Moving on

To my small yet faithful band of followers and occasional casual visitors, This will be my last post on this blog. It has been 56 days since I last posted. Clearly my heart is no longer in this endeavor, so it is time to move on. There are two key reasons for my decision: I have …

The Kiss Reloaded

On Valentine’s Day I wrote about how the Belvedere in Vienna sold 10,000 digital segments of Gustav Klimt’s Der Kuss as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). In my original post I noted that when asked why the Belvedere was engaging in this sensational action, museum director Wolfgang Bergmann answered simply: “Why not?” My original refutation of Bergmann’s …

Sunday Best

After blowing my 1,465-day streak back in February, I have been looking for a new crossword highlight. Today, on an incredibly easy puzzle, I got a new Sunday best solve time of 26:45. I certainly won’t be winning any crossword competitions any time soon, but I’m still proud of my accomplishment.

Midas Touch

I’m back after a week-long posting hiatus. The triple whammy of illness, trip to the States, and recovery from jet lag, left me needing a break. I’m feeling better now and ready to titillate you again with musing on matters cultural, political, philosophical, or simply trivial. Today, I bring you another installment of things the …

Platform 9

Here is a new addition to the list of things the world doesn’t need. The Riesenrad (giant Ferris wheel) in the Vienna Prater has added an outdoor glass platform between the traditional closed cars. According to the operator, visitors can now get an “adrenaline kick” while experiencing Vienna from a new perspective. New Platform 9 …

TLDR

Unfortunately, many of my students are unable to read and comprehend longer text passages. They simply lack the required concentration. I am not the only person to notice decreasing attentiveness. Cathy O’Neil, the author of Weapons of Math Destruction, recently reviewed two books on the subject in a New York Times article titled: Why Can’t …

Willi Resetarits 1948-2022

Today is a day of mourning in Austria. Yesterday, Willi Resetarits, alias Dr. Kurt Ostbahn aka Ostbahn-Kurti, died. The obituary in Die Presse calling him a “Bruce Springsteen from Favoriten” could not be more fitting. Kurti, you will be missed. So, in tribute, get ready for some working-class Viennese dialect and blues. Here is Resetartis …

Future of Europe

Tomorrow is a pivotal day for Europe. In a run-off election for the office of President of France, incumbent Emmanuel Macron faces off against challenger Marine Le Pen. The importance of this election extends far beyond French borders. It is a litmus test for the stability and future of the European Union. The position of …

Priceless

I have returned from my trip to the States. Totaling up the financial damage, I am reminded of MasterCard’s “priceless” advertising campaign from the late 1990s. Airfare:€ 680.00Ground transportation:€ 45.00Rental car:€ 580.00Food and meals:€ 320.00Miscellaneous: € 130.00Six days on the road with my son:priceless https://youtu.be/71KAO_bmc2o Priceless, McCann-Erickson, 1997 Despite MasterCard’s commercial intentions, the message behind …

Which came first?

Between sorting through what is left of my mom’s possessions and visiting her in her new digs at the assisted living facility, I have been trying to keep up with the responsibilities of my various jobs back in Austria. To facilitate this, I set up several tasks, before leaving, that I can complete on the …