Ho raccolto in un fotoset su flickr alcune foto scattate durante l’ultimo mio viaggio in America. Sono stato prima a Denver per una conferenza poi a Golden per una riunione alla Colorado School of Mines.

In mezzo, ci ho ficcato un weekend a Boulder che ero curioso di visitare, visto che ne parlano tutti come della capitale dell’outdoor statunitense (Boulder: niente a che fare con Chamonix!).

This is probably one of the worst movie I’ve ever watched. It is so bad that I actually enjoyed it. But the most incredible thing is that the three reviews that I’ve read, well they’re not so harsh on this piece of junk:

Emma Bell, in particular, really sells the terror of their predicament (…) I don’t think I’ve seen a movie this tense since The Descent.

(source: http://www.filmjunk.com/2010/02/06/frozen-review)

(…) a nifty little chiller that balances its cold terrain with an unexpectedly warm heart.

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The Russians Used a Pencil: Idea to Market in 5 Months: Making the Glif

I wish I had an iPhone 4 just to have a glif.

On July 11th, 2010, Tom Gerhardt and I had an idea for an iPhone accessory: a tripod mount that doubled as a stand. Five months later, customers began to receive our product, the Glif, in the mail. This turnaround, from idea to market in five months by two guys with no retail or manufacturing…

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I began snowboarding on the 13th of March. So far, I’ve spent a total of eight days on the board (spread on 3 weekends). In these eight days I’ve taken 8 hours of private lessons with two very skilled (and patient) instructors of the Val di Fassa Ski and Snowboarding school.

My last weekend, however, was the turning point, as I decided to buy the full kit and discovered how easy snowboarding is if you have the right tool. And the right tool is a board with this innovative shape called ‘rocker’ (as opposed to the traditional ‘camber’ shape). My friend Paolo told me about these “new geometries” which were being developed in North America where he was living last year. He told me to check Libtech’s website to see what was this ‘banana’ shape. What I ended up buying is a Burton TWC Standard, which is like an entry level board: friendly banana (or ‘rocker’) shape, very flexible, right size for my height and weight (172cm+68kg=154cm board).

Notes taken during a work meeting (Taken with instagram).

I discovered this Withings wi-fi body scale after reading this tweet by Neven Mrgan:

My weight report for 2010: http://j.mp/eypTcB Executive summary: could be better, could be worse.

It sounds like a great tool to track your body weight: compare it to what I’ve done last year.

However, I doubt I’ll ever buy it. Too much technology around you really damages your health much more than a cappuccino and cornetto.

Snowboarding, 7th day (Taken with Instagram at Alpe Lusia).

150 friends (Dunbar’s number)

I have deleted my Facebook account a long time ago and I can confirm that I can live very happily with no Facebook around.

This article by Robin Dunbar (did you know about “Dunbar’s number” ?) is very interesting however. It does say that Facebook can be a positive thing. But it also says:

Yes, you can “friend” 500, 1,000, even 5,000 people with your Facebook page, but all save the core 150 are mere voyeurs looking into your daily life.

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In this previous post I linked to an article that upset me.

It tells a story about these incredibly smart kids that waste their time and energy (and considerable amounts of brain, apparently) to build yet another ‘social’ things; Internet services that basically allow the user to shut their minds, do fuck-all (apart from taking a picture maybe), and in return be “famous” (in the Facebook sense).

Is this really the way the Internet is developing? Towards a weapon of brain annihilation?

“DailyBooth appeals to people who want even less friction than Twitter: Here, you don’t need to think of something witty or informative to say in 140 characters or fewer. All you have to do is take a picture of yourself.”

– The Viral Me (via Instapaper)

Somehow (twitter maybe ?) I’ve found the transcript of an interview to Bob Dylan which appeared on Playboy in 1966.

So¹, I don’t know if Bob Dylan was totally out of his mind or if he was just playing crazy, but this 1966 interview is brilliant stuff.

For example, the interviewer asks if he’s selling out:

What can I say? I’d like to see one of these so-called fans. I’d like to have him blindfolded and brought to me. It’s like going out to the desert and screaming and then having little kids throw their sandbox at you. I’m only 24.

Domenica mi sono riposato dopo un intenso periodo di fuoristrada e ho partecipato con amici alla Epica piacentina. Penso che ad appassionati di bici semplici e scattanti, possa piacere piu’ una bici da corsa d’epoca che non uno di quei mostri moderni tutti curvi e in carbonio. Almeno, io me le sono gustate quelle bici, e sopratutto mi sono gustato l’accostamento con l’abbigliamento d’epoca e il cibo dei ristori: salumi e Gutturnio. Altro che lycra e barrette.

“It moves along at a vigorously restless pace, with the energy of a Labrador retriever off the leash, racing up to each person it encounters, pawing and sniffing and barking at every fragrant thing, plunging into icy waters only to dash off again, invigorated.”

– http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/books/review/Browning-t.html

Domenica 26 settembre parte la Trans-Provence, la gara che sto preparando da inizio anno. Ho curato sia il peso che l’allenamento, seguendo pochissime regole:

• mangiare quel tanto che basta senza ingozzarsi; preferenza a verdure e insalate durante la settimana;
• fare quanto più sport possibile, alternando nuoto, bici e corsa.

Da inizio anno ho fatto sport (attività sportiva di qualsiasi tipo ‘significativa’, quindi escludo le passeggiate a ritmo blando in bici e altre cose in cui manco sudo) 169 volte; considerando 9 mesi completi vuole dire che ho fatto allenamenti il 63% del tempo.

###Monte Bianco, 18-19 settembre 2010

Le previsioni meteo danno bel tempo per il sabato. Arrivo a Courmayeur alle 12, in netto ritardo sul mio piano originario che mi voleva pronto sulla bici alle nove del mattina. E, naturalmente, piove. Ma sono qui, due ore e mezza di auto, che faccio — mi tiro indietro ? Sicuro che prima o poi il sole esce inizio a pedalare.

Da la Palud, pochi km a nord di Courmayeur, scendo sulla strada fino a incrociare il ponte che oltrepassa la Dora Baltea e seguo le indicazioni per la Val Veny. Salita su asfalto lunga e faticosa; poca gente in giro, vedo solo un paio di ciclisti che aspettano riparati sotto una tettoia e ai quali urlo “dove andate ?”, e loro: “contavamo di andare su !”, “ok ci vediamo su allora !”, dico io, immaginando che il mio su sia uguale al loro su.