Chris 360

Yesterday my Panosaurus tripod head for shooting panoramic photos arrived in the mail. It's a strange contraption but does exactly what it promises. It was late in the day when I finally got it assembled and calibrated, so I rushed to Gallusplatz to take some photos before it got too dark. You can see my first results on my new subdomain panoramas.schwiiz.org. There is still room for improvement, but I'm happy with the
first results.

Which vs That

Part of the reason I keep this blog is to practice writing. It's helped me identify nuances with the English language, which I would never have identified otherwise. One such nuance is the usage of which versus that and today I learned which to use when.

I Googled the topic and learned that it depends on whether the following clause is restrictive or non-restrictive. What does that mean? If the following clause only adds information to the sentence then use the word which. If the following clause is required for the sentence to make sense then use the word that. The Chicago Manual of Style has the following example:

"Pizza that's less than an inch deep just isn't Chicago style."

"Pizza, which is a favorite among Chicagoans, can be either bad for you or good, depending on how much of it you eat."

Note that if you remove "that's less than an inch deep" from the first sentence, it becomes inaccurate; i.e., it's not true that "pizza just isn't Chicago style." The clause, then, is restrictive (necessary) to the sentence; therefore "that" is correct. You could even leave "that" out:

"Pizza less than an inch deep just isn't Chicago style."

If, however, you take out the clause "which is a favorite among Chicagoans" from the second sentence, it still makes sense: i.e., pizza can be either bad for you or good, and whether or not it is a favorite among Chicagoans does not "restrict" this meaning; therefore the clause is nonrestrictive and should be introduced by "which" and set off by commas.

My mnemonic is that if the clause adds 'whatever, it's not important' to the sentence, then use what. Otherwise, use that. Let's see if I remember this.

I Declare!

I declare today to be the first day of summer! Wow! The morning was chilly but switched to blue skies and warm air in the afternoon. It must be those föhn winds. I went on a bike ride to Bodensee and the locals were out in full force. Today is also the beginning of Daylight Savings time which is one of my favourite days of the year. That extra hour of evening sunlight cheers me up. Now I can go cycling after work!

Yesterday I went hiking with Magnus and Mika just over the border in Austria (photos). It was a steep climb with single-track and lots of ice. Nearing the top of the climb we had deep snow and a great view over the Rheintal. Fantastic! We also discussed camping, biking, and hiking in Ticino over the Easter break. I'm looking forward to that weekend.

After the hike I went to Bischofszell to pick up my bike. The bike looked brand new and it was a pleasure to ride home. I bought a pair of Windstopper cycling pants for the cooler and wetter days on my upcoming tour. I still have a few more things to buy including camping gear, rain covers for my shoes, and a trailer.

Last week I received wonderful news from Cape Town: Erin Meyer, my niece, was born. Heartfelt congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law. They picked a wonderful name and I look forward to meeting her when I visit later this year.

I'm starting with panoramic photography after being inspired by the amazing photographs at arounder.com. I already have most of the required camera equipment, but I still need to get a panoramic tripod head and software. In a few weeks I should have a nifty panorama gallery of St. Gallen online. Stay tuned.

Cycling on my mind IV - Shopping

This weekend my favourite bike shop had a spring sale. I find the size of this shop remarkable for Switzerland: It's huge and reminds me of a typical bike shop in Canada. The selection is limited at most Swiss bike shops, but this place has a warehouse full of mountain, touring, and racing bikes of all brands. It's fun to just go and look at them. They have great service and a strong customer culture. On every visit I see cyclists stopping by - probably just to say hi - wearing a jersey with the shop's logo emblazed on it.

So yesterday I spent some money on cycling gear. I found a gore-tex jacket (picture) that will keep me dry in the rain. It was pricey but it'll also do nicely on hikes. I also bought gloves, an air pump, a spare tube, and fenders. There is still lots more to get!

The four-day Easter weekend is a month away and I think it'll be good to go on a short bike tour to test my new gear. If I go I'll probably head to Ticino where the weather is usually warmer. I've wanted to cycle this area for a while so this is probably a good time.

A few things...

A wedding invitation has shifted the dates of my cycling tour. I waffled on how to fit everything into my plans, but decided this wedding was too important to miss. It's the wedding of a good friend whom I met while she was an exchange student in Canada. The wedding is in Hungary and I look forward to returning after my last visit in 2002. It's such a beautiful country.

My bike tour will start after I get back on June 4. This condenses the time I have for the tour, and I'm undecided if I will stick to my original plan to cycle to Stockholm or shorten it and go to Rotterdam. Either way, I have five weeks before I must be back in Switzerland for the July 8-16 Tour de Schwiiz.

Last week I received the most flattering request: Friends asked if I'd be godfather to their daughter. I gratefully accepted and look forward to the baptism slated for September. I'm godfather to two children now. I feel so grown up!

Finally, my aunt and mother are coming to visit in late April. I'm encouraging them to plan around April 30th to attend the annual Appenzeller Landsgemeinde. I've been twice and find it an interesting tradition to witness. I look forward to their visit!

Google Maps on schwiiz.org

You're probably familiar with Google Maps, but did you know you can embed a map into your own web page? With the Google Maps API you can place a map on your page and add push-pins for places of interest. Take a look at the map I created for schwiiz.org. What do you think?

Cycling on my mind III

On previous four- and five-day bike tours I used two rear panniers for my gear. For my upcoming Switzerland to Sweden tour I will need more space for my tent, thermorest, sleeping bag, and cooking gear. A friend suggested a touring trailer and I think I'm sold on the idea. This setup would remove the weight from the bike and put everything in one central and waterproof location. I love it!

The local outdoor shop sells the Bob Yak (as depicted) for CHF 495.-. It's expensive, but not much more than what I'd pay in Canada. I'll likely get a different coloured bag and replace the "Bob" flag with a Canada flag.