Fixies in Prague

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Yes, they are here too! I have seen a fixie near Vysehrad today. A decent one as you can see bellow. Respect. Brakeless would probably be more hard core, but to me just riding a fixie in Prague is hard core enough. I can’t imagine myself to ride my usual trip I do on MTB on fixed gear or even brakeless. Average 8.1% climbing within Zizkov tunnel and then even more climbing of various steepness up to Zizkov tower . Then a downhill back home often fuelled by couple of beers … no thanks :)

 

Flying car, Watson doing taxes or edible tablet?

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The funniest comment I found after new iPad announcement yesterday is in the article iPad Innovation: Diminishing Returns, Or Exceeding Expectations? The author says the innovations are not really the innovations in terms of a breakthrough as Apple claimed during the keynote many times. And he adds: “Apple is going to have to introduce the flying car, a Watson in human form that can do my taxes, or an edible tablet before we’ll feel emotionally moved enough to pay attention.” I’m definitely in favor of edible tablet. I suggest vanilla and blueberry flavor to start with.

Read log

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I have read two books about Apple recently. Both of them became page turners quickly and I recommend them with 5 out of 5 stars rating. Very interesting to know Apple as a company works in a completely different way than other companies. Even when I a sort of lost illusions about Steve Jobs and Apple. By the way these were my first ebooks or better say ibooks as I read them on my iPad and iPhone. Besides iPad is still to heavy and iPhone screen is too small for longer reading it was alright without any glitches or problems to read them in electronic version.

Czechoslovakian vs. original Top Gun

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I found a movie called Pod nohama nebe during just switching between TV channels on Friday evening. What’s so special? It turned out to be Czechoslovakian communist Top Gun. It has been shot in 1983 three years before Top Gun. The funniest thing on watching was it contained the same as Top Gun, but in grey communist normalization version. Love story of a pilot and a girl from the base, the pilot who should be the best, but fights with the ghosts in his head instead, life at the base, tough but caring commanders … you name it. See a few comparisons (click to enlarge).

Opening credits

Pilots on the runway at the base

Pilot’s lockers

Femme fatale (Marketa Fiserova vs. Kelly McGillis)

Commanders in parade uniforms

Bodies on display

Cars scenes after leaving the base (this one is particularly bizarre – Skodas & Wartburgs compared to whatever what were the regular American cars of the eighties)

During my couple of minutes long watch I noticed two things which the Czechoslovakian movie featured, but original American version did not. Those might  be the difference between Czech and American movies even today – drinking and the nudity :)