Well, I am so excited to share a small episode of my
latest adventure to the top of Mt Fuji.
They call Mt Fuji "The heart of the Japanese people"
with numerous poetry, paintings and photographs
written and composed about Mt Fuji. It is the most
photographed mountain on earth and it is easy to see
why cause of its appealing connical shape and it's
stature towering above the Japanese Alps at 3776m asl.
It is towering cause the average height of the
mountains around it is 1500m.
The round trek took us 12 hours to complete staggered
over a 2 day period, the first day we started at the
5th Station (2500m asl) and walked to the mountain hut
at 3250m. THis took 4-5 hours depending upon weather
and at 7pm at night it is not fun walking in 200km/hr
winds and horizontal rain with a flappy raincoat
acting like a sailing boat! People have been known to
have liturally blown off Mt Fuji and I can see why
cause a few times I nearly flew off with them.
It is a nice feeling reaching the warmth and
hospitality of a mountain hut, with fires burning and
a hot Japanese curry waiting with steamed rice. The
plan was to sleep for 6 hours and wake again at 2am
for the summit climb to see sunrise.
Waking up the next morning I have this terrible
throbbing headache, i thought i better drink some
water and then I realised I only brought a 300mL water
bottle from a vending machine yesterday and I had
already drank it all. Its pitch black outside and
pouring rain, about 3 degrees and windy as a flying
sheep. I also remembered I forgot a torch!! Teiko
seemed quieter than usual and tired, climbing this mountain
together was a special event for us! I was going to
support her in every way that I could and be with
her every step of the way! If it needed I would carry
her as far as I could. I could see that she was
determined to do it and this was very impressive
cause she was really trying! I was amazed!! Something
very special happened between us on that mountain and
I will never forget what it was on the 6th of July!
We set out, the fog is thick, you can see
approximately to the end of your nose at best, plus we
had no torch! So we stumble on into oblivion, every 5
mintues stopping and catching our breath, the air is
noticably thinner.
Suddenly we meet a japanese sports university of about
100 people climbing, they are making good progress and
we tag on the end of their line, I also noticed about
half of them were using oxygen. THis is not nessesary
but i can see the appeal and would not mind a wiff
myself but naturally we are here to do it the original
way!
The sun quickly rises and everything becomes quiet,
dead quiet! There is no wind, no noise, just white
fog, its peaceful! How long has it been since you have
heard dead quiet??? I think mountains are spiritual
places and this experience of dead quiet and an
presence really surprised me. It made me feel more
connected to my surroundings and respected the
mountain as if it were personified. No wonder this
mountain is so special in the hearts of the Japanese
psyche, it is pure, simple, yet powerful!
Suddenly the clouds break, the fog lifts and we are
left we the most unforgettable view out across the
oceans of clouds, each cloud level has a different
texture and direction, colour and pattern, we are
nearing the summit well above 3600 m now and well
above any clouds. It looks like the view out of an
aeroplane but we are on land? It is just too difficult
to describe in its full magnitude.
We reach the top and everyone is celebrating, hugging,
singing, dancing and a cool japanese guy comes up to
me says "Congratulations and says give me five man!" I
was pleased, i smiled and said, yeah man!! Thanks!!!
How wonderful!!!
There are various snow drifts around, a large crater
filled with snow elusively sticking to the shaddows...
There it was, something i will always treasure. And I
will leave you with a thought I had at the top,
Like the fast flowing stream
Water is together
Then a rock
Splits it's path
However water
Does not worry
Cause it knows that
It will join back
Together again
Somewhere down the path
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The Beautiful Mt Fuji
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
The Floorwalker Returns
Well ,
I have been quite a busy chap the last month, negotitating deals, contracts, salaries, scholarships but after all i am returning to my home country! I have been away now the longest time I have ever been out of the country, verging on 10 months. It's been an adventure like every day!
I have managed to get a pHD offer back at ANU and it's on a very exciting topic! It's top secret, sorry dudes :). I will be back in Germany twice per year on Business and hopefully we can make some great progress on this promising technology...
So see you all in this wonderful world, somewhere, sometime, somehow!
Adios
Floorwalker!
I have been quite a busy chap the last month, negotitating deals, contracts, salaries, scholarships but after all i am returning to my home country! I have been away now the longest time I have ever been out of the country, verging on 10 months. It's been an adventure like every day!
I have managed to get a pHD offer back at ANU and it's on a very exciting topic! It's top secret, sorry dudes :). I will be back in Germany twice per year on Business and hopefully we can make some great progress on this promising technology...
So see you all in this wonderful world, somewhere, sometime, somehow!
Adios
Floorwalker!
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Travel
Travel is not a place that your looking for,
It's a feeling that you may discover inside you,
It's a moment,
If you find this moment,
This wonderful feeling will be with you,
Forever,
This moment makes time stand still,
But only for a moment.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
A slight Setback to being a Global Citizen
Well, this is a slightly annoying phenominen that I have been experiencing lately. I need to book a series of flights from Germany back to Australia and my travels to India, Japan and Thailand.
This requires the need of a credit card which I do not have quite yet, I thought that this would be a minor setback and I will be able to get a credit card easily seeing that I am an Engineer working here in Germany. However....after applying to Kardstat, (A major German Bank and Shopping chain) 22 days later I got a mail back asking me to come in and talk to them, show my passport (again), my work visa, my living registration documents and my salary documents. Two days later I recieved a letter in German telling me that I have failed to meet their selection criteria and I cannot apply again. They did not give me any reason at all?
So then I went online and tried applying for the Virgin Credit card in Australia. This was easy until they asked where I lived. Germany, being an Australian living in Germany I do not fit their selection criteria, however on the website I fit all other criteria including being an Australian Citizen (since birth) and a permanent resident.
Now I am thinking, holly cow dude I am living in a loophole here or something? Come on so many other people must have this problem right?
This requires the need of a credit card which I do not have quite yet, I thought that this would be a minor setback and I will be able to get a credit card easily seeing that I am an Engineer working here in Germany. However....after applying to Kardstat, (A major German Bank and Shopping chain) 22 days later I got a mail back asking me to come in and talk to them, show my passport (again), my work visa, my living registration documents and my salary documents. Two days later I recieved a letter in German telling me that I have failed to meet their selection criteria and I cannot apply again. They did not give me any reason at all?
So then I went online and tried applying for the Virgin Credit card in Australia. This was easy until they asked where I lived. Germany, being an Australian living in Germany I do not fit their selection criteria, however on the website I fit all other criteria including being an Australian Citizen (since birth) and a permanent resident.
Now I am thinking, holly cow dude I am living in a loophole here or something? Come on so many other people must have this problem right?
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Extreme Toursim
Well I just got back from Munich and I have this wonderful idea now! It's a new thing spreading across Europe! EXTREME TOURISM!
The idea is you only have a 45 day Eurail Pass, yet you have unlimited usage! So you got to get your money's worth! I met these two funny Korean guys and they were fully into it! They had hydration back packs, protective high performance clothing, I-rivers, Digi cameras, man they were fully kitted out. They were at Euro Youth Hotel in Munich. They told me that there aim was to see every country on the Eurail pass in 45 days...so they eat power bars, get up at 6am, go to bed at 3am go to the site, take 500 photos and then download them to their I-rivers. They also have those Hdration back packs for drinking on the move.
Extreme man, I was an extreme tourist for a weekend with them and we went to two castles, a soccer match and a beer festival, I missed my train at 6pm from Munich to Leipzig so I had to get the next one at 0:01 am, I got in to Leipzig at 5:37am and then had a shower and went straight to work!! Extreme dude!
Have an EXTREEEME DAY!
Lately work has been Extreme also, I made 2 million Euro profit for the company so they are EXTREMELY happy! And we all get an Extreme bonas! Wooooooooooo
The idea is you only have a 45 day Eurail Pass, yet you have unlimited usage! So you got to get your money's worth! I met these two funny Korean guys and they were fully into it! They had hydration back packs, protective high performance clothing, I-rivers, Digi cameras, man they were fully kitted out. They were at Euro Youth Hotel in Munich. They told me that there aim was to see every country on the Eurail pass in 45 days...so they eat power bars, get up at 6am, go to bed at 3am go to the site, take 500 photos and then download them to their I-rivers. They also have those Hdration back packs for drinking on the move.
Extreme man, I was an extreme tourist for a weekend with them and we went to two castles, a soccer match and a beer festival, I missed my train at 6pm from Munich to Leipzig so I had to get the next one at 0:01 am, I got in to Leipzig at 5:37am and then had a shower and went straight to work!! Extreme dude!
Have an EXTREEEME DAY!
Lately work has been Extreme also, I made 2 million Euro profit for the company so they are EXTREMELY happy! And we all get an Extreme bonas! Wooooooooooo
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Everyone is Irish on St Patricks Day!!!
Well my laddy's, a good ol day up to ya all! St Patty's day, ahre, me ol Irish Lepriconish accent is getting a wee but tested!
Today is one of those special celebratory days of the year! One must oblige and drink a wee Guiness! Wear something green and have a jolly time!
My second name being Patrick names me, I am named after the old patrant st of Ireland, I must uphold my Irish heritage and celbrate! So put down your pen, clap your hands out louad and yell, we are all Irish on St Patricks day!
U2 says it with the Song, 'A beautiful Day' So naturally I must play this song for you today!
Cheers my friends!
Today is one of those special celebratory days of the year! One must oblige and drink a wee Guiness! Wear something green and have a jolly time!
My second name being Patrick names me, I am named after the old patrant st of Ireland, I must uphold my Irish heritage and celbrate! So put down your pen, clap your hands out louad and yell, we are all Irish on St Patricks day!
U2 says it with the Song, 'A beautiful Day' So naturally I must play this song for you today!
Cheers my friends!
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Goodbyes
Well today was one of those horrible days where you have to say goodbye to a loved one.... You don't know how long till you see them again, where you will see them....someone who has been there everyday for you for the last 4 months....someone you can talk to and someone you can listen to....someone who laughs at your jokes and has an everlasting smile..suddenly, there is emptiness, that someone is not going to be there anymore. They are gone! This is very hard to think about and upsetting and it hurts too. I can't wait again to see her!
Monday, March 07, 2005
Just got back from Austria---Salzburg
The mountains rise vertically 2000m right next to the city, the city is covered in 50cm fresh snow and the wind is cold...
Being in Austria does not feel different to being in Germany other than the scenery, language and money are the same and they don't check your passport..
Being in Austria does not feel different to being in Germany other than the scenery, language and money are the same and they don't check your passport..
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Holly Grail in Solar Energy Breakthrough
THE HOLY Grail of researchers in the field of solar photovoltaic (SPV) electricity is to generate it at a lower cost than that of grid electricity. The goal now seems to be within reach.
A Palo Alto (California ) start-up, named Nanosolar Inc., founded in 2002, claims that it has developed a commercial scale technology that can deliver solar electricity at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Molecular self-assembly
The breakthrough has come through the application of nanotechnology to create components via molecular self-assembly, including quantum dots (10nm large nanoparticles) as well as nanotemplates with structural order extending through all three dimensions.
In addition, Nanosolar has demonstrated that the three dimensionally engineered nanotemplates can be conformally coated or solidly filled with semiconductor paint to create ultra-thin solar cells with layers that are yet another factor 100x thinner than conventional thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells.
This allows a 10x larger surface area of these structures to be used to achieve a 10x increase in efficiency for such thin layers, thus making it possible to use even less material for similarly efficient cells. Conventional inorganic semiconductors tend to require intricate processing to ensure large grains of crystallinity (in the extreme case: mono-crystallinity) so that charges can travel hundreds of nanometres without getting trapped and lost (at internal crystal boundaries).
The 3D nanocomposite architecture of the ultra-thin-absorber cells makes possible absorption of a substantial fraction of the incoming sunlight despite the ultra-thin layers since the charges need to be transported only several nanometres without much opportunity for a loss.
This means the requirements on the semiconductor material can be relaxed and low cost materials such as inorganic semiconductors of the IIb/VIa and Ib/IIIa/VIa families as well as solution-coatable organic semiconductors can be used.
Lower cost
According to the CEO, Martin Roscheisen, the conversion efficiency (percentage of incident light energy converted to electrical energy) of the Nanosolar SPV cell is above 12 per cent for its first product prototypes. He claims that the Nanosolar SPV cell costs only $ 0.36 per peak watt.
The semiconductor paint can be applied to a flexible substrate , such as a polymer sheet , through a simple web printing process, to create an array of ultra-thin solar cells.
Nanosolar has developed proprietary substrate technology that keeps the substrate cost within a smaller fraction of the overall product cost than any other state-of-the-art thin-film solar cell technology. The company has also developed a powerful new way of interconnecting individual solar cells into larger modules and large-area sheets and allows high-throughput module assembly at high yield.
The flagship product, Nanosolar SolarPly, is a 14 feet x 10 feet solar electricity module delivering 120 watts per square inch at 110V. The company is now offering solar panels at below $1 per peak watt.
The Nanosolar team, headed by CEO Martin Roscheisen (listed by Fortune in 2003 among the top ten U.S. entrepreneurs below 40 years of age), has some top-notch Indian technologists assisting it.
Among them are Dr. Siva Sivaram (ex-Intel) and Dr. Arati Prabhakar , former Director of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
N.N. Sachitanand
A Palo Alto (California ) start-up, named Nanosolar Inc., founded in 2002, claims that it has developed a commercial scale technology that can deliver solar electricity at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Molecular self-assembly
The breakthrough has come through the application of nanotechnology to create components via molecular self-assembly, including quantum dots (10nm large nanoparticles) as well as nanotemplates with structural order extending through all three dimensions.
In addition, Nanosolar has demonstrated that the three dimensionally engineered nanotemplates can be conformally coated or solidly filled with semiconductor paint to create ultra-thin solar cells with layers that are yet another factor 100x thinner than conventional thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells.
This allows a 10x larger surface area of these structures to be used to achieve a 10x increase in efficiency for such thin layers, thus making it possible to use even less material for similarly efficient cells. Conventional inorganic semiconductors tend to require intricate processing to ensure large grains of crystallinity (in the extreme case: mono-crystallinity) so that charges can travel hundreds of nanometres without getting trapped and lost (at internal crystal boundaries).
The 3D nanocomposite architecture of the ultra-thin-absorber cells makes possible absorption of a substantial fraction of the incoming sunlight despite the ultra-thin layers since the charges need to be transported only several nanometres without much opportunity for a loss.
This means the requirements on the semiconductor material can be relaxed and low cost materials such as inorganic semiconductors of the IIb/VIa and Ib/IIIa/VIa families as well as solution-coatable organic semiconductors can be used.
Lower cost
According to the CEO, Martin Roscheisen, the conversion efficiency (percentage of incident light energy converted to electrical energy) of the Nanosolar SPV cell is above 12 per cent for its first product prototypes. He claims that the Nanosolar SPV cell costs only $ 0.36 per peak watt.
The semiconductor paint can be applied to a flexible substrate , such as a polymer sheet , through a simple web printing process, to create an array of ultra-thin solar cells.
Nanosolar has developed proprietary substrate technology that keeps the substrate cost within a smaller fraction of the overall product cost than any other state-of-the-art thin-film solar cell technology. The company has also developed a powerful new way of interconnecting individual solar cells into larger modules and large-area sheets and allows high-throughput module assembly at high yield.
The flagship product, Nanosolar SolarPly, is a 14 feet x 10 feet solar electricity module delivering 120 watts per square inch at 110V. The company is now offering solar panels at below $1 per peak watt.
The Nanosolar team, headed by CEO Martin Roscheisen (listed by Fortune in 2003 among the top ten U.S. entrepreneurs below 40 years of age), has some top-notch Indian technologists assisting it.
Among them are Dr. Siva Sivaram (ex-Intel) and Dr. Arati Prabhakar , former Director of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
N.N. Sachitanand
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Exactly
Recently I have started to notice a really funny thing about german culture. It has not occured to me before and I guess it's just another slight difference between German culture and the Australian/Anglo Irish/English culture that I am used to...
I have noticed it lately in meetings with the use of the word, 'Genau', Germans love this word, it is used on the telphone, when talking to each other, in meetings, by itself. It's a sentence, it's a statement! No you are starting to wonder, what can this word possibly mean? Well if you are not entirely familiar with the German language then it translates to exactly 'Exact'. Exactly.
Usually germans love using this word to create an impression that everything is running to exact specifications, exact dimensions and exactly on time exactly. Well to tell you the truth exactly, not everything is running exactly to exact specifications, exact dimensions and exactly on time exactly. In actual fact this is far from the truth. It seems to me they just like reassuring themselves that this is happening.
I have one example, In a recent meeting with colleagues about a problem, something was going wrong. But at the end of the meeting, we did not really come closer to a solution. However amazingly at the end, everyone was saying, well, all is on track, everything is exactly exact, everything is fine and amazing. This liturally goes on for 13.3 seconds exactly.
I have noticed it lately in meetings with the use of the word, 'Genau', Germans love this word, it is used on the telphone, when talking to each other, in meetings, by itself. It's a sentence, it's a statement! No you are starting to wonder, what can this word possibly mean? Well if you are not entirely familiar with the German language then it translates to exactly 'Exact'. Exactly.
Usually germans love using this word to create an impression that everything is running to exact specifications, exact dimensions and exactly on time exactly. Well to tell you the truth exactly, not everything is running exactly to exact specifications, exact dimensions and exactly on time exactly. In actual fact this is far from the truth. It seems to me they just like reassuring themselves that this is happening.
I have one example, In a recent meeting with colleagues about a problem, something was going wrong. But at the end of the meeting, we did not really come closer to a solution. However amazingly at the end, everyone was saying, well, all is on track, everything is exactly exact, everything is fine and amazing. This liturally goes on for 13.3 seconds exactly.
Monday, February 28, 2005
It's Confirmed
Well after applying for some holidays I have confirmed these travel arrangements:
1. Pampalona, Barcelona, Bilbao (July 7th-14th)
Spain in the height of the European summer! Not sure if I will go overland through France or Fly there yet.
Highlights include Running with the Bulls in Pampalona and my long awaited visit to Barcelona.
2. India with Mathatanma Cote (A Hindu guide and Bombay taxi Driver) (Spetmeber 24th-October 6th)
Well this will be an adventure running through Rahjistan, Marharshma from Dehli to Bombay .
Adventures here might include the remake of the famous Peugeot 206 add, taking unuasual forms of transport including camels, ambasador cars, elephants and Indian sleeper trains.
1. Pampalona, Barcelona, Bilbao (July 7th-14th)
Spain in the height of the European summer! Not sure if I will go overland through France or Fly there yet.
Highlights include Running with the Bulls in Pampalona and my long awaited visit to Barcelona.
2. India with Mathatanma Cote (A Hindu guide and Bombay taxi Driver) (Spetmeber 24th-October 6th)
Well this will be an adventure running through Rahjistan, Marharshma from Dehli to Bombay .
Adventures here might include the remake of the famous Peugeot 206 add, taking unuasual forms of transport including camels, ambasador cars, elephants and Indian sleeper trains.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Ah I think I am starting to miss Sydney
Sydneysiders love to strut their stuff. They head for the newest really good restaurant, cafe or bar, the grooviest new promenade, or the smartest, nearest beach. They love to meet friends to eat, drink and be merry. There's an energy and boldness here that is irrepressible and uplifting. It's urbane, but fresh and curious.
With its wonderful climate and carefree lifestyle, Sydney has inspired some stunning young designers who have taken the multi-layered cultural influences and translated them into fashion.
The Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in Sydney sets the stage and has proved to be a highly successful venture, marketing Australian fashion to the world. Designers such as Collette Dinnigan and Akira Isogawa have become globally acclaimed.
Stroll up and down Oxford Street, Paddington, to see the funkiest designers. For more formal fashion, Double Bay is the place to shop. A trawl through the city arcades and streets - Skygarden, the MLC Centre, Chifley Square, Martin Place, the new Grace Bros fashion floor - should bedazzle the
shopper with alternatives.
Down at Bondi, view the best of Australian surf and beach wear that has blazed new trend trails internationally. If you can't find a 'cossie' (swimming costume) in Campbell Parade, there's something wrong. Don't miss the Mambo store for the ultimate in surf chic.
Sydney is a also an architectural dream. Many homes overlook the water or nestle in the bush, and are cantilevered over cliffs or dug back into the scenery (featuring light and space, layers of texture and looking outwards to the environment). This Australian architectural idiom was pioneered by Sydney architect Glenn Murcutt. It has been translated and adapted by many who have followed him.
With its wonderful climate and carefree lifestyle, Sydney has inspired some stunning young designers who have taken the multi-layered cultural influences and translated them into fashion.
The Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in Sydney sets the stage and has proved to be a highly successful venture, marketing Australian fashion to the world. Designers such as Collette Dinnigan and Akira Isogawa have become globally acclaimed.
Stroll up and down Oxford Street, Paddington, to see the funkiest designers. For more formal fashion, Double Bay is the place to shop. A trawl through the city arcades and streets - Skygarden, the MLC Centre, Chifley Square, Martin Place, the new Grace Bros fashion floor - should bedazzle the
shopper with alternatives.
Down at Bondi, view the best of Australian surf and beach wear that has blazed new trend trails internationally. If you can't find a 'cossie' (swimming costume) in Campbell Parade, there's something wrong. Don't miss the Mambo store for the ultimate in surf chic.
Sydney is a also an architectural dream. Many homes overlook the water or nestle in the bush, and are cantilevered over cliffs or dug back into the scenery (featuring light and space, layers of texture and looking outwards to the environment). This Australian architectural idiom was pioneered by Sydney architect Glenn Murcutt. It has been translated and adapted by many who have followed him.
Ah why did I leave Sydney! It got voted best city in the world yet again :)
Simply the best
Islands, hotels, airlines, cruise ships ... travellers rate their top destinations. By Geoffrey Williams
February 11, 2005
PLENTY is happening on the widening paths of travel. The world is still in love with Sydney; independent travellers from across the globe pick Australia as the next place they would most like to visit; there's a developing taste for strange meals and an around-the-world cruise is the ultimate holiday.
Sunset from Santorini, Greece
The younger generation – that's the 18-to-35 Contiki age bracket – wants a "weird experience" such as witnessing a black magic exorcism in Malawi as part of their travels, while a much older group, now defined as "bloomers", just want to travel and spend their money.
It's also come to pass that emerging travel hot spots are Africa, Alaska, Antarctica, Bhutan, Borneo, Cambodia, Central America, Cuba, Iceland and Mongolia.
Travel food for thought is that cultural culinary delights now available, with some adventure touring, include barbecued lamb skulls, pot-cooked goat innards and balut, which is a raw, developing baby duck still in the egg.
But here, we rate the barbecue as our favourite Australian speciality followed closely by Vegemite – now in a 145g easy-squeeze travel pack – but we're really not keen on damper.
How do I know this? It's because of the plethora of travel industry surveys which the good people at Lonely Planet, STA Travel, AAT Kings, Zuji and a welter of travel magazines and journals all conduct through their websites and then provide the results.
Some of the results are not surprising – as one of the top travel writers in the US, Gary Warner, sounded off after Sydney was again voted best 2004 city in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure.
His response to his readers: "Sydney, Sydney, Sydney. Yawn, yawn, yawn.
"Come on! Anybody have any creativity out there? OK, the Australian metropolis is drop-dead gorgeous and a great place to visit. The people are friendly, the prices are reasonable and the beaches are among the best in the world.
"But this `best city in the world' title year after year after year in the major travel magazines is getting beyond monotonous. It's irritating. It's sending hordes of tourists Down Under in search of some kind of urban Shangri-la. OK, it is, but that's beside the point. Let's rally 'round Rome. Paris. San Francisco. Shanghai. Anywhere but Sydney." Gary is writing in jest, because he says he is returning as soon as he can.
It was the release this week of Lonely Planet's Travellers' Pulse Survey at www.lonelyplanet.com which shows Australia is still the world favourite.
Almost 20,000 respondents from 167 countries hit the survey site and rate Australia the destination they would most like to visit next.
Then come Chile and Brazil – echoing recent trends towards South American destinations – with New Zealand and India rounding out the top five.
Australia also is tops in favourite destinations that travellers have visited, followed by Italy, Thailand, NZ and France.
While travellers from all over the world want to come here, Australians are itching to head to South America, with Peru as the country Aussies most want to visit, followed by Chile, Italy, Brazil and Canada.
Globally, the Lonely Planet vote shows Europe is the world's favourite region, with a 28 per cent vote just shading Asia at 24, then South/Central America at 16 and Australia/Pacific at 15 per cent. This doesn't leave much support for Great Britain, North America or Scandinavia or Africa, although plenty of individuals are looking at the Dark Continent.
In its worldwide survey of more than 20,000 travellers, STA Travel had 10 of its world divisions – Australia/NZ, Austria, Germany, Japan, Nordic, North America, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom team up to tap the feelings of regular world travellers.
A quick snapshot of Australia/NZ shows that 59 per cent of them spend between $1400 and $4520 a year on travel; 45 per cent plan to go to Europe this year; and 18 per cent have woken up next to a total stranger while travelling.
It's Singapore-based ZUJI, the Asia/Pacific's high-profile online travel company, which has found the "cruising wish list".
Interesting in that ZUJI is a joint venture between Travelocity, an international leader in online travel and 15 leading Asia/Pacific airlines – All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, SilkAir, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.
The survey hits by Australians showed that if money was no object, more than half would circumnavigate the globe on a luxury cruise; far fewer are interested in seeing whales and icebergs on an Antarctic cruise and under 1 per cent want to cross the Atlantic in style on a London-to-New York cruise.
Perhaps the cruising voters were the "bloomers". That's the name British specialist holiday company Journeys of Distinction has given to those people over 60 who have the time, inclination and the money to travel. There are plenty of them in Australia and they are major players in all sections of tourism, from hiking and biking to coach, rail and air travel, and especially cruising.
A survey by the company asked people whether they were boomers – people with grown-up kids seeking adventurous travel holidays, or bloomers – people aged 60 or more who were retired and whose holiday patterns were determined by destination and accommodation.
The survey had 5000 responses, with 89 per cent describing themselves as bloomers and aged over 61. More than one-third take six or more weeks of holiday a year, spending up to $24,200.
Journeys of Distinction says: "The bloomers market is potentially lucrative and the travel industry should be taking it seriously because it is growing in number and spending power."
But its a survey by coach holiday company AAT Kings which is the last word and shows that even Aussies like Sydney best. The ratings for Australia's favourite city resulted: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide and Darwin.
Compiled by Travel Editor Geoffrey Williams from online survey results submitted and AAP.
VOTED NO. 1
Apart from Sydney, here are the tops of the top around the world, and who votes them so.
Best island: Bali – Travel & Leisure magazine.
Best European island: Mykonos and the Cyclades, Greece – Conde Nast Traveler.
Best destination: Norway's fjords – National Geographic Traveller.
Best hotel in Europe: Four Seasons Milan, Italy – Conde Naste Traveler
Best US hotel: Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills – Travel & Leisure and Harper's Hideaway Report.
Best international hotel: Four Seasons George V, Paris – Harper's Hideaway Report.
Best international airline: Singapore Airlines – Travel & Leisure.
Best value for money cruise line: Carnival.
Best megaship: Queen Mary 2 – Porthole Magazine.
Best large ship cruise line: Crystal Cruises – Travel & Leisure.
Best small-ship cruise line: Silversea Cruises – Conde Nast Traveler.
Islands, hotels, airlines, cruise ships ... travellers rate their top destinations. By Geoffrey Williams
February 11, 2005
PLENTY is happening on the widening paths of travel. The world is still in love with Sydney; independent travellers from across the globe pick Australia as the next place they would most like to visit; there's a developing taste for strange meals and an around-the-world cruise is the ultimate holiday.
Sunset from Santorini, Greece
The younger generation – that's the 18-to-35 Contiki age bracket – wants a "weird experience" such as witnessing a black magic exorcism in Malawi as part of their travels, while a much older group, now defined as "bloomers", just want to travel and spend their money.
It's also come to pass that emerging travel hot spots are Africa, Alaska, Antarctica, Bhutan, Borneo, Cambodia, Central America, Cuba, Iceland and Mongolia.
Travel food for thought is that cultural culinary delights now available, with some adventure touring, include barbecued lamb skulls, pot-cooked goat innards and balut, which is a raw, developing baby duck still in the egg.
But here, we rate the barbecue as our favourite Australian speciality followed closely by Vegemite – now in a 145g easy-squeeze travel pack – but we're really not keen on damper.
How do I know this? It's because of the plethora of travel industry surveys which the good people at Lonely Planet, STA Travel, AAT Kings, Zuji and a welter of travel magazines and journals all conduct through their websites and then provide the results.
Some of the results are not surprising – as one of the top travel writers in the US, Gary Warner, sounded off after Sydney was again voted best 2004 city in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure.
His response to his readers: "Sydney, Sydney, Sydney. Yawn, yawn, yawn.
"Come on! Anybody have any creativity out there? OK, the Australian metropolis is drop-dead gorgeous and a great place to visit. The people are friendly, the prices are reasonable and the beaches are among the best in the world.
"But this `best city in the world' title year after year after year in the major travel magazines is getting beyond monotonous. It's irritating. It's sending hordes of tourists Down Under in search of some kind of urban Shangri-la. OK, it is, but that's beside the point. Let's rally 'round Rome. Paris. San Francisco. Shanghai. Anywhere but Sydney." Gary is writing in jest, because he says he is returning as soon as he can.
It was the release this week of Lonely Planet's Travellers' Pulse Survey at www.lonelyplanet.com which shows Australia is still the world favourite.
Almost 20,000 respondents from 167 countries hit the survey site and rate Australia the destination they would most like to visit next.
Then come Chile and Brazil – echoing recent trends towards South American destinations – with New Zealand and India rounding out the top five.
Australia also is tops in favourite destinations that travellers have visited, followed by Italy, Thailand, NZ and France.
While travellers from all over the world want to come here, Australians are itching to head to South America, with Peru as the country Aussies most want to visit, followed by Chile, Italy, Brazil and Canada.
Globally, the Lonely Planet vote shows Europe is the world's favourite region, with a 28 per cent vote just shading Asia at 24, then South/Central America at 16 and Australia/Pacific at 15 per cent. This doesn't leave much support for Great Britain, North America or Scandinavia or Africa, although plenty of individuals are looking at the Dark Continent.
In its worldwide survey of more than 20,000 travellers, STA Travel had 10 of its world divisions – Australia/NZ, Austria, Germany, Japan, Nordic, North America, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom team up to tap the feelings of regular world travellers.
A quick snapshot of Australia/NZ shows that 59 per cent of them spend between $1400 and $4520 a year on travel; 45 per cent plan to go to Europe this year; and 18 per cent have woken up next to a total stranger while travelling.
It's Singapore-based ZUJI, the Asia/Pacific's high-profile online travel company, which has found the "cruising wish list".
Interesting in that ZUJI is a joint venture between Travelocity, an international leader in online travel and 15 leading Asia/Pacific airlines – All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, SilkAir, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.
The survey hits by Australians showed that if money was no object, more than half would circumnavigate the globe on a luxury cruise; far fewer are interested in seeing whales and icebergs on an Antarctic cruise and under 1 per cent want to cross the Atlantic in style on a London-to-New York cruise.
Perhaps the cruising voters were the "bloomers". That's the name British specialist holiday company Journeys of Distinction has given to those people over 60 who have the time, inclination and the money to travel. There are plenty of them in Australia and they are major players in all sections of tourism, from hiking and biking to coach, rail and air travel, and especially cruising.
A survey by the company asked people whether they were boomers – people with grown-up kids seeking adventurous travel holidays, or bloomers – people aged 60 or more who were retired and whose holiday patterns were determined by destination and accommodation.
The survey had 5000 responses, with 89 per cent describing themselves as bloomers and aged over 61. More than one-third take six or more weeks of holiday a year, spending up to $24,200.
Journeys of Distinction says: "The bloomers market is potentially lucrative and the travel industry should be taking it seriously because it is growing in number and spending power."
But its a survey by coach holiday company AAT Kings which is the last word and shows that even Aussies like Sydney best. The ratings for Australia's favourite city resulted: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide and Darwin.
Compiled by Travel Editor Geoffrey Williams from online survey results submitted and AAP.
VOTED NO. 1
Apart from Sydney, here are the tops of the top around the world, and who votes them so.
Best island: Bali – Travel & Leisure magazine.
Best European island: Mykonos and the Cyclades, Greece – Conde Nast Traveler.
Best destination: Norway's fjords – National Geographic Traveller.
Best hotel in Europe: Four Seasons Milan, Italy – Conde Naste Traveler
Best US hotel: Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills – Travel & Leisure and Harper's Hideaway Report.
Best international hotel: Four Seasons George V, Paris – Harper's Hideaway Report.
Best international airline: Singapore Airlines – Travel & Leisure.
Best value for money cruise line: Carnival.
Best megaship: Queen Mary 2 – Porthole Magazine.
Best large ship cruise line: Crystal Cruises – Travel & Leisure.
Best small-ship cruise line: Silversea Cruises – Conde Nast Traveler.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Ticket Inspector
Ticket Inspector
After happening to be in Prague for the weekend with my old pal Ben (who was visiting from Australia) we went to 3 Disco's within 72 hours and slept for only 10 of those. The rest of the time was spent wandering the streets of this beautiful city and admiring it's beautiful dewls.
We were standing on a platform at the metro when Ticket Inspector man sprung us! This dude came out of nowehere! He was undercover and it was 12pm on a saturday!
A short plumpish man with a smug smile on his face walked up to us, he said in a thick czech accent 'Ticket Inspector' and then showed me this cool badge that looked very official. I thought to myself "oh shit..."My ticket ran out 1 hour ago. I proceeded to fumble around in my pocket for my ticket and then I thought, mmmm the ticket is written in both Czech and English, maybee I should pretend that I don't speak english and act dumb and speak only French. Nah, it won't work, I will just try acting liek a dumb foreigner.
He looked at both of our tickets and it was plain obvious we knew that we had done something wrong. So he said, "Passports!", Ben and I reluctantly handed them over. He proceeded to write us out a ticket for 400 K. I had this strange feeling by the way he was pushing what we got for our 400 k. Like, yeah you can ride the metro for 1 whole hour! And the trams as well. It was like he was trying to sell it to us. Afterwoods, I thought it would be a great idea if I got a photo with him, (This would be great, I have done this before with some unknown security personel in China after they caught me trespassing....)
After happening to be in Prague for the weekend with my old pal Ben (who was visiting from Australia) we went to 3 Disco's within 72 hours and slept for only 10 of those. The rest of the time was spent wandering the streets of this beautiful city and admiring it's beautiful dewls.
We were standing on a platform at the metro when Ticket Inspector man sprung us! This dude came out of nowehere! He was undercover and it was 12pm on a saturday!
A short plumpish man with a smug smile on his face walked up to us, he said in a thick czech accent 'Ticket Inspector' and then showed me this cool badge that looked very official. I thought to myself "oh shit..."My ticket ran out 1 hour ago. I proceeded to fumble around in my pocket for my ticket and then I thought, mmmm the ticket is written in both Czech and English, maybee I should pretend that I don't speak english and act dumb and speak only French. Nah, it won't work, I will just try acting liek a dumb foreigner.
He looked at both of our tickets and it was plain obvious we knew that we had done something wrong. So he said, "Passports!", Ben and I reluctantly handed them over. He proceeded to write us out a ticket for 400 K. I had this strange feeling by the way he was pushing what we got for our 400 k. Like, yeah you can ride the metro for 1 whole hour! And the trams as well. It was like he was trying to sell it to us. Afterwoods, I thought it would be a great idea if I got a photo with him, (This would be great, I have done this before with some unknown security personel in China after they caught me trespassing....)
Friday, February 11, 2005
A list of Funnies
Disco Man- A cool dude from Prague who is eternally searching for a disco
“I am Disco Man” is what he told me.
Four Foot Tall, Jolly, hyperactive, like a child.
Hamster Man- The funny man from China who does not speak English, for some reason he was travelling around Europe with his pet hamster and one night it escaped from the cardboard box he was keeping it in, in the hostel room. I woke up and a hamster was running around the room terrorising people. Eventually the next day he recaptured it four stories below.
Laundry Man- A Japanese fellow who lives inside his bunk bed with a laundry.
Fat Blackout Man- We went to rent an apartment from him and he wanted two months commission. “Yeah it’s normal” he said, then suddenly his computer blew up in his office and caused a blackout and we ran out…
“You know” Man- From Berlin, this guy could talk under wet cement! Each sentence had at least 5 of the phrase “You know”, he spoke really fast, hyperactive and had been to 15o countries, apparently had discovered god in Israel on a mountain top and been shot at several times in west Africa. Quite an entertaining fellow!
“I am Disco Man” is what he told me.
Four Foot Tall, Jolly, hyperactive, like a child.
Hamster Man- The funny man from China who does not speak English, for some reason he was travelling around Europe with his pet hamster and one night it escaped from the cardboard box he was keeping it in, in the hostel room. I woke up and a hamster was running around the room terrorising people. Eventually the next day he recaptured it four stories below.
Laundry Man- A Japanese fellow who lives inside his bunk bed with a laundry.
Fat Blackout Man- We went to rent an apartment from him and he wanted two months commission. “Yeah it’s normal” he said, then suddenly his computer blew up in his office and caused a blackout and we ran out…
“You know” Man- From Berlin, this guy could talk under wet cement! Each sentence had at least 5 of the phrase “You know”, he spoke really fast, hyperactive and had been to 15o countries, apparently had discovered god in Israel on a mountain top and been shot at several times in west Africa. Quite an entertaining fellow!
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
What is the real definition of "Cooool"?
Dust off your dial telephone and move to the suburbs - everything old and daggy is cool again.
Eytan Messiah, 22, has been a poet for four years. With spoken-word shows swelling up in pubs and popping up on youth radio stations such as FBi and 2SER, Messiah's once-fringe hobby has gone from wanky to swanky. His early gigs were attended only by other performers, but this year Messiah was one of six poets to take the stage in Slamming, a spoken-word extravaganza funded by the Riverside Theatre as part of the Sydney Festival. "It's funny how fads enter cultures and help us along a bit," he says. It's not just poetry that's doing a 180. When Huey Lewis sang, "It's hip to be square," in 1986, who would have thought people would take his word for it? Today, things that were traditionally the domain of the dork, dag and nerd have made it to the cutting edge of pop culture. Uncool is the new cool.
Ugh boots and thongs are staples in any Hollywood fashionista's wardrobe. Models knit to pass the time backstage at catwalk shows and funky youngsters go lawn bowling of a Sunday afternoon. Even Australia's bowls representatives are becoming cooler. Five of 11 players on the national men's and women's teams are under 30. And no pseudo-intellectual, artiste or wanker would be seen dead without chunky framed spectacles - just like the ones Colonel Sanders used to wear. Pubs are being "renovated" with worn-out couches like the junk people leave on footpaths for students to pick up. We used to laugh at the geeks who loved electronics like girlfriend substitutes, but now all we talk about is the iPod we have or the iPod we want.
And where fruit was once something we tried to avoid, these days it's so tasty when blended with a weird low-fat yoghurt substance, we'll pay $5 at a juice bar for it. The word "cool" was coined by black jazz musicians in the 1940s and became part of the popular vernacular with the birth of the teenager in the 1950s. From the 1960s, advertisers have used cool to try to get young people to spend money and since the 1990s it has been a "major factor in popular society and consumer culture", says Seamus Byrne, a media and tech journalist writing a PhD at the University of NSW on "How Cool Works". The Cambridge Dictionaries Online define "cool" as "fashionable or attractive", but outside the confines of a dictionary, the meaning of cool is not so clear. Byrne says: "That's the million-dollar question. If you could nail that one down in a nutshell, you'd make a lot of money." In a consumer society that tells us that image is everything but coolness is elusive ("if you're trying to be cool, then you're not," Byrne says), the whole "uncool is cool" phenomenon seems as disorientating as a broken compass. But, according to the experts, the fact that "uncool is the new cool" makes perfect sense. "Cool is defined as being special, out of the ordinary in some way," says Irma Zandl, the president of Zandl Group, a boutique trend research agency in SoHo, New York. Most trends start on the edge of society with "indies" or "creative hipsters", before moving into the mainstream, Zandl says. "Indies value being different and have an aversion to the mainstream," she says. "For example, if hotties like Ashton Kutcher or Paris Hilton are driving sexier fashion trends, indies will go for the chunky glasses look. The 'old man geezer' look is quite popular here [in the US] with young guys." Harry Blatterer, a social researcher at the University of NSW, sees the "uncool is cool" phenomenon as a reaction to the "merchants of cool" - the marketers and advertising executives who try to dictate what young consumers should want and buy. "If that means that they [young people] are engaging in practices that were once defined as uncool, then that's cool," he says. But rebellious consumers are not just cutting cultural products from the past and pasting them into 2005. Annalise Brown, director of the youth marketing agency Spin, says: "I don't think it's necessarily that they're coming back in the same format, it's using elements of the past and putting a different spin on it." "In the '90s and through to now there's certainly [been] a big retro phenomenon," says Byrne, "it's a mark of the noughties that people are finding more and more traditional, conservative entertainment forms and updating them." That's why our ugh boots now come in a range of colours and we go lawn bowling in bare feet while drinking beer. The rise of uncoolness is also due to a more relaxed breed of young consumer: "I think young people are much more open-minded about what counts as cool, so that's a definite shift; they're less worried about what is actually trendy," Blatterer says. The phenomenon is being helped by the nature of today's trend cycles. It's certainly not new that things move in and out of fashion (knickerbockers, anyone?) but the progression from cool to uncool and back again is much quicker today. This means more things are trendier but for shorter periods of time. That speed is due to our "huge appetite for novelty", Zandl says. "There do seem to be more fads than at any time in the past. We have a more fragmented consumer base and increasing media focus on trends and fads." There might be another reason for it - there is a comfort factor involved with uncoolness. Even though modern society is highly fragmented, everyone is affected by the unpredictable nature of the labour market, Blatterer says: "Life for young people is very, very uncertain now. I think it's very much about getting back to a time where everything was much more certain. I think it's a meaning-making exercise [and] about young people trying to find an anchor." So, while Messiah is enjoying the financial benefits of the boom in poetry appreciation, he hasn't given up his "thousand" day jobs just yet. "I'd like to see how long it'll last," he says. "I don't care if it's cool. I remember when it wasn't cool and I was still having just as much fun."
WHAT'S COMING BACK NEXT?
+ Spin Marketing's Annalise Brown says rollerskating and roller discos will soon be back, as will telephones with dials. Slow food that you've prepared from scratch will be cool again. And from a fashion perspective: "I think ultra-conservative will come back, the preppy, nerdy, almost computer-geek look."
+ Irma Zandl, of Zandl Group, predicts that the suburbs, pot-luck dinners and gaming will soon be seriously cool. + Seamus Byrne from UNSW agrees that old '80s table-top arcade games are "definitely on the way back", as are old gadgets that "people have managed to hold onto and not throw away". Nintendo's Game & Watch hand-held console from the '80s is set to be cool once more because it looks similar to the new Nintendo DS (Dual Screen). But keep your old Game Boy in the garage. Byrne says it won't be revived any time soon, as it's "too uncomfortable and unwieldy" compared with newer, smaller products.
Judith Ireland
Eytan Messiah, 22, has been a poet for four years. With spoken-word shows swelling up in pubs and popping up on youth radio stations such as FBi and 2SER, Messiah's once-fringe hobby has gone from wanky to swanky. His early gigs were attended only by other performers, but this year Messiah was one of six poets to take the stage in Slamming, a spoken-word extravaganza funded by the Riverside Theatre as part of the Sydney Festival. "It's funny how fads enter cultures and help us along a bit," he says. It's not just poetry that's doing a 180. When Huey Lewis sang, "It's hip to be square," in 1986, who would have thought people would take his word for it? Today, things that were traditionally the domain of the dork, dag and nerd have made it to the cutting edge of pop culture. Uncool is the new cool.
Ugh boots and thongs are staples in any Hollywood fashionista's wardrobe. Models knit to pass the time backstage at catwalk shows and funky youngsters go lawn bowling of a Sunday afternoon. Even Australia's bowls representatives are becoming cooler. Five of 11 players on the national men's and women's teams are under 30. And no pseudo-intellectual, artiste or wanker would be seen dead without chunky framed spectacles - just like the ones Colonel Sanders used to wear. Pubs are being "renovated" with worn-out couches like the junk people leave on footpaths for students to pick up. We used to laugh at the geeks who loved electronics like girlfriend substitutes, but now all we talk about is the iPod we have or the iPod we want.
And where fruit was once something we tried to avoid, these days it's so tasty when blended with a weird low-fat yoghurt substance, we'll pay $5 at a juice bar for it. The word "cool" was coined by black jazz musicians in the 1940s and became part of the popular vernacular with the birth of the teenager in the 1950s. From the 1960s, advertisers have used cool to try to get young people to spend money and since the 1990s it has been a "major factor in popular society and consumer culture", says Seamus Byrne, a media and tech journalist writing a PhD at the University of NSW on "How Cool Works". The Cambridge Dictionaries Online define "cool" as "fashionable or attractive", but outside the confines of a dictionary, the meaning of cool is not so clear. Byrne says: "That's the million-dollar question. If you could nail that one down in a nutshell, you'd make a lot of money." In a consumer society that tells us that image is everything but coolness is elusive ("if you're trying to be cool, then you're not," Byrne says), the whole "uncool is cool" phenomenon seems as disorientating as a broken compass. But, according to the experts, the fact that "uncool is the new cool" makes perfect sense. "Cool is defined as being special, out of the ordinary in some way," says Irma Zandl, the president of Zandl Group, a boutique trend research agency in SoHo, New York. Most trends start on the edge of society with "indies" or "creative hipsters", before moving into the mainstream, Zandl says. "Indies value being different and have an aversion to the mainstream," she says. "For example, if hotties like Ashton Kutcher or Paris Hilton are driving sexier fashion trends, indies will go for the chunky glasses look. The 'old man geezer' look is quite popular here [in the US] with young guys." Harry Blatterer, a social researcher at the University of NSW, sees the "uncool is cool" phenomenon as a reaction to the "merchants of cool" - the marketers and advertising executives who try to dictate what young consumers should want and buy. "If that means that they [young people] are engaging in practices that were once defined as uncool, then that's cool," he says. But rebellious consumers are not just cutting cultural products from the past and pasting them into 2005. Annalise Brown, director of the youth marketing agency Spin, says: "I don't think it's necessarily that they're coming back in the same format, it's using elements of the past and putting a different spin on it." "In the '90s and through to now there's certainly [been] a big retro phenomenon," says Byrne, "it's a mark of the noughties that people are finding more and more traditional, conservative entertainment forms and updating them." That's why our ugh boots now come in a range of colours and we go lawn bowling in bare feet while drinking beer. The rise of uncoolness is also due to a more relaxed breed of young consumer: "I think young people are much more open-minded about what counts as cool, so that's a definite shift; they're less worried about what is actually trendy," Blatterer says. The phenomenon is being helped by the nature of today's trend cycles. It's certainly not new that things move in and out of fashion (knickerbockers, anyone?) but the progression from cool to uncool and back again is much quicker today. This means more things are trendier but for shorter periods of time. That speed is due to our "huge appetite for novelty", Zandl says. "There do seem to be more fads than at any time in the past. We have a more fragmented consumer base and increasing media focus on trends and fads." There might be another reason for it - there is a comfort factor involved with uncoolness. Even though modern society is highly fragmented, everyone is affected by the unpredictable nature of the labour market, Blatterer says: "Life for young people is very, very uncertain now. I think it's very much about getting back to a time where everything was much more certain. I think it's a meaning-making exercise [and] about young people trying to find an anchor." So, while Messiah is enjoying the financial benefits of the boom in poetry appreciation, he hasn't given up his "thousand" day jobs just yet. "I'd like to see how long it'll last," he says. "I don't care if it's cool. I remember when it wasn't cool and I was still having just as much fun."
WHAT'S COMING BACK NEXT?
+ Spin Marketing's Annalise Brown says rollerskating and roller discos will soon be back, as will telephones with dials. Slow food that you've prepared from scratch will be cool again. And from a fashion perspective: "I think ultra-conservative will come back, the preppy, nerdy, almost computer-geek look."
+ Irma Zandl, of Zandl Group, predicts that the suburbs, pot-luck dinners and gaming will soon be seriously cool. + Seamus Byrne from UNSW agrees that old '80s table-top arcade games are "definitely on the way back", as are old gadgets that "people have managed to hold onto and not throw away". Nintendo's Game & Watch hand-held console from the '80s is set to be cool once more because it looks similar to the new Nintendo DS (Dual Screen). But keep your old Game Boy in the garage. Byrne says it won't be revived any time soon, as it's "too uncomfortable and unwieldy" compared with newer, smaller products.
Judith Ireland
Friday, February 04, 2005
I have found the Dream Backpack!
It's a photovoltaic backpack to charge your devices! Great, only $229 USD!
http://www.voltaicsystems.com/solarpanels.shtml#chargingtimes
http://www.voltaicsystems.com/solarpanels.shtml#chargingtimes
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
FLASHBACK "Khao San Road, Bangkok, Februray 2004"
Episode 1-A walk down Khao San
It's been a year since Khao San, yet the memories of this peculiar place are still vived in the mind.
It's February, it's humid, mild, warm. A nice change after spending the last three months in Wuxi China. I thought I would takea taxi from the Airport down to Khao San Road after being tipped off by a friend.
I got out of the taxi, straight in front of me lay a dirt road with people milling around everywhere, more taxi drivers, Tuk Tuk drivers, hippy's, travellers, wandering salesman, streetside stalls selling everything that a backpacker might need in Thailand from traditional thongs, trendy tee shirts, shoes, CD's, Ninja stars, Hand guns, knives of all sorts and of course, BEER!Wandering along this short strech, I could not happen but notice some of the street vendors were not Thai at all, in fact quite a few of them looked like European travellers who had gone localised Hippyish with Long Dreadlocks and nose rings. "Alternatives", my mother would say in a polite manner. Wow, I thought, this must be an interesting place for these people to stay here that long and live here becoming like weird locals.Further along this dirt road are laid back drinking establishments, Al-fresco drinking under the tropical trees. These establishments seem to be eternally packed out with English tourists wearing no tee shirts and thongs or if they were wearing a tee shirt, it would be a trendy one they bought for 200 Bahrt just around the corner yesterday saying "I love Osama" or something of similar political incorrectlyness...Walking into an internet cafe I sat down to check my email, for god knows what reasons I chose to do this but it seemed like a good idea at the time...maybee it was the external influences of all these English Backpackers around. Above my head was a lazy fan, slowly rotating through the tropical heat, mesmorising in its dance of futility as the heat and humidity rose up all around it and smothered it. The building was of traditional Thai wooden design, multiple floors with wide wooden stair cases as as I sat there checking my yahoo mail, I could not help but over hear a conversation takiking place right next to me....
It's been a year since Khao San, yet the memories of this peculiar place are still vived in the mind.
It's February, it's humid, mild, warm. A nice change after spending the last three months in Wuxi China. I thought I would takea taxi from the Airport down to Khao San Road after being tipped off by a friend.
I got out of the taxi, straight in front of me lay a dirt road with people milling around everywhere, more taxi drivers, Tuk Tuk drivers, hippy's, travellers, wandering salesman, streetside stalls selling everything that a backpacker might need in Thailand from traditional thongs, trendy tee shirts, shoes, CD's, Ninja stars, Hand guns, knives of all sorts and of course, BEER!Wandering along this short strech, I could not happen but notice some of the street vendors were not Thai at all, in fact quite a few of them looked like European travellers who had gone localised Hippyish with Long Dreadlocks and nose rings. "Alternatives", my mother would say in a polite manner. Wow, I thought, this must be an interesting place for these people to stay here that long and live here becoming like weird locals.Further along this dirt road are laid back drinking establishments, Al-fresco drinking under the tropical trees. These establishments seem to be eternally packed out with English tourists wearing no tee shirts and thongs or if they were wearing a tee shirt, it would be a trendy one they bought for 200 Bahrt just around the corner yesterday saying "I love Osama" or something of similar political incorrectlyness...Walking into an internet cafe I sat down to check my email, for god knows what reasons I chose to do this but it seemed like a good idea at the time...maybee it was the external influences of all these English Backpackers around. Above my head was a lazy fan, slowly rotating through the tropical heat, mesmorising in its dance of futility as the heat and humidity rose up all around it and smothered it. The building was of traditional Thai wooden design, multiple floors with wide wooden stair cases as as I sat there checking my yahoo mail, I could not help but over hear a conversation takiking place right next to me....
FLASHBACK "My thoughts after 3 months in China"
Until next time. Goodbye China. I will be back many many times on many more adventures and business.On the train ride home, for some reason after learning the language a little, I noticed that people are very accommodating of others when they have to be. I fell into a dreamy like sleep in contorted position centimeters away from a middle aged relative looking after his little 4ish year old. We both moved so that the 4ish year old could stretch out. Children should be treasured and happy. I couldn’t communicate effectively with him however we knew the common goal was to sleep as comfortably as possible while accommodating the little one. Every moment I feel welcomed here, but at this precise moment I felt like I was a part of the culture for a moment, on this train that was powering through the cold winter winds and mists.China is powering through the winter mists into its own light at tremendous pace…but where is this train going? Experience it if you get a chance. And if you want someone to hold your bag, I will really endeavor to find time and resources for a moment just for the adventure…
Luke's New List of Holiday Possibilities in 2005
Well due to the outstanding response for my List of Holiday Possibilities this year I have chosen!
1. Running With the Bulls in Pampalona (July 7-14th)
This is the classic, you have not lived yet if you have not done this. In my family this has a history, with my Aunt being the first ever women to run with the Bulls back in 1968...After asking her, she suggested I have to do it before they ban it.
So this is an invitation to anyone who wants to join in the great fun and have a life changing exhilarating experience with me and run with the Bulls in Pampalona Spain.
2. Adventure through India (Two unforgettable weeks in October with my old Pal Manish)
This one is still being planned in the works, however my good Hindu friend, MANISH and I are going to take a tour from Delhi to Bombay trying to be as sacreligous as possible and getting into generalised mischeif. So if you want to join the party, send an email to lfloorwalker@yahoo.com
By the way, you can still vote for other far out holiday possibilities (being the seasoned Floorwalker I am, nothing is out of the ordinary, nothing is too far out!), I am still open to crazy ideas. Any good ones I will seriously have a look at, and if you still want me to do some of the other possibilties i mentioned back in december then give them a vote on my chatterbox!
1. Running With the Bulls in Pampalona (July 7-14th)
This is the classic, you have not lived yet if you have not done this. In my family this has a history, with my Aunt being the first ever women to run with the Bulls back in 1968...After asking her, she suggested I have to do it before they ban it.
So this is an invitation to anyone who wants to join in the great fun and have a life changing exhilarating experience with me and run with the Bulls in Pampalona Spain.
2. Adventure through India (Two unforgettable weeks in October with my old Pal Manish)
This one is still being planned in the works, however my good Hindu friend, MANISH and I are going to take a tour from Delhi to Bombay trying to be as sacreligous as possible and getting into generalised mischeif. So if you want to join the party, send an email to lfloorwalker@yahoo.com
By the way, you can still vote for other far out holiday possibilities (being the seasoned Floorwalker I am, nothing is out of the ordinary, nothing is too far out!), I am still open to crazy ideas. Any good ones I will seriously have a look at, and if you still want me to do some of the other possibilties i mentioned back in december then give them a vote on my chatterbox!
Monday, January 31, 2005
Cookies With Uncle Sam
I was hungary, I wanted a cookie...where could I find a cookie? Well look no further, I found the cookie bar. Every style, type, shape, size, side cookies, cookie meals, value cookies, low fat cookies, extra-fat cookies. Man I was in freakin cookie heaven.
If you want to find this cookie heaven and get some extra fat into you..
Location: Coronado Springs Resort Pepper Market, Orlando, Florida
Price: 2 Dollars to 20 Dollars
Now the funny thing about cookie heaven was they wrapped a small cookie in a box 10 times bigger than needed, Greenies would get very upset...
If you want to find this cookie heaven and get some extra fat into you..
Location: Coronado Springs Resort Pepper Market, Orlando, Florida
Price: 2 Dollars to 20 Dollars
Now the funny thing about cookie heaven was they wrapped a small cookie in a box 10 times bigger than needed, Greenies would get very upset...
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Gospel FM Radio Man
'Hey guys, have you seen much of the disney parks? Yeah I think they are really neat. ' Ask's our friendly Taxi Driver.
In the background is the sound of Gospel 24hr radio, Orlando's 24hour gospel radio station.Gospel FM Radio Man-Our taxi driver on first impressions looks like a good christian deep south Happy clapper Pentecostal fellow. Friendly, musical, cool...and praise the lord.
I explained
'No, not yet, we did not really get time cause we are here for a conference..'
'All the way to Disneyworld Orlando Florida and you have not seen a Disney Park! Ah come on man! Just take it easy for the weekend and take a ride out to Animal Kingdom or if you like the water, Why not take a dip at Blizzard Beach!' Explains 24hour Gospel man...
suddenly a huge Uncle Sam people mover (i.e. a people mover that is three times the size it needs to be) swerves directly in front of us.
'ahh, Fuck man! Come on! This duuudes taking up two lanes, come on, these people nowdays driving in two lanes when really duuude, there is only one lane..'
What a cool character, a happy clappy 24hour gospel dude who suffers from road rage..Well I thought to myself, what a surprise.
'So where are you folks from?'
'well i am from Australia and my friends here, they are from Germany.'
'That's neat, Germany! Man you guys have a good soccer team, yeah man, I watch the soccer on ESPN Euroports live. Whats that name of that player,
Pause,
Longer Pause
Ahhh craaap, I can't think of his name...you know, short, no one likes him..Ah crap...I'll think of his name in a minute...Anyway, I will see you guys next time, have a good flight...'
An accomodating and a friendly fellow, I managed to reach deeper into my pocket and give him a bit of a tip...its not like he needed it too much. But he was friendly so I thought it would be nice to give him one....See you next time, Uncle SAM 24hour Gospel Radio Man!...
In the background is the sound of Gospel 24hr radio, Orlando's 24hour gospel radio station.Gospel FM Radio Man-Our taxi driver on first impressions looks like a good christian deep south Happy clapper Pentecostal fellow. Friendly, musical, cool...and praise the lord.
I explained
'No, not yet, we did not really get time cause we are here for a conference..'
'All the way to Disneyworld Orlando Florida and you have not seen a Disney Park! Ah come on man! Just take it easy for the weekend and take a ride out to Animal Kingdom or if you like the water, Why not take a dip at Blizzard Beach!' Explains 24hour Gospel man...
suddenly a huge Uncle Sam people mover (i.e. a people mover that is three times the size it needs to be) swerves directly in front of us.
'ahh, Fuck man! Come on! This duuudes taking up two lanes, come on, these people nowdays driving in two lanes when really duuude, there is only one lane..'
What a cool character, a happy clappy 24hour gospel dude who suffers from road rage..Well I thought to myself, what a surprise.
'So where are you folks from?'
'well i am from Australia and my friends here, they are from Germany.'
'That's neat, Germany! Man you guys have a good soccer team, yeah man, I watch the soccer on ESPN Euroports live. Whats that name of that player,
Pause,
Longer Pause
Ahhh craaap, I can't think of his name...you know, short, no one likes him..Ah crap...I'll think of his name in a minute...Anyway, I will see you guys next time, have a good flight...'
An accomodating and a friendly fellow, I managed to reach deeper into my pocket and give him a bit of a tip...its not like he needed it too much. But he was friendly so I thought it would be nice to give him one....See you next time, Uncle SAM 24hour Gospel Radio Man!...
Friday, January 28, 2005
Solar Energy Global Politics
Well, where can I start...
Solar Cell manufactuing is being increasingly dominated by its traditionally strong markets of Japan and Germany because not long ago the governments of these countries poured heaps of money into stabilising the subsidies for these markets. It seems now with these markets are well supported and leading the way. Recently some more countries have started these subsidy programs for solar energy like Spain, Croatia and Korea. So future growth in these countries is expected if they follow the same trajectory that Germany and Japan have. It seems now that in Germany and Japan, Solar Energy installations on grid connected homes and buildings is becoming mainstream. Recent investments into manufacturing in Germany are supported by mainstream venture capitalists including the big banks like Deutche Bank.At this moment in time the demand for solar cells outstrips supply, this is causing phenominal growth in the manufacturing sector. So much so that companies will hire people who know about solar cells from anywhere in the world.
I was lucky enough to study at a world leading research institute in Solar Energy so therefore it was easy for me to get a job overseas in the industry.
Australia has always been good at research. Our history shows this. The institute where I studied is one of the best in the world at research into solar cells. However Australia has never really been a good place to do large scale manufacturing (i.e. what they are good at doing in germany). This happens due to a multitude of reasons, mainly culture. Germans are renowned for their Engineering prowess. Therefore the actual possibility for engineering jobs in Australia for Solar Engineers to 'make' solar cells is very very limited.People always ask the question, why can't a Solar Engineer get a job in Australia? They always seem perplexed? Australia has so much sun. Well the answer is a solar engineer that specialises in some stand alone installations may have the possibility to get a job, however the stand alone market for telecommunications became saturated 20 years ago. The growth areas include building integrated grid connected photovoltaics. However, jobs in these areas are very rare and I estimate the current market is about 2 jobs int he whole of Australia. If the government of Australia was to support some higher cost grid buybacks then they could support the growth of this industry in Australia and that 2 jobs may turn into something more like 1000. Personally I am waiting for this day, however why I am waiting, I must do something and work overseas to get some great experience and when the window of opportunity does grow in Australia i will be one of the first back there.
One reason Australia does not support these subsidised buybacks of photovoltaics like germany has to do with our current governments alliance to the Bush government and not rattifying the Koto protocol. Also Australia has an abundance of Coal supplies. Something to last for another 200 years. So there is no great need to 'innovate' in terms of our energy production compared to countries like Japan where they don't have this luxory. However it seems that a variety of push and pull factors may force Australia to rethink there energy supply solutions within the next 20 years...
Solar Cell manufactuing is being increasingly dominated by its traditionally strong markets of Japan and Germany because not long ago the governments of these countries poured heaps of money into stabilising the subsidies for these markets. It seems now with these markets are well supported and leading the way. Recently some more countries have started these subsidy programs for solar energy like Spain, Croatia and Korea. So future growth in these countries is expected if they follow the same trajectory that Germany and Japan have. It seems now that in Germany and Japan, Solar Energy installations on grid connected homes and buildings is becoming mainstream. Recent investments into manufacturing in Germany are supported by mainstream venture capitalists including the big banks like Deutche Bank.At this moment in time the demand for solar cells outstrips supply, this is causing phenominal growth in the manufacturing sector. So much so that companies will hire people who know about solar cells from anywhere in the world.
I was lucky enough to study at a world leading research institute in Solar Energy so therefore it was easy for me to get a job overseas in the industry.
Australia has always been good at research. Our history shows this. The institute where I studied is one of the best in the world at research into solar cells. However Australia has never really been a good place to do large scale manufacturing (i.e. what they are good at doing in germany). This happens due to a multitude of reasons, mainly culture. Germans are renowned for their Engineering prowess. Therefore the actual possibility for engineering jobs in Australia for Solar Engineers to 'make' solar cells is very very limited.People always ask the question, why can't a Solar Engineer get a job in Australia? They always seem perplexed? Australia has so much sun. Well the answer is a solar engineer that specialises in some stand alone installations may have the possibility to get a job, however the stand alone market for telecommunications became saturated 20 years ago. The growth areas include building integrated grid connected photovoltaics. However, jobs in these areas are very rare and I estimate the current market is about 2 jobs int he whole of Australia. If the government of Australia was to support some higher cost grid buybacks then they could support the growth of this industry in Australia and that 2 jobs may turn into something more like 1000. Personally I am waiting for this day, however why I am waiting, I must do something and work overseas to get some great experience and when the window of opportunity does grow in Australia i will be one of the first back there.
One reason Australia does not support these subsidised buybacks of photovoltaics like germany has to do with our current governments alliance to the Bush government and not rattifying the Koto protocol. Also Australia has an abundance of Coal supplies. Something to last for another 200 years. So there is no great need to 'innovate' in terms of our energy production compared to countries like Japan where they don't have this luxory. However it seems that a variety of push and pull factors may force Australia to rethink there energy supply solutions within the next 20 years...
Thursday, January 13, 2005
18:36 pm Berlin Time 08/01/05
18:36 pm Berlin Time 08/01/05
First Entry for the year....
At the moment I am halucinating, I have been awake for 24 hours and in three countries. I have taken 2 taxis, 1 tram, 1 train and 3 planes.I have been in multiple time zones and the current time zone is wooooooeeee I freakin am confused zone. So far this year has been great. I have swam in tropical waters, chased tigers, been lost in Airports, taken dodgy flights and met many people from all over the world.
A few things I want to say about the big Uncle Sam, the USA..after just coiming back from my first trip to this fat country. Number one, not everything is bad! There are people who are very friendly, helpful and nice. Yet I still met a few kranks. Number two, everything is three times the size that it needs to be! The cars, the roads, the houses, the cookies, the hotel beds, the hotel rooms, the large meal at McDonalds.....absolutely everything...ummm including one third of the people!!Number three, on free TV they have 60 chanels. However I could not find one interesting chanel. Huge amounts of quantity but no quality!Number four, in Orlando there is 24 hour gospel music FM radio!
Ok not too much can be said about US other than that I had fun!
First Entry for the year....
At the moment I am halucinating, I have been awake for 24 hours and in three countries. I have taken 2 taxis, 1 tram, 1 train and 3 planes.I have been in multiple time zones and the current time zone is wooooooeeee I freakin am confused zone. So far this year has been great. I have swam in tropical waters, chased tigers, been lost in Airports, taken dodgy flights and met many people from all over the world.
A few things I want to say about the big Uncle Sam, the USA..after just coiming back from my first trip to this fat country. Number one, not everything is bad! There are people who are very friendly, helpful and nice. Yet I still met a few kranks. Number two, everything is three times the size that it needs to be! The cars, the roads, the houses, the cookies, the hotel beds, the hotel rooms, the large meal at McDonalds.....absolutely everything...ummm including one third of the people!!Number three, on free TV they have 60 chanels. However I could not find one interesting chanel. Huge amounts of quantity but no quality!Number four, in Orlando there is 24 hour gospel music FM radio!
Ok not too much can be said about US other than that I had fun!
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