Posted by Raul on April 26, 2011
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1958 Messerschmitt KR200
Are microcars making a comeback?
From the 40’s, and during the 50’s and 60’s there was a full line of manufactures creating all sort of very small, cheap cars. The intention was to reach a market of people who didn’t have the money to buy a “normal” car and to pay for the highly priced fuel in Europe.
These so named microcars were part of the scene in cities and roads of the European world, and some of them even made it to the US. But while fuel prices here were low, and roads long, microcars didn’t stand a chance against the big, luxury local vehicles of the time, so those little examples of basic transportation became simply curious toys, if not the target of all kind of jokes.
"Yes officer, it IS a car!"
Now we are faced with increasing fuel prices and crowded cities, so many people look at European models that might have something to offer for the local roads. So far the VW Beatle made a comeback, together with the Mini (under a different manufacturer), the Smart Car, and now it seems the Fiat 500 will be roaming American roads by 2012.
These are not the same as they used to be of course. These are updated models that meet all the requirements for new cars to be legal in this country, so what once was a small, simple, affordable transport vehicle, has become a luxury; highly technological device that reflects modern’s times.
My 1957 BMW Isetta 300
I’ve always been fascinated by small cars, to the point that I own a little Isetta 300, so when I heard of the Fiat 500 comeback, I had to go and see it with my own eyes.
It was a pleasant surprise to see that little car among the other “monsters” at the showroom. Retaining the simple lines inside and out; small but roomy enough, and even with some luxuries included such as electric sunroof and power windows.
I was ecstatic for the availability of the vehicle in a short time, and even the crazy thought of eventually buying one in the future did cross my mind…until I saw a picture of both; the old and the new Fiat 500 standing side by side.
Fiat 500 "New vs Old"
What happened to the little car concept?!
If you take a look at the picture of both cars, you’ll see that there’s nothing small about the new one, well, in all fairness, the original one was classified as a “microcar” so I guess the new one could still be considered a “small” car. But for someone like me, that like the original concept of the microcar (think of a scooter with a body for rainy days), the excitement of a brand new microcar available for purchase in the present, dissolved like the colors of the picture under a heavy rain, and floating down the street drain it disappeared once more.
I guess is still about restoring the little one to make it shine once again in the presence of others; those who remain in the race of incorporating more and more elements, size and weight, as the way of natural growth nowadays.
So no…microcars are not coming back… 
Raul
(Sigh!)
Posted by Raul on April 19, 2011
A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to visit the Denver Auto Show, and check out the latest additions to the market by the different car manufacturers. It wasn’t the best or more extensive presentation that could be but, hey…it’s Denver, not Paris!
Besides the usual new models that will replace the actual ones now on the road, there were some nicely restored collector cars (two or three), some very aggressively adapted pick up trucks (those you need a ladder to get inside), and a couple of chrome and leather carrying bikes…you know…those that like to imitate thunder in a sunny day.
What surprised me the most was the very commonly added computer screens and extensive array of buttons and controls over the center console in the majority of the vehicles. It seems the convenience of centralizing all kind of information (GPS, vehicle status, environmental information, climate control, music selection, etc) has become the norm for the new models, only denied to those basic and cheaper models of the line. Those vehicles also had several buttons located in the steering wheel to control the stereo and the cruise control system.
Do we read the owner’s manual in every device we buy? At the other hand, is it a car or the Millennium Falcon?
I can understand the need for information; personally I like to know what’s going on with the car at all times while driving, but it seems too much for the majority of trips people make (including myself).
It becomes like a very expensive and technological decoration, to make the car look and the driver feel of driving the “latest”, no matter what it is. Driving around with a very cool screen ON in the center console of the car and a complete array of buttons and knobs, surrounded by a tiny line of neon light: The future is here!
Does anybody use all the possibilities those system gives?
I must admit, it looks pretty futuristic; the perfect console to impress friends, family and sporadic new acquaintances! But the point is; are all these new systems a necessity or just the elements to turn a transport device into a luxury toy that appeals to our child senses? Has it become a way for us to show off when there’s no other element of pride to show?
Do we buy our pride in comfortable monthly payments?
Makes me wonder…
What’s your take on this?
Raul
Posted by Nacho on April 7, 2011
Today, my good friend Ignacio Jordi is visiting this blog, bringing with him his very interesting thoughts that always makes us think and gives us an opportunity to know more about ourselves. If you haven’t visited Nacho at his blog Zerebria, please take some time and stop by to read his timeless and very educative posts.
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Casiotone nostalgia, or the way we learn
Hello everybody, and thank you once again Raul for letting me show up at your wonderful blog; I’m honored of being a guest here in Alien Ghost, for sure one of the friendliest aliens on this side of the galaxy! 
My article today is about learning. I hope you find it enjoyable.
Some of you may remember it; in my country it got to be sort of a symbol of the 80′s, one of those many objects from that decade which have become a dear memory. The Casiotone PT-1 was not longer than a laptop screen, its keys were so tiny that they were almost square, and it had a very recognizable rhythm that was sort of its anthem (too-kee-too-kee-too-kee-too-too-too-kee-too-kee-too-kee…)
That cute and comic electric keyboard was my first one, the instrument that introduced me, and many people in my generation, to the delights of playing music.
But the Casiotone PT-1 had one more feature, the one I want to focus on: it was monochannelled. In other words, it only allowed you to play one note at a time; no sound appeared when you pressed a second key unless you released the former first.
Now you might say it was a limitation rather than a feature, but try and see it through the eyes of a kid who is approaching for the first time the world of music, of making music. Fascinated, I practiced every catchy tune I could think of, in the mood of someone who disassembles a toy to see what’s inside.
Obviously, you need no more than one hand to play a single note, so I could help myself with the other hand when I had to play something that was fast or tricky, and the result was always gratifying. I used to practice over and over until the notes came perfect. The only variation factor I was allowed was the four different instrument sounds to play with.
I did not know it at the time, but it turned out to be a perfectly natural introduction to music. A succession of single notes, one at a time, is what in musical theory is called a melody. And melody is the skeleton of any musical education, the first thing that humans tried out when they intended to make pretty sounds.
So the limitation imposed by the instrument kindly forced me to train myself in the basics of music; all my attention was focused on the melody, and the quality of sound. There was nothing else to care for.
That way, when, later on, I moved to a new, more potent keyboard, which allowed simultaneous channels (I think they were four), I was ready for the new challenge ahead: simultaneity of notes. Harmony. My next step, then, was fleshing out the melodies I had learned; to my surprise, I discovered that any song allowed a lot of possible ‘dressings’, the choice was not limited to finding a single ‘right one’. My research took me to new stages, to more complex ‘toys’, as I started to try out different chords and series…
Learning is the process of practicing an ability under controlled circumstances. The first surfing lesson is taken on land. The skilled spokesman records himself at home, with no people round, to see how he looks and sounds. The child gets familiar with the bike using small supporting wheels before heading for the challenge of balance on only two…Sometimes I wonder if I would have learned music the way I did if my first keyboard had been one of those high-tech monsters around in our days. I’m no specialist, maybe there are still monochanelled beauties out there, but the mainstream seems to be dominated by keyboards with zillions of instruments and virtually no channel limitation, where pressing the demo button bursts into a Sting song or a Wagner, loud as hell.
Maybe I would have learned just the same, but I would have had to figure out the ‘chunks’, the limitations by myself. So my conclusions are: 1) learning is one of those fields in which less is more, and 2) when trying to help someone learn, removing options is not imposing a handicap; it is being considerate.
Can you think of other examples of learning under controlled circumstances? Do you impose yourself limitations to help you learn something? Ever had a Casiotone PT-1?
Nacho Jordi is a psychologist and translator who lives in Madrid (Spain). He is the author of the Zerebria blog, where he offers tips and hints for personal development and conscious living, besides all kind of contemporary musings.
Posted by Raul on April 4, 2011
So tired, so sleepy! She couldn’t keep up for the long term ahead and instead simply felt asleep over the tasks that had to be completed. Tomorrow will be another day, she said to herself; tomorrow everything will look different and from a new perspective, when better rested.
The scent of the words printed below involved her, while she enjoyed her dreams of peaceful rest and final abandonment. Surrounded by the knowledge, the ideas and the projections that could be extracted from the scent, she rested completely unaware of the changes already happening inside her head.
All she read, all she imagined, all she thought, everything was already inside her head, moving, forming new shapes out of the original created at the time of insertion. Every new knowledge that found home in her brain was morphing into a new concept, at the time it found connection with whatever knowledge, thought or idea was to be found already there.
Dreams!
She rested, she dreamed, then she grew up a little more. Good night little one! Have a pleasant rest and a wonderful awakening! You’ll be a little bit different tomorrow!
Raul
