Hello friends. I have finally uploaded my photos from Germany. It took about a week but it’s finally done. They’re on my Facebook page, and since I’m probably not friends with some of you over there, I’ll list the public links for each album. Enjoy!
Here’s the link to the blog I’m writing while in Germany. It’s in a separate location because it’s mainly for the families and friends of the kids on the trip. I’ll probably write a more personal summary of the trip when I get back or if I have some more down time over the next week. For now, this will have to do (for those of you who aren’t connected to me via Facebook).
There are three posts so far, so if you’re reading the blog for the first time, make sure to start at the bottom. Enjoy!
In just about two days, I will be heading to Germany with a few co-workers and a handful of students. This will my third straight spring break in Europe and my fourth in a row spent outside the confines of my home city/county/state. I am not complaining about northern New Jersey (even if it sometimes pales in comparison to my true home, NYC) but it’s just that I was bitten by the travel bug a few years ago and now I am compelled to spend at least a week each year being in a place that feels foreign and new. It’s good for the mind, body, and soul.
There are several specific things I am excited about, and I want to mention a few of them here. First, the Stasi Museum in Berlin and anything else related to the events of the late 1980s in Germany. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a monumental part of my childhood. It’s strange to think that Germany was divided until the time I was about to enter high school. And when I saw The Lives of Others a few years ago, I became even more fascinated by the modern history of Germany before the wall fell. Seeing the meeting rooms and exhibits is going to be very sobering.
I’m also excited about seeing Weimar for a few reasons. It’s where the Bauhaus school was founded. But it’s also the location of the Buchenwald concentration camp, the largest one that existed in Germany.
Another stop that is sure to be interesting is Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. It was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, the king who commissioned it was known to be a bit of an eccentric (resulting in interesting design elements inside), and the surrounding countryside looks breathtaking. Can’t wait to see it.
I believe we will also be seeing Wartburg Castle, which is where Martin Luther hid for a year during the early 1500s after a little incident that he caused with the 95 Theses. He translated the New Testament into German during that time.
I’m sure there are many surprises in store for me as well. I am taking 26 GB’s worth of compact flash cards just in case, and borrowing a nice prime lens with a low f-stop for low light situations. I will also be updating our progress on a separate blog that I created for parents of the kids that are going on the trip. You can check out the blog from the trip to England and France two years ago to get an idea of what to expect from this year’s updates.
One of my students got an MRI done today. She brought a CD with images from the procedure for me to look at. So, the first thing we wanted to do with them was create an animated GIF. Enjoy!
I feel like quoting Richard Dreyfuss’ character from Close Encounters of the Third Kind here by saying “This means something. This is important.”
It certainly is. :)
on a Saturday afternoon. Roommate’s cousin is here watching it for the first time. Life is good today.
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Even without DNS provisions, SOPA and PIPA remain fatally flawed -
The special interests behind the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act are in full retreat, throwing the bills’ most controversial provisions overboard in a desperate attempt to stop the entire bill from sinking. Realizing that proposals to create a DNS-based blacklisting scheme had become politically radioactive, the bills’ sponsors—Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), respectively—have pledged to drop these provisions. On Tuesday, even the Motion Picture Association of America declared that DNS filtering was “off the table” for this year’s legislation.
(Read the rest of the article here or by clicking on the title of this post. Ars Technica performs some of the most consistent, intelligent, and honest examinations of technology and science issues that I’ve seen. I had been looking for a solid summary of the real ramifications of these two bills and I feel like I’ve finally found it.)
Joan discusses how Yuna’s bravery in FFX helped her confront her abusive husband and escape her marriage.
