People that it's just awkward aren't dead

Sometimes people do some fucked up shit that it's weird that they're still alive afterwards. Sometimes it's something so widely publicized that it's quite certain that the person is never, ever, anywhere in the world, going to be at a restaurant where there won't be people whispering, "Can you believe it, it's that guy." 

This type of shame is something so powerful an ubiquitous that, as crazy as they are, you know that most mass-murderers have it. For instance, it's weird to think that the Batman killer is still alive. It's expected for him to have killed himself, right? It's what these guys usually do. As insane as they are, they realize very clearly that they're hurting people in the most horrible way, and that it's irreversible, and they really don't want to face the consequences of continuing to live a life where they have done that. 

It's weird for me that Chris Brown isn't dead, also. Not to try to assume too much about what kind of person Rihanna is, but I'm just saying that I actually had a crazy girlfriend recently, the type that really won't shut up after you've begged her to, the type that - and this is fucked up but I think it's not all that rare - seems like she actually wants you to kill her so that you go to jail, just because you're saying something logical and she can't stand it that you're right. (By the way, one of her ex-boyfriends actually did beat her almost to death.) But still, man, you just walk away. I mean, we real people sometimes have that type of real-life problem where you actually can't afford to go anywhere else, but of course to Chris Brown it's easy to check into a great hotel no matter when and go hit some watermellons with a baseball bat. And he really messed her up. It wasn't just that first "enough!" punch; he kept going, thankfully not all the way, but man. Now he's doing concerts again, showing his face, and people are fine with it. Not that he should go to jail for life, but, well, it's weird. 

And then there's this guy. His name is Howard Lederer, and until not so long ago he seemed like a very respectable poker pro. This guy founded Full Tilt, and he stole some 100 million dollars from online poker players. He sat out for a year, and guess what, now he's back. Here he's seen playing high-stakes at the Bellagio. Yes, with the suckers' money. I actually hate him more than Chris Brown, because, well, that singer definitely did not plan to kill his girlfriend. He just went off in a crazy rage - something I think I'd never do, thank God I do not have a short temper that would make this likely, but if you ask me, I would also not like to be judged based on my worst moments. But Lederer, the cunning that goes into pretending that you have the money of millions of people safely tucked away for whenever they need to withdraw it, when you in fact have spent on your...

wait for it...

42-million-dollar house, and God knows what else - well, you should have killed yourself, and I don't see how there aren't at least a dozen players at that very casino who would kill you in the right circumstances.

Capablanca on film

No way this exists! Short film called "Chess fever" starring the greatest genius in chess history, José Raúl Capablanca playing himself. The film is awful, but it's the first time I've ever seen Capa in decent quality. Shot during the 1925 Moscow tournament, it also features video of Grunfeld, Marshall, Spielmann, Reti and even chess aficionado Vladimir Nabokov.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3727820471573567512

More time travel

So, if the backward time machine were to ever be invented by humans some time in the future, we have to assume we would already know about it because someone would have come back to tell us.

But that hasn't happened, so sadly the time machine is never invented. 

To me that means one of two things. First is that time travel is actually impossible, no matter how much technology evolves over the next millions of years of human ingenuity. 

Second is that we don't get to work on it for so long, because the species is extinguished within the next couple of centuries or so. 

I'm not sure which one I find more likely. 

Main difference between men and women

Women don't know how to erase their browser history.

Niemeyer

é um caso raríssimo de pessoa que já sabe como será homenageada depois de morta. Nego disse, "foda-se", e foi botando o nome dele num monte de lugar, com ele vivo mesmo.

. Nossa, dei uma cagada hoje que parecia um hipopótamo tentando usar um bambolê.

. Insônia é botar o sleep timer da tevê para duas horas, três vezes, antes de conseguir dormir. Argh.

Adeus, 27

Ano em que eu bizarra e inesperadamente virei um desenvolvedor de software. Em que eu passei a entender a matemática do jogo numa maneira assustadora - isto é, assustadora comparando comigo mesmo no passado. Restam menos de 3 meses no meu projeto de 2 anos de reclusão e, embora eu certamente não esteja em condição de me aposentar ou tirar longas férias, agora há uma certeza bem definida de que o meu futuro está nas minhas mãos. Também o ano em que eu decifrei a nutrição duma maneira tão simples e sem veadagem, que eu fico meio puto por não ter descoberto isso antes.

Mas claro, é um bom sinal sentir que eu era burro no ano passado, pois isto sugere que eu ainda posso não ter chegado ao pico da minha inteligência. E me sinto feliz por trabalhar num ramo em que, bom, nada além disso importa - quer dizer, nada além disso e do volume de trabalho que você está disposto a fazer, o que pra mim é ótimo. Ainda ficou muito por conquistar em 2013, mas também sem esse tipo de desafios não vejo como a pessoa pode construir caráter. Olhe pro coitado do Thor Batista, e digo "coitado" aqui sem ironia. Pra mim, de duas uma: ou ele tem um certo desprezo, meio que escondido, por si mesmo, como deveria, por ter a cabeça tão vazia, por nada pra ele nunca ter estado em risco, por ele nunca ter dependido de superar nada para chegar algures; ou o seu desenvolvimento mental parou antes mesmo de lhe fornecer essa capacidade de se enxergar. 

Mas enfim! Trata-se da simples aplicação repetitiva do que eu já adquiri - uma capacidade de espremer minha superioridade sobre meus adversários de maneira feroz e incansável. Isto já está bem estabelecido, e minhas conquistas em 2013 serão no mínimo as previsíveis de acordo com o feijão-com-arroz (que não seriam más), e potencialmente (e aqui que entra a beleza do pôquer) algo realmente monstruoso. E tem algo me chamando pra Blumenal - senão no começo do ano, pelo menos lá pra outubro eu estarei tranquilo pra viajar de novo. 

É isso aí. Espero daqui a um ano estar novamente achando que o Rafael do passado era uma besta. Se você é um grande amigo meu lendo isto, desculpe a minha ausência. Mas esta escalada eventualmente vira uma descida, e não há outro momento pra eu fazer isto. 

Best ad I've ever seen

Weird. Saw this on a show about great ads years ago. Then a couple of days ago tried to find it but couldn't for the life of me - even asked on Yahoo! Answers to no avail. But just now saw a tweet that said, "When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you've got plenty to watch" and that was that.