SPL has posted a Soapbox entry in his website in Haxial about the benchmarks Apple is using to tout the G5 as the «fastest desktop computer in the world» and this simple article has generated a flurry of messages and flames completely out of proportion. I post here the personal reply I sent to him on the article.

NOTE: Text has not been changed from original, so it’s addressed to him directly.

Hello.

I guess all the mail about this entry in the soapbox is actually being taken from the MacNN forums but, since I have no desire to participate in them I thought I could post a reply here. Probably one of hundreds and probably one that won’t be paid much attention.

Still, I thought I had to pitch in to try and balance the barrage of message from fanatic zealots out there.

First of all I’d like to know if you’ve received any «challenge mail» and if you were thinking of putting that up as well (as bigoted hate mail is an easy target to which you aren’t obliged to answer rationally). A serious and rational exchange may ensue with the «other» mails.

Second: Although I agree with your comments and think that you are correct in all that you wrote about the benchmarks I also have to mention that anyone that purchases solely based on benchmarks deserves to find unpleasant surprises. Benchmarks should only be an important factor when all other things in a comparison are equal (which clearly is not the case when pitting PC’s with either Windows or a flavor of Unix-type OSes like Linux against Macintosh computers with MacOS X, hence referred as «Macs»). I have seen benchmarks (specially those generated by private companies, even using third-party entities) to be always biased, and this applies to AMD, Intel, Motorola, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Linux and even Google.

Third: I agree that Apple should either prove there is a stronger foundation behind their claims of benchmarks or their claim to the «title» of «the fastest computer in the world» (paraphrased, exact wording not important as we all know what was actually stated) or at least extend their explanation to «according to a private benchmark conducted under Apple Instructions by Veritest under special controlled circumstances» or something, which is common in the industry as a disclaimer against any complaints and would make the whole thing at least a little more true.

Fourth: Apple doesn’t have misleading prices. Misleading prices would mean that there were hidden costs or that the price is not accurate. It IS accurate, to all of our knowledge. If they say it’ll cost $2999 then it’ll cost as much. This is also not apple’s fault. Most sites when selling bundled equipment (doesn’t apply in BTO places, as it’s not controllable, depending on the options chosen) or single parts do this. It’s a common practice widely thought to give the impression of the price being cheaper. This is still not misleading pricing in the same way two identical machines in which one of them has a cool design and the other is a plain beige box is not a proof that the former has a misleading design. Also: I have yet to hear somebody mention a $2999 price as either «Two thousand dollars» or «two-thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine dollars». EVERYONE I know would say «three thousand dollars», as the rounding has become commonplace everywhere in the world nowadays (and we tend to shorten prices to the closest number naturally).

Fifth: I personally find it in very poor taste (even as you mention in your soapbox index, you’re exercising your «freedom of speech») that you attacked a Mac user for being happy or excited about a new machine. This user is not a company or testing entity that can be questioned on what he or she believes is a cool product. What makes a product excellent and what makes it crappy is, for the most part, a subjective concept and it may very well be that for him this G5 machine was «WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY» beyond expectations. That’s a subjective statement that, although can be questioned, substracts professionalism from your whole article (which, for the most part, was indeed rational and professional). The fact that this very same user would probably become afterwards a flamer and send hate mail written hastily and with poor grammar doesn’t deter that he shouldn’t be attacked for what he subjectively believes (answering to hate mail is OK, tho’, as it’s a directed attack to the «hated» and, thus, makes it deserving of an answer, hopefully with better arguments thant «you wrote ‘their’ incorrectly», but I digress).

Sixth: I do recognize that you are indeed a Mac user (if not exclusively) and although I personally hate your interfaces for your programs (a direct result of the graphics kit you use) I do admit that your products are cool and useful, I just wish you’d use the native widgets and graphic elements of each platform, as the things currently stand out horribly against my other programs, in Windows and MacOS (I do acknowledge the standard widgets in both platforms may be lacking certain elements you do use frequently, like window-specific contextual menus). I just wanted to make it clear I don’t think you’re a PC bigot slandering Macs or antyhing. Anyone that browsed around your website (even if they had never even read the «haxial» name anywhere, which is difficult if you do move within the Mac world) could’ve found that, so the posts about you not even using a mac are kind of moot.

Seventh: The actual point of my post, which has been probably stated before either to you directly or through the posts in MacNN’s forum: Mac users have never used benchmarks as their reason for picking up macs. Macs have never been the fastest machines in the world and they probably won’t. Trying to make it, all of a sudden, a relevant factor is stupid and, to me, is actually detrimental to the true reasons any current Mac user has chosen a mac in the past. Truth is most mac users have different reasons for choosing a mac, not the least is «having something different to set myself apart from the rest» (which is probably a lame reason and the same most «out-of-the-norm» groups exist. The worst too) but a lot of them chose macs because they were either easier to use, prettier to look at or prone to be bragged about, friendlier, better integrated, more reliable hardware from a brand-name computer (opposed to a self-built computer), greater lifespan and less need to get «in the guts» of the computer, both in hardware and in the OS, as well as less prone to attacks of different kinds (virus, malicious users, etc.). All of these are valid reasons and, to me, way more important than Benchmarks. Apple may be at fault for bringin benchmarks, which have never been their forté, to the spotlight, but mac users (and all other users who should know better) wouldn’t be being smart if they also took it as the most important factor to consider (or not) macs. They have never been a reason, making them a reason now is completely pointless. Apple may be at fault here, but I do blame the users for letting themselves be carried by this (which is probably a byproduct of we mac users never having been able to brag about speed in the past and having «arguments» to do so now, forgetting we always said «speed isn’t everything»).

This is more a rant than a specific opinion on a specific point in your article. I think it could be summed up in:

1.-Don’t only show hate mail. You must SURELY be getting rational mail you can also answer with something other than a witty retort.

2.-Don’t attack personal subjective opiniones, attack objective/stated facts that could be practically challenged. (challenging Apple is OK, challenging a user who just happens to be too effussive or too sentimental is a cheap shot that indirectly is aimed at all the other users who may not share his/her opinion.

4.-Don’t manipulate concepts. «Misleading» is not the same as «Making something look more attractive». The former is a step away from an (illegal, BTW) outright lie, while the latter is just simple (and legal) marketing.

3.-You attack Apple’s benchmarks (with facts, I also should mention) yet you’re a mac user. It would be interesting to see your perspective in this as a mac user. Why do you use Macs? Would you use something else if you could? What would you advocate in the platform you use? This is not directly related to your Benchmark article, but more related to the reason you still choose a Mac to work on (if not exclusively).

Eduo

Note: I use PC as a synonym for Intel-based or Intel-Compatible, IBM-Compatible Personal Computer based in the x86 chipset. As PC is shorter and widely used. A Mac is of course a PC, and is actually a PC from a company widely regarded as the creator of the PC concept with the Apple I (although this is debatable as well, still I’m using common concepts)

Eduo

PD: Please excuse my poor english. It’s not my native language and I sometimes make awful mistakes. Try and look past them if you do answer. I do appreciate corrections and welcome them, but not as the only possible reply to a message.

I have no idea if I read this somewhere or I made it myself. I do like it, tho:

«If I were a U.S. citizen I’d rather have a president that gets a hard-on from women -tastes aside- than from nuclear missiles thrown to third-world countries».

I may be missing a point or two there. I don’t care much either. If the worst you can complain about a president is that he smoked pot in high-school or college and that he likes to frolic in the oval office with interns I’d be happy. If this are such big deals I also wonder, as a non-US citizen, why then is all the love there for JFK? The man was known for being a wild partyman and even wilder ladies’ man. Double standards or moron-standards? You choose. Nobody reads this so I couldn’t care less about opinions..:)

De acuerdo a todos los consejos de mis amigos, lo mejor que puedo hacer antes de viajar a España es sacar mi nacionalidad Española desde México, para aprovechar las ventajas y facilidades que la madre patria puede darme para re-emigrar. Esto suena muy simple y fácil, pero… Aquí un rápido recuento de lo que se necesita para sacar dicho pasaporte, incluyendo perros en las azoteas, mariscos a la mantequilla y 100 kilómetros de carretera… (Ah, y MUCHA lluvia!)
Continuar

La gente busca e intenta tomar las decisiones correctas en los momentos que considera importantes en su vida, considera la universidad a la que va, la edad correcta de casarse, el vecindario en el que va a vivir, el lugar donde quiere trabajar. Todo esto es importante, si, pero lamentablemente la gente olvida que docenas de decisiones se toman, todos los días, durante todo el día y que, como la mariposa de las teorías del caos, estas pequeñas decisiones son las que, a la larga, realmente dan forma al camino que se sigue años despues…

Es gracioso, uno piensa que la vida es algo que se puede planear. Que se puede decidir como va a salir y que va a ser. Uno coloca sus cartas y va jugando, esperando estar haciendo lo correcto.
Lo interesante, y es algo que poca gente se pone a pensar en su vida, algo que sólo sucede si se tiene una vida un poco más movida que el promedio (mas de una ciudad o país en los que se ha vivido, por ejemplo), es que por más que la vida se intente planear, y se tomen decisiones grandes e importantes son las decisiones pequeñas, las que en el momento parecen inocentes y sin consecuencias, las que realmente hacen los cambios más grandes:

-Un día decides acompañar a un amigo a su ciudad y visitar a sus amigos porque no querías quedarte sin hacer nada el fin de semana, 5 años después estás casado con la chica que conociste ese día.
-Tu novia es muy celosa, así que en vez de salir con amigos y amigas te pasas 12 horas al día en un salón de informática. Lo siquiente que sabes es que 7 años después te dedicas a computadores en vez de bioquímica.
-Un día tomas el teléfono de una amiga, para ayudarla a distraer a otra mientras la primera trabaja, bromeas y te ríes y lo siguiente que sabes es que has encontrado a la mujer de tu vida y todo tu mundo cambia y te cuestionas todo lo que antes pensabas eran tus ideas básicas sobre tu vida y tu futuro.

Mucha gente se mortifica sobre las decisiones grandes de su vida, pensando que puede dirigir voluntariamente hacia donde se mueve moviendo solo ciertos nodos, ciertos puntos. «Si elijo la universidad adecuada», «si espero a la persona adecuada», «si me caso antes de los 25». La gran ironía es que nada de esto importa. Las decisiones importantes de la vida si lo son, pero no más que las que pasan desapercibidas.

Lo unico que queda: Hacer lo mejor posible en cada situacion sin que el que sea una gran decision o no tenga que ver. Todas son grandes al final del dia.

Hace unos 10 meses decidí que había llegado el tiempo de regresar a mi país, despues de pasar 15 años en México. Esta decisión llegó un poco de la nada, sin tener que ver con ningún tipo de problema. Uno de esos momentos en la vida en los que te das cuenta de que el momento ha llegado de seguir adelante con lo que sigue. Todo se veia muy fácil y claro.

Entonces llegó Itzel…

Verás. Hace poco menos de un año algo, no puedo decir qué, sucedió en mi vida -probablemente la suma de muchos factores diferentes- que hicieron que finalmente decidiera regresar al país donde nací, del que salí hace 25 años y en el que vive toda mi familia.
Mi vida tenía de nuevo una dirección, una decisión que llevaba masticando en la cabeza por 10 años por fin tenía una fecha límite y empecé a intentar ir hacia ese camino. Hablé con mi jefe en el trabajo, hablé con mi familia y amigos, todo parecía estar decidido. Todo parecía estar, increíblemente, bajo control.

Entonces un día, sin ningún tipo de capacidad para predecir el futuro, tomé el teléfono de Esther, una amiga, y me puse a conversar con una amiga suya, sin mayor intención de pasar el rato mientras Esther terminaba unos reportes del trabajo.
Debería, en este punto, dejar claro que aunque quienquiera que lea esto puede ver a kilómetros lo que podría suceder, la realidad es que ni yo ni Itzel -que éste es el nombre del ángel en cuestión- veíamos venir lo que finalmente sería la razón de que yo esté escribiendo esto ahora.
Por supuesto, empezamos a salir como amigos. Todos los días. Saliamos a cenar, al cine, nos enviábamos mensajes de celular.
Poco a poco, a lo largo de tres mes, fuimos contándonos toda nuestra vida. Eramos amigos, así que podíamos contarnos todo, lo bueno y lo malo, sin preocuparnos mucho por guardar las apariencias (porque esta es una de las únicas ventajas que las amistades tienen sobre la mayoría de las parejas, se es más real y se aceptan más las diferencias entre los involucrados).

El resto de la historia es parte de otro episodio…

Fabuloso. Acaban de robarme mi móvil celular. No se dónde, no se quién, no se cuando, pero acabo de darme cuenta. Llame a mi número y contestaron, pero al explicar quien era me colgaron. Así que por supuesto fui a cancelar el número. En la compañía celular me dijeron, cortésmente que claro, pero que tendría que pagar la reposición del teléfono de 2 mil pesos porque no pagué el seguro que costaba 30. Obviamente no sabía ni siquiera que tenia que pagar el seguro (que la forma para pagarlo me la explicaron y es obscura y desconocida, y después de una rápida encuesta entre amigos por aquí totalmente desconocida para todos, tampoco encontré información en el sitio de información de la compañía al respecto), pensando que estaba incluído en el ya bastante oneroso plan por minutos que tenía. Irónicamente si contratara una línea nueva el teléfono no tendría costo, sería gratis… E incluiría una cámara digital. Gracias, TELCEL, por ser una compañía que considera los intereses de sus clientes, incluso de aquellos que solamente llevamos 7 años utilizando sus servicios!… Diablos.

I just lost my celphone. I’m guessing I left it somewhere. When I realized I called the number and I had it answered and when I identified myself whoever had the phone hung up on me. Now the phone is off. I just called the celphone company and they said that since I hadn’t paid the 3 bucks insurance costs (which I didn’t even know I had to pay) I’d be charged 160 dollares for a replacement. I vocalized the comment that new celphone plans include this very same phone (Ericsson T68i) for free but they said that if I wanted to keep the number I’d have to pay for the replacement. Don’t you love this all?

I have wondered in the past. Bloggers seem to have a dilemma when posting to their blogs. They don’t know if to make short, concise, quotable posts or long-winded diatribes. When people make both they usually make the former sound like forced witticisms and the latter like attempts at tuppence literature.

Usually most blog-ers master one of the two styles and dabble in the other from time to time. Me? I’m bad at both.

A lot of noise has been made on Apple’s New Music Store. A faction of people cry as soon as they see the DRM acronym in its blurb, while for others -the majority- the whole idea seems to be a godsend. What is it?

For years now the music industry has tried to find a way to use the Internet as a distribution medium without either eating away hard-copy sales or giving the users too much control over what they can do with the music.
Napster officially started (as it existed before in more rudimentary, non-P2P form) what later became the proof that music could live and thrive in the Internet. As bandwidth costs plummetted, encoding processes got faster and everyone had access to big drives where to store the music it soon became obvious the time was prime for some moves by the music corporations.
Several attempts have been made in the past, all of them fruitless, and everyone in the assorted boards of directors fail to see the cause:

The reason d’etre for having the music in your computer is versatility.
Limiting of the user’s choices is an instant deterrant on buying music.

Apple seems to have struck a happy medium between the desires of music companies and the needs of users. Microsoft had pitched DRM schemes in the past which not only implied that users didn’t actually *own* their music, but that the players had the power to delete other music not covered by the DRM guidelines and even other software that didn’t support them. People, on the other hand, wanted to have music bought easily and cheaply, they wanted to be able to have that music installed in their music players, be able to make CDs off it and to be able to share the music among their machines.
Here is where most of the noise has been made by detractors of Apple’s system. Most of the arguments seem to be of the following:
1.-«I have more than three computers and I want to share the music among all of them»
2.-«Why only ten copies of the same playlist. I don’t want to be limited in this way»
3.-«Why can’t I share the music streaming it to unlimited clients?»
4.-«192bps AAC is too low a bitrate for my high-end sound studio and it’s unbearably to listen to it»

These arguments are all debatable but the actual fact that mustn’t escape people trying to impartially comment on Apple’s guidelines is this: Majority rules. The majority are not the Music companies, and that’s why their guidelines open things more than the former would’ve wanted. The majority aren’t the power users, either, who may have 12 computers in their houses (and may have achieved the miracle of having all the people in the house in all the computers like the same music) and may have -however unlikely as it sounds- a reason for needing unlimited streaming of music over the network or the Internet. The majority definitively isn’t the high-end audiophiles who may have $100K of sound equipment connected, of all things, to a computer or an iPod playing MP3 files.

The majority of intended audience are music aficionados, who may like both good-enough music and the versatility digital files provide. It’s people who may have two or three computers at the most in their houses, most of the time not networked together but may have two or more iPods for playing music. It’s the people who would hardly find a reason for making five legitimate copies of the same CD, let alone ten.

Sadly, «inalienable personal rights of fair use» (which are not so, as they’re not an actual legal option, but a common and allowed practice) has become the official excuse for people lobbying against DRM systems. People who confuse that it was easy to make copies before and corporations didn’t want to spend the resources needed to fight this with these practice being their right. Sadly the reality is also that for every person that legitimately believes that their asking for reasonable right (as deluded as it may be) there are two hundred who are covering behind these same arguments to be able to keep on trading music (and files, as this may become an antecedent for other media in the future) freely (and, arguably, illegally).

What, you, inexistent reader[1], maye be asking, then, is «So you’re implying that Apple is some sort of Panacea when it comes to digital music? That they’re infallible in their decisions? (you mac bigot!)» and the answer would be a simple «No». The Music Store has several limitations which need to be addressed before it’s the best option there can be (as it stands right now it’s the best option there is, but far from perfect). I can think of a few and you can probably think of more, but it’s important that the complaints you may have on the system are based on a reasonable ground and that you may, perhaps, not be the intended audience of the Music Store (this is much more important if you think 256Kbps MP3 is the minimum allowable for music or if you need to share your music, without paying royalties, to several computers in your network or with the world).

What I would like Apple fixed:

-One of the features hyped when iTunes came out was it’s interaction with third-party MP3 players like the Rio. These players can’t play the AACs provided by the Apple Music Store. Apple should provide APIs for third-parties to implement in their players, so they can take advantage of the AAC files (and users are not left out by something hyped to them when they adopted iTunes not working anymore)

-Apple should also provide APIs (or hardware) for wireless sound receivers (more and more popular nowadays as a way to hear music in decent stereo systems) through AirPort, if need be. Either this or helping third-parties create easy hook-ups for the iPod for the home stereo (not cable adapters, but docking stations like the current one that understand the iPod’s filesystem and read it accordingly, with their own wireless remote)[2]

-I’d like to be able to download music in MP3 (although I understand the conundrum here, if DRM has to be kept) since I listen to my music in other computers not using MacOSX (Darwin, Linux, Sun, HP-UX). I doubt Apple will release iTunes with AAC support for Linux, although that’d be nice.

-The Music store should really embrace international customers quickly, as the feeling that Apple only looks to the US for new technologies is becoming more a frustration of users (like the fiasco with past hype like iPhoto printing of photographs and albums[4] or the support in Sherlock. I understand it’s not easy, as copyright and royalties laws are different in most countries, as the handling of credit cards and fees, but still it should be addressed (or shouldn’t have been promised to start with)

-Apple should make an statement making it clear that if the venture proves to not be viable (two weeks is hardly enough to make a call on the long-term viability of it) measures will be taken for users to be able to enjoy their music for years to come (with a special version of itunes that allows for music to be converted to MP3 without the currently-necessary step of burning to CD beforehand). As succintly stated by someone with better summarizing skills than myself: «People don’t want to be buying the digital equivalent of 8-track tapes».

-Rendezvous (and Internet) sharing should be able to share AAC files (as far as I know right now it doesn’t), although limits could be set (no more than three «clients» allowed, for example)

And remember, it’s not intended to be a service-for-everyone but a service-for-the-majority. If the bitrate is too low, or the DRM too limiting, or it’s cheaper for you to buy old CDs at discount bins or you prefer to have the original artwork and case for the CD then, by all means, don’t use the Music Store and don’t bitch about it not being for you as it, clearly, isn’t.

I was planning on putting a bunch of links in here. But I was lazy. I may add them later on..:)

[1]For noone reads this blog..:)
[2] Are you reading, Griffin?[3]
[3] Of course not. Dumb me for asking
[4] Should that be «Alba»? The plural of «Album»?

Mucha gente (ninguna de la cual entra a este lugar, ya que nadie lo conoce) debe haber oído hablar de los «blogs» que existen en Internet y se preguntará ¿qué es un blog? y por lo tanto se preocupará poco por si surge uno nuevo o no. Otro grupo de personas conoce los «blogs» y lo que se preguntan es ¿realmente necesitamos otro blog en este mundo?, y uno en español además. ¿Cuál es la idea?

INTRODUCCION
(o «¿de qué está hablando éste?»)

Los BLOGs empezaron a surgir hace ya algún tiempo, empezando como una forma de que los programadores de software pudieran mantener a su público actualizado de las novedades del mismo (proyectos como Netscape y Quake en especial hacían uso extensivo de lo que en ese momento se llamaban los .plan en los cuales mostraban avances y comentarios. Estos .plan se convirtieron después en weblogs, una vez que se empezaron a hacer completamente en Web y, como todo lo que se populariza en Internet, obtuvo finalmente su propio nombre: blog o BLOG.

ELABORACION
(o «¿puedes explicar un poco más? ¿es normal que no se entienda lo que escribes?»)
Existen blogs de todo tipo pero en general comparten una característica principal: Sus escritores escriben (al menos al principio) lo que les viene en gana – desde cosas altamente personales hasta comentarios totalmente genéricos – y gente poco a poco empieza a leerlos e incluso a poner sus comentarios. La mayoría de los blogs mas grandes y leídos en Internet siguen siendo los relacionados con informática de una forma u otra y, mayoría entre estos, los que están directamente relacionados con tecnologías de Internet (navegadores, estándares de Web). Esto, por supuesto, no limita el medio, al poderse encontrar blogs de escritores aficionados, escritores profesionales y de estrellas porno. Cada vez se vuelve mas común que lo que empieza como un blog genérico sobre nada en especial se convierte, al poco tiempo, en un sitio dedicado a un tema específico (en este ejemplo, a todos los productos y comerciales de los años 80).

CONSECUENCIA
(o «Al punto, por favor!»)
En el pasado consideré la idea de poner un blog o no varias veces, he incluso empecé uno que sigue activo (al grado que algo actualizándose dos veces por año se puede considerar «activo») pero todo el tiempo era una idea sin concretar. Un deseo sin aterrizar. Siempre me ha gustado hablar y opinar y con frecuencia la gente se acerca para preguntar sobre mi opinión en algunos temas, y pensé que lo más fácil sería ponerlos por escrito.

Gran Error

El problema, pienso yo, por el cual no mucha gente decide escribir en cualquier medio (Internet incluido) es el hecho de que siempre existe esa idea de que las cosas que se dicen en una reunión o a un grupo, una vez puestas en un medio «semi-indeleble» como un blog pierdan totalmente su impacto y suenen vacías, sosas y sin originalidad. Es fácil decir una cosa inteligente entre diez tonterías en una conversación que, por definición, es efímera y que todos recuerden solamente el comentario original. Al escribir uno tiene la dolorosa presencia de todo lo que se escribe. Se repasa y sobre-escribe, se borra la mitad y a medida que se escribe la terrible idea de que no se está expresando nada que valga la pena va reptando por la nuca hasta que, en un momento de frustración, se selecciona todo el texto y se borra, enviando todas esas ideas al limbo, esperando que se reacomoden con el tiempo en algo que tenga más sentido.
Todos somos extremadamente críticos de nosotros mismos. En el fondo pocos pensamos que lo que hacemos, decimos o escribimos tenga la trascendencia que fútilmente le atribuimos en público. La mayoría de nosotros si repasa algo que haya escrito encontrará errores y más errores, cada cual más trivial que el anterior (una recomendación común de escritores es escribir lo más posible de una sola sentada y dejar el proceso de desgranado a una tercera persona que, aunque sea crítica, lo será mucho menos que nosotros mismos).

Mi decisión de empezar a escribir (sin idea de si seguiré haciéndolo en el futuro) es simple: Ya es hora.
La mayoría de los blogs empiezan como un simple diario, una forma de gritar a los vientos anónimos de Internet lo que a lo mejor no podemos decir en persona. Otros tienen una idea fija y todo el desarrollo del blog va hacia allá, otros son una combinación de ambas cosas. El mío, asumo, es de este último tipo. Una idea fija que, con suerte, ayudará a desarrollar otras ideas periféricas que rebotan en mi cráneo buscando una forma de expresarse coherentemente.

DETONADORES
(o «Esta bien, ¿cuál es la idea?»)
Mi vida, no por primera vez, ha llegado a un punto de cambio. En un futuro próximo cambiará a muchos niveles, empezando por la casa, ciudad, país y continente en el que vivo y extendiéndose a mi vida amorosa (la cual no se ha caracterizado por ser sólida en el pasado) y profesional.
Después de vivir 15 años en este increíble y hermoso país y de conocer a algunas de las personas que más impacto han hecho en mi vida (lazos que las distancias y los movimientos de la suerte no han logrado romper) el momento ha llegado de buscar algo que siento todavía que me falta el nómada (viene de familia, por cierto) en mí necesita moverse. Necesita buscar lo único que le ha faltado en los últimos quince años (bueno, una de las dos cosas que le han faltado, enseguida explico esto). Necesita regresar. Necesita reagruparse con los suyos.

Verás, la decisión de irme de México no tiene que ver con problemas financieros, sentimentales, legales o profesionales. Tiene que ver conque ya ha llegado el momento de estar cerca de mi familia y de mi tierra. Tiene que ver con la idea persistente de que debí haberlo hecho hace tiempo ya. Tiene que ver conque el momento no sólo es ahora, sino que lo ha sido por 10 años ya.
Por supuesto pasó, como suele pasar, que en el momento de tener decididos mis planes («En tantos meses preparo mis cosas, en tantos meses me voy») la vida decidió darme una vuelta inesperada, de nuevo, y cayó un angel desconsiderado sobre mí y todo se complicó de nuevo. Estando ahora irrevocablemente enamorado en México y en un curso de colisión inevitable con el día en el que me iré a mi nuevo destino. Sabiendo que el momento de la gran decisión se acerca y rezando por las noches que esa decisión permita ambos caminos seguir juntos indefinidamente.
RESUMEN
(o «¿Huh?»)
Este BLOG simplemente es mi forma de expresar las ideas que todo esto trae a mi cabeza. Un sitio para poner mis ideas sobre México y Latinoamérica, sobre mis planes de viaje y preparación, sobre mis relaciones sentimentales y, en caso de lograr mantener el ritmo, sobre mi movimiento al Viejo Continente y el cambio de vida y cultura.
Mi público probablemente no sea ninguno y casi espero que sea así, ya que el primer y mayor crítico de mi estilo de escritura soy precisamente yo.