My own best of 2009 6 Jan 2010
Posted by Dexter in Personal, Technology.Tags: 2009, ania dąbrowska, berlin, bike, concert, e-mail, facebook, fever ray, florence and the machine, foo figthers, food, music, nouvelle vague, opera, race, royksopp, the best of, twitter, vista, łąki łan
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As the year 2009 has gone with the wind almost everyone presents rankings of the best things in 2009. This is my private, subjective list containing more or less important categories. Let’s start conventionally.
Best Music. This category is quite tough as throughout 2009 I was impressed and seduced by quite a few good albums and songs. Past year was definitely a good and important period for soft electronic music. Best examples are new Karin Dreijer Andersson project “Fever Ray” and long-awaited Royksopp album entilted “Junior”. Polish electro funky music was also doing well with Łąki Łan and “Łąkiłanda”. What about more traditional sounds? Thrilling “Lungs” by Florence and the Machine are definitely worth checking. To add something more rocking. The Greatest Hits of Foo Figthers. That’s quite a lot of the best, isn’t it?
Best Concert. Well, again not an easy choice. I was happy to see several good concerts, but definitely the best live performance I saw was a Nouvelle Vague concert with guest appearance of Ania Dabrowska in Krakow Rotunda Club.
Best Bike Race. Here I cannot judge the best race by its result. Most enjoyable was “Fish” Memorial Race in beautiful scenery of Zieleniec. Almost 70-kilometers long and tiring route full of challenges, bike failures and pleasure of overcoming your own weaknesses.
Best Software. Here you will be surprised. Windows Vista. How come? Why 2009? Am I insane you may ask? Well, this year, as this year I changed my laptop and with my new Toshiba device Vista is something drastically different than the previous experience with HP machine. Fast. Damn fast, nice and really stable, good successor of XP. Actually I have already ordered a copy of Windows 7, so if it is as good as they say – I will have a winner for 2010.
Best Mobile Software. Duo of Opera Mini 5 and Opera Mobile 10. Still beta releases, but definitely something great. Good user interface, consistency with amazing desktop Opera 10. One category above I was wondering if I shouldn’t put Opera 10 there. Opera Mini and Mobile deserve to be here.
Best Internet Service. Facebook? No. Twitter? No. So what? Well, for younger generation this may be a kind of controversy. The winner is … e-mail. Yes, yes. Old, not to say archaic, good e-mail. If you start using push e-mail on your smartphone, you will discover what great companion it may be. Text message? Not needed anymore. MMS? C’mon. You must be joking. E-mail with attachment is far more convenient. Chat? E-mail is not so disturbing and almost as instant. You may reply in a moment, when you have more time. I know this may be not a news for Blackberry users, but I observe the same comfort of push e-mail usage is more and more available for users of Apple, Android, WM or Symbian operating platform, also thanks to cellular operators support.
Best food. Definitely Donner served in Kebap House at Westphalweg U-Bahn Station, Berlin Mariendorf, Germany.
What were your favs in 2009?
Micro-USB or mini-USB? Whatever? European Union or European Mess? 3 Jul 2009
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: chargers, dziennik internautow, environment, eu, european union, micro-usb, mobile, onet, Technology, usb, wyborcza
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A few days ago most of leading mobile phone manufacturers agreed to start from year 2010 delivering all their products (I think at least for the EU market) with one common charging socket type. Great idea! Imagine that soon you will no longer need to ask your friends if they have Company X or Y phone and a charger. Of course it would be a reality after next few years, when most of users will switch to new phones, but idea still stays cool. Moreover it may lead to situation when not only one company, will sell one of its products without a charger – cheaper, lighter and most important more environment friendly. Less waste, less problems.
What is also interesting some of currently offered phones, already support newly chosen standard. It’s even cooler because it USB-based, so you can use not only a typical charger, but your PC (or Mac for political correctness :) as well. Now it’s the right time to name our new friend – it’s micro-USB!
Micro! Micro! And micro one more time! Or 10-6 for all Engineers! Not Mini! I have found it really arrogant and unprofessional that most of press sources were talking about mini-USB, instead of micro-USB as the chosen standard.
I was not really surprised seeing that most popular web and paper magazines didn’t see the difference (wyborcza.pl, onet.pl). but more disappointing was hearing the same from modern technology and IT sources (Dziennik Internautow). I looked at the comments and apparently some of the readers were aware of the mistake. Most curious anyway has been my finding at the official European Union press page. Check the same text in English and Polish and try to find the difference!
You may say what is the difference? Well, if all the information from world epidemics to European law changes is given with the same accuracy..
FYI. It’s micro-USB.
Star Trek: A New Hope? 17 May 2009
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: cinema, jj abrams, movie, sci-fi, star trek, star wars
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As I’m a natural born “trekkie” my blog would not be complete if I wouldn’t write a post about new Star Trek movie.
New motion picture directed by J.J. Abrams, best known for TV series “Lost”, renewed the legend. Was it successful? I think it was. New Star Trek movie definitely is not like all the previous ones. That’s why I think it is so successful in terms of finances and number of viewers. It is really nice that a new screenplay tries to make the movie consistent with known Star Trek universe. It gives equal pleasure of watching for old fans and people not familiar with previous movies. We are given more than two hours of really dynamic, not so scientific, but more entertaining movie, which could make some younger generations go back and check original series and movies.
How do I see the plot from a fan point of view? I liked the way all main characters were introduced. I have some concerns about a few scenes making of Kirk a kind of Luke Skywalker character – a talk with Captain Pike, about Kirk’s destiny. What else was Star Wars like? We has a Ewok-like creature when we meet Scotty and the scene of destroying the Romulan ship was almost like destroying the Death Star.
I love the movie Beastie Boys “Sabotage” in the original sound track, and I really don’t mind Nokia product placement in Iowa driving scene. Wanna have Star Trek version of Nokia Tune? Check nokia.mobi/startrek/downloads from your mobile!
Live long and prosper!
Respect for XC racers! 23 Apr 2009
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: cycling, sport, xc
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Last Saturday I had a great pleasure to watch professional cross-country race “Lang Team GP MTB 2009” in Szczawno-Zdrój, near Wałbrzych. Cross-country (XC) is both most grueling and spectacular type of mountain cycling. It is even more interesting and thrilling, when you can see world class racers spinning the wheel and fighting gravity one meter from you. I understand that a lot of people are interested in watching football, or F1 racing on TV. Instead of sitting on your couch I definitely would recommend going out, and watching sport live. I’m sure you could find even a local XC race more exciting than TV world championship transmission.
One day after being only a spectator finally I had occasion to try my own luck in first official bike marathon this season. Let the fun begin! Next road race this Saturday in Trzebnica.
Two Times Royksopp 18 Feb 2009
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: berlin, concerts, germany, krakow, music, poland, royksopp, selector festival
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Life can be really surprising :) Last week I have discovered that Royksopp is going to concert in Berlin in April. Not waiting too long as soon as tickets were available, two days ago I bought a ticket for this event. Today I have found it in my mail box and what do I hear in Polskie Radio Euro? Bartek Czarkowski has just said that Royksopp is going to have a live performance during one of summer music festivals (Selector Festival) in Krakow, Poland. The place where I had spent almost two years before relocating to Berlin. Isn’t it ironic? (yes, that’s from Alanis’ song). Well, yes it is and it seems that I might be able to see Senor B and Senor B on stage twice this year. Nice surprise. “What else is there?”
7 things you may not know about me 21 Jan 2009
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: 7 things, biochemistry, douglas adams, hints, star trek
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One of my friends posted on his blog a list entitled ‘7 things you may not know about me’ and he suggested me to do the same. Here it is! I admit it was a great fun to choose facts to fill this list.
1. My favorite science fiction saga is Star Trek. The Next Generation series to be more precise. Once you become a trekkie, you always will be one. Why did I like it so much? It was simply a visualization of my life attitude. To discover strange new worlds, to boldly go where no one has gone before! I still believe we can do it. Whether you discover wonders of biochemistry in nanoscale, gaze at stunning astronomical phenomenon, or try to understand everyday world around you.
P.S. In late 90’s I was a very active member of Polish Star Trek fan club called POGF (Polski Oddział Gwiezdnej Floty), even acting for some time as the First Officer and I was responsible for organizing one of most successful fandom convents in year 2000.
2. The most important book I have read in my life (except “Biochemistry” by L. Stryer) is “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy” (and further parts) written by Douglas Adams. It is pointless to explain why. Read it and follow its path, or die unhappy. Thank you Michal for the opportunity of meeting you and for giving me the book.
3. My first real, official and paid job was a position of sailing instructor during summer sailing camps, when I was 17 years old.
4. I’m sure not many of you know that my first trip abroad happened when I was 19. I travelled to Stuttgart, Germany to see the total solar eclipse of 1999. Amazing 2 minutes and 17 seconds, worth travelling for several hours there!
5. I bought my first mobile phone on Decemeber 21st, 1998. It was a huge Motorola CD160. It had an extendable antenna and you could replace its accumulator with 4 AA-type batteries. That was the first step towards being a mobile freak.
6. Many of my friends think I like to travel but the truth is that until the age of 25 I really hated moving outside my hometown, Wrocław. Since that time I have been addicted to flying.
7. If I could have a house in a place of my dreams it would be.. somewhere in Biskupin area in my hometown Wrocław. I hope it will come true as I have promised myself to live in good health at least till year 2061, to see the Halley Comet twice in my life.
What would you say about yourself?
Merry Christmas! 24 Dec 2008
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: christmas
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The time is near. People are travelling back home. We are all waiting for the first star visible on Christmas Eve evening sky. Please forgive me a lack of political correctness. I won’t wish you Season’s greetings I will say Merry Christmas Everyone!
P.S. Remember that most probably you will see a planet Venus instead of “real” star.
Wrocław Halloween Critical Mass 1 Nov 2008
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: bike, critical mass, masa krytyczna, rower, wrocław
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The last Friday of October. Good weather for this time of year. At about noon I’ve come to Wroclaw. Hey, wait.. isn’t it the day of the Critical Mass? Yup, it is! The Mass starts at 6 PM! I mailed my friends but they won’t be able to join this time. Tomorrow (Nov, the 1st) is the All Saints Day, a bank holiday, so a lot of people leaves the city. That’s actually what I was afraid – intensive traffic and only numerous bikers? How was I surprised when it appeared to be a contrary! The road traffic was at best moderate and I’d say they were more than 60 bikers!
The fun begins! This particular mass was different because we rode to the hospital. A few days ago one of Wroclaw’ bike community activists has been hit by a car. We were going to visit him. Ring, ring! Here we go! Different people, different bikes, all cruising slowly along the streets. The Reagan’ Rondo – cars hoot as we are doing our second round. The Grunwaldzki’ Bridge – I think this was the only place where we really ‘did’ the traffic. Finally we were close by the hospital. Cezary waved from a window then called one of organizers so we could hear greetings from him. Parking lot guards were totally frightened, maybe because one of bikers had a Halloween pumpkin, with a real candle inside(!), on his bike. It looked really cool! At the end we drove to the Main Square to make a round and a small happening.
The Mass’ GPS track and some photos can be found in here.
Bike racing season 2008 is finished 4 Oct 2008
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: bikes, cycling, mio fujifilm bike maraton
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Friends and colleagues ask me if I have in plan more racing on my bike this year. I thought that such a rainy and lazy Saturday is a good moment for looking back at racing season A.D 2008. Generally it’s finished. Most important races incorporated into Mio Fujiflim Bike Marathon are past now. This year I was able to start in only 8 of 12 races, but as the final rank is better than previous one I feel satisfied. There were some other bike events satisfying as well. All those events fortunately brought no big bike failures, no new scars, but instead a lot of adrenaline, pleasure and fun! I’m really happy I was able to participate in two road cycling events too and I feel hunger for more in next year.
Now it’s time to say “Thanks!” to those who made it possible: my family, friends, newly made biking friends, amazing bike workshop’s staff, and my company. What to do now? Start training, Buahahah!
Microsoft Word 2007 supports WordPress blogging 11 Sep 2008
Posted by Dexter in Technology.Tags: blog, blogging, microsoft, office, office 2007, software, wordpress
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Did you know that you can write posts for your blog on WordPress.com directly from Microsoft Word 2007? I just have discovered this feature as I using Office 2007 for several days. As you may guess I wrote this post with MS Word and published it without logging to WP. No matter if you like Microsoft or not I really enjoy this kind of solutions, which are making my life just easier! :-)
