Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uzbekistan

Sunset in Khiva

I just returned from a two week trip to Uzbekistan – a country that I did not know much about before. Located in Central Asia, east of the Caspian sea, it is surrounded by some of the other Post-Soviet states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan – while it also shares a border with Afghanistan to the southeast. Since ancient times, the trade routes connecting East and West commonly known as “Silk Road” ran through here, and in a way still do. East Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, languages, and religions blended together with remnants of the Soviet era create a unique mix that I have not experienced anywhere else yet.

After the death of authoritarian president Karimov in 2016, the country is now gradually opening up under their new leadership. There are large investments being made in industry, housing, education, and infrastructure. Coupled with a much more lenient border policy, it’s now easier than ever for tourists to visit. However, these rapid changes also come with downsides – old parts of many towns are being demolished in favour of big hotels, and the cultural and architectural features that Uzbekistan is known for are slowly turned into a theme park.

Regardless, I can only recommend travelling there if you have the chance. If you want to have a look at more pictures, click the teaser above or here.

Hipster

Ich war heute mal wieder in einem fast nicht mehr angesagten Hamburger Viertel um einen alten Freund aus der Schweiz zu treffen. Zwischen Bio-Stulle und Craft Beer wurde ich an diesen Artikel erinnert: A Tale of Two Hipsters, ein Essay von Dale Beran. Er bezieht sich in diesem Versuch der Definition des Hipster-Begriffs zwar auf die USA, speziell auf den New Yorker Stadtteil Brooklyn – ich finde seine Erkenntnisse aber auch hier in der deutschen Provinz anwendbar. Klare Leseempfehlung.

Testing…

Just a test post for tuning the font sizes, blockquotes, line and letter spacing and other typography related variables.

On a sidenote, as you can see this is not the standard “Lorem ipsum..” blind text but rather a text by Cicero, from which the commonly used versions of the well known blind text originate. See the Wikipedia entry Lorem ipsum for more details.

[32] Sed ut perspiciatis, unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam eaque ipsa, quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt, explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem, quia voluptas sit, aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos, qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt, neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum, quia dolor sit, amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt, ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit, qui in ea voluptate velit esse, quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum, qui dolorem eum fugiat, quo voluptas nulla pariatur? [33] At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus, qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti, quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint, obcaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa, qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio, cumque nihil impedit, quo minus id, quod maxime placeat, facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet, ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.

Same again, in case you were wondering…

[32] Sed ut perspiciatis, unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam eaque ipsa, quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt, explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem, quia voluptas sit, aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos, qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt, neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum, quia dolor sit, amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt, ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit, qui in ea voluptate velit esse, quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum, qui dolorem eum fugiat, quo voluptas nulla pariatur? [33] At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus, qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti, quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint, obcaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa, qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio, cumque nihil impedit, quo minus id, quod maxime placeat, facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet, ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.

Enough of this now.