Friday 16 July 2010
Glue stick and lip balm stick
Hmm, just noticed that a glue stick looks like a lip balm stick, except larger. Looks like an accident waiting to happen. Wonder if I can use the idea in a story. :)
Monday 12 July 2010
Travessia
I recently got hold of the lyrics of the Milton Nascimento classic song Travessia (Bridges). One thing I have noticed often is how the lyrics of Brazilian songs change going from Portuguese to English. It says something about the Brazilian and the US world views.
The Portuguese lyrics of Travessia by Fernando Brant speak of loss, and determination to survive. The last stanza goes:
Vou querer amar de novo e se não der não vou sofrer / Já não sonho, hoje faço com meu braço o meu viver (I will want to love again and if not, I will not suffer / No longer a dream, today I build my life with my arms)
However, the English lyrics (of the same ending, by Gene Lees) are about a wanderer and a searcher, and more optimistic:
And I call across to tell her where I believe the bridge must lie / and I'll find it yes, I'll find it if I search until I die
But sometimes it goes the other way. Manha de Carnaval from Black Orpheus became A Day in the Life of a Fool where the singer berates him/herself for losing a lover. In the original, it simply speaks of the beauty of the morning, music and love.
The Portuguese lyrics of Travessia by Fernando Brant speak of loss, and determination to survive. The last stanza goes:
Vou querer amar de novo e se não der não vou sofrer / Já não sonho, hoje faço com meu braço o meu viver (I will want to love again and if not, I will not suffer / No longer a dream, today I build my life with my arms)
However, the English lyrics (of the same ending, by Gene Lees) are about a wanderer and a searcher, and more optimistic:
And I call across to tell her where I believe the bridge must lie / and I'll find it yes, I'll find it if I search until I die
But sometimes it goes the other way. Manha de Carnaval from Black Orpheus became A Day in the Life of a Fool where the singer berates him/herself for losing a lover. In the original, it simply speaks of the beauty of the morning, music and love.
Saturday 10 July 2010
Flex fuel vehicles
A recent issue of a motorists association newsletter mentioned trials of flex fuel vehicles using E85 from household waste in Australia. This reminded me that on my recent trip to Brazil I had been given a ride in a flex fuel car but had not mentioned this in the blog. The driver explained to me that it could burn any mix of alcohol or petrol, the engine simply adapted. Brazil is in the forefront of this technology as it has been substituting alcohol from sugar cane since 1976 and has worked on generations of flex fuel vehicles. It is in a good position to do this due to its large amount of arable land and abundant sunshine, as well as a large internal market.
Those Wikipedia articles are quite detailed and would make good reading.
Those Wikipedia articles are quite detailed and would make good reading.
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