Sunday, December 15, 2013
The Positive Implications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) in Society or "How Drones Help"
There are infinite possibilities for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV'S), dubbed by the media with the evil pseudonym of "drone," to accomplish great feats for the betterment of our world. Many of these possibilities are limited by the lack of support by the public. With public support for these little autonomous machines and acceptance by the media, the implications of a UAV-Aided Society could make grave improvements to our society. A UAV-Aided Society could: improve our aging transportation infrastructure, provide better healthcare to undeveloped countries, protect endangered wildlife from illegal poaching, give the disabled an outlet for expressing themselves, and much much more. Many of the current challenges facing UAV technology are in fact due to the public's negative perceptions of what they are portrayed to do. Challenges such as integrating UAV's into national airspace and gaining funding to pursue better research are difficult to overcome without public support. Below are a few videos (courtesy of TED) showing some examples of how UAV's could help make our world a better place. This is only a fraction of the endless possibilities for these machines to help develop our society; only limited by our creative imaginations...
Monday, January 16, 2012
"MATCHES" ---> "BURN!"
So I have this idea....it's called "MATCHES." It was invented sitting on the beach in Virginia Beach almost a year and a half ago and since then, I cannot stop thinking about whether its feasibility could really be applied to the world in some way that could help people and make this world a little better place. I've talked to a lot of people about this idea, with much criticism...and sometimes support. But I am still uncertain whether this concept is really just some crazy wandering of my imagination or a concept that could bring people of different backgrounds, cultural ethnicity, family morals, or political factions together in a world that at this point in time I think could really use some unifying...
The idea of "MATCHES" is simple. It's a code word that can be used to connect people and open them up to the possibility of starting a conversation...about anything; news, politics, weather, what was on TV last night, or the latest technological advancements in string theory....anything. The code word is the word "MATCHES." How it works is this: one person sees another person in some public place and wants to talk. That person goes up to the other person and says "MATCHES." If the other person has some time to sit down and get to know each other, that person just has to respond with the word "BURN". Voila! A connection...
Now the most common question that I receive at this point is..."How is this different from just stopping someone and saying hello?" Really...not much. But the difference is this, by using the code word, you've established the grounds that both of you want to talk, the awkwardness of not knowing whether this person really has any desire or time to stop what he or she's doing to get to know you can pass and BOOM, you might have a new friend. And how often do people really stop each other to communicate? Not much... As more and more people start to use "MATCHES," people will be encouraged to get to know each other, and I think that they would be surprised what they can find.
The trick is that for this idea to work, everyone would have to already know about the code word and the response. But I think that by spreading the word on the internet and by word of mouth in this day and age when one Twitter post can go out to millions of people is really not all that difficult. And I think that it would be easy for the concept to start small. Maybe in a high school or at church and then move to bigger places like universities and workplaces. As groups begin to commit to using "MATCHES" to get to know each other, the word will spread that the code word is out there. And more and more people will get on-board.
Think of it as real-life social networking. There's more and more social networking sites online and ways for people to connect over the internet, but with this advancement in technology there's less and less reason for people to have face-to-face conversations. "MATCHES" could help change that....
Lastly, I just want to state the obvious point that there could be some safety concerns with "MATCHES." Not all people are good, and the system could most definitely be used to exploit or hurt people. Because of that, I think it's imperative that this system be used in public, where people are always under the watchful eye of others. Until you know someone well enough to really call them your friend, it is never a good idea to go to a private place alone with them.
So that's all I'll write about "MATCHES" for now. I'm not sure if "MATCHES" can change the world, but I think that it could push people in the direction of acceptance of others rather than suspicion. And I would hope that this could make a dent in the misconceptions that people have of each other. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd appreciate any feedback or questions that anyone would have and whether you all think that I could go forward making "MATCHES" into a reality.
The idea of "MATCHES" is simple. It's a code word that can be used to connect people and open them up to the possibility of starting a conversation...about anything; news, politics, weather, what was on TV last night, or the latest technological advancements in string theory....anything. The code word is the word "MATCHES." How it works is this: one person sees another person in some public place and wants to talk. That person goes up to the other person and says "MATCHES." If the other person has some time to sit down and get to know each other, that person just has to respond with the word "BURN". Voila! A connection...
Now the most common question that I receive at this point is..."How is this different from just stopping someone and saying hello?" Really...not much. But the difference is this, by using the code word, you've established the grounds that both of you want to talk, the awkwardness of not knowing whether this person really has any desire or time to stop what he or she's doing to get to know you can pass and BOOM, you might have a new friend. And how often do people really stop each other to communicate? Not much... As more and more people start to use "MATCHES," people will be encouraged to get to know each other, and I think that they would be surprised what they can find.
The trick is that for this idea to work, everyone would have to already know about the code word and the response. But I think that by spreading the word on the internet and by word of mouth in this day and age when one Twitter post can go out to millions of people is really not all that difficult. And I think that it would be easy for the concept to start small. Maybe in a high school or at church and then move to bigger places like universities and workplaces. As groups begin to commit to using "MATCHES" to get to know each other, the word will spread that the code word is out there. And more and more people will get on-board.
Think of it as real-life social networking. There's more and more social networking sites online and ways for people to connect over the internet, but with this advancement in technology there's less and less reason for people to have face-to-face conversations. "MATCHES" could help change that....
Lastly, I just want to state the obvious point that there could be some safety concerns with "MATCHES." Not all people are good, and the system could most definitely be used to exploit or hurt people. Because of that, I think it's imperative that this system be used in public, where people are always under the watchful eye of others. Until you know someone well enough to really call them your friend, it is never a good idea to go to a private place alone with them.
So that's all I'll write about "MATCHES" for now. I'm not sure if "MATCHES" can change the world, but I think that it could push people in the direction of acceptance of others rather than suspicion. And I would hope that this could make a dent in the misconceptions that people have of each other. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd appreciate any feedback or questions that anyone would have and whether you all think that I could go forward making "MATCHES" into a reality.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Back to grad school...
After two years of grinding my gears day in and day out working the life of a young professional, I'm setting up to go back to grad school. I'll be pursuing a Masters in Systems Engineering degree from Johns Hopkins with a concentration in Modeling and Simulation. This fall will add a whole new layer of turmoil to my life as I attempt to balance work life and school life all at the same time while still trying to keep up the social spirits of a mid-twenty-year-old. Bring it on...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Oktoberfest
Well, I'm back to Germany and this time its for the biggest beer festival in the entire world! After five more days back in Deutschland, I can't even explain how much I love this place. And since I'm being timed right now on my internet usage...I guess I won't.
Alles Gute aus Deutschland!
Alles Gute aus Deutschland!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Ein bischen Deutsch...
Und heute hab ich Lust eine Post auf Deutsch zu schreiben. Auf jeden fall ist mein Grammatisch und Wort-benutzung sehr schlecht aber manchmal denke ich dass ein bischen schreiben auf Deutsch konnte die fremdsprach fur mich verbessern. Fremdsprach ist so wichtig ein Kunst zu lernen, besonders fur Amerikaner. Wir besetzen hier an diese grosse Kontinent mit sehr wenig kulturisch verschieden. Damit die ganze Welt zu verstanden, mussten wir weit und breit reisen zu Fremdkultur zu finden. Wenn dies moglichkeit besetzt uns, wir sollten bereits werden. Mit die Landessprach vermitteln ist am besten weg die richtige Volkskultur zu tragen. Sprachforschung untericht viel uber die Kulture eine Lande. Ich hoffe das ich vergess dies Fremdsprach nicht und ich weiss das ich muss immer benutzen zu mir errinern. Vielleicht fang ich ein sprach-wechseln mit Skype eines Tages an. Und hoffenlich kann ich am endlich nach Deutschland Rueckreise.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Rigor in Development: How open-source science can improve our world
What am I reading today?
Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty
By, Morris Kline
Not a book you should pick up for an easy read on a road trip to Disney World, but "Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty" goes through the invention of Mathematics from its roots with the Babylonians back in 3000 BC to the Greeks creation of Euclidian geometry to the quarrels and debates of its development that lasted through the 19th century and on to today. It's interesting to see how some of the most useful mathematical methods like negative numbers, the complex number system, and irrationals, were hotly debated topics for hundreds of years. Man could not accept that when you take something from less than nothing you can get even more less than nothing. And to say that less than nothing multiplied by less than nothing could equal something was just nonsense. The arguments against imaginaries were even more profound. A number that represents the square root of a number less than one? Incomprehensible. Gauss said that if the units had not been given the names direct, inverse, and lateral as opposed to positive, negative, and imaginary, "people would not have gotten the impression that there was some dark mystery in these numbers." Today these topics are basic lessons taught in high school and college math class and are crucial for use in the complex mathematical operations of today.
But it's not my intention for today to summarize this somewhat complicated and monotonous book. What I want to dive into are some of the points made by mathematicians in Chapter VII, "The Illogical Development: The Predicament CIRCA 1800." Many arguments were made as to the necessity of proofs and rigor to define mathematics. The creation of a theorem could not be fully accepted by the mathematical community until it was proven for all n x n cases. To take on such a task for complicated (but many times useful) ideas could take years of painstaking and rigorous work. And it is these types of proofs that led the greatest minds of the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to spend most of their time debating about the validity of concepts instead of building upon them. Over four hundred years of going round and round in circles....
In the modern world, how much rigor should be put into analysis before accepting and pressing forward with an idea? Engineers work for years on end to prove and reprove concepts so that no error is made. But what is wrong with taking an idea, publishing a coherent paper to the world and accepting it as true? Once it is released to the vast realm of the internet, it must submit to the scrutiny of thousands of critics through comments and response. And the more interesting the concept, the more critique it will gain. These critiques can serve as the painstaking "proof" process without hindering the development of the technology. With the advent of open-source technology and wiki articles, this concept of reducing rigor and continuing development seems to already be taking hold. But within the scientific community, the slow and painstaking process of "proof" continues. Proprietary information from large corporations cripples this development process to an extent, but the quickest and most technology savvy of companies will soon learn that the pros of expedited technology insertion far outweigh the cons of technology abduction. Companies like Google are already pressing forward with this attitude to the delight of unfathomable monetary gains. Google is the 7th largest company in the world by market capitalization and the majority of its work is done in an open-source environment. The results of publicizing information, pressing forward with advancement, and neglecting that difficult process called proof and analysis, will serve for the betterment of corporations and in the long run, the betterment of the world.
Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty
By, Morris Kline
Not a book you should pick up for an easy read on a road trip to Disney World, but "Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty" goes through the invention of Mathematics from its roots with the Babylonians back in 3000 BC to the Greeks creation of Euclidian geometry to the quarrels and debates of its development that lasted through the 19th century and on to today. It's interesting to see how some of the most useful mathematical methods like negative numbers, the complex number system, and irrationals, were hotly debated topics for hundreds of years. Man could not accept that when you take something from less than nothing you can get even more less than nothing. And to say that less than nothing multiplied by less than nothing could equal something was just nonsense. The arguments against imaginaries were even more profound. A number that represents the square root of a number less than one? Incomprehensible. Gauss said that if the units had not been given the names direct, inverse, and lateral as opposed to positive, negative, and imaginary, "people would not have gotten the impression that there was some dark mystery in these numbers." Today these topics are basic lessons taught in high school and college math class and are crucial for use in the complex mathematical operations of today.
But it's not my intention for today to summarize this somewhat complicated and monotonous book. What I want to dive into are some of the points made by mathematicians in Chapter VII, "The Illogical Development: The Predicament CIRCA 1800." Many arguments were made as to the necessity of proofs and rigor to define mathematics. The creation of a theorem could not be fully accepted by the mathematical community until it was proven for all n x n cases. To take on such a task for complicated (but many times useful) ideas could take years of painstaking and rigorous work. And it is these types of proofs that led the greatest minds of the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to spend most of their time debating about the validity of concepts instead of building upon them. Over four hundred years of going round and round in circles....
In the modern world, how much rigor should be put into analysis before accepting and pressing forward with an idea? Engineers work for years on end to prove and reprove concepts so that no error is made. But what is wrong with taking an idea, publishing a coherent paper to the world and accepting it as true? Once it is released to the vast realm of the internet, it must submit to the scrutiny of thousands of critics through comments and response. And the more interesting the concept, the more critique it will gain. These critiques can serve as the painstaking "proof" process without hindering the development of the technology. With the advent of open-source technology and wiki articles, this concept of reducing rigor and continuing development seems to already be taking hold. But within the scientific community, the slow and painstaking process of "proof" continues. Proprietary information from large corporations cripples this development process to an extent, but the quickest and most technology savvy of companies will soon learn that the pros of expedited technology insertion far outweigh the cons of technology abduction. Companies like Google are already pressing forward with this attitude to the delight of unfathomable monetary gains. Google is the 7th largest company in the world by market capitalization and the majority of its work is done in an open-source environment. The results of publicizing information, pressing forward with advancement, and neglecting that difficult process called proof and analysis, will serve for the betterment of corporations and in the long run, the betterment of the world.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Writing just to write...
Sometimes I like to read, sometimes I like to work-out, sometimes I like to listen to speeches or watch movies or play video games...but right now, all I want to do is write. It's funny how after you graduate from college the necessity of writing anything just for the sake of writing drops virtually to zero. As an engineer, the only writing that I do is concise e-mails shot back and forth to coworkers meant to convey a complicated message in as simple language as possible. Long words and phrases turn into acronyms and compound sentences turn into bullet points. Difficult computations are much better represented as an attached Excel document and in-depth presentations become PowerPoints. And the statements that get electronically transferred through e-mail must be checked and double-checked for comprehension and accuracy, for once that "SENT" button is pressed, your simple statements become living documentation demonstrating your, and the organization that you represent's signed and authorized opinion of a certain situation. E-mail's can be dangerous... One wrong word sent to one wrong person can mean a thread-ful of hurt responses. Even the choice between "TO" and "CC" becomes a matter of close scrutiny; does a person copied on an e-mail really need to read the e-mail at all???
Technical writing takes all of the freedom and creativity that existed in your high school English class and flips it on its head. The need to use symbolism and literary devices is trumped by the desire for clear and concise communication. Maybe this is why so many people turn to blogging (and Facebook) to express their needs to write...freehand...in whatever literary fashion they may so desire. Whether a post contains the grammatical inferiority of an 8 year old or the professional tone of a world renowned author, the blog-ee can always feel good about taking the words within him and setting them out to the world (with no risk of rebuttal except that of a sharply phrased comment or two...) Although I do not think of myself as a regular "blogger", I respect and understand those who take the time to keep up with the online world and freely contribute their thoughts and opinions. Thanks to everyone who does this as it continues to keep people like me (lazy internet stumblers) with a bit of Attention Deficit Disorder entertained every day. Maybe someday I'll get more involved in the wide world of blogging and give a little back myself...
Technical writing takes all of the freedom and creativity that existed in your high school English class and flips it on its head. The need to use symbolism and literary devices is trumped by the desire for clear and concise communication. Maybe this is why so many people turn to blogging (and Facebook) to express their needs to write...freehand...in whatever literary fashion they may so desire. Whether a post contains the grammatical inferiority of an 8 year old or the professional tone of a world renowned author, the blog-ee can always feel good about taking the words within him and setting them out to the world (with no risk of rebuttal except that of a sharply phrased comment or two...) Although I do not think of myself as a regular "blogger", I respect and understand those who take the time to keep up with the online world and freely contribute their thoughts and opinions. Thanks to everyone who does this as it continues to keep people like me (lazy internet stumblers) with a bit of Attention Deficit Disorder entertained every day. Maybe someday I'll get more involved in the wide world of blogging and give a little back myself...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
What's happening at Pax?
Engineers are testing the most advanced aircraft in the world, Joint Strike Fighter. In this video it demonstrates its VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) mode. Amazing piece of machinery...
Saturday, October 3, 2009
New Job in Maryland
Well, it's been a long time since I've posted anything in this blog...one, because I'm no longer in Germany and I haven't been for over a year now. Two, because I'd gotten very busy (and lazy) and had neglected to take the time to share my feelings in blog form.
But since my last posts I've still had lots of experiences that have been very meaningful to my life. For one, I've now graduated college and have moved on to take on the challenges of the "real world." This week, I started my first full-time job working in Southern Maryland for the government. So far, the job has been a little slow as it'll take some time for me to get through all my security clearance and paperwork so that I can start workin on real projects. Hopefully, my projects will involve some travel and I can see some more of the United States just like I got to see so much of Germany.
I should be gettin on this more often from now on and posting some short updates. Again, if anybody has any comments to make, please feel free! Comments and questions will give me a lot more encouragement to keep goin on this blog knowing that someone out there is reading.
But since my last posts I've still had lots of experiences that have been very meaningful to my life. For one, I've now graduated college and have moved on to take on the challenges of the "real world." This week, I started my first full-time job working in Southern Maryland for the government. So far, the job has been a little slow as it'll take some time for me to get through all my security clearance and paperwork so that I can start workin on real projects. Hopefully, my projects will involve some travel and I can see some more of the United States just like I got to see so much of Germany.
I should be gettin on this more often from now on and posting some short updates. Again, if anybody has any comments to make, please feel free! Comments and questions will give me a lot more encouragement to keep goin on this blog knowing that someone out there is reading.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
New Blog
I just wanted to let anyone who might be following this blog know about another blog I am currently writing for the college of engineering at Purdue. I'll be staying more up-to-date in it for a while so if you want to know the latest happenings in my life, check out my new blog at:
https://engineering.purdue.edu/Blogs/KyleZienin
Enjoy!
https://engineering.purdue.edu/Blogs/KyleZienin
Enjoy!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Two months in Europe (in a nutshell)
It's a little ironic that the last post I wrote about was strike because it seems that I have gone on strike for the last two months from blog writing. If anybody's been following this and dying to have me write another posting, I'm sorry it's taken so long, but now it's finally here!
Phew, where to start off... I've done soooooo much since the last posting that it's gonna be really hard to get in to any sort of details about my adventures so what I'm going to keep it simple. I'm going to list the cities that I've visited, write about the first memory that comes to mind, and post either a video or a picture.........go!
Dublin, Ireland - St. Patrick's Day... Probably one of the craziest trips of my life... One of the most insane times was standing in the street among thousands of people watching the annual Dublin St. Patrick's Day Parade. In addition to that, I met kids from all over the world, explored my family's history, drank lots of Guinness, and hung out in an Irish Pub or two. Not too bad of a trip I think...be sure to check out the pictures on Picasa!
Munich, Germany - My parents came and visited and after we spent some time in Berlin, we headed to Munich, home of the Hofbrauhaus, bratwursts, and all that is German beer. Among our various trips to the beer gardens we met up with some interesting people including a French nuclear physicist named Pierre.
Hohenshwangau, Germany - From Munich, we headed south to Schloss Neuschwanstein, the castle known as the inspiration for the Walt Disney Castle. Not much more to say except the whole area was incredible and I'd recommend it to anyone going to Germany. And pictures describe it better than words...
Dachau, Germany - After coming back to Munich it's just a short trainride to a little city on the outskirts called Dachau. A little suburban city that seems normal until you walk into the memorialized concentration camp that held over 200,000 people and took the lives of over 25,000 of them between the years of 1933 and 1945. The gate still holds the dark slogan for prisoners that "Arbeit macht frei" (work makes freedom). Within the camp we saw lots of chilling reminders of a horrible time in human history including the ovens that burned bodies towards the end of the camp's use...
Paris, France - From Munich, we took an all-day train ride west into France to visit the spectacular city of Paris. Although I had thought the city might be a little overrated, I found out I was completely wrong. The buildings were incredible and at night the twinkling of the Eiffel Tower lights up the entire city...
Be sure to also check Picasa for more pictures of everywhere I've been. It's really been an incredible adventure. I hope that everyone back in the States is doing well and having a good summer.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
BVG wird bestreikt
These three words have caused me about six hours worth of walking back and forth between my home and the nearest train station... BVG is the Berlin train service that operates the U-Bahns and busses. Bestreikt means that they have gone on strike... I think I said that I needed some exercise in one of the posts before this; I guess my wish is coming true... The strikes that are occurring in Berlin are occurring simultaneously with many others across the country. It seems like everyone in Germany is going on strike lately. From kindergarten teachers to trash collectors to airport workers and train operators, the strike across Germany has most definitely hit all areas of the German public sector. And because public transportation the primary form of transportation for Germans, the strikes have also caused chaos on the roads forcing hundreds of people who almost never drive to get out their cars and use the roads. When I was walking down Unter den Linden the traffic was backed up from museum island to Brandenberg Tor (that's a long way if you don't know). And this Monday there is a good chance that the other train union GDL will also go on strike effectively shutting down all of the trains in Germany. This means that there will be neither any inter-city trains or s-bahns that typically bring me to work... Since I work about an hour away from the city by train I don't really have any idea what I'm going to do if this happens. I guess I get a day off?
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Hertha BSC - Nur nach Hause
This weekend I attended my first ever German Fussball match in Berlin. The game was Hertha BSC (Berlin's soccer team) versus Duisburg (an apparently not-so-hot team ranked very low in the German Bundesliga). The games are held in the Olympiastadion that was built for the 1916 summer Olympics and just recently was host site of the World Cup. Although I didn't make this video, it pretty much sums up the atmosphere... Thousands of Hertha fans, who call themselves the Ultimas, remained standing the entire game, singing songs, waving flags, cheering, chanting, and just plain being crazy supporters of Hertha football. Before I went, I bought a blue Hertha scarf with their slogan on it:
"Nur nach Hause geh'n wir nicht"I sang along with all the songs as best as I could and drank some German beer and pretty much had an incredible time. Hertha won the game 2-0, ending a 10 game losing streak at night games in the Olympiastadion in Berlin. I'd like to think think that it was because I was there to support them... Also, I found out that Hertha BSC is actually a friend of Karlsruhe's soccer team so when I go to University in Karlsruhe and suddenly become a Karlsruhe fan everyone won't hate me for supporting Hertha.
(Translated: "Only home, we don't go")
Now if only I could be attending some Purdue basketball games right now (Big Ten champs?)...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Hamburgers in Hamburg
Although I was in Hamburg for an entire weekend, I didn't manage to eat one single Hamburger... But I did find a historic building within the city that showed the Hamburgers' undying love for our delicious American sandwich:
But not everything in Hamburg was about greasy fast food. It turned out that the city of Hamburg was filled with a rich history of destruction, reconstruction, prostitution, and refinement. Hamburg grew up (and continues to operate) as a port city on the river Elbe very close to the North Sea. As such, the sustainment of its trade operation was necessitated by its ability to satisfy the burly seamen who passed through from day-to-day. To this extent, a lonely street in Hamburg called Reeperbahn was able to develop itself into a haven for peep shows, strip joints, and other establishments of worldy desires... A walk down this street brought back memories of Amsterdam and the red-light-district, but it seemed that Reeperbahn was something different... The lights and sounds and thousands of tourists made it more of a "party avenue" than a back alley sex shop.
During WWII an Allied operation called Operation Gomorrah, targeted at demoralizing the German citizens into surrender was launched upon the citizens of Hamburg. The effect of this operation was the total destruction of Hamburg and a need to rebuild pretty much everything. From the top of the St. Nikolai Kirche I could see the whole city and thanks to some circa 1942 photos that were up there, I could also see how much the city had rebuilt since its leveling in the war. When I was there, there was still a lot of construction going on everywhere, but I think that most of it was no longer due to World War bombings. Instead, it was because of a new initiative to create a residential area in the middle of the Elbe called HafenCity. I didn't get a lot of details on Hafencity, but it looked like a sort of land creation project in which they were building a whole new district on concrete posts extending into the river. Joe and I walked around this area for hours seeing all of the construction being undertaken in the area. It was really pretty neat to see.
But not everything in Hamburg was about greasy fast food. It turned out that the city of Hamburg was filled with a rich history of destruction, reconstruction, prostitution, and refinement. Hamburg grew up (and continues to operate) as a port city on the river Elbe very close to the North Sea. As such, the sustainment of its trade operation was necessitated by its ability to satisfy the burly seamen who passed through from day-to-day. To this extent, a lonely street in Hamburg called Reeperbahn was able to develop itself into a haven for peep shows, strip joints, and other establishments of worldy desires... A walk down this street brought back memories of Amsterdam and the red-light-district, but it seemed that Reeperbahn was something different... The lights and sounds and thousands of tourists made it more of a "party avenue" than a back alley sex shop.During WWII an Allied operation called Operation Gomorrah, targeted at demoralizing the German citizens into surrender was launched upon the citizens of Hamburg. The effect of this operation was the total destruction of Hamburg and a need to rebuild pretty much everything. From the top of the St. Nikolai Kirche I could see the whole city and thanks to some circa 1942 photos that were up there, I could also see how much the city had rebuilt since its leveling in the war. When I was there, there was still a lot of construction going on everywhere, but I think that most of it was no longer due to World War bombings. Instead, it was because of a new initiative to create a residential area in the middle of the Elbe called HafenCity. I didn't get a lot of details on Hafencity, but it looked like a sort of land creation project in which they were building a whole new district on concrete posts extending into the river. Joe and I walked around this area for hours seeing all of the construction being undertaken in the area. It was really pretty neat to see.
I've got lots of pictures of everything in my Picasa album here.While in that area, I was also able to take a visit inside a Russian U-Boat parked in the Elbe river. It was really amazing to see the tight quarters that they had to live in for months on end while out at sea. And it was also a little unsettling to know that this U-Boat was probably primarily used to spy on (and probably prepared to attack) the United States during the Cold War. This fact was confirmed by a picture that was hung up inside the boat...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
A Living, Breathing, History
I guess last weekend was just another few days spent halfway around the world… Whenever I start to get lonely or upset or frustrated by something, I just look back at my life and realize that I'm currently doing something that some people will never be able to do in their lifetime. Right now, I'm spending my time in a city that has warred with our country twice in the last 100 years, was blocked by the Iron Curtain of communism, was fueled by the Air Lifts of democracy, tore down walls, reunified, and became one of the most desired places to be in Germany. Thomas Friedman says in his book that the fall of the Berlin wall was probably one of the most important events in our history in terms of globalization. That event single handedly could have led to the coming together of our entire world, creating the synchronous rhythms of global supply chains in all corporations, big and small. Berlin holds on to probably one of the richest, most dynamic and influential histories that has ever occurred in my life…and I'm here to see it. Whenever I feel troubled all I have to do is open my eyes and take in the Berlin air and say to myself "wow, I have truly been blessed!"
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Just another weekend…
Last weekend I tasted the most amazing bratwursts on the planet…three times… Friday night I went out with my roommates ins Kino gehen (to the movies!). We saw Into the Wild, the story of a boy who rebels from his parents, runs out west, lives with hippies, rows down some rivers, and does some other crazy things. It was…ehh….OK but nothing to really write about (ironic because I am…). Before that, we went to Mehringdam to have some of the most incredible Currywursts known to mankind. Doused in ketchup and served with fries and mayo, it was probably one of the least heart-healthy meals I could have ever eaten. But it tasted so delicious that I proceeded to eat that meal two more times during the weekend (I think I'm going to need to start jogging or something…). On Saturday, I went to the Judisches (Jewish) Museum. On first entry, you feel like you're a mouse entering into a maze with twisty walls and a floor that slants sideways. Nothing that you look at is straight which gives you sort of nauseous feeling that I'm sure was intended by the architects. The museum is full of random spaces called "voids" that sometimes have lights shining from the outside, are sometimes pitch black dark, or are sometimes just stone figures that echo voices through audio headsets. In one void was contained a bunch of heavy metal faces on the ground that made a loud clinking sound when you walked on them. Watch this video to see what I mean...
Upstairs were all kinds of exhibits that told the story of the Jews in Germany from the Nuremburg Laws to the Enlightenment. The Judisches museum was probably the most creative, informative, and interactive museum I've ever been to and I think it's a must see for anyone coming to Berlin (Alyssa and Ariel would really like it…lol).
On Sunday a friend of mine who is studying abroad in Italy came to Berlin. I went with her and her friends on the Berlin walking tour and learned a lot more about the city. I did, however, think that the tour guide missed out on a lot of important stuff and next time I have guests in Berlin, I think I'm just going to give the tour myself. One of the most incredible sites we saw was Babelplatz, the site of the German book burning in 1933. There are two metal signs set into the cement there. One is Heinrich Heine's famous quote written in 1820 "Where books are burnt, in the end people will burn." Right next to it was the description of the actions done 100 years later that had been so precisely foreshadowed:
"In der Mitte dieses Platzes verbrannten am 10. Mai 1933 Nationalsozialistische Studenten die Werke hunderter freier Schriftstiller, Publizisten, Philosophen, und Wissenschafler."
On May 10, 1933 in the middle of this plaza National Socialist students burnt the works of hundreds of free authors, publishers, philosophers, and scientists.
The university that organized the book burning now holds a huge book sale every year to "commemorate" this event. And books markets are set up almost every day across the street.
Later that night we went to the Staatsoper and saw a ballet in the first public opera theater in the world. The ballet was Onegin and I've gotta say I was surprisingly impressed about how much I enjoyed it. The music was by Tchaikovsky and the performers did a superb job detailing the story without saying any words at all! Not too bad of a deal considering the student tickets we got were just 12 Euro.
The Cast of Onegin
Friday, February 15, 2008
New Roommates!
I guess I've kind of been slacking on this blogging thing… As you know, I moved in last week to a new apartment in Neuköln with some pretty cool new roommates. Last weekend I was able to go out with them and meet some of their friends. It turned out to be a pretty calm weekend compared to some of them that I have spent in Amsterdam or falling asleep on trains. We ended up chilling in a bar in a bar for a while and talking all night. I guess there always comes a point in the conversation which it switches to soccer, and then the next discussion will always be politics. We followed this progression although I can't say I understood everything that was going on… As much as I've been practicing, I've still got a lot of work to do before I can get in political debates with the Germans. Anyways, I took a few pictures from the night and put them up in my see all pictures place on the right.
Interesting facts about my new place:
-One of the main roads nearby, Sonnenallee, used to be a major division between East and West Berlin and there used to be a lot of crossings along the way. There's even a movie written about some kids who live around here (with that guy from Viktor Vogel for anybody who was in my German class…).
-Just down the road there's a strip of lots of different kinds of Middle Eastern restaurants. Definitely would not be very common in the U.S.
-Everyone who has a dog walks around without the dog on a leash. Sometimes you'll see the dog 20 ft in front of his owner just roaming around on his own free will. Then, when the owner calls him he'll come right back.
Last week I also went to the Pergamon Museum on Thursday, which held the Pergaman alter, a giant stairway that was excavated from the ancient city of Pergamon and brought to Germany. The museum hosted an amazing assortment of Greek and Roman statues, mosaics, columns, and other architecture that made me feel like I was visiting Rome. The frieze that ran around the main room described the Roman mythological story of the battle between the giants and the gods, for who would control the world. The scenes were incredible renderings of Zeus, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, and all of the others vanquishing their enemy and restoring order to the world (I feel like I'm back in Latin class…) The museum was really very incredible and I'd highly recommend it to anyone coming to visit Berlin. I also went to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie last weekend and saw that museum, dedicated to the division between Berlin during the Cold War. The museum contained some pretty cool stuff like a car that had been smashed through a barricade by some East Germans escaping to the west. It really made me think about all of the history that's happened here in Berlin just over the last 50 years. Recently, I was also able to watch a German movie that really highlighted the pre-unification times called Das Leben der Andern (The Lives of the Others). It was all in German, but I turned on the subtitles J. This is an incredible film that shows the twisted way that socialism ruled the East Germans back in those days. I think it also won an Oscar for best foreign film. For most of the movie the main character has his entire house bugged and the Stasis can see every little thing that is going on in his life. It reminds me a lot of 1984… It's hard to believe now that people could live knowing that every action they made, word they spoke, person they made friends with, could be recorded and used against them.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
New room in Neukoln!
This Monday I came home to my new apartment in Neukoln...at 5 AM! I came back from Amsterdam via a night train so when I got here, I had to wake up my new roommate in the wee hours of the Morgen to let me in. When I got here I had a lot of work to do! I had to plan out my new route to work, unpack, and just get situated in my new place. Truth be told, I ended up falling asleep, missing my train, and walking around Blankenfelde for almost an hour looking for a taxi to work... So it was a rough start to my new life in Neukoln...
Neuokoln is defintely a completely different place from my old apartment in Friedenau. While Friedenau was an upper middle class neighborhood with lots of school children and old folks walking around, Neukoln is the exact opposite, with mostly students and Turkish people occupying the streets. Its kinda like some type of rough neighborhood in Chicago except much safer because the gangs don't have guns... The bus stop is right in front of my apartment, though, and my U-Bahn station is only a five or six minute walk away. From there, I can get to the most active parts of the city in under 20 minutes. I really love the location and I think I'll enjoy the change in lifestyle.
Now, I'm pretty much settled in and I think I'm really going to like this place. Yesterday, I had tea with my two new roommates and just talked in general about different things to do in Berlin. They want to take me out to the bars, introduce me to their friends, go to the movies with me, and show me around Berlin. That's really a great thing because I was getting a little bit tired of not having any German friends in Berlin (it gets kinda lonely after a while...) The other great thing about living here is that I get to speak a LOT more German. Conversations can take whole new twists when half the things you say have to be defined... I think it's really exciting and I think my language skills will improve a lot from living here. Tonight, we all had dinner together. The two girls cooked turkey with rice and fruit and I did the dishes. All of the work that needs to be done in the apartment like cleaning, vacuuming and taking the garbage out, is divvied up between us. They even have a little clock schedule that shows you what task you have to do for the week. Living here is a little like being back at Phi Psi minus the huge parties and the floors that stick to your feet. Here's a picture of my new room. It looks pretty much like the old one, but it has pictures on the wall and books on the shelves giving it a much more homey feel...
Neuokoln is defintely a completely different place from my old apartment in Friedenau. While Friedenau was an upper middle class neighborhood with lots of school children and old folks walking around, Neukoln is the exact opposite, with mostly students and Turkish people occupying the streets. Its kinda like some type of rough neighborhood in Chicago except much safer because the gangs don't have guns... The bus stop is right in front of my apartment, though, and my U-Bahn station is only a five or six minute walk away. From there, I can get to the most active parts of the city in under 20 minutes. I really love the location and I think I'll enjoy the change in lifestyle.
Now, I'm pretty much settled in and I think I'm really going to like this place. Yesterday, I had tea with my two new roommates and just talked in general about different things to do in Berlin. They want to take me out to the bars, introduce me to their friends, go to the movies with me, and show me around Berlin. That's really a great thing because I was getting a little bit tired of not having any German friends in Berlin (it gets kinda lonely after a while...) The other great thing about living here is that I get to speak a LOT more German. Conversations can take whole new twists when half the things you say have to be defined... I think it's really exciting and I think my language skills will improve a lot from living here. Tonight, we all had dinner together. The two girls cooked turkey with rice and fruit and I did the dishes. All of the work that needs to be done in the apartment like cleaning, vacuuming and taking the garbage out, is divvied up between us. They even have a little clock schedule that shows you what task you have to do for the week. Living here is a little like being back at Phi Psi minus the huge parties and the floors that stick to your feet. Here's a picture of my new room. It looks pretty much like the old one, but it has pictures on the wall and books on the shelves giving it a much more homey feel...
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Amsterdam Escapade
Amsterdam turned out OK after all! Joe made it in by 6 pm on Saturday and I was able to hang out with those girls who I met in the morning until then. By the time he got there, all the touristy stuff was closed so we had to pack it all in to Sunday. That night, we saw the coffee shops and red light district. Seeing half naked girls dancing in windows down a long dark alley lit by only red neon lights was probably one of the weird
est experiences I've ever encountered. It's really something that can not be described in words and you'd have to go there yourself to really see what I mean. Coffee shops were another very interesting thing about Amsterdam with random drugs that would be illegal in the U.S. being sold at discount prices. A place called Bulldog even told stories of its history of providing marijuana during times when it was illegal in Amsterdam. The sign on this bar stool says "Our first and most successful hiding spot. A real high chair!" It kind of reminds me of being in Harry's and talking about the Prohibition days. The next day, we were also able to go to two of the amazing museums in Amsterdam, the Vincent Van Gogh Museum and the Rijks (pronounced rikes) Museum. Both had art from spectacular artists ranging from Picasso to du Jardin to Rembrandt (and of course Vincent Van Go
gh). The scenes that these artists portrayed are really like nothing you can ever describe in words and its really a whole new experience when you can see the originals with their thick and thin layers of vibrant paints built up in different ways to bring about different moods and thoughts. One of my favorite was this Vincent painting of a broken down church in Nuenen called 'The peasants' churchyard' This picture though does not nearly do justice to the original hanging on the wall at the Van Gogh Museum. I have a lot more pictures of Amsterdam that I put online yesterday in my online photo album. To see them, click "See all my Pictures" on the right. Being in Amsterdam also gave me a chance to again feel like a complete foreigner, not knowing any of the language or anything about the city that I was in. This gave me a whole new feeling when I came back and could again speak German and ride on the Deutsche Bahn trains that I know and love. I think that I'm really starting to feel at home in Germany...
est experiences I've ever encountered. It's really something that can not be described in words and you'd have to go there yourself to really see what I mean. Coffee shops were another very interesting thing about Amsterdam with random drugs that would be illegal in the U.S. being sold at discount prices. A place called Bulldog even told stories of its history of providing marijuana during times when it was illegal in Amsterdam. The sign on this bar stool says "Our first and most successful hiding spot. A real high chair!" It kind of reminds me of being in Harry's and talking about the Prohibition days. The next day, we were also able to go to two of the amazing museums in Amsterdam, the Vincent Van Gogh Museum and the Rijks (pronounced rikes) Museum. Both had art from spectacular artists ranging from Picasso to du Jardin to Rembrandt (and of course Vincent Van Go
gh). The scenes that these artists portrayed are really like nothing you can ever describe in words and its really a whole new experience when you can see the originals with their thick and thin layers of vibrant paints built up in different ways to bring about different moods and thoughts. One of my favorite was this Vincent painting of a broken down church in Nuenen called 'The peasants' churchyard' This picture though does not nearly do justice to the original hanging on the wall at the Van Gogh Museum. I have a lot more pictures of Amsterdam that I put online yesterday in my online photo album. To see them, click "See all my Pictures" on the right. Being in Amsterdam also gave me a chance to again feel like a complete foreigner, not knowing any of the language or anything about the city that I was in. This gave me a whole new feeling when I came back and could again speak German and ride on the Deutsche Bahn trains that I know and love. I think that I'm really starting to feel at home in Germany...
Saturday, February 2, 2008
My German's as good as a 4-year-old!
Lots has happened in the last few days... I found a new room, moved in all my luggage, and took a train to Amsterdam where they have the biggest Burger King that I've ever seen in my entire life...
Let's start with the new room. I had been looking all last week for a new room to move into on the first of the month with some German students so that I could speak more German and meet more young people. Tuesday night, I went over to look at an apartment in Neukoln and met three very nice German students. One of them was leaving for 2 months for an internship in southern Germany so he offered his room and I took it. My roommates will be two German girls, one who studies politics, and the other who has an internship in ad type things. They seem like interesting people and they really like to speak with me and my broken German. I think this will be the best thing for me improving my skills.
Thursday, I moved in all of my luggage and noticed something else really interesting about Berlin. People were moving. I think I saw ten other people with luggage moving around on the day that I moved in to my apartment. Then, I thought about it and realized that it was the 31st so everyone was doing there apartment changes. I keep hearing how Berlin is such a dynamic city, but I think seeing all those people with suitcases really drove it in to my head. Berliners don't usually settle down for life. They come to experience life in a whole new way and then move on their way...
Yesterday, I took a train to Amsterdam that I had booked a few weeks back. I had heard that the BVG, the Berlin train company had decided to go on strike so I was a little worried about getting to and from the Hauptbahnhof, but it ended up that the S-Bahns, which I needed to take, were still running. But, this meant that they were PACKED with people. While I was riding on one, I finally found that I could speak German as well as a four year old. I was sitting in my seat reading a book and writing a little bit and some little kid came up to me and asked, "Was machst du???" (What are you doing?) . I ended up having like a 10 minute conversation with this little four year old about Germany and America and how much he likes trains! It turned out that the little kids German was just about as good as mine, so our simple conversation worked out perfectly.
From the Hauptbahnhof, I was supposed to meet Joe at the next stop in Spandau. I got there...but no Joe... I called him and asked where he was and he panted that he was coming... The train left about two minutes before he called and told me that he was there. I guess I'm going to Amsterdam by myself... For a while, the train ride was really awkward because I had no one to talk to, but then I engaged in a conversation with some girl traveling to Hannover. I was able to talk to her for a while, speeding up the ride. But after she got off it was pretty boring. I got to Amsterdam and walked around the city...lost...for about an hour before finding a hotel. The city is really incredible with all of its canals and old buildings (pictures will come up later). Joe called and told me he'd be coming by train in the morning...
So now, I'm sitting in my hotel in Amsterdam writing on this computer. I did end up meeting some girls from the States who happened to be pretty good friends with one of my pledge brothers from Phi Psi (again, a really small world). I guess I'm going to walk around the city today with them and see what I can find...
Let's start with the new room. I had been looking all last week for a new room to move into on the first of the month with some German students so that I could speak more German and meet more young people. Tuesday night, I went over to look at an apartment in Neukoln and met three very nice German students. One of them was leaving for 2 months for an internship in southern Germany so he offered his room and I took it. My roommates will be two German girls, one who studies politics, and the other who has an internship in ad type things. They seem like interesting people and they really like to speak with me and my broken German. I think this will be the best thing for me improving my skills.
Thursday, I moved in all of my luggage and noticed something else really interesting about Berlin. People were moving. I think I saw ten other people with luggage moving around on the day that I moved in to my apartment. Then, I thought about it and realized that it was the 31st so everyone was doing there apartment changes. I keep hearing how Berlin is such a dynamic city, but I think seeing all those people with suitcases really drove it in to my head. Berliners don't usually settle down for life. They come to experience life in a whole new way and then move on their way...
Yesterday, I took a train to Amsterdam that I had booked a few weeks back. I had heard that the BVG, the Berlin train company had decided to go on strike so I was a little worried about getting to and from the Hauptbahnhof, but it ended up that the S-Bahns, which I needed to take, were still running. But, this meant that they were PACKED with people. While I was riding on one, I finally found that I could speak German as well as a four year old. I was sitting in my seat reading a book and writing a little bit and some little kid came up to me and asked, "Was machst du???" (What are you doing?) . I ended up having like a 10 minute conversation with this little four year old about Germany and America and how much he likes trains! It turned out that the little kids German was just about as good as mine, so our simple conversation worked out perfectly.
From the Hauptbahnhof, I was supposed to meet Joe at the next stop in Spandau. I got there...but no Joe... I called him and asked where he was and he panted that he was coming... The train left about two minutes before he called and told me that he was there. I guess I'm going to Amsterdam by myself... For a while, the train ride was really awkward because I had no one to talk to, but then I engaged in a conversation with some girl traveling to Hannover. I was able to talk to her for a while, speeding up the ride. But after she got off it was pretty boring. I got to Amsterdam and walked around the city...lost...for about an hour before finding a hotel. The city is really incredible with all of its canals and old buildings (pictures will come up later). Joe called and told me he'd be coming by train in the morning...
So now, I'm sitting in my hotel in Amsterdam writing on this computer. I did end up meeting some girls from the States who happened to be pretty good friends with one of my pledge brothers from Phi Psi (again, a really small world). I guess I'm going to walk around the city today with them and see what I can find...
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