Holy wee

Today at lunch, we were pondering about some statistic from Thames Water that says that the water you drink from the tap has passed through at least six human bodies before arriving at your glass. This led me to think about that calculation that concludes that at any given moment you are probably breathing the same air that Julius Caesar has breathed at his time. Of course somebody else has though of the analogy I'm going to make as well, I'm not that original and the internet has just proven that to me, but we went to a distinct conclusion. Now if you are following me, that also means that whenever you drink water (or any beverage that includes terrestrial water in it), you are also imbibing the water that, how can I say, has passed through Jesus Christ! Hallelujah brother!

Video Games Live - Super Mario Bros.

A quick video from the concert I went yesterday. After a hell of a lot of music from newer games, and music that is not so interesting for these old ears, finally, music from one of the games I have the fondest memories of.

Video Games Live

Just got back from Video Games Live, which is a concert in which an orchestra plays music from, you guessed right, video games. Pretty cool event, and I am thoroughly satisfied. It started pretty interestingly with a collage of songs made from the sounds of Pong to some of the cool cames of the 80s and 90s, in kind of a crescendo of technological evolution. Then we went through games that varied from Frogger to Halo, Zelda to Final Fantasy, Sonic and Mario. They even had some mini-challenges involving old games like Space Invaders (to the tune of the orchestra) and Frogger (again, people playing the game to the sound of the orchestra). This got me thinking I'm somewhat old, because the 17 year-old kid who was summoned from the audience to play Frogger did not even know of this game... 

Versailles - What do you see?

Now this is kind of an experiment on the "mind's eye", and I was wondering what people perceive as they look into this image, a satelite view of the Palais de Versailles. The humanoid figure might be obvious, but some of the details people perceive intrigue me. What do you see? 

Nazi Adler

The Nazi eagle that originally sat atop the Reichstag, taken by the Red Army at the Battle of Berlin and given to the Allies. That's history baby! 

Apparel for a little boy

A replica of the casing for the Little Boy bomb, dropped in Hiroshima for the shame of humanity. 

Ich und ein Jagdpanther

One of the coolest toys on display on the Imperial War Museum, a nicely preserved (though punctured by a shell on the other side :-D), Jagdpanther! 

Berliner Mauer

To celebrate the fall of the wall, nothing more appropriate than a genuine section of it on display in front of the Imperial War Museum! 

Not your regular garden decoration

These are two huge naval guns from Dreadnought ships graciously on display in front of the Imperial War Museum, the one on the far side from the viewer has even participated on the bombardment of the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. 

Imperial War Museum

As part of my Berlin Wall day expedition, I decided to visit the Imperial War Museum here in London, which holds quite a collection of items from past and recent wars in which the british were involved, directly and indirectly (if you know what I mean). It's quite a sight, where pieces of history can be seen up close and personal. 

It's a beautiful day in London

The 9th of november, being such an important date, greets me with a clear and sunny sky (almost a miracle in London). It's just appropriate that we celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall, and Napoleon's rise into power, among other things. 

Verona and Juliet

To celebrate this day, I'm posting a pic from Verona, of me holding the hand of lovely Juliet. Of course, she is a fictitious woman (and I tend to prefer concrete girls for myself), but the tale is interesting nonetheless. 

How to use a Hookah

On another one of my morning time-wasters, I've come across a hilarious instructional video on how to prepare a Hookah for use, step-by-step. Check it out:

Pronto Condoms!

I just could not have ignored this piece of news from BBC, about these South African condoms that are advertised to be the quickest condoms to wear. No shit, the videos in their website, at least do a good job in convincing me of that.

New Website

Now, I'm gonna use my blog for personal advertisement, and place a link to my new website at www.meneguzzi.eu. So as not to miss the classic pictorial format of my blog, I'm posting a screenshot below.

The rally moves to trafalgar square

 

Climate change and the Americans

 

Rally against climate change

I was there, and I want Toxic Texan to be held accountable for his recklessness. 

Firenze ed Fortezza Belvedere

 

La Torre di Pisa

 

Felipe in Pisa

Moving on to Tuscany, we find Pisa, where the famous leaning tower still stands (seen on the background to my left), right beside the Duomo and the Baptistry. 

Felipe in Venice

That right, me again, in Venice. 

Ponte dei Sospiri

A view from within the Bridge of Sighs, connecting the Duke's palace to the prison. Contrary to what some might believe, the sighs in this bridge were of despair rather than love. 

The election room in Venice

Me within the Palazzo Ducale, in the great room where the election for the Doges took place. 

The Ventian Lagoon

The Venetian Lagoon as seen from the Duke's Palace. 

The Golden Staircase

Inside the Palazzo Ducale. 

Inside the Palazzo Ducale

 

Palazzo Ducale

One of the main landmarks of the old Venetian republic is the palace of the Doges (Dukes) of the republic. It is a quite sumptuous monument to the power of that republic. 

Venezia

Continuing my travels in Veneto, here is Venice. One of the longest lasting republics, and at one time the most important and refined city in Europe.