Working on the page was a real pleasure. Of course as an engineer I always have to think about the under the hood stuff, like Joomla which is behind the page and CSS and HTML and PHP. But what also counts, probably more than anything, is the design – the way the information is presented. There was a lot of trying different photos, styles, optimizing, font chosing (no we never considered Comic Sans), which is especially fun with an artist like Harald, because he simply cares. About details as well as about the big picture.

Anyway if you like his music find out more at www.haraldbaumgartner.com, or on his facebook page

So here’s my story: I love doing “DIY” projects. I create my own music, I build things (see the projects page), and I also like designing my own cloths. About 4 month ago I created a T-shirt with a piano keyboard and the word “play!” written below it:

I thought it would be fun and tried to have it manufactured by an online shop. My design got rejected – twice! You know why: “Because using the word “play” on any kind of clothing is registered to a company called playtex”: http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/marke/register/800248/DE

Yes it is true, you can register a single, common English word, so that nobody, absolutely nobody else, is allowed to put it on any kind of clothing – no matter in what context, no matter in what size or font. Isn’t that horrible. I surely don’t want the same thing to happen in too many other parts of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have any personal stories? What do you think about ACTA? Post a comment, twitter, chat, talk about it!

By the way: The design slipped through at another online shop So you can order it at http://www.spreadshirt.at/play-C4408A17629509

and craftsmen show how they build stuff using ancient and traditional ways. My father is a blacksmith and he really brings that special feel, with fire and the sound of the hammer to the market.

The day ended with the KHJ night mass which concluded a really spiritual start into one of the most magical times of the year. So get yourself an advent wreath and enjoy it!

]]> http://blog.chschmid.com/?feed=rss2&p=385 0 http://blog.chschmid.com/?p=369 http://blog.chschmid.com/?p=369#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:24:10 +0000 Christian M. Schmid http://blog.chschmid.com/?p=369 In radar systems the term clutter refers to unwanted components in a radar signal that usually come from unwanted reflections. Say, if you want to track a ship reflections from the sea or from rain are unwanted as they obscure your ability to see what you actually want to see – the ship. The problem is still subject to research and there is even people who devote most of their time to reducing the effects of clutter.

While the problem is so easy to describe and so easy to see in radar systems, I think most of us, including me, have the same problem in different forms in our own lives. Too much stuff around that obscures our view on the things that we actually want or should focus on. On top of that we usually do not devote most of our time to how to resolve these issues. These days it even seems luxurious to think about that kind of things, let alone to let go off the stuff that we don’t even have time to identify as clutter.

From time to time I take a day off, just like today, to clean out a little part of my life. Today it was parts of my appartment. The rule: “Don’t think too long before you throw stuff out”. While it might seem a little bit rigorous at first glance, I can say, it has not failed me yet. To show you what I mean. Here’s my table before and after de-cluttering.

Interestingly enough I did even add something during the process of de-cluttering – a bottle of water, we never get enough water they say …

I think I should be doing more de-cluttering, and I am not only talking about my table. After all you can only write on a blank page, not on a full one, right? What do you think about clutter, how much do you have in your life. Does it obstruct you, or is it what makes life more lifelike?

New York is “far away” from a European perspective. If it is too remote for you to empathize, take the 9/11 memorial tour, which is what I did a year ago. A married couple with very close connections to the events of September 11, 2001 shared some historical facts as well as their personal story. A very emotional trip. Ever since I am in awe of how gracefully many people have tried to deal with the mean hand they had been dealt. Today is a day to feel sad and a day to understand our duty to learn from what has happend.

A big thank you goes to Karl Zeilhofer who did a tremendous job shooting the videos and doing some preliminary editing! Also thank you to all who stepped in front of the camera! – Great job!

1 week of work at the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium 2011 in Baltimore. It totally overwhelmed me. Waaaay too much information. While I usually tend to end up in a deadlock when there’s too much to do I’m glad I was there. One of the greatest parts was seeing my old UCLA friend Darren again! It’s always good to see him and I really enjoy his company having a talk over some coffee or at the free-beer-industry-reception.

My talk went well I guess, another highlight was that Reinhard, on of my closes colleagues here in Austria got the Microwave Prize 2o11, which really is an amazing thing and one of the highest honors the IEEE MTT-S has to offer! Congrats Reini!

Apart from that it was aaaalll crazy. I was a student volunteer guarding doors and helping people wherever I could for two days, I was hopping sessions, raiding the exhibition, talking to old friends, meeting new ones … … Too much information for a small man like myself.

The 4-days Washington trip that followed Baltimore was the necessary vacation I needed. The great thing: We were a group of three EEs from my university and one from the company that we work with. As for Florian, I already knew that he would be great company from our trip to Singapore, but Herbert’s and Reini’s company turned out to be just as enjoyable! What a great trip.

Apart from all the things that you certainly have to do and see when you’re in DC I enjoyed the Smithsonian Air and Space the most. Actually Becca, a cool-all-crazy nerd girl I met at the IMS told me we would have to go there! I can still feel the goose bumps that I got when I was standing right next to the command module of the Apollo 11 mission. – I could not help it, I was just awestruck.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Also thanks a lot to the people who made this possible, especially to the local IEEE Student Branch, JKU Linz executive comittee:

Norbert Eidenberger
Gregor Gerstorfer
Werner Scheiblhofer
Jochen Schrattenecker

and to the IEEE people who supported this event:

Manfred Sampl
Eva  Lang

Piotr from Poland already told me that the Opole student branch would like to host the 2nd CEuSBC in 2013! Go for it!!!!

The first photo I took like 2 weeks ago when we performed the St. John Passion composed by Hubert Hanghofer, a local composer, with a small orchestra, a huge choir and some really good soloists (Franz Kalchmair http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kalchmair, Herbert Scheiböck, …)  While I have to admit that I don’t like all of Hubert’s compositions, I have to say that his Passion is a really great piece of art. While interesting musically it has the perfect balance between words and music.

I also met Agnes again, an old friend from junior high school (she played the chello). She is an archeologist now – wow, my first encounter with a real “Indiana Jones”-kind of person!!!

Today was another concert at our church which we played with our local wind band, here’s another photo:

The third facet of my music that I’d like to share in this post is my piano version of “If You Could Read My Mind” which I played and recorded about 2 month ago. It’s not very fancy and I did not care too much about the quality of my playing, but I still like it.

If You Could Read My Mind

Somehow it makes me miss the times when I studied piano at Anton Bruckner University. You know the kind of strange feeling you have about something beautiful that you had to let go. There is not too much regret in it but a certain form of nostalgia.

What are the things that you miss? What’s in your nostalgia closet? What are we supposed to do with these things?

Whatever this means, I think I like it Secondly, while on a short break from the meeting, I realized that we had the meeting right next to Heinz Zemaneks office (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Zemanek)!!!! Yes, the famous Mailüfterl (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail%C3%BCfterl) Zemanek

All in all it was a great day!