Bangkok’s brand-new airport. That’s the subject of my latest Gridskipper post.
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Three Korea Stories of Note
Two of my pals have recently published excellent stories about Korea. Rolf Potts has got two articles on Slate — one’s about the Busan International Film Festival and an upcoming action comedy film called “Expats,” and the other’s about returning to the city after having spent two years teaching English there in the late 90s.
Elsewhere, Busan resident Aaron Tassano’s got a great article about the PIFF over at Trip Master Monkey. (Lil’ Kim? Lil’ Kim!)
(The image above is from my trip to Seoul to visit my brother last January.)
(Rolf Potts stories via.)
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Mae Hong Son Trip
A and I just returned to Bangkok after five excellent days in the north of Thailand. We spent most of our time in leafy Mae Hong Son, a picturesque town near the Myanmar border.
We were inspired to visit MHS by our pal Austin, who’s a big fan of the region, and I can only say that I’m delighted to have seen it; Mae Hong Son is now certainly my favorite part of northern Thailand.
Here’s the full photoset of 67 images.
Below are some of my faves along with some notes:
— We rented a motorbike and explored the area around Mae Hong Son. Fantastic. Our metallic steed was no Minsk; nor was it the beloved GTO. And frankly, we could’ve used some two-stroke torque for the hills and twisties. Rather, we piloted a somewhat anemic but nonetheless serviceable 125 cc, four-stroke, four-speed Honda Dream step-through.
— The scenery was incredible.
— We consumed some transcendent vittles.
— We stayed at the excellent Fern Resort; our tidy bungalow had a balcony overlooking a stream.
— And, finally, since we flew to Mae Hong Son from Bangkok via Chiang Mai, I got a chance to check out, for the first time, BKK’s brand-new airport, Suvarnabhumi (pronounced “Su-wanna-poom”). Its main terminal is blinged out in blue neon lights and ultra-modern, glistening steel. Sweet.
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10 Tips for New Mac Users
A buddy of mine recently bought a new Mac and asked me for some tips in getting started. As a passionate — though hopefully not obnoxious and only slightly dorky — Apple fan, I offered him much of the following common sense-centric advice. I’ve added a few items to the list I gave him and thought this might be helpful to others.
1. First things first: Purchase and register AppleCare. If you don’t want to spring for it, then at least be sure to register your machine for the standard warranty. Better safe than sorry and all that.
2. Read the user manual — obviously, OS X is easy to use, but it helps to read the book. Duh. The operating system contains some very useful features that might not be apparent.
3. Import your images into iPhoto — it’s super easy to use and very cool. Simply plug your camera’s memory card into your machine’s USB slot and iPhoto will open automatically and prompt you to import your pics. And it goes without saying that you should make the most of iTunes for your music.
4. Use iCal for scheduling. It’s extremely simple — a more elegant version of Outlook’s calendaring feature. Don’t forget that in iCal, you can import and subscribe to public calendars. With one click, I added all of the American and Thai public holidays, for instance.
5. Spotlight is perhaps OS X’s most powerful feature. Just click on that magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the screen to find stuff with Google-esque efficiency. Way faster than navigating through folders using the Finder.
6. Set up Google Notifier for Mac. You do have Gmail, right? Well, what’re you waiting for? Okay then. Get the notifier so you can be alerted when you get new email. Works great.
7. Buy an external hard drive (80 gig or so at least — bigger if you’re into downloading massive amounts of tunes or video.) An external drive, naturally, will allow you to back up all the stuff on your hard drive. It’s rare, but hard drives do fail, and as you begin storing more and more valuable stuff on your machine — documents, photos, music — over time, you’ll want to have a backup copy just in case. Lacie is a good brand.
8. Take advantage of Expose, a feature that allows you to access open windows quickly. For example, you can move your cursor to any corner of the screen and all open widows will displayed at once. Similarly, hitting F11 can be used to hide all of your open windows and display the desktop.
9. On the Job is an excellent Mac-only time tracking application. It’s free to try and $24.95 to purchase
10. And, finally, tinker! Don’t be afraid to poke around and open folders and try out utilities and play around with stuff. Hitting the wrong button will not cause your computer to explode.
Related articles elsewhere:
— 10 Things Every New Mac Owner Should Know
How to carry a bucket and drive a motorbike at the same time. Awesome.
The tag says it all:
“ASIAN SIZE XL.”
I bought this pair of shorts here in Bangkok recently. If you’re a large person like me and you’ve ever tried to buy clothing in Asia, you’ll appreciate the fact that Adidas has seen fit to label these bad boys honestly. An XL in Asia is perhaps an M in America.
Related photos of me being large and in charge in the far east and elsewhere outside of North America:
Looking silly in Jakarta.
With Mammoth and Dong and the Gin Long Crew in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (somewhat embarrasingly, I’m wearing the same tee in this pic — but hey, I was on a long trip).
Next to a microscopic Opel in Ireland circa 2002.
Standing next to a chair in the north of Vietnam
With a food vendor in central Ecuador
And with a gaggle of girls in Quito.
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Links! Links! Links!
Okay.
So.
Here’s a random, annotated list of cool stuff that’s caught my eye of late. It’s been bloodless coup 24/7 up in here over the last fortnight or so; some of these items might be a bit old, but still. They’re good. Trust me.
— If you’re interested in Asian popular culture and you’re not reading Tripmaster Monkey, you’re dead to me. (And I’m not just saying that because my essay about the smoove as silk putsch ran there recently.)
Two TMM gems you should read: “Columbus, Schmolumbus,” and “Cylon vs. Castaway!” (Re: the latter, how engrossing is Lost and how hopelessly in love with Yunjin Kim are you? Tell the truth.)
— Economist:
Islamist rulers in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, have declared a holy war against Ethiopia, after hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers reportedly invaded Somalia. The risk of a regional conflict is growing
— MarketWatch:
Dilbert deserves the economics Nobel.” Nine points:
1. Make a will
2. Pay off your credit cards
3. Get term life insurance if you have a family to support
4. Fund your 401k to the maximum
5. Fund your IRA to the maximum
6. Buy a house if you want to live in a house and can afford it
7. Put six months worth of expenses in a money-market account
8. Take whatever money is left over and invest 70% in a stock index fund and 30% in a bond fund through any discount broker and never touch it until retirement
9. If any of this confuses you, or you have something special going on (retirement, college planning, tax issues), hire a fee-based financial planner, not one who charges a percentage of your portfolio
Guide to Suburban Denver Subdivision Names
…
Over the years, as new subdivisions have stretched farther and farther out onto the plains, their names have become wordier, more elaborate, and more pretentious. Today, there is an obvious trend in the naming of new subdivisions in metro Denver. Developers now use a variety of semantic tricks in their attempt to increase the perceived exclusivity of the development. No longer would something simple and unassuming like “Columbine Knolls” suffice. These days, the first part of the name must clearly identify that the development is not only a residential community, but also one of great distinction, and that these homes of great distinction are located at a place of even greater distinction. Thus, new suburban development names now begin with phrases like “The Estates at…” or “The Preserve at…” or “The Retreat at…” followed by not just one or two words to describe the incredibly special patch of prairie on which these homes have been built, but three words or more.
— Meet Thumbelina (pictured above), the world’s smallest horse. You know you love it. Wouldn’t that be great if they could, like, get a tiiiiiiny little saddle and, you know, like, a little monkey with a cowboy hat could totally ride Thumbelina!
— AP:
Ailing Ecuador Leader Still Calls Shots
…
He’s the most influential politician in this small, unstable Andean nation — an old-fashioned bare-knuckled ‘caudillo,’ or political strongman, making his weight felt by backing Cynthia Viteri, a 40-year-old former congresswoman, as Ecuador’s first woman president.
But his Social Christian party faces a mounting challenge from Rafael Correa, a leftist firebrand in the mold of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, who has surged into the lead in the final days of a presidential race.
‘A communist,’ snaps Febres Cordero. ‘A political dinosaur,’ shoots back Correa.
No one is likely to win outright in voting Sunday (Oct. 15), but if Correa gets to the November runoff and wins, he will join Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales at the cutting edge of Latin America’s leftward tilt. Having referred to President Bush as ‘dimwitted,’ the 43-year-old economist is clearly not looking to make friends in the White House.
— Slate:
Woodward and You: A reader’s guide to State of Denial.
— Fellow Emory University English major — a good friend — Wendy reports that our alma mater has snagged not only Salman Rushie, but his archive, as well. This is excellent, excellent news.
— [warning , dorky Web development link ahead] seomoz.org:
How to Convince a Client They Don’t Need a Splash Page
— CSM:
The Economist effect: Not all news media are dumbing it down
— Incredible photoset of the Taj Majal. Related: “Calcutta 1945: An American Military Photograph Album.”
Ten Things I Have Learned
Torrential rains hit Bangkok last night; I ended up stuck in a Starbucks — stupidly sans umbrella or even rain jacket — until the storm abated. I snapped these pics on my way back to my apartment. As you can see, there was some serious flooding. And more may be in store…
Austin Considine and I have a story in today’s New York Times travel section about Thailand, tourism, and the recent military coup.
Apropos of nothing, a funny pic for you, my dear readers. Would that I snapped it. Click for a bigger version.
Enjoy the weekend.
(Via.)