Chris Boos on Automation

Last Friday night a difficult decision had to be made. Unfortunately a company BBQ in honor of five of my coworkers who have been with arago for 10 years now was in competition with Bruce Springsteen´s concert in Frankfurt. This may be considered a lack of internal planning or an opportunity for everyone. The solution was to push the party forward a bit. give everyone a chance to have a longer BBQ in the garden of our old offices and to go to the Bruce Springsteen Concert (and for those of us who do not need so much sleet, even to return to the party after the concert).  So a bunch of us went to the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt and arrived exactly when Bruce stepped onto the stage after being stuck in a major traffic jam for half an hour.

I think not too many words should be spoken about the concert, because 003366;">GREAT is about the only word that describes it adequately. So I will leave it at that and just say that a lot of new songs, some old classics and many wonderful new versions of Bruce´s songs were played in a 003366;">three hour non-stop show. Just look at the “playlist” as published on the “Bruce Blog” by Stan Goldstein.

I absolutely love these “old” rock-stars. People like Bruce Springsteen go onto the stage andactually have something to say. They come up there and play great music and have a good time while doing it. A special note on Bruce: If any of us are fit enough to give a stunning 3 hour stage performance, tell 40.000 people that George W. Bush is a devil and look about 40 at the age of almost 60, we should have a BIG party! Congratulations!

I never understood the bad press “Working on a Dream” had when it came out. After this concert I would recommend an ear-checkup to anyone who has anything less than “fabulous” to say about this artist, this band, the new and old songs and the stunning performance of the current tour. All of us who went just loved it! Even the local press agrees with this opinion

Kevin Timmons

A friend of mine – Kevin Timmons - won the Bintan Triathlon last weekend in his category 12 (!!!) minutes ahead of everyone else. Look at these results and bow your head. Congratulations Kevin and keep up the fun.

IBM PULSE 2009 was a great conference and a lot of new ideas were planted in my head. If you read my last post you have seen, that the content of most speeches was following the common retro trend and got all of us back to the roots.

After the conference I had half a day to spend in Las Vegas and if you have followed my reports from last year´s PULSE in Orlando, you know what I was up to . I used the time to check out some of the fun rides in the city. There is no way around the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. Three Rides 300m above the city. Definitely the best view of the strip possible.

So first I went up on the free fall tower. Great, because you actually start out looking down and then get shot up into “nothingness”. Unfortunately there are no pictures of this little thrill. BUT after that I went completely insane. Stepping onto a merry-go-round (what a name for something the marketing people at Stratosphere call Insanity) that is put out over the edge and as it turns you are facing the ground – well you are looking down 300m at the ground. See the little video experience here.

After that I thought there would not be much more adrenaline to come. The last ride on the Stratosphere tower is called Scream. Riding in a floorless vehicle along a rail and then tipping straigt down facing the found. Well as in the Dueling Dragons in Orlando I had to sit in the first row. No problem here, there was no one else who had the guts to join me anyway. See another thrilling videl that really gets your thought back together.

I only wonder now, is it the screaming insanity of the rides, the strange weather or is it recession that made the place so empty? Whatever it was, riding there was great fun and I would suggest it to anyone who is in Las Vegas and not as much into gambling (personally I am too much into math to enjoy gambling all the time, but once in a while (read later post) it is fun).

Once in a while – unfortunately not as often as I like – I find the time to go back to Konstanz where I grew up. The home of the family is always a cozy place, but Konstanz with the Lake Constance is very special. It actually looks like the bay area – just at the southern border of Germany – and has the feeling of peace in nature, city and the people living there. I do not want to give you a history lesson, so I just leave it at saying that a walk through the forest above the lakeshore is made to clear your mind and focus your thoughts. And the lake itself is always inviting for a sailing trip or swim in the summer. Warm evenings down by the lakeside invite other thoughts – I also will not go into.

Just because some of you are too much in the city… Autumn in the forest is one of the most stunning experiences ever– and it is available at absolutely no charge and every year. The colors and the light are just amazing. Well and then going through the soft underbrush with an agile and willing horse. There is not much to beat that!

It is unavoidable to grow older – fortunately. I just read “God´s Equation” – an excellent book about relativity also giving the historical perspective on the evolution of Einstein´s theory and the evolution of mathematical methods taking place at the same time. Therefore I am quite content with the dimension of time being out of our circle of influence. So it was my birthday and what a day it was. In the evening I was greeted by great friends with a salmon and champagne aperitif in my office and complemented out of the place virtually with the glass still in hand.

As a connoisseur of most fine restaurants in Frankfurt I was taken to a – to me previously unknown – secret place. Pizzaria Olbia – a take away restaurant with a few tables right inside the kitchen to stand at. I was very surprised about the environment, but obviously the principle of “form follows function” also applies to gastronomy. The Pizza – we were obviously in a hurry – was one of the best I have tasted so far and we will definitely be back at Olbia for more food.

To be content – as the Romans said –you need food and play. The food (bread=Panem) part we had just dealt with and then came the big surprise. My friends took me to Frankfurt´s elaborate Variety show at the Tigerpalast. There we were presented with acrobats, magicians, dancers and a whole lot of fine wine. A wonderful show and a great evening spent with amazing friends and family. From the Tigerpalast we obviously had to take off to my 2^nd living room – Jimmy´s Bar (just voted the top 5 bar in Germany) – and actually toast to my birthday with some more bubbles.

To the friends who organized and spend this evening and night with me – thank you so much, you made it a very special event.

If you have read my little article on travelling to Cote d´Azur, you know what I am talking about, when the headline says “all the practice”. Well, if you went through all the pain to practice with the beer, you have to take it up with the greater challenges and in Germany in September, that can only be the Munich Oktoberfest (the most famous beer festival in the world; I do hope you agree).

As for me, I am not an experienced beer-man and therefore was not in possession of any proper garment for this occasion. Thus my friends took me to Loden-Frey and made sure I was able to dress accordingly for the “Wiesn” (the local name for the beer festival). As you can see from the picture, I am not quite used to such traditional clothing, but I did promise to get some practice wearing it – actually there is a bet to wear them for one of the Xmas markets going on…

Arriving at the Oktoberfest on a weekend means cutting your way through an enormous crowd. Finally entering the tent you do feel very odd amongst everyone wearing traditional Bavarian clothes and being fairly happy with standing on the tables dancing. This strange feeling disappears after the second “Mass” – local for one liter of beer; and that beer being specially brewed for the beer festival to be a little stronger than the normal stuff around. Well, for the sake of proper etiquette I will not go into details of how many “Mass” we actually downed. Strangely enough we all managed to get out of the tent walking straight and even went for a night cap in the hotel bar. For now: Same show, next year

… where the girls are so pretty…. Well by reading this article you might come up with an explanation, why the beginning of this traditional Irish song (Molly Malone) comes to me easily. So I finally had the chance to visit Dublin with knowledgeable guidance and have come to the following conclusions:

1. Ireland really is the green country – rarely have I seen such wonderful nature being wild and calm at the same time.
2. Dublin has much more history, than one could inhale in as little time and is a picturesque city with an atmosphere of pulsating life.
3. The Irish really know how to party! Not just the pubs (and the Irish pubs I have seen across the world do not have much in common with pubs in Ireland) are fabulous places, but especially the open and hearty folks in Ireland create this very special atmosphere.

But let me go into some detail – I will try not to be too exuberant, even though I really had a most wonderful time in Dublin and will definitely be back.

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Knowing me, you probably guessed that the choice of accommodation was made quite deliberately. We did stay at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin – right across from the Parliament Buildings (actually a lot was going on there. In case you are interested, you may want to catch up on the Irish Times). The Merrion is one of two fine hotels in Dublin´s city center. The second one being the Shelbourne right across from St. Stephen´s Green, but I will come to all these sites and the Shelbourne´s bar later on. Let me say that the Merrion is an exquisite place to lay one´s head. Made up of four houses on Merrion Square up Merrion Street the hotel alone holds some fine historic secrets. Besides the cultural aspects the Hotel also offers one of Dublin´s best restaurants and bars (The Cellar Restaurant and the Cellar Bar) both taking the visitor into beautifully refurbished but still antique basement levels of the old mansions. Of the two competing hotels the Merrion is certainly more low key and discrete, where the Shelbourne is the place to be seen. We were very happy to stay at the Merrion and go to the Shelbourne for the party .

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After this long introduction, let I will share the little sightseeing we did. St. Stephen´s Green is Dublin´s “Central Park” and the sunny (not very Irish) weather made a stroll though the Green an inviting experience. Right across from the main entrance to St. Stephen Green we entered Grafton Street. This extensive pedestrian area is home to all major consume temples but also shows off some very Irish experiences. Many street musicians (Buskers) give the street a very special flair. We did stop for some excellent blues played on an antique guitar and a string quartet playing Mozart. The latter was situated in front Dublin´s historic department store – Brown Thomas – which is still the place for in style shopping. At the end of Grafton Street we crossed over into Trinity College. This fine university loaded with history is also the keep for “The Book of Kells”. For the longest time the Roman Catholic church did not appreciate Catholics attending Tinity College. Only in 1970 did the Archbishop of Dublin lift this policy. On the way back to the hotel we did pass the Kilkenny Design Shop which is definitely the place to go shopping the Irish way without being confronted with touristic crap too much. A short trip to the other side of the river Liffey (in search of a place to eat) brought us into the Italian Quarter - definitely the smallest little Italy I had the pleasure of visiting so far. Going back over the river I simply had to stop to take in the smell of the Guinness factory (which I had no time to visit yet). Back across the river we did stroll Temple Bar and visited a famous pub, which you will read about later on.

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Before I go into describing my pub and restaurant experience (I did have to lose three kilos after returning), I first want to tell you about a little trip we took outside of Dublin. We went to Skerries – a most beautiful little town on the seaside (see video). We made our way to Skerries with DART and had a great view of the subsiding city of Dublin and the beginning of a wild and wide countryside while on the train ride. Skerries has a beautiful sea front harbor with a nice row of pubs ranging from classical to stylish. From the town of Skerries we went to visit Ardgillan Castle and Estate. This wide terrain on the hillside with an amazing view of the sea holds a huge park, a domain with a wide variety of gardens and Ardgillan castle itself. Within the castle I had a chance to see an exhibition of antique photographs. This collection of pictures effectively demonstrates that catching emotion and atmosphere in a picture is not a question of photographic equipment, but the question of a good photographer. As I saw in the local schedule there are many events at Ardgillan ranging from rock concerts to art exhibitions and gardening courses. Conclusively I can say that the original planner of Ardgilla castle had the best of taste when choosing the location and the architecture.

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Now the part you probably were waiting for…. Eating, drinking and all the rest. First of all let me tell you again, that Irish Pubs in Ireland and Irish Pubs in the rest of the world do not have much in common – first of all I never saw any leprechaun while I was in a pub in Ireland. And to make a point right away, the ones in Ireland are at the top of the list. I had the chance to visit Doheny and Nesbitt´s right around the corner from our hotel. This is a place where you can meet politicians just as well as real estate agents and shop clerks. The Guinness was great a little hint for those of us involved in testosterone level maximizing: it is not suitable for a MAN to order a glass of Guinness, you will have to go for a pint! Another great pub experience was The Palace on Fleet Street in Temple Bar. The Palace is a real social gathering place where you can walk in on your own and not be lonely for the rest of the evening. We were there with “the clan” and still had a good chat with everybody else. The Palace is located in the main tourist area of Dublin, yet it is about as traditional as it can get (except that they do not sell cans of sardines or the like, which is supposed to be a trait of classical Irish country pubs (either that or running an undertaker business beside the pouring of ale). The famous O’Neills on Suffolk Street certainly once was a great pub, but is a little sleazy these days. We also went out of the city center and visited Harry Byrnes which is an incredibly huge place but still has this cozy and friendly atmosphere. Besides the pubs we did a little high class mingling at the bar of the Shelbourne hotel, which is definitely the place to be seen in Dublin. Despite all news about recession the Champaign was flowing freely in this place and there were no signs of the sources running dry. A good snack can be found in Bewleys on Grafton Street – definitely worth a visit if you want to see stain glass windows without visiting a church or if you have a sweet tooth. We did have breakfast in several times at  a little crepe place right across from Trinity College, which you will definitely not find in any guide to Dublin. If you are into crepes or bagels this place is worth a visit. For the fine food I can recommend a visit to the Merrion´s Cellar Restaurant or – even better - Bentleys Oyster Bar & Grill right beside the Shelbourne. This is the “home” of Richard Corrigan – a chef you will find in many recommendations for fine cuisine today. So I guess you now know how these three extra kilos came into existence…. I ran off two of them so far.

Well guys, all I can say: Dublin definitely is worth a trip (definitely better with people who know their way around) and definitely a city that will see me again.

Holidays are a rare good in these times so when there is more than a long weekend of time available, one has to choose well what to do with it. This summer was one of the best choices of vacation I have made in the last few years. Three boys going out on a luxury holiday could have become a costly expedition, but one of my two friends suggested making the whole experience a little more personal by taking a camping trip. Since we are all beyond the school kind of camping, we enriched our camping experience with as much “boy toys” as possible. I.e. we took along a beer tap, an espresso machine, a Weber barbecue grill and whatever else we could find to make a boy´s life more comfortable. Everything got packed up in a mobile home and we set camp at Port Grimaud – right across the bay from Saint Tropez. As you can see from the pictures, we were very concerned with a healthy diet – starting at breakfast – and loads of exercise (no, not just by holding up glasses full of beer). Besides the cultural and culinary experience (yes, you can believe we did city tours, harbor tours and all the normal touristy things) we discovered our love for jet skiing. Going across the bay at 90 km/h is an experience beyond words. And I can assure you, that there is no more going 90 when you hit the open sea with 6m high waves rolling over, behind and around you; out there the speed is replaced by surfing and jumping the waves. Even though jet skis do produce a lot of noise pollution and certainly are not a good idea close to any coral reefs, they are great fun and great exercise for legs and arms as well. After the third day of jet skiing the three of us had a little walking problem, because our legs would hardly move; I would not want to imagine what a jet ski ride would do to someone who normally does not do any exercise.

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After a week of eating, drinking, swimming, running and wandering around beautiful little towns in the south of France, I can definitely recommend a luxury camping vacation as a boy´s week out. If you plan on doing something similar, just be sure to pack the tap (and proper German beer – we did go for Franziskaner which also works fine as an afternoon snack ) and the grill; without these vital pieces of equipment, the whole camping experience would not be complete whatsoever. And then you also need a seven people tent and a mobile home with four sleeping places to ensure the proper level of comfort. This may sound like we were overdoing it just a little, but can you imagine the discomfort of not having a wardrobe cabin in the tent – you would have to live out of a bag all the time… I could find many more examples, but I think you get the point, right?