Happy New Year 2011 – year of plans, not resolutions 4 Jan 2011
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: 2011, new year, resolution
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Happy New Year to all of you! 2011 is here and even if you don’t admit that you have some resolutions I’m sure you have some wishes or expectations in your mind. And I’ll say.. I have no resolution, but I have plan and new year is a great time to focus on the execution of those plans. How about you?
You don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone. 11 May 2010
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: bike maraton, cycling, personal
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Obvious title? Yes, but you don’t even know how painful it really is, if you need to experience this by yourself. Last weekend after a delay due to health reasons I have finally started my bike racing season (Bike Marathon in Zdzieszowice, Poland). Perfect organization, impressive St. Anna Mount and quite promising result. Let’s hope for next successful starts this year.
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. 17 Apr 2010
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: book, evolution, literature, richard dawkins
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Polish edition of “The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution” by Richard Dawkins.
Well, even if I’m not one of those who need to be convinced, still it is a interesting piece of popular science literature. Makes me wonder how people choose which “theories” they choose to believe in and support. Gravity, evolution, global warming..
First Sounds of 2010 30 Mar 2010
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: ania dąbrowska, ania movie, digit all love, duże pe, fox, music, muzyka, novika, polish, polska, recenzja, she and him
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This time I wanted to share with you most interesting (in my opinion) albums, which I have been listening to during last three months. To be precise I focused mostly on Polish music, as I feel this was a great time for Polish artists, nevertheless not only performing in Polish. I can easily choose my favorite one, but as it is more complicated to select 2nd, 3rd place, etc. albums are being presented it in a chronological order.
Novika – Lovefinder, premiere date: 22nd of January. Freezing January has been warmed up by nice, soft and catchy beats prepared by the Queen of Polish Club music – Novika. Indeed it was worth to wait for her second solo album to hear new, different sounds and songs. I think there are not too many hit songs, but opening “Miss Mood” and further “Forever Girl” with older Novika style are most interesting. I know artists like to evolve with their creations and styles, but I regret this album is so much different from transcendent “Futro” project.
Duże Pe – Zapiski z Życia na Terytorium Wroga, premiere date: 15th of February. If you are familiar with Duże Pe, most probably you know his auditions: DJ Pasmo and Nadaje Się aired by Polish Radio Euro. This time this energetic promoter of broken beats, mash-ups, and underground remixes presented pure hip-hop style material. Music layer is very classic and ascetic, for a hip-hop of course and lyrics as usual ironic and direct.
P.S. Due to my current work place I really love this album title, which humorously & perfectly reflects my daily life.
Fox Box by Fox, premiere date: the 19th of February. This album is simply a masterpiece! Michał “Fox” Król surprised Polish scene with cosmopolitan and modern style of beats, which, this is a compliment; do not sound like Polish ones. Additionally he gathered for his first solo album a Myriad of my favorite voices! Natalia Lubrano (Miloopa) opens the album with darkness and warm of “Farewell”. Next Michal “Bunio” (m.bunio.s and Dick-4-Dick) speeds up the beats with radio hit “Belly of the Beast”, followed by smooth Novika’s voice in “Chocolate Box”, Sqbass and orchestral voice of Marsija (Loco Star) in “No Lullabies!” Amazing piece of music, which I have listened already a hundred times!
Digit All Love – V (fau) – premiere: 22nd of February. This album is full on uneasy music, but hypnotic and sweet voice of Natalia Grosiak (Mikromusic), as always perfectly mixes up with rough instrumentation. Multilingual, different in used styles is really a great piece of alternative music.
At last, but not at least, one of my newest discoveries. This one is not from Poland. Do you know actress Zooey Deschanel? She played Trillian in “Hitchhicker Guide to the Galaxy” movie for instance. She and Him, stands for Zooey and Matthew Ward, who released on the 23rd of March “Volume Two” – second album of their duo. It’s full of amazingly springtime songs categorized by Wkipedia guys as: Indie Pop, Indie Folk or Alt-Country. I honestly do not know what kind of music these names stands for, but I simply like it! I’m happy to hear them soon in Berlin during 2010 Tour!
After listening a few demo songs from “Ania Movie” by Ania Dąbrowska I can assure you I’d put her new CD with movie songs covers at place number one. Unfortunately her label made us wait for the premiere a few additional weeks. I keep my fingers crossed in hope, that postponed premiere date planned for the 2nd of April will be the final one! What else I can say? Even if Ania says this is her Goodbye to retro style known from last her last two albums… she simply rocks!
I hope 2010 will bring more such interesting music to my ears!
PKP Intercity gets ready for Euro 2012 17 Mar 2010
Posted by Dexter in Personal.Tags: euro 2012, funny, intercity, koleje, pkp, poland, polska, railways
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I
s it possible to issue 1st class ticket for a train which doesn’t have such carriages? Well, apparently Yes – if only amazing PKP Intercity is the service provider .
I really love Polish Railways (PKP). I always did. I liked it living in Krakow and often traveling to Wroclaw and back. It was a unique pleasure to discover with GPS that Eurocity class trains are going in some places not faster than 30 km/h. I liked it even more traveling with my bike if you know what I mean.
So to summarize this trip’ story is nothing new. I simply had to sit in 2nd class car and kindly ask Inspector for a note on my ticket. Did I get the money back? Not yet. You need to have credit card receipt with you. If you have it there is chance to get overpaid money back fast. If not? Some PKP employees will tell you, there is no way. Some other, nicer and more competent, will suggest issuing a formal complaint. I regret that most probably both are paid the same salary.
I have one more observation why no one told me the 1st class ticket is pointless. As we all know in 2012, due to hosting European Football Cup by Poland and Ukraine we were all given promises to have fast and comfortable trains. Maybe PKP employees already train issuing 1st class tickets, even if we do not have such trains yet? I can go sleep safely – with such approach will be perfectly ready for 2012! For sure.
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.
