http://media.roets.co.uk/southafrica/chemist.mp3 Falling Mirror: Johny calls the Chemist.

The team have in anticipation launched a micro site, http://www.ripedesign.com/formula1 and there is a news story on our website http://www.ripedesign.com.

We had many sleepless hours, loads of weekends worked and sterling effort by all in the team but particularly Michael Backhouse.

I had the opportunity to visit the hotel as it was being built – not so many months ago… and there was just sand and structure – the building rate and overall creation was phenomenal and the scale and ambition of the project is huge.

Now this coming Sunday I will watch the Grand Prix as it race THROUGH this building.

Apple iPod Touch

I’m one of those people that didn’t really have or needed a mobile till I was thirty and then I discovered that well … I didn’t really need one.

Generation Y people will not understand it, but the phone, that supposedly makes life easier and solves organisational problems, has created more demands on me than I had BEFORE they where available.

I’m not a complete Luddite and I do own one, however very much on my terms. I want a communication device – not a leash.

I have many reasons and mainly there is the intrusion. I once had someone call me about a work idea, at the moment of having that idea – 11pm on a Sunday night. When I asked why they didn’t call on my landline the answer was “didn’t want to intrude”.

When you call a mobile you call a person – a landline you call a household.

Then there is the noise. With that I do not only mean the random ringing but also the enforced sharing of conversations. More accurately, seeing as we only hear one part of the conversation, a monologue with bits cut out. In the nineties if you spoke loudly to yourself like that in public you’d have a quick trip to a padded room! Its self absorbed and just plain rude.

When I’m traveling I have my phone with me and charged up . If I want, or need, to call someone it is there. It does not however ring, that what silent mode is for and I never share an inane conversation with half the train coach.

The problem though is that these days mobile phones come with cool stuff.

One such device is the iPhone. As you all know I’m really biased toward Apple. My liking does not however stretch so far as to pay a huge monthly contract cost to a single vendor for the privilege of the device. Specifically when, as discussed, I don’t really use the phone for any thing other than can be described as emergencies.

Enter the iPod Touch (iTouch seems to be common misnomer)

I get all the iPhone Apps etc. and with wi-fi I’m on the go wherever I find myself (I also have a App that finds me free wi-fi) and with the new OS release the vertical keyboard means I’m a speedy flying typing whizz.

My email is there when I want to read etc. Oh and it is a hell of a handheld gaming platform as well, just in case you tire from watching movies on it.

All in all a very underrated device in my opinion.

Suggested programs are Adobe Photoshop or Fireworks or any other major graphics package.

1. Create a PNG. Square preferably use following: 32 X 32, 64 X 64, 256 X 256 or 512 X 512 pixels

2. Choose your folder or file and Right Click on it.

3. Choose “Get Info”.

4. Now click on the folder icon and wait till it glows.

5. While the folder icons is ‘lit’ drag and drop your png into it.

May I retort with my own position that Rammstein is remix heaven!

To wit I present offically sanctioned remixes:

Mein Teil – Pet Shop Boys, ‘You are what you eat’ remix

http://media.roets.co.uk/rammstein/mein_teil.mp3

Ich will – Paul van Dyk remix

http://media.roets.co.uk/rammstein/ich_will.mp3

Rosenrot – Northern Light remix

http://media.roets.co.uk/rammstein/rosenrot.mp3

Firstly we see the Soviet area East German parliament, Palast Der Republik – what is left of it after “selective rebuilding”. Then we see the new united German parliament – the Bundestag with the old Reichstag building with Fosters dome in the background. This was shot from an internal bridge within the parliament complex – thanks to a behind the scenes visit.

This is followed by 2 quick shots from The Museum Island. One is the famous head of Nefertiti, the other Rodin’s thinker.

Lastly is the art installation Shalechet (fallen leaves) by Menashe Kadishman in the Libeskind designed Jewish Museum in Berlin.

As per usual I had an absolute blast in my favourite city.

I will post up a different posts of what we did, places we visited and just general musings.

We also got to see some very old and good friends like my friend Manfred whom I met in Cape Town in 96.

I’ll put up some small vids just to get a general gist.