Rammstein

Rammstein is a Neue Deutsche Härte, industrial metal and hard rock band that was founded by Richard Z. Kruspe on 1994 in Berlin. Richard envisioned something that would combine the sounds of machines with the sounds of heavy guitars.

Richard, Oliver Riedel and Christoph Schneider started working together in a new project, Richard, the founder of the fledgling band, found it extremely difficult to write both music and lyrics at the same time, and later talked Lindemann into joining the band.

A contest was held in Berlin for amateur bands in 1994, Richard, Oliver, Christoph and Till entered the contest and won, which caught the attention of Paul Sanders who wished to enter the group. Richard latter recruited Christian Lorenz into the group.

The band called themselves Rammstein, inspired by the Ramstein Airshow disaster.

The majority of the songs of the group are in German, although they sometimes write songs in other languages, such as: Russian, French, Spanish and English.

Group members:

•            Till Lindemann – lead vocals, harmonica (1994–present)
•          Richard Z. Kruspe – lead guitar, keyboard, backing vocals (1994–present)
•          Paul Landers – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1994–present)
•          Oliver Riedel – bass (1994–present)
•          Christian Lorenz – keyboard, samples, synthesizers (1994–present)
•          Christoph Schneider – drums, percussion (1994–present)

Famous songs:

•        Du Hast (You have)
•          Sonne (Sun)
•         Engel (Angel)
•          Amerika

I like the band primarily because of its musical style and the controversial themes their music deals with, as well as the primary language of the band, German. I listen to Rammstein when I feel like it, there isn’t a “right time or place”, although during certain periods of time I listen to their music more frequently.

Favorite songs:

Sonne (Sun)

Moskau (Moscow)

The Library of the Future...

Libraries are changing, what it was known as a space of silence and reading, as a warehouse of information, is no longer the norm. Today in the 21^st century, libraries are now community centers, a hub that is open to all, a place at which people around the community may share their ideas and learn new skills.

A library in the 21^st century and beyond should provide its users with an appropriate atmosphere so that people that make use of the services offered by the library feel comfortable and relaxed.

The role of a library at the center of a community is ever evolving, library staff must constantly put together new creative space so that library users and the community at large can experiment and determine what ideas are drawing attention and getting traction. A library of the future should also be built with a certain design philosophy in mind, to provide easy access to its users and should be aware of the necessities of people with physical disabilities.

Some possible facilities / rooms, for a library of the future, include:

·         Band practice rooms

·         Podcast stations

·         Art studios

·         Recording studios

·         Video studios

·         Imagination rooms

·         Theater-drama practice rooms

The technology and equipment employed in a library of the future should be provided in accordance with the necessities of its users and the community its serves. An important challenge that libraries face, is the continuous advance of technology. The library of the future should embrace technology and lend a helping hand to its users. A library of the future should provide to its users with a vast array of tools at their disposal, tools such as: 3d printers, workstations, Wi-Fi access, laser cutters, programming, etc…

The collection or material in a library of the future should not only include physical books, but also “e-books” and other forms of media, with content diverse enough to be able to provide useful information to its users and the community it serves.

A library of the future should have a flexible horary, being able to adapt to different situations and events, but more importantly it should be able to provide its services at all times, should the need arise.

Solaris (1972)

One of the oddest films I watched was during august of 2014, the movie was called “Solaris”, and was directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.

“Solaris” is a Russian science fiction movie that deals with the nature of humanity and its place in the universe. The main plot of the movie takes place aboard a space station that is orbiting the fictional planet Solaris, the crew of the space platform eventually succumb to madness and begin to see “benign” hallucinations that typically involve their long deceased loved ones. The crew, unable to cope with the stress and other intense emotions, begin to commit suicide.

The main protagonist, Psychologist Kris Kelvin, is sent to the space station to assess the situation, run physiological tests and help find the missing scientists. Kris Kelvin choice to travel to the space station during the last days of life of his father, weighs heavily upon Kelvin's conscience. Upon arriving on the space station, he is greeted by one of the three surviving members and soon learns that his friend, Dr. Gibarian, committed suicide.

During his stay aboard the space station, he begins to see hallucinations of long deceased loved ones and after sleeping for about 5 hours, he finds himself accompanied by his wife, Hari, who died two years ago, by committing suicide. He panics and launches his late wife to space, being wounded in the process.  While his wounds are being healed, one of the scientists explains to Kris that the “visitors” began to appear after they attracted the attention of the planet “Solaris” a sentient entity. Hari reappears soon after, and Kelvin accepts her presence.

Later, the two remaining scientists and Kelvin, meet and begin to theorize about the “visitors” and their connection to “Solaris”, soon they determine that they must kill the sentient planet and begin to make plans. During the debate they try to convince “Hari” that “she” is not human, causing her to commit suicide by drinking poison, only to resurrect moments later.

Hari soon realizes that she is indeed not human and begs to be killed. The scientists utilize Kelvin brainwaves and use them to control and influence the planet. On the surface of “Solaris” islands begin to form. Kris debates whatever to return to earth or go to the planet’s surface, to reconnect with everything he has lost. In the final scene of the movie, Kris is seen running to his father’s home, embracing him and his family, in an island of the surface of Solaris, finding peace and happiness at last.

The cast of the movie is the following:

Natalya Bondarchuk (Hari)

Donatas Banionis (Kris Kelvin)

Jüri Järvet (Dr Snaut)

Vladislav Dvorzhetsky (Henri Berton)

Nikolai Grinko (Kelvin's father)

Anatoly Solonitsyn (Dr Sartorius)

I heavily recommend this movie, mostly because I consider it the pinnacle of Russian Science fiction. Although of slow pace, the film raises many questions about humanity and other philosophical questions that concern man’s nature, happiness and the nature of life.

My Autobiography

My name is Gustavo Quezada and I currently live in San Bernardo, Santiago. I started primary school in 2001 at the Escuela Basica Manuel Magallanes Moure when I was 6 years old. In 2006 I continued my studies at Santo Tomas El Bosque where I finished primary and secondary school. In 2014 I started my academic studies at the University Alberto Hurtado where I am currently studying library science.

 My first proper literary experience happened when I was 14 – 15 years old, when I began reading Jules Verne Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a book which tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus that embarks in a undersea journey across the world, later I started reading more and more books about different subjects and genres, such as science fiction, gothic Horror, cosmic horror, gothic fantasy, weird fiction and mystery fiction. My favorite authors are:

Ray Bradbury an American fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction writer, I was introduced to him in school, when I read for an assignment The illustrated man, a collection of short science fiction stories that explores the nature of mankind, the stories features a former vagrant of a circus freak show, which body is extensively tattooed. The man’s tattoos are animated and each tells a different tale about mankind’s future and is decay.

H.P Lovecraft is an American horror writer, I discovered him back in 2007 while browsing the internet, in 2014 and in July of this year I managed to read his complete literary works, my favorite short stories include: The Haunter in the Dark, The Shadow out of time, The Call of Cthulhu and The Whisperer in Darkness. His works explore forbidden knowledge, non-human influences on humanity and the decadence of the modern world.

Edgar Allan Poe is an American writer best known for his tales about mystery and the macabre, I was first introduced to him while working in an assignment about his tale called The Black Cat, a story of a man that becomes increasingly violent towards his cat and wife, eventually succumbing to madness.

Philip K Dick is an American science fiction author, I discovered him in 2006 when I watched the movie Blade Runner. In 2013 I managed to read one of his works, a novel called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, that tells the story of Rick Deckard, a veteran bounty hunter that tracks and kills sentient machines, Deckard embarks in this mission in the hopes of earning enough money to be able to buy a real pet.

Currently I am reading The Green Mile, a novel of Stephen King that tells the story of a death row inmate that can heal and resurrect people with his hands.

My current plans for the future involve finishing my academic studies and to specialize in cataloguing different kinds of information resources.