Looking at the world from another point of view

Recently a friend made the big move from Ireland to Australia. She’s engaged to an Aussie who’s been living in Ireland for about seven years. Good for her, good for him, good for them.

Last year I read Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything‘ an epic story of how we got to where we are today. Its a fantastic read, packed with so many interesting tidbits of information and research that I’m baffled by how much I don’t know; about everything. If I had a list of ‘must have’ dinner party guests Bryson would be on it. I downloaded the audio book from iTunes last week to listen to it and its fantastic. I can’t recommend this audio / book enough.

This has started me thinking about all sorts of things; Life, the Universe and Everything as Douglas Adams might say and about how the world must look from the Southern Hemisphere. Needless to say Google searches ensued as did many link clicking on Wikipedia and I was off all over the Internet reading and viewing all sorts of information that intrigued and baffled me.

You should recognize this image. Its commonly know as ‘Earth’. Its also known as ‘The Blue Marble‘. Original caption: “View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica south polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap.

The image above is not oriented correctly. It was turned upside down to fit with our common view of the world; North at the top. The ‘correct’ shot is below with the south pole at the top of the image. The island of Madagascar visible just left of center, and the continent of Africa at its right.

So why should North always be at the top? Who decided that? Well it has something do with an Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy (90-168 AD). Perhaps because the better known places in the world were in the Northern Hemisphere and made it easier to study by placing so on sheets of paper or parchment or whatever he might have used.

So for my friend who’s gone to Australia what way should she view her world? Should she view it in the traditional sense or should she look at it from the alternative point of view?

Here’s a traditional map of the world:

and here’s how someone in the Southern Hemisphere might view the world, look where Australia now sits and look out for Ireland in the bottom right hand corner. In this view the United States sits on top of Canada. Here’s a link to the large size image.

As usual, I’ve always taken for granted that North is at the top and south is at the bottom. It didn’t occur to me that someone in Australia might see it quite differently. Its a bias to think that North should be at the top.

Anyway, Andrea has appeared to ask me to go get ‘muffin tins’ so I’m off for an early morning trip to Dunnes Stores.

Protect your iPod

The best way to protect your iPod / iPhone from being stolen is to use the cleaver item that hides your iPod inside a *Zune cover.

http://hideapod.com/

*Product doesn’t actually exist…yet!

Making Movies

In my opinion Making Movies, Dire Straits, is not a ‘classic’ album because not all seven songs on it are great. The first two songs are certainly classics.

Remember younger readers that these videos were made a long time ago!

Song One: Tunnel Of Love


Song Two: Romeo & Juliet

Back in the day…

Love them or loathe them watch and remember that this is still one of the best guitar riffs ever. Before the internet was mainstream, before Youtube existed, before Napster and before the CDRW you passed this around on audio tape. Rock on.

A great video too. Look for the part when Slash kicks the bottle / can thing across the room not to appear too, but out of frustration at having to play the same riff over and over so the director could get the shot he wanted.

P.S. In my head I look like this when I pick up my guitar and try to coax a tune out of it.

Rain rain go away…

FACT: It has now rained for forty days and forty nights in Ireland.  Its not consistent, just most of the time and really heavy rain too.  Anyone from outside Ireland might think we are weather obsessed people.  You’re right!

I’m full of hot / cold air!

Right now I’m logged on with a Vodafone mobile 3G card I got a loan of from work.  I’m logged on at a puncture repair centre in Portlasoise.  I’ve had a nail in my wheel for some time and this morning I decided I’d had enough of pulling into petrol (gas) stations to put air into it. 

Driving home to Portlasoise last night was particularly awful  weather wise it was very stormy, I had my wiper blades on top speed for the majority of the journey to keep my windscreen clear.  On the way I noticed so many people on the hard shoulder waiting for the storm to pass and some changing the wheel.  “I could be one of those people if I don’t get the wheel sorted”, I said to myself (yes I talk to myself out loud in the car). 

So this morning I’m taking back control.  No more will lack of air dominate my life, from now on I’ll be full of air.

Wait, I’m not sure how that sounds!

Subway

A guy I used to work with made a statement during lunch that Subway is the best restaurant around! He mentioned that he had the option to take a franchise and didn’t.  This missed opportunity seems to have hung over him like a dark cloud.

 I’m not sure I agree with his statement or if it even makes any sense.  Anyway Subway do make an excellent sandwich.  There’s an Irish chain called O’Briens and to my mind they don’t make as good a sandwich as Subway.

Anyway, as I make my drive home to County Laois each evening I go off at exit 17 and at this exit there’s a Midway hotel.  Now there’s been a sign outside their premises for a long time advertising the opening of various eateries and so on.  Subway is on the list.  I called in a couple of times to see if there was any sign of the foot long but no, only O’Briens and their meager offering.  I even had a look at Subway.com to see if there was any updates or announcement of an opening in the area.  Nothing. 

Last week something happened.  As I drove to exit 17, I noticed a Subway sign on the opposite end of the hotel to alert people, like me, on the road that there was a Subway in the location.  I knew what I was going to have for dinner and Andrea knew it too!  I pulled into the parking lot and drove around and lo and behold there was a subway counter…closed.  We not closed, because it had not opened yet.  However the sign is over the counter and the work has begun. 

Soon I’ll be getting fat on the subway and loving every minute of it.  Yum Yum.

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T-Mobile to sell iPhone Service in Europe.

That is great if you live on mainland Europe.  T-Mobile don’t have a service in Ireland.  I hope that 02 or Vodafone will get a reseller agreement in place.

Why limit the number of providers anyway? 

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