Google Wave

At the Google I/O conference this week, Google gave a preview of Google Wave, a new communication and collaboration platform planned for release later this year. Google intends for the platform to be open-source, and is encouraging developers to contribute to the platform through a set of APIs. Those developers who are interested can sign up for access to a sandbox environment, where they can get their feet wet and where they can test their creations.

With Google Wave, Google appears to have reimagined email, instant messaging, and a host of related online communication media. Why allow email to be constrained by the limitations of SMTP or IMAP? Why should email and instant messaging even be considered separate concepts? In Google Wave, messages are called waves, and a wave can contain all kinds of content from any number of participants. A wave could be a conversation, a document on which several people collaborate, a poll, a bug report, or a photo gallery.

Google’s engineers admit that during the development of Google Wave, even they found it difficult to step beyond their preconceived notions of email and instant messaging. Each of these means of communication has its limitations, and each has applications to which it is well suited. Google Wave is envisioned to be a superset of many of the communication media that preceded it. Some potential uses of Google Wave weren’t apparent to the developers until they had been using the platform for a while.

I’d argue that most of the potential applications have not yet been envisioned. By open-sourcing the platform, Google seems to want to attract the same kind of participation from third-party developers as with the mobile Android platform.

In my eyes, Google Wave could be a potential long-term threat to Facebook. Google’s social networking platform Orkut never gained much of a following (outside of Brazil). Google Wave no only integrates with Orkut, but stands to make it mostly obsolete. With extensions, Google Wave could provide all the capability of Facebook and more. Heck, developers could even provide Facebook-originated content inside of waves. If Google Wave catches on, the next few years will be very interesting ones.

Update 2009-06-01 05:32 UCT—The Google Wave team appear to be fans of the short-lived but excellent Firefly television series. See the Google Wave Wikipedia article for details. Lisa A. brought this my attention. Thanks, Lisa!

ZRL Ambigram

ZRL Ambigram, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Next Tuesday will be the official laying of the cornerstone of the new NETL building at ZRL. To commemorate the occasion, I designed a ZRL ambigram. During the ceremony, a time capsule will be placed in the foundation. A print of my ambigram will be placed in the time capsule, along with a bunch of IBM memorabilia and examples of pop culture from circa 2009.

Update 2009-06-04 15:25 UCT—The time capsule has been encased in concrete in the foundation of the new building. Some of my photographs of the foundation-laying ceremony have been posted.

A fun coincidence

_MAL5693, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I went to Slussen bus station in Stockholm on my way to José’s party. There, I met up with two others who were going to the same party. When I took out my phone to check the time, the others laughed. They then took out their phones and I knew why: we all had the same model of Nokia phone, only in three different colors. I simply had to take a photo.

A poignantly beautiful day in Stockholm

Today is such a beautiful day that it makes me want to cry. These are the days I live for.

This morning I had coffee out in the sun with freinds at Eriksberg, in a little outdoor garden with purple lilac and chestnut trees. At noon, I walked down to Kungsholmen for lunch with Ayse at an outdoor street café. We ate seafood stew with rice, drank sparkling water, and watched the people walk by. Stockholm is great for people-watching when the sun is shining. After lunch, we walked to a café where we shared a slide of carrot cake and drank caffe lattes. I'm tired from spending a few hours outside in the sunshine. When I got back to Malin's place, I crashed on her couch and dozed for a bit.

Now I'm looking out of her sixth floor window as I rest a bit before catching my flight back to Zürich. This has been a perfect trip. I only wish I could have met more of my friends while I was here. I hope to return for a long weekend in June, and plan to spend two weeks in Sweden at the end of July.

I'm excited about returning to Zürich. The weather there has been even warmer than in Stockholm, and there will surely be opportunities for swimming in the coming days.

I'd like to give a shout-out to my friends Joanna and Malin, who kindly let me crash at their apartments for a few days. It's nice to have such thoughtful and generous friends. I look forward to my next visit!

Zürich in the sunshine

_MAL3705, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

When I first visited Zürich for the job interview at ZRL, it was a rainy and cold couple of days; I wondered if I really wanted to move from one rainy and cold city to another.

I’m pleased to report that when the sun comes out, Zürich is  positively beautiful city. On Sunday I joined some colleagues for little hike up to the summit of Üetliberg, from whose lookout tower I captured this photo of the city below.

Linea Salsa’s last social of the season

_MAL3136, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Way back when in the beginning of December, I went to Linea Salsa’s social—only my second time to go out salsa dancing after moving to Zürich. Since then, I’ve danced at the Polyball, the Zürich Salsa Festival, the Sugar Lounge, and X-tra. But for some reason I had not returned to El Social in Altstetten until last night.

Part of the reason I hadn’t gone to the Linea Salsa socials more often might have been that they are held only once per month—on the first Friday of the month. When I saw that last night’s social would be the last before the summer break, I knew that I had to take the opportunity to do some dancing!

I’m very glad I returned, because I became acquainted with some very nice people last night. Having had the benefit of a second visit, I can say that the atmosphere of Linea Salsa is very similar to that of Happy Feet and SalsaAkademien’s Thursday socials. There are lots of good dancers and most of them are very friendly. It’s possible to buy beverages including beer, wine, and champagne; but most people drink in moderation to save themselves for dancing. For the most part, people who go to Linea Salsa are there to dance. And—importantly for me—the environment is not hazardous to one’s health: the music is played at a reasonable volume, and smoking is not allowed.

I met some of the organizers of the event, including a very friendly chap named Daniel. I also met two more photographers from salsapictures.ch. I think I will learn more about this group; they seem like my kind of crowd—interested in dancing and photography too!

And of course I danced with many charming and talented women—from relative beginners to ladies who were miles beyond me in ability. Lots and lots of fun. I’m a bit sad that I missed all of the Linea Salsa socials in the intervening months since December, and even sadder to know that I must wait until the next one.

Ninety photos from last night are now online.

Glocals.com spring party

_MAL2677, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Tuesday night I went to the spring party arranged by Ehsan of glocals.com, the ex-pat group I joined a few months ago. The party was a big success, with about 400 people in attendence. There were people from everywhere: lots of folks from the U.S., one from Mexico, a few from Russia, some from France and Germany, and several from Switzerland too. I even met a girl from Norrköping, who was a bit surprised that I could speak Swedish. I had fun meeting people and snapping photos. As you can see, I managed to find a couple of attractive women with whom to pose. Check out the other photos from the evening.

Biking around Zürichsee

Image036, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Yesterday I joined Kirsten for a bike ride around the lake after work. It was a half day holiday here in Zürich due to Sechseläuten, so we took off around 14:00. We rode South along the lake and crossed the bridge to Rapperswil, where we took a little break and ate lime sorbet by the water’s edge. Then we biked back up the Eastern side of the lake, through hilly rural terrain dotted with vinyards, orchards, ranches and farms. The fruit trees and flowers were in full bloom and the sun was shining. It was simply idyllic.

At 57 kilometers, it was my first long ride of the season. I’m a bit sore today! If you’re interested, I’ve posted a few more photos from the ride.

Using technology to bring essential truths out of mountains of boring data

In this TED talk, Hans Rosling presents stale United Nations data about our world in an engaging and dynamic way—and one that brings into stark relief the underlying truths about how our world is changing. His marriage of data and design shows how important it is how data are presented.

This is a splendid use of technology. I understand that Rosling now works for Google, and that his tools will be available to all online. It is gratifying to see Google using Rosling’s expertise for the public good as well as for private gain.

Ski tour up Glatten

IMG_1815.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I went for a ski tour with Simon this afternoon. We skied up a mountain called Glatten. It took about 5 hours to make our way up to the top, and another hour to come down again. Really fun, but incredibly exhausting. After returning to Zürich, Simon treated me to some excellent fondue at his place. I’ll post photos when I have them. Now I shall sleep. Over and out.

Update 2009-03-19: Photos are online!

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Sledding in Elm

_MAL9207.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

A couple of weeks ago I went sledding for the first time in my life. It was a blast! I drove down to Elm, where I met up with a bunch of colleagues at the gondola. We each grabbed a sled and rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain, whence we hopped on our respective sleds and started back down again. The sled path followed a road down the mountain, cutting across the mountain to the right, turning, cutting across to the left, and so on. The turn at each switchback was a challenge, but not nearly as taxing as the bumps! Oh my, I was bruised for several days after that evening. It was a cold and snowy night, and I didn’t have enough in the way of cold weather clothing. I could have benefitted from another scarf or a mask to cover my face. So when I finished my four rides down the mountain, I was quite cold and ready for dinner. We retired to a nearby restaurant where most had fondue or raclette; I ate the fleischkäse. Here’s a photo German took of me in the restaurant.

Safari Tabs

Safari Tabs, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Safari 4 brought tabs-on-top to a mainstream browser, borrowing the appearance, if not the underlying architecture, of Google’s Chrome browser.

Placing the tabs above the address bar makes sense, because the address is subordinate to and dependent on which tab happens to be frontmost. However, the bookmarks bar is definitely not content specific to any tab; therefore, it belongs above the tabs.

There are other problems too. Because there is no title bar that represents the whole Safari window, it’s hard to move the window easily; one must be careful not to click on a tab’s close box or move widget. The reverse is also true: it’s difficult to click a tab without accidentally moving the window. If the mouse is moved even a tiny distance while the button is depressed, Safari assumes one is trying to move the whole window.

The above mock-up shows what Safari might look like if the window title bar and bookmarks bar were placed above the tabs.

One could argue that the toolbar buttons and the search box don’t belong below the tabs because, like the bookmarks bar, these controls do not represent content that is specific to any single tab. However, the address field needn’t take up the entire width of the window, so the spaces to the right and left of this field seem like a good place for these controls from a purely aesthetic perspective. Plus, moving them elsewhere would mean taking up even more screen real estate, and taking away from the simplicity and balance of the design.

I am glad to see Apple experimenting with new user interface paradigms, at least in beta versions of its software. Let’s hope the experts at the company figure out a way to solve the problems new design without sacrificing its elegance.

My new bed

_MAL8928, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

A couple of weeks ago I went to IKEA and bought a new bed. I got it for less than half list price, ’cause the packaging was a bit scuffed up and one corner of the mattress was a bit dirty. I don't have a before photo with which to juxtapose this one; but trust me—the after one is much nicer.

My bedroom is located just underneath the dining room, on the Northeast corner of the house. The windows face the street and garden. I’m looking forward to springtime, when the flowers start to bloom!

Fun appetizers with mozzarella and basil

_MAL1239.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Late last summer, I made a nice Caprese salad for Janaki when she came over for a visit. I took a photo but didn’t get around to posting it until yesterday. When I’m in Italy, Caprese salad is the yardstick I use to gauge the priciness of a restaurant. The ingredients of the salad are readily available and relatively inexpensive, and the preparation is straightforward and quick; so the price a restaurant charges for the dish largely represents the markup—not the cost of the food per se, but what you must pay for the privilege of dining at that particular establishment.

The distribution of prices is broad. I’ve seen Insalata Caprese listed on menus in Rome for as little as 5€, and as much as 20€.

_MAL9505.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Another great mozzarella-based appetizer substitutes dried ham for the tomato. Just take thumb tip-sized pieces of the cheese and roll them up together with couple of basil leaves in thin strips of the ham. Use air-dried or smoked ham, according to your preference. Prosciutto and Westphalia work fine. Hold the rolls together by piercing each one with a cocktail toothpick. Serve them with a small bowl of olive oil seasoned with salt, black pepper, and optionally rosemary or oregano. Enjoy!

Biking again, at last!

On Sunday, the snowfall of the previous night continued untill well after noon. After several cups of coffee, two bowls of Gordana’s excellent soup, and much deliberation, I finally got my ass in gear and made preparations for some physical exercise. I put the Nokian studded tires I first used last winter on my StumpJumper and headed out into the snow. With my new Giro G10 ski helmet on my head, I rode up Höhestrasse and into the forest above Zollikon, cutting across and up the hill toward the South. My start was initially cut short by a twisted chain, but that was quickly remedied by a bit of work with two pairs of pliers. After about twenty minutes, I had reached my goal: the bath house in Zumikon. There I spent the next hour warming up (and cooling down again) in the bath’s various saunas and its steam bath. At one point, I even indulged in a bit of snow-rolling, a tradition I first practied in Åre a few winters ago. The snow was light and fluffy, and after a stint in the sauna I barely noticed the cold. When at last I coasted downhill toward home, I felt like a pice of cooked pasta. That’s what saunas are for! All in all, I spent less than an hour on my bike this day. But at least the ride uphill through the snow was a workout; and it’s a step in the right direction. Before long the snow will have melted and it’ll be time for day-long treks further afield.

Party at Kubilay’s place

_MAL8890, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

On Saturday night I drove down to Horgen on the West side of the lake. It had begun to rain and the streets were slick and shiny. It was cold too, and as I neared Horgen the rain turned to snow. Kubilay's place is near the train station in a modern block of flats. He fixed lots of food including little kebab-like meat snacks, grilled Halloumi cheese, and Turkish candies flavored with pistachios and rosewater. It was a fun group of folks and a good time was had by all. Naturally, I brought my camera and took a bunch of photos of the fun. I gave several folks a ride back up to the city around midnight and by this time the snow was falling in thick, wet clumps. The party apparently continued somewhere in the city, but I was feeling a bit tired, so I dropped the others off and returned home early.

Shrubbery gig on Sihlquai

_MAL8841, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Wednesday night I joined some ZRL colleagues downtown to watch Shrubbery, a band whose members include a couple of Googlers and one of my colleagues, Jan. I enjoyed the performance, and had fun watching this normally staid researcher rock out! Several photos of the gig are online for your enjoyment.

A quick ferry ride across the lake

_MAL8762, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

This morning I gave Gordana a ride to an appointment in Meilen on my way to work. I continued to work by way of the car ferry that travels every 10 minutes between Meilen and Horgen on the other side of the lake. From there, it's a short drive back up the lake to Rüschlikon. I snapped a few photos from the ferry as we motored across the water. It was a beautiful morning as you can see!

Dinner at Les Halles

_MAL8722, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

On Saturday, Lilian joined me for dinner at Les Halles with some of my colleagues, including Gregory, Kubilay, and Franz-Stefan & Caroline (pictured above). Caroline is from Sweden, so I take every opportunity I get to speak Swedish with her. Gregory and I were roomies in Hotel Friedegg during the ZRL ski weekend in Wildhaus.

_MAL8754, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Most had the specialty of the house, mussels and fried potatoes. Gregory (pictured above with Lilian) comes from Belgium, and I asked him how the mussels here compared to the mussels from Brussels. They are almost as tasty, but not as big, apparently. I opted for the steak. It was quite tasty, but also small by the Texas standards to which I am accustomed.

The restaurant was a funky place with eclectic decor. It had the feeling of a converted warehouse, with rough concrete pillars and walls. Bicycles adorned the wall in one corner of the restaurant. Here are all of the photos from the dinner.

2009 ZRL ski weekend in Wildhaus

_MAL8481, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

This weekend it was time for the annual ZRL ski weekend. I joined my colleagues and their partners, friends, and family for two fun days of skiing in the Alps above Wildhaus, just nintey minutes' drive from Zürich. I made several friends and had an absolute blast on the slopes. Sunday we were treated to an entire day of good snow and glorious sunshine. I cannot wait to return to the mountains for more skiing soon. Take a look at my photos from the weekend.

Housewarming party in Zürich

_MAL7329, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Friday night, after just a couple of days back in Switzerland, I threw a housewarming party at my new place in Zollikon. I invited a mix of folks from work and friends I have met since moving to Zürich several months ago. About thirty people came, and it was a lot of fun. Andrew & Gordana were there, as well as Anke & Rupert, Lilian, and Franke & Martina. Gordana helped a lot with the party, preparing snacks cakes the day before. Thanks, Gordana! Here are more photos from the party.

A week with Ethan & family in the Bay Area

_MAL6781, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I just returned from a very enjoyable week in the S.F. Bay Area with my brother Ethan and his family.

I flew out there on the fifth of January, and stayed with Ethan & Kelly at their home in Santa Clara. While in the Bay Area, I met with my Swedish friend Rebecca, visited the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, worked for a couple of days at the Almaden Research Center in San Jose, walked among giant redwood trees in Big Basin park, stuck my toes in the Pacific Ocean on the beach in Santa Cruz, and visited San Francisco with Ethan & family. However, the part of the trip I valued the most was having the opportunity to spend time with my adorable niece Evelyn! She turned one just a few months ago, and is really beginning to develop a personality of her own. It was simply wonderful to get to know her a bit better.

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world. Should I ever move back to the 'States, it would be near the top of my list of places to settle.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

DSC_0391, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

It’s been a while since my last post, so I’ve got some catching up to do. But lest you think I’ve disappeared or become a missionary in some distant corner of the globe, I shall make a post right now, even if it is almost entirely lacking in content.

I’m in the U.S., and have been for two weeks. I arrived on Christmas Eve and spent the holidays in Texas with family. Then on the 5th, I flew out to the San Francisco area to spend some more time with my brother and his family.

I have begun to catch up on my photos. I took the above photo at Heimat using my uncle Ollie’s new D700 and my 14-24mm f/2.8 lens—an amazing combination. My Christmas 2008 in Texas photo set has more photos.

Nina’s 30th birthday party

_MAL4843, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Gordana’s friend Nina turned 30 this week and Lilian and I went to the party. We started at Valzer, a bar near Kreutzplatz with subdued brown decor, dim yellow lighting, and loud music. The place lacks a sign outside so I guess they depend on word-of-mouth for business. After a few hours we continued the party at Diagonal, a subterranean club behind the Baur au Lac hotel. The music was loud there too, and before long, everyone was letting loose and having a good time. We met some fun people there too.

Lucia 2008 in Stockholm

_MAL4843, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I just returned from my first trip back to Stockholm since moving to Züruch two months ago. I was in town on business for a couple of days, teaching a TWS course for IBM. I extended my stay to include the weekend and Monday so that I could spend a bit more time in my old home and visit with friends.

Friday night I went the Klättercentret’s fifth anniversary party. The evening began with a bouldering competition. I enjoyed it very much, especially when I surprised myself by completing not one, but 4 black-graded problems—and this after months without any regular climbing to speak of! After the competition, the climbing came to an end and the real party began. Thai food and beer were served, and later in the evening we toasted to KC’s success with Champagne. Around one o’clock in the morning, a bunch of brave men took turns leaping from the central tower to try to grab a trapeze hanging at eye level about two meters out from the platform. I managed to grab the trapeze with one sweaty hand; but did not manage to hold on. The guy after me was the first one to nail it. It’s not easy to jump straight off a platform fifteen meters up in the air, even if one does have a rope to catch one’s fall! A live band consisting of several fellow climbers provided entertainment throughout the evening, and I saw so many of my old friends there. Being back at KC was bittersweet. I really miss the place. In the evening, I caught a ride from Helena back to her place. She was kind enough to let me crash at her apartment for the weekend.

On Saturday, I had dinner with Shahyar and Farzhaneh, the couple who are leasing my apartment in Bergshamra. Farzhaneh is an excellent cook, and prepared seveal tasty Persian specialities. In return, I helped get their internet connection up and running.

Later in the evening I met Lotta on Gamla Stan. We went to the Lucia concert at Storkyrkan. It wasn’t as good this year as in years past, but I still enjoyed the concert very much. This time of year, and Lucia in particular, will always remind me of my first visit to Stockholm in December of 1999. After the concert, Lotta and I had cake and coffee in the cellar of Chokladkoppen, a hip and cozy little café on Järntorget located in a building that must be at least five hundred years old.

Saturday night after the concert, I joined Helena and went to O’Leary’s in Sundbyberg, where Salsaakademien was throwing a Christmas party. I had an absolute blast at the party, dancing with so many of my friends from the Stockholm salsa scene. It felt just like old times, and everyone seemed glad to see me. Some of the best dances of the evening were with the ever-lovely Alexandra. The Sacuye gang delivered some great dance performances too, including one by Ibi and Marina that left me with a bewildered grin on my face for the next ten minutes. Those two have talent!

Sunday morning I met a couple of friends for brunch at Café String, and in the afternoon I went to Karbin for a bit more climbing. There, saw Emma and Bobo, and I made two new friends, Michaela and Alex.

Monday morning before my flight back to Zürich, I met Åsa downtown at the main train station. After a quick coffee, we took a walk in the brillinant morning sunshine. It was cold and windy, but we endured the cold with ease, soaking in the light and warmth of the sun. We walked down to Stadshuset and to the edge of Lake Mälaren.

I’ve lived several months now in Zürich, and I am finally beginning to feel like it is a place I might someday call home. However, Stockholm is stil home, and this trip was reassuring, if a bit bittersweet. It’s nice to know that the city and friends that I know and love are just a few hours away, and ready to welcome me again any time I choose to visit.

ZRL in snow and sunshine

ZRL in the snow. Hover over the photo with your mouse pointer to see ZRL in the sunshine.

Polyball 2008

_MAL3800, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Last night I attended the 2008 Polyball, a big fancy dress ball put on by the technical university ETH here in Zürich. Thousands of guests were there—it was by far the grandest ball I’ve ever attended. There were many live bands playing: an orchestra playing waltzes in the main hall, a big band playing swing and foxtrot tunes in the sports hall, and a terrific Latin band playing in a vast, open foyer flanked by stairs with large landings.

I went alone but that didn't prevent me from dancing. I met several nice people through the course of the evening, including a group of architecture students including Tian, Sara, Nicholas, Christian, and Johanna. Tien and I danced a bunch of dances together including several waltzes. The experience reminded me that I need to take a Viennese Waltz refresher course! Sara is from Denmark and her mom lives in Stockholm, so we had a lot to talk about.

On the salsa dance floor, I met political science student named Elisa. She hails from the the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, and was a terrific dancer. We had an absolute blast dancing together.

Despite the crowds, I somehow managed to bump into people I knew at the ball. After a few hours, I ran into Anke and Rupert, whom I knew would be there. I danced many fun dances with Anke, and spent a good deal of time hanging out with her, Rupert, and their friends.

Later in the evening, I saw several colleagues from IBM there too, including Tatiana, Luc, Samuel, and Conrad. Conrad and his date both come from Sweden, so I took advantage of the opportunity to speak a bit of Swedish with them.

Near the end of the evening (around 4:30!) I met an education student from Bern named Maria. She was a relatively new dancer, but was lots of fun to dance with.

The Polyball was a lot of fun and I can recommend it to anyone who loves dancing. Last night reminded me that I’m suffering from dance-abstinence. Bitten once more by the dance bug, I know I’ll return to the dance floor soon.

36th birthday in The Netherlands

_MAL3066, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

To celebrate my 36th birthday, spent a long weekend with my friend Kathrin in The Netherlands. I woke up at 4:45 in the morning on Friday in order to catch my flight. I slept on the very short flight to Schiphol Airport and caught a train to Leiden, where she lives. We took a walk around Leiden and had brunch at the Bagels & Beans cafe on Maarsmansteeg. Then we caught the train into Amsterdam for some sightseeing. After a nice walk around the center of the city, we ate a late lunch at Wagamama and then looked at the many masterpieces in the Rijksmuseum. We also looked at several photo exhibitions at FOAM, the Photography Museum of Amsterdam. Before returning to Leiden, we had a couple of beers at trendy Asian restaurant and then one more round at a tiny corner pub beside the canal.

On Saturday we saw some museums in Leiden, including the National Museum of Antiquities. The Egyptian artifacts there were simply amazing, and I posted some photos of a few of them. There was also an exhibit of aerial photos from Iran that was very interesting. In the evening we took a train to The Hague and ate dinner at Pastis, a charming French restaurant downtown. Then we took in a film, the latest in the Bond franchise.

On Sunday we went to the beach, where we were treated to sunshine for the first time in the weekend. It was there that Kathrin took the excellent photo of me above. After a long and eventful weekend, I flew back to Zürich late last night. I have uploaded photos from the weekend in a new set entitled The Netherlands, November 2008.

Lift every voice and sing!

Wonder, joy and hope!

I just watched John McCain concede defeat to Barack Obama. I’ve spent the past seven hours watching the election returns along with a few hundred other people here in Zürich: Americans, Swiss, and folks of many other nationalities.

In a few short months, Barak Obama will become the forty-fourth president of the United States of America. President Obama will be the leader of all Americans. The nation and world face tremendous challenges; here’s hoping that the supporters of John McCain will heed his call for unity.

Election party in Zürich

I’m with a group of Americans and others interested in the American election. We’re all gathered at a sort of community center that seems like the sort of place typically rented out for parties, conferences, and similar gatherings. It’s not too far from my new home in Zollikon, so I can walk home if I decide not to wait for the first tram around 5 o’clock. I think I will stick it out. In addition to a bar, there are two big screen TVs showing non-stop news of the election, in both English and German. There’s food, drink, company, and the most exciting political event in a generation. Fun!

ZRL in the snow

_MAL2414, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Last week the rain progressed to slushy freezing rain and eventually gave way to thick clumps of wet snowflakes. What resulted was a record amount of snow for this time of year in Zürich. I took a few photos of the lab in the snow, including some shots from the roof of the main building.

My office is located on the ground floor of the K building, the three-story building most distant in the above photo. The Nanoscale Exploratory Technology Laboratory announced recently will be built in the field to the right of the K building. Groundbreaking is scheduled for early next year.

A busy week

_MAL2587, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Today the moving company arrived with my boxes from Sweden. They’ve been sitting in a storage facility here in Zürich for the past few weeks while I sought a place to live. Before the whole place filled up with boxes, I went through and took a few photographs. Pictured above is the study on the East side of the house, facing the hillside.

Tomorrow night, I’ll go to a party with a bunch of Americans. We’ll stay up and watch the results of the U.S. presidential election. Wednesday I’ll rest and unpack. I have already unpacked my computer and some clothes, but there’s a lot more to go.

First evening in Zollikon

I’m spending my first evening at the house in Zollikon.

The dining room.

The office.

The kitchen.

And finally, the living room.

I’ll take more photos tomorrow. Now I’m off to bed.

A bit of exercise

Last night I joined Anke at her health club, Holmes Place in Oberrieden.

There, we did a “body combat” class—essentially a martial arts-inspired aerobics workout, with lots of punches, kicks, blocks, and jumps. It was exhausting and fun. Afterward I was glad to sit in the sauna for a while, and I slept like a baby once I got home.

Today I’m feeling the aftermath of that workout. My back and shoulders are sore. I think I might be out of shape! I must return to a regular regimen of exercise. I’m not sure whether I’ll sign up for Holmes Place though. It‘s a very nice place, but it’s a bit out of the way. Maybe it won’t be so far out of the way once I am living closer to the main train lines.

Speaking of that, I will rent a car tomorrow to facilitate moving into my new place. I plan to move my stuff there after lunch. My belongings—all seven cubic meters of them—will be delivered on Monday.

A quick update from Zürich

_MAL2335, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

The big news is that I have found a place to live. I found a charming house in Zollikon, the ground floor of which I will share with a woman and her husband. They spend much of their time abroad, so I’ll often have the place to myself.

This past weekend I finally got out and saw a bit of the city. I joined new friends both Saturday and Sunday night, dancing on Saturday, and taking a walking tour of the old city on Sunday. The photo above was taken on that walk.

I’ll move to the house on Friday and have my belongings delivered on Monday. Exciting times!

Whassup 2008

The incomparable Peter Sellers

I wanted to share a couple of videos that made me laugh.

Peter Sellers sings “Cigarettes and Whiskey and Wild, Wild Women” on The Muppet Show.

Peter Sellers plays both the U.S. president and the title roll in this scene in the war room from Stanley Kubrick’s classic, Doctor Strangelove.

Buy Nothing Day

A friend recently invited me to participate in Buy Nothing Day, which this year falls on Saturday, 29 November. Normally I would be a supporter of campaigns like this, just out of sheer rock-the-boat rebelliousness. However, this time, the idea got me thinking:

How much trouble would it be for me truly to buy nothing for a day?

By the end of November, I will probably have been in my new flat in Zürich for a while. So I suppose I won’t need to buy furniture or furnishings on that particular day. I can easily forego entertainment and luxury items. It’s a Saturday, so I can prepare my own food. But that means I’ll have to buy the food and kitchen supplies ahead of time. And of course I’ll still need to use water and electricity. I can’t very well ask the utility companies to take one day’s worth off my bill. Lighting my apartment with candles and cooking over a campfire in my backyard would be worse for the environment than simply purchasing electricity from the grid.

And what about the people paid though my taxes, to send a fire truck, police car, or ambulance in the event I should need one? Can I decline their services for a day and request a refund? Clearly, the idea can be taken to ridiculous extremes.

Conspicuous consumption is obviously destructive in some ways. But I wonder to what counterproductive lengths people will go in service of the idea of buying nothing for a day. I wonder too, what the unintended consequences would be if everyone took the idea to heart? If buying is an evil to be thwarted, then the the perfect world would be a world where not much gets done.

As a symbol, Buy Nothing Day is a useful tool. It helps us realize how dependent we have become on things that we don’t really need. But interdependence between people on the goods and services offered by their neighbors is also the way the world works. It is thanks to the free flow of people, ideas, and things that so many have been able to lift themselves out of poverty.

In order to change the world for the better, we must move beyond theatrical demonstrations of our concern. We must be cognizant of our impact on our world and our neighbors, and must put this knowledge into action on a daily basis, not just once a year.

Food for thought. Speaking of which, it’s close to dinner time here. I think I’ll go buy a bite to eat.

Don’t vote

What’s so great about Swiss banks?

I opened a Swiss bank account this morning, and was shocked by the dismal interest rates offered. On balances of less than 15,000 CHF, one earns a measly 0.125%, compounded yearly. It’s hard to see this as anything but paying the bank to keep my money. Larger balances earn only slightly more—still less than 1%. Oh, and the Swiss government insures bank deposits up to just 13,000 CHF, a pittance compared to the new 250,000 USD in deposit insurance now provided by the FDIC.

I don’t plan to keep any more money in my Swiss bank account than absolutely necessary. 

First day at ZRL

I'm just wrapping up my first day on the job at ZRL (here’s another photo).

Yesterday morning, I woke up to an empty apartment in Stockholm. I had consigned my stuff to the moving company the previous day, having spent the preceding week packing all of my belongings. The last two days were the busiest, and I probably wouldn’t have managed without the help of Lotta, Janaki, and other friends. I brushed my teeth, packed a few last things in my suitcase, and tidied up the flat a bit. I caught a taxi to the airport at eight o’clock, and arrived in Zürich around lunchtime. I caught the S2 train from the airport to Thalwil, and took a cab from there to my hotel, the Gästehaus Niedelbad, located just 5 minutes’s walk from IBM.

After leaving my bags in my room, I bought some groceries and had a late lunch at a picnic table in a park overlooking the lake. I met some American expatriates playing with their children in the park. It was nice to talk with some of my countrymen. One of them was even from Texas (Houston). After a walk around the neighborhood, I returned to my room for a nap. I had just a snack for dinner, chatted with a few friends online, and then crashed for the night. I don’t think I’d gotten a proper night’s sleep in two weeks, so it was nice to be able to catch up a bit.

My first day of work has gone very smoothly. I now have a badge, office, telephone, and a new MacBook Pro. Actually, I’ve had the Mac for a while now. My colleague Stefan sent it to me in Stockholm a few weeks ago so that I could move my files over to it from my old ThinkPad before handing that computer back to IBM Sweden.

My new workplace is situated on a hillside overlooking Zürichsee, above the village of Rüschlikon, and just 15 minutes by train from Zürich’s main train station. One of my primary tasks in the coming two weeks will be to find a place to live. I already have one apartment to look at, and I have a feeling I’ll see several before making a decision.

In the coming days I will open a Swiss bank account so that there will be some place for my salary to be deposited. I’ll also register my presence with the local government, through which process I will obtain my Swiss residence permit.

That’s all for now. I’ll post again soon, with photos!

A busy Sunday in Stockholm

_MAL1888, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Sunday morning, I went to Café String for my last brunch there in a while. Linda and Anna came, as well as a couple of their friends. It was nice to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere and just relax for a few hours to take a break from packing.

_MAL1858, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

At my insitence, Linda massaged my shoulders a bit. She made me regret having asked! ;)

_MAL1943, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

In the afternoon, Janaki and Lotta came over to help me pack. A bit later in the evening, Patrik and Isabelle came by with Thai take-out food. As we sat and ate dinner together, I was struck by the love of my friends. These are people I will truly miss!

Here are all of the photos from Sunday.

Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G

It’s about time!

Nikon has finally updated its standard 50mm lens. Today at Photokina, Nikon announced the new AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens. It uses an incorporated ultrasonic motor (“Silent Wave Motor” in Nikon-speak) for focussing, so it will focus much faster than its predecessor, the venerable AF-Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D.  It will also allow the lens to work on newer entry-level digital SLRs like the D40 and D60 that lack the focus motor needed to drive AF in older lenses. The new lens also sports a diaphragm with 9 blades; this should result in softer and rounder out-of-focus elements (bokeh).

I will purchase one of these lenses when I visit the U.S. around Christmastime.

Quiz night at Southside

_MAL9664, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

This evening I went down to Söder and put in a quick appearance at Chicago for a bit of salsa dancing. I didn’t stay long though, because my plan was to meet up with Linda at Southside, a pub located further down Hornsgatan, just few minutes’ walk from Chicago. It was quiz night at the pub, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I joined Linda’s team, and we had fun trying to come up with correct answers to the questions posed by the quizmaster.

_MAL9669, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Our team included Linda’s friends Lisa and Anneli (above). We didn’t win, but we had a good time playing. Here are all of the photos from quiz night at Southside.

Thermography

Paula-visual-infrared-h.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Last week I had an opportunity to play with an infrared camera. Ayse, who works at FLIR Systems, was kind enough to bring one of the testing units from her office to Klättercentret, where we did some bouldering and took photos of one another.

The camera we used was a P640. This camera’s lenses are not made of normal silicate glass; they’re made of an oxide of the element Germanium. They are silver in appearance and are opaque to visible light. The camera is sensitive in the long-wavelength (8–15 µm) infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Warm objects emit IR radiation in this range, with a wavelength inversely proportional to their temperature. What you see is a picture of the heat being emitted from the body. For this reason, photography in this range of the EM spectrum is often referred to as thermography. 

In the photo composite above, you can see Paula’s profile in both visible and long-wavelength infrared light. The visible light photograph was taken with my D300. I’ve posted many more thermographs from the evening to a new Infrared photo set. All of the photos from that evening, including visible light photos, can be viewed here.

Drinks with friends at Monk’s Café

_MAL6418.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

If you like beer, there are just a few places in Stockholm that I'd recommend. Monk’s Café on Wallingatan just north of Norra Bantorget is one of them. Last night I joined Kathrin, Jonas & Malin for drinks there. I had three different beers from Bavaria. I was particularly fond of the last one, a dark lager sold under Monk’s own name, but brewed by Riegele in Bavaria.

Sunday afternoon at Karbin

_MAL6338.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

This morning I joined Pete and Per for brunch at Frapino on Långholmsgatan just North of Hornstull on Södermalm. The food and the conversation were varied and satisfying. Afterward, I joined Pete at Karbin, the excellent climbing gym in the Southern part of the city of which he is part-owner. I climbed a few hours with Elin and Malin, and then bouldered for a while. While bouldering, I met a friendly chap named Pelle. Eventually, Ewa showed up and I took a bunch of photos of her as she traversed across the wall. She's an excellent climbing model: she has strength, skill, looks, and attitude!

Here are all of the photos from Sunday afternoon at Karbin.

Partial lunar eclipse in Stockholm

_MAL6247.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Tonight on the way home from dancing, I thought the moon looked a bit funny. Then I remembered that there was to be a lunar eclipse tonight! As soon as I stepped in the door of my apartment, I grabbed my telephoto lens and tripod, and walked right back outside again. I snapped a bunch of photos of the eclipse, including several sets of bracketed exposures with ±1, 2, 3, and 4 EV (9 exposures per set). I’m still trying to figure out how best to combine them. Any tips?

An afternoon update from Stockholm

This morning I went to the ICA to buy milk for my coffee. While I was there, I bought a bag of lovely potatoes and a package of Nürnburger bratwurst. I saw two older women discussing the merits of two totally forgettable varieties of Swedish “sausage.” I felt compelled to interject and extoll the merits of the real thing. One of them added a pack of brats to her shopping basket. After today, she’ll be ruined for the Swedish stuff. My work here is done.

I am now enjoying a late lunch of bratwurst, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut. Yum! I trust I can obtain these things in Zürich too. ;)

Speaking of my soon-to-be home, I saw this morning that IBM and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have embarked upon an ambitious nanotechnology partnership. As a part of the project, IBM will construct a new laboratory building at the ZRL campus; when it is built, it will be the largest building on the site. Groundbreaking is anticipated in March 2009. I have no doubt that I will have more to write about this in the future.

This evening, I’m going to join Linda, Lina and some other folks for an evening of film, food, and frolicking in the park. Yes, it’s time for the Stockholm Film Festival. During the festival, a different film is shown each night on a big outdoor screen set up in Tantolunden park on Södermalm. The film tonight is Marie Antoinette. I had originally planned to go to La Isla for salsa dancing; but after six days of physical activity, I opted instead for a bit of relaxation. I’ll pack a picnic dinner, a few drinks, and maybe a surprise for my friends (desert?).

The weather’s been unpredictable lately, with rain showers and brief thunderstorms interspersed with periods of bright sunshine. I hope we’ll have clear weather; otherwise, the ground’s gonna be wet, and so will we. I’ll bring a tarp or blanket to sit upon.

Fun climbing at KC

_MAL5597.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Last night I completed a fun 7a+ on the tall wall at Klättercentret—the first 7-graded route I’ve done on that wall! The photo here is of another 7 that I’m working on. I took a wrong turn on this attempt though, and ended up having to lean on the rope a bit later in the route. Next time, I'll do the whole thing in one go. Thanks to Ayse for taking the photo!

Crescent City Stories

One of my favorite weekly podcasts is Le Show, a satirical creation of the versatile Harry Shearer that might best be described as variety program, but that has to be experienced to be understood.

Harry Shearer is probably best known for his roles as the voices of Montgomery Burns, Apu, Principal Skinner, and many other characters from the animated series The Simpsons. But Shearer is a modern-day renaissance man. In addition to his work with The Simpsons, he’s also a gifted musician, a talented comedian in his own right, and has a long memory that comes in handy when he points out with dry wit the hypocrisy and incompetence of public officials.

Recently I stumbled across a new project he’s been working on, devoted to telling the story of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. Here we see a gentler, more human side of Shearer, as he interviews his friends in the city to learn how their lives have been affected since the storm.

 

Watch Crescent City Stories on MyDamnChannel.com.

Sailsalsa 2008

_MAL3057.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Sailsalsa 2008 was a great success. We were treated to five days of warm, clear weather in the Stockholm archipelago. A group of about 25 salsa dancers and outdoor enthusiasts met last Sunday afternoon on the dock in Stavsnäs, where we boarded a ferry to Vindalsö. We stayed at a scout camp there for the next week. We spent our days sailing, swimming, and making new friends; and we danced each night until almost dawn. It was an idyllic week, and a perfect memory of Stockholm to take with me when I move.

I’m moving to Zürich

A while ago I took a trip to Zürich for a job interview. Well, ZRL offered me a job, and I’ve made up my mind: I’m moving there in a couple of months. It was not an easy decision to make, but I think I made the right decision. I will start work on 1 October, so I’ll probably move a few days before that date. More to come!

Colbert’s still got it

This episode of The Colbert Report is one of the most entertaining I’ve seen in a long time. Crosby, Stills & Nash are bit past their prime, but you gotta applaud out of respect if not pity. Take a look!

Happy Independence Day!

Colbert acolyte, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I had a nice video chat with my family this afternoon, and for a lark, draped myself in the flag. I liked the look so much that I asked Åsa to snap a photo of me. The cowboy hat was Daniel’s idea. I was going for the Stephen Colbert look. I think I hit pretty close to the mark!

Bouldering in Kolartorp

_MAL9482.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I’m trying to catch up a bit with my blogging. Here are some photos from an afternoon of bouldering in Kolartorp with Patrik, Isabelle, Hans, and Halvard.

Alpine touring in Stryn

_MAL1192, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

One week ago today, I returned from a weeklong vacation in Stryn. I have now posted all of the photos from the trip, including those from the last day, when the four men went ski touring up the back of the mountain. Above is a photo from that tour, made last Thursday morning. This was my first time to use randonnée bindings, ski bindings that allow the heel to move freely for ascents and traverses. We attached synthetic skins to the bottoms of our skis. The nap of the fur points downhill (toward the back of the skis), providing grip on the snow to prevent slipping backward, but still allowing the ability to slide forward. The rear bindings on my skis could be twisted around to provide three different heights of heel support, for varying angles of inclination when ascending a slope. Patrick hiked in snowshoes, with his snowboard on his back.

It was a lot of fun! We hiked for about an hour or so, almost to the peak of the mountain behind the ski area. Then after a quick breather, we switched to downhill mode. The three skiers removed the skins from the bottoms of their skis and converted their heel bindings to alpine mode, locking the heels in place. Patric stowed his snowshoes and strapped on his board. What followed lasted just a few minutes, but was without a doubt the best run of the week. We had a wide open bowl of fresh, totally untouched snow, all to ourselves. It was glorious.

When we reached the bottom of the bowl, we found ourselves at the edge of a steeper slope crossed by several horizontal crevasses. We could not easily see what lay beyond them (more snow, or glacial moraine?), so we backtracked a bit, hiked over some rocks, and found a higher slope that looked safer. On this slope, we could more or less see the whole way down, so there was less risk of ending up in unskiable terrain.

We skied down and across the slope, down toward the lake at the bottom of the valley. The road through the valley was on the other side of the lake, and there was no bridge across. I saw ski tracks across the ice and snow atop the lake, but I didn't dare follow them. The hike back to the ski center took half an hour.

I’ve been thinking about getting my own skis for the past few years. Now that I've tried randonnée, I think I'll get this kind of equipment. It offers a lot more freedom than ordinary downhill gear.

My Stryn photos and Patric’s are now online.