Google Earth is updating his imagery repository with more accurate views, and now also a piece of Vienna is covered at maximum zoom.
Here you see a portion of the Donaukanal and Alberner Hafenzufahrtsstra

Ladies and Gentlemen, its 2 a.m.

I was sitting in the Rhiz with a friend and 5 times a police car came around. 5 times! Is there a memo i didnt read? Since when are so many of them cruising around in this area?

I imagegoogled and found a picture of a penguin fountain somewhere in Vienna.

Does anybody know where it is?
Perfect place for Linux meetings, isn’t it?

Times New Roman… deluxe.

Translation: Closed due to bank robbery.

Location: Volksbank on Mariahilfer Stra

The bagel originated in Europe, most probably in Poland. An old story has it that the hand-sized boiled and baked ring of dough originated in the late 17th century, when a Vienna-based Jewish baker created some bagels as a gift to Jan Sobieski, King of Poland to celebrate Sobieski’s victory over the Turks. The baker tried to form a stirrup - to praise the King’s successful cavalry. That the name “bagel” originated from “beugal” (stirrup) is considered plausible by many historians.

Bagels are not very common in Austria, but you can get some really nice specimens around Vienna.

I recommend ‘Bagel Station’ @ Capistranigasse.

My favourite treat: Onion bagel with roast beef, rocket salad (*), cress, tomato and remolade.

I know… specialized photographers are paid a lot of money to take pictures of dishes that actually make the food look *good*. I just have an old Ixus with a flash that evaporates strange smoke every time I use it… but the bagel is really good. I promise!

(*) Hey, hey, no silly jokes, it’s just the English term for “Ruccola”.

The “add-on” at Wallensteinplatz in the 20th district will only be there for another few days. I give you three good reasons to go there this weekend: First, if you haven’t seen the place yet, this is your last chance. You will otherwise regret it soon. Second, there is going to be a three-day workshop on participatory TV production in connection with architecture and public spaces, called “Space Shift“, organized by architect Lena Nalbach and David Bovill from the Vienna Community TV project. Find their invitation below. And third, on Saturday evening, Austrofred will be performing his fabulous music comedy show there.

SpaceShift on add on

From thursday evening till sunday morning, the programme will focus on meetings every evening that offer the possibility to exchange and contribute to the project, as well as a picknick on the Flaktowers in Augarten on Saturday and a final brunch Sunday.

I have a deep love for my little cute Nearly every day i carry this sweet baby in my bag, and if something catches my attention i take pictures of it. Mind you, i dont do it professionally (not even close to it), but it makes me happy and all fuzzy inside. One goes out and drink to be happy, and i take pictures of people, bugs, things, houses, you name it i got it. Close to my work youll always find someone making music to earn a few bucks. Sometimes there is a young man playing the guitar, sometimes a woman singing, and sometimes an older man playing violin. I always turn off the mp3 player to listen to his music, and if i have a few coins in my pocket i pay for the little happiness his music produces in the early morning. Last week i had my Z2 baby with me, and decided to take pictures of him. Before doing that, i asked him if that would be alright. Mind you, its an act of fear and not politeness. One day an old woman decided to hit me with her walking stick cause she thought i was taking pictures of her. The violin player was okay with that, and even posed for me (which i usually hate. the natural factor of the picture is lost, and the photo will turn out artificial and far from “real life”-ish). When i finished he asked me if i could give him a picture. He didnt really ask with words, it was more a physical language we talked. I dont speak hungarian (which i would love to learn), and he didnt understand me that well. I promised to bring him the pictures as soon as they got developed. Yesterday we met again, but i didnt pick up the photos yet. He seemed sad and somewhat suspicious about me not bringing him the pictures like i promised him to. I told him that ill be around today around 5pm, and would he bere here then? Yes, of course. You should have seen his eyes when he saw the photos. I got A4 sized prints, and gave him 3. For myself i kept 3 other prints. He took my hand and said “Danke Madame” and mentioned that his family in Hungary will get those pictures. I made this man smile and be happy with merely 2 minutes of taking pictures, and a few euros for getting the prints. His happiness made me happy, just like his violin music in th early morning.

I went outside of the subway station, changing the mp3 and got pushed aside by a young dude running into the station. Thats nothing unusual, so i didnt bother calling him bad names or throw my shoes after him. But when i looked back to my way, i saw a man laying behind the corner of the station. Next to him were several empty beer cans, smoked cigarettes, and a gross fluid created a little sea next to his head. I turned around to see if someone else noticed him. Everyone noticed him. Noone wants to see something like that, obviously none of the youngsters or workaloholics bothered anyways. I got a bit closer to the man, observing him. He didnt seem to breath, i didnt see his chest moving up and down, only saw his mouth wide open and closed eyes. Now the stupidity and lack of social behaviour starts. Instead of asking him if he is alright, i went back into the station looking for the subway-security. Found the woman in her cabine, and told her about a seeminly unconciousness man laying outside. She nodded and followed me back to this poor guy. With a face that showed more routine than anything else, she touched the body with one of her feet asking the man to wake up. Nothing happened. I felt the need to take my mobile and call the ambulance. She pushed him a little bit more harsh than before, and he finally opened his eyes. I didnt hear what she said, and i couldnt stand there anymore and left. She probably told him to leave this area, and take the empty beer cans with him. She probably told him not to stay here any longer. What makes me mad is the thought that he simply slept there and i managed to get him sent away. I didnt mind him laying there, but since he wasnt moving at all i was scared he might have passed out - or worse - died. I am feeling sorry for him now. I shouldnt have acted like a scared little girl and ran for the security, but should have talked to him myself.

Scene: yesterday evening, in a subway station, waiting for one of my last* daily rides on U6.

Suddenly a tall and skinny woman on his forties (I guess) begins to yell something like a name, and approaches me with open arms.
Then follows three endless seconds where:
- I turn my head to see who’s the person behind me, but… there’s NOBODY behind me.
- my brain elaborates at least ten reasons why a unknown woman should approach me in that way, and none of them are really encouraging.
- I start to take a better look at her, maybe I SHOULD know this person. I damn my perpetual inability to remember faces.
- I resign to get through this “unusual” meeting.
But… at not more than 1 meter of distance to me, the woman realizes I’m not the person she believes. She turns red and excuses. To relieve her uncomfortable condition, I use my well tested “dummy tourist” formula and tell her “mi spiace, non parlo tedesco**”.

The sense of the story? Well, I’ve got a clone in Vienna!

* Why last? An explanatory post will come next week. Stay tuned :)
** Sorry, I don’t speak German.

Big bakery company adverts for a “Sale or Return” bun.

Well…

What’s the difference between a bun and an industrial eatable bun-like object?

Bun:
You can sell it because it’s a good product. That normally means you invest time, care and good basic materials to make the bun a good one. The customers like it and therefore buy it.

Industrial eatable bun-like object:
You only put as much material and time and effort into the production of a bun as necessary. So to say… as long as you still can call it a ‘bun’ (depending on local food laws) you can sell it. And you use your time and care to do a lot of advertisement.