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How I learned Neurosciences... with Björn Holmgren and Ruth Urbá.

Since my arrival at the Department of Neurosciences I noticed that the branch of Neuro Biochemistry was, as I say, very well represented by the brilliant Swedish researcher Björn Holmgren and his wife, the talented Chilean Ruth Urbá.In almost home-like conditions, since in fact we were working in what was known at the time as "The Laboratory House", they carried out intense research using mice as an experimental basis, and their contributions to the study of sleep and its physiolog...

With Variables everything, without Variables nothing.

I have said on many occasions and in various audiences that what we call variables in Programming is what frontally separates Mathematics and its language from Programming and the problems it solves.It is that it is well known that a mathematical variable is like a being without a name, which can be called X, Y, or Z interchangeably and the meaning of the mathematical formulas where it appears does not change. Also the mathematical variable is like a being without its own personali...

Technology plus Ideas.

Technology plus Ideas. In this section we intend to comment on technology applied or applicable in the future, as well as presenting ideas on various technological topics. You can add content by yourself if you register and request it to us at info@havanatrends.com Any technological comment is welcome. Any technological idea is welcome. This section contains technological topics from the past as well as ideas for the future. We look forward to your collaboration. Octavio Bae...

The Goto. The great forgotten. Not to think structured.

I still remember when I was programming with GoTo. Programming without using it was not conceivable. Until the revolution started by Dijkstra with his note "Goto considered harmful" came to "structure" our minds for program development.The progress made with "Structured Programming" is incalculable, which allowed not only to increase the speed of having correct programs, but also to increase the number of people capable of programming.At that time, "Top to Bottom Programming" and "...

Tapes, Punched Cards, and Machine Time.

It was the 70's and then we only had a 12-bit 32 Kilo Words computer, as I have commented, but the problems that we had to solve, especially statistical ones, needed many more resources.So I took on the task of "circumventing the bureaucracy" of the Computing Centers with their way of working: "submit the program and data on paper" and after days or weeks: "come and collect your results" or "the program did not compile" or "the program failed", which made us fix the problems on pap...

Human Facebook.

Yesterday walking and walking I went to repair a fan where a technician who has been repairing electrical appliances for more than 20 years, has a lot of experience, is fast and accurate.Upon arrival there was a "return at 2:30" sign and waiting for it a Mrs. arrived with a rice cooker. Well, we started talking and talking, and I said to myself, why wait until everyone has internet to use Facebook? Facebook we have it within reach...Well, without meeting each other, exchanging pho...

Cats on MEDICID-1

One of the most fantastic things about having a computer in our department in the 70's is that we could do with it what we wanted, literally, without having to go through all the bureaucracy created around the so-called "Calculation Centers", where weeks and even months passed between having an idea and getting a real program to implement it. In other words, we lived through the personal computer revolution years before it even existed.In those years a young researcher, the current...

The first motorcycle races and businesses in Cuba (1885-1940)

The articles presented in this space are the authorship of Onelio García Pérez and his friends, © www.HobbiesEnRed.com, based on empirical research, there have been few investigated periods as a result of addressing issues that go beyond the particular objectives of the Author. The historical approach present in the fascicles is the product of the limited bi...

To Manchita

I had the joy of meeting Manchita. I had never had dogs, as a child only a cat. Manchita came to us by chance. A friend of my daughter found her alone on the street, and despite the fact that for several days she made her visible in front of her house, no one claimed her. Well, my daughter stayed with her. At first I was little at home, spending time with my daughter, either in ballet classes or in her apartment. Later on, my daughter is hired abroad, and leaves us looking after...

Main Motorcycle Agencies between 1940 and 1950 in Havana

Real and Fiction Story Telling

You can write, we know. And so do we... You can write, we know. Do you think the influencers knew that by recording videos they were going to have millions of followers? Well, no, they did not know, but each and every one of the audiovisual influencers have been and are sincere in doing what they do, for different variants that exist. Well, writing is easier than making videos, even if it doesn't seem like it, just because it's visually anonymous, which I believe is very importa...

Microsoft Access as a database is limited by design and what to do.

As the title indicates, the microsoft office database product, Microsoft Access, is limited by the company itself so that it does not compete with other products such as SQL Server and C# program development, for example.I explain:The first limitation is the commercial one. Access is not sold alone, but as part of Microsoft Office and therefore an application made in Access cannot be distributed without first verifying that the customer has a valid license of the same Office as suc...

How I became Section Chief of the Computing Center.

It was the early 70's and as I have commented in other articles, our Neuroscience Department had a 12-bit 32 Kilo Words computer, a punched tape reader and an extended typewriter to punch tapes.In those days, computers were scarce, very scarce, and that meant that their use as such was in the hands of large ministries or large companies, but it was very rare for a small department to have one. The self-sacrificing work of the Department staff that prior to my entry into it and usin...

In Honor of Roberto

It was in the early 80's of the last century when a psychologist named Roberto began to work with us, a very affable man, always with a smile, I never saw him annoying, much less bothering anyone. He was welcome in our Neurosciences collective, although he actually belonged to the psychology school of the university. He immediately became interested in using the personal computers we had to design and create applications that would have an impact on psychology. We talked a lot, he...

How I met Dr. Mitchell Valdés.

In other articles I have commented that in 1972 I was studying Pure Mathematics and I coincide with Dr. Pedro Valdés (Peter, as everyone knows him) that he was continuing his studies in Mathematics to increase his working capacities in Neurosciences.We became good friends, we studied together in the University Park, in the Classrooms, in the Library, until one day he told me: "Tomorrow, Saturday, I'll wait for you at my house to continue."Saturday comes, I go to Peter's house, I r...

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CONCATISO. My first Program.

CONCATISO. My first Program. Well, first I must tell you where and why the need arose for a program such as CONCATISO, my first professionally speaking program. It was the years 1972... 1973... and the Department of Neurophysiology of the Center for Scientific Research (CENIC), led by Dr. Thalía Harmony, who in passing I will say was my main mentor in my early working years, A CID-201-B digital computer was awarded, manufactured by the then Central Institute for Digital Researc...

What Homer Didn't Tell Us...

Troy, a great epic of ancient times. Do you remember? Paris, the Trojan prince, abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus, the Greek king. Menelaus, his pride wounded, but with the true intention of seizing Troy and thus controlling its trade and strategic location, launched a great invasion that resulted in a total siege of Troy for ten years. So, to put it in modern terms, which are also favored by high-ranking officials of the most powerful country on Earth, what do you think was happening in the "re...

My fellow operators.

{loadmoduleid 135} In other articles I have commented that in the 70s our Neuroscience department had a CID-201-B minicomputer compatible with the PDP-8 of the DEC company and that the CID-201-B had only a typewriter teletype, a perforated paper tape reader, and a paper tape printer.In order to use this equipment, after developing and fine-tuning each program, it was necessary to "punch" the tapes with the data, or, for example, use the CONCATISO program (see article) to convert t...

To Galita

Galita's life cycle is over, a cute little dog that my daughter Lissi picked up from the street and who gave us a lot of love and happiness.Galita was very naughty. Being at home made Dolly, another bigger dog, dump the garbage can so that she would then be the one digging for food. And that we gave her a lot of food and other things that she liked. But it seems that her nomadic life led her to try to store as much food as she could find.Galita got along with everyone. She was very sociable. I d...

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