Seasonal Paradise

Jackie Chan

Chinese acrobatics schools are VERY tough.  But Jackie Chan has pushed himself to ridiculous limits,  beyond anything even they could inflict upon him.

Hellboy II, Mr Perlman

Irena hates Hellboy.  I think Hellboy rocks!  We kid that I need a new movie partner for these kinds of movies.  I’m hoping Sasha will be my movie buddy sometime soon.  Turns out Perlman (age 58, no less), who plays Hellboy, is quite the philosopher. Good guy.  Very dry.  See vid.  Also see him talking about his background and his schooling in hard knocks.  He's made a career out of playing beasts and hunchbacks.  

His dad inspired him to do this, to act.  

My dad inspired me to be a gentleman and be unflappable, and in some ways, to be a good dad. 

Asus 1000H Netbook Review

Last week we arrived in Prague and discovered that our Apple Airs didn't like the wifi connections around us. Strange. So we picked up two netbooks. One, the Asus 1000H. The other, an Acer Aspire One.  The Acer Aspire One was a complete dog, and we returned it to the shop. Despite looking quite snazzy with its pearl color and miniscule size, it was way slower than the Asus and the fan had a high pitched whirr to it that was intolerable in a quiet environment. 

Here's the Asus 1000H review. Overall we were most surprised by the speed of the netbook. We were able to work on it for a full day quite comfortably provided we used USB mouse. The trackpad buttons are a joke and are the big flaw on the device. They are too hard to press and just terribly designed. 

Screen: Is a 10" screen big enough?  Yes.  Barely, but yes.  Surprisingly we found we were able to work on this tiny 1024x600 screen just fine. However, we'd swap it out for a unit with 1280x800 resolution in a heartbeat.  The screen was superbright and crystal clear, but we'd just like to have a bit more resolution on it in the y axis.   

Ergonomics: We got so used to the keyboard to the point we were able to touchtype.  I think the chiclet keys on the new 1000HE would be a little better, and faster, if our Apple Air keyboards are anything to go by. Apple Airs, and the new Mac have the chiclet style keys.

Speed: Sufficient, especially using Google's Chrome browser.  Chrome is superfast, and minimal, making it the perfect browser for the netbooks.  I wouldn't attempt video editing on a netbook, but for zippy gmail and browsing and MS Office work (or OpenOffice), it does the job. The instant on, is awesome.  That's the main thing we liked about Apple laptops as well.  Waiting is not something we do well.  We don't have enough time in our days to spend 10 minutes each day waiting for a computer to get its act together and fire up.  

Battery: The new 1000HE is supposed to get 9.5 hours, which is incredible.  We're seeing North of 4 hours on our little 1000H, with an Apricorn hard drive plugged in and the screen on half brightness.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend getting this particular netbook, the 1000H. Get the 1000HE!  That's the new landmark netbook.  Don't bother with a 7" or 8" screen netbook either, the 10" screen is the smallest size that is truly usable.  Don't bother trying the Sony Lifestyle, its very slow.  The Intel Atom chipset running XP is the only combo to go with for this size and speed and class of PC.  And all for $400?!  Amazing.  No wonder Asus is going well.  I'm still tempted to get a Lenovo X301 as the thought of 12 hours of battery life and a 13" screen for a 3lb laptop is great.  But that can wait for 2010 when Windows 7 is out.  Windows 7 is going to be lot faster than the dog slow Windows Vista.  Perhaps it will even give Mac OS X more worthy competition.   

Dawn Ride

I've not sat on a road bike in 16 years. This morning I took a trek through Prague and through to the Czech countryside at dawn. I rode South from the Charles bridge, past the yacht club and down to the golf club. Great! Nothing hurts. Then I discovered my limits by hanging a left and going up an extended 1 in 7 climb that kicked my ass. I had to stop three times on the hill, no less. Pitiful. I've got a lot of work to do. Last time I was riding a road bike I was a teenager, 40 lbs lighter. That's like hauling an extra bike and a half around.  ~19km with my detour.  Map it.

Taking The Rough With The Smooth

The cycle path on the way in to Prague is quite precarious. The lines are smooth, the rest is cobblestones, which are amplified by superhard 23c tires. Off in the distance, in the middle of the shot sits Prague Castle.

Czech Calligraphy

What on earth does this say? I had to stop to check it out....and relax by the rivers edge for a whlie. The Vltava was a mirror at 7am.

UFO

Irena has another UFO in her belly. Boy, or girl?  What do you think?  Our baby is within the black 20mm teardrop.  Wow!  

Dump The Car, Ride a Bike

Prague is a great walking city but it would be nice to bike around and through to the Czech countryside. I treated myself to a bike today. I wonder if I'll ever get the legs to be able to do the California Death Ride. 129 miles over 5 mountain passes. I put my cycling buddy, from my years cycling as  a teen in England, up to training for the Death Ride and he surprised me by handing his car over to his girlfriend and committing to cycle 12 miles to work and 12 miles home each day.  He'll be 'fit as a butchers dog' in no time. Gulp! I'd better get with the program.

Sasha's First Sit On a Bicycle

Smoking Box @ Munich Airport

On our way to Prague from Malta we passed through Munich and discovered this Camel sponsored smoking box. Its a smart marketing move from Camel.  We could hear smokers coughing from outside the box however.  I hope they ban smoking in Prague restaurants sometime soon. My eyes are tearing up from the smoke as I write this at Papas restaurant in Prague.  Papas has great chicken skewers and Crianza but the smoke puts a crimper on the experience.

Enticing Entrance to Bacchus In Mdina

Bacchus Restaurant Review

Bacchus is the best deal in Mdina. We passed by this restaurant when we took a guided tour of Malta which included Mdina, back in May 2008. It was built in 1650 but the outer walls date back 2000 years. The food was great and the house wine mediocre. The surroundings were very much in keeping with the entire feel of Mdina. Dark, old, quite and underground. We had two appetizers which were more than enough food for us, a bottle of wine and a tea and the bill came to less than 30 Euro all in.

Ghosts In Mdina

We only encountered one ghoul in Mdina.

The Magical City of Mdina

Back on the main islland of Malta we decided to swing by the ancient city of Mdina. This city dates back 2000 years to Roman time. Most of the internal buildings were built around 500 years ago.

The Azure Window

Behind us is Gozo's Azure Window

Toasting at Tatitas

Tatitas Restaurant Review

Tatitas is in San Lawrenz about 10 minutes walk from the Kempinski hotel in Gozo. In the summer Tatitas is swarming with people and up to 100 seats are set up outside right in the church square. Off season we were one of three sets of diners for our Sunday lunch. the manager served us directly and the service was faultless and excellent. Our guidebook ranks Lt-Tmun as superior to Tatitas but we beg to differ. Prices were comparable but the seafood was clearly better. I had the special with a local fish that I forget the name of and Irena had the calamari. Both were beyond excellent. We didn't realize calamari could taste so good. We toasted through a half bottle of Veuve Clicquot, enjoyed a dessert of home made apple pie and finished withvtwo cappacinos for a bill of 100 euro all in. Our weekend escape was almost complete after visiting Tatitas. Now on to Mdina.

Lt-Tmun Victoria Lounge Review

We took in our first Gozo island meal at the Lt-Tmun Victoria Lounge in Victoria ana Rabbat, the capital of Gozo, in the middle of the island. the service was good, the food very good and the surroundings relaxing and homely. My sea bass was a let down for being a tad bland. Irenas veal was just perfect. She later admitted to me that she had pointed at something else on the menu and that she didn't actually like veal, until this meal. Now she likes veal. All in all, four stars.

Sleepy in Gozo

We wish we could sleep like this. Sasha does siesta.

Gozo Kempinski

The Gozo Kempinski from our balcony. Alas the outdoor pool is not heated. The indoor pool was a perfect 32 degrees and quite the match for the outdoor pool. The indoor jacuzzi was only 34 and the steam sauna was also not quite hot enough for our tastes. The restaurant and cafe balconies had similarly spectacular views but the food was horrendously overpriced compared to equal or better class local restaurants. We had a nice surprise with the Kids Club free daycare. The service was first class and faultless and Irena enjoyed a flower laced bath and a facial and mask at the spa on Sunday. We'll be back.

Comino Island

On the way to Gozo we ferry past Comino which is THE hotspot during the summer with it's incredible blue water beach. It's pretty dead during the winter when the water is too cold to swim in.

Gozo Ferry Family Pic

We so need a break. No laptops allowed on this trip. A full weekend of exploring and adventuring with nothing digital.

Gozo Happy

On the way to Gozo Sasha was continuously saying baba baba. Not Mama, not Papa. She's trying to keep us both happy. She's also standing now, with some assistance. But she's not learned to crawl. She's 7 months and 2 weeks old.

Heading To Gozo

On the ferry to Gozo from Malta. Taking a weekend adventure to the teeny rural island of Gozo, North of Malta in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Guess What

Sasha is gorgeous. We did good. But she could do with a companion.

Beachcombing

There are a couple of small but top notch beaches in Malta. One is at Golden Bay in the NW of the island. The other is by the Corinthia and Intercontinental North of Sliema and Valletta. The rest are solid rock beaches with ladders dropping off into the water. The sand is coarse and peppered with tiny sea shells.

Coffee and a Poodle

We took in a coffee on our favorite terrace at the Corinthia hotel in Malta and were presented with a balloon poodle for Sasha by the friendly hotel staff. Sasha was ecstatic.

Tampa to London

Flying back to Europe with Sasha in a babybox, a batman watch that beams the time onto the wall for nephew Martin, a whiskey and coke, and a book on our shiny new Kindle. Flying is the only time we sit still and do nothing.

The Other Wozniak, Supermemo and Pimsleur

  
You all know Woz, but do you know Piotr Wozniak, the Polish memory whizz?  Piotr Wozniak created the program Supermemo which is a handy little piece of software that helps people remember things.  i.e. new languages.  Its not very user friendly, but I'm buying a copy anyway.  He has discovered that there's a certain optimal time delay for reviewing things that you want to memorize.  Ideally, you should review an item that you want to remember just around the time you're about to forget it.  Who knew?  If you review an item that you want to remember at that optimal point in time, you'll be more likely to remember it longer.  

This explains why the Pimsleur language system works, I think.  I can't recommend Pimsleur enough. The Pimsleur language system consists of CD/mp3's that you listen to.  As you listen, you repeat back sentences.  One new sentence, two sentences that you've heard before.  One new sentence, three or four that you've heard before.  One step forward, a couple back.  All the time, something new mixed in with older items.  The review sequences seem quite optimal because provided you repeat things back, you learn.   

Anyway, Piotr Wozniak gives this piece of good advice in this excellent article in Wired magazine written by Gary Wolf.  "You must clarify your goals, gain knowledge through spaced repetition, preserve health, work steadily, minimize stress, refuse interruption, and never resist sleep when tired. This should lead to radically improved intelligence and creativity."

 

If you're interested in learning a new language, check out these sites...

VoxSwap, LiveMocha, Busuu, Myngle and Babbel