CONTENTS
Editorial: Modern manners: Part 1.
Travel: Chain hotel or local hotel?
Technology: Brekr Model B.
Stationery: Grandiloquent Word of the Day 2020 Wall Calendar.
Gadgets & Gear: Oakley Clifden Sunglasses.
Books & Writing: Genesis for the thinker and collector.
Misc.: Matryoshka diamond
CONTACT PD: pdcoolthings@gmail.com
Chain hotel or local hotel?
When travelling do you stay at one of the major chain hotels or do you opt for the small local place?
There are advantages to the large chain hotels. They are familiar as they are based on a formula. You know exactly what you are getting, because they are all the same. Safe, but not exciting. With small local hotels you never quite know what to expect, but in PD's experience most are great, and they are charming. In some, the rooms may be pokey, but you know that when you enter the lobby or sit down to breakfast you will feel like a guest in someone's home. These hotels are also usually away from the tourist traps, in quiet residential areas, which can be a wonderful experience.
[Above: Hotel Stefanie, Vienna]
PD recommends being adventurous. You may get the odd miss but mostly you will be
getting hits.
EDITORIAL: Modern manners: Part 1
Welcome to PD's take on modern manners. As explained in last issue's pre-amble, good manners will smooth your way through life, at school, at work, at home and in social situations.
The rule is that in any situation think of others, not just of yourself. For example, if there is only a small amount of food on a share plate, take a share proportionate to the number of people who will share it. This sounds great but may take a bit of self discipline.
Once you get the ball rolling, it will come naturally. Just remember, THINK OF OTHERS.
In the next few issues PD will discuss manners for specific situations, starting with restaurants.
TRAVEL: Chain hotel or local hotel?
When travelling do you stay at one of the major chain hotels or do you opt for the small local place?
There are advantages to the large chain hotels. They are familiar as they are based on a formula. You know exactly what you are getting, because they are all the same. Safe, but not exciting. With small local hotels you never quite know what to expect, but in PD's experience most are great, and they are charming. In some, the rooms may be pokey, but you know that when you enter the lobby or sit down to breakfast you will feel like a guest in someone's home. These hotels are also usually away from the tourist traps, in quiet residential areas, which can be a wonderful experience.
[Above: Hotel Stefanie, Vienna]
PD recommends being adventurous. You may get the odd miss but mostly you will be pleased.
TECHNOLOGY: Brekr Model B
The number of electric bikes on the market is growing, and it is good to see such a variety of designs. The Brekr Model B from Holland is one of the latest, available for pre-order for end-of-year delivery.
It can house two batteries, each giving a 50-80 km range. It has an aluminium frame. Two versions are available, with speeds of 25 and 45 km/h. It also has a GPS module.
It also emits a recorded sound, which Brekr sees as a safety feature because people can hear you as you approach them (there is talk in some countries to make this law for electric vehicles, but PD would prefer the quiet so that he can hear other dogs in the distance.
STATIONERY: Grandiloquent Word of the Day 2020 Wall Calendar
It is time to order a new calendar, for the New Year will soon be upon us. If your heart yearns for some old world charm, Grandiloquent is again publishing a calendar.
This year's version is based on Walter Crane's beautiful illustrations for Edmund Spenser's poem "The Faerie Queene".
As usual, it will include all holidays and a Heliocentric Simulacrum.
The calender is printed on top quality thick cream paper. If you want to desecrate your calendar, there is room for daily notes. You can even frame the pages.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grandiloquentwords/grandiloquent-word-of-theday
GADGETS & GEAR: Oakley Clifden Sunglasses
For the serious adventurer, Oakley has released its new Clifden sunglasses.
These feature side shields, a nose blocker and a stainless steel tether. The lenses are made for bright conditions, such as those encountered in mountaineering. The glasses and lenses are available in a variety of colours.
https://www.oakley.com/en-gb/product/W0OO9440?variant=888392459909
BOOKS & WRITING: Genesis for the thinker and collector
The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Tanakh (תָּנָ״ךְ) and also of the Bible. It tells the story of the creation of the world.
Thornwillow, the letterpress comnpany that has launched many successful limited edition books, is producing a fine edition of The Book of Genesis.
The book, traditionally said to be written by Moses, has four sources:
The Yahwist, dating to approximately 600-500 BC is believed to the product of exiles and returnees from Babylon.
The Elohist, also dating to about 600-500 BC, are believed to come from various stories.
The Priestly Source, written post the exile, introduced laws around worship in the new Temple in Jerusalem.
The Redactor, dating to around 400-200 BC, is the final composition of the Torah.
The Thornwillow edition will be printed in four ink colours to distinguish these sources.
As is Thornwillow's custom, the book will be available in several bindings, from paper to fine leather. Each version will be limited, some of the finer bindings to only one copy.
Get yours here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/the-book-of-genesis/the-book-of-genesis
MISC: Matryoshka diamond
Diamonds are a girl's best friend, or so the saying goes, but if every girl has a diamond, how do you differentiate yourself? You can get a larger one or perhaps a coloured one, but this unique natural diamond outdoes them all.
Like the nested dolls that it is named after, the Matryoshka Diamond has a hollow centre with another diamond in it.
The diamond was found in Russia.
Oleg Kovalchuk, Deputy Director for innovations at ALROSA's Research and Development Geological Enterprise, explains,
The most interesting thing for us was to find out how the air space between the inner and outer diamonds was formed. We have two main hypotheses. According to the first version, a mantle mineral captured a diamond during its growth, and later it was dissolved in the Earth's surface. According to the second version, a layer of porous polycrystalline diamond substance was formed inside the diamond because of ultra-fast growth, and more aggressive mantle processes subsequently dissolved it. Due to the presence of the dissolved zone, one diamond began to move freely inside another on the principle of Matryoshka nesting doll.
As far as we know, there were no such diamonds in the history of global diamond mining yet. This is really a unique creation of nature, especially since nature does not like emptiness. Usually, some minerals are replaced by others without cavity formation.
[Above: X-ray of the diamond]