This is for strolling with the baby. I thought I would go for the walker, but I compromised, and we got the red one instead. Seven more weeks to go. If it does end up a 10-10-10 baby, then not only would the baby have a binary date of birth, it would have the binary date of birth (101010 in binary is 42 in decimal). Also, the pictures are from my new iPhone4 in HDR mode. For a phone camera, they are pretty good, even in low light conditions.
So... the project is coming together slowly. It's time to reveal some more details of my new project. The name is Jump Daisy Jump. Star of it all is an hapless dairy cow Daisy. And yes... she is on springs. Like the little tank that could this game is heavily based on Physics Simulation. In the case of Jump Daisy Jump that would be spring physics. The game is as much fun as it looks. This time I think I will try the ad-supported revenue model, so the basic game will be free. It will be available for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad.
A sneak peek at my new project, which I started today. Are you getting curious? Then keep an eye out on this blog, and see what this iPhone/iPad/iPod app will be all about. The still secret title will be revealed soon.
As of today, we have a crib in our nursery. Amy and I are getting ready for the big event. We've been attending Pregnancy Classes to prepare for it. I'm still scared, but less so. We've also managed to find a nice stroller. And what do you know... it's Dutch Design optima forma. Many thanks to the grandparents who helped us to buy this fancy smancy stuff. Nothing is too good for this future Dutch Canadian Girl. I guess we'll put the remainder of the baby money into a savings account to pay MIT tuition in 2028. Or will University in Holland still be government paid at that time? Amy insists that I speak Dutch with the baby, and that the baby gets two passports.
So about the baby: a girl, due October 29. But as they told us in Pregnancy Class: there is no due-date, more of a due-month. So secretly I hope on a 10-10-10 baby with a binary birth date. The baby moves around a lot inside Amy, and health checks have been good so far.
- BramyI saw this awesome set of wheels in Vancouver. The police force was doing a charity event, so I made a deal with an officer: I donate to the charity, and they let me get behind the wheel of this Ford Mercury. It has a manual gearbox but the shifting is done at the steering wheel, not on the floor.
In Vancouver heerste er ook een flinke WorldCup fever. Door de vele nationaliteiten die hier aanwezig zijn zitten de bars vol tijdens de wedstrijden. Het feestje voor expats in Vancouver tijdens de finale was zo populair, dat het niet mogelijk was om binnen te komen. Het zag Oranje van de Nederlanders. Vlak voor de finale kwam ik Miguel tegen, mijn Spaanse ex-collega, dus dat was een mooie photo-op zoals ze dat hier noemen. Tevens op de photo: Bram pruilend na verlies, en Bram en Slavica voor het feestje van het consulaat.
Niets is zo overweldigend voor een 12 jarig jongetje als de Star Wars saga. In 1982 zag ik samen met mijn broer Robbert een dubbele vertoning van van Star Wars a new hope en the Empire strikes back in het Corso Theater in Castricum. Ik wist niet wat me overkwam. Sindsdien heeft de magie van de cinema me ooit nog zo kunnen overrompelen als toen. Een belangrijke bijdrage in de onderdompeling van het Star Wars universum was in de vorm van de muziek. De genialiteit van John Williams is niet veel minder dan die van George Lucas. Wat betreft George Lucas: ik heb altijd een hekel gehad aan die hetze die het publiek ging ontwikkelen omdat Phantom Menace niet Star Wars waardig zou zijn. Dit vind ik onzin. Phantom Menace is een goede film, en natuurlijk is de indruk van de film op een volwassene niet te evenaren als de indruk van het orgineel op het kind. Als de films in omgekeerde volgorde waren uitgebracht, dan had een flink aantal waarschijnlijk a New Hope verguisd.
Ik heb vanavond Star Wars in Concert bijgewoond in het Hockey Stadion hier in Vancouver. Gepresenteerd door Anthony Daniels, met een volledig symphonie orkest en koor. Wat een genot om die muziek live aan te horen, vergezeld met beelden uit Star Wars. Mocht de toer ook Europa aandoen, dan is mijn advies om dit zeker te gaan bekijken.
Wel, ik heb zojuist aan mijn burgerplicht voldaan. Daar ik nog niet bevoegd ben om mijn stem uit te brengen voor de Canadese verkiezingen, heb ik gestemd voor de tweede kamer verkiezingen in Nederland. Per post gaat mijn stem naar Den Haag. Zoals immer, stem ik puur op het programma, met de hulp van de stemwijzer. Blijkbaar is mijn gedachtengoed niet optimaal vertegenwoordigd in de politiek, want de partij waarvan het program het meest met mijn ideeën strookt, heeft slechts 20 matches op 30 stellingen. Ik ben het verst verwijderd van Groenlinks en de piratenpartij met 7 matches uit 30.
Is it me, or are the people in Vancouver just more fit than the average person? 50000 people are doing the Sun Run, including Amy's sister, Amy's best friend and a bunch of my Slant Six colleagues. I tried to spot Ben, who got seeded, from my balcony, but failed to catch him. However, here are some nice pictures I took. I really like the one of the shadows. It's a somewhat reversed from what you expect: the shadows are in normal perspective, and the people themselves are from a strange angle.
It was 65 years ago that thousands of Canadians gave their lives so that my parents, both born under nazi occupation during WWII, would be able to grow up in a free and safe Netherlands. The Netherlands is deeply indebted to all the allied forces, but it was the Canadians that were given the task of liberating Holland. One such soldier who embarked on a long voyage from Canada to Europe to fight in Arnhem is depicted in this picture. I admire their braveness, their tenaciousness and their achievements. I hope I would have at least half their courage if I were ever to be in their shoes. For now, all I can do is gladly pay my taxes for an ever improving Canada, which has provided me with a wonderful new home. The True North strong and free.
What a beautiful spring evening in Vancouver today. English Bay is looking its finest. People are flocking to the seawall. Amy and I will probably move out of the neighbourhood soon, to get something bigger and more affordable. The west end, and English Bay in particular is my favorite part of Vancouver, but I'm sure we'll find something nice south of False Creek. We will definitely be renting again, as the housing market has not crashed here yet. I've heard that the disparity between house prices and incomes is nowhere so large as here. A hard hitting housing crash is exactly what is needed here. Last weekend I visited a condo tower near UBC called the Wesbrook that was selling two bedroom apartments for 1.4M dollar. Maybe a Hong Kong businessman can afford this.
Just submitted to the app store and available soon: my latest iPad game Touch Flags. It is a flag pop quiz, with amazingly realistic multi touch interaction. You can drag, pinch, stretch, flip, fold and swirl the flags. It's so realistic, you can almost feel the cloth.
A nice thing about this puzzle game is that it is highly educational. Playing a few games will quickly give you expert knowledge on the flags of the world.
I am really proud of this game, I think it's a killer application of the 10 finger multitouch functionality of the iPad.
I never got into superheroes all that much. So personally, I would not pick 'kick ass' as a movie to see. But Amy's colleagues were going there, and I was invited. Man... that movie is awesome. And as a bonus, I had a nice 'fiction meets reality' moment. In the movie, the bad guy goes to the cinema. Guess what cinema he goes to... the VERY SAME cinema I am at that very moment sitting in, watching that movie. How freaking weird is that? I can recommend the movie... funny as hell, a lot of suspense, and just very well made.
Wow.... this video is an amazing piece of work. Everyone growing up in the digital age will be able to relate to it.
In the other news: last weekend I went to Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood Washington to pick up an Apple iPad. Amy and I took the Amtrak train from Vancouver, heading to Seattle. The Amtrak station in Edmonds has some historic items on display. Railroads have such a rich history in the United States, opening up the continent to the pioneers and new settlers. It's a shame that the US railroads have been ignored by the car owning masses and the governments alike. It's a shadow of what it once was. It deserves a better fate, because it can be very comfortable. I remember an Amtrak ride from New Orleans to Memphis, when we had a nice juicy steak dinner, white tablecloths and silverware included, on board of the train. And because the ticket was bought months in advance, it was unbelievably cheap.
