Think #54: Be a Daredevil

I'd prefer that thing was called Be Daredevil, in which case I'd have prefer to be Hulk or even better Iron Man.

I did try a roller coaster recently, but I think to claim this Thing riding the crystal clear cabin at Ngong Ping 360 was sufficient enough. 

Thing #76: Learn to Say Useful Phrases in Other Languages

I take it computer languages don't count for this one, so lets focus on what most people would consider a 'language'.

I can handle more than a few useful phrases in English (in case you did not notice), which is a good start for this thing. I can order ice cream in German apart from some other equally useful stuff. I even had a complete dialogue in French once, which went something like:

Airline staff: Bonjour!
Me: Bonjour!
Airline staff: Asks for my destination (I could recognise that much!)
Me: Oui
Airline staff: hands me the boarding pass etc
Me: Merci beaucoup!

The above should have been more than enough to claim this Thing completed. However, I thought I will try something a bit more special for this one. I've known I was coming to Japan for 10 months now, so I though to wait and claim it done when I arrive by trying my Japanese survival vocabulary.

Thing #76: done! Arigatōgozaimasu!

Thing #46: Go as fast as you can (RE-done!)

I was travelling with a 747-400 the other day and it reported a ground speed of... 1002km/h. So I officially broke the 1000km/h milestone. Then again, perhaps that was not that great after all. A bit of wind can make wonders. Still the 747-400 took me all the way to Taipei where I got a lift by (one of) the fastest lift in the world in Taipei 101! It travelled 101 floors in 45 seconds. Not bad eh!?

Thing #30: Make a one-minute movie

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cycle bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead on the south bank, and Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. Minuscule hydraulic rams, one on each side, tilt the bridge back on special pivots to allow small ships and boats to pass underneath. Its appearance during this manoeuvre has led to it being nicknamed the Blinking Eye Bridge.

This more than one minute video does not show the blinking eye effect (click here to see this) but it does show the boat passing underneath! Enjoy!



Links of interest:

• Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4
• Web cam
• Tilt times
• 360 degrees virtual tour
• Specification

Thing #46: Go as fast as you can (done!)

I think I flew once with a Boeing 747 which has operational speeds of over 1000 km/h. That's fast! However as I can not really recall whether it was a 747, I will consider flying with a MD-11 a few days ago as the closest thing to flying as fast as I can. The MD-11 has a speed of about 945 km/h. Both airplanes are very easy to spot. The 747 is massive, you just can not miss it! The MD-11 is a three-engine medium to long-range wide body airliner, with two engines mounted on underwing pylons and a third engine at the base of the vertical stabilizer. For example, click here for a photo of a FedEx MD-11 or the one below.

Of course, the above speeds are nowhere close to those of the Orbiter Specifications (for Endeavour, OV-105) which has a speed of 27,875 km/h but this will do for now! Speaking of which, did you know that the Boeing 747 is used to transport the Space Shuttle? Check it out!

How much does Wired cost in Canada?

And the answer is CAN$5.99, which is still cheaper than it is in the UK. And you can buy the June issue in the third week of May. And there are many of them available to choose from (hm... but they are all the same, aren't they?). Anyway, I got a few to read while going there to find out how much it costs to buy Wired, but ended up adding one more to the collection of unread Wired magazines.

Places to visit!