Put It Where You Want It

As anyone knows, I am a man of few words. *pause for irony* However, as the end of my French excursion draws near I may have a few things to say about Fontainebleau, INSEAD, the French people, and my cumulative experience of living, albeit rather briefly, in the great nation of France. Check back soon for lighthearted literary elucidation. But in the meantime, here's a little something featuring Remi Gaillard, as French as it is fun. (psst!...Wait for 2:58!)

Easter in France

Fresh off the press, a first look at some Easter pictures with the new camera!
Easter was a blast, and it merely confirmed my suspicion: there's not much in the world like mimosas and an early diner followed by picnicking in the Château gardens on a lazy Sunday with friends, wine, and snacks.

Sample Work

This post is a work in progress...

He is Risen!...My New Toy, That is.

Just in time for Easter, I have a happy tale of resurrection. A few posts ago I disclosed the sordid details surrounding the loss of my beloved Canon SD600. Its been about 5 weeks since it was stolen, but in the spirit of the holiday, I have forgiven those that trespassed against me. Yes, I have completely forgiven the filthy, lawless hoard of disease-ridden, vagrant, gypsy prostitutes who stole it from me. But I digress. Today I received a very welcome package, a gift from my parents, a brand new digital camera, reincarnated as a Canon SD880 IS!

This camera is sa-weet! I love Canon products, its one of the few brands I have true loyalty for. I got the dual-tone champagne & chocolate version with matching chocolate leather Canon case. It's got everything a top-of-the-line pocket digital should have, including one of the highest customer reviews out there for any camera in its class this year. I can't wait to use it and post some of my own pictures again. And what better an opportunity, the expats are having a little Easter dinner tomorrow and going to spend a few hours in the Château gardens hopefully too.

A Fantastic Adventure Through the Forests of Fontainebleau

This weekend I had the opportunity to do something distinctly out of the ordinary: bouldering. Fontainebleau is nestled square in the middle of France's 2nd largest forest, La Foret de Fontainebleau. Aside from its historical significance as the royal hunting grounds, the forest is also literally world-renowned for its extensive and well-developed boulder fields. Climbers from all over the globe regard the area as the Mecca of bouldering, and this weekend I found out why.
Driving north along the A6 toward Paris there are a number of turnouts at some of the more accessible boulder fields. Entering the geological formation is surreal. The entire area is virtually covered with giant odd-shaped rocks ranging from the size of a dumpster to a two story house. Covered in moss and lichen, the boulders each have their own unique personality. Some provide formidably challenging and even quite dangerous routes for advanced climbers while others are scaled easily by novices. Most have bizarre natural formations like holes and channels, deep crevices, and are separated by narrow winding pathways between their vertical sides. I had an incredible time clamoring around on them, jumping from one to another, and seeing how far I could get without touching back down to the ground. It was an incredible adventure, and all against a natural backdrop whose beauty was only surpassed by its unusualness. I'm definitely going to go back out for some more climbing fun before my Fontainebleau experience is finished!
Check out this video of someone bouldering to get an idea of what its all about, just know i'm not nearly this hardcore.

Facebook Like You've Never Seen It

We all know and love Facebook, but what's going on behind the scenes? Jack Linden, an engineer at Facebook, uses jME open source software to reveal in a rather dynamic graphic format, just what it "looks" like in real time when you send a friend request or any other action. Useless? Virtually. But Cool? You bet. Take a look!