Tobsy says - The US from an Outsider's POV

35 facts about Germany

Tuesday 15 May 2007 @ 5:12 pm

The country

Germany’s territory covers about 137,850 sqm (slightly bigger than Montana).
The biggest city is the capital Berlin with 3.4 mill inhabitants (Hamburg: 1.74 mill, Munich: 1.26 mill).
Germany consists of 16 states, 3 of which are city states (Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen).
Germany shares borders with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland.
One of the world’s top exporters, with the main exports being cars, machines and chemical products.
18 is the universal age of consent.
There are 9 to 13 holidays (varies from state to state).
Employees get 20 to 30 days paid vacation per year.
The population growth rate is -0.033 - more of a decline rate.
34% of the population are Protestants and also 34% are Catholics.

Innovations

Johannes Gutenberg developed a technique to print with movable type around 1450.
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit developed precise thermometers and the scale still used in the US.
Robert Koch discovered the anthrax bacillus (1877) and the tuberculosis bacillus (1882) for which he was awarded a Nobel Prize.
Karl Benz built the first automobile in 1886.
Emil Berliner’s patent for a gramophone was granted in 1887.
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895 and was awarded the very first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.
Karl Ferdinand Braun developed the cathode-ray tube in 1897.
Rudolf Diesel built the first diesel engine in 1897.
Melitta Bentz didn’t enjoy coffee grounds in her cup. So in 1908 she develops the coffee filter.
Konrad Zuse invented the first programmable computer (the Z3) in 1941.

Oddities

The state Hesse has a death penalty in its constitution, but Federal Law prevents its use.
The biggest festival is called Oktoberfest, but starts in September.
The price for a liter beer at the Oktoberfest 2007 will be 7.70 to 8.00 Euros.
There are about 300 sorts of bread and over 1500 sorts of sausage in Germany - but not one decent barbeque sauce.
Everyone who owns a tv has to pay 17.03 Euros per month for public tv.
Prices of books are set by the publisher, not the retailer.
Germans are the World Heavyweight Champions of recycling.
Why heavyweight? Because they have the fattest asses in all of Europe.
Germans are known for their “Bratwurst”. But their favorite fast food is the Doener Kebap.
During WWII the Germans couldn’t get Coca Cola syrup. So, the threw together everything juicy they could find and called it Fanta.

The Autobahn

(since you’re always asking)

Germany has an autobahn network of more than 7600 miles.
65% of the autobahn has no speed limit.
Autobahns may only be used by powered vehicles that have a maximum speed exceeding 60 km/h.
If you get caught running out of gas on an autobahn, you get fined.
No, the Autobahn wasn’t Hitler’s idea.

“To the English I say this: be grateful for the Germans. Were it not for them, you would be the most hated people in Europe.”
(Simon Munnery, Attention Scum)

I just received an email from a reader, who informed me that the “Germans are the fattest Europeans” study has used the wrong data. I read it up and, although my ass backs the story up, it indeed might be wrong.

Revised fact: Germans are one of the fattest nations in Europe. Another title I didn’t win. I feel so inadequate. (Thanks to Johta for the tip ;-))

Popularity: 40% [?]

Comments (160) | Posted in Germany

No Social Media for the troops

Monday 14 May 2007 @ 5:39 pm

A couple of days ago the Pentagon started it’s own YouTube channel. As it says there:

“Multi-National Force - Iraq established this YouTube channel to give viewers around the world a “boots on the ground” perspective of Operation Iraqi Freedom from those who are fighting it.”

“Those who are fighting it” can’t watch it, though. Along with MySpace and other Social Media sites, YouTube is now blocked for the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan “to save bandwidth and network resources”.

They can probably live with the inability to watch

- Combat action
- Interesting, eye-catching footage
- Interaction between Coalition troops and the Iraqi populace.
- Teamwork between Coalition and Iraqi troops in the fight against terror.

But the soldiers have used sites like MySpace to keep in touch with their loved ones at home. With no proper alternative this move doesn’t really make the Pentagon look good.

Let’s hope they find another way to enable the soldiers to keep in contact with their families and friends.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Comments (2) | Posted in U.S.A.

Why bother with Second life, when you’ve got a first one to finish?

Saturday 12 May 2007 @ 12:57 am

Disclaimer: I’ve never “played” Second Life and I don’t intend to do so. Ever. This rant is not born out of dissatisfaction with the product.

No, I’m overcome with extreme annoyance whenever I hear someone mentioning Second Life. Especially if it is referred to as a game.

Second Life is not a game. It’s a giant 3D chat room with some scripting capabilities. Making money of noobs is not a game concept.

And why do I get the impression that the only residents of Second Life are 40-ish perverts who gladly shell out a couple of bucks to dress up their teenage girlie avatar nicely and the people who spend their time making these clothes?

Oh, and then there is the bottom of the marketing barrel. Guys who’ve read that Second Life is the next big thing and who now try to convince everyone to be part of it. And for a small fee they might even help them.

But what do you expect? The noobs start their SL-career to make money. They don’t, they stop, they still turn up as a resident in the statistics.

Do you think the big companies would waste their resources for this marketing frenzy if Linden said “Oh, we’ve got about 200,000 players”?

I don’t think so. But 2,000,000 and rapidly growing? Hey, the others are doing it, so there must be something to it.

So, go on. Be a part of the ugly, buggy online community that is Second Life. And if you get pwned by a bunch of flying penises: It’s not weird - It’s your life now.

Okay, I feel better now. I hope I haven’t insulted you too much. If I have - I didn’t mean to. Don’t take it too seriously. That was just me ranting.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Comments (26) | Posted in Internet

ViralTags - Viralink reloaded

Thursday 10 May 2007 @ 3:42 am

If you have enjoyed the ViraLink, I bet you will love this. Think of it as Viralink with anchor Text.

========= Copy and Paste below this line ==========

Instructions:

1.) Copy and paste the matrix of “ViralTags” below courtesy of Founders Cafe (to support Jimmy’s quest of launching his own Internet Startup with a shoestring budget, please consider subscribing to his Full RSS Feed to see his triumps and struggles in real time).

2.) Substitute the Host Tag and one of the “Viral Tags” in the matrix with your anchor text of choice with your blog’s URL. Please keep anchor text to a max of 3 words to keep the matrix size manageable.

3.) When you get a ping back from someone that has your link in one of their “Viral Tags”, practice good karma by copying his/her Host Tag’s anchor text (automatically the associated link will also be copied) and paste it over one of your “Viral Tags” below.

4.) Encourage and invite your readers to do the same and soon this can grow virally.

Host Tag: Germany - USA

Important: Once I get a ping back from you (I promise to do the best I can), I will add your anchor text and the associated link you designate as “Host Tag” here, replacing one of the “ViralTags” from the matrix above. As more and more bloggers copy and paste this matrix, the more backlinks you will have with your anchor text. If everybody who copy and paste from your blog does the same, pretty soon this will spread and go viral. So, the sooner you participate, the more links with anchor text you will receive.

======== Copy and Paste from Above this line ========

Popularity: 16% [?]

Comments (59) | Posted in Personal