up firms to produce what we need.

We can therefore take control of our own development and make sure that it is determined by what will benefit the town, cut its imports, minimize ecological impacts, eliminate waste and provide livelihoods.

These many and diverse structures, firms and activities will make our locality into a very leisure-rich environment. Most suburbs at present are leisure deserts. The alternative neighbourhood would be full of familiar people, small businesses, industries, farms, lakes, common projects, animals, gardens, forests, windmills, waterwheels, and familiar people and therefore full of interesting things to do or observe. Consequently people would be less inclined to travel on weekends and holidays, which would greatly reduce national energy consumption.

This shows how the solution to many problems will mostly involve carrots rather than sticks. We will reduce travel not by penalties but by eliminating the need for most of it, by ensuring that work and leisure sites are close to where we live.
To repeat, a high level of domestic and local economic self-sufficiency is crucial if we are to dramatically reduce overall resource use. It will cut travel, transport and packaging costs, and the need to build freeways, ships and airports etc. It will also enable our communities to become secure from devastation by distant economic events, such as depressions, devaluations, interest rate rises, trade wars, capital flight, and exchange rate changes.

Local self-sufficiency means we will be highly dependent on our region and our community and the significance of this for several important themes cannot be exaggerated. Because most of our food, energy, materials, leisure activity, artistic experience and community will come from the soils, forests, people, ecosystems and social systems close around us. We will all recognise the extreme importance of keeping these in good shape. If we do not do this we will have to pay dearly for imported goods and services. This will force us to think constantly about the maintenance of our ecological, technical and social systems. This will be the main reason why we will treat our ecosystems well -- because if we don’t we will soon wish we had.

Energy

The Simpler Way will dramatically cut the demand for energy and materials. Firstly, it will be a stable economy so maintenance of frugal structures will generate very different resource demands compared with a growth economy, in which construction and development are intensive.In general solar passive building design will greatly reduce the need for space heating and cooling. As explained above, almost no energy will be needed for food production. Only a little will be needed for pumping clean and waste water, as these will be collected and dealt with locally. The need for transport, packaging and marketing will be greatly reduced. Most leisure needs will be met within the settlement at little energy cost. Industrial production will be greatly reduced, and most of it will take place in small local enterprises operating in labour intensive ways. Only a little heavy industry will be needed, e.g. basic steel, railways, buses, and thus mining and timber industries will be small. There will be little need for shipping or air transport. Most cooking would be by good or gas produced from biomass. (The next section includes further energy detail.)

Land Areas and Footprint.

Following is a rough, indicative pattern of settlement and land areas. The approximate vision is for a landscape in which towns of 250 households and 1000 people are located 2 km part, centre to centre, and therefore within an area of 400 ha. Every 10 km there might be a large town, on a railway line, and very small cities might be 100 km apart. Their suburbs would be more or less like the town described below.

If the settled area of our town is 700m across it will occupy 50 ha. If the typical area occupied by roads in an outer Sydney suburb is assumed, but reduced by 3/4 in view of the much lower need for vehicles, roads would occupy about 2 ha, and railways about 1 ha. Converted roads would add about 6.5 ha to commons. Commons within the settlement would occupy about 10.5 ha.

As has been explained above virtually all food needs except grain and dairy could be met within the settled area, but there would be small farms and plantations outside it. These would supply grain, fibre, wool, timber, dairy products, and energy.
If each household had on average 15 useful trees, and these were also planted on half the commons at 4mx4m spacing there would be 7000 trees within the settlement. If half of these were fruit and nut trees yielding c 10 t/ha/y, annual per capita production might be c 110 kg, plenty for people and animals. (Some tree crop yields are higher than this.)

If produced from wheat or corn, flour might require 35 ha just outside the settled area, assuming 200 kg per capita consumption p.a., and 6t/ha yield. However it can be produced at up to three times this yield from tree cops such as carob, algaroba, chestnut and oak, without the energy cost of annual crops.

Timber requirements in a stable economy would be very small. If 50 kg per capita/y is assumed, 7 ha would be required, at 7t/ha/y harvest. Half of this might be located on commons within the settlement. Firewood for heating and cooking within very well insulated solar passive houses might double this area required.

Water is assumed to come from local sources, including rooftop collection of rainfall, and from small dams etc., plus intensive mulching and recycling.

Dairy products might require 45 ha, assuming 100kg per person p.a., 900kg per cow p.a., and 2.5 cows per ha.

Wool might require 25-30 ha of grassland, but all of this might be found within the settlement and the surrounding plantations (assuming 2kg per person p.a., 25 sheep per ha., and 3.2 kg clean wool per sheep p.a.) Another almost negligible area would be required for cotton etc fibres, assuming 5 tonnes per ha yield.

The area per town to be set aside for its share of the regional industry, hospitals, colleges, universities, and services would be very small. For example, a tertiary educational institution of 3 ha serving 10 towns averages only 3 square metres per person, or .3 ha per town.Adding these areas indicates that 150 ha, 38% of a town’s total 400 ha area would be used for purposes other than energy supply.

Energy supply sets the biggest problems. First let’s consider the land area that would be required to meet present Australian per capita oil plus gas demand of 117PJ. If this was all to come from biomass at 7t/ha via methanol produced at the equivalent of 34 gallons of petrol (net) per tonne of biomass input, then our town situated in 400 ha would need to harvest 3750 ha of forest! (That is the per capita footprint for this item alone would be 3.75 ha.) In addition a large area would be needed to fuel electricity generators (below).

Let us therefore assume a very austere energy budget, derived from 100 ha devoted to plantations for energy production, (plus where possible PV, wind, garbage gas, hydro, solar heating panels, within the town, and a share of the national hydro and wind supply from without). For this discussion Sydney’s latitude, 34 degrees, is assumed; for colder climates the problem would be significantly greater.

Electricity supply would not be so problematic, if extremely frugal use is assumed. Based on records from my homestead, a family of three could meet its electricity needs on about .6kWh/day. (Lights, computer, TV, duct fans, some machinery, but no air-conditioning, electric stove, fridge or washing machine.) This is about 1/50 the typical Sydney household use. The town would therefore need 200kWh/d for domestic needs. The half of this that does not have to be stored might come from a combination of solar PV, solar thermal and wind. (Energy from these sources is likely to remain much too costly and difficult to store.) One quarter might come from hydro and one quarter from the burning of wood, both quantities via generators that can be turned up when intermittent inputs are not available. To meet this demand via a 22% efficient process (i.e., taking in energy used in growing and harvesting as well as generating efficiency) the town would need 10 ha of forest harvested at 7t/ha/y.

Gas for cooking and refrigeration would come from biomass, mostly wood, but it would include the approximately 500 tonnes of kitchen, toilet, garden and animal wastes p. a. flowing through methane digesters on their way to gardens. (This does not include much of the at least c 1.5 tonnes of manure a day produced by the 110 dairy cows.) The quantity of energy derivable from this source is surprising, probably 3000 cubic metres of gas p.a. (equivalent to 18,000kWh., or 18kWh per person.) Use of refrigerators would have to be very frugal. Community facilities might be necessary, along with solar-passive evaporative coolers ("Koolgardie safes"). Access to local fresh food would eliminate most need for refrigeration.

Liquid fuels are the big problem. If the remaining 90 ha produced methanol at the equivalent of 34 gallons of petrol (net) per tonne of biomass input, and a 7t/ha/y yield, then 2672 GJ would be produced p.a. Averaged over the 1000 people in the town this is only 2.3% of the present Australian per capita oil plus gas use. If we assume methanol production can be improved to be 1.4 times as efficient (= 45 gal petrol/t) and a four fold improvement in the energy efficiency of the whole energy system, we would still have to get by on about one-eighth of the present Australian Per capita oil and gas use. This should be achievable via The Simpler Way, because there would be so little transport, construction, manufacturing or agricultural energy use.

The above figures yield an overall footprint per capita of .25 ha. However the national average footprint would be greater than in the example town because people living in bigger towns and in the cities would be more dependent on imported goods, materials and energy, and the above tally does not include things like heavy industry, railways, steel and centralised services (e.g., higher education.) These might raise the per capita footprint to .5 ha, still below the .8 that would be available in a world of 9 billion.

If we find that more energy is needed than the above .1 ha per person can produce, we will have to resort to biomass plantations further afield, or to locate our settlements more distant from each other to make room for these plantations. Footprint considerations limit this option severely. If we developed plantations which increased the per capita footprint from c .25 ha to .65, the additional .4 ha would yield only another 44 PJ in gross energy, or if converted into methanol, only 12.5 GJ per person, compared with the Australian present average energy use of 117 GJ/y.

Note again that these numbers have been rough approximations intended to indicate the general scale of the problems, and the general feasibility of the town model presented. They provide a base for others to work out the implications of different assumptions.

More Communal, Participatory and Cooperative ways.

The third essential characteristic of the alternative way is that it must be very communal, participatory and cooperative. Firstly, we must share many things. We could have a few stepladders, electric drills, etc., in the neighbourhood workshop, as distinct from one in every house.

We would be on various voluntary rosters, committees and working bees to carry out most of the windmill maintenance, construction of public works, child minding, nursing, basic educating and care of aged and disadvantaged people in our area, as well as to perform most of the functions councils now carry out for us, such as maintaining our own parks and streets. In addition working bees and committees would maintain the many commons. We would therefore need far fewer bureaucrats and professionals, reducing the amount of income we would have to earn to pay taxes. (When we contribute to working bees we are paying some of our tax.)

Especially important would be the regular voluntary community working bees. Just imaging how rich your neighbourhood would now be if every Saturday afternoon for the past five years there had been a voluntary working bee doing something that would make it a more pleasant place for all to live.

There would be far more community than there is now. People would know each other and be interacting on communal projects. Because all would realise that their welfare depended heavily on how well we looked after each other and our ecosystems, there would be powerful incentives for mutual concern, facilitating the public good, and making sure others were content. The situation would be quite different to consumer-capitalist society where there is little incentive on individuals to care for others or their community.

One would certainly predict a huge decrease in the incidence of personal and social problems and their dollar and social costs. The new neighbourhood would surely be a much healthier and happier place to live, especially for older people.

Our life experience will mainly be enriched not by personal wealth or talents, but main by having access to public things like a beautiful landscape containing many forests, ponds, animals, herb patches, bamboo clumps, clay pits, little farms and firms, and leisure opportunities close to home, a neighbourhood workshop, many cultural and artistic groups and skilled people to learn from, community festivals and celebrations and a thriving and supportive community.Government and politics.

The political situation would be very different compared with today. There would be genuine participatory democracy. This would be made possible by the smallness of scale, and it would be vitally necessary. Big centralised governments cannot run our small localities. That can only be done by the people who live there because they are the only ones who understand the ecosystem, who know what will grow best there, how often frosts occur , how people there think and what they want, what the traditions are what strategies will and won’t work there, etc.

Most of our local policies and programs could be worked out by elected unpaid committees and we could all vote on the important decisions concerning our small area at regular town meetings. There would still be some functions for state and national governments, but relatively few, and there will be a role for some international agencies, treaties etc.

Big social institutions, such as states, can only be run by a tiny few with immense power. These then tend to become arrogant and secretive, and are easily seduced, bought or fooled by the richest and most powerful groups in society. Therefore the smallness of scale we will be forced to by resource scarcity will liberate us from rule by centralised governments, and from representative democracy.

Thus our dependence on our ecosystems and social systems will also radically transform politics. The focal concern will be what policies will work best for the region. Politics will not be primarily about individuals and groups in zero-sum competition to get what they want from a central state. There will be powerful incentives towards a much more collectivist outlook. There will be strong incentives to find solutions all are content with, because we will always be highly dependent on good will, people turning up to committees, working bees, celebrations and town meetings. We will therefore be keen to find and do whatever will contribute to town solidarity and cohesion. The town will work best if there is a minimum of discontent, conflict, inequality or perceived injustice, so all will recognise the need to avoid decisions that leave some unhappy. Thus the situation of dependence on our ecosystems and on each other will require and reinforce concern for the public good, a more collectivist outlook, taking responsibility, involvement, and thinking about what’s best for the town.

The core governing institutions will be voluntary committees, town meetings, direct votes on issues, and especially informal public discussion in everyday situations. In a sound self-governing community the fundamental political processes take place informally in cafes, kitchens and town squares, because this is where the issues can be discussed and thought about until the best solution comes to be generally recognised. The chances of a policy working out well depend on how content everyone is with it. Consensus and commitment are best achieved through a slow and sometimes clumsy process of formal and informal consideration in which the real decision making work is done long before the meeting when the vote is taken. So politics will again become participatory and part of everyday life, as was the case in Ancient Greece. Note that this is not optional; we must do things in these participatory ways or the right decisions for the town will not be made.

The political situation described is totally different to that of consumer-capitalist society. It is in fact classical .anarchism. In general people at the local level will govern themselves via informal discussion, referenda and town meetings. We will not be governed by centralised authoritarian states and bureaucracies. Most issues will be local, not national, but there will be some tasks left for states and national governments via professional experts and administrators, such as coordinating national steel and railway industries. However, most monitoring, reviewing and administration could be carried out by voluntary committees. (People will have a lot of time for these activities; see below.)

Because it will be a stable economy many political issues will have been eliminated, such as over new developments, rezonings, freeway construction, increasing logging or mining, and especially those to do with trade, foreign investment and finance. Many problems such as unemployment and welfare will either not exist or could be handled at the local level, again decreasing the need for centralised bureaucracy.

Where issues involve wider regions than the town, such as concerning a river catchment, all towns can send delegates to meetings at which options are thought out, but people in the towns will retain the power to make the decisions. When all people in the town can attend town meetings and have their say there is no need to give power to representatives and there is no need for political parties.

Technology.

The Simpler Way is not opposed to modern technologies. In fact there will be more resources for research and development on the things that matter, such as medicine, than there are now, when the vast sums presently wasted on unnecessary products, and arms, cease being spent.

However it is a mistake to think better technology is important in solving global problems, let alone the key. Much R and D and innovation today is going into trivial, wasteful or luxurious products. Most of the things we need in The Simpler Way can be produced by traditional technologies. Hand tools can produce excellent food, clothes, furniture, houses, etc., and craft production is in general the most satisfying way to produce. Of course we will use machinery where that makes sense and many basic items can be made in automated factories. There can be intensive research all the time into improving crops and techniques, especially for deriving chemicals, drugs and materials from local sources. There will be more resources than at present to invest in realms that have "spiritual" significance rather than economic value, such as astronomy, history, philosophy, the arts and humanities.

The new economy

There is no chance of making these changes while we retain the present economic system. The fundamental principle in a satisfactory economy would be totally different – it would be to apply the available productive capacity to producing what all people need for a good life, with as little resource consumption, work and waste as possible in ecologically sustainable ways. Our present economy operates on totally different principles. It lets profit maximisation for the few who own most capital determine what is done, it therefore does not meet the needs of most people, and it seeks to increase consumption and GDP constantly.

Market forces and the profit motive?. In the far distant future what is produced, how it is distributed, and what is to be developed will be relatively unimportant problems decided without fuss by routine rational decision making process which focus on what is needed, etc. Humans will preoccupy themselves with more important things. However at present we are far from being capable of organising things that way, so in the near future it would seem wise to work for an interim arrangement which still uses the market but begins to subject it to greater social control.Section 1 showed that market forces cannot be allowed to continue as major determinants of economic affairs in an acceptable alternative economy. Even if we prevented market forces from generating unjust outcomes, the fundamental motivation within them is not acceptable. In markets prices are set as high as possible, which means that the driving principle is greed. Price is not set by reference to the cost of production, or the capacity of the seller to make a sufficient income, etc. Markets are about suppliers trying to get as rich as possible, and that is not a satisfactory element in an ideal society.

In a satisfactory society the basic economic priorities must be decided according to what is socially desirable, by discussion and debate and deliberate, rational decision. However, much of the economy we should work for in the near future could remain as a (carefully monitored) form of private enterprise carried on by small firms, households and cooperatives. Market forces could operate in carefully regulated sectors. For example the colour of bicycles on sale could be left entirely to the market. Local market days could enable individuals and families to sell small amounts of garden and craft produce. In other words market forces might be allowed to make most of the economic decisions – but none of the important ones!

Note that such an economy would not be a capitalist economy because these small firms would best regarded as the tools people work with to gain a modest, stable income and thus a secure livelihood. They do not involve investing capital in order to accumulate capital in order to constantly increase investments and wealth. Market forces would never be allowed to settle the distribution of income or the access to livelihood.

In the present economy the notion of having firms under social control is taken to mean big centralised bureaucracies and states. These can be entirely avoided by devolving the control to small localities where citizens can deal with a greatly reduced economic agenda through direct and participatory procedures. Again, because local conditions and resources, skills and traditions are the important factors determining how local economies can best function, local people are the ones who know these and are in the best position to make the decisions most likely to satisfy local needs. It will make no sense for distant governments to decide what is best for your town to plant when another of its parking lots has been dug up. Thus the form of social control here has nothing to do with "big-state socialism", as socialism is usually conceived and has mostly been practised.In making these decisions communities can take into account all relevant moral, social and ecological considerations, not just dollar costs and benefits to capitalists or purchasers. If a firm was struggling, or becoming inefficient we would not let market forces dump those workers or owners into unemployment. We would make community decisions about what to do. We might work out whether assistance, including loans and grants from the town bank, would be appropriate, or whether technical advice is needed. Thus a community might decide to keep a small bakery or boot repair firm going because that is best for the town and for the family running it. Or it might decide that it has to many bakeries, and work out how best those resources might be reorganised.
Similarly the community might decide not to buy from a firm that is sacking people unnecessarily, or threatening to take over other little firms that are viable, depriving people of their livelihoods.In other words we will be able to ensure that town development is based on all relevant considerations, and not settled by solely by what is most profitable. This means we will be in a position to retain or establish some firms that are important for the town even though they would not survive in a free market situation. These actions protect and subsidise, and therefore impose costs. Goods would be cheaper if purchased from a transnational corporation which can minimise prices. But these costs are among those we will be willing to pay in order to make the town run well.Provision of livelihood. Above all these strategies will enable us to ensure that all have a livelihood. This is of very great importance. The conventional economy sees no problem in allowing those who are most rich and powerful to take or destroy the business, markets and livelihoods of others, and thus accumulate to a few the wealth that was spread among many. Its fundamental design constantly worsens this problem. Globalisation is essentially about the elimination of the livelihoods of millions of people and the transfer of their business to a few giant corporations. A satisfactory society will not let this happen. One of its supreme priorities will be to ensure that all have a livelihood, and clearly this is only possible if local communities have control of their own local economic development and can operate contrary to market forces.

Although most firms might be privately owned, we would regard the economy as ours; i.e.,, as arrangements and institutions which the town "owns" and runs in order to provide itself with the goods and services it need and to provide its people with livelihoods. So if a transnational corporation came into the town intending to drive our bakery bankrupt and take its business, we could make sure it totally failed to do so –- simply by refusing to buy from it. Obviously things like this can not be done without vigilent, caring, public spirited citizens. Note how the new economic system cannot be thought of separately from the new political system, and neither can function without new values, a new culture.

The bank and the business incubator. As has been explained, these will be crucial in giving us control over our own local economic development. We can set up the kinds of firms we want.Overlapping sectors . One sector of the new economy would still use cash. In another market forces would be allowed to operate. One sector would be fully planned and under participatory social control. One would be run by cooperatives. One large sector would be cashless, involving household production, barter, mutual aid, working bees, gifts, i.e., just giving away surpluses), and the totally free goods from the commons.

Economic self sufficiency should be seen in terms of concentric circles. In the centre is the most important economic and social unit, the household. (This will be more important in most people’s lives than their "career". Outside this will be the neighbourhood, then the suburb or town where less frequently needed goods and services will be available, e.g., doctors. Then the town’s surrounding area will contain a dairy, timber plantations, grain and grazing lands, and some of the factories that would supply into the surrounding region, e.g., for fridges and radios. Some of these items would be exported out of the region. Much less will come from the state and national economic sectors, and very little from overseas, perhaps some high tech medical or computer equipment.

Few big firms or transnational corporations would be needed. Those that were appropriate, such as steel works, would best be owned and run by society as a whole, to serve society. The boards of bigger firms would represent stakeholders, not just shareholders. All people would have some stake in the firm, including its workers, customers and neighbours.

There would hardly be any finance industry. Little capital would be needed, because it would not be a growth economy. Construction for example would mainly be replacement of old buildings, bridges etc. Security in old age, and a continuing valued role, will be provided by the community (overseen by the relevant committee), so there will be little need for the "retirement industry" or for financial planners. Old people will continue to contribute as they felt able, they would need few special premises or professional carers, and therefore they will generate much less work and cost than at present.

There would be no interest paid on money lent. An economy in which interest can be received is by definition a growth economy. Thus loans would be repaid plus a fee to cover administrative costs. Banks would be society’s agencies for providing the capital needed to maintain or reorganise the enterprises society needs. Like all other firms their role would be to provide services and livelihoods charging only as much as is necessary to cover costs, as distinct from seeking to maximise dividends for absent shareholders.

Far less work and production will take place. In consumer society there is an astronomical level of more or less unnecessary production going into things like advertising, packaging transport, construction, cosmetics, waste disposal, sewage treatment, shipping, insurance, junking shoddy goods that don’t last and can’t be repaired, roads and freeways, unemployment agencies, and provision for people who crack up and become mentally ill or take to alcohol or drugs. We will need far less aged care, financial advice, paid entertainment, health care, professionals, car repairs. We will save billions by not having to produce arms any more! Many of the things we will need will be produced far less resource-expensive ways, for example we will not need to produce trucks to bring food to cities. There will be far less government, crime, police, illness and need for a "welfare" industry. Consequently there would be far less need for prisons, courts, hospitals, welfare agencies. The savings in dollars and resources would be enormous, not to mention the effects on quality of life. Disabled people will have many important things to do and to contribute, which will reduce the need for tax and professionals to care for them. People will have far more interesting things to do than go shopping, and acquiring and consuming will not be important life purposes.

Many shops would open only two or three days a week. If you need a pair of shoes you might get them on Tuesday or Saturday. In familiar neighbourhoods some shops and local firms might operate without shop assistants, via stalls where you serve yourself, further reducing the amount of work that needs doing.

Unemployment and poverty could easily be eliminated. There are none in the Israeli Kibbutz settlements. We would have neighbourhood work coordination committees who would make sure that all who wanted work had a share of the work that needed doing. Far less work would need to be done than at present. (In consumer society we probably work three times too hard!) The warped economics of consumer-capitalist society generates a desperate need to "create more jobs", but we will simply be able to eliminate all unnecessary work and production now going on, because our economy will be about applying only as much of the available productive capacity as is needed to produce what is sufficient.

Only one or two days a week working for money! When we eliminate all that unnecessary production, and shift much of the remainder to backyards, local small business and cooperatives, and into the non-cash sector of the economy, most of us will have little need to go to work for money in an office or a mass production factory. In other words it will become possible to live well on a very low cash income earned by only one or two days paid work per week. We could spend the other 5 or 6 days working/playing around the neighbourhood doing many varied and interesting and useful things everyday.

The Simpler Way there will be far less emphasis on work and production and economic affairs, and therefore, much less stress and worry, and human attention can shift to much more important things.

There would be no economic growth. We would produce only as much as is needed to provide all with a high quality of life. In fact we would always be looking for ways of reducing the amount of work, production and resource use. It should be obvious that this does not mean there cannot be improvement and innovation.

Nor does reducing the GDP mean that the living standards of the poorest must sink even lower than they are now. The goal is to enable all to have access to all the things that make a high quality of life possible regardless of income, such as community workshops, festivals, free fruit, a livelihood, a caring community and a leisure rich environment, regardless of their income. The average dollar income and GDP per person would be far lower than they are now, people would be far less wealthy in conventional dollar terms, but the quality of life of all could be far higher than the average now. One will need very little money to live well, and one’s money income or wealth will be an insignificant determinant of one’s quality of life. Again this will derive primarily from one’s public and social context, such as the landscape, festivals, and social networks.

Economic motivation, competition, incentives, efficiency and restructuring. These are the most difficult issues for the design of a satisfactory economy. The present economy leaves these matters to the market system, which acts quickly and decisively to maximise efficiency (defined narrowly in terms of monetary costs and benefits of production) but does so in an unacceptably brutal, unjust and wasteful way.

In the far distant future economic affairs will be of very minor importance and will be settled by rational and deliberate social planning and decision making. Unfortunately at present humans are not sufficiently wise to do this well, especially when they try to do it via big centralised bureaucracies. It seems therefore that in the near future we will have to think in terms of a role for market forces, but one subject to local social control. The best way to do this can’t be detailed in advance; we must be prepared to grope towards the best mixture of freedom and control.

At one end of the continuum the town would act totally contrary to market forces to facilitate some activities, and ban others, such as the takeover of all small bakeries by a transnational corporation. Again vigilent, aware citizens, who know that economics is about far more than the lowest price, would simply refuse to buy from that firm. At the other end of the scale many trivial issues could be left entirely to market forces.

But what if one of our bakeries starts to become inefficient, or if someone wants to set up another bakery when we probably have enough, believing he can do the job more efficiently than the others? And if all knew that the town would not let market forces dump them into bankruptcy, what would ensure that firms kept on their toes?
In these cases the town would have a problem which It would have to grapple with deliberately and not leave to market forces. It might examine the situation and decide to help a failing firm to lift its game, possibly with advice, loans or training. It might eventually decide a firm is no longer viable or needed, but it would restructure sensibly, by working out how to relocate that family and re deploy the resources. The town might decide to let the new bakery compete with the others, then intervene when it is clear which one would best be phased out. Remember that all people would realise that the supreme goal is to organise for all people in the town to have a livelihood and for there to be just enough firms to provide the town with the things it needs.

In general the force that would keep firms on their toes would be the feedback from the townspeople, ever ready to comment in a friendly way when they suspect that the firm could be more effective, and to suggest ideas for improved performance. It is in the interests of people to help their local firms to perform well, so it is likely that concientiousness and helpfulness would prevail on both sides.

Most people would probably work diligently enough if they had a worthwhile livelihood and were close to those who benefit from their work. In our new society people will not work for money. They may receive money when they work but that will be incidental. They will work because they like doing that kind of productive activity, and because they like seeing it contribute to the maintenance of a satisfactory community around them. The new town situation described will help to move "businessmen" towards a more collectivist, less greedy and self-interested motivation, seeing their role as serving the town by providing necessary items, while earning a constant income via a worthwhile livelihood.

We would also have formal arrangements and institutions for this task of ensuring that firms remain efficient, i.e., committees which monitor, research and advise firms, for example by being aware of the performance of firms in other regions, by arranging visits, sharing of information, running "courses", and inspecting books. These would not be policing operations. The purposes would be positive, i.e., to ensure that our firms are functioning well. Loans, grants and sources of assistance might be suggested. Keep in mind that after the transition to The Simpler Way is complete getting rich will not be very important to people. It will not be necessary for security, and there will be other more rewarding purposes. On the other hand keeping their community in good shape will be important to people, so there will not be so many entrepreneurs striving to capture all the business they can. Again this is the long term goal, and it is impossible without marked change in values and outlooks.

Money. One of the most absurd things about the present economy is the money supply system. Almost all of the new money that is constantly put into circulation is created by banks when they make loans. These loans then have to be paid back plus interest, so not only does debt increase all the time but it cannot all be paid off (because only the amount of money corresponding to the loan is created and put into circulation yet the amount to be repaid is greater than this.) The system also fuels the growth imperative, because borrowers must always strive to increase their income to pay the loan plus interest.

However the most ridiculous consequence is that governments borrow heavily from private banks and therefore pay back to them many billions of dollars of taxpayers money in interest –- when that would be totally avoided if governments set up their own banks and used them to put new money into circulation as loans and grants. This is what used to be done. It avoids paying huge sums to the shareholders of private banks when this is totally unnecessary. It would also give governments power to influence development, by favouring particular ventures with their lending policy.

In the period of transition to The Simpler Way local communities will create their own new money systems and currencies (e.g., LETS). This "new money" can be thought of as IOUs. We will simply organise people who previously were idle and poor to start producing things for each other and selling them using a form of IOU to keep track of the value each person has created and given or received. This will enable all those who were cut out of economic activity to produce and sell, via a new sector which uses this new "money".

However when The Simpler Way has been established there will not be a need for alternative or local currencies will not be needed. The main problem they solve, enabling economic activity among excluded people, will have been eliminated. Their other major effect, getting people to buy from local suppliers because the money is not used further afield, will also happen regardless of the currency used because people will understand the importance of local purchasing.

There will only be a very small financial sector, mostly in the form of town banks, because there will be little large scale investment in a stable economy, little international trade, foreign exchange, stock market activity etc.

It is important to re-think the concept of capital. For most development none will need to be borrowed. Consider a town which wants to build a community hall, and "owns" surrounding forests and clay pits and has access to its own labour via working bees. It would make no sense to borrow a lot of money to hire contractors to supply these inputs and build the hall, then pay them back twice as mush as was borrowed, when the townspeople could build the hall themselves using their timber and mud and working bees, where necessary recording who owes who for what inputs. The monetary debts incurred could be paid off later from income received from renting the hall for various events.

Obviously regions and nations are in an even better position to do such things as they have more resources within them to draw on. Thus the present taken-for-granted dependence on money markets can be seen to be a bonanza for the rich, since it means that instead of doing many things for ourselves without borrowing capital, we go to them and maybe pay them twice as much as it would cost us even if we had to buy the inputs with money, which in general can be avoided (e.g., if the town plants its own forests.)

The implications for Third World Development. At present conventional development theory and practice are failing to bring about satisfactory development for billions of Third World people. This is to be expected when development is conceived only in capitalist terms; i.e., as a process whereby those with capital invest it in order to make as much money as possible. Good profits can’t be made developing what is most needed, so the productive resources of any Third World countries are mostly put into developing industries to serve the rich, or there is no development at all.

Yet in any country there is immense productive capacity which only needs organising so that people can get together to produce for themselves most of the things they need for a reasonable quality of life, trading only a few surpluses in order to import a few necessities. The Simpler Way enables even the poorest countries to work miracles with very little capital, using mostly local land, labour and traditional technologies, preserving traditions and ecosystems, and avoiding dependence on foreign investors, loans, trade or the predatory global market.

Consider workers being paid 15 cents an hour making goods for export, which they then have to spend on food etc imported from rich countries. Clearly it would be far better for them if they could devote their time to cooperative work in their own households, little farms and firms, using local resources to produce basic necessities. In principle therefore the dreadful problems of Third World poverty and deprivation could be very quickly eliminated, but only if conventional economic theory and practice are scrapped and replaced by Simpler Way principles.

The new values and worldview.

The biggest and most difficult changes will have to be in values and outlooks. The foregoing changes in economy, geography, agriculture and politics cannot work unless people think and act according to some quite different attitudes and habits compared to those dominant today. This again is crucial. You cannot design a sustainable and just society full of competitive, acquisitive individualists! It is therefore a serious mistake to say, "But we want a path to sustainability that will work for us, for ordinary people." The point is there isn’t one! That’s like asking for a path to slimness for people who refuse to even think about reducing gluttony.

The present desire for affluent-consumer living standards must be largely replaced by a willingness to live very simply, cooperatively and self-sufficiently. People must be conscientious, caring responsible citizens, eager to come to working bees, to think about social issues, and participate in self government. They must be sociologically sophisticated, aware of the crucial importance of cohesion, cooperation, conflict resolution, etc. They must have a strong collectivist outlook. They must understand and care about the global situation. Above all they must willingly choose and find satisfaction in materially simpler lifestyles.

It is not that everyone has to become a saint before we can save the planet. It is a matter of degree. The Simpler Way can’t work unless the general level of cooperation, responsibility, frugality etc within society becomes sufficient. This does not mean everyone must always attend all working bees. It means that there must be a considerable willingness to do such things. In fact many could be less than ideal citizens so long as the averaged commitment is good enough. This means that the town’s fate will not be jeopardised by those who do not pull their weight, so long as enough do.This more collectivist ethos need not set any threat to individual freedom or privacy. We can still have our own private houses, property, values, religious views, interests and goals. It’s just that we must also have some strong common values.

Again we should appreciate the positive effect of our dependence on our local ecosystems and community. This situation will powerfully reinforce good values. It will be obvious to all people that it is in their interests to cooperate, come to working bees and meetings, be responsible, think about issues, and care for their local ecosystems. If we don’t all do these things the local ecosystems and social systems we depend on will deteriorate and we will all be in seriously trouble. More importantly, doing these things will be enjoyable. It’s nice to go to working bees. It will not be a matter of forcing ourselves to practice the right values. The new society will not work unless people find it enjoyable to do these things, and the situation will make this likely.

These conditions will restore the "earth-bonding" that has been lost in consumer-capitalist society. We will be much more aware of and appreciative of our land. We will feel that we belong to our "place", and therefore we will be much more inclined to care for it.

The difference between these values land those dominant today is so great that at first one might conclude there is no possibility of a general shift to The Simpler Way. It constitutes a fundamental break with some of the core elements in Western Culture, especially regarding competitive individualism, power and domination, and acquisitiveness. However it is again best seen as not as a need to forego satisfactions in order to save the planet, but as the substitution of new and different sources of life satisfaction.

The Simpler Way will deliver many deeply rewarding experiences and conditions such as a much more relaxed pace, having to spend relatively little time working for money, having varied, enjoyable and worthwhile work to do, experiencing a supportive community, giving and receiving, growing some of one’s own food, keeping old clothes and devices in use, running a resource-cheap and efficient household, living in a supportive and caring community, practising arts and crafts, participating in community activities, having a rich cultural experience involving local festivals, performances, arts and celebrations, being involved in governing one’s own community, living in a nice environment, and especially knowing that you are not contributing to global problems through over-consumption.Only if these alternative values and satisfactions, which contradict those of consumer society, become the main factors motivating people can The Simpler Way be achieved. Our main task is to help people to see how important these benefits and satisfactions are, and therefore to grasp that moving to The Simpler Way will greatly improve their quality of life. This understanding will be the most powerful force we can develop for bringing about the transition.

Education.

The Simpler Way cannot work without a distinctive culture, a complex set of particular ideas, habits and values. These must be developed in young members of society, and reinforced and maintained in others. Thus Education is of central importance, and here again the differences between what we need and what we have in consumer-capitalist society today are extreme.

Not much Education takes place in the schools and universities of consumer-capitalist society today. They are very effective at producing the personnel that kind of society requires. They develop the highly skilled and diligent workers that the corporations want, they condition people to uncritical acceptance of the structures and values of society, the need to obey authorities, to compete, to accept inequality, to work hard, be individualistic, to think their school grade legitimises their social privilege or deprivation. They come to see a competitive market based society as normal. They are stupefied into the docile mindless acquiescence that ensures that consumer-capitalist society will not be seriously questioned. Just reflect on the fact that people in rich countries are "educated" for at least 15 years, yet they even graduate from university almost totally ignorant about, and indifferent to, the alarming faults and problems in their society and in the global economy. The global predicament exists essentially because people in rich countries show so little awareness and concern. This is not surprising because curricula give little or no attention to the critical issues. A glance at what is taught shows that these institutions train personnel for capitalist-consumer society – they are obviously not organised for the purpose of Educating.The Simpler Way requires any one individual to have many skills. The norm will be the "jack of all trades" or handyman, who may also be more or less expert in one or a few specialisms.

Yet we probably would not have any schools, and might not need only a few paid teachers. Most of the necessary skills would be learned from living in the community. Children would be helping adults plan, make, grow and fix things much of the time. All adults would be teachers almost all the time, helping all children to learn these skills, because all would know how important it is for as many as possible have these skills. Because the activities are interesting, there will be no difficulty getting these things learned.

These many practical activities would be directly connected to the learning of the background theory, through the organisation of learning groups, well-researched course materials, networks of experts and the constant efforts of adults to make the connections clear to young groups. For example if a car port is being converted into a greenhouse, the helpers could be introduced to the relevant theory of heat transfer, insulation, energy calculations, pumps, 12 volt wiring etc. Regular or ad hoc "courses" could be organised. Remember there will be a great deal of time available for teaching and learning. Some set classes might be appropriate, but in general it is likely that children will learn basic skills at a satisfactory pace through these informal processes.

The biggest difference with consumer-capitalist society would be that Education would not be obsessed with the arduous 12 year struggle to get the certificates that give entry to the scarce high paying careers. This "meritocratic" rat race involves children in thousands of hours of work learning things most of them have no interest in and will never use, simply in order to have a better chance at getting a more secure job. This is a vast unrecognised human rights abuse. It is the theft of several thousand hours of life. For most people this is involves a huge amount of work for which they not only get little or no intellectual, personal or spiritual benefit, in many people it actually does a great deal of intellectual harm. The "hidden curriculum" teaches many that they are not very bright and therefore do not deserve good jobs, it teaches them thinking and creating are not for them, it teaches them that academic pursuits are what really matter, that "high achievers" deserve more privileges, and that arts and crafts and gardening and hobbies are not very important. It keeps them appallingly ignorant of global politics and of problems in their society. It stultifies their critical faculties. As radical educators have long pointed out, schools reproduce consumer-capitalist society very effectively, but they don’t dol much Educating.

In The Simpler Way, one’s chances of having a satisfying life would not depend on one’s academic credentials. They would depend on the quality of the community one lived in, and on whether one could be a worthwhile contributor to it. Therefore the pressure to herd children through to career-determining exams would not exist, and there would be much less worry about the pace at which they mastered things.
Many people would develop the same levels of expertise we have in society today, because we would obviously continue to need doctors, scientists, engineers etc. However all this is merely training, not Education, and the distinction would be clearly kept in mind.

There would still be courses to train technicians and professionals, and these could be much the same as they are now, via set institutions, professional teachers, and final exams to certify competence. However any neighbourhood would have an abundance of teaching talent in its ordinary citizens, including children who can help younger children. The local Education committee would list all this talent and enable it to be drawn upon. Thus we would probably need only a few paid teachers and organisers.

The Education Committee would have the task of monitoring the progress of all children thoroughly, making sure that eventually everyone had experienced all important areas of the "curriculum".It is not obvious that we would need special school buildings. In general groups might meet for "classes" in the neighbourhood centre, although most learning would take place throughout the neighbourhood, especially when children were helping adults grow, make and repair things and at festivals and meetings.

Because The Simpler Way is intellectually stimulating, and gives people much time for thinking, reading, discussing and learning, it is likely that much more Education would take place than occurs today. There would probably be more literary clubs, drama clubs, creative writing, history and astronomy groups than there are now. People would go from practical activities to text books to delve into the background theory. Education Committees would be assisted by State authorities and Universities to think about what themes are the most appropriate to acquaint children and adults with in their ceaseless quest to become wiser, more humane, more worthwhile etc. beings. Only in a post-consumer society could Education flourish. Its goals could then include all those things implicated in the notion of ideal human mental, emotional, personal, social, physical and spiritual development.
All would be aware that in the long run the viability and quality of a society depend on how thoughtful, sensible, compassionate and responsible its ordinary citizens are. Security derives from these qualities, not in the size of the GDP, or military power, or technical wizardry or heroic leaders.Some final, crucial points.
It must be emphasised that if the limits to growth analysis is basically correct, then we have no choice but to work for the sort of alternative society outlined above. In rich and poor countries a sustainable and justsociety can only be conceived in terms of simpler lifestyles mostly in highly self-sufficient and participatory settlements, and zero growth or steady state economic systems.Secondly, it would be very easy to establish and run The Simpler Way! It does not involve complicated technology. It does not require solutions to difficult technical problems, like how to get a fusion reactor to work lt does not require vast bureaucracies or huge sums of capital. We could transform existing suburbs in a few months, using mostly hand tools.
Of course we couldn’t do it unless people in general want to do it. But if they did, we could almost instantly defuse global problems and liberate human kind.
The Simpler Way is about reorganising to harness abundant existing resources, now largely wasted. In your neighbourhood there are huge resources of labour, skill, advice, humour, technical capacity, care, community…but they are idle. People who could be helping each other, making community facilities, dropping in on old people, etc., are sitting in their isolated boxes watching TV.
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日本 - JAPÓN

2006-01-22T23:20:00.000Z

そうですね - HORRELA DA, EZ DUZU USTE?

2005-12-22T23:29:00.000Z

Cheer up with the litle things, cheer up when the sun comes out from behind the mist, enjoy every true smile you find in your way and smile back, a flower dancing in the wind, a love song on a rainy day or a breeze of fresh air on a sunny day, cheer up with the litle things because those are the ones that are true.

FUJISAN TAKAOSAN-ETIK

どこかあなたは行きたい　 ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO ZOAZ NAHI DUZUN LEKURA

2005-11-20T21:23:00.000Z

Travelling

Highways, freeways, no way,
a passage, a byway.
On the road.

My way, that way, which way.
On the way to somewhere.

Come to me,
go away, get away, give way,
come with me.

Can you stay?
Further down the road.
Your way.

By the way...
Arrive,
I can't stay,
I'd like to stay,
but...

The open road,
again.

Japanese - Spanish Marriage

2005-11-10T22:22:00.000Z

I'm writing this in case it is useful for any Japanese / Spanish couple wishing to get married. When we decided to get married we really didn't know what to do where to go or wether there would be any problem to get married. The good news is that we didn't find any problem but the bad news is that you need to get some extra documents that aren't neccessary if you both are Spanish.

First of all I want to explain that we decided to get married in Spain. I suppose the process is basicly the same in Japan, but I really don't know, anway the result is the same: you get married :-))

1- Call the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) and tell them you want to get married. They will tell you the date and time when you can go with your couple to do the pre-marriage document (in some cities it might take up to three months to find a free day).

2- Documents. For both: Fill in the documents you get at the civil registry when you ask for an appoinment to do the pre-marriage document. For the Spanish: ID; copy of the ID; residence certificate (padrón); birth certificate (partida de nacimiento). For the Japanese: birth certificate; residence certificate; Certificate stating that you are single; Embassy certificate stating the necessity of publishing announcement in the country of origin; Passport; Copy of passport. If you get the birth, single and residence certificate in Japan they will have to be translated by an approved translator (traductor jurado). But you can also get them in Spanish at the Japanese embassy in Madrid or Gran Canaria and save lots of money. The other certificate you have to get at the embassy, the one that says that in Japan is not neccessary to publish any announcement before getting married, they will have it ready for you in one day probably.

3- The day you have the appointment at the civil registry bring all the documents and if any of you can't speak spanish you will also have to hire an approved translator (traductor jurado) which charged me 60Euros per our. Don't worry, there will be no personal questions, the judge will just check the documents, copy the information in the computer and make you sign lots of documents. If everything it's OK you'll have finished in less than one our and you'll get a document that says you can get married. In the end the end the judge will call the witness (can be any friends or relative of you) and he/she will have to sign and say you are not relatives.

4- I think that's all! Just make sure you check where you want to get married, because the judge will ask you at wich Town Hall (ayuntamiento) or Civil Registry you want to get married. You should check it because in some city halls they have queue of more than one year and that document you got is valid just for one year. So it means you have one year to get married.

5- Now Get Married, go to the Japanese Embassy with the marriage certificate so that the marriage is valid in both Spain and Japan. And most important of all be happy, enjoy your life together and give each other lots of love.

GOOD LUCK

Next step: How to get residence visa and work visa

1- Now you are already a married couple and you want a residence and work visa for your Japanese wife or husband. You will have to go to the "oficina de extranjería" of your city. There, they will ask you for: a valid passport, 2 ID shape pictures, marriage certificate "certificado de matrimonio", ID of the Spanish husband/wife, if the Japanese is already registered as an inhabitant in the city council "padrón" it'll be useful but it's not neccessary when it's the first time you get the residence visa, certify of the Japanese government with your criminal records "certificado de antecedentes penales legalizado y traducido", oficial medical certify.

2- I haven't gone through this process yet, but I will add any comments that I find useful when we finish it.

3- As I wrote before, don't forget to give each other lots of love. You will need it and you will need to support each other on this great adventure of an international marriage.

Las Cumbres de Gran Canaria - Gran Canaria Highlands

2005-09-02T20:20:00.000Z

2005-09-01T22:47:00.000Z

La costa de Gran Canaria esta destrozada, y no tiene solución, es una pena. Pero en las cumbres aún quedan reductos de inigualable belleza para los amantes de la naturaleza. Y yo siempre que puedo intento encontrar esos rincones donde el aire puro del atlántico me llena de energía y vida.

The coast of Gran Canaria is completely damaged, and there is no solution for that, it's a pity. But in the highlands there are yet corners of unbelievable beauty for nature lovers. I always try to find those magic corners where the pure air of the atlantic ocean fills me with energy and new life.

Gran Canaria-ko kostaldea guztiz hondatuta dago, tamalgarria da baina ez dauka konponbiderik. Baina irlaren gailur aldean badaude oraindik, natura maitaleontxat izugarri politak diren bazterrak. Ahal dudanean bazter miresgarri oriek aurkitzen zaiatzen naiz, non ozeano atlantikoa energia eta bizi berriaz betetzen nau.

Viaje en bici Hamburgo-Copenague bicycle trip

2005-08-25T10:55:00.000Z