Despite the weather forecast, this afternoon and evening was gorgeous and I took the opportunity to walk on the western pier of Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The first photo is actually of the Commissioners of Irish Lights – the people that look after the lighthouses. There is quite a nice map of the harbour and its [...]

They are NOT the same family! Aldi North and Aldi South are run by two brothers and the international market has been divided up geographically by them. Aldi comes from “ALbrecht DIscount” and the brothers names are Karl Albrecht und Theo Albrecht. Legend has it that they separated because of a dispute over whether [...]

Short answer to Mike – go to Franconia (northern Bavaria, in German: Franken). In Berlin, Becks seems to be the beer of choice. There is a beer known as Schultheiss but it was more of an old-mans beer. Berliner-Pilsner was a good alternative to Becks. I heard of Berliner Kindl too but can’t remember it [...]

When I was in Germany, I took part in a driving-safety course at the ADAC Centre in Linthe

The course covered some useful issues such as emergency braking in the dry and the wet, the effect of ABS and ESP and braking on slippery surfaces going downhill and on bends.
This video shows one of the [...]

Via RTE: Trichet looks to Asian, oil crises for lessons
Trichet stressed repeatedly today that the ECB saw its role amid the turmoil as one of anchoring inflation expectations, making clear that an interest rate cut called for by some investors and politicians should not be expected in the near future
‘If we don’t learn the lessons [...]

oh yeah – the dramatic pause in blogging Seactain Na Gaeilge events was because we went on a little trip to CeBIT.
CeBIT for those of ye that don’t know is the world’s largest computer and IT trade fair – Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik; German for “Centre of Office and Information technology”
Quick run down on [...]

Via Random Reflective Rantings
“A German Navy Boat doing a risky maneuver, missing one and hitting another one”

Reported by Stern on 22nd June 2007 Schnellboot-Crash vor Libanon and here is a rough summary in English
Two German boats crashed into each other off the coast of Lebanon four weeks ago. A video of the crash that has [...]

Via Damien A tribute to Dialup Dempsey (the man who also screwed provisional drivers….defended by Bertie Ahern)
Do battery indicators on phones etc lie? – User-hostile battery strength indicators
Those crazy Saxons – they decided to move a 660-ton church 12km down the road on a truck…

ViaTom Raftery – Funny Virgin Atlantic Ad

Nasty hotels – Fox [...]

Via Damien – No such thing as a simple arrest for a stolen handbag
40 separate procedures need to be followed, and more 30 separate forms need to be filled in – BBC
German Town Scraps Road Signs to Increase Safety
Islanders without an Island – how the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is doomed to disappear beneath [...]

It’s a glass and a half skitz – Drumming gorillas, Phil Collins and Glass And A Half Full Productions
German Government now considering writing Trojans to spy on terrorists
Media Spin
The transparent toaster via damien
this is brill (a little old)

Via Don Crowley Simpsons Star Wars Parody