tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1 2008-09-02T16:09:12Z Just checking if life is good independent of where we are Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.49 2008-09-02T15:47:02Z 2008-09-02T16:09:12Z

Last week was all about politics - and a lesson for us about political campaigning in the US. The Democrats had their national convention, i.e. 4 days of speeches about themselves, essentially, which ended with a speech of Obama in...

(taken from post-gazette.com) Quite a change of scale, compared to the out-in-the-garden speeches of the Swiss politicians... Talking about garden: we are currently getting more food from our garden than we can eat, it's absolutely great. A typical day's yield would look something like this: (OK, this was an exceptional day, but still... good old homegrown veggies keep us from eating greasy high fructose corn syrup industry products) We've been hiking a lot lately, around the Santa Cruz Mountains and in Marin County just north of San Francisco. Although it's getting really dry (haven't seen rain for four months now), it's still spectacular, and we can't wait to see how it's gonna be in Spring when everything is lush and green and wet. ]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.48 2008-08-20T00:29:28Z 2008-08-20T00:52:25Z

Truth be told: the best chocolate I've had for a loooooong time is made right here in the Bay Area: TCHO. A start-up chocolate company, currently in BETA, but much better than Lindt, Callier & Co. (unfortunately also more expensive...)...

tcho.com ]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.47 2008-08-16T21:13:33Z 2008-08-16T21:51:38Z

Some artsy news: Anthony & I put another bond up for sale over at Salathé & White - it was sold within a few minutes. Some people have asked what the project is about, and I would like to explain...

Salathé & White - it was sold within a few minutes. Some people have asked what the project is about, and I would like to explain it with an example. On reddit, I found an article yesterday, published online in the Daily Mail, a British tabloid, and here's what it said:



Well, if 10,000 * 100 = 100 million, then it is no wonder that the art market has exploded in recent years. In the meanwhile, the Daily Mail quietly rewrote the article:



Is interesting to see that instead of changing the previous factor of 100 to the correct factor of 10,000, they completely omitted it. One possibility is that they just couldn't figure out the correct answer of 100 million divided by 10,000. Another possibility is that the factor is not newsworthy at all, but it's rather the price of a dazzling 100 million POUNDS! And indeed, that would be quite newsworthy, because the most expensive painting ever sold, supposedly, is Jackson Pollock's Nr. 5 at USD 140 million. The point is: as long as there is no actual sale, that ostensible Da Vinci artwork has a value of, well, 10,000 pounds. That's what it sold for. Anything else is poor speculation, aimed at inflating the price of a painting. An that's exactly the point we are trying to reflect over at Salathé & White. Our paintings are quite possibly the only works of art that you can own and that, at the same time, have a very clear and concrete value - no estimates, no guesses.]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.46 2008-06-19T23:05:39Z 2008-08-12T20:53:36Z

There is clearly dust on this blog... And a clear need to fundamentally change things here. Instead of long entries with many pics, I think it would be better to have short entries but more frequent. That said, here we...

There is clearly dust on this blog... And a clear need to fundamentally change things here. Instead of long entries with many pics, I think it would be better to have short entries but more frequent. That said, here we go (btw, ignore the date of this blog entry, it's August the 12th) - Just had Anthony White from Australia for a visit. - Rahel's back home (=San Jose) from a visit to Zürich - The Californian summer treats us well. It can be cool at night, but it's always sunny and hot during the days, every single day since we got here (i.e 3.5 months). - We bought an nespresso machine despite the environmental concerns with the capsules. As a counter measure, we will try to breathe more slowly in order to reduce our CO2 emission. Should also have beneficial meditative side effects. tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.45 2008-06-06T07:39:22Z 2008-06-06T07:48:04Z

Home is where the heart is, or so the saying goes. It always takes time to feel home at a new place, but we are slowly feeling at home here in San Jose. Part of that feeling is that our...

The side: The back with the garden: The patio in the back: The entrance and the kitchen: And just in case you live behind the moon: Other than that, there's not much news. Two days ago, I was invited to Google by someone who bought a painting almost two years ago, and he is trying to schedule me to give a talk at Google. Of course, it would be quite an exciting opportunity to talk about the paintings projects in front of such an audience, so I hope this is going to happen. I'm flying to Switzerland tomorrow and I'm looking forward to meet friends and family, and to feel some of the excitment about the Euro 2008. However, it is mostly a "business trip", because the reason why I'm going back is an interview with the scientific board of Society in Science, a program that offers fellowships to scientists as an opportunity of up to five years freedom in research with the aim to find novel ways of exploring the societal relevance of their scientific work. Fingers crossed.]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.44 2008-05-28T09:21:43Z 2008-05-28T22:55:00Z

Ok, let's stop the day counting. Completely lost track (probably somewhere around 25 or so). So, we've really settled down. I started working at Stanford, Rahel at MBARI, and so far, we enjoy our jobs a lot. I can't speak...

You gotta love it. In good Swiss tradition, let me end this entry with a complaint (talking about prejudice!). Living in San Jose means living next to the airport, no matter in which neighborhood you live. It can get quite loud sometimes, but we already (sort of) got used to it. Given the great things about this place, that's really just a minor issue. What else? I am going to Berlin for an interview soon - I will also spend a couple of days in Zurich (June 7 -12). Hope to catch up with some of you!]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.43 2008-05-16T00:38:19Z 2008-05-16T00:52:15Z

I completely lost track of how many days have passed since we arrived. I take that as a sign that we have arrived mentally, too. This is - again - just a short update on how things are going: -We...

I completely lost track of how many days have passed since we arrived. I take that as a sign that we have arrived mentally, too. This is - again - just a short update on how things are going: -We bought a car (a 2001 Honda Civic with a great mpg) three days ago. -As I am writing this, Rahel is on her first field trip on one of those boats with the deep sea robots that are collecting stuff from the bottom of the ocean. I'm sure she'll write about it soon. -A record breaking heatwave is predicted to start today. Temperatures should go as high as 100 Fahrenheit (i.e. about 37 Celsius). -The Bedsofa has arrived and we are now officially accepting applications from prospective visitors ;-) I need to get a social security number today and I am expecting to stand in line for an entire day, so I'd better get going. PS There seems to be a problem with commenting. I'll try to fix this as soon as possible. Email always works! tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.42 2008-05-09T10:15:31Z 2008-05-09T10:36:47Z

Still unlucky with cars. We switched to a long term rental car (for about a month), and our frustration level is getting into areas where we are considering buying a new car. So far, all used car sales people were...

Still unlucky with cars. We switched to a long term rental car (for about a month), and our frustration level is getting into areas where we are considering buying a new car. So far, all used car sales people were trying to sell us accident vehicles or otherwise crippled cars. It's not often that people insult your intelligence on such a low level, but these guys made it happen repeatedly. I had my first day at Stanford. I quite enjoyed it, apart from the fact that I am supposed to work in a cubicule without daylight. I am now looking for a nice place on the campus where I can work and where I can in fact enjoy the spectacularly beautiful scenery of Stanford campus. I hope I'll get a window upgrade soon. I have briefly considered using public transportation to get to work, but after waiting for about 40 minutes for a bus (on campus at 6 in the evening which I would consider rush hour) that would take me to CalTrain that would take me to San Jose where I would have to take another bus, that idea died a sudden and painless death. Rest in peace. What else? We bought a sofa bed on which we hope to see many vistors in the coming months. It's extremely comfortable and has enough space for two. tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.41 2008-05-06T11:20:06Z 2008-07-26T04:47:31Z

We've got an apartment! And what a charming place - pictures as soon as we moved in (this coming weekend). It's one of those places that you never learn about on the web or in newspapers, but only through your...

We've got an apartment! And what a charming place - pictures as soon as we moved in (this coming weekend). It's one of those places that you never learn about on the web or in newspapers, but only through your friend's friend. In our case, we heard about it through a friend (and future neighbour) of someone we stayed with last february (see an earlier post on this blog about couchsurfing.com) in San Jose. We think that's not too bad for day 3! We still don't have cars but we're optimistic that we'll be lucky tomorrow. tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.39 2008-05-03T22:35:13Z 2008-05-04T06:19:51Z

Arrived in California. It's 7 am Saturday morning but of course, we're wide awake thanks to the jetlag. We now need: an apartment two cars US mobile phone numbers a US bank account a shaver Let's see how far we...

Arrived in California. It's 7 am Saturday morning but of course, we're wide awake thanks to the jetlag. We now need: an apartment two cars US mobile phone numbers a US bank account a shaver Let's see how far we can get in one day. I'm confident at least about the shaver. (Update: at 3pm: we've got the shaver, a phone number, two bank accounts with credit cards, looked at an apartment and didn't like it. Oh, and a parking fine.) tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.38 2008-04-27T03:38:08Z 2008-04-27T03:54:01Z

Take off May 2nd 2008. Funny, almost exactly a year ago we took off (on April 30th 2007) to another adventure. This one, however, is gonna last a little longer. This is probably the last blog entry written from Switzerland....

Take off May 2nd 2008. Funny, almost exactly a year ago we took off (on April 30th 2007) to another adventure. This one, however, is gonna last a little longer. This is probably the last blog entry written from Switzerland. Uf widerluege, au revoir, a rivederci, a revair! tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.37 2008-04-11T15:26:37Z 2008-04-11T16:06:02Z

Overdue. Looooong overdue. But because of time issues (with a reason, see below), I will keep myself short. We're back in Switzerland since almost two months. The rest of the trip was great too - we had a fantastic time...

Esther & Dominik who were so kind to share their flat with us for a couple of days. Those were fantastic days, and we will never forget having eaten one of the best Röstis in NZ! After a very relaxing flight to San Francisco (Air NewZealand still beats them all), we first spent some time with Lee & Etienne & Lionel (just two days old at that time), and then later moved south to our future homebase, San Jose CA. There, we met (in vivo) with a couple of people who we met (in silico) on couchsurf.com. We took the time in San Jose to check out some neighbourhoods and we now know where to look for flats. In the meanwhile, Rahel also got her funding from the Swiss Science Foundation, and after some initial confusion around the whole visa process, we finally have an appointment (next Monday the 14th) at the US embassy in Bern. If everything runs smoothly from now on, we should be in California in about 3 weeks (which means we're busy organizing everything). Looking at the weatherforecast for San Jose for the next few days (29 C, 29 C, 29 C, 30 C) makes me think we made the right decision!]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.33 2008-02-08T13:08:58Z 2008-02-08T13:19:57Z

There's not much to be said other than what is already said in the title. We are in the beach mood since almost two weeks and it's unlikely that we will get out of it any time soon. Dani who...

Dani who used to live in the same WG in Zurich joined us for a couple of days. We are now in Auckland, staying with Esther & Dominik. I gave an informal talk today in Paul Rainey's lab where Dominik is a postdoc. Surprisingly, I could remember some of the stuff I worked on back in 2007. In the remaining few days, we will rent a car and check out Northland, the northernmost & subtropical part of NZ. ]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.32 2008-01-31T06:35:07Z 2008-01-31T06:47:26Z

We headed to Kaikoura to catch up with Jukka, Curt & Co. (still cracking snails) and went swimming with the dolphins. The dolphin swimming tour started at 5:30 am and was fantastic. Jukka was so kind to let us use...

We stayed in a campsite near Ruahpehu, and gave it a go early in the morning. Despite good weather forecast, a lot of clouds covered the top of the mountain, and an additional strong wind made us retreat. The next morning, we tried again - perfect weather conditions this time, and around midday, we stood on top of the highest peak on the North Island. There is actually something of a track going up to the crater, but we missed it. The reason is quite simple: there is another official track going to an elevated viewpoint, called the "Skyline Track". We didn't know then that this track didn't go up anywhere near the top, and that the official track to the crater was on the other side of the mountain... So we hiked up the Skyline Track ("Skyline" sounds like a perfectly reasonable name for a track to the top, doesn't it?) and were a bit surprised to find the path had ended after about a half hour. However, there were some pseudo tracks going up further, and a well-equipped japanese mountaineering group seemed to have the same goal as we did, so we went along with our plan. Needless to say, it got steeper and steeper, the tracks disappeared, and we soon found ourselves crawling up the crater like two hobbits. When we were on top, we realized three things: 1, the views were worth the effort, 2, the track to the crater was on the other side of the mountain, and 3, we went much higher than the official track would have taken us (because we were actually on the top). When the japanese group arrived and started praying, we thought it was a good time to leave and hiked back down again. The next morning, we left the area and headed further north through a very active volcanic area - lots of mud pools, geysers, and other steamy, stinky evidence of the fact that the earth was hot underneath. We drove further north until we finally reached the ocean: the bay of plenty. The bay of the plenty is a superbly beautiful area, the climate is perfect and the sandy beaches are endless. We are currently staying at a place called Waihi Beach. We found a campsite right at the beach and think we will probably stay here for a while and build some sandcastles. ]]> tag:www.pbelow005.com,2008://1.31 2008-01-22T06:26:54Z 2008-01-22T06:44:48Z

The title of this blog entry gives the game away right at the beginning, but any other title would diminish what we feel about the past week. We came to New Zealand with high expectations, and last week, NZ not...

Our primary goal was Milford Sound, a fjord in the southwestern Fiordland national park. Instead of going cross-country from Dunedin on the east coast, we decided to drive along the southern coast, an area that is not frequented by many visitors. One of the many highlights was a place called nugget point, essentially a cliff with a lighthouse on top, with a fantastic view that gave it its name. We stayed the night at a campsite which was right at the edge of not only a fossilized forest (apparently one of the few in the world), but also another penguin colony - this time, we could observe them coming back ashore in the evening without any sea lion hassle. We got up the next morning at 5:30 am to observe them go back to the sea, and indeed saw some more. A penguin's life seems so easy: go fishing in the morning, bring back fish in the evening. Repeat forever. Although we're both not big fans of neither sunset nor sunrise pictures, this one sums up the feeling of the area quite neatly: We should mention at this point that the south coast experiences some pretty strong winds which can be quite nasty at times, but in exchange creates some amazing scenery: Not too far way, we passed Slope Point, the southernmost point of the south island, and for me personally the farthest south I've ever been in my life (Rahel has been further south, in Chile). We then headed to Milford Sound, our main destination. Milford Sound is the most famous fjord in the New Zealand Fjordland, the southwestern part of the south island and a national park more than half the size of Switzerland. There is only one road in the park, and it goes straight to Milford Sound. The guidebook suggested it was one of the most beautiful roads in the world, and it's hard to disagree. If white-tipped mountains crash into oceans, and a green forest carpet lays itself over valleys created by glaciers, how can a road that winds itself through this scenery not be beautiful? It's about 120 km from Te Anau, the last village outside the park, to Milford Sound, but if you stop at only the most amazing sights it'll still take you almost a day. We arrived in Milford Sound in the evening and were glad to find a site at the campground right at the fjord. And while we were preparing dinner (why is no one else cooking outside?), in the middle of this breathtaking natural beauty, there it came, not alone, but in dozens, in hundreds, and made it perfectly clear that there are always two sides of a coin, good and evil, beauty and ugliness: the sand fly. When the first Milford Sound sand fly bites off a piece of your flesh, you are simply surprised (what the hell was that?); when the second bites off another piece, surprise becomes annoyance; and when the third one digs its mouth into your skin, panic sets in, because all three bites occurred within a timeframe of maximally 15 seconds which makes you appreciate the scope of the problem. The question of why no one else is cooking outside gets a trivial answer, because you may cook outside, but you are also eaten outside. The Milford Sound sand fly also makes you appreciate the subtle elegance of a mosquito. I used to hate mosquitos, but now at least I know how much worse it can get. Comparing a Milford Sound sand fly (I keep saying "Milford Sound sand fly" because no other sand fly would want to be associated with the Milford Sound sand fly) to a mosquito is like comparing fine french dining with a burger eating contest. The mosquito flies around, looking for good places to eat, lands at a few spots, mostly unhappy with what it finds ("too hairy! too skinny!"), and once it finds a place for dinner, it introduces its thin, elongated sucking organ gently into your skin, just like you would put a fork and a sharp knife into your perfectly cooked filet mignon. The Milford Sound sand fly, however, lands wherever gravity seems to pull it down, rips off a piece of your flesh wherever it happened to land ("cheesburger? hamburger? who caaaaares?" chump chump chump). If you think we're exaggerating, consider this: according to the Maori creation legend, the great god Tu-to-Rakiwhanoa created the fjordland by slashing his ax into the landscape, working his way up from south to north (as he got further north, his technique improved, and that's why the most beautiful of them, Milford Sound, is found up north). When he finished, the goddess of death, Te-Hine-nui-to-po, came for a visit, and looking at the masterpiece Tu had created, she feared that Milford Sound was so beautiful that humans would want to stay there forever and enjoy themselves, so she created the Milford Sound sand fly to remind humans that they are mortal. How many other creation legends do you know of that feature an insect so prominently? Anyways, back to the good things. So, we stayed two nights in Milford Sound - the first day we went exploring the forests, rivers and mountains, and the second day, we cruised around the Sound on a boat and enjoyed the scenery. All in all, the Milford Sound is a clear nominee for the most beautiful place on earth ever visited. After the Sound, we drove back into the mainland of the south island to a place called Queenstown, the self-procclaimed adventure city of NZ, but after what we just had experienced, it seemed like a rather boring version of Disneyland. Arguably, the area has some fine lakes, but still amazed by what we had seen the days before, nothing could compare. After a small hike around Isengard, we headed north to the west coast to visit some of the famous glaciers. (A classical post-Milford-Sound-conversation between Rahel an me: "I think there's the Fox Glacier." Silence. "Cool." Silence.) We're now back in Christchurch where we started two weeks ago. We're scheduled for Dolphin swimming in two days, will have another dinner with Jukka & co. and then cross the Cook Strait to the north island.]]>