Stop The Nerddom

Nerd style has found a place in the world's fashion scene. Which I guess beats getting bullied all the time. Now boys and girls from all ages take a spin on the nerd side, and manage to make it somewhat hip and happening.

Still I don't agree.

• No matter what you say, thick-rimmed glasses need to die.
• Any girl over the age of three must not wear bangs. Any boy also.
• Please for the love of god, clean up. You smell awful.

Addendum to How a Subway System Matures a Metropolis

Honorable mentions: Paris, Moscow, Singapore, Hong Kong

New York isn't in the top five, because the system is unclear (especially the distinction between express and regular cars), MTA just killed the one-day pass, and the stations just look old and dank, especially north of Central Park. For a country always looking for someone to sue, it's surprising they haven't built the barriers next to the tracks at the platforms, like Asian metro systems have.

Amsterdam isn't in the top five, because there aren't enough stations near locations people actually want to go to (more built according to distance, rather than need). The payment system does not cater for visitors, (no day passes) but then again everything visitors need to go to in the city, is within walking distance anyway.

And Dubai's subway isn't actually done.

Skewed Priorities

I work with a lot of foreign colleagues, who all wonder why the Dutch are such limited eaters. For many Dutch people a lunch consists of a cold sandwich, with a piece of cheese, and if you are lucky, some butter as well.

That's it. Also this sandwich costs 1.50 EUR. Unless you prepare a couple of sandwiches at home of course.

Compare this to France, where lunch and dinner are almost equivalent in length, and also just as important. Two-course, three-course, big slabs of meat, succulent pieces of fish, carefully marinated and prepared to the best possible standards. Compare this to Asia, where in virtually no time at all a well prepared dish is served, with copious amounts of rice, pastes and spices.

The French lunch is not cheap, but you're getting what you are paying for. However the Asians have taken cheap lunches to the next level. For the price of two sandwiches in Holland, you can get a proper Karaage Beef on Fried Rice, plus soup and various condiments.

I believe that the priorities of a nation are reflected in the food and in the dishes of its inhabitants. In this case the Dutch are clearly a reflection of their lunches. Basic, and you're getting just enough, and not a grain more.

How a Subway System Matures a Metropolis

Metro systems and other mass transit infrastructure is critical for the maturation and success of modern metropolis. A city needs a way for the native population and visitors to move around in an orderly fashion. And for me buses are bare necessities, but it's the subway that makes the city come alive.

Subways don't just bring people from location to location, they also show where people are most likely to meet - either at or beyond the stations, or inside the metro car itself. It also shows the world the city is capable. London, New York, Tokyo all have world famous subway systems that are even part of the local folklore. Movies get made with these famous tracks part of the plot.

You can't just have any subway system though. Certain qualities must exist:

• obviously the subway needs to connect locations in the city that people want to go to: (tourist) attractions, trade centers, shopping malls, parks, airports and railway stations etc.
• transferring between subway lines needs to be seamless and clear.
• directions and signs should be in multiple languages, at least english and likely some mandarin chinese
• a payment system (a general mass transit card) that balances the need to cover the cost of the subway, with practical, first-time right logistics. You can't have travellers faff about with paper tickets that need to be checked by a human subway worker, or with complex payment systems that require you to go to three different offices.
• people need to be able to reverse course easily, without cost to them. The way metro stations and platforms are built, influences this ability.
• most importantly, subway stations and cars need to be safe and promote good behaviour.

The best I've seen:

1. Tokyo; Clean. Efficient. Always on time. Easily accessible. Clear directions (when you get the hang of it), which is not easy for a place where Hiragana is the norm. Unfortunately need several travel cards to use all the lines.
2. Shanghai; the Chinese seemingly built this subway up from scratch, and it shows. All the modern amenities have been thought about, train information is clear from flat-screen monitors, and it is dirt cheap to take a trip. A bit illogical though that sometimes you can't transfer without having to pay extra, and when you make a mistake and check in, you cannot check out immediately for free.
3. Seoul; user friendly payment system, sprawling network of stations. Transferring between lines is a trip in itself. Seems to take a long time to travel from point to point.
4. London; Practical. The oldest working metro system, but one that has clearly grown and matured over time. Amazing how basically every line is operated by a different company, yet to the traveler it is completely transparent. A bit cramped in places.
5. Montreal; esthetically one of the finest systems in the world, rivaling Moscow and Paris. Safe and effective, a clear reflection of the city's population.

Living Up To Presumptions

People from immigrant families may have had little exposure to their heritage. A prime way of getting back to it, is by visiting the country of origin. Even if they don't speak the language.

What happens when they get there? The locals approach them as if they are one of their own, and are surprised when they are actually not. It makes for awkward conversations.

So before you immigrant self goes soul searching in the exotics, you better pick up on the language.

Be Careful What You Wish For: Football Dynasties

The past couple of Super Bowls every winner was lauded and celebrated. They got the trophy, they get the rings fitted, they get the parade and the tour around town.

And about 24 hours after the end of the game journalists are already discussing if this team can repeat next year and become a dynasty. They did it this year with Green Bay, last year with New Orleans. The year before that Pittsburgh won its second in four years. But the years before that, the same question was put for the Giants, and for the Colts.

In fact the last time the dynasty moniker was actually accurate, was when the Patriots won three in four years.

Why people, do you insist on killing the party mood by talking about next season on the very next day?! Let the champs enjoy it for a while. Don't talk about dynasties before the fact. And why do you want dynasties? The NFL prides itself on the fact it levels the playing field every season no matter how good you were the previous season: the salary cap, the draft order, the strength of schedule: all this is meant to give every team a fighting chance.

Being part of a dynasty means you dominate the league, which means a lower degree of competition, less excitement, more resentment towards the dynasty itself, and actually goes against the very core of your league.

Why would you want that? Why do you want the teams to want that?

If you worked so hard to win a title, you deserve to savor it for a decent enough amount of time. If you happen to do it in dominating fashion, so be it. You don't have to throw it in everybody's face, but if you are clearly better than everybody else, then let it be.

Dynasties and repeats are for historians. The press, the owners, the players, the league better work on something more pressing, such as a new CBA...

The HHG: Packers vs. Steelers

The heart says the Packers win. Having Pittsburgh win everything three times in six years is a bit much, so to balance out karma Green Bay should win. Yes, Ben's story of redemption could do with a winning ending. But that's a bit too American for my tastes. It would be a bit rich and a bit too pre-meditated.

The head says the Steelers win. Division winners and the most solid team coming in. With Roethlisberger at QB, you simply can't count Pittsburgh out in the clutch. The toughest defenders definitely belong to Steeler Nation, although Clay Matthews may have something to say about that.

The gut says all signs point to Pittsburgh winning another Super Bowl and becoming the NFL's own royalty, much like the Yankees in baseball and the Habs in NHL. Not too much of a fan for this, but then again even Green Bay winning it all remains emotionally less charged to the Saints' win last year.