Reviews

Once again, Apple design is best

I recently bought an Apple Battery Charger. It’s a diminutive device that charges two batteries at a time, within a few hours, and it comes neatly packaged in a paper box that can be easily opened. It does NOT come in that filthy plastic packaging that cuts you when you try to open it and takes up extra space. It comes in a rectangular package that can be stacked perfectly in boxes, taking up less space during shipping, storage and on retail shelves.

Now why can’t other companies do this? Why can’t they have smart design, instead of wasteful, stressful design? Have you taken a look at your battery charger lately? I have four other battery chargers from three different companies, and none of them are as well designed and thought out as the Apple battery charger.

It is clear to me that a lot of thought went into the design of the charger and of its packaging, much more thought than has ever gone into the design of another battery charger on the market. Somehow, Apple was able to fit the charger and six batteries into that little box.

Not only that, but there’s even a bit of empty space left inside, which was thoughtfully filled with a fold of the paper package, to ensure a snug fit for the batteries. Look through the round opening in the middle wall to see the top of the paper fold.

Did I mention the Apple Battery Charger works on both 120V and 220V current? How many other battery chargers do this? I brought a few chargers with me from the States, and they’re useless to me in Romania without a converter. Similarly, I bought a charger here, and it’d be useless to me back in the States, because it only runs on 220V current.

Once again I have to ask — why can’t other companies do this? I can’t help but admit out loud that almost anything else on the market appears crude when compared to Apple. It’s fascinating how much of an anomaly Apple is when you look at it this way.

Romania Through Their Eyes

Romania Through Their Eyes – Chuckk Hubbard

I published the fourth episode of Romania Through Their Eyes late last night. It’s an interview with an American, Chuckk Hubbard, who’s from Philadelphia.

Chuckk’s story is interesting, because he chose to come to Romania to be with his Romanian wife, Irina Hasnas. They met while in college. Irina was there on a Fulbright scholarship, and Chuckk was studying music composition. At the end of their studies, Irina had to return to Romania (it was stipulated in the contract of her scholarship), and Chuckk came with her. They’ve now been here for almost four years, and in the interview, Chuckk talks about his experiences during that time.

I need to apologize because some fragments of the video are out of focus. It was a camera malfunction which I didn’t notice until the editing stages, weeks after the shoot. Unfortunately there is no way to adjust focus in post-production, although it would certainly be a very useful feature for any piece of software.

On a more fun note, has anyone noticed a pattern in the release dates for the show’s episodes?

Episode RTTE-004-EN-HD
Released 5/5/11

I created an official Facebook page for the show, so head on over and give it a Like if you want to be kept up to date with details about RTTE.

Thoughts

Cat spaghetti

Our kittens (and I can still call them that, because they’re only about a year old) love to cuddle up together when they sleep. They have their little bed, and that’s where you’ll find them most of the time, sleeping and purring — a big, intertwined mass of furry cuteness. It’s sort of like spaghetti in a bowl. 🙂

Some people have asked me whether they’re related after they saw the video. Bubu and Tira are brother and sister. The others are unrelated. Sasha was adopted in Sibiu, RO. Zuzu was adopted in Bucharest, RO, along with Bubu and Tira, but they’re from different parts of the city. The wonderful thing is they all get along quite well. Sure, they’ll argue a bit from time to time, but overall, they love each others’ company.

My little cat spaghetti is indeed a recipe for relaxation!

Ligia's Kitchen

Ligia’s Kitchen: Green Smoothie

We (Ligia and I) present episode 16 of Ligia’s Kitchen, published for your viewing pleasure late last night. It shows you how to make a nutritious green smoothie. The green smoothie is, of course, a basic raw vegan recipe, but one which is often prepared incorrectly. If the fruits and vegetables used as its ingredients aren’t properly selected, the wrong combinations might give you indigestion or flatulence… While most men enjoy a little potty humor, it’s never funny when others are laughing about us, so do take care to observe this recipe — or other well-known green smoothie recipes — properly.

There is one small correction to the video, which we only observed in the final editing step. It’s only noticeable for those who speak Romanian. Ligia says at one point we should “alter” the kinds of green leafy vegetables used in the green smoothie. What she meant to say was “alternate”, or switch between various kinds of leafy vegetables, so as to offer some needed variety in the taste of this daily drink.

LK-016-RO-HD with English subtitles
Released 5/2/11

Places

The fortified church in Curciu

Having already visited about twenty-five fortified churches in Southern Transilvania, I can say that one of the most underrated fortified churches in this region is the one in Curci. It’s sad that it’s so, because it is quite beautiful, both on the outside and on the inside. Its outside is truly picturesque and its inside, though white-washed, as is the case with most reformed churches, still shows remnants of its more colorful gothic past, with green men on its walls and ceilings and murals hidden beneath multiple coats of lime paint.

When we visited in the spring of 2011, its caretaker told me no one had visited it for over 5 months. How can anyone miss a church like this one? It is a truly beautiful place.

Curciu, also known as Criș in Romanian, Kiertš or Kirtsch in German and Küküllőkőrös, Szászkőrös, and Kőrös in Hungarian (that’s right, three separate names), is an old Dacian settlement that was once called “La Fântâni”, itself built over yet older settlements from the bronze and iron age (source). It is first mentioned in written documents in 1332, and we also find it in court documents in 1337 alongside the name of a Saxon, Petro de Keuruz, who was called to testify as a witness about a legal matter. Curciu is also the place where my grandfather on my mother’s side was born.

The construction of the Saxon church was completed in the first half of the 14th century and took about 50 years. A lot of river rocks were used in its walls, as you’ll see in the photographs. The structure underwent modifications in 1425-1430, when the choir loft was added and again sometime in the 1450s. The church’s organ was built in 1844 by Wilhelm Maetz and it is still intact and undamaged to this day.

It isn’t a big church, but there are so many interesting architectural details that clearly point out a master at work. When you look at it as a whole (its chosen location, its perspective from all points of view, the way the architect chose to express the various functions of the building and the spaces used), it is a thing of wonder. It made me want to explore every little nook and cranny, and come back to it in the future.

If you’d like to visit this church, the village of Curciu is about 12 km away from Medias. You’ll need to take a paved country road toward the village of Darlos, pass through it, and follow the sign toward Curci.u Once there, you’ll need to ask around for the way to the caretaker’s house, who will then give you a personal tour of the domain.

Enjoy the photographs!