Today I just noticed that Time magazine selected 25 best blogs.
techland.time.com/2013/08/05/the-25-best-bloggers-2013-edition/
Most of them, from my perspective, look like miscellanea. But, one of them has attracted my attention. That is Marignal University, which seem to provide free Economics courses online. Economics participating in the university look great and lectures are also not bad.
mruniversity.com/
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
How to get Swiss Family Card
This summer my family went to Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn with my brother's family. The two families consisted of four adults and three kids. We had to buy some type of Swiss Passes in order to get discounts in using transports for going up to the two mountains. It was very expensive to buy each ticket for cable cars or trains without help of Swiss Passes. There are several types of Swiss Passes. Because we took cars to Switzerland, we did not need regular Swiss Passes. I narrowed the several options of Swiss Passes to two: Jungfrau VIP Pass and Half-Fare Card. After pondering over the pros and cons of the two discount passes during several weeks, I decided Half-Fare Card for the trip. I will explain why I chose Half-Fare Card instead of Jungfrau VIP Pass.
According to the official Switzerland Tourist Office's website (www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html), if Half-Fare Card is combined with Swiss Family Card, kids do not need to pay transport fares. So, I ordered four Half-Fare Card and three Swiss Family Card online. A few days later, I received a DHL envelope containing the tickets. When I received the tickets, I did not count the number of the tickets, assuming that all tickets that I had ordered were included, A day before leaving for Switzerland, I checked the tickets. Oh my god, only four Half-Fare Cards were included in the package. They did not send Swiss Family Cards to me. I did not have time to get the Family Card from Switzerland Tourist Office by mail. Believing its website's message that I can get the Family Card at any transportation station in Switzerland, next day, we left for Luzern. After seeing around Luzern, I visited a Luzern train station. I looked for an information center at the station. However, around 4:00 p.m., the information center was already closed. I was frustrated at the moment. And, I visited a SBB booth just to know where I could get Swiss Family Cards. SBB staff had them. For the Family Cards, a SBB lady asked me for my kids' identifications. After checking my kids' names and dates of birth, she simply put down the names and dates of birth on blank Swiss Family Cards.
Actually, unlike their names, Half-Fare Card and Swiss Family Card do not look like cards. I had thought that the two cards' shape would have resembled that of a credit card. The two cards looked like goofy airplane tickets.
Despite the goofy appearance of the Family Card, it was quite useful. Whenever I took trains or cable cars, I did not worry about my kids' fares.
According to the official Switzerland Tourist Office's website (www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html), if Half-Fare Card is combined with Swiss Family Card, kids do not need to pay transport fares. So, I ordered four Half-Fare Card and three Swiss Family Card online. A few days later, I received a DHL envelope containing the tickets. When I received the tickets, I did not count the number of the tickets, assuming that all tickets that I had ordered were included, A day before leaving for Switzerland, I checked the tickets. Oh my god, only four Half-Fare Cards were included in the package. They did not send Swiss Family Cards to me. I did not have time to get the Family Card from Switzerland Tourist Office by mail. Believing its website's message that I can get the Family Card at any transportation station in Switzerland, next day, we left for Luzern. After seeing around Luzern, I visited a Luzern train station. I looked for an information center at the station. However, around 4:00 p.m., the information center was already closed. I was frustrated at the moment. And, I visited a SBB booth just to know where I could get Swiss Family Cards. SBB staff had them. For the Family Cards, a SBB lady asked me for my kids' identifications. After checking my kids' names and dates of birth, she simply put down the names and dates of birth on blank Swiss Family Cards.
Actually, unlike their names, Half-Fare Card and Swiss Family Card do not look like cards. I had thought that the two cards' shape would have resembled that of a credit card. The two cards looked like goofy airplane tickets.
Despite the goofy appearance of the Family Card, it was quite useful. Whenever I took trains or cable cars, I did not worry about my kids' fares.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Don't need to buy a ticket to walk around windmills of Kinderdijk
I have visited Kinderdijk three times so far to see dutch windmills. Whenever I have visited there, I have purchased tickets to enter the area where windmills are located. There are 18 windmills and only one windmill is still operative.
When I visited there for the first time in 2012, I purchased tickets at the ticket office. I did not experience anything strange there. For second time, when I visited there with my brother-in-law two weeks ago, I purchased tickets online in advance in order to get discounts. After arriving at the site, I showed the print-out tickets at the ticket office. An old man at the ticket office asked me to go to a tourist center which was over a canal in order to get the tickets scanned. It sounded really silly. The ticket office did not have a scanner to read tickets that were purchased online. I asked my brother-in-law's family and my family to stay in front of the ticket office and went to the tourist center to get the tickets scanned. At the tourist center, an old lady asked to watch a video at the center. In order to watch the video regarding the dutch windmills, I had to go to the ticket office to bring my families to the tourist center. It was really troublesome. I gave up watching the video and returned to the ticket office. I told the old man that I had my tickets scanned and he just let us in the area where the dutch windmills were without ensuring the tickets were scanned. It looked strange. Anyway, we took some pictures and my kids rode bikes there.
A week later, I went there again with my brother's family. This time I did not purchase tickets online in advance in order not to commute between the ticket office and the tourist center. In addition, my brother and his kid did not like to watch a documentary film. Thus, I purchased tickets at the ticket office and entered the windmills area. Again we took some pictures there. This time, we got into a windmill that was operating with the tickets and had an opportunity to see inside of the windmill. After seeing inside of the windmill, I thought that the ticket might be to get into the windmill, not enter the area of windmills. When we returned to the ticket office to move to somewhere, I heard from other tourists that they did not need buy tickets to walk around in the area of windmills and the tickets were to get into the windmill that is still operative. I felt like being betrayed. The website for the windmills of Kinderdijk (www.kinderdijk.com) says that tourists should buy tickets in order to enter the area where 18 windmills are.
When I visited there for the first time in 2012, I purchased tickets at the ticket office. I did not experience anything strange there. For second time, when I visited there with my brother-in-law two weeks ago, I purchased tickets online in advance in order to get discounts. After arriving at the site, I showed the print-out tickets at the ticket office. An old man at the ticket office asked me to go to a tourist center which was over a canal in order to get the tickets scanned. It sounded really silly. The ticket office did not have a scanner to read tickets that were purchased online. I asked my brother-in-law's family and my family to stay in front of the ticket office and went to the tourist center to get the tickets scanned. At the tourist center, an old lady asked to watch a video at the center. In order to watch the video regarding the dutch windmills, I had to go to the ticket office to bring my families to the tourist center. It was really troublesome. I gave up watching the video and returned to the ticket office. I told the old man that I had my tickets scanned and he just let us in the area where the dutch windmills were without ensuring the tickets were scanned. It looked strange. Anyway, we took some pictures and my kids rode bikes there.
A week later, I went there again with my brother's family. This time I did not purchase tickets online in advance in order not to commute between the ticket office and the tourist center. In addition, my brother and his kid did not like to watch a documentary film. Thus, I purchased tickets at the ticket office and entered the windmills area. Again we took some pictures there. This time, we got into a windmill that was operating with the tickets and had an opportunity to see inside of the windmill. After seeing inside of the windmill, I thought that the ticket might be to get into the windmill, not enter the area of windmills. When we returned to the ticket office to move to somewhere, I heard from other tourists that they did not need buy tickets to walk around in the area of windmills and the tickets were to get into the windmill that is still operative. I felt like being betrayed. The website for the windmills of Kinderdijk (www.kinderdijk.com) says that tourists should buy tickets in order to enter the area where 18 windmills are.
Paris Museum Pass vs Individual tickets purchased online
Unlike my brother-in-law's family, my brother's family did not want to buy Paris Museum Passes, claiming that they wanted to visit only Musée d'Orsay, Musée de l'Orangerie, and Palace of Versailles. When comparing the price of a two-day Paris Museum Pass (39 euro) and those of individual tickets for the three attractions (34 euro = 18 euro + 16 euro), they were right. Thus, when I tried to purchase two tickets of combination of Musée d'Orsay and Musée de l'Orangerie online on behalf of them, it was a little bit different from it was known. Each combination ticket was supposed to cost 16 euro. However, if we purchased it online, we had to pay a processing fee of 1.6 euro as an extra cost. Well, it could be understandable because this was French way. Another surprising thing is that even if I purchased the tickets online, the website did not give me the tickets that can be used in museums. In other words, I had to visit a third place, not museums, to get real tickets. My brother and I had to visit Auchan, a French supermarket, to get the purchased tickets in the morning. The supermarket was supposed to open at 08:30 a.m. However, it opened at 09:00 a.m. An employee in charge of tickets for museums and other events did not know how to operate the computerized system to print out my tickets. She made a call to somewhere to operate the system. When I got the tickets, it was almost 10:00 a.m. Why do we buy tickets online? It is to avoid a long queue to buy tickets in front of a museum. I wasted 1.5 hours to get my tickets that I purchased online even though I paid 1.6 euro processing fee. If I had purchased the tickets in front of museum, I could have saved time and money. I guess that this system is to make tourists buy Paris Museum Passes.
Incompatible ink cartridges of Canon named compatible ink cartridges
I have a Canon ink jet printer which was bought in the US. This has been a quite useful and convenient to use because the printer has functions of WiFi and scanning. However, I was encountered with a big problem several weeks ago. My kids used up the ink cartridges that I had purchased in the US. I went to a Media Markt in Brussels to buy new ink cartridges. I could not find out the same ink cartridges as I have used for the printer. I purchased compatible ink cartridges produced by Canon because the box of compatible ink cartridges reads they work for my printer. However, the compatible cartridges have not worked for my printer. I emailed Canon about this problem. A Canon representative emailed me saying that the compatible ink cartridges in the European countries do not work for printers purchased in the US. As a result, I wasted about 60 euro for the incompatible ink cartridges. I do not understand why Canon has this region restriction policy in ink cartridges. Then, whenever I move to another region, do I have to buy a new printer? From now on, I will not buy any Canon applicance.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Hike the Alps
Two weeks later, I will take my family and my brother's family to Luzern, Switzerland. We plan to go up to both Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch and hike some trails too. My wife does not like hiking. But, my brother and I love it. I have consulted Rick Steves's book in priming for this trip. We have decided to take easy trails that Rick Steves recommended. His book does not show detailed trail maps. I know that I should buy hiking trail maps in Lauterbrunnen. However, before leaving for Luzern, I need to have some general image about hiking. So, I have googled to search for good trail maps. I found out good trail maps for Schilthorn hiking and for Jungfrau hiking.
Schilthorn trail map: www.schilthorn.ch/en/hiking
Jungfrau trail map: www.swissholidayco.com/page/KLEINE_SCHEIDEGG
In addition, I have found a website providing general information about hiking in the Alps (www.hikethealps.com).
Schilthorn trail map: www.schilthorn.ch/en/hiking
Jungfrau trail map: www.swissholidayco.com/page/KLEINE_SCHEIDEGG
In addition, I have found a website providing general information about hiking in the Alps (www.hikethealps.com).
Monday, July 22, 2013
Design Triology by Gary Hustwits
While priming for a trip to Paris with my brother's family, I have become interested in art and design. My wife asked me why I got to be interested in design all of sudden. Well, I don't know. My wife seems to believe that my sudden interest in art and design comes from somewhere. What I have done for an annual report may be a source of my interest in design. Anyway, I encountered an interesting documentary series regarding modern design, which was produced by Gary Hustwits. The documentary series actually consists of three: Helvetica (www.helveticafilm.com), Objectified (www.objectifiedfilm.com), and Urbanized (urbanizedfilm.com). As you may be already aware, Helvetica is a face type and the documentary about Helvetica talked about why and how Helvetica was born and what impact has given to us. Until watching the documentary, I have never know that Helvetica is related to Switzerland. The second documentary, Objectified, is about industrial design. This was also interesting. The third one, Urbanized, was less informative than the other two pieces.
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