Por Henrique Neto

Fala galerinha off-roader.

Pois é…
Faltando apenas um dia para o lançamento (01/12/2.009)  do meu tão esperando DiRT2, a bendita Demo do jogo resolveu vazar em alguns sites da interwebz internet, e eu, obviamente, baixei testei o demo de tal.

Adeus a minha vida social...

Sério.
Acho que deve ter sido uma das melhores coisas que aconteceu no meu final de semana.
O jogo é simplesmente viciante. Eu, que já amomuitotudoisso gosto BASTANTE de GRID (inclusive, fiz questão de comprar na promoção do Steam por US$ 7,49) fiquei nada mais nada menos que três horas seguidas jogando as míseras duas corridas que estão disponíveis no demo.
Uma entitulada “Trailblazer” que consiste em um estagio de rally, mas em velocidade estupidamente alta.
Um mix de Pikes Peak com WRC e a outra (que gostei um pouco menos) intitulada “Land Rush”, onde pick-ups preparadas para rally e “Baja bugs” competem em um circuito fechado de terra.

Feio né? (NOT)

Desnecessário dizer que o jogo é lindo.
A Codemaster conseguiu elevar os gráficos do GRID a um outro nível estratosféricamente cósmico.
Os efeitos de iluminação, partículas (fumaça e etc) e até as bandeirinhas bonitinhas e balançantes foram feitas com o maior cuidado e atenção para proporcionar  maxima imersão e realismo possíveis.
E detalhe… Estou falando isso da versão DirectX 10.
Não consigo nem imaginar como o DirectX 11 pode deixar o jogo mais bonito do que já é.

Imagem "in-game"

Enfim…
Na minha opinião, esse com certeza vai ser o jogo de corrida que jogarei por um bom tempo.
Adoro um bom jogo de corrida, e este com certeza vai servir pra tirar a poeira do meu volante.

Segue abaixo videozinho com a intro que fiz e utilizarei nos futuros videos do blog.

Abraços a todos e não esqueçam de comentar/assinar meu feed RSS

PS: aceito toda e qualquer opinão/comentário/zuação com sobre a intro e o video

Perhaps I was a little harsh & did not explain myself clearly in my previous post on the 2 points I disagreed with Dr Chew about (nothing against him, I’m sure he’s a nice man, but he’s human too, with 2 views I disagree with) . So now i’ve taken sometime to elaborate, in reply to a couple of comments. Thought I’ll post it up here too.

On speaking up on disturbing teachings
Indeed, I think the listeners need to listen & discern & think critically. I think in reality, the church is made up of a great diversity of people. People who enjoy thinking and researching and questioning. People who have great amounts of respect and trust in their church leaders who have spent years at theological school. People who are incredibly psychologically and emotionally vulnerable and searching for salvation. People who are deeply insecure and looking for someone to love and accept them, and finding that in God. Because of this diversity, there will always be people who will be receptive to any message at all. Thus the responsibility of the person who teaches (James 3:1)

That said, every teacher, no matter how good, will not be perfect. Sometimes we don’t realise it until someone points it out to us. And so I think it is equally important for us to voice out teachings we are disturbed by, while of course, being aware we could ourselves be wrong too.

This was also why I was deeply impressed with Dr Gwee’s writing during the AWARE saga, when he pointed out to everyone, what he perceived was right and wrong, and how so many of us benefited from his writing as a result.
Martin Luther started the Reformation , not by staying silent or simply moving to another church. He wrote and spoke. He had no blog, but he nailed his 95 Theses to the door.
Jesus did not stay silent; He spoke up when he felt the leaders were teaching things outside of what the Scripture talked about.

I think all of us need to do the same, because a lot of times, many others have the same doubts but fear to voice out. When one person starts the conversation going, we may find that we are carrying burdens we don’t have to.

On non-traditional families, and on procreation

Indeed I believe the Bible affirms our desire to have children & considers it a blessing to have children, through it’s oft-qouted Genesis teachings.

I would applaud any preacher who quotes those verses, and affirms the listener’s desire for having a family. However, “the danger is that the mainstream population, its socio-cultural norms and ethos, will dwindle and diminish down the generations.” is not a Biblical principle. It’s all fine  only if  a preacher makes clear when he is presenting his own views,  and when he is speaking from the Bible. It’s easy for listeners to be confused, if it is all said while he stands in the pulpit.

It would be even more wonderful, if the preacher also called on Christians to support each other through encouragement, through helping one another with family needs, through helping poor families provide better for their families. Because families are a blessing from God.

But to ignore Paul’s affirmation of singlehood, and to use those verses to make people feel less worthy or contributive because they are single/divorced parents, or choose to be childless, is unacceptable, IMO.

Why?

Think about how a woman who has an accidental pregnancy, decided to heed the Church’s teachings & keep the baby instead of aborting it, and doing her best to then raise this child, despite the prejudice and lack of govt support. How would she feel, after heeding the teachings of the church, to have the country’s Church leader then tell her that people like her are causing the decline of morals in the West?

Think about how a man who desperately tried to save his marriage but who’s unfaithful wife walked out anyway, abandoning his children, and how he tries his best to raise them not to hate their mother, only to have the Church leader turn around and tell him that divorce people like him are causing the moral decline?

Think about the woman who decides to remain single and childless because she has 2 aged parents and 4 grandparents still alive, to take care of, so that her brother can have more for his own children. How would she feel to have people tell her that she is disobeying Biblical commands to have children and that she was sinning because the decline in birth rate is going to erode social norms?

Think of the homosexual person, who decided that his pastor’s Biblical interpretation was right and homosexuality wrong, and so decided to remain single his whole life, rather than being in a gay relationship — which would piss off God supposedly, or being in a straight relationship — which would piss off his wife. How would he feel, after making this decision for the love of God, to have the church leader imply that people like him were contributing to “the danger that the mainstream population, its socio-cultural norms and ethos, will dwindle and diminish down the generations.”

These people may be in the minority, they may be in the fringe, they may often be overlooked
But I hope people remember also that the Bible talks about how God values even a singular person.

Proverbs 31:
8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

I realised yesterday that my car doesn’t sound particularly great.

That’s not to say it doesn’t sound good, because it does – it’s not particularly characterful but it does have a rough edged rumbly charm, coupled with a pleasant turbocharged descant when you give it the beans. It’s just that you wouldn’t be able to pick it blindfolded from a lineup, which is perhaps to be expected with the proliferation of shared platform engineering from which this particular car sprang. It’s basically a functional four-pot with a party trick, and that’s fine.  This set me thinking about the truly great engine sounds from history, and it occurred to me that they were all flawed in a very specific way.

When you’re attempting to explain what makes a car worth having, you tend to look at how well the various parts work. We want the chassis to ride well but still react quickly under pressure. We want the steering to be sharp and communicative but remain stable when you’re not pushing on. When we talk about engines we want them to be smooth, efficient, powerful, and responsive – all good traits – but then we also want a characterful engine note. When you think about it, that character usually implies something not quite perfect – whether it’s the off-beat grumble of a classic V8 or the hollow woofle of a flat six, these are sounds that are incompatible with the technological ideal. A perfectly efficient engine would make no noise at all, as noise is a negative side effect of combustion and represents lost energy. The ‘perfect’ engine would remain stationary under power, run cold, convert every drop of fuel into motion, and be silent. I’m not sure I like the sound of that.

When you think about it, we like to feel the motion of the engine because it offers subliminal feedback on the state of play under the bonnet. We use the exhaust note as both a guide and a reward when stretching further into the red, and the heat stops our fingers dropping off in December. What we demand from an engine, then, is imperfection. Drive a Toyota Camry for an example of an engine that is closer to perfect by these measures than almost all of the alternatives, and you’ll understand why this is no bad thing. I know that my engine has rough and smooth days, and that the variety of demands for power from countless hidden subsystems mean that even turning on the heated rear screen may affect the performance in some infinitessimal way. I know that a cold day will raise a different reaction from the turbo to a hot day, and that it’s more likely to be grumbly outside the bottom end of the powerband if it’s particularly damp. These are flaws, yes, but knowing them and finding ways to work with them is part of the joy of driving the car.

So we’re ok with the idea of imperfection, but what deviations tick all the boxes? The common wisdom is that a classic V8 represents the holy grail of rackets, and I find that hard to disagree with – the sound of a massive blown mill popping and belching under violent compression is both magnificent and a little bit frightening, and so it should be to prevent the unwary from taking liberties. Some point to the wailing V6 units bestowed upon Alfas of old – again, good call. The humble inline four – as is mine – gets short shrift for being characterless and dull.

Really?

Have you ever heard a BDA equipped Escort yowling through a night-time rally stage at full chat? In fact, sticking with the theme of rally, most of the all-time classic noises were emitted from just four pots. The Lancia Delta, Ford RS200, Peugeot 206 T16, Renault R5 Turbo, Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Evo all made do with four-bangers. Only the Metro 6R4 (V6) and Audi Quattro (Inline 5)  bucked the trend. Ok, so the great Ferrari V8s and V12s were fantastic, Lamborghini V12s are raucous and mildly insane and Porsche flat sixes are odd but strangely addictive, but I think some of the most evocative, and accessible, noises in motoring have come from the humble four.

Oh, partway through the last paragraph something else occurred to me. BMW make a modern V8 that’s slick and punchy without grumbling, and a brilliant inline 3 litre six that’s smoother than a greased weasel and won’t pierce your eardrums above 4000 revs. They take the things we want, and couple them effortlessly with the things we need. I’m not sure anyone else does.

Watch National Equality March on VJnet.org

On October 11, 2009 I went to Washington DC for the National Equality March Rally with David b and Brian G from TheOccasionalFag.com podcast.

equalityacrossamerica.org

Soundtrack
Fragile Day by A Northern Chorus
This Is Modern Love by Bloc Party
Part of the PodsafeMusicNetwork.com

Blowin’ In The Wind by Jay Brannan

Lady Gaga
Cynthia Nixon
Judy Shepard

Subscribe to the video podcast at VJnet.org | 347-68-VJNET [347-688-5638] | vjnetcast[at]gmail.com | VJnetcast.com | A BustB!G and Live Your Dreams Production | Part of the Airstream Podcasting Network

El equipo del Saba Competición, junto al Mitsubishi EVO IX del Tango Rally Team, en la gráfica con sus asistentes.

Victor Galeano, luego del vuelco, ya sin posibilidades de continuar.

Gustavo Saba y Peki Nunes fueron los ganadores de la última fecha del Nacional de Rally, disputándose por los caminos del Alto Paraná, de esta forma, la dupla se convierten en los nuevos campeones nacionales en al general y en la N4. Con Itor Galeano quien ya ganaba desde la primera especial, también con posibilidades de campeonar, quedaba fuera de competencia en la PE2 con un vuelco, no pudiendo reenganchar para el dia 2, dejando para Saba la posibilidad de ser el nuevo lider, pero Adid Daher no le hacia fácil, ya que también se ponia en la punta por un rato, para después el la última especial del sábado tuviera un fuera de pista, yendo a parar a una columna de tendido eléctrico para quedar fuera de carrera y ser suspendido el tramo. El el día 2, con un retraso en el inicio de la carrera, Saba volvía a marcar el ritmo de la competencia, con un auto impecable, un Mitsubishi EVO IX alquilado por el Tango Rally Team especialmente para esta competencia, ya se corona con una victoria y culminando el campeonato en lo mas alto del podio. El segundo lugar en la general fue para Gonzalo Valdovinos, que sumó los puntos necesarios para ser campeón el la N4 Light. El tercer lugar de la general, con una notable actuación fue el chaqueño Renold Funk y fue el mejor tracción sencilla corriendo con un VW Gol de la categoría A7.

Los campeones del 2009 (extraoficial)

General absoluta 4×4: Gustavo Saba-Peki Nunes. (Subaru Impreza / Mitsubishi EVO IX)

General absoluta 4×2: Franklyn Krhan-Federico García (VW Gol)

Categoría N4: Gustavo Saba-Peki Nunes. (Subaru Impreza / Mitsubishi EVO IX)

Categoría N4 Light: Gonzalo Valdovinos-Diego Diaz (Mitsubishi Evo VI)

Categoría A7: Franklyn Krhan-Federico García (VW Gol)

Categoría N3: Francois Marret-Mike White (VW Gol y Nissan Sentra)

Categoría N2: Carlos Rodríguez-Aldo Mora (VW Gol)

Categoría A6: Dick Ferreira-Sinidei Broering (Fiat Palio)

TODAS LAS IMAGENES EN NUESTRA SECCION FOTOS

5 year old Katie is not too happy that congress is not listening to the people and putting her into massive debt!

Something tells me she is gearing up for a Revolution!

]]> http://polepositionweb.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/los-loeb-se-llevan-el-rally-du-var/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:46:09 +0000 poleposition-staff http://polepositionweb.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/los-loeb-se-llevan-el-rally-du-var/ http://adreask.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/rally-legend-republica-di-san-marino/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:51:49 +0000 adreask http://adreask.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/rally-legend-republica-di-san-marino/ http://polepositionweb.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/el-matrimonio-loeb-pierde-el-liderazgo-en-el-rally-du-var/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:38:09 +0000 poleposition-staff http://polepositionweb.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/el-matrimonio-loeb-pierde-el-liderazgo-en-el-rally-du-var/ http://iedei.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/foto-of-the-day-11282009-2/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:10:51 +0000 iedei http://iedei.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/foto-of-the-day-11282009-2/ http://washingtonirac.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/n30-immigrant-rights-rally-westlake-4pm/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:50:42 +0000 washingtonirac http://washingtonirac.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/n30-immigrant-rights-rally-westlake-4pm/

On the anniversary of the 1999 WTO trade talks and the powerful resistance seen on Seattle’s streets ten years ago, the Washington Immigrant Rights Action Coalition (WA-IRAC), in conjunction with the Seattle+10 Organizing Committee, will hold a rally at 4:00pm on Monday, November 30^th at Westlake Park.

WA-IRAC and its allies will stand together on November 30^th to expose and give voice to the often unheard and unseen attacks being made nationally and locally on immigrant communities, to call for real immigration reform now, and to demand a moratorium on the continuation of the current unjust and cruel policies of enforcement. 

We are also continuing our campaign to pressure Seattle Building Maintenance (SBM) to stop the layoffs of the maintenance workers, immediately meet with the workers’ union and community members, and to respect and comply with the contract entered into with the workers. Westlake is chosen as a strategic site, due to SBM holding a contract with the mall!

This local situation effecting many of our community members highlights the need for immigration reform now, and an end to corporate greed’s exploitation of workers!

We look forward to your support and presence at this rally on N30!a

Please forward these fliers widely!

Este viernes de calor, de dolor de cabeza, se endulzó de pronto con la llegada de un auto enorme, ploteado, brillante, poderoso. Un coche de los que correrá el Rally Dakar 2010.

De visita por el diario por una nota de Mariano Iannacone, pilotos y auto llegaron sobre el mediodía, que se sentía húmedo y caluroso. Eso no impidió que por una hora fluyera el torbellino de curiosidad por ver cómo son esos bólidos por dentro, motor, habitáculo, ruedas de auxilio, chasis, sistema de comunicación… Una delicia!

Obvio, como buenos periodistas cholulos, le sacamos 800 fotos al auto.

Los saltos será protagonistas principales. César Martínez, en esta ocasión junto a "Anteojito" Notario.

Esta noche se pone en marcha la 7ma. Fecha del Nacional de Rally, con el 1er Rally del Alto Paraná. A las 21 horas será la largada Simbólica.

Día 1. La primera especial de mañana es Puente Monday–Cedrales, a las 09:28 para el primer auto, con una extención de 10,04 kilómetros, seguido de Cruce Peninsula-Parana Poty Llegada, como PE2 y Parana Poty Largada-Desvio a Bertoni como la PE3, completando así el primer rulo de 35,20 kilómetros de competencia, luego de la asistencia, se pone en marcha las restantes 3 pruebas especiales repitiendo integramente el las pruebas especiales anteriores.

Dia 2. A las 08:53 se pone en marcha la PE7, que cominza en Desvio Gleba 11-Fortuna, con una extensión cronometrada de 23:60 kilómetros, la PE8 que es Barro Negro – Colonia Tape Porá larga a las 09:36 para la primera máquina y la PE9 es en el Circuito del Cap, con una distancia de 9,10 kilómetros para luego ir a parque de reparacioones en el mismo predio y comenzar a las 12:12 aproximadamente los tramos anteriores de la mañana, para completar las PE10, PE11 y culminando nuevamente en el Autodromo del CAP la PE12.

+ INFO

Los fans del Campeonato del Mundo de Rallyes FIA podrán ver muy pronto vídeos completos y GRATIS con lo mejor de cada rallye desde la temporada 2001 hasta el 2008, gracias al innovador “Show” de YouTube.

El Show del Campeonato del Mundo de Rallyes , se puede ver desde esta semana en la nueva sección de vídeos compartidos, en la que hay programas completos en lugar de vídeos breves. En cuestión de semanas el Show del WRC constará de los tres programas de 25 minutos con lo más destacado de cada jornada de todos los rallyes disputados entre 2001 y 2008. Eso suma un total de 75 minutos de imágenes GRATIS por carrera. A partir de esta semana el Show del Campeonato del Mundo de Rallyes ha empezado a tomar forma con programas que ya figuran en el archivo del WRC por orden cronológico desde el 2001. Podes verlos en la seccioón  de vídeos del Show del Campeonato del Mundo de Rallyes , o visitad el Canal Oficial WRC de TouTube, donde hay cientos de vídeos más.

WRC.com / Youtube.com/wrc

“Art is a nation’s most precious heritage, for it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and others the inner vision which guides us as a people. And where there is no vision, the people perish.”  - Lyndon Johnson

Christopher Butterfield, composer and Professor of Composition at the University of Victoria, speaking on the legislature steps at the Arts Matter rally in Victoria today:

“I never thought in my life that I’d quote Lyndon Johnson, but he made a rather extraordinary statement. Now remember this is an American president saying this, and I’ve never heard any politician in this country, at a federal or provincial or any other level, use these words. This is what he said: “Art is a nation’s most precious heritage, for it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and others the inner vision which guides us as a people. And where there is no vision, the people perish.” I would like Mr. Campbell, or his minister of culture, to get up in the legislature and quote those words of Lyndon Johnson. I would like them to guarantee the arts in this province, not just a future but a future long beyond the time everybody is dead and gone. I’d like us to grow.”

Thanks to Christopher Ruffell for the video (click below), which also features a great speech by Diane Searle at the rally. Searle’s speech makes the point that these cuts are not about economics, since it’s proven arts funding is a lucrative investment for the government.