19-06-10
BP prepares for hydrogen/BP und Wasserstoffantrieb
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I always wondered why BP on the Southend Arterial Road was preparing to help cars run on hydrogen (or have I got it wrong?) - see the small windmill-like device, of which there are two.
LATER NOTE: I gather these are very small wind generators. Here's a PDF with some more pictures. Proven Energy seems to be the company providing these devices for BP and Shell.
03-06-10
Munch and Krakatoa/Munch und Krakatoa
There are far too many legal translation topics available at the moment, but here is a break. Picture from Wikipedia (but not Wikimedia Commons):

Munch was surely expressing anxiety, but the colour of the sky was correct at the time, after the eruption of Krakatoa. From the Independent:

Munch was surely expressing anxiety, but the colour of the sky was correct at the time, after the eruption of Krakatoa. From the Independent:
With its dramatic red sky, Edvard Munch's The Scream is renowned as a depiction of despair. Less well known is the fact that the Norwegian artist was merely recreating what he saw in Oslo in 1883. Professor Olson's team found that the eruption of Mount Krakatoa in Indonesia led to a series of sunsets in Norway which made the sky seem ablaze.
Defined tags for this entry: trivia
21-05-10
Pilgrims on the motorway/Pilger auf der Autobahn
Heard on radio traffic information:
Vorsicht auf der Autobahn - Pilger unterwegs.
Watch out for pilgrims on the motorway.
A picture of some pilgrims here.
BR online:
Altötting
Pilgrimage on Whit Saturday
Pilgrimage site
Webcam at Altötting
Vorsicht auf der Autobahn - Pilger unterwegs.
Watch out for pilgrims on the motorway.
A picture of some pilgrims here.
BR online:
Im Landkreis Straubing-Bogen wird der gesamte Innenstadtbereich von Geiselhöring von 14 bis 15 Uhr wegen der Regensburger Diözesanwallfahrt mit cirka 8000 Teilnehmern gesperrt. Zwischen 15 und 17 Uhr ziehen die Pilger weiter nach Mengkofen. Umleitungen sind eingerichtet. (13:19)
Altötting
Pilgrimage on Whit Saturday
Pilgrimage site
Webcam at Altötting
03-02-10
Removed comments/Entfernte Kommentare
Here are comments I have either removed from the blog or failed to approve (links removed)/
Folgende Kommentare wurden entweder entfernt oder nicht zugelassen (Links entfernt):
On German courts using the English language:
On Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage:
On European Union Law:
On German bread:
Folgende Kommentare wurden entweder entfernt oder nicht zugelassen (Links entfernt):
On German courts using the English language:
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On Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage:
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On European Union Law:
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On German bread:
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19-01-10
Everyday problems/Alltagsschwierigkeiten
I haven't had a working ceiling light in my living room for nearly two weeks now, since I hadn't really cleared it up enough to let an electrician in (I live above an electrician's shop) and there were other minor distractions. The wiring is old and there was a flash followed by darkness when a bulb blew. Last week, the ceiling light in my office went too, or rather the light switch did. Today I had an electrician up and discovered that the small fuse container in the switch was slightly displaced here, so it just needed pushing in, and the large German fuse for the living room looked deceptively dead but was actually half-in, so it too just needed pushing in properly.
(It's rather good that Germans have huge fuses that you can just push back in, rather than having to dismantle a plug)
So I recognized this description:
(Katy Derbyshire at love german books, on Kristof Magnusson, Das war ich nicht)
(It's rather good that Germans have huge fuses that you can just push back in, rather than having to dismantle a plug)
So I recognized this description:
That woman is Meike Urbanski though, his German translator. And let me tell you, her character is brilliantly drawn. I happen to know a couple of translators, and they’re an odd breed. Nit-pickers, know-it-alls, socially incompetent, permanently broke, and incapable of performing the simplest of domestic tasks. Meike is all this and more: she’s also obsessed with Henry LaMarck’s writing and spots even the tiniest logical or factual mistake as she translates it. And of course when the manuscript isn’t forthcoming she fears for her income and jumps on a plane, convinced she can find the author in Chicago.
(Katy Derbyshire at love german books, on Kristof Magnusson, Das war ich nicht)
Defined tags for this entry: translation, trivia
08-01-10
Year-end presents/Werbegeschenke
Do other people use these? Names removed. The hand is from a physiotherapy practice I go to - it contains a pull-out metal tape measure.
The rubber person with tie is from an insurance company I have a good opinion of but I don't think I use them. Does this figure have a function? Perhaps it would help a key to float if it were light enough and there were a flood?
The metal container is from an agency I haven't worked for (as far as I remember): I think you can put business cards in there, but you can also make little paper balls and shoot them at it to see if you can aim at the two holes (a German football exercise).
Defined tags for this entry: trivia
03-11-09
Art in Fürth/Raben die Zweite
Falls jemand diese Raben kaufen will, sie sind um einiges billiger über amazon.de zu kaufen. Porto käme natürlich noch dazu. Genau welche der amazon-Angebote in der Gustavstraße mit Unterschrift des Künstlers (es ist ja eine Kunst, 3 Euro für seine Signatur zu bekommen) oder gelb angemalt zu sehen sind, weiß ich nicht, aber auf jeden Fall haben sie einen ausziehbaren Stab, mittels dessen sie aufgehängt werden können. Fliegende Raben gibt es auf amazon.de auch.
See my later note on the earlier Ravens entry.
See my later note on the earlier Ravens entry.
Defined tags for this entry: trivia
02-11-09
Kai
Wayne and Colleen Rooney have called their son Kai Wayne Rooney. The Guardian finds the name exotic:
The Daily Mirror is even more confused.
Can it have been that common German name? Still, who's to guess where it came from and how they'll pronounce it.
At first glance the Rooney's choice of the name Kai might seem to be another footballing exoticism. In Japanese it means "big water" and in Hawaiian "the ocean". In Maori it means "to eat" which could draw some predictable ribbing given his father's famously sturdy build.
In fact Kai is an increasingly popular name for children of both sexes: it came 68th in the Office for National Statistics top 100 names for 2008.
The Daily Mirror is even more confused.
It’s possible, although not likely, that Wayne and Colleen named their firstborn after Natasha Kai, a female US footballer who plays for Sky Blue FC as well as the USA national soccer team.
...
Kai is a kind of throat singing practiced in the Altai Republic, Russia.
Can it have been that common German name? Still, who's to guess where it came from and how they'll pronounce it.
Defined tags for this entry: trivia
28-10-09
Translation glasses/Übersetzungsbrille
These glasses - not yet on the market - are intended to interpret what you hear and project it onto your retina so you can have a real-time conversation, at least if your languages are supported.
I can't read Japanese, but this may be the source.
Here's an article:
I understand the last sentence as normal for vision.
Here's the blog entry I got it from. It was tweeted by NOVALanguages of New York, who tweet masses of curious language links, so you may want to follow them.
I won't be interested in this device. Being over sixty, I've already got too many aids, attachments and prostheses for other functions.
LATER NOTE: Google reveals more reports. The glasses are called Tele-Scouter. The halfbakery even reported it in 2003.
I can't read Japanese, but this may be the source.
Here's an article:
The NEC equipment comprises a script projector and microphone attached to the glasses, and a small computer that can be attached to the waist of a user. When two people with different mother tongues speak in their own languages, the projector displays expressions from both languages. NEC's application of a technology to project images by casting light directly onto the retina is a world first. The retina transforms the optical information into a nerve signal, which is sent to the center of the brain via optic nerves.
I understand the last sentence as normal for vision.
Here's the blog entry I got it from. It was tweeted by NOVALanguages of New York, who tweet masses of curious language links, so you may want to follow them.
I won't be interested in this device. Being over sixty, I've already got too many aids, attachments and prostheses for other functions.
LATER NOTE: Google reveals more reports. The glasses are called Tele-Scouter. The halfbakery even reported it in 2003.
Defined tags for this entry: translation, trivia
07-09-09
Samoa driving on the left/Samoa wechselt zum Linksfahren
Today traffic in Samoa will start driving on the left instead of the right.
The main reason for this is that they want to use right-hand-drive cars, for instance from Japan and New Zealand, which both drive on the left.
Here's a Wikimedia Commons map showing countries driving on the right in red and on the left in blue.

There weren't more accidents when Sweden switched in 1967, were there?
We shall see. 16.50 GMT is apparently the time.
The main reason for this is that they want to use right-hand-drive cars, for instance from Japan and New Zealand, which both drive on the left.
Here's a Wikimedia Commons map showing countries driving on the right in red and on the left in blue.
There weren't more accidents when Sweden switched in 1967, were there?
We shall see. 16.50 GMT is apparently the time.
Defined tags for this entry: trivia
06-09-09
Zerosum gets stoned/Stone, Pfund, Kilo
A commenter on an article on clothes sizes is angry about the UK use of stones to refer to a person's weight:
Reactions vary.
Later note: here's an American review of the Ottolenghi cookbook from amazon.com:
Yes, it should have been converted if it was a US publisher. But I find this some compensation for the irritation I always feel on reading recipes measured in CUPS. A cup of butter! I certainly hope they didn't get that from us.
Still later note: I have heard that Americans don't usually possess scales. Amy describes some here:
I really do wish you Brits would stop using this bizarre measure of weight the stone. You do realize that nobody else in the rest of the world knows what the hell this means. I've lived 30 years in foreign countries, speak 3 foreign languages fluently, am at home in both the metric and non-UK imperial systems, and can convert effortlessly between a dozen different currencies, but I throw up my hands at this stone nonsense. Even looking it up and learning that 1 stone equals 14 lbs doesn't make it any more comprehensible. Do you people really tell each other that your 183 lb body weighs 13.07 stone, or is everything rounded off to the nearest 14 lbs?
Reactions vary.
Is everything OK in other areas of your life Zerosum?
Zerosum,
It's seems that I'm the only person that understands you.
The issue here isn't stones or pounds.
What's important for people to know is that you speak three languages, fluently, . lived for 30 years in foreign countries and can effortlessly convert 20 different currencies at one time.
Later note: here's an American review of the Ottolenghi cookbook from amazon.com:
I bought this book as a gift for my wife. She's a former professional chef and caterer, and now a superb home cook. These recipes are sensational across the board. Especially notable are the chicken w/ sumac, za'atar & lemon, as well as the marinated turkey breast w/ cumin, etc. However, there is a challenge for us Americans because the measures are metric and the temps are in celcius. This book is published in England. Didn't the Brits invent our system of standard measure? Anyhow, it's worth the trouble for me to convert these recipes for her because these dishes are outstanding.
Yes, it should have been converted if it was a US publisher. But I find this some compensation for the irritation I always feel on reading recipes measured in CUPS. A cup of butter! I certainly hope they didn't get that from us.
Still later note: I have heard that Americans don't usually possess scales. Amy describes some here:
I use a digital kitchen scale practically every day. If you're serious about baking or developing recipes, it's a necessity. You may notice some of the more professional baking cookbooks show the weights of ingredients. It's a much more accurate way to measure than by using cups and spoons. When I develop a recipe using an ingredient like fish or chicken, I specify the weight because it makes a big difference in cooking time and also in terms of servings. For example, a salmon steak could be as small as 6 ounces or over a pound.
Defined tags for this entry: Englishlang, trivia
20-07-09
McDonalds places Austrian cow in Switzerland/McDonald's wirbt mit österreichischer Kuh für Schweizer Fleisch

McDonalds has apparently taken a clearly Austrian cow (despite its map-of-Switzerland markings) for its 'pure Swiss beef' ads. The giveaway is the ear tag.
Auch beim zweiten von drei Sujets hat McDonald's den Mund etwas voll genommen. Ein Hamburger-Bun mit einer Schweiz aus Sesamsamen suggeriert dort, dass der Konzern hierzulande nur einheimisches Getreide verwendet. Ein Sesamfeld wurde in der Schweiz aber bisher noch nicht gesichtet.
NZZ (German)
Class 46 blog (English)
(Tweeted by Jeremy of IPKAT)
12-07-09
Serving suggestion/Serviervorschlag

I've tried the serving suggestion on the lid of this yogurt - use a spoon - and it definitely works. Mind you, I haven't tried any other method for comparison, such as knife and fork.
Defined tags for this entry: comestibles, trivia
17-06-09
Basilique de Koekelberg
This basilica is not usually part of the route from Upminster to Fürth, at least not since the Brussels orbital motorway was built. It's a good idea to try the detour in afternoon rush-hour, so there's time to take a photo. Photos of the King Leopold II tunnel and various immigrant grocery shops are unfortunately missing.
Here is the last food before the Eurotunnel (Folkestone side):
and here the view approaching the tunnel on the Calais side:
Defined tags for this entry: trivia
13-06-09
Banksy in Bristol
Banksy stages almost-secret exhibition in Bristol, because he 'wanted to give something back' to the city (pictures).
(Page 1 of 5, totaling 75 entries)
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