just a quick notice:
My book is free this weekend on Amazon.de/Amazon.com - it's in German, but you can always try to read it anyway. Download it, tell other people, spread the news...
Thanks! :)
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Broke? Free book
just a quick notice:
My book is free this weekend on Amazon.de/Amazon.com - it's in German, but you can always try to read it anyway. Download it, tell other people, spread the news...
Thanks! :)
Friday, 19 October 2012
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Earthquake!!!
There's been a tiny earthquake in the Montreal region, which, reportedly, could be felt even in Ottawa. I didn't feel anything, I was sound asleep, but when I saw all the wonderful Twitter posts, I couldn't resist writing to a few earthquake experts to find out how often things like this actually happen.
82% of Montreal believe this morning's earthquake was Quebec literally trying to separate from CanadaThe first scientist that answered wasn't in Ottawa. She'd flown to California to do earthquake research. How ironic - she traveled 500 miles to get closer to earthquakes, and then missed the one in her home town.
— Stats Canada (@stats_canada) October 10, 2012
1st picture of damage in Montreal from that 4.5 magnitude earthquake. twitter.com/KennyB899/stat…Anyway, I will try to get some nice radio interviews with earthquake experts and will then publish them on here sometime. Stay posted. Don't let the big bad earthquakes get you.
— Kenny B (@KennyB899) October 10, 2012
Just when you thought you knew everything about busses
Canadian busses can be overwhelming.
First, they (almost) always seem to be on time, and often too early.
Then, if you want to get off, don't start for handy little buttons to press. Nope, much cooler than that - you have to pull on a yellow cord that is drawn once around the inner walls of the bus.
Thirdly (I should have made this a bullet-point list), the back doors don't open automatically (which could be an advantage during the winter to avoid having the cold draft over and over again, but could also be a disadvantage for all the unassuming tourists (and new students) that wait desperately for the doors to open by themselves. But no matter how long you wait, they won't open. Unless you press a yellow bar which at first glance resembles a holding post - but it isn't. It's soft and squischy and yellow and you can never be completely sure how hard you have to press it.
While the doors might be a slight inconvenience, the Ottawa busses make up for it by having a bike rack at the front - outside. You can just pull it down, put your bike on, and hope that the driver won't be distracted by having a dazzlingly pink bike in front of him.
First, they (almost) always seem to be on time, and often too early.
Then, if you want to get off, don't start for handy little buttons to press. Nope, much cooler than that - you have to pull on a yellow cord that is drawn once around the inner walls of the bus.
Thirdly (I should have made this a bullet-point list), the back doors don't open automatically (which could be an advantage during the winter to avoid having the cold draft over and over again, but could also be a disadvantage for all the unassuming tourists (and new students) that wait desperately for the doors to open by themselves. But no matter how long you wait, they won't open. Unless you press a yellow bar which at first glance resembles a holding post - but it isn't. It's soft and squischy and yellow and you can never be completely sure how hard you have to press it.
While the doors might be a slight inconvenience, the Ottawa busses make up for it by having a bike rack at the front - outside. You can just pull it down, put your bike on, and hope that the driver won't be distracted by having a dazzlingly pink bike in front of him.
 |
| Picture: STW |
Monday, 23 July 2012
Ode to traffic lights
My dear reader,
have you ever wondered whether you appreciate the little things in life? Take traffic lights. They shine for us, they even change their colour twice (or even three times) within a few minutes, just to please us - isn't that service?!
They look out for us, but what do we do? We ignore them. Cold-heartedly we walk past them. We look at them dismissingly without ever feeling guilty. We don't spare them a second glance.
But they were built to protect us. Do we feel so indestructible that we can renounce them?
Remember: Traffic lights do have feelings!
So the next time you stand there in the pole position, your whole body leaning towards the other side of the road, your mind already five streets away - relax, take a deep breath and think of the things that might go through the traffic light's bright little head.
Don't ignore it.
Smile, and say thank you.
have you ever wondered whether you appreciate the little things in life? Take traffic lights. They shine for us, they even change their colour twice (or even three times) within a few minutes, just to please us - isn't that service?!
They look out for us, but what do we do? We ignore them. Cold-heartedly we walk past them. We look at them dismissingly without ever feeling guilty. We don't spare them a second glance.
But they were built to protect us. Do we feel so indestructible that we can renounce them?
Remember: Traffic lights do have feelings!
So the next time you stand there in the pole position, your whole body leaning towards the other side of the road, your mind already five streets away - relax, take a deep breath and think of the things that might go through the traffic light's bright little head.
Don't ignore it.
Smile, and say thank you.
Then the world will be a better place.
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