Bicicleta Marin roubada

Ontem a minha garagem foi visitada por um amigo que ninguém deseja... o amigo do alheio.
A minha garagem, em S. Victor (Braga), foi arrombada com pé-de-cabra e retiraram do interior a minha querida Marin Alpine (ver foto acima). Além da bicicleta, para que o roubo fosse perfeito, também levaram o meu capacete e luvas em pele. Será que se os meus calções de ciclista também estivessem na garagem também seriam roubados?

Se vires por ai uma bicicleta bastante semelhante à minha, talvez pintada de cor diferente (qualquer que seja, a cor original prateada é a mais bonita :-), ou à venda por um valor ridiculamente baixo, provavelmente é a minha. Em Portugal não existem muitas deste modelo...
Informa-me por favor, se a conseguir recuperar entrego recompensa ;-)

Make your cellphone battery last longer

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

While many of us now use cell phones in place of land-line phones in our homes, the primary benefit of cell phones remains their portability. A cell phone is only as portable as its power source, however, so to get the most out of your phone you need to get the most out of your battery. When it comes to battery life, there are two separate, but connected, considerations: how to make the battery last longer between charges, and how to prolong the overall life of the battery.

Steps

Increase Time between Charges

1. Turn the phone off. This is probably the most effective and simplest way of conserving your battery’s power. If you don't plan on answering the phone while you're sleeping or after business hours, just turn it off. Do the same if you are in an area with no reception (such as a subway or remote area) or in a roaming area, since constantly searching for service depletes the battery fairly quickly. Some phones have an automatic power save feature, but it takes about 30 minutes with no service to kick in. By then, much battery power has been used.
   
2. Stop searching for a signal. When you are in an area with poor or no signal, your phone will constantly look for a better connection, and will use up all your power doing so. This is easily understood if you have ever forgotten to turn off your phone on a flight. The best way to ensure longer battery life is to make sure you have a great signal where you use your phone. If you don't have a perfect signal, get a cell phone repeater which will amplify the signal to provide near perfect reception anywhere.
   
3. Switch off the vibrate function on your phone, and use just the ring tone instead. The vibrate function uses up a lot of battery power. Keep the ring tone volume as low as possible.
   
4. Turn off your phone's back light. The back light is what makes the phone easier to read in bright light or outside. However, the light also uses battery power. If you can get by without it, your battery will last longer. If you have to use the back light, many phones will let you set the amount of time to leave the back light on. Shorten that amount of time. Usually, one or two seconds will be sufficient. Some phones have an ambient light sensor, which can turn off the back light in bright conditions and enable it in darker ones.
   
5. Avoid using unnecessary features. If you know it will be a while before your phone’s next charge, don’t use the camera or connect to the Internet. Flash photography can drain your battery especially quickly. If your phone has bluetooth capability, disable it when not in use.
   
6. Keep calls short. This is obvious, but how many times have you heard someone on their cell phone say, "I think my battery’s dying," and then continue their conversation for several minutes? Sometimes, the dying battery is just an excuse to get off the phone (and a good one, at that), but if you really need to conserve the battery, limit your talk time.
   
7. Turn off Bluetooth. BT will drain your battery very quickly, and having it on can cause you problems near virus-infected smartphones.
   
8. Same goes for WIFI and GPS if your phone has these features built in. Keep them off, save more power.
   
9. Use GSM - Using your phone in 3G / Dual Mode will drain the battery quicker than if you just use GSM mode - have a look at your phones spec and you'll see it will quote two different battery life times - normally 50% more for pure GSM use.
   

Prolong the Life of Your Battery

1. Initialize a new battery. New batteries should be fully charged before their first use to obtain maximum capacity. Nickel-based batteries should be charged for 16 hours initially and run through 2-4 full charge/full discharge cycles, while lithium ion batteries should be charged for about 5-6 hours. Ignore the phone telling you that the battery is full--this is normal but is not accurate if the battery is not initialized.[1]
   
2. Keep the battery cool. Your battery will last longest if used near room temperature, and nothing wears on a battery like extended exposure to high temperatures. While you can’t control the weather, you can avoid leaving your phone in a hot car or in direct sunlight, and you don’t have to carry your phone in your pocket, where your body heat will raise its temperature. In addition, check the battery while it’s charging. If it seems excessively hot, your charger may be malfunctioning.
   
3. Charge your battery correctly, in accordance with its type. Most newer cell phones have lithium-ion batteries, while older ones generally have nickel-based batteries. Read the label on the back of the battery or in the technical specifications in the manual to determine which yours is.
   
   • Nickel-based batteries (either NiCd or NiMH) suffer from a phenomenon known as the "memory effect." If you charge the battery partially enough times, eventually the battery "forgets" that it can charge fully. A nickel-based battery suffering from memory effect can be reconditioned, which requires the battery to be completely discharged, then completely recharged (sometimes several times). The appropriate length of time between reconditionings varies. A good rule to follow for nickel-battery cell-phones is to discharge them completely once every two to three weeks, and only when you have a charger available. [2]
     
   • Lithium ion batteries, on the other hand, do not suffer from the same memory effect. However, many devices that use lithium batteries have a battery meter, showing the user how much charge the battery has left. Starting with a battery's manufacture at the factory, lithium ions oxidize in the battery, shortening its life. After a certain amount of time, the battery exhibits slightly different electronic properties, which the device can only detect when the battery is discharged. This type of problem is known as a "virtual memory effect" and occurs when your battery meter can show a high charge, then suddenly drop to low charge when the battery is almost dead. Every thirty cumulative cycles, you should discharge lithium ion batteries until the phone gives a low battery warning, then recharge it. If you discharge lithium ion batteries to zero voltage, the internal safety circuit may open. In that case, a normal charger will be inadequate. Reconditioning ensures that the battery meter on a lithium ion cellphone is accurate (although it will not affect actual battery capacity).
     
   • Regardless of the battery type, use only a charger rated for your battery, and discontinue use of a charger that causes the battery to heat up excessively.
     
   
   
4. Store batteries properly. If your battery will be out of use for a while, disconnect it from the phone and store it in a cool place (the refrigerator is good, but freezing temperatures do not slow oxidation) and away from metal objects. Ensure that the battery is not exposed to moisture; try putting the battery in an airtight container or bag. Lithium ion batteries are not rated to operate at refrigerated temperatures, so let the battery sit outside the refrigerator for at least an hour before using it again. Lithium ion batteries oxidize least when they are stored at 40% charge. Never store a lithium battery at low voltage. Recharge batteries after storage.
   
5. Clean the battery contacts on the battery and on the phone. Over time, contacts may accumulate dirt. Clean them with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol to maximize the efficiency of energy transfer. In addition, if the contacts are two different metals, such as gold and tin, accelerated corrosion known as "fretting" occurs. Cutting the corrosion from fretted contacts often requires solvents, such as acetone or nail polish remover. Be careful: these solvent dissolve plastic, so use a Q-Tip to avoid damaging the battery housing or the phone.
   

Battery Failure Indicators

• The usable time after recharging is shortened.
  
• The battery becomes unusually warm during a recharge cycle.
  
• The battery becomes unusually warm during phone use.
  
• The battery case often is swollen. This is detectable by feeling and viewing the inside/phone-side of the battery case. Also, when the battery is placed inside/phone-side down on a flat, smooth surface, it will rock and will sustain a spin motion. The case of a healthy battery is flat and will not sustain a spin motion.
  
• The battery develops a hard spot. This is detectable on the inside/phone-side surface of the battery by gently pinching about the surface between one's fingers.
  

Tips

• Regardless of how well you care for your battery, it will die eventually. When it does, you may be able to have it refurbished by sending it to the manufacturer or bringing it back to the retailer. If it cannot be refurbished, or if you just want to get a new battery, be sure to recycle it, either by returning it to the manufacturer or retailer, or by bringing it to a recycling center. Most major retail electronics stores have drop-off boxes for recycled phones.
  
• You should not have to turn off your phone to charge it. Most battery chargers deliver more than enough current to power your phone and charge it at the same time. Doing so will not lengthen the charge time, and leaving a phone on allows the user to be aware of its fuel gauge, so that you can remove it when the battery is full.
  
• When using a car charger, do not charge the battery when the inside temperature of your car is hot. Wait until the car has cooled before you plug in the phone.
  
• Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries naturally get quite warm while charging, unless you use a specialized "slow charger". If your phone uses a NiMH battery, do not worry about the heat generated during charging unless it becomes so hot that it is uncomfortable to touch.
  

Warnings

• Do not store a lithium battery with a very low charge for a long time, the battery monitor will draw a small current, which might cause a 'deep discharge' which may cause damage to the battery.
  
• Avoid cheap, knockoff chargers as they may cause excessive battery heating.
  
• When buying lithium ion batteries, be aware that oxidation begins at the time of manufacture, not the time of first use. As such, older lithium batteries will have reduced capacity (about 20% per year stored at room temperature). If you buy a battery at a clearance sale price, expect that you will get less life out of the cell phone.
  
• Never dispose of old batteries in the trash. Batteries contain toxic metals, and electronic waste from batteries and other electronic components is becoming a major problem. Improper disposal of toxic batteries is illegal in many jurisdictions.[3]
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6255-1043618-2.html


2. ↑ http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6255-1043618-2.html


3. ↑ Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation

• Battery University Detailed information on caring for batteries of all types
  
• TechRepublic.com Article on extending battery life
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Your Cell Phone Battery Last Longer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

100 anos! A Brasileira de Braga

O café "A Brasileira" em Braga está de parabéns! 100 anos é uma idade de provocar inveja a qualquer negócio!


Coordenadas GPS: @41.550832,-8.423767

Já cheguei a comentar num post anterior (Café queimado) que este local emblemático de Braga é famoso pela sua principal especialidade, o tradicional "café de saco" (café de coador).
Pois bem, em breve terei de tomar o meu habitual café de sábado após almoço em outro local (este é o local de encontro com a minha banda aos sábados, quando não estamos a ensaiar), pois a gerência decidiu fechar o espaço para obras no final do ano.
A justificação é de que se tornou pequeno demais para tanta gente, principalmente na altura do Verão, em que os empregados de mesa se vêm aflitos para aceder a tantos pedidos da esplanada, tendo tão pouco espaço disponível no balcão para acumular os vários pedidos.


O espaço também é conhecido pelo caricato comportamento do senhor empregado de mesa mais velho, que quando encontra algum par de namorados a beijarem-se no interior, garantidamente os vai interromper, dizendo: “Isto é um local de respeito!” Um comportamento em sintonia com a idade do espaço...

Homenagem feita! Próximo sábado estarei lá de novo.

Stop being a People Pleaser

If you’re a people pleaser, you don’t know how to say no. This post is for you.

I know a bunch of people who give in so easily that is almost pitiful. They can't stand the thought of disturbing someone with a different opinion, or putting they’re needs in to first place.

We find very often people pleasers in environments where their needs and feelings were pushed aside. Raised this way, people learn that the only way to receive a positive response is to do what others want to do.
You need to make this question to yourself, "do people around me really worth staying in my life if they're not disposed to accept that I have my own needs?"
Your biggest fear might be that no one will like you, someone will leave you, or you’ll be left all alone if you don't agree and please others.

Is that fear really meaningful? Try to remember situations were you did things you not truly wanted in order to please someone else. For each of those occasions, visualize a different ending, considering you pleased yourself. What could be the worst that could have happen? Would it be a big issue?

What you should be really afraid is to turn in a person who is easily persuaded, influenced, or even worst, manipulated and abused. If you focus on pleasing others, you may end up doing only what others want, every time.

That doesn’t seem a good way of living. Don’t you feel you deserve also to fulfil some of your wishes or desires? Are other’s desires more important than yours? Is really your self-consideration or self-esteem that low?

Altruistic actions are welcome, but not mandatory. Acts of kindness are those done by choice, not out of fear or guilt. Do it only if you feel good in doing it, not because you feel impelled to do it.

Don’t measure the GOOD you do on how much you do for others.

Next step will be…how to say, NO!

Try not to make up excuses! Tell your reasons and arguments in a way that others won’t be offended. Be polite, but firm in your convictions!
After seeing others reaction, avoid for those few seconds after, to smooth your reasons, or even worst, to change your mind.
Here is a trick, after saying something you thing that won’t please other person, make silence and mentally count till 5 before saying something else. I believe those 5 seconds of silence will transmit confidence in your decision.
You may experience some puppy face reaction, or even offended look, waiting for a sudden change in verdict, but that normally is only emotional blackmail in action (this happen a lot with girlfriends!).

You may start with smaller conflicts, so your colleagues, friends or family get used to, and then go to higher flights.
Before saying NO, try to rehearsal situations you usually go along, so that you can remember what to say in a convincing way when that situation emerge.

If everyone wants to go dinner to a particular restaurant, but you prefer a different one, why won’t you just say it?
That won’t be considered a demand; it’s only a preference, just one more suggestion to offer. If you feel that your opinion wasn’t well received, ask a friend in the group, “You also know that restaurant! Didn’t you like it last time we where there?” Try and get more people to support your suggestion.

Another important thing is that no one can read your mind. If you don’t speak up, no one will know of your thoughts! When asked for an opinion, take some reflection on your desires and share them with others.

Stay away of worries about what other people might think of things you do, but stay even farther than being a rebel or selfish person. Don’t go from one extreme to the opposite one.

Assertiveness is the answer!
Never apologize for what you are!

In conclusion, when you stop being people pleaser you’ll:
Win: - respect from others; - doing the things you like most.
Lose: - friends who don’t deserve your time (isn’t this a Win also?)

Make you decision… you win on both ways, right?

(Confession: I was a people pleaser until a few years ago, but now I’m not. My life has more meaning now ;-)

Feel free to add your comments or different opinions in my blog. I’ll appreciate them.

American Pie, by Don McLean

“Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey in Rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die” - American Pie, by Don McLean


“American Pie”, um tema do álbum “American Pie” de Don McLean, gravado a 1971.
A letra desta música simboliza a evolução e história do rock and roll até então, e está repleta de referências. Refere a morte de Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens e Jiles Perry Richardson Jr. (The Big Bopper), os The Beatles (the sergeants), Bob Dylan (the Jester), Janis Jopplin (the girl who sang the blues), Elvis (The King), a Guerra de Vietname, e muitos mais, tais como os Rolling Stones e The Byrds.

Estava hoje a ouvir um CD de antigos êxitos que um amigo tinha colocada a tocar, e atento ao comentário "isto é que é música!" que dizia a cada trecho de música que seleccionava, até que parou na “American Pie”, e disse "isto sim, é que é música!".
De forma provocatória, um outro amigo criticou-lo, dizendo que ele tinha parado no tempo.
Ele argumentou dizendo: "tu apenas ouves o que ELES querem que ouças, isto é que é música!".
Mas afinal quem são ELES? A quem se referia ele?
ELES são os que definem as playlists nas rádios, as editoras, a indústria de distribuição, os que ganham à custa dos artistas.
Julgo que esse comentário foi bastante influenciado pela posição tomada pela Courtney Love a Maio de 2000 na Digital Hollywood Online Entertainment Conference, em Nova Iorque, relativamente à exploração a que os artistas são sujeitos, principalmente na indústria fonográfica americana.

A verdade é que ele é um de muitos que sofre desta desordem a que chamamos Nostalgia.
Esta nostalgia que se manifesta em atitudes como guardar e coleccionar objectos antigos, ouvir discos dos tempos da juventude, ou apenas interessando-se por discussões sobre um tema passado. É um fenómeno frequentemente usado como fuga da realidade.

Concordo com o comentário desse meu amigo quando diz que algumas pessoas pararam no tempo.
Faz-me recordar algumas bandas de rock a quem perguntei as suas influências e me disseram que “The Doors” são a sua maior influência.
É verdade que os Doors foram sem dúvida uma banda rock de grande genialidade, e isso comprova-se pela quantidade de singles que conseguiram em tão poucos álbuns originais, mas... se assim é, por que não dizem Elvis Presley, o Rei do rock and roll? Ou outro qualquer músico rock n’ roll da década 40 (década na qual se considera este estilo musical ter a sua origem)? Dizer The Doors é menos fatela... talvez.

Por que têm receio de referir referências mais recentes, tais como bandas que atingiram algum sucesso nos últimos 2 ou 5 anos, e que após ouvir alguns temas é evidente a tendência de “imitação” de certos estilos vocais presentes em bandas recentes, ou mesmo formas de solar, ou nas melodias criadas?

Sem dúvida a nostalgia é uma desordem médica, de alguma forma contrária à evolução.
Isto porque pessoas nostálgicas acreditam que nos anos ou décadas passadas a música era melhor, ou a vida de um modo geral era melhor do que é agora. “Golden Days”, como os americanos lhe chamam.

A realidade é que não sofro de necessidades nostálgicas, e por isso tenho esta postura.
Gostaria de me considerar adaptável, permeável a novos estilos e sons, de alguma forma, evolutivo.
Não gosto de ouvir álbuns que conheço à vários anos ou que já ouvi dezenas de vezes.

Considero que é preciso dar uma hipótese aos novos artistas (eu inclusive) de mostrar o seu talento, mesmo criando novos estilos, ou misturando estilos que à partida parecem incompatíveis. Recompensar as muitas horas que gastam a fazer novas criações, experimentar novos sons, e ajudar a pagar as despesas que tiveram em editar os seus álbuns, e comprar os seus instrumentos.

A música, à semelhança de outras tecnologias, também evolui. Mas para que possa evoluir, a mentalidade geral tem que o permitir.

Café queimado

Estive há pouco a conversar com um colega sobre isto mesmo, o café. Não tanto pelas características do café (falo nelas de seguida), mas sim pelo efeito da toma de café.
Tomei um café expresso (ou espresso) que deixou uma espuma castanho-escura nas paredes da chávena de café, e um travo amargo e áspero na língua. Embora seja de uma marca de café que aprecio, não me agradou por completo.
O meu colega abordou-me falando sobre isso mesmo, que o café estava a ser tirado na máquina de café expresso com um sabor desagradável a café queimado.

Numa máquina de café de bomba, a temperatura da água é mantida levemente abaixo do ponto de ebulição (cerca de 90 - 95 ºC), e sob pressão é forçada a passar a 15 atmosferas (1.5 MPa, ou 220.4 psi) através do café moído existente no porta-filtro, até ser vertido na chávena. Após 25 a 30 segundos, 45 ml de café está pronto a apreciado.
Se a moagem do café no moinho estiver regulada demasiado fina, ou se o pó for demasiado compactado no porta filtro, vai de certeza ter um café queimado.

Estava a comentar comigo que a cafeína chega às células do nosso corpo em menos de 20 minutos após a ingestão do café, e que com a idade (após os 30 anos) lhe parece que o efeito do café se nota mais.

O café melhora a memória, reanima e aumenta a nossa concentração (é por essa razão a bebida predilecta dos estudantes), mas como efeito secundário provoca por vezes várias horas de insónia quando bebido à noite.
Quando a noite adivinha-se prometedora até pode ser visto como um benefício, mas quando é necessário acordar bem cedo no dia seguinte, torna-se sem dúvida num efeito secundário.

Um dado curioso é que eu próprio noto já algumas reacções diferentes no meu corpo quando tomo café. Por incrível que pareça, ainda não me provoca dificuldade em dormir, mesmo tomando 2 ou 3 cafés durante o dia. Mas para esse meu colega, antes de ter 30 anos acontecia-lhe o mesmo, mas após alguns anos, beber um único café após o jantar já lhe provoca insónia.

A verdade é que noto que tenho agora uma maior dependência da cafeína do que anteriormente, pois já sinto a falta de um cafezinho após o almoço. E a dependência já é física, pois quando almoço e me esqueço ou por algum motivo não posso tomar um café, após uma hora sinto que não estou desperto o suficiente. E terei mesmo de procurar um café para me sentir mais “equilibrado”.

Como curiosidade deixo algumas das várias variações que pode ter o café expresso.
Em Lisboa é frequente pedir uma bica quando se quer pedir um café. No Porto a bica tem outro significado, no Norte pode ser mais facilmente associada a bica a uma torneira ou fonte pública, neste caso deve ser pedido um cimbalino.
Também pode ser pedido café de saco (também conhecido por café americano), diluído com água quente à semelhança do café coado.
Este é o café que servem caso seja pedido um café num país nórdico. Se por exemplo na Alemanha quiser um café, precisa pedir um “expresso”, se não o fizer, o mais provável é ser-lhe servido uma chávena grande cheia de café de saco.

Em Braga existe um local onde é frequente pedir café de saco, um local centenário chamado “A Brasileira”, na Rua do Souto no centro da cidade, bastante frequentado por pessoas ligadas às artes. Pintores, músicos, escritores, são algumas das pessoas que frequentemente bebem o seu café de saco n’A Brasileira. Eu próprio gosto de pedir um café de saco quando lá passo. Será uma coisa de artista?

Grandes ideias

Estou em fase de grandes ideias...




Vou por em prática todas as possíveis.