BRIGHTY.CH

We travel a lot.

And more often than not, wherever we happen to be, we need would really appreciate having a laptop with us.

Our ThinkPads are great. Great, but BIG. And besides the fact that mine should only be used for business purposes (which, admit it, is rarely the case when you’re on holiday, apart if you just happen to own a corporate-sponsored Blackberry that is) and DBW’s is too “precious” to even be removed from its docking station, an alternative Internet Access/Farmville Player/Pic Uploader device was more than due.

Enter the Acer/eMachines eM250..

• Intel Atom processor N270 1.6GHz 10.1″ LED LCD
• 1GB DDR2 Memory / 250GB Hard Drive
• 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
• Multi-in-1 card reader
• Webcam with microphone
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Windows 7 Starter
• Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express Chipset
• 1025 x 600 display

A GREAT little machine that covers exactly every expectation I had, including

1. 3 hours+ battery life
2. WIFI access even when I happen to be hanging around outside
3. Decent display
4. Responsive TouchPad

Currently available at MediaMarkt for CHF 299.00!

Had to come sooner or later!

I mean: how could housewives ever have managed without a GPS Navigation System for their Hoover?

Thank-you, Migros!

So what if some evil criminal decided to make a fast buck and kidnap the participants of tonight’s Bloggy Friday in Zürich?

Would it be worth the effort?

Well, one might not be able to retire, but, according to the net worth of each individual site as computed by BizInformation.org, CHF 563′211.60 would sure help financing a couple of end-of-month expenditures..

Please note: you can quite easily ignore the very last entry!

Due to a tight schedule, I treated Vic to a scrumptuous lunch at our local Migros restaurant today (actually, it was one of the worst meals I have lately had to suffer: a microwaved – c’mon, you can’t expect fresh food at 12:50, can you? – minute pork chop and chips laden with a greasy herb butter sauce which turned my intestines into a methane factory for the rest of the afternoon).

As we were escaping leaving the place, Vic noticed the following ad placed strategically next to the elevator:

“Get your free gift with every Lilibiggs kid’s menu: a wolly hat, a pair of gloves, a scarf or………….an icecream“.

Someone definitely has a screw loose!

DBW and yours truely took part in Zürich’s Bloggy Friday for the 2nd time in two months, networked with two new bloggers, Urs and Andi (sounds better than “met two faces”, eh?) and confirmed why they both hate “Spaghettiplauches” (a big bowl of noodles served with various sauces which don’t taste of anything similar to a spaghetti sauce).

But, as mentioned, weirdness prevailed: of the 6 other participants, none was opionionated nor arrogant. It was simply a great evening among interesting and thoroughly nice people.

In Zürich.

With (mostly) Zürchers.

Weird, I tell you!

I must admit that I was rather anxious about attending this evening’s Bloggy Friday in Zürich.

Not that I’m not used to leaving the house by myself, mind you. I actually drive in to work twice a week and DBW sometime even lets me go shopping alone.

I simply wasn’t sure what to expect: would an Anglo-Saxon blog be welcome amidst a myriad germanophone ones? Would we have anything in common, apart from templates and plugins? Would I be the only one without an iPhone?

There is nothing more to say than “Thanks for a great evening, Roger Rabbit, Bluetime, Rockgöre, Falki, Lupe, Fraggle and Bambi; I wish we would have had more time..”

I’ll be back!

And might even take ol’ Bricciola with me if she behaves next time!

That ANYONE should manage such a shot is pretty damn good.

That ANYONE should manage it during the third set of a grand slam semi-final is awesome.

But to turn it into a passing shot and gain a match ball as well?