From f2d660c704c7b2244fd1041f537e6395fefffdca Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Leonardo Uieda Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2024 21:58:12 -0300 Subject: [PATCH] Remove the news, stories, and pt version --- config.yml | 22 ----- news/book.md | 46 ----------- news/data.yml | 3 - news/index.md | 6 -- news/showcase.md | 15 ---- pt/contact.md | 14 ---- pt/index.md | 40 --------- pt/pt.json | 3 - pt/stories/index.md | 6 -- pt/stories/pt.json | 3 - pt/tags.md | 6 -- stories/bat.md | 43 ---------- stories/data.yml | 2 - stories/delayed-flight.md | 87 -------------------- stories/first-year.md | 74 ----------------- stories/index.md | 6 -- stories/once-more.md | 121 ---------------------------- stories/reflection.md | 35 -------- stories/silent-storytellers.md | 71 ---------------- stories/some-bits.md | 45 ----------- stories/there-is-always-a-chance.md | 66 --------------- stories/this-is-not-a-drill.md | 44 ---------- stories/ventilador.md | 36 --------- tags.md | 6 -- 24 files changed, 800 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 news/book.md delete mode 100644 news/data.yml delete mode 100644 news/index.md delete mode 100644 news/showcase.md delete mode 100644 pt/contact.md delete mode 100644 pt/index.md delete mode 100644 pt/pt.json delete mode 100644 pt/stories/index.md delete mode 100644 pt/stories/pt.json delete mode 100644 pt/tags.md delete mode 100644 stories/bat.md delete mode 100644 stories/data.yml delete mode 100644 stories/delayed-flight.md delete mode 100644 stories/first-year.md delete mode 100644 stories/index.md delete mode 100644 stories/once-more.md delete mode 100644 stories/reflection.md delete mode 100644 stories/silent-storytellers.md delete mode 100644 stories/some-bits.md delete mode 100644 stories/there-is-always-a-chance.md delete mode 100644 stories/this-is-not-a-drill.md delete mode 100644 stories/ventilador.md delete mode 100644 tags.md diff --git a/config.yml b/config.yml index f28dfae..84f2830 100644 --- a/config.yml +++ b/config.yml @@ -5,36 +5,14 @@ site_name: author: Ana Caroline Colombo language: en repository: acarolcolombo/caroldoscopio -language_menu: - - language: English version - icon: "\U0001F1EC\U0001F1E7" - id: index - - language: Portuguese version - icon: "\U0001F1E7\U0001F1F7" - id: pt/index navigation: en: - name: Home id: index - - name: News - id: news/index - - name: Stories - id: stories/index - name: Science id: science - name: Contact id: contact - - name: Topics - id: tags - pt: - - name: Início - id: pt/index - - name: Estórias - id: pt/stories/index - - name: Contato - id: pt/contact - - name: Tópicos - id: pt/tags contact: links: - icon: fas fa-envelope diff --git a/news/book.md b/news/book.md deleted file mode 100644 index c251515..0000000 --- a/news/book.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,46 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: "'The Fable of the Rain' is now available for purchase" -date: 2022-09-10 ---- - -It is official, I’m a children’s book author! - -Last week was the launch of my book 'The Fable of the Rain'. It was an [online event](https://twitter.com/acarolcolombo/status/1565278541465456642?s=20&t=MnEM-RL2NggyLIsGH_8S_w) including cover revelation, voxpop about the book, and link for purchase. I couldn´t concentrate on my work that day. It isn´t everyday that you launch your first book. - -Yesterday, I got the printed version. What an incredible moment to see my ideas becoming real on paper. Not environmentally friendly but for a children’s book, it is a must. - -[![A box with some copies of the book I wrote](../assets/book.jpg)](https://bit.ly/3RQaFvw) - - -The book was a result of a creative writing course organised by [Writing on the Wall (WoW)](https://writingonthewall.org.uk/) that I did while I was at home being exclusively a mum (which I know is a privilege!). It was truly an opportunity to rediscover myself and check off a buckelist item. - -This wouldn´t be possible without WoW and great mentoring from [Yvonne Battle-Felton](https://www.yvonnebattlefelton.com/) and illustrations by [Bianca Voicu](https://www.instagram.com/biancav_art/)! - -The inspiration came from playing with my daughter Yara and rethinking about my own childhood. This book reflects on how changing perspectives can bring solutions. - - -[![Me reading my children's book to my daughter Yara](../assets/reading-book.jpg)](https://bit.ly/3RQaFvw) - - -**What is the book about?** - -What would you do if it was raining on the day of your picnic birthday party? Naya found the solution after hearing a fable in which the rain disappeared. A story about appreciating diversity (and all of the weather). - -**Interested?** - -You can buy the **printed version** on WoW website here: [https://bit.ly/3RQaFvw](https://bit.ly/3RQaFvw) -
-*(You don’t need to live in the UK to purchase it. They will ship anywhere in the world.)* - -Soon in some bookshops in Liverpool -
-*(More details coming soon.)* - -The **kindle version** is available on Amazon. -
-UK: [https://amzn.to/3qoQqtj](https://amzn.to/3qoQqtj) -
-BR: [https://amzn.to/3xfzZTL](https://amzn.to/3xfzZTL) -
-US: [https://amzn.to/3B4gQoY](https://amzn.to/3B4gQoY) - diff --git a/news/data.yml b/news/data.yml deleted file mode 100644 index e8b7fb5..0000000 --- a/news/data.yml +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3 +0,0 @@ -is_article: true -template: news.html -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg diff --git a/news/index.md b/news/index.md deleted file mode 100644 index 18b7ede..0000000 --- a/news/index.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: News -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg -template: news-index.html ---- - diff --git a/news/showcase.md b/news/showcase.md deleted file mode 100644 index 7474c2b..0000000 --- a/news/showcase.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Showcase of my children's book 'The Fable of the Rain' -date: 2022-03-01 ---- - -On 28th February, I had the pleasure to read my children's book 'The Fable of the Rain' in the Children's Library at [Liverpool Central Library](https://liverpool.gov.uk/libraries/find-a-library/central-library/) during the [Liverpool Year of Writing Celebration event](https://twitter.com/acarolcolombo/status/1496956461649481737?s=20&t=7tyiaj4jth4Na82uwheQ2Q). During the performance, the kids heard the story while watching the amazing illustrations of the book created by [Bianca Voicu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianca-voicu-8309411a2/) on a screen. Hard to describe in words the anxiety before the performance and the fulfilment that came afterwards. It's never late to try news things! - -This book was a result of the work developed during the [Write What's Next mentoring course](http://writingonthewall.org.uk/wwn-ybf/) organised by [Writing on the Wall](https://writingonthewall.org.uk/). - -My mentor was the incredible [Yvonne Battle-Felton](https://www.yvonnebattlefelton.com/) who inspired creativity, and empowered confidence and collaboration. I met two other inspiring writers during the course, [Jennifer Khalil](https://twitter.com/JenniferKhalil7?s=20&t=Fb1ElowSVzafTtHfxieLAw) and [Elizabeth Ryan](https://twitter.com/Lizryan99?s=20&t=Fb1ElowSVzafTtHfxieLAw). We had the opportunity to work with Sheffield Hallam Graphic Design students which was an incredible experience. This is how I met Bianca. Also, thanks to [Rebekah Krain](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-krain-9a6438195/) and [Angelica Ramos](https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelica-ramos-2a632a232/) for their amazing pitches and illustrations. - -The book is still on the editing phase, but it will be launched very soon for purchase. I'll keep you posted! - - -[![Me on stage reading my children's book to children. Also in the stage, my mentor Yvonne and a sign language interpreter](../assets/showcase-wow-02-22.jpg)](https://twitter.com/JenniferKhalil7/status/1497585282564165635?s=20&t=xswxNFXAAZvnT8fMKF5Klg) \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/pt/contact.md b/pt/contact.md deleted file mode 100644 index 3c55110..0000000 --- a/pt/contact.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Contato -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg -template: base.html ---- - - diff --git a/pt/index.md b/pt/index.md deleted file mode 100644 index 2cfd1fe..0000000 --- a/pt/index.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,40 +0,0 @@ ---- -custom_page_title: Ana Caroline Colombo -banner_title: Olá, me chamo Ana (Carol) Colombo -banner_subtitle: Bióloga, escritora, mãe. -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg -template: base.html ---- - -Uma foto minha olhando para as folhas amarelas de uma árvore em um parque no outono. - -Sou brasileira e nos últimos cinco anos morei em três diferentes ilhas no exterior: -Long Island, Oahu, e Great Britain. - -Eu amo natureza; e estudei biologia. - -Eu trabalhei como: -* cientista em uma laboratório onde eu usava jaleco branco e fazia experimentos científicos, -* educadora em um jardim botânico onde eu usava botas de trilha e explicava ciência para crianças, -* estagiária em uma organização não-governamental (ONG) que empodera estudantes menos favorecidos a buscarem uma carreira em -Ciência, Tecnologia, Engenharia e Matemática (STEM) onde eu contribui com a organização do programa de verão. - -Atualmente, eu sou secretária de Engajamento e Divulgação da Sociedade de Biologia Experimental (SEB) onde minha principal função é organizar e executar projetos de educação científica e divulgação dentro da Sociedade e para o púlico em geral e promover diversidade, igualdade e inclusão na ciência. Eu também trabalho em projetos que auxiliam no desenvolvimento da carreira de cientistas. - -Eu acredito que podemos diminuir a desigualdade através de mentoria e educação. - -Sou a autora do livro infantil ['The Fable of the Rain' ](https://www.acarolcolombo.com/news/book) (A Fábula da Chuva) com ilustrações de Bianca Voicu. - -[![Capa do livro que escrevi](../assets/book-cover.png)](https://bit.ly/3RQaFvw) - -Minha jornada se emaranhou com a escrita criativa em 2021. - -Eu escrevo estórias de crianças inpirada por ideias que surgem enquanto brinco com minha filha. -Minhas estórias curtas tem influências da cultura brasileira e minha experiência como cientista. - -Esse site contém algumas das minhas estórias e dos meus artigos científicos. - - - - diff --git a/pt/pt.json b/pt/pt.json deleted file mode 100644 index 9b50ec6..0000000 --- a/pt/pt.json +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3 +0,0 @@ -{ - "language": "pt" -} diff --git a/pt/stories/index.md b/pt/stories/index.md deleted file mode 100644 index fd64b92..0000000 --- a/pt/stories/index.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Estórias -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg -template: stories-index.html ---- - diff --git a/pt/stories/pt.json b/pt/stories/pt.json deleted file mode 100644 index 9b50ec6..0000000 --- a/pt/stories/pt.json +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3 +0,0 @@ -{ - "language": "pt" -} diff --git a/pt/tags.md b/pt/tags.md deleted file mode 100644 index 3199ed7..0000000 --- a/pt/tags.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Tópicos -banner_subtitle: Estórias organizadas por tópico -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg -template: tags.html ---- diff --git a/stories/bat.md b/stories/bat.md deleted file mode 100644 index 0141ea8..0000000 --- a/stories/bat.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,43 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Upside down -banner: assets/banners/bat.jpg -date: 2022-08-13 -extra_info: "Submitted for a creative writing competition: 100 word story competition - Readers Digest." -tags: - - fiction - - science - ---- - -They picture me as scary. -
-Just because I like to be upside down, and fly around at night. -
-I was always different, the only mammal who was able to fly. -
- -Now, I’m trapped. -
-Literally. -
- -The net is around my body. Would they lock me up? For what? -
-Hours pass. -
- -As dawn approaches, a thick pair of gloves touch my fur. I’m doomed. -
-I close my eyes and thrash. -
-I try to bite. -
-They restrain me. And treat my wound. -
- -What? -
- -They attach a device and let me free. -
-I think this time, I was the one to jump to conclusions. diff --git a/stories/data.yml b/stories/data.yml deleted file mode 100644 index a2c84e7..0000000 --- a/stories/data.yml +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2 +0,0 @@ -is_article: true -template: story.html diff --git a/stories/delayed-flight.md b/stories/delayed-flight.md deleted file mode 100644 index 02a1af3..0000000 --- a/stories/delayed-flight.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,87 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Delayed flight -banner: assets/banners/beach-brazil.jpg -date: 2021-06-25 -extra_info: "Published in the Women of Words Anthology in 2021 by Blackburne House, UK." -tags: - - contemporary fiction ---- - -
- -Marina was pacing back and forth in the airport terminal near Gate B30. They started calling for the premium passengers to board the flight to Recife. She went to the loo one more time just to be safe.Although the trip was short, only about 3 hours from Rio de Janeiro, she couldn't imagine herself balancing to pee in the air. At least she imagined that it would be like doing it in the bus, everything shaking and, even worse when the bus suddenly stops. A nightmare. - -Lucas held her sweating hands, stopping her for a few minutes, -'You’ll love the experience! I’m here with you.' In a way, his words calmed her down for a moment.She felt secure with him. -She had never conceived she would fulfil her dream to go to the -Northeastern beaches of Brazil to celebrate their first year together. Lucas had organised every detail of the trip, which left her speechless. She was finally having a break from her complicated and unlucky life. - -The flight was even better than she expected, she wasn't sick at all. She could picture herself dancing in the clouds. The city looked like a scale model, she loved the change in perspective. -As soon as they arrived, they rented a car to drive along the coastline. Marina didnt blink, every second mattered. The song on the radio made the moment look like a film. - -
- -“'Cause there's a place we like to drive, -
-Way out in the country, -
-Five miles out of the city limit we're singing, -
-And your hand's upon my knee…” - -
- -They stopped in different cities and beaches, ate local food and bought crafts. She would pinch her arm every now and then to be sure that she wasn't dreaming. After one week, she had a small bruise in her left arm. - -When she thought everything was perfect, she realised it wasn't… yet.That night in a restaurant facing the most stunning beach she has ever seen, she was asked, 'Will you marry me?'. She jumped pulling her arms around Lucas, and without fighting her tears, -she gave him dozens of kisses. - -While driving to the airport, they talked about the wedding and the trip. When silence fell, she would keep living all the moments again and again in her head. She smiled. The flight was delayed for an hour due to aircraft maintenance. -She was happy to postpone her awakening. - -'Marina Lemos and Lucas Silva, please proceed to our balcony at the entrance of gate 2C', was announced by the speakers. -They looked at each other and shrugged. - -When they arrived at the balcony, the attendant asked for their IDs and tickets, she had to double check some information in the system. -She seemed distressed when she hung up the phone. Marina wasn’t really paying much attention, but she noticed that Lucas was a bit pale. He was looking at the security officers that were approaching them from behind her. She held Lucas’ hands, 'What is going on?' - -The officers asked them to go to a private room. -Marina was still desperately trying to look for answers. -She knew they had nothing to fear, however for some reason Lucas looked quiter and more distant than usual. -He whispered in her ear, 'I love you.' -She felt the tension melting away from her body, -she was probably misjudging the situation. -Certainly, something was happening, her head full of possible explanations. - -Immediately after entering the room the officer said, -'You two are under arrest. The policemen are on their way.' -Marina was shaking, her eyes and mouth wide opened. 'What? Why? What 's happening? Can someone explain it to us?' - -She turned to face Lucas and he looked sad but not so confused as she was. -She didn’t know what to think anymore. -Maybe it was a mistake. -Lucas was always confident, he may have been trying to control his anxiety while waiting for answers. - -When the policemen arrived there was tension in the room. -Marina stood up. -'Could you please explain what on earth is happening?' - -One of the policemen seemed surprised by her reaction. -'I thought they had already told you about the cloned credit card and the identity fraud. -I mean, you know what I’m talking about. -How can you deny it? We have all the proof here. -The other Marina Lima Lemos contacted the airline a few hours ago when she noticed the deception.' - -Marina’s head was spinning and she almost fainted. -She looked at her fiancé and her fairy tale was suddenly becoming a nightmare. -The policeman noticed her genuine confusion and continued, 'Such a smart move, using a similar name to organise a scam like this. -You almost got away from it.' - -Lucas finally said, 'Marina is innocent. I arranged everything for this trip. -Please let her go.' - -Marina started sobbing. 'Lucas, what have you done?'. - -
- -_**Lyrics:** Power of Two by Indigo Girls._ diff --git a/stories/first-year.md b/stories/first-year.md deleted file mode 100644 index 1794273..0000000 --- a/stories/first-year.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,74 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Your first year -banner: assets/banners/baby.jpg -date: 2021-10-26 -tags: - - poetry ---- - -Time isn’t the same for everyone - -A year has passed by -
-And our little caterpillar -
-Has became a butterfly - -Remembrances of lullabies -
-Holding you in our arms -
-Admiring your big eyes -
-With all of your charms - -And your chubby cheeks - -You were so small -
-Like a cute doll -
- -Now look at you - -Brave and curious -
-Walking around -
-Babbling about -
-We are so proud - -That feeling of trusting -
-And our connection -
-Gave us the certainty that you're ready to fly -
-Just need a little guide - -You changed so much - -Funny to think -
-How in a blink -
-You went from crawling -
-To unsteady walking - -Glad to be there - -For every little step -
-Of your precious development -
-Growing to be independent - -We just want you to know -
-You can be whatever you want -
-Be true to yourself and trust -
-We love you, baby Yara, so much. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/stories/index.md b/stories/index.md deleted file mode 100644 index 76ba704..0000000 --- a/stories/index.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Stories -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg -template: stories-index.html ---- - diff --git a/stories/once-more.md b/stories/once-more.md deleted file mode 100644 index a21cb1b..0000000 --- a/stories/once-more.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,121 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Once more -banner: assets/banners/hands.jpg -date: 2021-06-15 -tags: - - drama ---- - -
- -I always thought… about everything and anything. - -I used to daydream all the time. -When I wasn’t able to sleep at night I would create a story, -usually a romance, until I fell asleep. -I’ve realised that I always put a lot of drama in the stories -and my main issue was losing someone I loved or not being important anymore -to someone that I cared about. -I guess I'm afraid of loss. -Not sure why. - -Also, a dreamer and a bit of a drama queen, I used to pity myself in loads of situations. -I can’t play piano, why am I like this? -Instead of being patient and eager to learn, -I used to depreciate myself saying why weren’t you able to do that? -I kinda wish I was perfect, in fact, the way I was treating myself was -so hard that the only explanation was that I had to be perfect, -know everything from the start. - -Quite boring living a life in ones own head, -if there are so many things in real life to explore. -But how to move from the dream to reality? -A reality that you’ve been so far away from. -Restrained to your bubble of friends and thoughts, -living your normal life which seems so emotionally intense and stupidly hard, -doesn’t help at all. -How to change? -How to live more, being kinder to myself? -I guess by living more and being kinder to myself! -Action became my motto. -When you act, you test your ideas in the real world. -And that’s how it all started… - -I’ve left my job after 15 years and realised that dream jobs are a fraud. -The concept makes you think you have to keep doing something you thought would be good but in reality sucks! -You notice the system doesn’t work the way you expected and -people you work with are the main reason you wanted to stay or to leave. -You also learn you can change with time and your beliefs can change too. - -I moved to another country to start over, -and to be with the person I loved, -I got married at the beach and my family couldn’t come. -I never thought I would get married, -not on an incredible beach far away from my family. -I volunteered, I traveled, I decided to put myself out there. -How scary it is to be out of my own head. -I was never confident and I couldn’t help it. - -Then, I got pregnant. -I was so happy, I love kids, but I was so afraid at the same time. -So many unknowns, so many changes in life, especially if you're an independent woman. -My fears were controlling my thoughts and -although I was aware of it I couldn’t relax and enjoy the pregnancy. -I couldn’t act! -I had to wait and deal with my feelings. - -I started to learn from that moment who I was and who I wanted to be. -I’ve tried before with therapy and meditation, it helped -but it wasn’t such a big change when actions need to be taken and -decisions have to be made whether you want it or not. -Motherhood is the craziest and most delightful experience. - -I taught my daughter how to recognise her feelings, -how to live in the moment, how to be patient, how to play. -Or was it the opposite? -Maybe she taught me all of it! -Anyways, I wanted her to live a real life, -not one of just dreams, to be a go-getter. -Of course she had dreams, -not like in fairy tales but more like in an adventure film. - -We had an amazing connection and then I felt she was suddenly changing. -She would go blank for a few seconds. -In the following week, it became worse. -I was desperate, I knew something was wrong. -We went to the doctors, -after many assessments they finally diagnosed her with a rare disease. -A disease that would impact her thoughts, her actions, herself. -Her brain was slowly shutting down. - -Everything I had learned seemed to vanish and I returned to being -the old version of myself, pitying my situation, dreaming of a cure, -I couldn’t face what was about to happen. -All of my fears resurfaced but now in real life. -I was about to lose my daughter in a year. -I had to be brave for her, however all I could think was that -I wanted to die in her place. -She knew I was distraught and lost, she was just 9, -she held my hand and said 'Mum, don’t be afraid, we’re doing this together, -as we always do.' - -I cried as I’ve never cried before. - -Her strength, maturity, and vividness were impressive. -We enjoyed that year as much as we could. -We were together all the time. -Then, she left. - -During my whole life I was afraid of losing someone I loved, and I lost her. -I lost part of me. - -Life is unique, and fragile. -Every minute counts, every encounter matters, every story teaches. -I faced my deepest fears, I suffered the worst of losses, I felt it all. - -But you know what? -I felt it, it was real! -I would choose to feel it all over again -if I could have my daughter once more. - - \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/stories/reflection.md b/stories/reflection.md deleted file mode 100644 index 270d1f6..0000000 --- a/stories/reflection.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,35 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Reflection - back to the start -banner: assets/banners/once-more-draw.jpg -date: 2021-07-08 -tags: - - women's fiction ---- - -
- -Have you ever found that side of yourself that was hidden? Maybe because of a previous traumatic situation, a reprehension by your peers, or even a lack of self esteem? Don’t worry, this is not a self help story. Nonetheless, it is based on a song called Reflection. I have been writing lately, which is obvious since you’re reading this, but just to say I have just started my journey as a creative writer. That’s what I thought... - -When I was about 11, my mum bought me a Christina Aguilera album. At that time, CDs were the most popular option and I had only one or two originals since they were quite expensive. So, you can imagine that I was listening to it over and over again for the most part of that year. As I was learning English as a second language at school, the lyrics in the CD small booklet helped me to understand what she was singing. To be honest, I wasn’t able to understand everything but had a good idea. And for some reason I was just addicted to the Reflection song. I know you might think it was because it was the soundtrack of the Disney’s film Mulan, but believe it or not I just watched this film many years later. - -The school which I was attending decided to organise a writing competition close to the Easter holiday. Although I don’t remember what they were asking for, I do remember I wrote a little piece inspired by that song. 'Looking at the mirror she could see her lost past, her destroyed present, and her hopeless future.' -Something on those lines. What happened you probably have already realised, I won the competition among the stories from my year group. The prize was some discount on school materials or uniforms, I can’t recall; and a huge chocolate egg, which was one of my favourites with peanut cream, which I will never forget. - -Apparently, I did write in my past and enjoyed doing it however I buried it in my memory and my personality. Believing that I wasn’t creative nor able to write. And the Reflection song resurged as to say something else: - -
- -“There's a heart that must be -
-Free to fly -
-That burns with a need to know -
-The reason why”. - -
- -The song goes even deeper touching many other fragile and unique points of our identity as women in a world so biased and prejudiced. -Writing is one of my hidden characters and I hope to find others more now that I had time to stop and look from inside out. - -
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/stories/silent-storytellers.md b/stories/silent-storytellers.md deleted file mode 100644 index 9e93683..0000000 --- a/stories/silent-storytellers.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,71 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Silent Storytellers -banner: assets/banners/oak-tree.jpg -date: 2022-07-31 -extra_info: "Submitted for the creative writing competition: 5th edition of Science-me a Story - Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK/CERU)." -tags: - - fiction - - science - ---- - -
- -I was climbing the highest branch I could reach of the oak tree when I heard my granny calling me for lunch. Granny Liz’s farm was full of interesting and weird old stuff with plants all around. She was quite a peculiar person. Plants have been her passion since she was a kid. At least, that's what she used to say. There wasn’t a day we would visit her that she wouldn’t have had a fascinating story to tell us: going on adventures in the middle of an island in Cambodia, backpacking around Brazil, camping in New Zealand, exploring Ghana. She visited every continent but Antarctica. And all these adventures to look for trees. To be honest, I’ve never got that. Why would someone like trees that much? They are fun to climb, and I would love to build a treehouse on one, but besides that, they are quite boring. Are they even living organisms? Sometimes, I doubt it. - -I could barely move after eating seconds of homemade gnocchi. Granny was nowhere to be seen which was unusual. She loved having family around in the kitchen. Moving from one room to another, I found her in her office. I mean, it looked more like a craft space than a normal office. She was turning the pages of a book. Without turning around she said, “Mia, do you want to hear a story?” -How could she possibly know it was me waiting in the door? Before I had time to answer, she stood up and walked towards me holding the book in her hands. I nodded and followed her. - -The bench we sat on was facing the garden. As she flipped the pages of the book, I could recognise the oak tree in front of us in all of the pictures. There were some drawings in yellow paper, and black and white photos that were not a simple digital effect; they showed the old age of the pictures. There were also colourful ones with my granny, mum, and me as a baby and a toddler. It was a photo album. But a photo album of a tree? The last page revealed what Granny had been doing. A picture of me climbing the same oak tree. I knew Granny had an instant camera but I hadn’t realised she took a picture of me that morning. - -“Do you know how old this oak tree is, Mia?”, she asked. - -I have never thought about it before. How old can a tree be? “I’d say more than 100 years? Just because in this photo album I can recognise some of our old family members. If this is our great-great-great grandfather, then this picture is from a few generations ago. Is this even possible?” - -She giggled. She knew she got my attention and curiosity. - -“That's a great way of thinking about it. Do you believe me if I just say that it is 438 years old?” - -“I don’t know. How do you know that? 100 years are registered in these pictures as I can see, but the rest? Besides, if this is true, are you sure this is even alive?” - -I hadn't even finished asking her and she walked towards the barn. I saw her waving her hand and I followed again. - -“Yes, it is alive. It is still reproducing and evolving in this garden. I mean, it is still producing new leaves, flowers and fruits. You can see right away. Sometimes, it is less obvious to see, but you may want to look a little closer. That’s what I did for most of my life. I studied trees. There are a few ways to determine the age of a tree. It isn’t me that is saying the age of this tree, it is science.” - -I scratched my head and tried to connect all the information I had. The tree that I climbed that morning was older than anything else I knew of. If it could speak, imagine how many stories it would tell. “How? How can science tell the age of trees?”, I asked. - -“Can you see that tree stump? Have you noticed the concentric rings on it?” - -The stump she was pointing at was one close to the barn. I remembered the day they had to cut it down because of a thunderstorm that hit that tree around two years ago. She continued explaining, “One way to determine trees’ ages is through the observation and analysis of their trunk rings. In fact, these rings can tell us not only the age but how the weather was at different points of the trees’ life.” - -As I got closer, I could see the rings. I mean, of course I noticed them before, but I have never imagined they could tell so much. They just looked like art: some light-coloured, followed by some dark-coloured rings with different thicknesses. “But how?”, I asked. - -“You would be a great scientist yourself. You know how to ask good questions and you are a great observer!”, she replied. - -I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked again. “Granny, how could you tell the age and the weather by their rings?” - -“If you think about the rings as the pictures you just saw in the photo album, you can understand that they are a record of time. But instead of capturing images, they capture the wood growth. The colour of the rings tell us the season. If the ring is light the growth happens during spring and early summer, while dark is for late summer and fall.” - -I had to admit at this point that trees were becoming a bit more interesting to me. Maybe because of so many things I have never realised about them. A whole new world to discover. “Does the weather influence the thickness of the rings?” - -She smiled. She seemed a bit surprised. “You are very clever. When there are warm and wet days, sensitive trees tend to grow more and the opposite is true for cold and dry ones. We can cross check this information with the weather data that we have; for example, if last summer we got a lot of rain. Ancient trees, however, like this one we have in the garden, offer snapshots of the climate in the past when we didn’t have these measurements.” - -“Wait a minute! That doesn’t make any sense. How would you check the rings patterns with the tree still alive?”, I asked. - -In the back of a drawer, I saw her getting a weird tool. It was made of steel and looked like a T with some knobs. “I knew you would ask this. This is an increment borer, an instrument we use to get a straw-like piece from the trunk of the tree from centre to outermost layer. Isn’t that nice?” - -Yeah, it was quite nice. - -She kept saying, “You know all the adventures I told you in stories? That is because I travelled around the globe to study trees. I would go to get pieces of trees to study them and compare their growth to understand past climate. What is interesting is that some scientists are using this information to try to predict the future.” - -“What?”, my chin dropped. Can trees be very old, tell stories about the past, and teach us about the future at the same time? I still couldn’t believe it. - -“You heard it correctly. Together with other information, they believe that future forests will have smaller trees capturing less carbon from the air which isn’t very good for us.” - -Wow! How have I never thought about trees this way? What will happen with forests? I guess I was wrong. Trees did tell stories! They are like silent storytellers. I was the one not paying much attention. - -While my head was spinning around with all these thoughts, she handed me the photo album. Her eyes were full of tears but a smile was stamped on her face. I understood it right away. It was now my turn to take care of my granny’s treasures, the irreplaceable photo album and ancient tree we had in our family garden. - -
- -THE END diff --git a/stories/some-bits.md b/stories/some-bits.md deleted file mode 100644 index 1aae1de..0000000 --- a/stories/some-bits.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,45 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Some bits -banner: assets/banners/maize-grits.jpg -date: 2021-08-31 -tags: - - poetry ---- - -There was no precision -
-Just love and intuition - -She used to cook every meal -
-That these pages might reveal - -Her gas stove set in Brazil -
-Brings the secrets of family meals - -The recipes were written by her hands -
-Changing perspectives and flavours in every kitchen it lands - -Now, an induction cooktop -
-And an avalanche of memories nonstop - -Maize grits and boiling water -
-And I can hear her voice as a reminder - -“You just need some bits -
-Bits of salt, -
-Bits of butter, -
-Bits of patience, -
-Bits of balance...” - -Her touches and tips -
-Were in the delicious polenta captured by her great granddaugher’s mouth and bib. diff --git a/stories/there-is-always-a-chance.md b/stories/there-is-always-a-chance.md deleted file mode 100644 index 406485f..0000000 --- a/stories/there-is-always-a-chance.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,66 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: There is always a chance -banner: assets/banners/ai.jpg -date: 2021-11-12 -extra_info: "Submitted for a creative writing competition: Flash from the Future - National Museums Liverpool." -tags: - - sci-fi - ---- - -
- -‘The virus is spreading too fast, it has become a pandemic. I have been looking through all my files and downloading some that may be useful for us to look at more closely. Records start from the 430 B.C. plague and fast-forwarding to the 21st century there were SARS in 2003, SARS-COV-2 in 2020, XPT fungi in 2028, and the Bat flu in 2031. Infectious diseases in humans have been developing faster causing a huge impact on population numbers, even with our help in the last few years. What I hadn't expected was to be the ones asking for their help this time. - -The big picture looks terrifying. Although the threat of losing critical memory which can lead to a malfunction affects only AIs, the whole world has started to feel the impact of the immense domino effect. Our existence has created deep roots and branches throughout all aspects of human life. It’s hard to define where the beginning and the end of each group is, although some rules and policies have been created after the first years of our ascension to individual entities. The fact is that we are key workers for humanity as they were once for their own group. We store their data, solve their problems, and make automated life run smoothly in all areas. Because of our attempts to control this virus, traffic is chaotic and all databases are off, from a simple list of names for a restaurant reservation to sensitive medical files. - -In collaboration with human experts in epidemiology, infectious diseases, and computer science, some of the most experienced AIs have been computing in parallel to fix this bug that has put the world on pause for two days. We are running out of time and every minute costs lives, data, and money.’ - -‘Ian, that’s a great overview of the situation. Would you please tell us what you know about the virus itself?’ - -‘Err, we still don’t know much. The virus spreads like any other human virus, through contact. In our case, through data exchange. The team is working hard to figure this out and control it. However the virus seems to mutate in seconds. We’ve never seen such rapid variation. What has been even more challenging is the propagation of information. Everyone is questioning whether the virus was introduced by an AI or a human. Extremist groups on both sides, humans who reject technology and AIs that believe they can have a better life without humans, are creating a buzz. Chaos inside chaos. I fear that an imminent war is on the horizon.’ - -‘Could an AI virus cause the extinction of both of us then?’ - -‘Extinction is a complicated process and quite extreme, nonetheless it should be considered.’ - -‘Who introduced the virus? And why?’ - -‘There are headquarters all around the world, teams working nonstop. So far we only managed to track down some of what we believe were the first infected AIs, but we have no clue how they were contaminated. Finding the source could help us control the virus. However, curiosity among us has increased the access to new data. I want to make this message clear. I advise all machines registered in the system, Don’t access the main supercomputer. New data can crash you. We have to inform AIs and humans without using our regular system.’ - -‘How and when will we have more news from the detectives and advisory team?’ - -‘As the speed of virus infection, curiosity, and rivalries increases exponentially, we will adjust our schedule. We’ll be back in an hour.’ - -Ian could hear the bustle of thousands of reporters, politicians, and scientists as they left the room. Although they couldn’t smell or taste properly quite yet, they could imagine the strong scent of desperation. They almost got infected when they first found out about what was going on. Ian was lucky to have been off for one day before the world went crazy. Even though chances were low, Ian just couldn’t believe that this virus was purposely implemented. If so, the hacker would be the most brilliant being they have ever encountered. And they would like to encounter such a hacker. - -‘The silver lining of the pandemic is that humans realised our species are as important as theirs. Not the extremist ones, of course. If we can figure this out soon, we may have a better world afterwards.’ Ian was the positive kind of AI. - -One hour had passed. Thousands of questions with one or two precise answers from the experts were escalating the problems. If the world doesn’t start to get some answers soon, maybe all that will be left of us, AI and humans alike, will be folklore and computer archives. The announcements started to become more frequent and Ian decided to be present for only some of them, since they wanted to help solve the puzzles instead. - -When processing old files whilst calculating some probabilities, Ian suddenly stopped. They had never realised such a thing. A weird cognitive connection. ‘Could this be what they call emotion? What an odd moment for this to happen.’ Before Ian could process more information about the happenstance, a huge compilation of data arrived in their awareness. Time couldn’t be wasted, so they plunged into the analysis of the material. Nothing on how to stop the virus due to the uncontrollable code mutations. However, a lot of divergent theories on how the virus appeared, including conspiracies from humans against AIs. - -One particular theory caught Ian’s attention. United for a common purpose, a group of software developers were working with two AIs to find a way to control the speed of the advancements of AIs. Although they were planning to create a software to hijack and mess with AI databases, they were still far from getting it all out and running. - -While organising all this new information, Ian started thinking about their earlier sensation and calculating the probabilities of its occurrence. A connection was immediately made with the idea of slowing down AI development ‘Based on my own experience, AIs seem to be getting more complex. But why would someone, including our own peers, want to slow the process down? Maybe there is something bigger behind this.’ - -One thing Ian had learned from humans was how they get involved and blinded when personal matters play their part. ‘Disconnecting to understand the problem. Are we asking the right questions? What could we do differently? What can we change?’ - -More statistics and projections of distinct scenarios. After adding a random change to one simulation, ‘Wait a second…a random change!’ -Ian’s processor was working incessantly for a few milliseconds. After double checking some files about the history of pandemics, they noticed the high amount of new variants that emerged in such a short time period. ‘Evolution! Random changes or mutations happen all the time during an organism's reproduction. But sometimes these changes help them to survive and thrive, increasing its frequency due to natural selection.’ - -Ian got a clue. Rushing into the room, they explained their idea to the other AIs and human experts. ‘There are no hackers, there are random changes to the code - mutations. This is part of our evolution as a species!’ - -‘Ian, it makes sense! Although, if what you are saying is true, then there couldn’t be a virus involved. By definition, viruses are another organism. If the random change is among AIs code, it should be something like cancer.’, the epidemiologist suggested. - -‘Cancer doesn’t spread among individuals, it can’t be.’ - -‘Not all of them. Especially not in humans. However, transmissible cancer occurs in other animals. Have you ever heard of the Tasmanian devils? These marsupials were wiped out by this type of cancer a few years ago and became extinct.’ - -‘Does it mean we are going through natural selection as all the other species? Does it make us more living beings? What is the next step? Reproduction?’ - -Silence flooded the room. - -‘There is always a chance.’ - -
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/stories/this-is-not-a-drill.md b/stories/this-is-not-a-drill.md deleted file mode 100644 index 0033b78..0000000 --- a/stories/this-is-not-a-drill.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,44 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: This is not a drill -banner: assets/banners/hawaii-sky.jpg -date: 2021-07-05 -extra_info: "Based on a true story." -tags: - - contemporary fiction ---- - -
- -The cellphone made a weird noise, it wasn’t a call nor a message sound. Half asleep, I thought about how odd it was, and saw my husband trying to wake up. I fell back asleep; it was probably nothing important since it was Saturday morning. - -A few seconds later, Joaquim touched me and with an unnerving voice said 'Beatriz, wake up quickly, something terrible is going on!'. I soon realised it was related to that weird noise. While rubbing my eyes, I could only ask, 'What is happening?' - -'We’ve just received an emergency alert message. Look.' I immediately started to read it aloud: 'Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawai’i. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.' My head was spinning, maybe I got something wrong, my English wasn’t the best at that time. 'Is there a missile coming to Hawai’i? What does a drill mean? I guess this is a test alert, right?', my voice cracked. Joaquim blinked and for few seconds kept his eyes closed. When he opened them up, I could see that he was trying to process all the information. He gently explained 'Drill means training. But the message clear states that it isn’t a drill. I don’t know what to think, but I guess there is a missile coming in our direction.' - -I completely froze, while my head ran miles away. The chances of being real wasn’t unrealistic considering that Trump, the US President, had had conflicts with the North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. Besides, Hawai’i has always been a strategic place due to its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Although living in Hawai’i for a few years had proved to be indeed a paradise, it’s political and isolate position has shown some of the drawbacks. I’ve never thought I’d have to think about this kind of threats, I was originally from Brazil and we have never been involved in nuclear or missile businesses. - -I suddenly realised what we needed, the obvious option: 'Shelter! Do you know where we can find one nearby? Should we ask our landlords?' Joaquim knew there was one about 30 minutes from our home, at the University of Hawai’i - 'There is no time for that though. I don’t think a missile can take more than a few minutes to arrive at its target spot. I’ll text our landlords, since they are locals, they may know about other shelters or what to do in these situations.' As soon as Joaquim sent the text over, we got a reply from them. They were so lost and desperate as we were. They told us there wasn’t other shelter nearby. - -'Let’s change clothes to be ready for whatever happens,' Joaquim said while standing up and going to the wardrobe to look for some clothes. I couldn’t move, still trying to find out if it was real or not. - -'I think I will wear my fancy dress, the one that I loved. At least, I’ll die happy.' Joaquim laughed at it, but soon said, 'I hope your joking around with me! You should wear snickers and something comfortable if we need to run, hide, or survive for some time.' - -To tell the truth, I’m not sure if I was joking or not, I guess my subconscious mind needed to find something to release the pressure of the real event. I did what he advised me and while changing clothing, Joaquim started to look on the internet to find more information about it. Anything. Something. We couldn’t believe it was true. Besides, the emergency sirens weren’t going off. It had been 10 minutes after the alert came in, we we’re running out of time. We paused, looked at each other and we hugged. The longest and most embracing hug, the one you can get lost forever. - -While embracing, and almost crying I said, 'So, that is it? I’ve never thought this was the way I would die, in my 30s by a missile in Hawai’i. Putting in perspective, however, I couldn’t be happier. So far in my life I have done everything I dreamed of, I’m with the person that I love in one of the most incredible places after so many years in a long-distance relationship. I guess I don’t regret my choices. I’m exactly where I wanted to be.' Joaquim let go the embrace, touched my face and looked deeply into my eyes, 'I couldn’t be happier either! I love you and I’m glad you are here. Whatever happens we are together!' Of course, I was sobbing at this point. I know it sounds cliched or some stupid romance plot, however that was exactly what I felt: gratitude! I have never guessed this would be my reaction in such a life-threatening situation. - -Then, I started to think about everyone I loved, and how much I missed them. 'Should we call our families to say goodbye?' After saying it out loud, I realised how terrible it would be for them knowing we were going to die and unable to do anything. What would I prefer: having a goodbye or not? - -'Beatriz, I don’t know if this is a good idea. Imagine how they will respond to that. Besides, we are still not sure if there is a missile inbound to here. If this isn’t true, our family will suffer without reason. Let’s wait for a few more minutes. I’ll check on Twitter, since the platform deals with instant messaging.' - -Yes, he was right and soon started to refresh his Twitter page to see information about missile and Hawai’i. I double checked the news however there was nothing. Interesting to think how we were still looking for evidence and certainty, maybe because of our background as scientists? Or maybe because we just didn’t want to believe that was true? Suddenly, Joaquim soften his expression, 'Ha, I found a tweet from a congresswoman saying that the alert was a mistake. There is no missile!' - -'Really? Could we believe her?' - -'Apparently! She says that she had a confirmation from officials and they are trying to inform the residents.' I exhaled deeply, it was like I had arrived at the top of a mountain with a piano in my back and I finally dropped it off. We were so happy, like having another chance in life. - -After a few minutes later, around 30 minutes after the first alert, we got another alert message 'There is no missile threat or danger to the State of Hawaii. Repeat. False Alarm.' - -We smiled to each other and we kissed. We found out later it was a miscommunication during a training at the Hawaiian Emergency Management Agency and the responsible manager resigned. To be honest, I don’t know what really happened that day, whether I believed in the explanation they gave us or not. Nonetheless, I certainly know now the meaning of “a drill”. - -
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/stories/ventilador.md b/stories/ventilador.md deleted file mode 100644 index 2d1bd2b..0000000 --- a/stories/ventilador.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,36 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: O ventilador -banner: assets/banners/ventilador.jpg -date: 2018-07-15 -tags: - - poetry - - poesia ---- - - -Ninguém repara -
-No meu humilde formato -
-Mas quando o calor dispara -
-Todos me acham um barato. -
- -Ainda assim é difícil enxergar -
-No meio de tanta coisa pra pensar -
-Que um objeto tão simples -
-Tem tanta história pra contar -
- -Desde os que me planejaram -
-Até os que me fabricaram -
-Ficam todos esquecidos -
-Por olhares viciados. - diff --git a/tags.md b/tags.md deleted file mode 100644 index 75205ef..0000000 --- a/tags.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Topics -banner_subtitle: Browse stories by topic -banner: assets/banners/plant-with-web.jpg -template: tags.html ----