Well, It's now ridiculous o'clock in the morning and I'm awake and it's a Sunday morning. I've chosen to be not asleep at this point because I have a flight soon. I set my alarm for 5am because I have to leave by 6am, but I woke up anyway at 4:45am and figured there wasn't much point in trying to get back to sleep. I'm flying from Paris-CDG to Kraków-Balice John-Paul II International Airport.
After arriving in Kraków, I'm going to take a bus to Bielsko-Biała. I'll be in Poland for about 6 days, so my posts won't be frequent during that time*.
* Yes, I know, my posts have always been sporadic, so it won't make a lot of difference.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
A green power rant.
I was listening to a BBC podcast today on science, where they have a resident expert answer questions from callers. The show in very similar to Triple J's science on mornings with Dr. Karl in that it involves people calling in with science-related questions. Another similarity is that the scientist in both cases is Dr. Karl.
The episode I listened to today had a caller ask why Australia doesn't use greener power sources rather than coal because Australia has a relatively small population, considering the size of the country, and plenty of wind, waves and sun. It's something I've noticed myself over my years of living in Australia; we do certainly have an abundance of these things. Dr. Karl explained that the caller was right, Australia definitely does have the capability to obtain all of it's required energy from the sun, wind and waves, and would therefore not be dependant in any way on coal or nuclear energy sources. Why is the majority of Australia's electricity still produced using coal then? The simple answer is that it's political. Australia, and Queensland in particular, has a very strong coal industry that the government looks after and listens to. I know that this is how the world works at the moment, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. Electric cars that need to be plugged in to charge aren't really all that environmentally friendly in Australia compared to petrol-powered cars because the electricity used to charge these cars is generated in coal power stations. Australia could be so much greener, and cut down on its carbon emissions drastically if there were just a small change in the mentality of those who run the country.
Considering the difference between the lifetime of an individual and the lifetime of a continent, I think it should be a more prominent issue during elections, but it's one that didn't really come up much during the last election, from what I could tell of the campaigns given that I was on the other side of the world at the time.
The episode I listened to today had a caller ask why Australia doesn't use greener power sources rather than coal because Australia has a relatively small population, considering the size of the country, and plenty of wind, waves and sun. It's something I've noticed myself over my years of living in Australia; we do certainly have an abundance of these things. Dr. Karl explained that the caller was right, Australia definitely does have the capability to obtain all of it's required energy from the sun, wind and waves, and would therefore not be dependant in any way on coal or nuclear energy sources. Why is the majority of Australia's electricity still produced using coal then? The simple answer is that it's political. Australia, and Queensland in particular, has a very strong coal industry that the government looks after and listens to. I know that this is how the world works at the moment, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. Electric cars that need to be plugged in to charge aren't really all that environmentally friendly in Australia compared to petrol-powered cars because the electricity used to charge these cars is generated in coal power stations. Australia could be so much greener, and cut down on its carbon emissions drastically if there were just a small change in the mentality of those who run the country.
Considering the difference between the lifetime of an individual and the lifetime of a continent, I think it should be a more prominent issue during elections, but it's one that didn't really come up much during the last election, from what I could tell of the campaigns given that I was on the other side of the world at the time.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I'm not Marc L.
I'm just after reading an article* about, well, I suppose internet privacy, or lack thereof.
It starts with: Happy Birthday Marc. The 5th of December 2008, you're celebrating your 29th birthday. You don't know me, but I know you very well....
... and it goes on quite a bit, basically demonstrating that the author knows a lot about Marc L's life, job, habits, travels, etc thanks solely to information gleaned from Google, Facebook and/or Flickr.
It was interesting to read how he came across this information, and how Marc L was found totally at random through a Flickr search. It was also a little worrying and got me thinking about how much information about me is publically available. I set my facebook profile to semi-private or something a while back, and I don't have as many photos on my Picasa account as this Marc L had on his Flickr account (17000), nor do I write much about my photos on Picasa and I've never added them to a group or list etc. It is possible to find me through a google search, but none of the information available is up-to-date - my university webpage just gives the address and phone number of the university.
Anyway, it's just some food for thought, and thanks to Aurélie for giving me the link to the article.
*Sorry, the article's in French and I'm not going to translate it as it's quite long. You'll just have to learn to read the language.
It starts with: Happy Birthday Marc. The 5th of December 2008, you're celebrating your 29th birthday. You don't know me, but I know you very well....
... and it goes on quite a bit, basically demonstrating that the author knows a lot about Marc L's life, job, habits, travels, etc thanks solely to information gleaned from Google, Facebook and/or Flickr.
It was interesting to read how he came across this information, and how Marc L was found totally at random through a Flickr search. It was also a little worrying and got me thinking about how much information about me is publically available. I set my facebook profile to semi-private or something a while back, and I don't have as many photos on my Picasa account as this Marc L had on his Flickr account (17000), nor do I write much about my photos on Picasa and I've never added them to a group or list etc. It is possible to find me through a google search, but none of the information available is up-to-date - my university webpage just gives the address and phone number of the university.
Anyway, it's just some food for thought, and thanks to Aurélie for giving me the link to the article.
*Sorry, the article's in French and I'm not going to translate it as it's quite long. You'll just have to learn to read the language.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Język polski jest trudny
Deklinacja polska jest trudna. Chciałem mówić "Będę w Bielsku-Białej" ale myślałem że to był "Będę w Bielska-Białej", ale mówisz "Jadę DO Bielska-Białej". Nie miałem racji (tak, wiem, zawsze mam racje). Wiem też że wszycsy rozumią jeśli mówię "jadę do Bielsku-Białej" lub "jadę do Bielsko-Biała". Bardzo chciałbym mówić po polsku jak moja koleżanka w Bielsku-Białej mówi po angielsku. Muszę kupować bilet na autobus od Krakowa do Bielska-Białej wkrótce, więc będę muszić wiedzić jak mówić "proszę bilet do Bielska-Białej".
I won't bother translating that into English (or French) because it would be weird... it's just a comment about a grammatical point in Polish that doesn't exist in English or French, so it wouldn't make sense.
I won't bother translating that into English (or French) because it would be weird... it's just a comment about a grammatical point in Polish that doesn't exist in English or French, so it wouldn't make sense.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Geee
I've noticed over the last couple of days that my g key on my keyboard has become rather unresponsive. This results in me spelling words like "groan" as "roan". rrrr... I mean "grrrr". I hope this is a temporary thing, as I prefer to have all my keys in perfect working order.
Remember, it's a "g key" so there's no need to start making jokes about "g spots".
Remember, it's a "g key" so there's no need to start making jokes about "g spots".
Monday, January 05, 2009
Qu'est-ce que j'ai fait?
Je suis allé au centre Pompidou ce soir avec Beth, une anglaise qui habite à Paris. C'était la troisième fois que j'y suis allé. C'était très sympa, et Beth connait beaucoup de l'histoire de l'art. C'était gratuit aujourd'hui parce que c'est le premier dimanche du mois.
Hier soir, j'ai diné avec la même Beth au Jazz Café, un restaurant très sympa où on peut manger de la cuisine franco-orientale, la magreb incluse. Après, nous sommes allés au pub irlandais avec l'Homard et deux de ses amis. L'ambience du pub était formidable, mais le drapeau d'Australie était à l'envers.
J'aime les chocolats de Jeff de Bruges. (Une étudiante m'a donné un cadeau des chocolats de Jeff de Bruges pour le Noël)
Okay, now the English version of this post:
I went to the Pompidou centre this evening with Beth, an English lass who lives in Paris. It was the third time that I've been there. It was a nice evening, and Beth knows a lot about Art History. It was free today because it's the first Sunday of the month.
Yesterday evening, I had dinner with the same Beth in a very nice restaurant called "Jazz Café", which serves french-middle eastern cuisine, including magreb. Afterwards, we went to an Irish pub with the Lobster and two of his friends. The pub had a cool ambience, though the Australian flag was hanging upside down.
I really like the chocolates from Jeff de Bruges. (A student gave me some as a Christmas gift)
Hier soir, j'ai diné avec la même Beth au Jazz Café, un restaurant très sympa où on peut manger de la cuisine franco-orientale, la magreb incluse. Après, nous sommes allés au pub irlandais avec l'Homard et deux de ses amis. L'ambience du pub était formidable, mais le drapeau d'Australie était à l'envers.
J'aime les chocolats de Jeff de Bruges. (Une étudiante m'a donné un cadeau des chocolats de Jeff de Bruges pour le Noël)
Okay, now the English version of this post:
I went to the Pompidou centre this evening with Beth, an English lass who lives in Paris. It was the third time that I've been there. It was a nice evening, and Beth knows a lot about Art History. It was free today because it's the first Sunday of the month.
Yesterday evening, I had dinner with the same Beth in a very nice restaurant called "Jazz Café", which serves french-middle eastern cuisine, including magreb. Afterwards, we went to an Irish pub with the Lobster and two of his friends. The pub had a cool ambience, though the Australian flag was hanging upside down.
I really like the chocolates from Jeff de Bruges. (A student gave me some as a Christmas gift)
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Tak, jadę do Polski.
Ja kupowałem moje bilety na samolot. Będę lecić do Polski 25 styczniu, i od Polski do Francji 30 styczniu. Jestem bardzo szczęśćliwy, to jest super!
Je viens d'acheter mes billets d'avion. Je vais partir en Pologne le 25 janvier, et revenir en France le 30 janvier. Je suis très content, c'est formidable!
I've just bought my plane tickets. I'm flying to Poland on the 25th of January, and returning to France on the 30th of January. I'm excited, as Big Kev would say!
Je viens d'acheter mes billets d'avion. Je vais partir en Pologne le 25 janvier, et revenir en France le 30 janvier. Je suis très content, c'est formidable!
I've just bought my plane tickets. I'm flying to Poland on the 25th of January, and returning to France on the 30th of January. I'm excited, as Big Kev would say!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Technical blog question
On a technicaly note, does anyone know why my "recent comments" section is empty? In spite of the fact that I've received some recent comments. I thought I used the same code as Kat and her recent comments seem to be intact. Any ideas why or how to fix it?
Jadę do Polski? Tak, to jest możliwe.
Chcę jechać do Polski wkrótce. Myślę że mogę tam jechać w ten styczniu, może od 25 do 30 lub 31. Potem, będę przyjechać do Paryzia gdzie jeszcze będą 2 tygodnia przy muszę jechać do Australii. Mam nadzieje że będę jeszcze raz w Europach. Kiedy jestem w Polsce (w Bielska-Białej; będę w domu Agi), chciałbym jechać do Gliwic bo mam dużo kolegów tam. Myślę że mogę być dostępny w Gliwicach dla tylko jeden dzień, bo chciałbym jeździć na nartach. Mam nadzieje że dużo śnieg pada. Niestety nigdy nie poszedłem na nartach w Polsce, kiedy mieszkałem tam. Poszedłem na nartach w Francji i w Australii.
Chcę jeść pierogi ruskie, i naleśniki z serem.
Chcę jeść pierogi ruskie, i naleśniki z serem.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
2009!
Happy New Year!
Bonne Année!
Szczęśćliwego Nowego Roku!
I know it's an arbitrarily chosen date to start the year (why not start the year on the 1st of April?), but it's the date that our society chose long ago, so I'm using this opportunity to wish you all the best for the coming year. And yes, I cheated with the date and time published. It's my blog and I can do what I want.
Bonne Année!
Szczęśćliwego Nowego Roku!
I know it's an arbitrarily chosen date to start the year (why not start the year on the 1st of April?), but it's the date that our society chose long ago, so I'm using this opportunity to wish you all the best for the coming year. And yes, I cheated with the date and time published. It's my blog and I can do what I want.
Bienvenue, Witam, Welcome
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