Tim in Germany!

October 25, 2005

First Week in

yup, Im officially a week old Masters student.

As with my last posts, so far so good. I gave a 1 hr presentation today on vacuum technology. Now, I knew that my 8 month stint with the McMaster Fireball show would someday payoff...maybe, but it really has. As much as it wasn't an engineering internship by any means, it really prepares you for some important parts of a technical career, communication. It is almost as important as knowing the math, the abstract ideas, and the current events. I was assigned the topic less than a week ago and was a little worried as to the outcome, but after I collected my info, the transparencies and the presentation took no time.

'Transparencies?' some of you might be asking, well, this goes back to communication. There is a big difference between summarizing your ideas well on a page for an audience to refer to as you're speaking, and just writing point form of everything you want to say. After the hour, even the prof came up, patted me on the back, and told me it was 'excellent'. I'm not one for relishing in compliments, but it still felt pretty good. Plus, the guy who went right after me, made all of the mistakes one should not make, and got reamed out for them. I felt bad for him, but it made me think of why mine went so much better...communication. huh, who knew riding in a van with Rmac for months educating high school students as to the wonders of education and science would actually pay out in the end, but it really has. Thanks Mac Eng.

k, I should probably tell a couple of the fun stories that I've experienced over the last couple days. The first one was called the 'Bierlauft' (translated literally as 'Beer Walk'). Definitely one of the funniest things Ive seen since coming here 2 months ago.

It was an event put on by one of the many campus bars and involved groups of 3 and a case of beer. There was a track of about 3.5 km around the campus laid out, and the goal was to traverse the trail as fast as you could go, all the while drinking the entire case of beer over the 3 people. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this, most teams did it in around 30-40 minutes, which is a shitload of beer to consume while running as fast as you could.

I was rooting for some of my American friends, appropriately named: Team America (Fuck Yeah!). I would have definitely joined, but unfortunately, i heard about the event too late, so team Canada was a no go. There were a few stations set up with various tasks to perform before the team could move on (ie. build a paper boat, which is not too easy while hammered and exhausted). Also, each team had to bring back each beer, totally empty, with a bag of all the bottle caps.

The race itself was entertaining, although because i wasnt partaking in the consumption activities, it wasnt that fun. The real fun came after the teams finished.

I have never seen to much vomit in my entire life. (and for those who have known me a while, Ive seen some shit in my day)

Nearly every team, upon crossing the finish line, found a patch of grass by the bar and heaved up 8 beers worth of puke in a magnificent display of self destruction. Everyone was cheering for them as they lost it, partly because i was drinking during the race as well.

Well, the race was a close one (the teams were staggered by a few minutes, so we werent sure who actually won till later), but I knew Team America did very well, but they had a problem, they were missing a beer cap (which cost them 5 minutes penalty). Call it fate, call it luck...hell, call it good international relations if you want, but I so happened to be drinking the same beer they received, and managed to keep the beer caps in my pocket. So I yelled to them that I think I saw it 'over there', quickly performed the smooth cap hand off, and saved the day.

A mere beer cap? yes, a mere fuckin beer cap.

Turns out they were ahead by a mere 3 minutes and that beer cap actually kept them in 1st place. So they won, and the bar hosting it provided everyone with free beers and delicious BBQ afterwards.

They won a free dinner and pitcher of beer from the bar, and last night they invited me to come and enjoy the feast with them, it was stupendous. A huge platter of meat, fries, and chicken wings, for all of us, and of course delicous German beer.

I decided that day that next year, I will definitely be participating in the annual Bierlauft here. Even though i wasnt even competing, Im very glad i went.

I could tell some more stories from the weekend, but this post is long enough, and I know how much of a chore it is to read these epics (who here knows Nick Leeson?). But short story, checked out Henning's band, they were awesome, then promptly went downtown where a large group of us drank, danced, and debauched the city till sunrise. It was also a great night, but I guess that sums it up pretty nicely.

All in all, life is still grand, and I really have no complaints. peace

October 21, 2005

Physics Prof



I got a couple pictures of my tweaked out Quantum Theory prof today. It wasn't easy trying to get a picture of the man, without being overly obvious that I was taking his picture. Keep in mind there's 10 people in the class, so I can't really blend in too well. Regardless, here's the pics. His name is Dr. Fähnle, and hes definitely a dude. I can see me being him in about 30 years...hah, I kinda hope not...

October 20, 2005

First week of school

Almost done my first week of school here. and well, so far so good. Im really liking my classes, had a great one today on the Physics of Atoms and Nuclei. The sub-atomic world is one messed up place, Im glad I experience things in this scale.

The system here is really interesting, and as far as I can tell, way better for those actually interested in education. For those who go to school to get a job, it might not be the perfect surroundings, but for all those other 'professional students' out there, this place is great.

For starters, you don't sign up for courses. You only sign up for exams. You look at the schedule, and you attend the lectures you want. Now, I have to get a few required courses (or Pflichtkursen, as the Germans would say), but even still, I cant take them whenever I want.

There are also no marks, which coming from a system which prides itself on standardization and organization of students, is very strange. My mark is either a fail, or a pass. Well, I guess theres a bit of marks, buts totally determined by the professors judgment on how well you grasp the material. A '0' is sastisfactory, a '-' is sub par (but still a pass), and a '+' is above average. I find it funny that I can get '-'s across the board, and still pass. The lectures are very interesting, although right now, alot of it is review. Our school system in Canada is very very good. When talking to some other students here, it seems like we are very well prepared. There are really no assignments or tests throughout the term, not graded at least, so it is a very independent way of learning, which I have always thrived on. I found in N.A. that I was so caught up pumping out assignments like a Ford Model-T assembly line that there was no time to really think about the material, and form a real understanding.

Upon coming here, I had heard that the atmosphere in class is much different from in North America. I heard that since school is free for everyone, the professors have the opinion that it is a priveledge for the students to be 'graced' by their presence. Questions are avoided, and well, they don't care about anyone in the class. Ive been told this is true for some faculties (economics, for example) but my lectures have been very open and interactive, and the professors are always eager to answer any question you have on the spot. This may be because there are only 10 people in my class, and this atmosphere is not very feasible in a class of 200. Regardless, the professors are really bright and warm people.

I need to get a picture of my quantum theory prof. He's such a stereotypical theoretical physicist. He looks like he hasnt shaved or cut his hair in about 10 years, but is a very cool person.

And my exams are going to be interesting. There are no written exams, all oral. this means I sit with each prof one-on-one, and he questions me for 30 minutes on any topic covered in the course. He then gives his personal opinion on how well I grasp the information, and passes or fails me accordingly. I find this better, because we all know how studying goes for our exams in Canada. We know the basic topics, maybe some keys problems, and we study exactly how to solve these problems. So when they come up on a test, we vomit the procedure out, and the better we regurgitate the method and information, the better we do. This totally rids the system of that, and guages your personal understanding of key concpets. It also give you a chance to not make retarded errors at the start and finish a long question with false assumptions. The prof can reask the question, or give you a general direction to take. Very comfortable.

I think I like the freedom that this system gives. It requires one to stay on tope of lectures, but I only have about 6 or 7 lectures a week, which is great. I can also sit in on lectures that I know I will be taking in the upcoming years, and prepare beforehand, if time allows.

All in all, Im very happy with the structure of the system here, and I hope it continues to be this open-ended and free. I recommend anyone to try this out, if they are able to afford the 108 EU tuition per term ;) ... I know, Im rubbing it in. sorry.

My classmates are all pretty cool. I'd say about half are people I know I will get along with very well. There is one guy who came straight from Baghdad, I had a long talk with him and he has some very interesting things to say about the current situation there. I'll post that when I get some free time. I have a 40 minute seminar that I have to give on Tuesday, and I really haven't started, so that will take up my weekend, for sure, but hey, I like talking, and after my non-engineering Fireball internship, I can talk to anyone about anything.

peace and love

t

October 17, 2005

First Day

I start school today. Ive been here over 6 weeks and my fun time may be slowing down. Hopefully not, I just have no idea how this is gonna work, but here I am regardless.

I kinda have one of those corny 'first day of the rest of my life' feelings. I know, its corny, what can i say?

I finally get to meet some people who Im studying with. So far, Ive only met one person of all the international students whos in physics. Hes a nice guy, but a little creepy on first impression. Im sure that will go away.

October 13, 2005

Freedom and damn good reefer

I finally have some free time and Im recovered from my one single night in Amsterdam on the weekend. Here's the brief story.

We rented a Mercedes E500 for the weekend. There were 5 of us, including Ashleyfrom Whitey and his buddy Ryan. They had just finished a 3 week bender throughout Europe. Im very jealous of their trip. Ask Ash for the full details, but they have some funny ass stories.

The car was a pretty good deal, only because we had 5 of us. In the end, the transportation including gas (which is super ass expensive here, really, Canadians have nothing to bitch at) was less than a single way ticket by train. AND...I got to drive on the Autobahn, which was a great great great experience. If anyone is planning on coming to Germany with some friends, driving, even for a few days, is a great time. I took this beast, fully loaded with 5 dudes, up to 220 km/h and it was cruising with a hum. We all laughed, cause North American cars let you know around 160, that theyre not likin it, and by 200, the car is shaking enough for you to fly off the road. There is definitely a superior level of automobile here. I was very impressed, even though its a simple station wagon here.

We arrived in Amsterdam around 3ish on Saturday, found an underground car park right next to the central station (turned out to be a very expensive decision, but again, over 5 people, its a good deal). We started the bender as soon as we could get to a coffeeshop. Once we got stoned, we went to find one of the real nice coffeeshop's, like Barney's. I only know this place from Aaron. It's definitely a tourist place, but their weed has won many Cannabis Cup's, and the atmosphere is really cool. I smoked from a Volcano vapourizer, which was a treat. I made a video of it inflating, ask me if you want to see it.

Umm, after there, it was kinda a blur, we ended up frequenting many odd coffeeshops, bars, restaurants, shish bars, till about 3 am when the bars and clubs were starting to close. We were wandering aimlessly looking for a place to consume more...well, whatever we could find, really. We see this guy talking into a wall mic next to a door, and the door buzzer goes off and the guy opens it and walks in. We saw people in there, so decided to catch the door before it closed and walk in casually. We lucked out, as it was a British members club. We got some stares as we were obviously wasted and not all british, but they served us and let us chill there till they closed around 4. We figured there was nothing left to do in Amsterdam at 4am, but only when I showed the guys the red light district. Ash, Ryan, and myself have already been to the city, and we've seen our share of the insane world that is controlled prostitution, but anyone's whos never been walking through those streets, has to do it once. My two American buds though had never been, so it was right time to take a walk.

Theyre faces were priceless. They really didn't know what to say. To us, prostitution is a very secretive and downright dirty thing. But seeing the sex organized in little windows with a 'On Duty' light above them, is really mind blowing. So anyway, we take our tour of the red light, and figure its time to get some sleep. We were planning on sleeping in the car lot and finding a place in the morning to sleep. We were getting settled, when I decided I have to pee. I ask the security guard who we've seen every time we go in and out, and he tells me theres no washrooms in the area. In my drunken state, I walk downstairs to where the car is, and decided I gotta go, no matter what. I find a dark corner, and fully knowing there were cameras placed around, I start relieving myself. Not a second after Im done, I hear the guard yellin at me, who's not very happy. Needless to say, he made me give him 45EU then, or he would call the cops and make me pay 90. I knew I was drunk and stupid, and got blatently caught, so I paid the man. My first international fine, now that I think about it.

We were told to go, so we drove out of the parking lot and decided to find a side of the road to crash, which we did. Ryan and Ash had to catch a train at 8, so they left us around 7ish, and we crashed in the car.

After that, our trip turned out to be pretty normal. We had a weed breakfast with Bacon and Eggs, did some shopping, and took off around 5 for home. We were home by 11:30 on Sunday, ready to get up Monday for class. It was a fun trip, weve all decided to do it again.

Since then, Ive been fucking around, sleeping alot, and writing my final test for my german class. Its now all over, had our last class today. I didn't really know that we were being graded for this, but I ended up with a good grade. My grammer and stuff, I got like a B equivalent (they have a Mark system of 1-5, 1 being best (like an A+)). My speaking I got an A+, which its always nice to get, as much as its not a real course. Most days were pretty fun, because we could really say whatever we wanted, as long as it was in German. Some days were long and tiring, which is why Im delighted its over.

Gonna sleep in tomorrow, which is always nice, and try to get some shit ready for the first day of school Monday

t

October 08, 2005

Goin to Amsterdam

Quick post

So we rented a Mercedes Today and were leaving to Amsterdam in a few minutes. This will be my first experience with driving on the Autobahn, I'll tell you how that goes later.

Ashley and Ryan are back, we got drunk last night at Volks fest, it was my 10th time or so, got a great movie of us on the rollercoaster, pretty funny stuff.

k, gotta go, I'll post when we get back.

t

October 04, 2005

For those who are sick of ugly windows but cant afford a MAC

Thanks to Charlie for this link.

There's cool software package out that makes any PC look like a MAC, my favourite part about this is that awesome docking unit at the bottom of the screen. I always liked that about MAC. Check out info here. A few of the download mirrors weren't working, but this one worked just fine.

If it starts buggering up my computer I'll post it here, but so far I dig the style.

And Im trying to figure out if it comes with that cool utility that OSX Macs have, where you can view all the open windows at once, and choose, Im getting tired of the crazy amounts of tabs at the bottom, especially when youre doing something that requires alot of file moving from different parts of the hard drive. Any Mac users know what this is called? Help me out.

On a secondary note, I've had this bloody adware virus on my computer for months now. It's definitely the most relentless piece of shit Ive ever seen. It calls itself the Aurora virus, and no spyware program I've seen can battle it. It took me over 2 hours to get it off my system. I swear it was everywhere. But I WON, bitch!

If this sounds familiar to any of you (I read its passed through Bittorrent), check this out, it's a good way of getting it off, but it really isn't easy. Apparently, it's one of the toughest bastards to get rid of. Theres multiple files, that if you simply delete one, the other ones recreate it in seconds. Plus the registry was clogged with so many entries of this shit, I spent a good hour going through it and trying to get every last one. I've said this before, but it's on my mind now...

Anyone who has ever made a virus and distributed it to the masses should be shot through the head. Normally, Im a pretty tolerant and passive person, but I say we execute these assholes. And that goes for anyone reading this who has ever distributed a virus...WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? GET A REAL JOB AND STOP MESSING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES.

Sorry, kinda got outta control there. I caught a cold, and don't feel well, but my statement still stands.

out

October 01, 2005

On the thoughts of our countries...

k, so after learning from the BBC personality test that I'm a big thinker, I guess I should start to act like one. :)

I was posting a comment to my buddy Dan's blog, and it turned out to be a full post for myself, so I'll throw it up here. First, read his post on his thoughts on Capatalism in America and where it has gone/where it is going.

After reading his questions and ideas: here's my thoughts...

I've definitely toyed with the idea of a socialism/capatalism hybrid, but I think I have come to the conclusion that it is not sustainable. If the hybrid were to exist, they would have to exist on different scales (which, I suppose, is what Canada is trying to acheive). The biggest problem I see is that fundamentaly, capitalism is required to promote growth, the bottom line, profits at every quarter. Socialist programs (ie Canada's health care system) is designed to continually be at a loss, monetarily.

The discrepancy between this 'constant growth' and 'constant loss' may come in the social/intellectual benefits that a social program would promote.

Let's take education: as much as it costs the government billions per year to make sure the program functions properly, and all it's citizens are educated, the benefits from this 'monetary loss' is hopefully made up by an intelligent, well-educated population, which could turn around and make wiser choices regarding their country, giving a greater 'worth' to the system that capatalism alone would have spent more money on to acheive.

The key to this is something that is starting to be seen in Canada, and very rarely in America: social responsibility. Living in Europe, I have heard this term alot, and it really is essential for this hybrid to exist. Everyone must understand that they are not just an individual amongst the masses (which we are), but a key in a larger movement of people. You see it here with general attitudes of one person towards another. Every action is preceded by a simple thought: "what if everyone took this same action, what would the larger ramifications be?". Often, considering the masses, and considering the self are, in fact, two completely different choices.

But I am still not convinced that a hybrid such as this can survive sustainably. There is always underlying factors, that rants such as this cannot take into account. Chaotic factors that can balloon out of control and destroy any or all of the initial dream.

But my original suggestion would have to be to try having a socialist government (although I see true socialism as having no government, similar to anarchism), while trying to maintain a capatalist way of life for the individual. This, of course, has already been tried in countries such as Canada, Sweeden, Finland, Germany, a few other European countries, and recently, Venezuela. Having talked personally to citizens from all these countries, there is one predominant thought...it can't keep itself going.

For social programs to be funded monetarily, the cash has to come from somewhere, taxes. In Sweeden and Finland, for example, the tax rate is so high that no one has the opportunity to enjoy the commodities that, say, Americans, get to enjoy. It worked for some time, but is starting to crumble in amongst itself. Venezuela, with their leader, Chavez, has these ideas for the country, but is way too poor to keep these programs available and reasonable. They have oil money, but extremely impovershed masses. This case is one I did not know about until personally talking to an intelligent Venezuelen exchange student here .

I guess this is one issue that really cannot be resolved by debating alone, and may seem to be showing to fail over time in practice. Any comments from anyone? This is a topic that I feel everyone should have some opinion on, as it will someday affect each and everyone of our live's directly.

Ciao