Stupid Bike Thieves!

April 16th, 2013

Oscar's Bike, stolen wheel and seat

This pretty much illustrates my current level of karma in life. Things are bad, And getting worse. Following your dreams and passions is not always the easiest path, in my case it’s been super difficult. I woke up today to find my bike missing a wheel and the seat, awesome! [sarcasm]. Even with a secondary chain through the seat and the back wheel. The bastard got it!

I’m not sure why but I tend to take these situations and reverse the psychology. I think this is my form of self-preservation. In my head, my bike was stripped overnight because I was not ment to ride to the office, on that beautiful day. Maybe it was the universe saving me from another potentially life-threatening bike accident, like last year (my bike was totaled and I took a fun trip to the emergency room).

Bike after accident, notice the handlebar and seat.

Maybe I was supposed to experience a walk to the office, then, at that moment, at that time, when I’m down and pressured to the breaking point. Or at least the point where most people would experience “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. Maybe my camel is already on the ground all broken up. At that point maybe a blanketing of hay may seem a bit comforting.

Having my health, family and being in this awesome place we call world. There is very little that really matters outside of that. It’s amazing to be able to point in any direction that looks interesting and then walk towards that spot, freely, curiously, no expectations and no worries (kind of like writing a blog post with out worrying about grammar…). Because it’s life and some of us are free.

So I walked, towards the direction that seemed most interesting. The one I wanted to explore. The sunshine looking out for me and I looking for the sunshine. The temperature was just right, not cold nor hot. Not windy but a subtle breeze, no foul summer smells, only fresh earthy scent and the occasional blossom’s perfume. As I walked through Willoughby around Waverly and under the BQE, I was present. Present in the moment, looking around, experiencing, scrutinizing and observing. The Skyline, the architecture, the stories of generations, the textures of urban decay and the sprouting of new systems and technologies, as they are being installed.

While walking, wondering how it’s possible to fall into a routine that prevents you from exploring. Wondering how much exploring someone can do with comfort or without.

Disrupt NY Hackathon 2013!

April 14th, 2013

The TechCrunch Disrupt NY Hackathon 2013 is around the corner! And you can get your tickets in “waves” that get released every so often!

Last year my team won first place with Thingscription!

Thingscription is a simple idea that we hacked over two days; a website where you can buy anything by subscription. Here is the 1 min. presentation Justin gave for the team:




This year I am looking to team up with other who want to do something fun around location. I am particularly looking for people who can code native apps (iOS, Android, or Windows) And people who can do P-Comp Stuff like Arduino, Wifi Shields, GFM Shields etc. This Year’s Disrupt Hackathon is going to be fun like any other. I can’t wait! You can find me @oscargt on the twitter…

Also I may hack something together with some of my teammates here @zenplaya or maybe team up with @NYUPOLYinqb8 folks. Who knows, Hackathons are so unpredictable and anything goes. At the end of the day it’s about amazing ideas come to life. And like any other hackathon, a little competition among buddies is always fun!

The 1% Have a Net-Worth of $96 Trillion

April 3rd, 2013

I’m not asking anyone to join anything, but this video has some interesting info.

Student Debt Approaches a Trillion

April 1st, 2013

Its incredible, but it’s true. America’s new debt is due to the institutional powerhouses. Who owns this crazy debt? People under 40 years old own most of it as per the chart below. And every year it grows like a wild fire.


from: Federal Reserve Bank of New York

The combination of student debt plus unemployment have cause a mass increase of delinquent balances in the recent years. Notice the inverse effect of other debt in the graph below. When students can’t pay their loans, they can’t get credit. With out credit, these young unemployed professionals can’t get mortgages, car leases, or a credit card.

It’s a shame, but this problem is only getting worse. So if you re thinking about borrowing money to go to college; think again. With the mass availability of information in the internet. People can educate themselves and do the jobs that Undergraduates and Graduates are fighting for, without falling into the trap of borrowing money that will not pan out prosperity.

Video Games as Art

March 29th, 2013

Arduino GSM Shield

March 29th, 2013

This is a really cool addition to your wireless projects.
Now if someone could create a CDMA Shield! =)

The difference between GSM and CDMA is network connectivity. Some wireless carriers use the GSM network to communicate others use the CDMA network. Verizon Wireless uses CDMA.

Capturing The Crowd with a Beach Ball

March 29th, 2013

HP – Photoball (ENG) from AlmapBBDO Internet on Vimeo.

Today Marks A New Beginning! Happy Katun 12-21-12

December 21st, 2012

Today is the Winter Solstice; the darkest day of the year. The day that most ancient calendars used to calibrate and synchronize their system.

Today we end a Mayan K’atun a 7,200 year cycle and begin a new one! But not to worry, in another 7,200 years we will have an other happy K’atun! and when 20 more of these 7,200 year periods go by we will have end the B’ak’tun cycle which is approximately 157,704 years long! I think we should have an NYE Party then! =)

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

On a side note, I really likes President Evo Morales from Bolivia’s reference to today’s date:
“And I would like to say that according to the Mayan Calendar the 21st of December marks the end of the time and the beginning of no-time. It is the end of the Macha & the beginning of the Pacha. It is the end of selfishness & the beginning of brotherhood. It is the end of individualism & the beginning of collectivism… the 21st of December this year.

The scientists know very well that this marks the end of an anthropocentric life and the beginning of a biocentric life. It is the end of hatred & the beginning of love. The end of lies & the beginning of truth. It is the end of sadness & the beginning of joy. It is the end of division & the beginning of unity.”

 ? Evo Morales, President of Bolivia to the UN General Assembly, 67th Session, 2012

http://gadebate.un.org/67/bolivia-plurinational-state

MIN: 34 on the video =)

Gun Visualization

December 19th, 2012

This is a visualization graphic I made based on the number of active military members versus the number of households with guns. Data from the US Census and CNN.

It’s interesting since it assumes that one soldier has possession of a gun, and then it assumes that a household has at least one person that has a gun. If you think about it, a household can have more than one person own a gun, so the visualization becomes even more shocking.

Number of Guns

Some Political Compositions

October 4th, 2012

I watched the RNC and the DNC and I was definitely not impressed with the subjects that the candidates decided to address, which explains the bottom image. Following the presidential debate last night, I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. A lot of the points that the candidates touched where expected, but the one that really made me mad was that Romney wants to cut PBS!

Are you kidding me!? In a world full of Jersey Shore, The Real World and other trashy programming in the tube, there has to be something constructive. We all know that most people do not strive to learn new things and educate themselves. I’m sure more than half of the country could live with out shows like “Nature” or “Nova” but you have to be kidding me! Cutting those shows would stop inspiring bright minds who ponder about the cosmos and who want to believe that the sky is not the limit! Inspiration to learn does not come from shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, The O’Reilly Factor or even The Daily Show. All those shows are about opinion, we need to see the grass in the other side. We need science and math. We need Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; as creepy as it was!

If we cut PBS, you can expect society to go this direction:

I really hope we don’t go that direction.