Die Hitzespannung steigt weiter: 25. Juni

Wir kommen langsam an einen Punkt, an dem das Arbeiten tagsüber immer schwieriger wird. Es fühlt sich irgendwie seltsam an, in der Wettervorhersage 40 Grad zu sehen. Und das in Deutschland, nicht in Spanien! Heute sollen es „nur“ 35 Grad werden. Aber selbst das setzt uns schon ziemlich zu.

Wie ich bereits erzählt habe, hat unser Hotel keine Klimaanlage. Das Gebäude ist alt und bleibt zwar lange kühl, aber wenn es sich einmal aufheizt, dauert es auch entsprechend lange, bis es wieder abkühlt. Noch schlimmer ist allerdings, dass unser Badezimmerfenster keinen Vorhang hat. Es zeigt nach Osten, und schon gegen acht Uhr morgens fühlt sich das Badezimmer wie eine Sauna an. Ich musste deshalb meine Cremes und andere Pflegeprodukte ins Zimmer bringen, weil sie dort bereits ganz warm geworden waren. Ich bin mir nämlich nicht sicher, ob sie dann noch die gleiche Wirkung haben. Was ist, wenn sie plötzlich genau das Gegenteil bewirken und ich statt weniger Falten am Ende noch mehr bekomme? Natürlich nur ein Scherz. Das wäre vermutlich noch mein kleinstes Problem – zumal ich sowieso kaum in den Spiegel schaue. Trotzdem wird es immer schwieriger, das Zimmer kühl zu halten. Den Ventilator lassen wir inzwischen fast den ganzen Tag laufen, aber viel hilft das auch nicht. Zum Glück haben wir Vorhänge im Zimmer, die wir tagsüber geschlossen halten. Das Fenster können wir allerdings nicht schließen, weil man sonst kaum noch Luft bekommt. Übrigens: Gestern haben wir unser Zimmer nach der zweiten oder dritten Nachfrage tatsächlich sauber vorgefunden. Die Bettwäsche und die Handtücher waren frisch, aber der Teppich und der Badezimmerboden ... na ja, eher nicht. Da fragte ich mich schon wieder, ob vielleicht wegen unserer Hunde gar nicht gesaugt wird. Meine Freunde lachen inzwischen über mich, aber heute habe ich tatsächlich einen Staubsauger bei Amazon bestellt. Eigentlich wollten wir ohnehin schon länger einen kleinen Akkustaubsauger fürs Auto und für unsere Winter in Spanien kaufen. Also wird er auf jeden Fall nützlich sein. Wenn ich allerdings jemandem erzähle, dass wir im Hotel wohnen und ich mir dafür einen Staubsauger kaufe, schaut man mich meistens ziemlich verwundert an. Na ja... Eigentlich ist das Hotel gar kein Loch. Sagen wir einfach: Es ist ein bisschen ... künstlerisch. 😉

Was die Arbeit betrifft, habe ich dagegen wirklich Glück. Unser Büro bleibt angenehm kühl. Auch das ist ein altes Gebäude, aber es heizt sich längst nicht so stark auf. Zumindest nicht der Raum, in dem ich mit meinen Kolleginnen arbeite. Ehrlich gesagt gehe ich zwischendurch manchmal sogar kurz nach draußen, um mich ein wenig aufzuwärmen. Nach drei Stunden am Schreibtisch fühlen sich meine Hände richtig kalt an. Mindaugas stellt jedes Mal fest, dass ich kalte Hände habe, wenn er mich gegen vier Uhr abholt. Bei der Arbeit habe ich also überhaupt keine Probleme. Viel schwieriger ist es für meinen Mann. Er arbeitet tagsüber meistens im Erdgeschoss des Hotels, weil es dort deutlich kühler ist als in unserem Zimmer. Gleichzeitig muss er aber darauf achten, dass unsere beiden Assistenten Pipiras und Begemotas ruhig unter dem Tisch bleiben. Sie sind nämlich ziemlich neugierig. Nach einer Weile wird ihnen langweilig, und dann möchten sie am liebsten mit allen vorbeigehenden Menschen Freundschaft schließen.

Heute habe ich zusammen mit Kai noch die fehlenden Voice-over-Texte aufgenommen und anschließend ein paar Routineaufgaben erledigt. Unsere Gespräche im Büro drehen sich übrigens oft darum, meinen deutschen Wortschatz zu erweitern. Heute stand das Thema Regen und Gewitter auf dem Programm. Heutzutage ist das Lernen wirklich einfach geworden. Selbst wenn ich die Wörter falsch aufschreibe, hilft mir später mein Freund ChatGPT dabei, sie richtig einzuordnen. Also, wie gesagt, heute haben wir über die unterschiedlichsten Arten von Regen gesprochen – nieseln, tröpfeln, pladdern, schütten, gießen und vieles mehr. Natürlich auch über Gewitter und andere Wetterbegriffe – fast so, als könnten wir mit diesen Wörtern selbst ein Gewitter heraufbeschwören. Am besten gefallen mir allerdings immer die Wörter, mit denen man jemanden liebevoll beschimpfen kann. Deshalb finde ich Begriffe wie Nulpe, Flitzpiepe oder Knilch besonders nützlich. Hoffentlich habe ich sie alle richtig aufgeschrieben. Ich habe nämlich eine ganz typische Angewohnheit: Ich kenne die Wörter eigentlich, verwechsle aber ständig die Vorsilben oder Endungen. Dann sage ich zum Beispiel “anreichern” statt “erreichen”. Oder ich frage: “Was steht drin?“”, obwohl ich eigentlich “Was ist drin?” meine. Oder – noch besser – ich sage einfach “Gummi”, obwohl ich “Kaugummi” meine! 🙈 Ach ja... In meiner Dolmetschprüfung habe ich sogar einmal “Kühlung mit “Erkältung” verwechselt. Zum Glück sind meine Kolleginnen und Kollegen sehr geduldig.

Zum Schluss noch eine Beobachtung. In Berlin gibt es unglaublich viele Wildtiere! Das hat mich wirklich überrascht. Bei unseren Spaziergängen begegnen wir regelmäßig Füchsen, Dutzenden von Kaninchen und unzähligen Vögeln. Meine Freundin erzählte mir außerdem, dass hier sogar Wildschweine, Rehe und noch viele andere Tiere leben. Zuerst dachte ich, das liege einfach an unserer Wohngegend. Schließlich wohnen wir direkt am Tierpark und ziemlich am Stadtrand. Aber nein. Sogar mitten in Berlin gibt es Füchse und Kaninchen. Mindaugas erzählte mir, dass diese Füchse überhaupt keine Angst vor Menschen hätten. Als wir zum ersten Mal einem begegneten, dachten wir sogar, er sei vielleicht krank. Er stand einfach auf der anderen Straßenseite, schaute uns an und blieb völlig ruhig stehen, obwohl wir mit unseren Hunden vorbeigingen. Mit den Kaninchen ist es ganz ähnlich. Sie sitzen gemütlich im Gebüsch, beobachten, wie Pipiras und der Hund meiner Freundin völlig verrückt werden, und denken gar nicht daran wegzulaufen. Offenbar wissen sie ganz genau, dass die Hunde an der Leine sind und sie ohnehin nicht erreichen können. Heute haben wir bei einer solchen Begegnung sogar noch ein kleines Drama erlebt. Pipiras ist an solche Begegnungen noch überhaupt nicht gewöhnt. Aber ehrlich gesagt gilt das auch für den Hund meiner Freundin. Deshalb wäre es hier viel zu gefährlich, Hunde frei laufen zu lassen. Man weiß schließlich nie, wann sie plötzlich den Jagdinstinkt entdecken.

1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, 321p: I had fun reading this book. I've heard of it before. I knew it was a classic from Canadian literature. I had the chance to visit Prince Edward Island, so I decided that the trip was the perfect moment to read this book. The protagonist, Anne, is the joy of the book. She is always looking at the bright side of things, she inspires courage and joy. And she is such a relentless creative soul. I loved her vivid imagination and her curiosity. Overall, I was glad I spent some time with Anne and her friends, it was a it was a comforting read that brought the landscapes of Prince Edward Island to life right before my eyes.

2. Shady Hollow (A Shady Hollow Mystery #1 ) by Juneau Black, 208p: I enjoyed most of this book, I thought it was cozy and interesting at the beginning. I began to lose interest past halfway through because the resolution to the mystery seemed very obvious to me. It's cute, but at some moments I had difficulty suspending my disbelief with the anthropomorphic animals. It didn't grab me enough for me to continue the series. 

3. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers, 404p: I re-read this one for my local Book Club. I first read it back in 2017, and I remember I was far too harsh on this book. This time around I enjoyed it more because I am in a place right now where I can appreciate cozy, lower stakes stories. It is really low stakes, there are some tense moments, but conflicts are easily resolved, and you get back to just hanging out with this found family spaceship crew. It reminded me a lot of The Expanse series, but without the whole complex world building and political shenanigans. I could not stop visualizing the Wayfarer’s captain, Ashby, as James Holden. The book's positive points still hold up beautifully: diverse characters representing different sentient species with all types of biologies and cultures, interesting discussions on different types of relationships, and exploration of Artificial Intelligence rights and sentience. It actually works well as a comforting, character-driven space opera.

#readinglist #books #reading

As you can imagine, today has served as a recovery day. I slept in because we got in really late, and I don’t have a job to get to. In a way, this was a bit of a pro at least in this situation. I don’t have any plans so I will simply take it easy. Once I am better rested and recovered, I can get back to making a game plan for whatever comes next.

I continue to check for updates on my situation, but there have been absolutely no changes. I am getting anxious that this will last longer than I originally planned, however it remains outside of my control.

Thank you for your message. I am currently out of office with no set return date. I will get back to you when the time is right.

This heat wave is awful. Our Airbnb’s AC can’t keep up and we are suffering through it. It is our last day here but we are not heading back home until very late in the night. We have a concert to attend this evening! Our group split up into two for the afternoon and it was so fun, some of us wanted to do different things, so we figured it would be best to split up and reconvene before the concert.

Packing up and getting ready was a bit stressful but I am glad we got through it and in time to make it to the venue early. My parents watched the youngest and my dog while the rest of us went to the concert. It was an incredible night and one that I won’t forget. I wish our trip was a bit extended, but I am glad we are heading back tonight before my dog gets any worse. In a way, it was the perfect trip with her and I would not change a thing.

Thank you for your message. I am currently out of office with no set return date. I will get back to you when the time is right.

Today was a super fun day. It feels so odd to be out enjoying myself, while simultaneously obsessively checking in on her through my pet camera and wondering if today will be the day. We had an aquarium visit, pizza dinner and a special shopping trip. There is a crazy heat wave right now, so we tried finding indoor activities. It was super a packed day and my dog kept strong through it all. I am thankful for special moments like these with my family and with her.

Thank you for your message. I am currently out of office with no set return date. I will get back to you when the time is right.

We arrived at our Airbnb super late in the night, so we all slept in a bit and took it easy. My dog did great on the ride and seems to be doing just fine. I looked up some emergency vet locations near us just in case, but I really hope she makes it back home with us. We are only here for a few days and we brought all her favorite things to keep her comfortable.

I was able to meet up with a friend for a few hours before catching up with my family for dinner. It was a short day due to the late night driving, but we have a better plan for tomorrow.

Thank you for your message. I am currently out of office with no set return date. I will get back to you when the time is right.

For sci-fi adventure fans, Novelette 3 (19,700 words) of The Package trilogy series is finally published. It’s $3 for both EPUB and PDF versions on Gumroad.

Click on the Gumroad link here: https://ernestortizwritesnow.gumroad.com/l/thepackagesovereign

The Package (Novelette 1) is also available. Click on the Gumroad link here: https://ernestortizwritesnow.gumroad.com/l/thepackageone

The Package: Foul Run (Novelette 2) is also available. Click on the Gumroad link here: https://ernestortizwritesnow.gumroad.com/l/thepackagefoulrun

I’m currently making the paperback version. All three stories will be on one single book. I will keep you updated.

Let me know what you think. Thank you for your support!

#adventure #gumroad #epub #novelette #PDF #sciencefiction #scifi

I am in Berlin this week for work. It's probably the city I have visited the most in my adult life and this is the first time I am here because of work. I don't think any other city will ever come close to that number.

I still vividly remember my first visit to Berlin. It was August 2017, almost nine years ago. A lot has changed since then. Berlin has always been part of my journey. Not as the main character, but as a recurring character that somehow always gets good screen time.

When I first visited in 2017, the city felt rustic. It felt gritty. It did not feel sophisticated or settled. I still remember the smell of the city. It’s vivid in my memory. I remember eating Pizza Funghi for €5, getting a döner for €4, having to pay for almost everything in cash and walking through neighborhoods that looked run down but had so much character.

I was lucky. I had a friend who was completely immersed in Berlin culture back then. The kind of person you would imagine when you think of Berlin. I was excited to follow him into every corner of the city, to experience the underground techno and art scene and to witness things I have never seen anywhere else since. It all felt different.

I loved every bit of that experience. That was the beginning. Back then, Berlin felt like a place to escape to. A place to hide, to get lost and to simply be yourself.

A few years later, around 5 and half years ago, my visits became much more frequent. More than a tourist, but much less than a business traveller.

The Berlin I experienced then was different.

It felt a little more modern. I heard a lot more English. Card payments were finally common. There were more tourists, more expats, more cultures mixing together, more interesting places to eat, more new streets, 20% Berlin just getting started and an almost finished new airport.

Those were the middle years.

By then, the friend who had introduced me to Berlin had moved on. I had different friends now. Friends who enjoyed cooking, reading, sitting in cafés, trying new restaurants, watching movies, swimming in lakes and walking through parks. Simple things that aren't uniquely Berlin. They're just things people enjoy everywhere.

Now today, Berlin reminds me a little of neighborhoods in New York. It still carries some of that old gritty charm, but not as much as before. It feels more developed, more global and more trendy. Some of the famous Berlin clubs have closed. New, modern square buildings have appeared all over the city. People from every part of the world are here. Some are running away from difficult pasts. Some are simply enjoying life. Most are here because it's Berlin.

And with them comes change. I like that.

This version of Berlin feels like a hub of globalization. People from different cultures, backgrounds and skin colors live together and shape whatever comes next.

These days, I look forward to discovering a new restaurant more than finding another underground club.

Maybe that's because Berlin has changed.

Or maybe I have.

But every now and then, I find myself hoping to catch the scent of the Berlin I first walked into.

Game 3 of 3.

This afternoon's MLB Game once again has the Texas Rangers playing the Cleveland Guardians. This is the third in a set of three games these two teams are playing against each other. The Rangers won the first game by a score of 6 to 3, and the second game by a score of 4 to 2. Today's game is scheduled to start at 12:10 PM CDT. As I usually do, I'll follow the game's score and stats in real time via MLB's Gameday Service where I'll also find a link to the radio-call of the game.

And the adventure continues.

Photo by: Ailbhe Flynn via Unsplash

I was into photography many years ago (like over 40 years ago), and in all this time there have been several significant changes. The single biggest is the change from analog film based photography to digital photography. This one change has completely changed aspects of photography that cannot be understated.

For example, photographers today will never know the joys and horrors of working in a darkroom. Dealing with all the chemicals for developing film and prints. Having to heat up or cool down the developer, and having to be cautious with the timing involved in developing film or prints.

But, while switching to digital tools for “developing” and editing photographs will take some getting used to, that's not the part I want to focus on here. There is something more fundamental in the process of actually taking photographs that has changed. It's something I feel is overlooked if you have experience using film.

This is the ISO setting on the camera. It's easy to understand what this is in digital photography: you are defining / setting the light sensitivity of the sensor in the camera. It's a great feature that leaves the photographer with a lot of flexibility.

But, this quite different from old school film-based photography. Back in those days light sensitivity was defined by physical properties of the film being used. Typically, your camera was locked to the ISO of the film that you were shooting on. Yes, you could change the ISO setting, but then you were choosing to deliberately overexpose or underexpose your film.

There were exceptions in which this was desirable. But, you also had to remember that if you overexposed or underexposed the film you would likely need to adjust your development process to account for it.

Being able to adjust the ISO of the sensor has knock-on effects, since ISO sensitivity is inextricably linked to the range of shutter speeds and aperture settings the photography can select. And this can have other effects, like changing the depth of field.

Digital photography changes the rules in this way. You aren't locked into the physical properties of film anymore. You are, in fact, far more likely to change your ISO based on lighting conditions now than you were in the past. And this takes getting used to, and it changes the way you think about taking a photograph in fundamental ways.

This can make it more interesting in terms of being able to account for other things like aperture, shutter speed, and depth of field. Unlocking the ISO setting has fundamentally changed the way photographers think about the relationship between light and their camera.

Categories: #Features #Tags: #photography, #technology, #education, #learning

Med en hverdag i større og større grad preget av AI, blir behovet for kreativ utfoldelse større.

Følelsen av kreativitet er absolutt til stede, men med AI går den på høygir, og om man ikke stadig får påfyll av den gode kreative flyten i det samme høye tempoet kjenner man fort på at noe mangler. At ting går for sent, at man blir sulteforet. Har man først drukket fra kreativitetens springflod blir man fort uttørket når den reduseres til en liten piplende bekk, om enn bare for en periode.

Jeg har den siste tiden kjent på at jeg har et større behov for å søke andre måter å få kreativ utfoldelse på, i et mer nøkternt tempo. Et tempo som ikke står i fare for å trene refleksene mine til å forvente samme kreative motorvei som AI legger opp til.

Og dette er egentlig positivt, tror jeg. Det tvinger meg til å se på nye veier, nye ting å ta meg til, som kan fylle tomrommet etterlatt etter at trafikken på AI-motorveien har passert, frem til neste rush tid. Jeg kan finne mye nytt å nyte den stillheten med i mellomtiden.

Akkurat derfor spår jeg at mer fysiske, kreative hobbyer og håndverk vil få en ny renessanse når AI-hverdagen stabiliserer seg. Folk vil både ha tid, men også et sterkere behov for å utfolde seg kreativt der jobben kanskje tidligere gav mer enn nok.

Kan det kanskje til og med føre til et løft for kunst og kultur, heller enn at AI skal være dens dommedag?