Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev.

So, I treated myself to a little gift and bought an iPad Pro 12.9. They’re not being made anymore, but you can still snatch one here and there. And I am just thrilled—how wonderfully the pencil and graphic apps work there. It’s probably unnecessary to say there are no lags at all—it’s a given. I once asked about software for my MacBook i9 for vector and raster graphics. Everything works so poorly there that it’s easier just not to use it at all. I have a Wacom tablet connected to my computer, and when drawing, the screen stylus occasionally lags behind the physical one 🙂 But here, I purchased Procreate and Affinity Photo 2, while on the Mac I use the free Krita and GIMP. Plus, I didn’t really see why I should pay for them. With the stylus, these apps are simply out of this world. Affinity Photo 2 meets all my graphic editing needs. Procreate is simply fantastic for drawing. In general, for drawing purposes, it seems nothing beats an iPad 🙂 I’ll be taking it with me on vacation.

The only downside—it’s unclear how to hold it. It has such small edges that you inadvertently touch the app interfaces with the fingers holding the tablet. Also, the magnetic latch of the Apple Pencil 2 is sometimes weak—you can easily lose the accessory. And also, the screen gets slightly washed out in the sun. It’s unclear how to use it outdoors in sunny weather. We’ll try it in a couple of weeks on vacation 🙂

Today I came across a breed that looks more like Yuka than a Shiba Inu. Guess now! SHIKOKU. They indeed are rare. And logically, they should be a bit bigger than Yuki. But Yuki is already an inch bigger than a Shiba Inu. And its facial expression seems smarter somehow 🙂 Overall, it’s a mystery who grew up to be like this. The passport says Shiba, of course

Yesterday I finally got around to watching Madagascar 3 (2012). I’m sure all of you have seen it in the past 11 years. But just in case –

So, one of the main characters is Vitaly, a Russian tiger. He excels at two things—throwing knives and slipping through any tight spot, though actually, he did need some oil. He’s also a grim and unfriendly tiger. At any rate, he finds himself in a rather unlovely predicament at one fine moment. The train has left, but the clowns remain. A circus madhouse based on a kindergarten. The manager is an idiot. Needs fixing.

And then, quite literally out of nowhere, American consultants turn up. A lion from New York delivers a powerful motivational speech about essentially nothing, about successful success, emotionally so, and the circus agrees to a reorganization. The Russian tiger Vitaly stubbornly distrusts the Americans but tries to accept the changes under pressure from his peers.

In short, the Americans build a training camp. Generally, they manage to give an impression that they can teach something, and just when it seems everything is falling apart, powerful empathy saves the day.

In the end, the circus troupe realizes that they are not the clowns when it turns out that these Americans have zero experience, yet were so trusted. By the way, besides the Russian Vitaly (who for some reason loves borscht), there is also a Russian bear named Sonya on a bicycle. Sonya is portrayed as somewhat goofy, but after the processing by the American consultants, overall, Sonya turns out well.

Eventually, the circus first dismisses the consultants, then looks at their own management, realizes it’s even worse without them, and invites the consultants back. And a happy ending. Apparently, the consultants have been working for 11 years now.

Next Saturday, our rink is hosting a figure skating performance set to symphonic music. Masha will also be performing there. The program includes Bizet’s “Habanera” from the opera “Carmen,” something from the opera “The Firebird,” Vangelis’ “Chariots of Fire,” Marquez’s “Danzón No. 2,” and music by George Gershwin. I’ve heard “live” symphonic music in many halls, but this will be a first on the ice rink. In general, if anyone local is reading this — welcome.

Landscape by the house. Walking with Yuki, and here, a heron waits for breakfast to swim by. A few days ago, on the other side of the pond, a goose was murdered. Right now as I write this post, I’m passing by that place. Feathers are scattered everywhere. A couple of days ago, there was a headless carcass here. We were really worried because it was surely the father of one of the goose families with growing goslings. He and their mother lovingly watched over their little ones, swam with them, protected them. The fate of the goslings was unclear. Nothing is left of the father today, although strangely, I saw not a single vulture in the meadow. Usually, they come in several and clean up the area. My neighbors give three theories in local socials as a response to my report – a fox, a coyote, or a raccoon. I haven’t seen any raccoons here, nor coyotes, but the neighbors say they are around. I did see a neighbor’s cat wandering once. Besides the aforementioned creatures, it should also beware of large predatory birds. Haven’t seen the cat for a long time.

my 23rd attempt at painting

Well, I’ve gotten used to the French interface on my computer and phone, and I don’t experience any inconvenience at all, but Excel made me think. I completely forgot that Excel formulas (essentially, functions) have different names in different languages. So, there is a function called DSTDEVP (standard deviation of the population with a condition) that has the following names:

English: DSTDEVP

Spanish: DESVEST.PB

French: ECARTYPEPB

German: STABW.DB

Italian: DEV.ST.P.DA

Portuguese: DESVPAD.PB

Russian: СТАНДОТКЛНУСЛ

It’s quite a hassle, indeed. Of course, my knowledge of French is insufficient to translate DSTDEVP into ECARTYPEPB

Came across a huge caiman turtle near the house. Quite dangerous if you twiddle your fingers at its snout. And not only that – they can bite as far back as their hind legs, so it’s not wise to drag them around. Hunts fish and small waterfowl (If I were a waterfowl, I’d immediately reconsider being afloat) The size of the shell, that is, without the tail, is about one and a half times my foot. The only things I had nearby for comparison were Yukie and some headphones. Pic with the headphones is in the comments. Fabulous tail

What I read today that was interesting:

You’ve probably heard of EMI, the label that first signed the Beatles and then a slew of other big names. However, it turns out that music was just one of their minor experimental niches. EMI has been a major (almost monopolistic) contractor for the military-industrial complex of Great Britain since 1937, involved in the development and manufacturing of detonators and detonation chains for all categories of munitions (shells, mines, aerial bombs, etc.), safety and initiation mechanisms for missile weapons, and other military-intended electrical and electromechanical devices, as well as radar equipment. And this was their main business. Music was just for variety.

Interestingly, thanks to the Beatles — part of the proceeds from sales went to an experimental project by Godfrey Hounsfield, the project manager — the world’s first computerized tomograph was developed, initially called the EMI scanner.

By the way, in the USA, the counterpart to EMI was General Electric, which most people know for its light bulbs. Yes, the company founded by Thomas Edison. For example, they invented the first jet engine and the first X-ray machine, and the first MRI (although in the MRI case, the British made their own version simultaneously). For example, their engines are used in the Patriot air defense system, and they have an entire series of ground-to-air missile systems developed from scratch, tracked vehicles, etc.

Interestingly about MRI – the word “nuclear” was removed from the definition of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging after the Chernobyl accident to avoid creating misinterpretations.

Our animal shelter (also known as Loudoun County Animal Services) suddenly decided to hold a free giveaway of goodies, all new and some deserving of attention. Yuki will get some treats