It is now slightly more than five years since my first trip abroad; one thing I’ve come to see is that the first day is always memorable. [image:Frauenkirche.JPG:left:tall]In the early summer of 2005, I picked my backpack up from the cart of other oddly shaped luggage which had not beenContinue Reading

It seems more than a little odd that Italy is leading the charge against individual freedom to build sandcastles. According to a recent BBC article at least one Italian mayor is looking to curb an individual’s freedom to wear revealing clothing, something which strikes me as more than a littleContinue Reading

Since I’m less a fan of images than of working with content directly from a site, I added functionality to this challenge to grab the useful text directly.

As of May 6, the first native language country code top level domains (ccTLD) were released into the wild by ICANN. The first three released are for the Emirates, Egypt and Saudi. For security reasons which make a fair amount of sense, the ability for a browser to display non-LatinContinue Reading

Why fitting into the ‘political spectrum’ isn’t helpful. In a post here an assistant professor from Seton Hall is quoted as saying “Political events work best when the point of view is clear and consistent,” he says. “But if you notice, both Jon Stewart and Colbert mock people across theContinue Reading

One might think that I’ve traveled enough to avoid statements like ‘why would I want to go to Cyprus?’ I’m glad there are others wiser than me. I love Cyprus.  I actually only ended up going because a girl who I was then dating couldn’t go to Syria (and thenContinue Reading

The Wadi Hasa in Jordan provided an unforgettable trek during my tenure abroad and proved a fitting end for a long-time friend. About 30 minutes ago, I returned from a 2-day trip to Wadi Hasa, which is a river canyon about two hours south of Amman near Kerak, home toContinue Reading