Getting closer to the final product(s)

Most people prepare New Year's Eve meals while myself prepares windscreens :) Getting closer to the final thing, still a bit of distance to cover though to be as good as I want it. The last 5% of corrections lasted as much as the previous 95% of the whole procedure. Happens when you wanna do your best ;) Would like to share this with you my dear few followers so, here it is at the moment:

I could write a book with thoughts flooding my brain around these days (irrelevant to the above) and I might do but at the moment lets keep it as minimal as possible so...

Have a prosperous 2019, closer to your baby soul, if you still have one.

Βάλτε τίτλο - δικό σας:

Όσο έμπειρος και να είναι κανείς σχετικά με την Ελληνική πραγματικότητα δεν παύει να εκπλήσσεται (δυσάρεστα συνήθως) εκτός αν έχει απολέσει τις αισθήσεις του. Ξεκινώ για οικογενειακό τραπέζι σήμερα το μεσημέρι. Ο καιρός χάλια ως γνωστό και οι δρόμοι απίστευτα ολισθηροί παρά το ότι έχει βρέξει τελευταία. Οι σχετικά χαμηλές θερμοκρασίες που δεν αφήνουν τα λάστιχα να ζεσταθούν έπαιξαν προφανώς το ρόλο τους. Σε αυτές τις συνθήκες λοιπόν, μου έκανε εντύπωση ο κανιβαλιστικός τρόπος που οδηγούσαν οι περισσότεροι γύρω μου. Σημειώστε εδώ ότι γενικά θεωρούμαι γρήγορος οδηγός από όσους που με γνωρίζουν (άρα το θέμα δεν είναι ότι εγώ πάω σαν "θείτσα"), έχω κάνει εκατοντάδες χιλιάδες χιλιόμετρα με διάφορα οχήματα 2 ή 4 τροχών στην Ελλάδα (άρα τα περιμένω ήδη όλα από τον Έλληνα οδηγό γιατί τα έχω δει όλα) και μην ξεχνάτε ότι η συντριπτική πλειοψηφία αυτών που οδηγούσαν γύρω μου σε αυτή τη διαδρομή των 50 χλμ ανά κατεύθυνση υποτίθεται πως θα έπρεπε να ήταν σε μάλλον χαλαρή διάθεση αφού πηγαίναν για τραπέζι και όχι για να κάνουν ρύθμιση δόσεων στην Εφορία. Παρόλα αυτά λοιπόν η καφρίλα έβγαζε μάτι. ΚΤΕΛ να προσπερνά ΟΑΣΑ που ήδη πήγαινε σβέλτα, αλλαγές χωρίς φλας, στάση χωρίς φλας, αποστάσεις ασφαλείας μικρότερες από μίνι φούστα και όλα αυτά με χαμηλή ορατότητα σε δρόμους σα σαπουνισμένο μάρμαρο. Το τροχαίο αυτό συνέβη μπροστά μου. Στα λιμανάκια χάνει τον έλεγχο ένα HYUNDAI, φεύγει στο αντίθετο ρεύμα με αποτέλεσμα να πέσει πάνω στη μέση του διερχόμενο μικρό αυτοκίνητο που έγινε δύσκολα αναγνωρίσιμο από μπροστά. Η εικόνα του HYUNDAI διπλωμένου σα χαρτοπετσέτα με μια 85χρονη μέσα νεκρή και δίπλα της τραυματισμένο και ακίνητο ένα μεσήλικα οδηγό, πάγωσε το αίμα.
Μια γυναίκα λοιπόν, αντί να βρεθεί στο Χριστουγεννιάτικο τραπέζι με τους αγαπημένους της να γιορτάσουν παρέα και να χαρούν που την έχουν ακόμη ανάμεσά τους σε αυτή την ηλικία, βρέθηκε ξέπνοη στην άσφαλτο μέσα σε ένα αυτοκίνητο τσαλακωμένο σα χαρτοπετσέτα. Όχι από τον (όντως) κακό δρόμο, ούτε από τον (όντως) κακό καιρό, ούτε από τον (όντως) κακό οδηγό. Τη γυναίκα αυτή τη σκοτώσαμε όλοι μας, δημιουργώντας ή ανεχόμενοι το μοντέλο του "τι να σου κάνει ο απλός άνθρωπος". Τη γυναίκα τη σκότωσε ο λεβεντομαλάκας Έλληνας που δεν φταίει ποτέ. Ούτε όταν φτιάχνει δρόμους ούτε όταν οδηγάει. Που είναι απλός άνθρωπος στον καθρέφτη της ευθύνης αλλά είναι ένας άνθρωπας ΝΑ στο κάδρο των δικαιωμάτων. Δεν υπάρχει απλός άνθρωπος στην Ελλάδα. Απλός άνθρωπος είναι ένα γυμνό νηστικό πιτσιρίκι στην Αφρική. Τον απλό άνθρωπο στην Ελλάδα τον δημιούργησε το χαϊδευτικό τέρας του λαϊκισμού για να μαζέψει ψήφους και δύναμη. Ο Έλληνας δεν είναι καθόλου απλός. Έχει αμάξι και σκοτώνει/αφήνει ανάπηρους χιλιάδες ετησίως. Έχει θέση στο δημόσιο και άμα γουστάρει μπορεί να τα ξύνει για να τον πληρώνουμε με τους φόρους μας. Έχει ψήφο και τη ρίχνει σε όποιον του βολέψει την κόρη. Παίρνει επιδότηση και την τρώει στα μπουζούκια. Όσο και να χτυπιέται ο Ιαβέρης σε αυτά τα κλειστά αυτιά μιλάει. Τη φάγαμε τη γυναίκα παλιάνθρωποι. Τραβάτε χωνέψτε τώρα. Α, ευχαριστώ που με αφήσατε να γυρίσω σπίτι μου. Γιατί στο γυρισμό το ίδιο και χειρότεροι μαλάκες ήσασταν. Και πάντα τέτοιοι ήσασταν. Γι'αυτό ζω από θαύμα (βίντεο που τράβηξε φίλος μου - εγώ οδηγώ μπροστά του):

Windows 10...r u kidding me?

My super dear ASUS UX31 got drunk for the second time in its career so I had to give it up and buy a new one. I was super satisfied with it and with Windows 7 being the best OS I've ever experienced by far. I was hesitant to jump to the new Windows 10 thingy but new laptop comes with it so...

Though I already expected a few disappointments from the new OS compared to the old one it still managed to break my balls beyond imagination:

First of all, for the first time I experienced a Windows system with so much crap inside that I don't need and I cannot uninstall. It really feels like a mobile phone coming with much bloatware from the factory and you have to try hard to jump the fence and uninstall all that stuff (with questionable stability even if you manage to). Speaking of software, Microsoft always prompts you to use their Store for programs and when you try to install from other sources the system reacts like a busy bartender when asked for more peanuts. For example, I installed LibreCad and even now Windows 10 do not want to associate .dxf files produced by it. When you right click on a .dxf file to set the default application it just ignores your stetting. If you go to the OS settings and try to associate applications by file type then...you just cannot find .dxf in the list! Only because you made the criminal move to install a free open source program like LibreCad. I don't like conspiracy scenarios but here's a proof to what I suspected: I installed Inkscape, a fantastic free software for designers. I first downloaded the installer from their site. Same problem: the .svg files I made couldn't be associated with the mother application. Instead they where associated with Microsoft Edge, their internet browser which (like so much other stuff) I cannot uninstall. Then I went to their site again and I saw they also had a link to download the same app from Microsoft Store. Guess what? The app was larger than the original, files where automatically associated and a few functions mysteriously not working before where now just fine. That's bastard's policy.

I could keep writing about all the stupid things I found here and there in this stupid OS but one thing I just discovered today pissed me off even more: In my previous laptop I was able to disconnect my USB sound card any time I wanted and the system automatically switched to the on board one even during a song or a video from any source. I just tried this with my new laptop (also ASUS) which is multiple times better and faster than the previous one but is unlucky enough to have Windows 10: A blue screen covered the whole display telling me that an error was detected and the system will automatically restart after it finishes the detection/report. When the process bar went to 100% it did restart, took more time than usual and guess what? Touchpad was not working. I restarted it via keyboard and it froze. Force shut down and a new restart to bring it back to normal life. F U very much Microsoft. 

The whole Windows 10 thing really feels designed firstly for Microsoft, secondly for dumb users and lastly (if any at all) for decent users who care about functionality. You are only in theory an administrator on your machine. In practise you are tied up. I am seriously thinking about going back to Windows 7 and if it wasn't for special applications I need I would have gone Linux without second thought. Some guys try to convince us that evolution means making our lives more complicated than they used to be. Machines should be here to solve problems not create new ones just because Microsoft or any other wants to built a personal information collector disguised as Operating System...

Birthday bicycle ride

Well, that time of the year again. Birthdays feel closer and closer to each other...I could write a book with all that's in my head and heart so I think I'd better put them aside and stick to the beauty of nature that I harvested today while cycling. Besides...she (nature) is always there standing pretty and generous reminding us how small we are.

I could spent the rest of my life cycling on gravel roads like this:

Or tiny trails like this:

A 19th century ruin hidden behind pine trees:

Crossing the pine gate:

Such a lucky mushroom surrounded by such beauty:

The mountain's mouth...

...and its teeth:

Some trails were harder:

Bike seems to enjoy the view:

So do the flowers:

Last but not least, a video to enjoy the silence:

Thanks a lot to everyone who wished me or thought about wishing or plan to wish :) Peace and prosperity to all.

Mother's Cake

Summer 2014

One more long motorcycle trip brings me to my beloved Austria for one more time. I'm staying outside Innsbruck at a generous friend of mine and one coldish night after a few drinks out he takes me to a friend of his. We enter an artistic place where we are welcomed by the host, named Arno, with a warm smile that stayed on through the whole night. I chatted with this guy about music so he decides to bring out a guitar from a case, very similar to the ones Santana usually plays. It had a great fretboard and felt really nice in my hands. I appreciated his move so the music chat went further. I told him "you know...the kind of music I like is must have the groovy heart of Led Zeppelin, you know this fat meaty drums but also with some explorative progressive attitude." He smiled in agreement and told me " You have to listen to Mother's Cake". I kept the name on my phone to check it later and he talked about that band a bit more, including the fact that since they were new local heroes at Tirol he decided to make a mocking band with friends of his called "Father's Cake". Singing was among his talents. I left his place with a warm heart and next day I continued my trip which would take me up to Sardinia and then back to Greece spending so much time on ferries that I really appreciated the fact that back in the day I had a tent with me to use on board. I was keeping it in place with neodymium strong magnets out of a hard disk:

 When I got back home I rushed to check that band out in my sound system and...I couldn't thank Arno enough. Top notch stuff.

Arno shocked us when he passed away a year later (2015) and ironically enough it was me that learned it before my friend who couldn't believe the news. We will all leave this world one day but the music will always be here.

Why did I recall this story? Blame Youtube's algorithm that brought on my screen this masterpiece:

Girls 'n Boys, come have last year's Mother's Cake and do yourself a favour to also check the rest of their albums: