• RT @roflrazzi One does not simply… http://bit.ly/DJvZL #cheezburger #
• RT @serafinowicz I'll miss the Eiffel Tower when it launches. #
• tired. #
• finally done for today. #
• OMG OMG, picasa 3.5 with face recognition is here! http://tinyurl.com/lch5bt #
• http://twitpic.com/ivadu – picasa's new face recognition feature recognizes ALL kinds of faces :) #google #picasa #
• RT @olidax Water on the moon :-) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article6846639.ece #
• "two tickets for "Up 3D" please." – "you realize it's the *english* screening?" – "umm, yeah…" #
• RT @serafinowicz Warm water. Ingredients: hot water, cold water #
• a sad day for world peace – http://tinyurl.com/y8e373s #
• ok, now back to work… #
• RT @serafinowicz It may seem like you have Free Willy, but Free Willy is just an illusion. (Sartre) #
• picisunrelated: i’m not ready! i’m not ready! http://tinyurl.com/kpql7o #

day three: anton and i wearing all our bad-weather-outfit. so silly-looking, and so ineffective. :)

soon we would learn how to properly waterproof our stuff… and ourselves!

update: oops, i just noticed that the title is wrong. on day 3, we were already in switzerland!

• pufferfish have the shortest known genome of any vertebrate. http://tinyurl.com/6k9do (via @qikipedia) #
• jellyfish usually die after propagating. turritopsis nutricula just returns to a polyp state and starts over (=biological immortality) #
• wikipedia entry on turritopsis nutricula: http://tinyurl.com/2gh7zj #
• i was so busy collecting all the information for biology fresh(wo)men that i don't have a clue what my own choices are this semester… #
• i cut my finger on the seat of my car today. it's time to lay down and stay in bed for a while… #
• this summer, even my parents were surprised to see how much i tan if i spend enough time outdoors. working too much. #
• my day may have started an hour late, but it started well. #
• RT @SeaShepherd Japan Gets Its First Chance to See The Cove – TIME http://bit.ly/RJz5S #
• http://twitpic.com/hzohw – when we drove through st. anton last summer, we somehow didn't notice the nuclear roundabout… #
• mein marmeladebrot ist heute morgen auf der brotseite gelandet. was will man mehr? #
• RT @serafinowicz Using Twitter. #
• RT @zefrank http://bit.ly/XOnk7 :: a little movie about electrical sockets #
• Bizarre Tongue-Eating Parasite Discovered Off the Jersey Coast – http://tinyurl.com/lyzrkw #
• #wolframalpha is good! http://tinyurl.com/kjshl6 #
• #myparentsjoinedfacebook: divorce – http://tinyurl.com/blde9o #
• [more...]

day two: anton and i at the arlberg pass (1800 m)

going down on the other side of the mountain, we reached 60 km/h.
totally worth the way up!

i’ll be posting photos of our bike trip on a rough one-per-day basis (if time allows).

first up: teams A and B set off for spain on their bikes on july 12th.

teams A (mom&dad) and B (anton&markus) all packed up and ready to start

we shared exactly 69 meters of the route, and then turned in opposite directions at the next intersection.
mom and dad (team A) made for the brenner pass, which would lead them into italy, while anton and i went east, heading for the arlberg pass and switzerland.
great things were afoot. :)

 

 

whenever somebody is stung by a bee or wasp, i remember there’s a rule of thumb about a good way of instantly diminishing the effects of the poison. however, i never recollect the vital part…

from a chemical standpoint, most types of insect poison are acids, which means you can (at least partly) neutralize them with bases.
one of the exceptions to this is the family of wasps: their poison’s are bases, which can thus be countervailed with an acid.

 
so, the next time you witness an insect bite (and i’m crossing my fingers it won’t be you who’s getting stung), you might want to try one of these household remedies:

• bee bite (also works with ants, mosquitoes etc.): acids – diluted vinegar, diluted lemon juice, even orange juice or carbonated soft drinks.
• wasp bite: bases – diluted soda, baking powder, …

on a side note: the poison in most jellyfish nematocysts is also acidic. if you were stung but didn’t bring ammonia to the beach, your last resort would be urine (a relatively neutral buffer solution). the book i got all this information from says “if you think that’s too gross, you’ve never felt the pain of a real jellyfish sting.”
 

source (in german): Wawra E., Dolznig H, Müllner E. (2003): Chemie verstehen. Facultas Verlags- und Buchhandels AG, p. 164

• looks like i'm back… #
• after such a long time of going solely by bike, driving a car is about the most annoying, obnoxious of all everyday-activities. #
• medical afflictions of the cartoon world – http://bit.ly/18GTfY #
• RT @serafinowicz: The main ingredient of toothpaste is teeth. #
• RT @Randazzoj: I have some pretty strong feelings about stuff! #
• in spain, cows say "boe" instead of "moo", and "ga ga" instead of "quack". #
• not that cows say "quack" a lot… #
• This maybe premature, but I'd just like to wish everyone a good tomorrow afternoon. (RT @serafinowicz) #
• RT @hellycake: Tried out a new sleeping position last night. The '66' #
• RT @qikipedia How many circles do you see? http://tinyurl.com/qi0137 #
• 7 most disgusting insect delicacies on earth (2 of which i got to tast last year): http://tinyurl.com/m8cuwt …and 5 to go :) #
• RT @faildogs AH! MY EYE! MY EYE! #fail http://bit.ly/DZ4NH #
• field day. waiting for shadows to go away so i can finally start the measurements. #
• http://twitpic.com/gy99h – the level of humidity is so high that even the dragonflies are covered in dewdrops #
• RT @thinkgeek "Today in Geek History: In 1966, Star Trek first airs on NBC." #
• [more...]