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Last Friday I visited the hallowed ground of CERN in Geneva, Switzerland where Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in the early 1990′s as a means of sharing the research of the many scientists and engineers there. Berners-Lee, in the CERN spirit of open exchange of ideas,
opted not to file a patent on his creation, but rather released the WWW into the public domain, which has allowed it to grow into the history changing medium it is today. Ironically, this free exchange has opponents today that jeopardize the future of the WWW. Berners-Lee also originally defined HTML, created the first web server, the first web site, the first web browser, and established the World Wide Web Consortium that guides the development of the WWW still today. Berners-Lee left CERN years ago and now works full time as the head of the W3C. His pet project is the semantic web, a project that has the potential to revolutionize the way we and our computers interact with our data.
For me the visit to CERN was a pilgrimage to the most significant place of my medium. Just setting foot on the location where it all began made me giddy as a schoolgirl. The artifacts of this significant achievement are not as visible as I had hoped, however. The primary focus of our visit was the amazing nuclear research that is happening at CERN. The facility boasts the largest particle accelerator on the planet, some 45 kilometers in circumference crossing the boarder between Switzerland and France. A particle accelerator speeds up protons to nearly the speed of light using electro-magnetic pulses that propel them faster and faster. Large groups race towards one another until meeting in a giant crash that breaks these tiny atomic particles into even smaller particles such as quarks and various other subatomic elements that are not yet understood. The crashes, which occur every 3 hours, take place in a collector that can map he explosion and the properties of the particles using massive super-computer clusters networked around the world. The data gathered allows physicists to understand the microcosm of elements that make up our universe, which can lead to a clearer understanding of how the universe began, how it works, and even provide advanced medical treatments for cancer. All research done at CERN is published to the public freely, none of which has military applications.
CERN has a number of collectors where they monitor these subatomic explosions, but they are currently working on a rather advanced one called Atlas, which we were lucky enough to see first hand. We were bused to their largest particle accelerator, where we dawned red hard hats before descending 100 meters into the belly of the beast. Descriptions of Atlas will not do it justice, but let me say the complexity and scale are astounding. It really should be classified as one the man-made wonders of the world! Hosts of engineers from around the world climbed and repelled off the giant collector taking measurements, bolting on new parts, and fine tuning their creation. The projected completion date seemed to be a running joke, as the deadline has slipped into the future on more than one occasion. Their hope is that they will be observing proton collisions at the end of the year. The scale of Atlas is immense, and perhaps can best be understood from this video.
As an Apple fan boy I was amused to see that CERN loves the Mac. 90% of the computers scientists were working on (even the receptionists) were Macs. I passed many office doors with Mac stickers.
Check off one item on my list of things I must do in my lifetime!
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The World Cup was the big news of the summer here in Berlin, drawing millions of people from around the world to the most watched sporting event on the planet. The final game was held at Olympic Stadium just outside of the city, a place that is amazing to behold, and rich with history. It is probably most famous for the 1936 Summer Olympic games in which Jesse Owens the Nazi party who boasted of Arian superiority over other races including those of African decent. Owens achieved 4 gold medals that year in the sprint and long jump events. A major street in front of the stadium has been named for Jesse Owens to commemorate his achievements.
These games were the first to be televised live, and introduced basketball to the games. In preparation for the games the Nazi party moved all homeless beggars, and vagrants to the first work camps in an effort to prepare the city for the onslaught of foreign visitors. This was a socially acceptable practice at the time as most people saw it as a logical way to make the voluntarily unemployed to contribute positively to society. Of course no one suspect at this time that the people being sent to these camps would be mistreated, and ultimately worked to death.
It’s pretty easy to look back at this as archaic and disrespectful, but the city of Atlanta did something not so different for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The city gave many homeless people one-way train tickets out of the city in an effort to clean the place up. It’s not the same as sending people to work camps, but it is certainly disrespectful.
The stadium is really an amazing place with its new glass awning made just for the World Cup.
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Every year Berlin throws one of the most amazing all weekend parties on the planet called the Love Parade. On a one mile plus boulevard called Strasse de 17 Juni that runs from the German Parliament building (the Reichstag) past the Column of Victory, 40 semi trucks loaded with a DJ, massive sound systems, and a truck load of costumed partiers roll by slowly shaking a crowd of 2 million with techno beats. DJs are also stationed at various static locations including inside the Column of Victory itself.
The trucks move both directions down the road, and when they pass by one another their blaring beats compete for attention, sandwiching parts of the crowd between them. The sound waves shake your clothes, and kind of tickle. Even with plugs stuffed in my ears, the music was loud and clear.
Throughout the weekend clubs throw huge parties featuring world famous DJs like Paul Van Dyke starting their sets at around 2AM. People party all night, then head to the parade for more techno and dancing the following day without missing a beat (bad pun there).
Get a taste of the fun in these video clips, which in no way do it justice!
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As campaigning is going full tilt in the US, so too is the case here in Germany as candidates prepare for upcoming democratic elections. Persuading the populous to vote for you seems to happen in a much different fashion in Germany than it does in the States. In the US, campaign signs only come in red white and/or blue (evidently better if you include all three), with plenty of stars and stripes, and often the obligatory patriotic b.s. statement that convinces all voters that you are a true, red-blooded American. If a picture is shown, the politician often has some very professional, maybe over-produced shot with stiff hair and a perma-grin. The over all impression it leaves is impersonal, distant, slick, and disconnected to the general population.
Here in Berlin I have been surprised to find most of the political posters to be more human, better designed (using design principles more effectively), and seem to inspire more confidence in the candidate. The photos look human, sometimes a bit unattractive, sometimes in more of a snapshot style setting, but always more like regular people. The designs are simple, and lack the dripping patriotism we see in the US, often opting for colors other than the ones seen in the national flag.
US citizens are as jaded about government now as ever before. I don’t anticipate a miraculous, political reconnection with the needs of voters any time soon, but our politicians would be well served to look abroad in order to understand themselves better.
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I did a little shopping today at Hackesche H??fe here in Berlin today. Hackesche H??fe is a group of ultra-hip shops in a series of small, interconnecting courtyards featuring the latest fashion and design from up-and-coming designers. You’ll find fashionistas stitching together couture clothing before your eyes as you shop, funky toyshops, house wares, and amazing shoe stores. I am a big fan of cool shoes that are comfortable, and unique. I find a pair maybe once every two years, and wear the hell out of them. Today I visited Trippen, master cobblers. They make all of their shoes by hand, and tan their own elk, buffalo, and deer leather with vegetable oil using an environmentally concious process. The design is simple and elegant, and the fit is like your childhood baseball mitt.
