Author.::.Savar

As you know, two weeks have already passed since November came. Usually at this time all the main heroes of leading auto-motor-championships are certainly spending their honestly-earned money or licking their bruises and cuts into shape in some bungalow at a quiet lagoon-shore with turquoise surf far away from the city fuss. And Schumacher-the eldest, who should definitely have a very strong stimulus to take part in unique by passion-incandescence Swiss third-division matches, just as Valentino Rossi who can be seen driving Ferrari with enviable constancy, being motivated by the same reason, seem to be more a kind of exception of a rule about legitimate quiet shelter after tense season.

Perhaps these are just special relaxation course-elements for seven-time champions; though there certainly exists bazillion of common mortals, who prefer to spend two precious vacation-weeks (which are snatched away from cheeky chiefs), for example, on some board under ever-wet piece of duck, which is permanently trying to remove the upper part of your body into the water, the temperature of which is good only for penguin migration and long-time storage of laminaria.

Continue reading "About viruses and monarchs."

Posted by Xena at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

Authors.::. Dima & Asja

It's the report about the holiday we longed for and spent on the territory of several countries of the Western Europe.

Most of us are white collars knackered with routine work; somehow we managed to bum quite a long three - week vacation off our chef and decided to go to one of the Italian mountain - skiing resorts. We chose a very original way to get to the place - we intended to drive our own cars from Moscow to the very resort. Everything necessary for such a long travelling (maps, atlases, luggage boots for ski-transportation and all that) was bought without any delay.
We thought a bit and chose Val di Fassa skiing region, situated in Dolomite Alps on the north of Italy. We booked apartments in Campitello place in advance together with some of the staff members of "X-terra" travel agency.
Our route included crossing Belarus, Poland, Germany, Austria and, finally, Italy. In order not to waist time in Europe, we decided to visit our Russian friends living in strange for each Russian person Germany. Our friends moved there several years ago, charmed by it's imaginary attractiveness.

Continue reading "The first report about our trip to Italy"

Posted by Xena at 3:35 PM | Comments (0)

Author.::.Mazoo

Today's morning I received a link to John Hyde's gallery "Wild Things Photography" and I couldn't stop until finished looking through all the works of this photographer. The photos are so beautiful that when you open this or that picture you simply hold your breath (Phil said that the photos even moved him to tears). John Hyde photos wild life of Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii Isls and all that. Here is what he says about himself:

Wild Things PhotoGraphy was born from my appreciation of all things wild and by an inherent quest to explore the natural world around me.

I can't imagine doing anything else that would provide the satisfaction I receive from sharing my work with others, opening windows that help enrich their lives and appreciation for the intrinsic values of wild things and wild places.

Continue reading "John Hyde and his Wild Things"

Posted by Xena at 12:12 PM | Comments (1)

Author.::Maxx

Last month I watched a new film of Sverdlovsk Film Studio "First on the Moon". The plot is about the launch of the first Russian cosmonaut to the Moon, which was prepared and carried out in late 30-s.

The film is great, all those who like conspiracies and intrigues of secret agencies, will find it especially attractive - one is amazed with ease the experienced cinema-men manage to bewilder the inexperienced reader.

According to the rumors, the staff of Sverdlovsk Film Studio, starting to grow blunt because of the lack of worthy work, have been thoroughly falsificating the shots of "secret" chronicle. And the result is tremendous. I forgot to warn my girlfriend that the whole film is just a perfectly made mystification, and after the film I was beaten with umbrella for all the severe spiritual sufferings she had to experience while watching the movie. Till the very end she was absolutely sure that the plot is based on documentary materials and was very embarrassed that she failed to know these historical events.
Meanwhile the film is not convincing at all from the engineering point of view, though (from dilettante's point of view) its cinematographical side is superbly made. My favorite comical moments are the following: the rocket-delivery to the starting point and the process of making "plugs" for the rocket- model.

If you get the opportunity to watch this film on the big screen, I strongly advise to do so.

Official Movie Website (RU)

Posted by Xena at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)

Author.::.4zy

I'm keen on beautiful photos, sometimes I just stand stockstill and gaze, gaze :-)

Once, during my London training session, I was taking an evening walk on skates, when I saw an open-air photo-exhibition in Natural History Museum's yard. Unfortunately it was too late and it was closed. The next day I came here and didn't regret. It turned out to be "Earth From The Air" exhibition of an astonishing photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand.

10 years of his life have been devoted to this project. 3000 hours over 76 countries of the world have been spent by him in order to make photos of chosen landscapes. When he was asked: "In what way is Art born?" he replied that the answer is quite simple. "The Earth is Art itself and photographer is only an eyewitness..."

"Their Circular Life" is a very interesting project. The concept is great and the realization is either. Don't forget to turn on the sound.

And one more site is UK Nights, representing very stylish photos of different places of the UK made at night.

Posted by Xena at 4:19 PM | Comments (0)

Author.::.Phil

I've got a kind of one specific reflex - a big white surface evokes my desire to do smth. with it. If it's a clean sheet of paper, it's absolutely necessary to write or draw smth. on it. If it's a white window of a program, it should be indispensably used somehow or got stuff with information. If it's a wall... well, it's clear without any words. If we don't take paper into account, the largest white surface I've recently got, is Apple iBook. It's clear that it didn't stay white long :-) While by while it became covered with stickers. At the moment F2 and NASA logotypes inhabit the upper cover, DaKine and Smith - the lower part.

And today, one of our authors, 4zy, who's a great fan of Apple production, thrust the photogallery on flickr called "Mac Stickers", under my nose. It's about such guys as I am, who take a fine thing and transmogrify it with all sort of rubbish. I'm not the only one, we've got a whole movement here!

(It's not me, but Cory Doctorow on the picture; the photos are from this very gallery)

UPD: I finally made up my mind to photo my sticked Mac.

Continue reading "How to transmogrify Apple iBook or the complex of white surfaces"

Posted by Xena at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

Author.::.Phil

A man in the coat and hat, looking like an ordinary pensioner, enters a museum, quickly and accurately takes one of his works out of the paper bag and arranges it among the exhibits. The picture is with a signature and a comment. Get acquainted with Banksy.

Last places, visited by him are The Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Natural History. All of them are in New-York.

He's very social. His works are already called "banksies". The author of one of the articles, devoted to him, writes that his works seem to be so personal, as if they've been created only for him; but at the same time they are social and seem to be a present for everybody.

Continue reading "Banksy, stencils and society"

Posted by Xena at 7:31 PM | Comments (0)

Author.::.Mazoo

If you were lucky to learn about our Egypt adventure, then you know that the only program of the local TV net, because of which we EVEN didn't finish our supper was a cartoon on cartoon network about a pink timid dog. It's "COURAGE the COWARDLY DOG".

So, "in the middle of Nowhere" stands a house, where old Muriel, her balmy old husband Eustace and Muriel's pet - the dog, whose nickname is Courage live.

Continue reading "COURAGE the COWARDLY DOG"

Posted by Xena at 5:51 PM | Comments (0)

Author.::.4zy

Today we are going to cook an extremely simple breakfast for bachelors (and not only for them :-) ) - omelet. It'll be not just an ordinary omelet, but my personal recipe - omelet with mayonnaise and soy sauce. Haven't you tried it yet? You definitely should have!
So, we'll need one table - spoon of mayonnaise (the same goes for the soy sauce) and two eggs. We should whip everything with a fork without adding any salt (as the soy sauce is salty itself), then warm the frying pan, add a bit of butter (creamy or sunflower - it depends upon the personal taste) and pour the prepared mixture into the frying pan.

As it may take you long to learn how to turn the omelet over, you can just cover the frying pan with a lid.

Well, is the omelet ready? Then hurry to put it onto the plate and decorate with greens :-)

Add a pare of buttered toasts, make a cup of hot sweet tea and enjoy your breakfast :-)

Bon appetite!

Omelet with mayonnaise and soy sauce (RU)

Posted by Xena at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

Author.::.4zy

Here I'm responsible for a category of blog entries, devoted to the art of cooking. What does it consist of?

It consists of my notes, containing all possible information of cooking something tasty for some special (and not very special) occasion without spending much effort.

These notes is both for those who can hardly cook pelmeni down and those who have plenty of original recipes in the stock.

I'd like you to know that all these recipes have been tried by me on practice :-), and it means that anytime you can ask me any questions concerning the process of cooking the dishes.

At this point I'm taking my leave.

Always yours, 4zy

Posted by Xena at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)