Sunday, July 27, 2008

Snippets:
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Computer: Wipedisk from Gaijin. Overwrites (deletes, 'wipes') hard disk, memory sticks etc. 14 different methods possible. Also has a program for deletion of files (Wipefile). Website in German.
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Computer: Circumvent unwanted error messages in Vista and XP with 'Unlocker' (get from Download.com).
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Computer: Portable Freeware Collection. Similar functions as Portable Apps.
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Computer: Spybot Search & Destroy. Find and delete malware. Useful.
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Computer: Bandwithplace.com: Free Internet speed test: DL Speed: ~2.6 megabits/sec = ~320 kilobytes/sec]. Speedtest.net: Free broadband speed test with servers located all over the world [DL Speed ~ 2879 kb/s; UL Speed: ~450 kb/s]
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Art: Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967), Take Your Time: MoMA and P.S. 1, NYC, April 20 - June 30, 2008. Danish-Icelandic artist. Works a lot with light and mirrors. Intriguing.
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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Snippets:
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Computer: Primary Games. All kinds of free computer games, including Mini Golf. See List of all games.
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History: First Sounds.
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DVD: The Official Story (La Historia oficial, 1985). Director:Luis Puenzo. w/ Norma Aleandro (Alicia), Héctor Alterio (Roberto). Wife of a businessman in Buenos Aires starts investigating the history of their adopted daughter when she learns that the child may be from a politically imprisoned mother. Multiple side stories. Sometimes melodramatic. 1986 Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Film. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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Photogaphy: Bernd Nies. Good amateur photographer. Some spectacular shots.
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Computer: Team Viewer: Desktop sharing, presentations and file transfer, even through firewalls. Free of charge for private (non-commerical)use. Does not require installation. Great for technical support. Works well.
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Books: Library of Congress: Has online exhibitions.
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Recreation: State Parks in New York. Map included.
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Recreation: Croton Dam near Cronton-on-Hudson, built 1906. NYC water supply.
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Shopping: Pricegrabber: Price engine with useful commentaries and reviews.
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Friday, April 18, 2008

Snippets:
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DVD: 1941 (1979). Director: Steven Spielberg. w/ Dan Aykroyd (Sgt. Frank Tree), John Belushi (Capt. Wild Bill Kelso). During WWII in 1941, Hollywood needs to be defended against an imminent Japanese attack. Aloof comedy. Hardly any story. Poor jokes. Waste of time. Some good special effects though. Overall raiting: 2 out of 10.
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Computer: winhlp.com. Windows problem solver.
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Shooping: Nuts Online (knutscholin). Good selection of nuts amd dried fruits; some chocolate-coated.
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Music: TuneCore. Make your music and videos commercially available on the WWW for a small fee, no royalties.
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Movie: Lissi und der wilde Kaiser (2007). Director: Michael Herbig. CGI (computer-generated imaging) movie about the fairy tale-like marriage between Bavaria's teenage Princess Elizabeth and Austria's Emperor Franz Joseph. Lissi is abducted by Yeti to be brought to the devil as the most beautiful woman in the world. Spoof on the "Sissi" trilogy (1955-57). Some funny moments. 'Badesalz' provided voices to Lucifer. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Life: Fragrance: Good Life by Davidoff. For Men. Eau De Toilette.
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Movie: Atonement (2007; German: Abbitte). w/ James McAvoy (Robbie Turner), Keira Knightley (Cecilia Tallis). Writers: Ian McEwan (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay). Director: Joe Wright. 13-year old girl accuses her sister's lover of raping a girl and therby changes their personal histories. Won Oscar: Dario Marianelli for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score. Saoirse Ronan was nominated for Oscar for her role as Briony Tallis (Aged 13). Core question: When is someone old enough to distinguish between right and wrong. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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News: LiveNewsCameras. Collection of live TV news feeds around the world.
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Monday, February 25, 2008

Online versions of Bibles:

  • Bibleserver: Various versions in several different languages; can be viewed side-by-side. Old and New Testament. Also has additional resources

  • BibleGateway: Various versions in differnt languages

  • Biblos: Online Parallel Bible Project. Many versions, many languages

  • Bibelkommentare: in German


Snippets:
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Art: 12/29/07: Metropolitan Museum, NYC: 1.) Annual Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche, November 20, 2007–January 6, 2008, Medieval Sculpture Hall 2.) The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 18, 2007–January 6, 2008, Special Exhibition Galleries, 2nd floor.
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Bar: Ice Bar at Chambers, Minneapolis, MN: Outdoors. Counter made of ice, an artsy fire place to warm up. Chambers is the Luxury Art Hotel in Minneapolis.
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Food: Murray's, Minneapolis, MN. Old-fashioned steak house. Famous to be the "Home of the Silver Butter Knife Steak". Food fine, but too pricey. Interior has probably not been renovated since the place opend in 1946. An expericence, no doubt!
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Art: 1/4/08: MoMA: 1.) Lucian Freud: The Painter's Etchings, Dec 16, 2007 - March 10, 2008. Like the paintings better 2.) Martin Puryear Nov 4, 2007–Jan 14, 2008: Sculptures. Not impressed.
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Travel: FlightStats. Info on flights and airports.
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Music: Song Meanings. People commenting on the meaning of songs.
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DVD: Hamlet (1948): Director:Laurence Olivier. Movie version of the play by William Shakespeare. w/ Laurence Olivier (Hamlet, Prince of Denmark), Basil Sydney (Claudius, The King), Eileen Herlie (Gertrude, The Queen), Norman Wooland (Horatio, Hamlet's friend), Felix Aylmer (Polonius, Lord Chamberlain), Terence Morgan (Laertes, son of Polonius), Jean Simmons (Ophelia, daughter of Polonius). Hamlet goes mad over the murder of his father by his uncle, Ophelia goes mad over her love for Hamlet. All dead in the end. Great acting. Great play. Somewhat 'dusty', but full of vice and virtue. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Life: Masdar: Plan for an entirely self-sufficient city near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Supposed to have no carbon dioxide emissions by using solar and wind energy. To be completed around 2016.
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Architecture: 570 Lexington Ave, NYC. Art Deco. Originally buildt by RCA Victor in 1931, soon became the General Electric Building.
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Music: 55 Bar 2/17/08, 6 PM: Iris Ornig (bass, compositions); played in a quartet. Mainstream jazz. Could be more progressive.
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DVD: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). After the novel by Jules Verne. Screen play: Walter Reisch and Charles Brackett. w/ Pat Boone (Alexander 'Alec' McKuen), James Mason (Sir Oliver S. Lindenbrook), Arlene Dahl (Carla Goteborg), Diane Baker (Jenny Lindenbrook). Geogology professor and crew descent into the ground to explore the center of the earth. Some good special effects for its time. Some funny moments in dialogue. Cheesy at times. Overall rating 6 out of 10.
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People: Nina Totenberg. b. 1944. Legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR). Daughter of violinist Roman Totenberg. Fired from the National Observer for plagiarism in 1972. In response, Totenberg told the Columbia Journalism Review in 1995: "I have a strong feeling that a young reporter is entitled to one mistake and to have the holy bejeezus scared out of her to never do it again". List of other NPR people.
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Literature: Halldor Laxness, Iceland's Bell (1943): "... answer me candidly one question: who has suffered more for the other in this world, God for men or men for God?" (p.253)
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