tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40479372011-04-21T19:59:51.478+02:00pyramid blogIts life, Jim, but not as we know it.Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.comBlogger471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-5446175667503918992007-05-07T21:50:00.000+02:002007-05-07T22:34:03.484+02:00Game overAfter four and a half years I don't think I've got much more to add to Pyramid Blog.It's time to close this chapter so I can start anew somewhere else.Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-62560168989314220672007-02-03T10:01:00.000+01:002007-02-03T11:01:01.238+01:00Favourite albums from 2006Favourites from 2006:5) FutureSex/LoveSounds (Justin Timberlake)4) The Back Room (Editors)3) Live From Dakota (Stereophonics)2) Black Holes & Revelations (Muse)1) Show Your Bones (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)And for more inspiration, check out Pitchfork's Top 100 Singles From 2006.Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-35840960725490993132007-01-30T03:18:00.000+01:002007-02-03T10:01:28.947+01:00Top Ten Things That Make Me Feel SomethingIf I had to propose a list of things that consistently tie my guts up in knots, either burning me up with happiness or bringing me as close to teary eyed as an acceptable masculine gender role will allow, it would look approximately like this:Top Ten Things That Make Me Feel Something*10. Looking at the world from several thousand feet in the air.9. Sunny days.8. Death of a pet: The prospect, theLogo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1157321263031773732006-09-03T21:50:00.000+02:002007-01-31T07:54:11.951+01:00Radiohead in EdinburghI headed up to Edinburgh in August to see Radiohead perform, having not managed to secure tickets for the London gigs.I bought two tickets way back in March, expecting that I would find someone in London who would also want to see them. By the time that August came round, it was clear to me that while a few people I know would want to go, no-one in my contact list is nuts enough to queue for Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1145401497414001592006-04-18T23:54:00.000+02:002007-01-31T07:54:56.409+01:00Starting at a new schoolThe first week in a new job is a traumatising thing. Even though this is effectively my fifth job out of university, I still get butterflies that remind me a lot of starting a new school.Will I like my new classmates? Will I like my new teacher? Will either my classmates or my teacher like me?Will I be too smart or too stupid to fit in? Will the older boys steal my lunch or call me names?Will I Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1145055774673894932006-04-15T01:00:00.000+02:002007-01-31T07:55:18.445+01:00Jetpacks. Finally.Good news for all of you out there that are also eagerly awaiting the introduction of jetpacks for personal transport. Looks like some Japanese scientists sponsored by Sprite lemonade are already one step ahead.Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1142515360179592522006-03-16T13:40:00.000+01:002006-03-16T14:25:43.556+01:00Two weeks later, how's the life in London? After innumerable update emails to friends and family with essentially the same messages, I'd like to present the key information here for posteriority.* London is bloody cold.I had stunningly low expectations of the weather, and these have been underwhelmed on an almost daily basis. Shivering my way up and down the bank of the Thames at 3 - 8 degrees, ILogo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1141325820763799482006-03-02T19:53:00.001+01:002006-03-02T19:57:00.780+01:00About a year ago I was working on an absolutely exciting eShop project which fulfilled almost everything I needed from my job at the time. It was so much fun that I would willingly come in on weekends, I would dance to the water cooler, I would sing songs of praise in our project meetings, and sometimes I would even start work by 9am in the morning.It was truly a wonderful project that was Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1139954478098674652006-02-14T23:01:00.000+01:002006-02-14T23:02:11.813+01:00Do I intend to stay in Prague? This question will be conclusively answered in mere weeks.Sure, I have a decent job here, the potential for rapid career growth in Vodafone, comfortable living and hot Slavic women never more than a smazeny syr's throw away... but thats just not enough. No sir, I will be leaving this freezing clime at the hint of early spring (i.e. two weeks) and migrating to the Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1121013251668463282005-07-09T18:34:00.000+02:002005-07-11T23:35:30.080+02:00I wanted to spend a night elsewhere in Austria, but my local friends couldn't align on a clear recommendation besides Salzberg. Zell Am See was a strong initial candidate due to the appealing name, until I found one decent sized Hungarian settlement on my Czechoslovak map about an hour from Vienna. While I have little idea how to pronounce it, I am delighted to report that I have sampled the Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1121011185905472312005-07-08T17:59:00.000+02:002005-07-11T23:33:43.176+02:00 The Natural History Museum in Vienna seems to have one stuffed version of every animal on the planet.I have to wonder if this cabinet was correctly labelled. The savage beast in the picture is apparently a tuatara, although I've never seen one actually move, let alone prey on unarmed seagulls.Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1121011971192498822005-07-08T10:12:00.000+02:002005-07-11T23:34:03.193+02:00 The Austrians reconstructed four Viennese gas works into an amazing complex now featuring shops, offices and apartments. It even has a nice name: Gasometer . Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1118606234947582392005-06-12T21:57:00.000+02:002005-06-12T22:13:41.666+02:00Germany!What's not to love about a country that makes a thousand kinds of sausage and a boasts a language that uses words like 'schloss' (palace)?Spent a night in Munich, visiting Nymphenburg Palace today.Despite the peculiar name, there was little silliness inside (over and above the odd topless greek goddess painting here and there, of course).Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1118602799214439732005-06-12T20:59:00.000+02:002005-06-12T22:15:47.486+02:00Question: What happens when the American-Scandinavian Student Exchange organisation branches out into high-school exchanges between countries all over the world?Answer: You get ASSE offices appearing all over the globe.Look out AIESEC, this acronym looks a lot easier to remember and explain.And some points of clarification for the curious: Don't confuse this with other ASSEs, like the Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1118309360561339022005-06-09T11:28:00.000+02:002005-06-09T11:29:20.563+02:00I love sick days.Its not just the lounging around the house, or the daytime television. While those are certainly wonderful things in their own right, what I really look forward to on my sick days is working from home. (No, really, I do).While Management By Wandering Around is no longer an option for the bed-bound, the wonders of the Information Age enable a far more appealing possibility known Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1117665891854512892005-06-02T00:35:00.000+02:002005-06-09T11:32:11.813+02:00Today I broke a wall at work while (upon request) attempting to pop a colleague's balloon. The ensuing damage was quite well regarded by all present, and even painted by one our copywriters to reveal the outline of a ladybird.Real estate department failed to appreciate the funny side of this situation. I suspect they would have agreed that this artifact was well worth preserving had they been Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1103795087933543532004-12-23T09:28:00.000+01:002005-06-02T00:32:40.813+02:00In the past six months I'd say that I've been to about eight countries, none of which I've written about in any detail. I could ascribe this lapse to laziness, but I'd much rather consider this delay as a deliberate act of authorship. As Thomas Mann once said:Time cools, time clarifies, no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours. Therefore you'll not suffer my clumsy Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1103786503484777462004-12-23T07:52:00.000+01:002004-12-23T09:26:25.210+01:00Today we're going to learn a little about Hungary, and specifically about the capital, Budapest.
Geography
Budapest is split by the north/south runnning Danube river, which was apparently named after a famous piece of music.
West of the river is known as "Buda", east of the river is "Pest". This naming convention wasn't intended to simplify navigation for directionally deficient tourists, it Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1100121815970009852004-11-10T22:11:00.000+01:002004-11-10T22:23:35.970+01:00Its been a while since last update, so thought I better confirm that I'm still alive.
In the last 24 hours I have
- discovered my mouth's pain threshold where it comes to Vindaloo curry
- launched a million dollar Intranet project
- disected my toothpaste tube (seems that Signal toothpaste use a slightly different roll from competitors, which has a short hard plastic tube running down from the Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1089924080431915982004-07-15T22:41:00.000+02:002004-07-15T22:41:20.430+02:00Ten lessons learned from projects and relationships
Projects can sometimes be a lot like relationships. So project management is a lot like relationship management. Here are ten things you can apply in your projects and in your personal life.
10) Badly aligned goals will guarantee an unhappy ending.
- Don’t assume that you understand your client’s goals.
- Don’t assume that your client Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1089244484169076662004-07-08T01:54:00.000+02:002004-07-08T02:07:29.650+02:00So thats another birthday down. Halfway to 52 years, a true milestone in any man's life.
Highlights:
1. The day started off on a positive note, my mother intended to call me at at 6.30am Prague time, but fortunately by miscalculating daylight savings she actually called at 8.30am. Despite my best efforts in turning in early the previous night, I didn't get to bed till 1am. A 6.30 wake up would Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1070704112716319622003-12-06T10:48:00.000+01:002004-01-02T13:34:26.170+01:00KILL HORATIO WITH DAGGERAnyone old enough to remember text based adventure games? Like Shakespeare? Combine the best of two (very very old) worlds here.
Objective: Christian Ministries- Hey Hindus: Wouldn't you rather have just one God who loves you a bunch than a bunch of gods that don't love you at all?
- Hey atheists: Why are you often very grumpy and bitter and tricking children into Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1070228649719214712003-11-30T22:44:00.000+01:002004-07-08T02:20:16.573+02:00Berlin & Radiohead
I jump up from the hard train floor momentarily to paw pathetically at the window as the smallish Czech city of Kolin appears on the horizon. In a few moments, slowing a fraction, the Eurocity train glides into the city limits, testing the air, weighing the evidence. Eurocity trains only stop in euro-cities, you see. A gothic church, two good-sized houses aspiring to be manorsLogo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1068418076345974582003-11-09T23:47:00.000+01:002003-11-10T00:05:05.003+01:00[Note, this is part two of the Tunisian story. Part one is underneath this posting. Don't panic, its called "chronological order".]
Tunisia, the key performance indicators:
Alcohol
Not that I care, but for your information, Beloved Reader, as a Muslim country Tunisia does not have a lot of alcohol about. As a result they have a strong cafe culture where predominantly men sit inside/outside Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1067813764439330752003-11-02T23:56:00.000+01:002003-11-02T23:57:38.640+01:00Tunisia, the Ode
Tunisia, Tunisia,
Where the crystal waves lap,
At an African country,
Not oft found on the map.
Tunisia, Tunisia,
Mediterranean paradise lost,
By tourists who wanted Sardinia,
But could not afford the cost.
Tunisia, Tunisia,
We'd like to be optimistic when,
You make a joint bid with Libya,
To host World Cup 2010.
Tunisia, the Details
- Small country in North Africa, Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1067804362700030572003-11-02T21:19:00.000+01:002003-11-02T21:19:21.370+01:00I keep thinking that its about time to get around to telling the tale of the Tunisian trip from September.
September? Yes, its been that long and I still haven't written it up. But before you accusingly point your mouse clicking finger, dear reader, I beg you to consider evidence in my defence.
In all fairness, I have been sick twice since I got back from Tunisia, and also suffered a Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1065994299812301732003-10-12T23:31:00.000+02:002003-10-12T23:44:57.420+02:00Alan, Jase and I visited Salzberg, for a weekend way back in the end of August.
Salzberg, the details:
- Its in Austria
- It seems to be where The Sound Of Music was shot
- It has a cool fortress
What else? Salzberg is small, the best disco is next to the airport, many shops are closed on Sunday, and in the old town people play chess on a 4x4 metre board painted on the ground.
We also got to Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1060636575134726532003-08-11T23:16:00.000+02:002003-08-11T23:16:15.156+02:00If you haven't Googled your own name yet you probably should. Lord knows who you might find.
Aerospace engineers, Star Trek fans and apparently even the director of music for the New Zealand Army Band. These few people at least share my name - while strange - is not altogether surprising given how common my first name is.
Unfortunately none of them seem genuinely famous or rich, so there is Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-1060024959344697762003-08-04T21:22:00.000+02:002003-08-04T21:33:18.613+02:00It really is ridiculously hot here in Prague right now.
To clarify, my definition of 'ridiculously hot' stands as follows:
Ridiculously hot (adj.)
A temperature at which:
1. Coherent thought is impossible
2. Inane small talk switches from complaints about poor weather to complaints about the heat
3. BBC world runs mindless 'personal interest' stories at the end of each bulletin showing people Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-948649182003-05-25T19:15:00.000+02:002003-05-25T19:40:08.000+02:00Last week was a crazy one at work, so today I thought I might take this opportunity to share with you a couple of emails that impressed me most.
Here is a random vent from an IS guy who seems to be waiting for something, but I'm not sure exactly what, as he is asking me about some project that I've never been involved with.
Hi,
Do you have a lot of time? I no.
Where are final texts ?
Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-937538532003-05-04T20:01:00.000+02:002003-05-04T20:10:06.000+02:00I'm not entirely sure how these were possible. Most cats I know would need to be heavily sedated before allowing this kind of atrocity.
Hairdresser from hell. The Final Cut. Move with arrow keys and cut with space bar.
Meanwhile, nothing new anywhere else. Sex toys are still illegal in Kansas and naked rugby players are still getting run over while jogging in New Zealand.
Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-934893842003-04-29T23:26:00.000+02:002003-04-29T23:26:17.896+02:00- "My feelings, as usual, we will slaughter them all!"
- Thats about the size, where you put your eyes
- 7500 songs in your pocketLogo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-930946192003-04-23T07:26:00.000+02:002003-04-26T11:18:05.000+02:00This Easter Jason, Alan and I visited my friend Radek in Moravia. Prague is not such a fun place to be over Easter, with Prague people being generally too sophisticated to engage in traditional pastimes like girl whipping.
Travel to Moravia was provided courtesy of Australian-Czech Pavel from work, so we got to make most of the trip in the comfort of a bright red Oskar car that seemed to Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-918671542003-04-02T23:13:00.000+02:002003-04-02T23:13:43.950+02:00Second proposal for Xmas gift of the year.... bless this defender of freedom.
Also, maybe the biggest pig in the world?Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-917593782003-04-01T07:44:00.000+02:002003-04-01T07:52:30.000+02:00Wondering why the Americans are so excited about launching already 8700 bombs in 'freeing' the Iraqis?
My money is on the biggest US 'boom' industry in the time of war: super-media.
Check this:
New Zealand reporter Peter Arnett [was] sacked by American TV network NBC after he told Iraqi television the US war plan against Saddam Hussein had failed.
...
Erik Sorenson, MSNBC president and generalLogo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-916614382003-03-30T21:42:00.000+02:002003-03-30T22:42:41.000+02:00I've known Alan for five years now, and its clear to me during this time he has invested a lot of effort in developing his ability to pose for stupid photos.
Yesterday we participated with Jason as extras in a professional photoshoot that established without a shred of doubt that Mr Bateup is no longer an up-and-comer in this field.
The range of emotions and roles demonstrated by Alan were Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-913031092003-03-24T22:49:00.000+01:002003-03-24T22:49:02.513+01:00Been struggling with sin lately? Keep your soul clean AND your ass on time with this early candidate for Xmas gift of the year.
From the 'People too stupid to stay out of jail' files - Woman robs house, forgets where her car is, calls 911.
Someone asked me for it again, so for maybe the hundredth time here is Jesus Christ Superstore. Be sure to check out Ayatollah - "Destroyer of empires, Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-912479542003-03-24T01:34:00.000+01:002003-03-24T02:06:44.000+01:00Trams rock.
Trams give rise to a number of wonderful things, off the top of my head I could name at least tram surfing, tram boarding game theory, and Charin’s “tram pickup” manoeuvre. In this debrief for non-Prague residents, let me simply say that trams are a highly populous and generally well-received element of Czech public transport.
Today, however, I speak to one sterling example of Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-905499282003-03-12T00:13:00.000+01:002003-03-12T00:25:03.000+01:00Three weeks have passed since I returned from New Zealand, and its clear to me that my life is pretty close to perfect.
Here's the first in new series of unprecedented positivity (in no particular order):
1. VivaPlus
After the mysterious demise of BBC World, I was left with little to comprehend on my television set. Eurosport's channel treats me to Eurogoals every Monday night, but this is Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-876799002003-01-19T15:24:00.000+01:002003-01-19T16:29:35.000+01:00Who could resist a news headline like "Teacher unleashes judo attack on pupil"? If you read the story, you'd probably agree that the kid had it coming.
I nearly linked to some other articles today, but the headlines really made the story somewhat redundant:
- "Bible college shuns 666 phone number"
- "German woman lives with dead aunt for 18 months"
- "Man Takes Ambulance for Short Joyride as Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-873008322003-01-12T11:39:00.000+01:002003-01-12T11:49:05.000+01:00Has a guy been stuck in the Paris airport since 1988 for lack of the right papers? Urban myth?
p.s. SatireWire is dead, long live SatireWire...Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-871835532003-01-09T22:34:00.000+01:002003-01-09T22:34:29.080+01:00How do you convince the Vatican to send you on a business trip to see the America's Cup finals? Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-869187762003-01-04T13:01:00.000+01:002003-01-04T13:01:12.686+01:00Rainy weekend afternoon?
Why not recreate your favourite Star Wars moments with a stack of Post-It notes and this.Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-867884582003-01-01T17:28:00.000+01:002003-01-01T18:08:06.000+01:00New Year's pictures are up here, and your politically incorrect link of the week is here.Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-865481152002-12-26T15:03:00.000+01:002002-12-27T00:36:28.000+01:00Buying gifts for your girlfriend is not the easiest assignment at Xmas time.
Gift giving itself is not rocket science - but buying for a special person requires special care to ensure that your present will bring you both kudos (read: "emotional") and material gain.
Where does a brother in need turn in such circumstances? A quick look on the net reveals stunning advice like the following (Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-864867932002-12-24T19:23:00.000+01:002002-12-27T00:09:39.000+01:00Empirical investigation will reveal that the typical expat xmas consists of one of only three possibilities:
a. Flee the carp-consuming Prague populace for family somewhere else
b. Congregate with other foreigners of the roast poultry for dinner faith
c. Drink heavily, cry intermittently
In this case, me and my nearest and dearest are (once again) statistical outliers.
Alan - Enjoying a Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047937.post-864865932002-12-24T19:17:00.000+01:002002-12-24T19:17:00.250+01:00Its Christmas Eve in Prague.
Czechs really get into Christmas Eve. This is the time that they gather the family, share gifts and finally give death to the carp in their bath.
Interestingly, Santa Claus never made it to Czech rep - here the gifts are allegedly delivered by baby Jesus. Personally, I think idea makes the explanation of a fat man on flying sled bringing gifts via people's Logo Design Shoppernoreply@blogger.com0