Chiperoni ku Basel

Category: basel

  • Running update

    I took part in the Basel Firmenlauf yesterday evening.

    Not a very long race at 6.3 km, but for me it was special, since it marked my first running goal for this year. My first public race in a long time. I was very excited.

    It was warm and humid yesterday with temperatures around 30 degrees C. Together with over 2600 participants, I set off and managed to keep to my pace. The kilometer between 3km and 4km seemed endless. Maybe because my morning jog before work is shorter? But I just kept going. Kämpfa, Kämpfa. Karbon statt Kondition.

    My next goal is 10km. That’s what I decided after the race. Voilà!

    I like running cos I see a lot of parallels with work life, building relationships, or even spiritual life. So often I want to stop…

    There is a race that I must run. There are victories to be won.

  • Sunny Sunday

    I just got back from a run around the Finnenbahn. The distance is nothing to write home about, but it was a pleasurable experience with temperatures around 18 degrees. Spring is here.

    With all the fresh air rushing thru my system, I was in mindblogging mode. Reflecting on all the data I have been consuming here and there.

    Yesterday afternoon I tried out new bicycles at a bicycle shop in downtown Basel. I am thinking of buying a new bicycle. My Univega will soon be 10 years old. And a lot has been happening in the bicycle space since then.

    mein velo

    I read Scoble’s post on reducing noise on Facebook. Useful! I don’t really have the a signal to noise problem on FB, but they are offering more and more control. Which is good.

    On Twitter: Did you see that you can now embed tweets?

    How to find the embed code:

    • Select a tweet.
    • Click on Details.
    • Click on Embed this Tweet.
    • Copy the code to your webpage.

    Although I am quite sure that I will keep my screenshot collection of fun tweets.

    The effort to tweak all these corporate social media channels is getting higher than high. Don’t let the social media corporations take over.

    Instead of just consuming content, I encourage you to create content. Write a blog, take photos, learn something new, write how-tos, write about your area of expertise, own your own data, participate, enter into dialog, have fun. Here are some ideas:

    I am planning to attend BarcampBodensee in June. Anybody else coming from the Basel area? It would be a great opportunity to present an updated version of my presentation on mobile internet usage in Malawi.

    The Potential of Mobile Technology in Africa

    View more PowerPoint from nchenga

    So much has happened in this space. And even in a downturn, TNM has managed to increase its subscriber base by 35% in 2011. Compare and contrast those kind of numbers with the saturated markets here in Europe.

    The number of Facebook users from southern Africa is increasing despite the high internet access costs. Socialbaker lists 95 820 users from Malawi.

    socialbaker stats for Malawi

    Leave a comment or contact me if you can provide further interesting data / anecdotes / user behaviour on internet usage patterns in the warm heart of Africa.

    Thank you for reading and supporting chiperoni.ch. Alles wird gut.

    colorful and calories

    P.S.: I missed a LOLCat photo opportunity today: a cat stretched out on the seat of Vespa. Unfortunately I didn’t have a cam with me.

  • Bike tour to Bad Säckingen and back

    I cycled over 60 km to Bad Säckingen via an unwanted detour to Liestal, and then on to Rheinfelden, Möhlin, Wallbach, Stein. I cycled back on the German side via Schwörstadt, Grenzach-Wyhlen.

    No mountains. A few hills.

    I only took a few photos. Coming soon.

  • Bike tour Basel to Bad Bellingen and back

    A quick blog post to document Monday’s mini tour to Bad Bellingen and back.

    I wanted to avoid cycling along the Rhine cos it is so monotonous and boring on the German side (done it before and found it boring). I started ok but somewhere between Märt and Efringen-Kirchen all bicycle path signs took me down to the river. So I ended up on the Rhein-Radweg. On my way back, I took a different route via Istein village.

    About 20 km one way. Easy ride.


    View Larger Map

    Some snapshots

  • Bike tour to Kandern and back

    From Basel about 17 km one way.

    Via Weil am Rhein, Binzen and Wollbach, along the railway tracks to Kandern.

    Easy ride.

     
    Wow, Google Maps now offers a bicycle option in its Get Directions menu. Though not for the route below.
     

    View Larger Map

  • Martin Gyger is exhibiting

    A backlink for a local Basel artist:

    Martin Gyger is showing recent work in a small show at:

    Gemeinschaftspraxis Auberg 7,
    Zentrum für Osteopathie,
    Auberg 7 in 4051 Basel

    Related news item:
    In a 3sat Kulturzeit interview Heike Faller said if you really want to invest ethically, you need to understand the product you are investing in, e.g. a piece of land in an area that you know well or a local artist that you’ve met and believe in.

  • Bicycle parking gadget

    If the bicycle parking area is too large, people will forget where they left their bike.

    veloparking basel

    Like at the Velo Parking at Basel SBB.

    This evening a young woman was looking for her bicycle. A couple of days ago a young man was wandering up and down the aisles in search of his bike.

    And the same has happened to me as well. I was extremely tired and couldn’t remember in which aisle I had left my bike.

    In almost all cases, people grab their cell phone and call someone.

    Wouldn’t it be cool if you could call your bike and it would identify itself by ringing out loud or flashing a light?

    Which reminds me of another cool presentation I saw at Lift 11:

    The web of things

  • A Sunday evening in mid-November

    Instead of watching Tatort, I went for a short jog combined with lots of walking. I am still not back in my jogging routine. Yet.

    But I am enjoying being outside. It was so beautifully warm today.

    And. It is a good way to reflect.

    Time for mind blogging.

    I like being outdoors.

    I really like living in Switzerland. I think it is great that people take such meticulous care of their houses and gardens.

    This afternoon I went to see “Wien 1900 ”“ Klimt, Schiele und ihre Zeit” at the Beyeler Museum. I liked the architecture and poster designs. And Klimt’s landscapes.

    I didn’t like the additional shopping area they added for Wien 1900 merchandise. One shop is enough.

    A couple of Wikipedia links:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Schiele
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt

    You’ve probably heard of poetry slams. But there are also science slams: 10 mins to present your research project. There is one in Freiburg im Br. on 29th November and 17th January. I would love to go and see one.

    The incredibly influential a. of Handmade 2.0 invited me to a new web app called Pinterest. We have been blogging since January 2003. And it has been an incredible journey…. Thank you a. for the billions of emails, links and ideas. I am truly amazed at the amount of data we have collected.

    I am still trying to figure out how to use Facebook as can be seen occasionally in my tweets. I worry that a platform like Facebook could replace the web. That would be the end of HTML pages, simplicity, transparency and diversity.

    That’s why it’s important to support and use other platforms and tools. Try out WordPress and Drupal. Learn HTML. Write your own articles. Voice your opinion. Become involved. Think before you click re-tweet, like or comment.

    It is my belief that after the fragmentation of the media scene and citizen journalism and the removal of the gatekeepers, we will see consolidation and the rise of new media giants with new gatekeepers.

  • Stucky plays Stucky

    Quick blog post to recommend Erika Stucky’s concert “Stucky plays Stucky”. Lots of fun.

    MySpace

    Website

    Lots of Youtube videos

    Kaufdorf car cemetery video

  • My Basel bicycle tip

    I managed to break the key of my bicycle lock last night.

    Thank you for helping me, Tomotec

    Tomotec helped me to extract the broken key from the lock for free. Thank you.

    Tip: remember to lubricate your bicycle lock at regular intervals!

  • Analog Tweet

    I found this text on the back of a signpost in downtown Basel:

    nur ab und zu murmelte er etwas vor sich hin

    An example of an analog tweet…

  • Autumn 2009

    i like this snapshot

  • Van Gogh credit card



  • Confetti, Räppli and Coriandoli

    For the record:

    Confetti is called Räppli in Basel Deutsch.

    Confetti is called coriandoli in Italian.

  • Bauzaun Art

    I stumbled across a temporary art gallery along the board fence of a construction site in downtown Basel.

    An excellent idea.

    bau_zaun_kunst

    street art

    See also this online gallery of Bauzaun Art in Hamburg.

  • Biker’s Rant

    An intense heading for a small observation, while cycling home from work:

    I noticed that many drivers and other cyclists make a lot of assumptions. A sincere road traffic faith that everything will work out in the end.

    For instance, I signaled that I was planning to turn left, and pulled across the road to the middle of the road. A car came hurtling out of nowhere and narrowly passed me on my right side. The driver didn’t slow down to wait until I had reached the center line.

    Kind of scary.

    Another situation: I tend to leave a little bit of space between my bike and any cars parked along the curb. Not much. But some room in case a car door opens suddenly. Some of my fellow bikers are really clever and try to overtake in the tiny space between me and the parked cars, instead of on the left side. Happened yesterday and today. Weird. Especially since the road was clear.

  • Sempé at the Cartoon Museum in Basel

    I went to see the Sempé show today. I had seen parts of it during the Museumsnacht, but the small museum was over crowded and I decided at the time that I’d come back another day.

    museumsnacht basel

    My French grammar books at school were illustrated with cartoons from Le Petit Nicolas.

    It wasn’t really quiet today either. There was a museum tour while I was there, and the lady presenting had a very loud voice that you could hear on all floors. It’s a small museum. I learnt that Sempé went through a depressive period after his friend committed suicide. Following this tragedy, Sempé didn’t publish any work for 6 years. And only managed to recover by listening to music.

    I learnt that Sempé required at least 2 weeks time for one his “New Yorker” covers.

    And I learnt another French expression for money: pognon: Used by a couple sitting on a pier, in front of them a yacht harbour and the setting sun to describe the scene.

    I like Sempé’s subtle humor. His illustrations are sentimental and nostalgic, even though they often point out and criticize disparities (e.g. between rich and poor, urban and rural).

    A very enjoyable show, open ’til 13th April 2009.

    I also liked the cartoons by Nicolas Mahler, another exhibition.

  • Blaggede… Surprise…

    How do you know you’ve arrived at the Basel* Swiss railway station?

    You can hear at least 2 people calling out at regular intervals:

    Blaggede

    Surprise (French pronounication)

    *Basel has 3 train stations.

  • The Sunday before Christmas

    The jog log:
    Slow but steep run to Bettingen (the long way) through slush, mud and melted snow. The temperature was around 5 to 8 degrees plus. Perfect running weather. The soles of my feet were burning for much of the way. Maybe the wrong pair of socks…? But I kept going and feel relaxed now.

    IMG_8185

    Here’s a quote I heard today at Crossroads from Robert Fulgham’s book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, a book I read many years ago:

    All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
    These are the things I learned:

    • Share everything.
    • Play fair.
    • Don’t hit people.
    • Put things back where you found them.
    • Clean up your own mess.
    • Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
    • Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
    • Wash your hands before you eat.
    • Flush.
    • Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
    • Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
    • Take a nap every afternoon.
    • When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
    • Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
    • Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
    • And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

    Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

    Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all – the whole world – had cookies and milk at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

    And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

    BTW, Crossroads was beautifully decorated today:

    poinsettas at crossroads basel

    Compare and contrast these to the 3-meter-high plants in our garden in Nyambadwe last May:

    IMG_0146

    more of the same

    My year of photography:
    The Malawi plants are some of my first photos I took with my Canon 40D. I bought the dslr shortly before flying to Blantyre. I have had a lot of fun and look forward to learning more.

    I’m planning to get a tripod very soon.

    I may sound kind of spaced out/weird/disconnected, but taking photos has a therapeutic effect on me. A way to be creative and express myself. To de-stress. To reflect.

  • Snow

    snow

    Still find snow exciting. Like a little kid. Frozen water falling from the sky.

    The tag: living in a deep freezer

  • Metropole Switzerland

    Before I moved to Switzerland I read an article discussing the idea or rather the vision of Switzerland being one metropolitan area with ultra-fast trains zipping to and fro between the commercial centres.

    Recently this topic has filtered through to me again. I’m assuming that in a specialized context it has been discussed all along.

    metropolitane schweiz

    metrobasel

    As I mentioned in one of my Flickr comments, the urban area around Basel will probably continue to grow and it would better if cities and towns cooperated on important regional issues such as traffic, public transport, waste disposal, city planning and education.

    In October I took part in an interesting architecture tour called Birsstadt, which discussed and highlighted the importance of regional vs town assembly planning and management.

    But I’m just a private person noticing a trend and commenting…

  • Lebenszeichen

    some personal stuff about me that you don’t want to know:

    Two days ago I spilled hot coffee on my laptop keyboard. I feel very stupid. I am mad at myself… my only hope is that the letter m will recover. I am thinking of setting up a Donate button. I didn’t think something so stupid would happen to me.

    Feel free to strike me from your feed reader. TBTSCAOTL … The blogger that spilled coffee all over the laptop. Anybody want to start a therapy group?

    Change of topic: I have been viewing a couple of apartments ‘cos I’m thinking of moving (happens every winter when the temperatures fall below zero). Two of the three places I viewed are having difficulties with the property managers – very few flats are managed by private persons in the Basel region. At one of the places I viewed, the tenant was called by the landlord while I was there. Disputes the tenants are always very open about. But which will not hurt the property managers ‘cos there is a continuous lack of affordable housing in Basel.

    Get informed. Renting a flat is very different to Germany or other places.
    There’s a mieterverband for Basel-Stadt that offers infos and legal help.

    BTW, this blog post is brought to you by the letter m.

  • Portes Ouvertes this weekend

    Last minute pointer:

    Kunstschaffende aus Basel und der Region öffnen alle zwei Jahre an einem Wochenende ihre Ateliertüren, um einem interessierten Publikum Einblick in ihr Schaffen zu gewähren.

    Portes Ouvertes is happening this weekend. Various Basel artists are taking part. A great way to see how artists work.

    Hat tip: Martin Gyger, who is also taking part.

  • Zemanta

    I am learning a lot from the African blogs I am reading…

    App+frica recently wrote about useful web applications for bloggers in developing countries.

    In his list he mentions Zemanta:

    Zemanta, which just scored a new round of funding from Union Square Ventures, is a huge time saving tool. It’s a browser-side plug-in that scans the context of your blog posts (even as you’re writing it) and offers up a ton of time saving shortcuts like related links, photos, wikipedia articles, blogposts and suggested tags. With the click of a few buttons it can help you format your post in a way that normally takes hours! For instance, if you’re writing an article about Google, Zemanta will find recent articles about Google from other blogs, photos, logos and more.

    It works with all the major blog platforms including WordPress, Livetype, Blogger, Drupal and more. When I had an abundance of time (and internet) I would usually just do all those things myself but Zemanta speeds up that process significantly.

    Zemanta analyzes your text and then searches the web to suggest related articles, photos, tags. For some texts, the results still need tweaking. But this is a cool tool and a sign of what’s coming.

    Thanks App+frica for sharing. I hadn’t heard of it before. And I live in a so-called developed country.

  • Art Attack

    Here are the details of the art show that Martin Gyger mentioned when I visited his workspace a couple of weeks ago:

    Art exhibition 5th to 7th September in Basel

    Date: 5th to 7th September 2008,
    Time: Friday and Saturday from 17:00 to 20:00, Sunday from 15:00 to 18:00,
    Place: Reichensteinerstr. 14, 4053 Basel, map.