Brown Motion

As a modern day organism and specifically as the human species we have been conditioned to think that Father Time is running out.  Not sure where he is headed but maybe Mother Nature has him running errands? When you sit down and think though it is actually a marketeer designed scam.  The time running out that is.  There is no need to rush to buy that car today for example.  Time is running out on Labor Day sales event..which will be followed by the Golden Opportunity event ..which has the year end sales event on its heels. So what if I wait till after labor day? Nothing .. It just means the stupid car salesman did not make quota..not your problem.  Besides there is the bigger question of how many automobiles we need to have the dealers all take a year long break from selling again? Could they for example be sent to Australia to dig a big hole that could be used to dump the world's non recyclable trash?  I think we might get a pretty large and deep ...

For all the pontificators on the subject of warming trends et al and how we as a species are causing irreparable damage to the flora, fauna and fundas..it is quite humiliating when the planet lets out a serious belch. It happened not far from our home in the Silicon Valley of CA.  What is known as the wine regions of northern California shook with a burp of 6.0 as measured by Richter scale.  That it did not cause serious human loss of life was partly a function of when it happened - when most of the public near the epicenter (even those that stayed up late to imbibe the local beverages - think Napa Wines) were asleep. It shook our bed many miles away too around 3.15 AM local time and lasted a good 15 seconds.  What I find amusing is that the news hawks decide to make a field day because the people had already tuned them out after the stale story about the demise of one of my beloved comics (Robin Williams - who passed - onto another realm not passed by Napa - abo...

What is success and what makes someone successful is matter of intense debate and points of view.  That said America's shopping malls sometimes also contribute to the public discourse wittingly or unknowingly like the sign I recenly spotted in a major department store. Outside of the ubiquitous pitch of a "not to be missed - one of a kind sale" in some department or another, every other day and in between these signs sometimes provide a moment of rare levity...   Now I am one for always keeping your fluids balanced but to make the leap from a well - balanced internal plumbing to feeling career minded was even hard for me to take.  I observed the signage carefully and was even delighted to see the fine print that read " Success Starts Here"! There was no exclamation point - but I thought it deserved one.  What does the readership think?

In the good old days only the mafia had the capacity to pull a stunt like that.   Terminate someone earlier than plan. People would pay to get this service. But these days just about anyone can get early termination.  With no fees whatsoever!  In fact the terminator promises to pay them for you! Case in point is all the phone and cable companies that tout it as a differentiator to the point they actually advertise loudly about how they can not only terminate your plan early but that of your family. It is a good thing I do not do much planning these days anyway since I am getting tired of doing so.  Then to have someone come and terminate it would be such a colossal waste. To have the family involved in any terminal act is also hard to digest. Nonetheless the competitive landscape is eager to pit one provider against another and see whose terminators are up to the task. But all this talk of early termination comes with a catch.....that you have to 'Make ...

Cash is still the preferred form of payment, Water has to be ordered - still - I mean STILL - not sparkling if you don't like incessant bubbles in your drink - there are no free lunches for sure but not even free water (except in Starbucks - go USA), Speaking of - there are more bier gartens than Starbucks - go Germany, Beer in general is cheaper than water - go Germany, People buy what they need - because they do not have cars (they export them all - go (to) USA) to haul away a 48 pack of anything, People answer questions as they are asked and answer them literally - a slight mispronunciation makes them think you do not know what you are talking about and they will walk away, Not much new construction going on in any town we saw - except maybe Stuttgart - leads me to think there is zero population growth, In spite of the beer everywhere culture it is rare to see a guy or gal stoned out, Smoking is permitted in many parts of the country - so much so that there ...

As much as you want to look up at things the German machine has built, from massive cathedrals to Tors of various kind;  monumental architecture in the form of train stations and eye catching communication towers there is also things down below that can be interesting to check out.  One such observation included the money the Germans are spending on putting a lid on their drains.  Literally.  This way the money was not going down the drain it was just sitting on top of it.  Get it? Take a look...below... In Koln (Eau De Cologne anyone?) Leipzig - a former trading post - quite impressive above and below ground Fancy Dress passing by a Dresden hole Salzburg - technically Austria - they think alike If all that holee stuff leaves you drained ... well a dog and a drink is round the corner.. Now that I had two tank fulls of that stuff it is time to - you guessed it - find a drain!

Haupt is main or major in German.  Bahnhof is a railway station.  For rail geeks like me Germany is paradise.  The true cathedral (of technology) in this land obsessed with designing those meant for prayers is the haupt bahnhof of Berlin.   It is simply magnifique and massive.  It is a multi function shopping mall, office complex, foodie central and transport hub rolled in one.  Every major city has its own Hauptbahnhof. On the banks of the river Spree the Berlin version is a multi storied super structure that brings together North South railway lines with East West lines.  It serves as a true Grand Central terminal for multiple rail companies that service the city of Berlin. The largest rail company is the Deutsche Bahn.  It is largely owned by the state but operates like a business.  While the service is not exceptional in terms of people interaction the train network is truly vast.  With slower S-Bahn local trains above and below...

That sums up the vast landscape for tourist adventure that is Germany.  Below are some snapshots of what I experienced on our recent and first visit.. Each region is proud of their own heritage and you will hear the locals welcome you and ask to enjoy Dusseldorf or enjoy Baden Wuttemberg while only few might say 'have a good time in Germany'.  Ironically the only time in history Germany was really united was under Hitler's rule but otherwise in the past ages and again today a sense of regional identity is strong. It is evident in their language, culture and their beers.  Every one has their local identity - north different from the south - even when it is not that big a country. Here then are some vistas of the land that stretches from the North Sea to the Swiss Alps in the south. Deutsche Bahn Express leaving Frankfurt Along the Rhine heading north Floor art inside Cologne Cathedral   Our journey took us north west from Frankfurt -  ...

Not quite. In Germany I got a chance to brush up on my wenig (little) Deutsch language skill (or lack of) -  that I had started learning 20 years ago and only kept at it for a year or two after.  So it was beyond rusty would be an understatement. When faced with common signage it was hilarious at first but then we sort of got the hang of it. Every railway station had the customary ' Abfahrt' listings (Departure Times) on a sheet of paper dedicated to a Gleis (or Track aka platform for which all the train departures would be listed for all days for all hours). Then when it was time to check the train's actual arrival you looked at the signage overhead which showed how many minutes out it was and as it was imminent it changed to 'Sofort' or arriving. Each long distance train runs like an airplane ready to depart with a uniformed crew that arrives minutes before they have to haul ass and take the train on what could be a  12 to 15 hour jou...

1.  Trust is king - making for a very stress free travel experience - of the 15 cities visited - all by rail our tickets only got checked thrice - once on a side trip to Salzburg, Austria to experience what Julie Andrews described as hills that are alive with the sound of music. 2.  Every little town has a turnip - as in the black gilded dome that is shaped like one - on top of their local kirche aka church...this is like an elaborate version of dagdusheth ganpati vs. dashbhuja ganpati in Pune.. 3.  Graffiti is an eye sore - many public buildings have been lavished with splotches from mindless spray painters gone wild episodes in small locales to large cities 4.  Industrial might and access to raw material like coal and iron is visible in the fancy manhole drain covers in each city  - more on that in another blog 5.  Every town or city had a similar footprint - the details varied - a main market place or marketplatz or central square which is usuall...

Recent visit to the Deutschland for a few days had me hopping with energy.  What with so much brew ha ha as in Beer at every turn and mostly good.  Had to get in to the spirit. So here are some observations while trying to keep the eyelids open.... 1.  There are more Germans with facial hair than not - perhaps beats India in this matter now what with many a wannabe MBA getting rid of their hirsute characteristics...quite a few of those Rhinelanders also sport a handlebar 2. Service does not exist - at least in the restaurants and even the famous beer gardens where you have the privilege to be yelled at by the servers and cooks - What?  This is Bratwurst and This is Frittes...yaaa - you pay thear! 3.  Beer Gardens or Bier Gartens as they are colloquially referred are more than mushrooms after a rain...it is the equivalent of a pav bhaji stall in Pune neighborhoods - most serve decent lager which is local to the area and standard fare includes some sausage...