All posts by j0n
Shanghai Maglev
It looks just like any other Train initially.
The Track is different:
Holy smokes this IS quick:
I think it took about 5 minutes and 20 seconds to cover the 30 Kilometers to the Airport. Pity we couldn’t have one running from Waterford to Dublin Airport!.
Taxis
On entering a Taxi, we were normally greeted by a recorded English announcement helpfully telling us to put on our seatbelts. But its impossible, the belt is trapped behind the seat, and the buckle is somewhere under the seat. Once you start moving you realise there is something different. Driving in Shanghai is a ‘might is right’ type of experience, or maybe ‘who dares wins’. A Horn is not optional. Its used to warn others that you are coming through without stopping (those pesky pedestrians that cross when the green man is on), and that they had better get out of your way. Or it is used to tell the bicycle/moped/car to get out of the way. Headlights seem to be used for the same function as well.
Indicators are optional, though they do get used now and again. Lane markings are just a general guideline, red lights are a mystery. I can’t figure out why they stop and some red lights and not at others. However, with all the hornblowing and flashing of lights and general chaos there doesn’t seem to be any road-rage, (its not personal), and they seem not to tail-gate.
Anyways, Saturday night in shanghai, we were trying to re-adjust to Irish Time, so we decided that there was no better way than to stay up late, we headed for the Jin Mao Tower for a drink, and a view. The bar, Cloud 99, is the highest bar in the world apparently.
We were able to see Clouds passing outside while sitting there drinking our chosen poison. As well look out over Shanghai at the Oriental Pearl Tower. Great view!
Shopping
The markets here are really interesting, lots of stuff on offer. The three most common items seem to be watches, bags or dvds. The buying process is interesting as well. It is expected that you will haggle, for example, we went to purchase one item, the initial price was 850 Yuan, we left the shop with it for 150 Yuan.
What really surprised us was that it is possible to haggle in the Department Stores, now whether the money is actually going into the till or not is a completely different matter.
links for 2006-10-20
Nuclear Power is both clean and safe.
Brian makes that argument here. Brian, are you sure it is really as cheap as portrayed? Have a read of
this,
this, and
this.
Now I won’t pretend to know all the answers or will I pretend that fully understand all of the data presented. So we will have to agree to disagree on whether Nuclear Power is safe, I would argue Solar/Hydroelectric/Wind is safer, call me a F*wit if you like, but that still won’t change my mind.
A couple of things I would like to see done in our own building:
- Hot water being generated from Solar Power (Tap and heating)
- Solar power being used to power (parts of) building
- Hydroelectric power being used to power (parts of) the building
- Maybe wind power, but the site really wouldn’t be suitable
Anyone got any second hand solar panels/that they don’t need? I would gladly take them off their hands in an endeavour to reduce the lab in TSSG’s and consequently WIT’s carbon footprint. Or indeed, just my own.
links for 2006-10-19
Colleagues
Dinner last night.
Unfortunatley, after dinner, Nikolas (pictured below) suggested that a beer or two would be nice.
One or two would have been fine, but what should you do when its Oktoberfest in Shanghai?
Missed it
It, being the official opening of our building. Feedback I’m getting is that it was all good, if a slightly short visit by An Taoiseach.
We continue to work through the different workpackages, slower than I would prefer, but I’m not the chairperson, so its not up to me.
Miguel and I provided free entertainment for a restaurant full of punters last night. When we returned from the days meeting, we just walked a block or two to find a restaurant. Things looked promising as it had the name in English, better yet, the menu had English discriptions as well. So we ordered something, but we really weren’t quite sure what. The waitress arrived back to the table with a big pot (various joints of beef, knee’s etc, carrots and some thick noodles), stuck it on a gas burner (in the middle of the table), wandered off again, and then came back with raw meat and veg and plonked it on the table beside us.
What we didn’t know was that we are suppossed to cook it ourselves. Obviously the waitress had a bit of a chat with her co-workers and they decided that if they didn’t do something we would be there for hours. So this poor girl started cooking and showing us how we were supposed to cook the food. This caused much amusement in the restaurant. We got the hang of it eventually (rice noodle not withstanding).
I think she was a bit shocked with the amount of the tip we left, but she did help us out . Total cost for dinner including two beers (640ml bottles, must figure out why that is.) and the tip, €12.