Paying for online news: Sorry, but the math just doesn’t work.
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4.03.2009
4.02.2009
Jolicloud App Directory
cant wait for this what could it be , Mark Arrington has given some sneak previews here http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/22/new-screenshot-of-jolicloud-netbook-operating-system/
4.01.2009
Travel Switzerland
We had easter leaves coming up and were thinking of travelling somewhere in europe as we had our schegen visas. Luckily enuf we got quite a good deal on the UK-Geneva and Zurich-UK flights - which decided the destination for trip.
We ahd taken a 4 night trip to the Swiss territory. I have tried to list my experiences and itenary for a 5-day break in Swiss from the UK. Though Switzerland looks like a small country on the map, but once you are on the ground in Switzerland (officially called the Swiss Confederation), you will discover an endless variety of places to visit. Now, if you just had an endless vacation to explore them!
Map of Swiss country http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/switzerland/
A few things to note before travelling to Swiss...
First and foremost, do find out if you require visa for travel. Further info about visas can be obtained from the site
http://ch.vfsglobal.co.uk/faq.aspx
Once your visa is sorted, lets begin the actual trip. Its nostalagic for me to go down the memory lane, though my trip was fairly recent. It is advisable to buy ticket passes from the UK, since train travel in switzerland can be very expensive. We had taken the Half fare card, you just have to pay half the fare of the ticket in swiss trains with this card. This card also has a discount to the scenic Glacier express and Mt. Titlis.
Further information about the train passes can be obtained from
http://www.stc.co.uk/summer_holidays_st_moritz.html
This site is specially dedicated to the travellers visitng from the UK.
The train journeys can be booked in advance and you can also check the train times for planning your trip.
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en?
All stations have signages that display which train arrives next and goes to which station, and when the train is arriving, a voice announces where the first class and second class coaches are. Even the rail staff is quite friendly and helpful. We did not face any language problem though English was our only language of communication.
Now we have all the basic information, lets start the trip to the romantic country.
Day 1
We had taken an early morning flight the UK to Geneva. Though we had a very early start, we were feeling refreshed mayb with the excitement of finally going to the Swiss.(it was my long time wish to travel to Switzerland). We reached Geneva by 10.45 am. Since we had decided not to stay in Geneva, we had taken very light luggage which was no bother to carry during the day and no waitng for the check-in baggage also. We cleared our customs in a frenzy. and finally were out of the airport breathing in the refreshing air of the country of mountains.
Geneva is home to historic buildings, musuems, parks and interesting sights. You can have a stroll around on your own or opt for the 2 hour tour bus.The tour starts from the Gare Routière, the bus station at place Dorcière, near the Key Tours office. We had decided to be our own tour guide, thats a fun way of exploring any new city.
Since no trip to Geneva is complete without a visit to the European Headquarters of the United Nations, we headed for the same foremost.
We took a tram from the station.
The other places which we visited were
Geneva's world famous lakefront offers endless oppurtunities for recreation and relaxation throughout the year. The Jet d'eau fountain sprouting 140 metres into the air is the world's tallest fountain and symbolises Geneva's heritage as a leader in the hydraulic power. On the eastern bank is the giantic Flower Clock made of 6500 flowers. To have a better view of the city, would recommend to take a one or two hours cruise on the lake.
In the late evening we headed to our hostel(since our's was a budget trip) in interlaken
Its a 3 hours train journey from Geneva to Interlaken, through a very scenic route. We had to change terains at Bern - the capital city - which we visited the next day. Our hostel was not vey far from the Station - 10 min walk. After a light dinner, we hit the sack after our tiring but beautiful day.
Day 2
We started the journey to Mt. Jungfraujoch around 8 am.
The total journey time to reach the top will be around 2.5 hrs. You can take one route while coming and the other route while going back.
On the top, you can visit the ice palace, Aletsh Glacier, Schynige Platte with Alpine Garden. There is an indian restaurant also on the top in addition to a cafetaria and the crystal which offers swiss cuisine.
The first thing we did was to head to the glass revolving door that leads to a balcony / corridor sort of structure which provides a great view of the Aletsch Glacier, followed by the ice palace, another glacier where one can actually walk around the glacier(though its quite safe as its is cordoned at the corners), observation tower - through Spinx tunnel
After yet another tiring but exciting day, we decided to start our descent journey. We reached interlaken and we had either the option of cruise around lake Thun (last cruise at 5 pm) or a trip to the capital city - Bern. We opted to visit Bern.
Bern is just an hours train travel from Interlaken, but the ride is very scenci with mountains and snow around you. The umbrella styles houses and shops are a breathtaking view.The Fantastic Clock Tower has puppets that pop out before the hour and perform a little skit. The Swiss Alpine Museum displays a history of the Swiss Alps. A stroll around berns green river Aare is a also worth taking.
After spending few hurs in bern we headed to the station for the train to our interlaken hostel to retire for the night.
Day 3
We had decided to take the scenic train today - Glacier express. The tickets can be booked online from the UK or can be purchased at any of the stations in swiss
All info about the Glacier express can be found at
http://www.glacierexpress.ch/theglacierexpress.php
The total train journey is of 7.5 hrs. This is considered to be slowest train in europe. Though this route can be covered by the regular trains also, but the glacier express is like royal experience.
Since we were statring the scenic journey from Zermatt at 10 am, we took the 7 am train from Interlaken(2hrs). Our scenic journey was very beautiful and we reached St. Moritz around 6 pm. Since we could not get accomodation in Moritz, we had booked our hostel in Churn a 2 hrs travel.
After exploring the scenic beauty of St. Moritz for a couple of hours we headed to Churn to retire for the day.
Day 4
Our next detination was the city of Lucerne. We took the early morning train journey(2hrs) to Lucerne, for Mt. Titlis.
We had an option of gogin to Mt. Pilatus bu since friends recommened Mt. Titlis we headed there.
Reaching Titlis
http://www.titlis.ch/timetable.php
In the evening we spent some time around Lucerne visitng the wooden chapel bridge, dying lion (bu no 1). Also we took a stroll around the city by the city train.
Day 5
Since we were heading back to the UK today fom Zurich, it was our last destintaion in the country of Alphs. We took an early train from Lucerne to Zurich(2hrs)
We spent a idyllic day around Zurich taking the Rhine river cruise, roaming around municipal gardens and lake zurich
Finally we ended our glorious trip by taking early afternoon flight back to the UK.
Few points to remember
Ensure to take warm clothes even though you are planning the trip in Summer as few areas have snow throughout the year.
List of things to take
Hope this post has been helpful to you all.
We ahd taken a 4 night trip to the Swiss territory. I have tried to list my experiences and itenary for a 5-day break in Swiss from the UK. Though Switzerland looks like a small country on the map, but once you are on the ground in Switzerland (officially called the Swiss Confederation), you will discover an endless variety of places to visit. Now, if you just had an endless vacation to explore them!
Map of Swiss country http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/switzerland/
A few things to note before travelling to Swiss...
First and foremost, do find out if you require visa for travel. Further info about visas can be obtained from the site
http://ch.vfsglobal.co.uk/faq.aspx
Once your visa is sorted, lets begin the actual trip. Its nostalagic for me to go down the memory lane, though my trip was fairly recent. It is advisable to buy ticket passes from the UK, since train travel in switzerland can be very expensive. We had taken the Half fare card, you just have to pay half the fare of the ticket in swiss trains with this card. This card also has a discount to the scenic Glacier express and Mt. Titlis.
Further information about the train passes can be obtained from
http://www.stc.co.uk/summer_holidays_st_moritz.html
This site is specially dedicated to the travellers visitng from the UK.
The train journeys can be booked in advance and you can also check the train times for planning your trip.
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en?
All stations have signages that display which train arrives next and goes to which station, and when the train is arriving, a voice announces where the first class and second class coaches are. Even the rail staff is quite friendly and helpful. We did not face any language problem though English was our only language of communication.
Now we have all the basic information, lets start the trip to the romantic country.
Day 1
We had taken an early morning flight the UK to Geneva. Though we had a very early start, we were feeling refreshed mayb with the excitement of finally going to the Swiss.(it was my long time wish to travel to Switzerland). We reached Geneva by 10.45 am. Since we had decided not to stay in Geneva, we had taken very light luggage which was no bother to carry during the day and no waitng for the check-in baggage also. We cleared our customs in a frenzy. and finally were out of the airport breathing in the refreshing air of the country of mountains.
Geneva is home to historic buildings, musuems, parks and interesting sights. You can have a stroll around on your own or opt for the 2 hour tour bus.The tour starts from the Gare Routière, the bus station at place Dorcière, near the Key Tours office. We had decided to be our own tour guide, thats a fun way of exploring any new city.
Since no trip to Geneva is complete without a visit to the European Headquarters of the United Nations, we headed for the same foremost.
We took a tram from the station.
Tram No 1/13
Location: Avenue de la Paix
Timings of the UN: 10:00 – 12:00, 14:00 – 16:00 Daily. 09:00 – 16:00 (July and August)
Admission : SFr. 8.50. PAssport required. This is a guided tour.The other places which we visited were
Geneva's world famous lakefront offers endless oppurtunities for recreation and relaxation throughout the year. The Jet d'eau fountain sprouting 140 metres into the air is the world's tallest fountain and symbolises Geneva's heritage as a leader in the hydraulic power. On the eastern bank is the giantic Flower Clock made of 6500 flowers. To have a better view of the city, would recommend to take a one or two hours cruise on the lake.
In the late evening we headed to our hostel(since our's was a budget trip) in interlaken
Its a 3 hours train journey from Geneva to Interlaken, through a very scenic route. We had to change terains at Bern - the capital city - which we visited the next day. Our hostel was not vey far from the Station - 10 min walk. After a light dinner, we hit the sack after our tiring but beautiful day.
Day 2
We started the journey to Mt. Jungfraujoch around 8 am.
Reaching There
From interlaken there are two ways to reach Jungfraujoch at 3454 m (11,333 ft) above sea level.
Take a train from Interlaken Ost station to Lauterbrunnen.From here change to a green colour train(Wengernalp Railway) to Kleine Scheidegg, where we again change to a cog wheel red train(Jungfrau Railways) which goes all the way up to the top of europe. Stops at the viewing windows of the Eigerwand and Eismeer stations allow fascinating views over the famous north wall of the Eiger and the glaciers of the Eismeer. The viewing points are in the center of the marvelous glacier world of the Jungfraujoch.You also have rest rooms at these points
Else, take train from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald(can spend some time here also). It takes nearly 35 min. Then continue your journey by Wengernalp Railway over Kleine Scheidegg to the mountain, and for the trip to the world famous Jungfraujoch with Jungfrau Railways.
The total journey time to reach the top will be around 2.5 hrs. You can take one route while coming and the other route while going back.
On the top, you can visit the ice palace, Aletsh Glacier, Schynige Platte with Alpine Garden. There is an indian restaurant also on the top in addition to a cafetaria and the crystal which offers swiss cuisine.
The first thing we did was to head to the glass revolving door that leads to a balcony / corridor sort of structure which provides a great view of the Aletsch Glacier, followed by the ice palace, another glacier where one can actually walk around the glacier(though its quite safe as its is cordoned at the corners), observation tower - through Spinx tunnel
After yet another tiring but exciting day, we decided to start our descent journey. We reached interlaken and we had either the option of cruise around lake Thun (last cruise at 5 pm) or a trip to the capital city - Bern. We opted to visit Bern.
Bern is just an hours train travel from Interlaken, but the ride is very scenci with mountains and snow around you. The umbrella styles houses and shops are a breathtaking view.The Fantastic Clock Tower has puppets that pop out before the hour and perform a little skit. The Swiss Alpine Museum displays a history of the Swiss Alps. A stroll around berns green river Aare is a also worth taking.
After spending few hurs in bern we headed to the station for the train to our interlaken hostel to retire for the night.
Day 3
We had decided to take the scenic train today - Glacier express. The tickets can be booked online from the UK or can be purchased at any of the stations in swiss
All info about the Glacier express can be found at
http://www.glacierexpress.ch/theglacierexpress.php
The total train journey is of 7.5 hrs. This is considered to be slowest train in europe. Though this route can be covered by the regular trains also, but the glacier express is like royal experience.
Since we were statring the scenic journey from Zermatt at 10 am, we took the 7 am train from Interlaken(2hrs). Our scenic journey was very beautiful and we reached St. Moritz around 6 pm. Since we could not get accomodation in Moritz, we had booked our hostel in Churn a 2 hrs travel.
After exploring the scenic beauty of St. Moritz for a couple of hours we headed to Churn to retire for the day.
Day 4
Our next detination was the city of Lucerne. We took the early morning train journey(2hrs) to Lucerne, for Mt. Titlis.
We had an option of gogin to Mt. Pilatus bu since friends recommened Mt. Titlis we headed there.
Reaching Titlis
Take train from
On reaching Engelberg by train, the mode of transportation changes from rail tracks to cable cars. From Engelberg, the journey is made by 3 aerial cable cars through many changes of scenery from the green valley up into the high alpine glacier region in only 45 minutes
The entire one way journey takes around 2.5hrs.http://www.titlis.ch/timetable.php
In the evening we spent some time around Lucerne visitng the wooden chapel bridge, dying lion (bu no 1). Also we took a stroll around the city by the city train.
Day 5
Since we were heading back to the UK today fom Zurich, it was our last destintaion in the country of Alphs. We took an early train from Lucerne to Zurich(2hrs)
We spent a idyllic day around Zurich taking the Rhine river cruise, roaming around municipal gardens and lake zurich
Finally we ended our glorious trip by taking early afternoon flight back to the UK.
Few points to remember
Ensure to take warm clothes even though you are planning the trip in Summer as few areas have snow throughout the year.
List of things to take
- Warm clothes
- Gloves
- Cap
- Glares(in the areas of snow, if the sun is really bright, the reflection with the snow can really hurt the eyes)
Hope this post has been helpful to you all.
3.31.2009
emacs cheatsheet
A few days ago I created an emacs cheatsheet to help me get to know the monster of this editor better and try and familiarize myself more with the environment. Here's the link to that.
A google search reveals a few others which are much better than mine. I personally liked the one created by Peteris Krumins which is avialable for download as a pdf as its more comprehensive than mine.
A google search reveals a few others which are much better than mine. I personally liked the one created by Peteris Krumins which is avialable for download as a pdf as its more comprehensive than mine.
Currently reading Pro Web 2.0 Mashups Remixing Data and Webservices
Its a great buy and a recommended read for anyone who wants to get a handle over web 2.0 and how it all operates especially mashups.
The reviews on the amazon page tells it all. There is so much information that is inside, it shows easily the author has done a tremedous job of researching well for writing this book.
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