Thursday 8 September 2011
sprachraum or datenwolke
I've utilized the clever web application Linguee for helping with German-English (the service works in several languages) translations for quite some time. Although my bi-lingual posts may not always be the greatest endorsement, Linguee is not a traditional translator, rather scours the internet for existing translations to find elements and phrases, and it is really a great tool for cross-checking grammar and idiomatic expressions. Recently too they've refined their website with more aesthetic and functional features.
catagories: language, networking and blogging
Wednesday 7 September 2011
guise
The abundantly marvelous Neat-o-Rama is raising some very legimate concerns from a retired member of the Australian federal police force: facial recognition and automated image-tagging features of popular social media services could eventually render it impossible to conduct an undercover operation. Advanced software can already guess how people's looks might age, and even if someone's profile is from his or her infancy, having such schematics out there in the ether permanently could pose a severe detriment to any aspiring secret agent. I suppose that it would not just apply to sting operations, but to everything deft and clock-and-dagger, like espionage, witness protection, et cetera. It is frightening how anonymity is imploding, and that privacy and repercussions are only saved by the herd and hive that are getting exponentially easier to manage.
catagories: ๐ฅธ, networking and blogging
rettungsschirm or golden parachute
As the banking principalities and condominiums across Europe scramble to prevent a broad loss of faith and strengthen a united front when it comes to the membership or rich and poor participants, the Swiss have quietly made a significant change to their monetary policy and a concession of a measure of their independence.
Meanwhile, both H and I, have been continuing to save our pennies, although I have ritualized the long-standing process with a monthly trip to the bank with my Sparschwein and savings' book. Piggy banks are dogged and always solvent, and I like to think that these small contributions of money-at-rest can help shore up the union. As for Switzerland and the EU, I am sure that there are enough talent and resources and treasure discovered and undiscovered to withstand a crisis of confidence.
catagories: ๐ช๐บ, economic policy
Tuesday 6 September 2011
9/11^10
This is morning in America. Ten years on as the anniversary of the attacks approaches, and I have to wonder if all the devotion to security theatre, terrorism has become a rather specious subject, methods and efforts vilified by a marked absence.
Marshalling armies for such a pageant has not left an abundance of resources for calling together militias for other causes that have been eroding during the past decade. What happens in the within the American sphere of influence is far from all gloom and grime and there are still much charity and vision coming from there, but from the periscope of living abroad and what pushes the news, it seems like a national will has been lost and edited away like it was never there to begin with. Potential for earning a livelihood is anemic, the disparity of wealth has spread, citizens in terms of values and priorities have never been more polarized and desperate for demagoguery, communities are at odds with one another, infrastructure is crumbling and little has been invested for the future. Maybe the legacy of 11. September is not in heightened security, mistrust, loss of privacy but rather in the demotivation of reactionaries, always struggling to respond--irrespective of scope or scale, instead of building that is enduring and comprehensive. Very serious people in very serious forums, not lampoons or satires, are spouting off all sorts of causes to rally around that really defy belief: security theatre has expanded to all sorts of absurdities that Americans can be bothered to heed. That's another morning in America.
catagories: ๐ฅธ, America, economic policy, foreign policy, holidays and observances, labour, revolution, Star Wars
Monday 5 September 2011
silent haitch
Most sites and historic buildings are exceedingly well-documented, but good, living stewardship and repair does not always guarantee that the curious can find out more. A few weeks ago, H and I happened on this impressive old church with a colourful wooden interior and crypt in Thรผringer Rohr in County Schmalkalden-Meiningen.
The style reminded me of churches we have seen along the Baltic coast, with its craftsmanship and artwork. A small sign proclaimed that the community was proud of this place, one of the oldest churches in Thรผringen but there was little else in the way of a guide or reference. I was perfectly happy, though, in the end, for having seen it and getting to climb into the rafters and appreciating the details without explaination, letting it remain a mystery to outsiders.
It was really neat and the locals ought to be proud. This wizened sentenial was also a puzzle, and apparently a more recent addition that greets visitors. Considering that the work of conservationists is also prone to the tastes and tools of the time, such a monument itself has more enduring presense than any gloss or promotion about it.