(english culture) LRE I

Santiago Calatrava Valls : Art Assignment

2010-04-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) Internationally recognized and award-winning Valencian architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris and Valencia.

Among his most famous works lies one that can be found in Portugal, more specifically, Gare do Oriente, a terminal in Lisbon.
Spanish

Calatrava is currently designing the future train station - World Trade Center Transportation Hub - at the rebuilt World Trade Center in New York City.

Calatrava’s style has been heralded as bridging the division between structural engineering and architecture. In the projects, he continues a tradition of Spanish modernist engineering that includes Félix Candela and Antonio Gaudí. Nonetheless, his style is also very personal and derives from numerous studies of the human body and the natural world.

Trent Reznor : Art Assignment

2010-03-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

Michael Trent Reznor, born and raised in western Pennsylvania, is the front-man of the band Nine Inch Nails, and it will be one of the artist I will talk about in my art assignment. I've always been a big fan of his music, which has changed a lot over the years; throughout the years he managed to make music that captivated many fans from many different areas, from the more heavy-metal hate-driven inspiration (like "Wish" and "Head Like a Hole"), to the more toned-down, calm and melancholic sounds (like "Something I can Never Have" and "Hurt"). He also made many remix albums, and many of his tracks are heavily influenced by D'nB and Electronica, drone soundscapes and repetition (Ex. "Beside you in time")

But his body of work , and the fact that I'm an old NIN fan wasn't the sole reason for this choice. Along with Radiohead and other bands, he is doing amazing work in the fight against corporate control in music and online distribution, by letting his fans download the "layouts" of his songs for them to be able to make their own remixes without having to worry about copyright infringement. After leaving its publisher, NIN's cd's were put online for free, with the option of paying from 1$ to 100$, and it showed some positive results. In a show in Sydney, in the aftermath of having copyright troubles with its publisher, Trent bluntly spoke out loud to the audience "steal my music!" as a way to protest against the excessive price of cd's.

Trent is also a vanguard in the area of effects and visuals in his live performances. (which are never equal, even his older songs have a different version for each era). The lights in the sky tour around the world, which was announced to be NIN's last, made important breakthroughs in this area. [LINK]

My Museum

2009-06-07T06:52:00.001-07:00

01 - My first PC - To start off the list I'm going to mention the first computer I got. I was 3 or 4 years old at the time so I don't remember the details, but I'm really glad I could start learning so early because it made my life easier later on, on high school and such. The internet was also an amazing tool that allowed me to expand my horizons.

02 - Coca Cola - It may sound strange to include a beverage brand onto the museum, but it was truly my first vice. I tried it around the 2nd or 3rd grade and loved it. Today is still my favorite thing to drink, and I always keep a good stock at home.

03 - Sega Saturn - This wasn't my first game console, but Saturn was probably the one that had most impact. I was still young, and seeing the games for a first time in full 3D was really something. I can remember spending many many nights awake, just paralyzed at the screen.

04 - Piano - It was the first instrument I played, and until today the only one I played live. I had piano lessons briefly when I was in the 5th and 6th grade and had a few shows before I dropped out due to my teacher going back to england.

05 - The Matrix - Possibly my favorite movie ever. Back when I saw it in 2000 (I think), it really blew my mind and after that I became a unconditional fan. I went to see all 3 movies to the cinema, saw the animation and even bought the book! I remember coming out of the cinema after the last one, just in tears, knowing that it was all over.

06 - SG Lights - I've been a smoker for a few years now (shame on me) and I remember when and where I bought my first pack; unlike most people that just start smoking because others do it, I simply made the decision myself and went up to the counter without any external influence. Back then a pack could last for over a week, and they were a lot less expensive than now.

07 - Final Fantasy X - My favorite game ever, hands down. It was the first one i bought for Playstation 2 and playing in until the end was special. It had a really emotion storyline that you could get involved in, with cutting edge graphics and sound, it was just perfect. I I could be able to play it again for the first time without knowing it by heart.

08 - NIN - Possibly my favorite band. My music tastes vary *a lot* over the years, but it was with nine inch nails I reached the peak of whats its like to be a fan of something. I loved Trent's music and voice, and got too see them live when I was more into them, and it was the best concert of my life. I sung every song, even if by the end of the 3rd one I was already dead tired from all the crowd movement.

09 - Electric guitar (Squier) - My first and so far only electric guitar. I prefer playing it over the piano, and I'm probably better at it too, but i love both equally. I'm not really inclined to pursue a career in music, but I love just playing for hours and hours, and I'll never stop no matter how much my neighbors complain. I play for guitar for about 3 years now.

10 - Opel Corsa - This is the most recent add to the museum, my first car. It still doesn't have a year on my hands, but I already had some epic trips with it and i love it. It isn't much, but i find it comfortable and easy to drive, and it can reach some good speeds too. If this was the only car I could have for life, I really wouldn't mind. I even gave it a name, but that's private :P

And that's it for my museum. I hope you enjoy it.
Carlos Fonseca - 29877 LRE UTAD

Summary

2009-03-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Summary

The main objective of this presentation was to explain how to write our answers, in an efficient and logical way,
without disregarding certain precautions and procedures that are vital to have a fully correct answer.
While formulating an answer or a theory, one must first conduct research in order to be able to back up his claims
with reliable information. That same information must be laid out in a clear and organized fashion, so the reader can have no trouble learning it.
It is also important to develop our theories, by adding our own input and finds, designed to
give more value and strengh to our conclusions and so that the reader finds it to be believable and right.

Elizabeth Movie - Quotes

2009-02-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

These are some quotes I've managed to retrieve during the movie, enjoy:

" May we have wisdom not to fear shadows in the night, and courage when the day of danger truly dawns. " - Elizabeth

" Your ocean give me an image of eternity " - Elizabeth

" Our inaction is perceived as weakness " - Political advisor

" I see no more than shadows of ghosts " - Astrologist

" We will all be judged in the end. " - William Walsingham

Imaginary Youth Subculture: The Mockers

2009-01-08T08:45:00.001-08:00

The mockers are a subculture made by Carlos Fonseca, Nuno Cruz and Fábio Mourão.
They are descrived as young, more or less rebellious, with a strong desire for activities related with fun, music, and your all-variety of illegal psychedelia.

Sarah Palin

2009-01-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

This work was made by
Nuno Cruz (30583) and Carlos Fonseca (29877)
__________________________________________________

1. Explain the title of the article

The title of this article is in direct relation to the "American dream",
an utopia once again recovered and used by the republicans to gain favoritism
in the more smaller (and usually southern) states. And Sarah Palin, the chosen candidate for the vice presidency, is the epitome of such mith, that seems can no longer be applied to the current united states, or even believable by most, something that was proven with Obama's victory.

2. How have the Republicans used the myths of small-town America to their political
advantage?

This strategy was developed to gain the empathy and trust of the more modest and patriotic Americans, especially through nostalgia. Sarah Palin, who wasn't well known in the world of politics, entered the spotlight of the elections, and gave the viewers what they wanted to see: A perfect "average" American who's just like everyone else. However, the truth is she was merely a political figure, a kind of icon made purposely to give the right-wing militants a sense of moral and national righteousness.

3. Why is this tactic difficult for Barack Obama's campaign to counter?

First and foremost, the democrats have no similar mith to counter with. The second aspect that made it more difficult for Obama is that democrats do have the facts, and the more than obvious failure of the Bush administration made the road softer for Barack's campaign. But americans do love stories more than facts, and fear change, some more than others; and Obama doesn't have that kind fully flegded biography to fight in the same lines; and his racial background certainly doesn't help in the more conservative states. Obama is in fact, the opposite of the myth that Sarah Palin resurrected; While the republicans uphold past Reagan values and national ideals, the democrats are looking at the future of change: a multiracial society where aging fantasies cannot exist anymore.

Graffiti: Art or Vandalism

2009-01-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Graffiti is indeed an art form. It was born as one and gathered followers since its beginnings, between the years of 1969 and 1974. Tied to revolutionary propaganda, and later on the hip hop culture, it begun being seen as vandalism. And in my opinion, there is also some right here, since there are cases where graffiti completely ruins a certain building or street because it's just everywhere.

Today there are special places, gatherings and events where "writers" can express themselves all day long without breaking any law. But in the same sense, there are those who defend the natural illegal way of doing it, since it has been done as so since its conception and it involves a rush of both adrenaline and freedom.

So to sum it all up, I believe it is an art form, that can and is misused and becomes vandalism to the eyes of the law.

Welcome

2008-11-24T11:21:00.000-08:00

This blog was created for the english culture class in LRE I.
I'm Carlos André Fonseca and my student's number is 29877.

See ya soon.