On top of the glacier in Saas Fee, Switserland. Temperature was minus 25 C (-13 F). Link to Saas Fee.
What happened in 2005?
If you are interested to know what happened this, take a look at the Zeitgeist website from Google. It is stacked with diagrams and listing of top events in 2005.
Good reading!
Swissmiss
I found this really nice blog from Tina Roth Eisenberg. She a native of Switzerland, grew up influenced by the renowned Swiss design and a lot of fresh air and works in New York.
Her blog jsut just cries out “DESIGN” and is cramped with nice examples and links. It is a lot of fun, have a look at SWISSMISS.
Iran’s Leader Wants Israel Put in Europe
Quote; “Iran’s hard-line president, who recently called for Israel to be “wiped off the map,” sparked another barrage of international criticism Thursday when he said the Jewish state should be moved to Europe and questioned whether the Holocaust took place”.
What a fucking idiot. With a guy like that at power, peace in the middle-east is something you can only dream about.
Tatung TTAB B12D, two months later.
I thought I report on the use of the Tatung TTAB-B12D Tablet PC.
I bought my Tablet in September and I have been using it since then. For work I have a Dell notebook which I still use. I try to use the tablet at the same time, but data synchronization is difficult.
There are two setbacks when using the tablet, One: the battery use is limited to 2-3 hours which is not enough. I tend to use the tablet a lot in situations where I don’t have power. You don’t want to run out of power in a situation like that. I bought an Electrovaya high capacity battery which I expect to set next wick. That should make the difference.
The other thing is the heat control. The fan is too loud! It has two speeds, three to be precise! Off, slow and high speed. Once you are working with the device, the fan goes to high speed quite often. That is quite annoying when in a meeting.
One other annoying thing is the lacking support for Dutch language. Handwriting recognition for English is great, but other languages would be nice.
Conclusion: I still love it and want to use it. Buy one if you can!
Nikon D200
So it is finally there!
– 10.2 megapixel DX Format CCD image sensor: A newly developed 10.2 effective megapixel DX Format CCD image sensor that captures images with edge-to-edge sharpness and incredible color at 3,872 x 2,592 pixels, yielding extraordinarily high-resolution images perfect for enlargements or creative cropping
– Industry-leading image processing for exceptional color performance: Incorporates Nikon’s industry-leading advanced imaging processing engine of the D2x, which allows color-independent pre-conditioning prior to A/D conversion to work in symphony with advanced digital image processing algorithms to achieve fine color gradations with exceptionally smooth, consistent transitions
– Large viewfinder with 0.94x magnification: The new eye-level optical viewfinder developed for the D200 features large magnification (0.94x) that helps ensure a clear view for precise composition, and built-in diopter adjustment that allows fine-tuning to your eyesight
Durable, Magnesium alloy (Mg) body: Nikon’s advanced technologies and mechanisms are housed within a rugged, lightweight magnesium alloy chassis and body ready for the most rigorous of assignments. Additional sealing for dust and moisture add to the D200’s strength.
5fps high-speed continuous shooting: Capture fast action and fleeting expressions with the ability to capture high-resolution images at a rapid 5 frames per second in continuous bursts of up to 22 NEF (RAW) or 37 JPEG (FINE – LARGE) shots**– Fast SLR response where it counts: Instant power-up in just 0.15 seconds, a shutter release time lag of a mere 50 milliseconds, and a shortened viewfinder blackout time of just 105 milliseconds makes the D200 ready to respond to any photographic situation
New, 11-area Multi-CAM AF System with 7 Area Wide AF: The new Multi-CAM 1000 AF Sensor Module offers an 11-area AF that ensures consistently fast and precise focus lock under varying shooting conditions. The 7-wide area AF system, offers broad coverage suited for moving subjects enabling greater compositional freedom– Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with wide angle viewing to 170 degrees: A high-resolution LCD monitor provides ultra-wide, 170 degree viewing in all directions. Assisting with accurate sharpness assessment, images can be previewed at up to 400% magnification
– New EN-EL3e Rechargeable battery with Fuel gauge function: The high-energy EN-EL3e rechargeable lithium-ion battery lets you capture approximately 1,800 shots per charge featuring an accurate real-time Fuel gauge system that displays the percentage of remaining charge, number of shots since last charge and overall status of battery service life
– Wireless Transmitter WT-3: The optional Wireless Transmitter WT-3 provides wireless functionality with IEEE 802.11b/g technology; it enables cable-free image transfer to a compatible computer, with the added safety and versatility of wide-ranging network and security protocols (available 2006).
Woh!!
Who owns the Internet anyway
I saw this article on the BBC News website (Net power struggle nears climax).
Just imagine; The US keeps the control over the Internet; that means that Bush can press two buttons. One for the missiles and one for shutting down the Internet.
Mobility fee!
In the Netherlands the topic of the last 10 years has been our Mobility. Traffic jams are part of our lives . The time that work meant being stuck in one place for the whole day has changed, at least for a lot of people. I spend three out of five days in other towns. Working either at a customer location or at another site of the firm I work for. And, a lot of people live in one part of the Netherlands and work in another part because if both partners work, you have to balance the difference.
In the last ten years the dutch government has tried to get us out of the car and train and reduce the pressure on our road network.
The last idea is to tax us for the amount of kilometers we make and make it more expensive if we drive in rushhours. They are willing to spend three to four (3-4) billon € (1.000.000.00o € ) for implementing an automated system which checks you and bills you automatic. Maintaining the system is going to cost around 800 million ‘a year. From the government track record for implementing big public systems, you can expect it is going to cost at least 50% more!
Why don’t they just scrap all roadtaxes and put it in the price of petrol. Costs a lot less to implement, and if you drive a lot, you us a lot of fuel, you pay a lot!
US is dumping and burning our aid food
The Mirror reports that the US is dumping and burning food which has been send by the UK, Israel, Spain and Italy. The reason; The food and Drug administration has condemned it as unfit for human consumption because it was not brought in the US in accourdance with the regulation regarding the import and export of meat.
Link
Thank you very much, but please don’t call for help the next time!
Tatung TTAB-B12D
Last time I wrote that I received a Tablet PC. I have to say that I love it.
I got the machine from Germany, so it came with a German version of the Tablet OS. Allthough my German isn’t too bad, I prefere the English and Dutch language version. This meant that I had to do a new install. That took me about an evening with all the patches to be downloaded. After that I installed all the standard stuff I use for my work; Office 2003, Visio, Mind manager, RealPlayer, OneNote plus the extra’s from Microsoft.
The machine comes with a 60GB disk and 512MB memory. The screen is 12.1″ with a max resolution of 1024 x 768. The battery gives you about 3-4 hours of time without AC. Extra’s are fingerprint scanner, firewire, USB and Wireless (b&g). It comes with a keyboard/stand which acts as cover for the Tablet when you don’t use it.
Handwriting recognition works fine for me. The only drawback is that the Dutch language is not supported. As I understand it will take sometime before that is solved. Maybe Vista will be out sooner.
Europe wins the power to jail British citizens
From the Times Online (link)
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BRUSSELS has been given the power to compel British courts to fine or imprison people for breaking EU laws, even if the Government and Parliament are opposed.
An unprecedented ruling yesterday by the supreme court in Europe gives Brussels the power to introduce harmonised criminal law across the EU, creating for the first time a body of European criminal law that all member states must adopt. The judgment by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg was bitterly fought by 11 EU governments, including Britain, and marks a dramatic transfer of power from national capitals to Brussels.
Diplomats said that it was political dynamite in many countries, but the European Commission welcomed the ruling, on a test case about environmental law, as a landmark that sets an important precedent. It gives the Commission the right to decide when breaches of agreed policies are so serious that they should be treated as criminal.
The Commission said that it would use its new powers only in extreme circumstances, but its officials are already talking about introducing EU crimes for overfishing, deliberate polluting, money laundering and price fixing.
EU members have always insisted that the power to set criminal law goes to the heart of national sovereignty and must be decided by national governments and parliaments. The Luxembourg judges ruled, however, that national governments could not exempt EU law from being upheld by criminal sanctions.
José Manuel Barroso, the President of the Commission, said: “This is a watershed decision. It paves the way for more democratic and more efficient lawmaking at EU level.”
A British government official said: “We firmly believed it was inappropriate to harmonise criminal law at EU level. We believe criminal law is a matter for member states co-operating intergovernmentally.” He added that they would consult other countries to consider the options, although the governments have no right of appeal against the court.
Some national government officials said that the issue was so sensitive that EU lawmaking would grind to a halt and member governments would refuse to pass legislation rather than accept harmonisation of criminal law.
One diplomat said: “This stuff is political dynamite in the UK, Holland, Italy, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe, where they are as keen on their sovereignty as anyone. Imagine how Italians would react if their criminal law was rewritten at EU level. Ironically, it means less will be done at EU level.”
Member states have fiercely guarded their sovereignty over criminal law. The Commission took them to court after they blocked it from introducing harmonised criminal law for pollution. The Court of Justice, which has a record of promoting European integration, ruled in the Commission’s favour, concluding: “The European Community has the power to require the member states to lay down criminal penalties for the purposes of protecting the environment.”
The Court said that although as a general rule criminal law does not fall within EU powers, that “does not prevent the Community legislature . . . from taking measures that relate to the criminal law of member states which it considers necessary”.
The ruling means that the Commission can propose an EU crime that, if passed by the European Parliament and a qualified majority of member states, must be adopted by all member states. This means that Britain could be forced to introduce a crime into its law if enough other members support it. It also gives the Commission the power to compel members to enforce EU criminal law if governments drag their heels or if their courts refuse to sentence people.
Timothy Kirkhope, the Conservative leader in the European Parliament, said: “This appears to be a worrying erosion of British sovereignty. It is a significant transfer of power to the Commission.”
Gerald Barling, QC, a leading European expert at Brick Court Chambers, said: “The ruling is significant. It is the European Commission flexing its muscles.”
The ruling was welcomed by most MEPs, who will now have the powers to pass criminal law and not just civil law. Chris Davies, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Europe, said: “Europe needs an umpire to ensure fair play between member states and to dismiss the cheats. The European Commission is the only body that comes close to fitting that role.”
The Court ruling did not establish whether Brussels had the right to set criminal sanctions but officials made clear that they intended to do so.
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I think we have to say ‘NO’ one more time!
Tablet in the house
I have a tablet PC in the house. I finally took the bold step and got a Tatung TTAB B12D.
I have to say; it is great! It is small, sleek, light and works fine. More later.