October 14, 2007
greetings from berlin
I pulled this photo off the internet. The Berlin TV Tower is quite impressive in real life, especially if you're into Soviet, Sputnik-inspired architecture. Futuristic on one hand, totally oppressive on the other.
Today's my birthday. Not really doing anything to celebrate it.
I'm flying back to London tonight. Plane leaves at 7.45.
[Sunday Update, 9.30pm:] Back in London.
Happy Birthday, Hugh! I wish you all the best in life and work. Thanks for the interesting things that you write and for keeping a technologically illiterate girl like me updated about what is going on in your advanced world of global communication.
So Buon Compleanno, as we say in Italian.
Barbara
Posted by: Barbara at October 14, 2007 1:36 PMHappy Hugh, Successman! Geez, am I really the first one to congratulate you? Amazing. Kinda cool though.
Posted by: Martin at October 14, 2007 2:42 PMWell, i guess this is the first HAPPY BIRTHDAY comment... Enjoy
Posted by: joaquin at October 14, 2007 3:06 PMhappy birthday.
Posted by: natalie at October 14, 2007 3:15 PMHappy Birthday, indeed.
Yesterday I found out that there's a name for the style where things that look like that tower...
It's called "Googie". Likely everybody else knew that, but it's new to me.
thus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googie_architecture
"What is Googie anyway? Just think of it as a collection of design motifs that became popular as the Space Age kicked into full gear in the early 1960s. Would the cartoon Jetsons have used it? If so, it's probably Googie...
Typical Googie design elements:
# Flying saucers
# Curved domes
# Boomerangs
# Rocket ships
# Satellites
# Amoeba shapes.
# Star bursts
# Tiki or Polynesian themes: a simultaneous movement sometimes linked to Googie
# Steel beams with decorative holes
# Signs with individual letters in geometric shapes
More such-like at
http://paleo-future.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Maggie Leber at October 14, 2007 7:14 PMHey, happy birthday Hugh - can't believe a whole year has gone again :)
Posted by: Keith at October 14, 2007 7:32 PMJust returned from Berlin... the eastern half is full of such Soviet-era remains. It keeps giving me a feeling of riding some time machine to the fifties, only there's a 19th century layer too, the grand buildings and boulevards, and there is a growing 21st century layer as well. Fascinating city!
Happy birthday, Hugh, keep on blogging!
Berlin is a very interesting city for sure. East meets West, and makes it dull. P.J.O`Rourke, who is no communist, once stated that communism is the only system that could make poor Germans, but having worked with many Ossies in SAP, I have to say that they are impressive, educated, critical, and unbowed. "I speak twenty languages, but I am unconvinced by the profit motive."
Posted by: Hamish at October 14, 2007 7:42 PMHappy birthday from a complete stranger. :)
Posted by: Krupo at October 14, 2007 8:09 PMHappy Birthday. Tell everyone you meet in the next month that the day you are talking to them is your birthday. It's called the birthday month. You will be spoiled for a solid month and you might even get lucky here or there ...
Best Wishes,
Dave
Happy birthday, Hugh. Keep up the good work as an international jet-setter.
Posted by: Chris at October 14, 2007 10:20 PMHey man,
Happy Birthday! I think laying low is the best way to deal with those anyway…
Posted by: John Unger at October 14, 2007 10:43 PMHappy Birthday
Posted by: Brad at October 14, 2007 11:19 PMhappy birthday
Posted by: griff at October 14, 2007 11:21 PM Happy Birthday from an exile sasanach (sp) its also mine although i"m only some 50-40 years older the years only get better.
roger
Hey Hugh!
Wish you a Very Happy Birthday! :-)
Raul
Posted by: Raul at October 15, 2007 5:48 AMHappy Birthday from another complete stranger!
Posted by: Jen Zug at October 15, 2007 5:52 AMthank you!
Posted by: Mark at October 15, 2007 5:59 AMHappy Birthday Hugh. Greetings from India. As we say here in Hindi, Janam Din Mubarak!
It's a delight to visit gapingvoid every morning. It's my kickstarter for the day.
Keep writing good stuff. I'll keep coming back.
Posted by: sonali at October 15, 2007 6:09 AMHappy Birthday Man.
Adore your art. Keep it up (-:
Happy Birthday. While nothing special to celebrate, I hope you took the time to appreciate all you have. That is a celebration in itself!
Posted by: thom singer at October 15, 2007 11:58 AMHappy Birthday!
When in Berlin, I've heard the thing to do is have some horrible greasy bratwurst, some excellent heavy bread, and of course, a stien or three. And maybe some chocolate in some form.
Posted by: Jay at October 15, 2007 12:19 PMHey Hugh Happy Birthday
Posted by: sam at October 15, 2007 2:26 PMHey Hugh!!
Happy Birthday (belated greetings). Now how many years is it? It doesnt matter. Go out and enjoy. Live life to the fullest. What is the mood in the industry these days? Read about the mood at Intel - http://www.intellion.blogspot.com/
pass this on to your readers, if you want.
Hey Hugh - HB my man and enjoy your day; I've been passing your Cumbrian outpost a lot recently as 'the kid' is now at school twixt Kendal and the upper reaches of your river Eden. Back down there on Fiday (at the moment @work in SFran - weather variable just like Cumbria) - James
Posted by: James at October 15, 2007 2:31 PMhappy bday hugh! i catch up with your stuff now & again to clear the brain - serendipity it is 2day. hear you are speaking at a conference in joburg soon - sadly will be at a strat session - but as/when you are in cape town with some time on your hands, a cappuccino is on me!
Posted by: mike at October 15, 2007 3:24 PMHappy Birthday - Hugh. Can we expect a birthday inspired cartoon?
Posted by: Chris at October 15, 2007 4:13 PMwow how did i miss this - Happy BDay!
Posted by: Nikita Polyakov at October 16, 2007 4:30 AMWe're both Libra's! Happy B-day and Herzlichen Gluckwunsch!
Posted by: Lisa at October 16, 2007 3:47 PMHappy Birthday! I hope you're enjoying Berlin!
Posted by: Alan at October 16, 2007 7:51 PMOh - belated happy birthday Hugh. We went to Berlin in the 1980's and drove through Checkpoints Alpha (West Germany into East Germany) Bravo (East Germany into West Berlin) and of course Charlie (West to East Berlin) scary times. Also had lunch in the restaurant in the tower - is that still there?
Posted by: Penguin at October 18, 2007 8:05 AMGreat stuff so far and many many Happy Returns of the day!
Posted by: Karthick at October 18, 2007 9:39 AM