Favio.Angeles

The Evolution of Web Design (source: kissmetrics)

2011-11-16T13:16:00.001-08:00

SQL 2008 SSIS - Data Profiler Tool

2011-11-10T23:34:00.001-08:00

This link has a pretty good video tutorial on how the tool works!
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/ff686909.aspx

Windows 8, Metro and RIP .NET

2011-11-09T22:42:00.000-08:00

I attended a Microsoft event today in downtown LA about Windows 8 and the future according to Microsoft.

In a nutshell, Microsoft is turning the Windows desktopinto a web browser and is going the way of Palm Web OS. HTML5 +Javascript/unmanaged C++ for Windows Apps and they are prettymuch signaling the end of the CLR (Common Language Runtime) -- (the .NETframework and all that it entails seems to not fit anywhere in the Microsoftroadmap anymore and unmanaged C is coming back...). The move also points to thetime of the big mainframes (now called the cloud) and pretty much Microsoft isnoting that the Cloud becomes the computer and the OS you run on your devicehas pretty much no relevance... (The new Metro look)

When users boot up their new laptops or desktops using Windows 8 will always see the Metro look, and if they want to use the good ol' Windows Desktop, they would have to find the tile to launch it.

Of course there is a Registry Hack that would allow you to change this behavior so that you can end up in the good ol' desktop all the time... but no comment on Microsoft shutting that down yet... hopefully not.

I really don't want to talk about the Metro look, and its App Store, but is being advertised heavily by Microsoft, Basically the ugly 3 year old design of the squares will be running on the Microsoft WinRT which basically replaces Win32\Internet Explorer\.NET CLR. Metro and Windows 8 Desktop will both coexist on your laptop/computer like enemies. You cannot access a File that resides on your Desktop from Metro and viceversa. You could in theory write a web service and host it on your Desktop machine and have your Metro application consume it to access data from your desktop, but that goes against the MS licensing agreement...

Metro applications can only be distributed thru the App Store, and MS would have to approve your application prior to releasing it to the App Store (they are imitating Apple, just not in a very smart way)

Metro applications will be developed in C/unmanaged C++or Javascript, but Javascript would pretty much be able to access / interact with WinRT the way C does... weird huh?

Even though Metro looks and feels like Windows mobile, it doesn't support Silverlight marking the end of that technology.

WinRT basically represents the taking back of the .NET Framework into the core Windows team and offers first-class support for C and C++ (as you would expect) and Javascript...

HTML 5 is pretty much taking over Silverlight... why? most likely because they are trying to attract today's application developers. Most of client-side developers are building HTML apps, another big number are writing iOS and Android apps. Learning XAML/Silverlight technologies is very difficult and Microsoft has done a poor job at teaching\promoting WPF. Since they are losing the battle against iOS/Android, going HTML5 might be their only option to regain some of the market, but I think they are going about it the wrong way...

The blogs are flodded with more questions and doubts than excitement... here is a link to Channel 9 where you can read more about it...

http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/A-quick-look-at-Windows-8

We can just wait and see what happens, but this may very well be what Apple needed to expand even more into the enterprise. the cards seem to have been spread. Will Windows market share decrease even more? I doubt they can afford another Vista like deployment (seriously, a lot of folks still use WinXP) Will Apple up their game? We can only wait and see.

Comikaze @ LA Convention Center

2011-11-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Drove to Downtown this morning to attend the Comikaze convention. It was pretty packed and people with costumes did show up! so I have some pics! I didn't bring my Nikon camera... just my little point and shoot Lumix, but I got some ok captures ;-)
I was kind of disappointed that Stan Lee wasn't there today... If you wanted his autograph, you had to pay $50 for a reprint of the first spiderman or the 1st Avengers comic and pay $14 for shipping so that they can mail you back the comic...
Something interesting was this iPad app used at almost all the kiosks... Square! which allows vendors to take a credit card payment from anyone and they get charged 2.5% per transaction...

Joker and Harley Quinn

<--- I thought this couple's costume was pretty awesome! and they were willing to pose for everyone so that people could get a good shot of them.

a group of girls dressed up as anime :-)

I spent about 4 hours at the Convention Center. The worst feature at this convention was the food. It looked pale and not very attracting... they had hamburgers and tacos, but I skipped them and left the Convention Center seeking good eats ;-)

I was actually surprised to see the Wonder Twins!

LA 1st Street Food Festival and Today's Comikaze

2011-11-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Last year I attended the very first Street Food Festival in L.A. and I made q little quick video of it. Today I'll be attending the very first Comic Expo in L.A. organized by Stan Lee's new company Pow Entertainment! If I get lucky I'll make up a video about it too! if not, then I'll just write a follow up article packed with pictures!

Here is that good old Food Festival video I did last year...

Microsoft's Vision on the Future of Healthcare

2011-11-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

At this year's Mix in Las Vegas (I really hope I can attend the next Mix!) Daniel Makowski had a presentation about what the future for Healthcare could look like... Most of the things displayed in this video can be achieved using current technologies, but I don't know of any vendors that produce these yet. I do know that in Spain, they've developed a Kinect enabled image / record library used by surgeons while in surgery so that they can view/flp thru images on the screen using kinect which allows them to keep their hands sanitized while viewing records and there is no need to re-sanitize their hands... but let's watch the video now! Enjoy and dare to dream !

Asteroid 2005 YU55 to Approach Earth on November 8, 2011

2011-11-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 will pass within 0.85 lunar distances from the Earth on November 8, 2011. The upcoming close approach by this relatively large 400 meter-sized, C-type asteroid presents an excellent opportunity (if indeed it doesn't hit the earth) for synergistic ground-based observations including optical, near infrared and radar data. The attached animated illustration (from the NASA website) shows the Earth and moon flyby geometry for November 8th and 9th when the object will reach a visual brightness of 11th magnitude and should be easily visible to observers in the northern and southern hemispheres. The closest approach to Earth and the Moon will be respectively 0.00217 AU and 0.00160 AU on 2011 November 8 at 23:28 and November 9 at 07:13 UT.

You can read more about this here: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news171.html

GMAIL's new look

2011-11-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've been using it and it's great! Hurray for UX Professionals! :-)

Kina Grannis "In Your Arms"

2011-11-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago, I made note of another song she had: Valentine, which was simply packed with feelings and great vocal tones... Now this new song jumps at me. it is called "in your Arms" and i can't say enough good things about this single. Please listen to it and let me know what you think!

She just released a new, very creative video for this song using Jelly Beans as background drops... really transports me to my childhood :-) Here is the link: www.kinagrannis.com/

The fall of the United States of North America and the rise of the Latin American States, but are they ready?

2011-10-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Peruvian Foreign Minister Roncagliolo considered that 'paradoxically', the external crisis may serve to enhance the role of Latin America in the World... He feels the current economic crisis is attributed to the lack of financial responsibility of the countries of the north and this situation is forcing the southern region to defend its stability by enhancing its presence in the global economy.
The economical instability of the United States, the high percentage of unemployment, and Obama's silent but effective deportation program for illegal immigrants may be contributing to the ideological change that America Latina has been needing. Some countries in South America are experiencing great growth like Peru, Brasil, and Argentina, but are they ready to face this new challenge? Perhaps, but there is much work to do.
In the case of Peru, there is lack of organization, lack of infrastructure, lack of education and a huge gap between the high and low classes. Mixing this with the rampaging growth of crime on the streets and the lack of laws to control transportation seems to be a recipe for disaster.
However, the appearance of distinguished new characters such as Gaston Acurio, Johnny Schuler and others has awakened a country that lacked identity and purpose. Peruvians are all of a sudden inspired by these figures to do what John F. Kennedy asked Americans to do... 'Don't ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Under this new current of thought, the younger generations have found purpose and seek solutions to the many problems that their society faces.
Many european and asian investors are moving their capitals to a region where natural resources are abundant, where there is an opportunity to implement infrastructures that exist in the U.S., Asia, Europe, but not in Latin America yet...

Dead Poetry I

2011-09-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

going over some notes, and rescuing some thoughts... Here is my first composition of many. Comments are welcomed!

Photography, Poetry and Art all by Eduardo Favio 2011

Radiation in Southern California - Livestream

2011-03-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

EnviroReporter (http://www.enviroreporter.com/) has setup a live broadcast of the radiation measurements in Santa Monica. This is great! at least we can actually see what's going on... The authorities and experts say that the level that will reach our coasts will be very low, but no harm keeping an eye on this...

Live Video streaming by Ustream
Live Video streaming by Ustream

You can watch it live here, or

Click here for the sta monica Live Stream

Let's hope the Nuclear reactor problem in Japan can be solved quickly, but is not looking good at all...

Good Luck!

L.A. Nights

2011-02-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

I want to be Out where the buses don't run
with mist covered mountains
surrounding my home near a beach.
Tonight
The moon rides high
while I dream awake
to the sound of the waves
Splashing memories
caressed by the wind
sparkling wishes echo in the night
the thought of your naked body
makes me dance
the thought of your tender kiss
makes me smile
Out where the buses don't run
somewhere in L.A.
I dream all the bright and the wild
hoping I could find you in the night.

Copyright © 2009

Photoshop CS5 or Lightroom 3.3

2011-01-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

I attended a Lightroom 3 presentation at the LA Web Development monthly meeting, and I had more doubts than answers then. I have been using photoshop since the days of Photoshop 7, and didn't understand why someone would switch from one to the other...
In one of my classes at UCLA, my instructor George Simian, had a lab day with Lightroom 3.3 and it all makes so much sense now...

If you are a person that loves to take photos and takes as many as possible, then Lightroom 3.3 is for you. It has advantages over Picasa and iPhoto, because Adobe has integrated many cool features to help with the organization, archiving, versioning and preservation of your RAW images.

Here are some useful links:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1006/10060801adobelightroom3.asp
http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/f314/six-reasons-why-adobe-lightroom-3-should-your-digital-toolkit-100984.html

StarBlazers / Nave Espacial Intrepido

2010-12-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Great was my excitement, when I heard they were releasing a Starblazers movie!

The Movie trailer

After the World Cup

2010-07-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

And the World Cup is over! Many things happened in this year's world cup... bad referring, apparently a bad ball, great performances like Iniesta, Xavi, Javi, Villa, Diego Forlan, Tevez and Muller... big surprises like the early elimination of Italy and France, the sudden elimination of Argentina and Brasil...
Spain took the gold in an extremely physical game, with a referee that was afraid of red cards...

Now, I find myself without soccer games... with my argentinian and US jerseys in the drawer wondering what to do... I almost feel like I'm going through an identity crisis... where the absence of soccer has left a vacuum in my life and I find myself wondering 'what now?'

I will have tango classes starting tomorrow! which I'm really looking forward to!
Well, until Brasil 2014! Vamos Argentina!

Puppy Photos

2010-07-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken with Canon Powershots 8MP and 12MP.

This is a white siberian husky. His name is BearWolf and as you can see is a very happy dog =)

Taking pictures of animals in general takes quite an amount of time, but is a fun endeavor!

Telefe Noticias cree en Messi 2010

2010-06-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

What can i say, I was watching this on TV and I finally found it on the web. It is a masterpiece! Arriba Diego! Arriba Messi! a ganar la copa!!!

Telefe Noticias cree en Messi - Videos - Telefe Mundial 2010

A Halo Title Sequence

2010-06-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well, This is it. The last project for my class Film & TV Design class. I created a title sequence for Halo Reach... I wish this would actually happen!

Anyways, I am a Halo fan... I love the games, i own toys, posters, and Halo is the only reason why I own an XBOX, XBOX 360, etc.

In my limited knowledge of the subject matter (Title Sequence Design) I wanted to do justice to the game I love... I'm not good at doing animation yet, so I opened photoshop and edited a lot of Halo photos I had and made them look like they were aged takes from an old battle, which is the feeling I get about Halo Reach... coming from Halo that is... Halo Reach is kind of in the past and what triggered everything in Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3... so that explains the look!

After 4 or more hours of editing photographs it was time to use them! and I picked iMovie as that's what I'm more comfortable with. Premiere is okay, but I find myself rebooting my machine too many times with that piece of software... and After Effects... let's just say I did 2 tutorials which took me 2 days and I got nowhere... LOL

But no worries! Here it is! Halo Reach! coming to a theater soon! I'm also making a Teaser poster which is the 2nd link!

http://web.me.com/favioangeles/Film_HW/Halo_Title_Sequence.m4v

http://web.me.com/favioangeles/Film_HW/HaloTeaserPoster.jpg

And an opening sequence

2010-06-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to sketch an idea for an opening sequence to anything we wanted... movie, tv show, documentary, etc. I figured I'd do one for an internet soccer show...
This is an idea I had... didn't come out quite as exciting as i envisioned it, but that's because I don't know After Effects yet... I simply did this with Adobe Premiere. Also, I couldn't get my hands on enough soccer footage... most of the footage I could find was in Flash format which I couldn't use in Premiere/iMovie and since I could only spend a few hours on this assignment I just settled for what I had available...
Anyways... this is what I have...

Any comments/suggestions/constructive critics are uber welcome!
http://web.me.com/favioangeles/Film_HW/Sequence01.mov

Making a little 1 minute film scene

2010-05-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

At school I had an assignment to design screens that could potentially be used in a film or tv show. I designed the screens and then figured I should go ahead an make a little video where I could use them...

I didn't need to use much props other than an FBI hat which I owned, an iPhone, an HTC phone and my little Master Chief statue... For actors I used my friends from work Mike, Demian and Jasmine. For sound... since I'm not a musician (yet) I borrowed a tune from the last Miami Vice song... and the film is totally drive by the music (I have to say)

You can view the first cut of my video at:
http://web.me.com/favioangeles/Film_HW/Hack_Attempt_Cut1.m4v

...and tonight I'll be polishing it more as it's due on Wednesday night!

I'd appreciate any feedback!

Well, here is my final cut!
http://web.me.com/favioangeles/Film_HW/Hack_Attempt_Final_Cut.m4v

Gustavo Cerati and Soda Stereo

2010-05-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Gustavo Cerati, practically the father of Rock en Espanol suffered from a cardiovascular problem and had brain surgery... the news are sounding very bad... After the surgery the doctors put him into a comma for 72 Hrs in the hopes that he will recover... All the latin american youth is praying and hoping he recovers quickly and fully...
Gustavo Cerati started the most famous rock band of the 80s and 90s: Soda Stereo and since then his legend began.
In my life, Soda Stereo's music is part of me. When I was little I heard it and loved it, when I was a teen I loved it, and not too long ago I saw them in the L.A. concert which was in the Home Depot stadium in a sold out event... then only Stadium concert I've ever been to... and it was the most surreal moments I've had surrounded by thousands of fans singing the songs and dancing and laughing and crying. Total madness...
Last weekend, the news flew all over the web and TV and the latin american youth is in shock... we are living on pause awaiting the Doctor's evaluation of Gustavo... the 72 Hrs os wait time that the Dr. announced are up today... and my prayers and thoughts are for Gustavo to recover and continue creating those amazing songs that are a part of all of us... I have lived, loved, enjoyed, cried, dreamed and slept with Soda Stereo songs and with his new songs as a solo artist... Gustavo is amazing... I hope he fully recovers from this difficult moment... Fuerza Gustavo que toda Latino-America esta con vos!

La Ciudad de La Furia (City of Fury)
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Tratame Suavemente (Treat me Softly)
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Random Love Poem by Me

2010-04-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Drunk in ecstasy
we lost our way
the sound of the crashing waves
echoed while the moonlight
shined in your eyes

We headed home
but it was late and we wandered
into a place deep and silky
wet but warm

the curves in the dark
fast and slow maneuvers
all through the night

The waves kept crashing
against the shore
and the sound of the wind...
or was that your voice...

Microsoft Codename: Dallas

2010-03-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

On my casual web surfing nights, I came across a new Microsoft Project that apparently was presented at the Vegas MIX event... yeah, I couldn't attend this year... again :(

Anyways, what's cool about Dallas is that Microsoft is trying to enhance their SQL reporting engine into generating dynamic graphical maps and pivot tables that are a lot nicer to what they were offering us with Reporting Services. There is a demo page located at: what they call the data grail

Microsoft® Codename "Dallas" is basically a new service allowing developers and information workers to easily discover, purchase, and manage premium data subscriptions in the Windows Azure platform. Dallas is an information marketplace that brings data, imagery, and real-time web services from leading commercial data providers and authoritative public data sources together into a single location, under a unified provisioning and billing framework. Additionally, Dallas APIs allow developers and information workers to consume this premium content with virtually any platform, application or business workflow.

Magic the Gathering

2010-03-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

I have been playing Magic the gathering since 5th Edition came out... shortly after Ice Age... about 20 years later, I'm still kind of hooked to that game. I wonder why is it that I can't get over this card game.
Let's see, I like the strategies you can develop and I enjoy the idea of being a super powerful wizard in some remote galaxy fighting against other wizards...

I guess I've always wanted to try the professional league, but never made the time for it...

SOme of the more interesting designs are: Whispers of the Muse from the Tempest Edition. This card allows you to Draw an Extra Card and has a Buy Back option.

My 2nd Favorite card Art is The Elder Dragon Legend, a multi color card :)

Break up Poem

2010-03-10T23:57:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on this, but basically is a break up poem i wrote for nobody really...
I just want to add music to this, but still needs some work :)
I welcome comments!!!

The night is here
and I feel cold

I get up and there's your photograph
in the same place and everyday
that same look
like a ray of light
When will the wind bring back your fragrance?

Time passes by
and the smile is just not the same
the happy moments pass by like a shooting star
and I find myself painting memories
that are just not there
no-one has a pact with time
nor with the secrets of the heart
and when you disappear
I'd find you in that corner of my room

In the past, present and future
I can't seem to deal with the distance
between us
but I find peace in my room
away from you

Days pass by
I think of you
every thing in its place
it is painful to be away
but I'm in peace.

Gianmarco en Concierto!

2010-03-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

Random thoughts

2010-03-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

I had about 3 hours of sleep last night, and tonight I'm awake... Can't really get to sleep. I was listening to diverse songs, until THE song came up. Across the Ocean by Azure Ray... which simply transports me to a different state of mind. I can't describe... and no, I'm not on drugs =)

First time I heard this song was in the korean drama "The Coffee Prince", one of my favorite shows ever! Have you guys seen this show? I highly recommend it.

Well, this was supposed to be an entry about Art... oh well, instead I'm sharing my state of mind. I apologize for that! haha.

I'll post something fun soon!

Anyways, here are some links about that korean show...

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_1st_Shop_of_Coffee_Prince

and yeah, the official site is in korean:

http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/coffeeprince/specialvod/

in english:

http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/08/coffee-prince-twelfth-cup/

When the earth trembles

2010-02-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

We have been experiencing an unusual amount of Earthquakes...

(Data from the US Geological Survey site)

This is 5 significant earthquakes in what... less than 7 weeks. Being a California Resident... I'm kind of concern because we are due for a major earthquake... if an 8.8 earthquake hits L.A. I just can't imagine what we could do.

That said, I wanted to share the earthquake predictions based on plate activity, etc. for California.

* On March 1st there is a High Probability for an earthquake in East Central California near Bishop.

* On March 2nd there is again a High Probability from Mammoth to Los Angeles/Long Beach/Lompoc.

These predictions are for this Monday and Tuesday, so not to cause panic or anything but is better to be prepared and be aware of what may happen. Have your earthquake packs ready, water stored up, and have an emergency bag all ready to go... you never know...

Well, I hope nothing bad happens to us, and may God Bless America and all the other countries too.

Until next time, eat fruit, be safe and be prepared.

1st Street Food Festival in L.A.

2010-02-14T22:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, On a sunny Saturday afternoon (the 13th of February) the 1st Street Food Fest took place in L.A. downtown and I was there with Jenn and Leo. It was such a fun event! Sure there were long lines under the burning sun, but people kept their spirits up, I made many friends while waiting on line...
I made a little video to share our journey, I hope you enjoy it!

Found a cool song for this approaching valentine's day

2010-02-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

In my weekend roams thru YouTube I came along this young new California artist that had a really great video for her single Valentine. You can find her video on youtube or on her website by clicking on the image above. I encourage you to check out the video... I know... I know... I'll embed the video here too, but trust me... it is a nice soft, relaxing tune that seems to be so authentic and filled with feeling.
Well you guys take care and until my next post.

Sta Monica

2010-02-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

I was walking around Sta Monica while waiting for my car's maintenance... and I found a cool bar (which was closed as it was morning) but its entrance was great so I took a Photograph and I managed to get me in the picture too ;) jaja

Library (a poem)

2010-02-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

Silence. The reading is intense
still books
trapped in brown cells
scream.
A Bubble of concrete
encapsulates the moment
some fall asleep
others just read
in silence...
'Library is closing in fifteen minutes'
the old lady yells
with a non-enthusiastic tone.
Lights go away. Slowly. Noise rises.
The books scream
I remain sit, starring at my watch.
Outside the wind assails
the standing trees and me.
In the darkness I struggle along the path
One hand holds my keys, the other my bag
Silence.

Michael Jackson

2010-02-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

Like many other people I grew up listening to Michael Jackson and rehearsing dances for school in the evenings when I was little =)
Anyways, I was watching the super bowl, found a photo in the web that I thought was okay, and I simply did a couple of things to make it a bit better... nothing great, but I thought I upload it anyways...
Here is before and after.

When did Peru get all fucked up? - Responsabilidad Social Todos

2010-02-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

A video in spanish created by a firm trying to change the mentality of peruvians... I think it is a positive thing, and I can see how most of latin america suffers from similar problems...

I think is very interesting, and I support this positive movement. So... I now insert an X-Ray of the peruvian society...

Huh?

2010-02-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, i went to a Peruvian courier office to send some stuff to Peru... and then I don't know how I ended up designing business cards (front and back) for a mexican man that had a catering service... The design they had done for him was ... I can't describe how bad it was... simply horrible with bright oranges and yellows and big fonts with weird strokes and effects that made it practically impossible to read the information... I couldn't stand it... and I designed their cards apparently for free... but hey, they were very happy and offered my mom a free skin treatment session! good deal for my mom, right? :)

Anyways, here is my design... 2 Hrs... front and back and for the back i probably spent 10 mins... as I was tired... lol

Street Like look

2010-02-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

I gave this a different treatment... I was seeking a rough break dance / bad guys look... and I think I'm pretty close to it...
I was fixing my dentist's personal laptop and scans were taking forever, so I dived into photoshop while listening to some MJ tunes...

Designing for weddings

2010-02-05T23:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't done any wedding art, so this is my warm up... Mike wants something different than this, but I did this just to get in the swing of things... The original was a bit blurry and not straight enough...
If you look closely i turned this into a painting and added some warm filters and removed the lens blur... etc., etc.

Corrosion

2010-02-01T21:15:00.000-08:00