Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Bun Life

In the raging easter-bun-wars between Swiss chocolate-maker Lindt and a small Austrian business, the Austrian "Prachthase" has won the latest battle before court.

The evil Swiss (chocolate-)empire had the Prachthase, which Hauswirth has been manufacturing since 1951, taken off the shelves last year, claiming it violated their Goldhase trademark, which they only registered in 2000.
Vienna's commercial court has now decided it didn't, asserting Lindt's registration was intended to hinder competitors.
Lindt is expected to appeal.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Night-Life's Day-Life

Walked by Chelsea earlier this evening, where locals Jellybeat where checking their sound for tonight's gig at Gürtel Nightwalk.
Tonight will be seeing quite a few shows in the open air in front of the bars and clubs along the "Gürtel" street, which bends across half Vienna.
The annual event held since 1998 includes a dozen locations like Rhiz, B72 or Cafe Carina.
The mobile video I shot turned out pretty noisy, which didn't prevent me from uploading.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Following up on Life Resurfacing

The expression of the day is Dungeon Girl ... and Natascha Kampusch's story isn't in any way done with yet. After an absence from CNN-text for about a half day, I have just seen it there again, page 102, which, if you are following CNN-text frequently, you know is the equivalent of the headlining story.

It has also been in the ever-repeating news cycle on CNNintl. TV ... so - any new news from inside Austria?
Police still can't deny or confirm that kidnapper Prikopil had an accomplice. Neither is there a definite yes on the sexual abuse, although it has been indirectly implied by the police-woman who was her first contact, kind of.
For the weekend the young woman is being granted a break from questioning, staying in a hotel, supervised by a team of psychologists.
The actual circumstance of her escape: Natascha vacuumed the car in the garden, which prompted Prikopil to move away from her vicinity to lead a telephone conversation.

My excuse for getting back to this boulevard news item?
I can link to one of my teletext-photos on 23, which haven't been viewed a lot, since I only recently switched them to public (from private).
Ok?

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Things in Life I Wish I Knew Nothing About


Noooooooooo!!!!

(Spectacular case of elephantiasis - via)

Covert Animal Life


Introducing the Pooderman ...








This Poodle Disguise for Doberman Dogs might be a giant leap in the Public-Relations-For-Deadly-Dogs Department!

(via)

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Life, Resurfacing

Wow. I mean - wow. Austrian news have been abuzz all afternoon with the possible reappearing of a girl gone missing 1998, ten years old.
Just ten minutes ago it has been confirmed, relatives (parents) have identified her (DNA test still awaited).
The story seems grotesque: A "confused" young woman is found stumbling through someone's garden in a town outside Vienna. She had jumped out of a red BMW a short distance before a spot traffic check. When police arrive, she tells them she's Natascha Kampusch, who had created grand search efforts and media coverage, when she disappeared more than eight years ago. She reports she has been held in a basement and was educated by her captor.
By the time of evening news the young woman's statement about her captor tinkering with explosives has reached media. The red BMW has been found abandoned, the manhunt is underway. A foto of the suspect has been published.

Wow again. I mean, I'm usually not so much into being touched by tabloid-oid news-items, but I have to admit - I am moved.

Update: First english media report

Update2: The culprit has commited suicide, throwing himself in front of a train during the evening. The talk of explosives merely served to intimidate the girl, none were found in the house. The girl seems to not have jumped out of the car, but got a chance to flee from the house, the guy seems to have taken off with the car then ... or so ... more details will emerge during the coming days, this is still just unfolding. Did I say wow yet?

Update3: The delight of having a CNN narrator pronounce Prikropil (the dead kidnapper)! The story is indeed bizarre enough to have Matthew Chance report from Vienna.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Life Welcomes New Reader!


In the first 24h-period that I'm tracking this page with Google Analytics, The Life has had a visitor from the U.S. Department of State, dutyfully surfing the blog-o-sphere for posts on North Korea.

I hope I could help - I promise to keep you updated about the embassy's showcase!

Any sponsors interested in advertising here with the keywords "North Korea"?

P.S.: A google search for "north korea robots" turns up a blog-entry titled "Wonderful North Korean Propaganda Films at YouTube" as #2 entry. Hmm.
For frequent news about South Korean bartending robots turn to SHIFZ-Blog.

Covert Life

Robot ..... Camera ..... Robot ..... Camera . Robot .. Camera . Robot . Camera . Robot . Camera ... Robot ... Camera ...

I could go on forever!

(via)

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Mysterious Life

Hm, today police inquired about my next-door neighbour.
When I came up from my basement, I saw a policeman standing in my neighbour's apartment, with his back turned to me, so I didn't say hello and ask what they were doing right away ... ten minutes later the cop rang my doorbell and started to ask questions like: do you know the guy, does he have to do with tools?
At that point a thought balloon appeared above my head, reading "Are you looking for the guy inciting his faithful to build WMDs (Weapons of Mass Drunkenness aka Cocktailrobots)? I know him - IT'S ME!", but I managed to truthfully answer I knew of nothing like that.
When the officer put the statement "He claims he doesn't have a cellar compartment" in question form, I replied I didn't either ...
My attempts to find out why they were asking that stuff - "Did he build something evil?" - were basically ignored.
Although my first thought, being indoctrinated by western media, was of course my friendly neighbour might be manufacturing hair-gel bombs or interesting stuff like that, I suspect, they might as well suspect him of something profane such as burglary (which would actually be a shock).

In the light of this event, the "pest exterminator" who rang my door about a week ago to ask if I could open the door to the cellar floor for him, seems even less likely to be real, than I had suspected from the beginning. Why would a pest exterminator show up during the building manager's holiday, obvy not on appointment?
Must admit I'd rather thought he was a burglar than a cop.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Caleidoscopic Life

This cartoon becomes REALLY funny, when you read the caption going with it!

(via)

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Life Visiting Town


Things I didn't mention at the moment ...

... at Votivkirche: Boah, I don't know any interesting stories about Vienna churches. Whereas in my hometown Mödling though, at the main church, there's a metal door to the basement, in which you can still see the dents inflicted by Turkish weaponry, when they tried to get to the people who had found a retreat down there. So the story goes.

... when the Kahns told me that at their friend's 50th birthday-party (which they came to Europe for) along with a whole lot of other gigs, some girl - like the winner of the german American Idol rip-off - had been performing: Probably it was the Austrian Christina Stürmer, who left the Austrian rip-off version as 2nd or 3rd, but has become a "real" pop-star, and the Germans love her.

... when I talked with Gina about her skull-decorated bag: That the ubercool button with the pixelated skull I carry on my bag, was designed by Vienna's motmot-Design, 50% of who are from the U.S., I even think, Steve is from LA! (there's more: That day I wore the official ROBÖXOTICA-tee, which was printed by motmot right at the festival last year!)

What I forgot to do:
- Make more forbidden photos inside Schönbrunn palace.
- Have an accomplice stand outside art history museum, so I could through out valuable stuff through the open windows all over the place.

(4yr. old Maddy, Gina and Kenny are friends of my halfbrother's family from LA, who showed me around Vienna this week.)

Update: What else I forgot to mention!
When we talked about Arnie, I should have told of the renaming of the Schwarzenegger-soccer-stadium in Graz, where they removed the giant letters after Arny commented "Yeah go ahead, I'll sue you if you DON'T" when the city was considering it around the time of the first execution under Gov. T-850.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Life on the Move


Runch Comics, one of Vienna's long-established Comicbook-stores, are moving their quarters a few blocks from Burggasse to Kaiserstrasse - and is offering discounts of up to 90% in the closing sale.

New address, opening Aug. 26th: Kaiserstr. 5, 1070 Wien / Old address sporting sale: Burgg. 62, 1070 Wien.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Playground Life


Titled Robot hide and seek, this painting by Toronto artist Graham Roumieu comes via a BoingBoing-exclusive.

Nice variation on a popular game indeed! I can see not-so-distant future kids playing this with their upgraded Robo-Ones ...

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Life as a Sith Lord Grocery Store Manager

Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager is a two-part mini-series depicting the trouble one has to undergo if one happens to be a Sith Lord managing the day-shift at a grocery store ...
From having to call your boss "Randy" instead of "Emperor" to being plotted against by the begrudging night-shift manager - it is a hard job!

Part One and Part Two YouTubed.

(via)