If you look at the world map, you see big countries and small countries. And that's about it. But if you know where to zoom in, you find strange things that just doesn't seem right. I want to start where I left the other blog: In the USA. Or more accurately on the USA/Canadian border.
The longest border in the world consists mostly of a long straight line following the 48th parallel. In Boundary Bay outside Seattle, this creates a rather cool thing... If you want to visit Point Roberts, WA by car, well you have no option but drive into Canada on the way. Point Roberts is therefore an exclave of the USA. A small piece of a peninsula connected to Canada, but a part of the United States. This makes no sense!
Another strange thing on the same border is USA's little dig above the 48th parallel. It only consists of a small inlet called Davis Inlet. This is also an exclave, which means there's no way you can go there by land without crossing the border. But why on earth did USA want that inlet???
The next case is actually from Europe. From the heart of my beloved continent. More accurately in Netherlands and Belgium. I wonder what happened with the city/cities of Baarle Nassau and Baarle-Hertog... It seems to be like
"Mom, I'm going to the local store!"
"Did you remember your passport?"
Anyway, I think there are 26 exclaves within the city limits, and in some of them it's only a farm or two!!!
If you look close on a US map, or at the state map of Arkansas or Tennessee, you can probably see something weird about the state line between the two. The line is supposed to follow Mississippi. The reason for the strange line is not that the people drawing it were drinking beer, but actually some earthquakes hitting the area in the early 19th century. This caused the river to change it's direction some places, leaving Arkansas with some area east of the river, and opposite for Tennessee. It was however decided that the state line should not be moved. So that's why!
These are some of the coolest things, but if you just know where to look, you can find more strange things than you ever imagined. The world map is full of surprises!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
USA
What do I think of this huge dot on the world map?
I really don't know. I always hear about some super smart American people on the news, but I also hear so many stupid people. I've seen thousands of fat Americans, I've seen thousands of thin Americans. Is it really the land of extremes or is it because only they make it to the news? I dunno. What do I think of USA? I dunno. But I know most people are very friendly, and the nature is awesome!
Not that this is very relevant to the intro, but I have thought about the coolest city names among the biggest cities, and here is my list:
1. Chattanooga, TN
2. Chula Vista, CA
3. Waco, TX (hence the name of my blog)
4. Tuscaloosa, AL
5. Albuquerque, NM
6. Rancho Cucamonga, CA
7. Corpus Christi, TX
And the weirdest cities I know:
1. Truth or Consequences, NM
2. Grand Island, NE
3. Grand Forks, ND
4. Independence, MO
5. Broken Arrow, OK
6. South Bend, IN
7. Little Rock, AR
When it comes to naming cities, I guess we can say America is a land of extremes...
I really don't know. I always hear about some super smart American people on the news, but I also hear so many stupid people. I've seen thousands of fat Americans, I've seen thousands of thin Americans. Is it really the land of extremes or is it because only they make it to the news? I dunno. What do I think of USA? I dunno. But I know most people are very friendly, and the nature is awesome!
Not that this is very relevant to the intro, but I have thought about the coolest city names among the biggest cities, and here is my list:
1. Chattanooga, TN
2. Chula Vista, CA
3. Waco, TX (hence the name of my blog)
4. Tuscaloosa, AL
5. Albuquerque, NM
6. Rancho Cucamonga, CA
7. Corpus Christi, TX
And the weirdest cities I know:
1. Truth or Consequences, NM
2. Grand Island, NE
3. Grand Forks, ND
4. Independence, MO
5. Broken Arrow, OK
6. South Bend, IN
7. Little Rock, AR
When it comes to naming cities, I guess we can say America is a land of extremes...
Finally it's on time to share some of my works. I'm not a great B&W photographer, yet I want to start with those. It's not easy to know what to start with, so I just came up with my B&W's. The first one is perhaps my best without colors. As it was one out of four in my series of images in the final of Young Travel Photographer of the World 2010, I know it's not bad. It was taken at Stade de France. The guide was talking in French, so I just leaned over with the camera and took this one.
The second picture is the only one from Bergen in this post. It's a memorial in the middle of Bergen, honoring the Norwegians who lost their life at sea during WW2.
The third one is...ehhm...not really showing so much. It's an abstract. But the big question is: Is this a reflection in a skyscraper or is it just a fence? It was taken on the third floor in Eiffel Tower...
The last one is a picture I like very much myself. A lot of geometry. Now you see what an architectural masterpiece this tower is!
Philosophy of the month
Time to bring a bit of philosophy into my blog. I usually don't think big thoughts like this, but one day it just struck me. What is the recipe for being good in anything?
The first and most important thing is will. You don't get smart if you don't want to. No matter how long you practice, you won't be good if you don't have enough will. And I'd say this is the most important, because as a Norwegian skier once said: "If you only want it enough, you will make it."
The second thing is self-confidence. You need to have a faith saying that you will make it. So if you say that I can do this and I will do this, you have a very good chance of succeeding, right?
But in order to succeed you must also have a good patience. If you say I can and I will, but give up after a few minutes, you need to get a better patience. Succeeding often takes a lot of time. You will not become the world's best football player over night, so patience is also a very important part of this.
The forth thing you need is reflection. And by that I mean you have to know how good you are at a certain time. And you need to be able to think "What is the best to do this?". You can't show up in American Idol with top self-confidence, will and patience if you don't know whether you're good or bad. You always see people who think they are the next superstar without even being close. So always think while learning!
You could also argue for a fifth one. Love. Although this may be a bit the same as will, if you love something, you can almost skip the other points. Love alone can make you good. Let's say you want to be a professional guitar player. If you only love your guitar enough, you will make it.
The first and most important thing is will. You don't get smart if you don't want to. No matter how long you practice, you won't be good if you don't have enough will. And I'd say this is the most important, because as a Norwegian skier once said: "If you only want it enough, you will make it."
The second thing is self-confidence. You need to have a faith saying that you will make it. So if you say that I can do this and I will do this, you have a very good chance of succeeding, right?
But in order to succeed you must also have a good patience. If you say I can and I will, but give up after a few minutes, you need to get a better patience. Succeeding often takes a lot of time. You will not become the world's best football player over night, so patience is also a very important part of this.
The forth thing you need is reflection. And by that I mean you have to know how good you are at a certain time. And you need to be able to think "What is the best to do this?". You can't show up in American Idol with top self-confidence, will and patience if you don't know whether you're good or bad. You always see people who think they are the next superstar without even being close. So always think while learning!
You could also argue for a fifth one. Love. Although this may be a bit the same as will, if you love something, you can almost skip the other points. Love alone can make you good. Let's say you want to be a professional guitar player. If you only love your guitar enough, you will make it.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Photo tip: f/16 rule
Ok, this is a tip I picked up at lightstalking.com. It's called the f/16 rule, and can be used on sunny days. So it's not really possible to use it here in Bergen unfortunately...
On a sunny day, choose f/16, ISO 100 and 1/100 shutter speed to get the right exposure on the sky. At least let the ISO be the same as the shutter speed. So if you use ISO 400, pick shutter speed 1/400 and so on. Works great!
On a sunny day, choose f/16, ISO 100 and 1/100 shutter speed to get the right exposure on the sky. At least let the ISO be the same as the shutter speed. So if you use ISO 400, pick shutter speed 1/400 and so on. Works great!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
World quiz website #1: Sporcle!
http://www.sporcle.com/
Just had to let this be the first link shared. It's called sporcle, and was founded in July 2007. It now has more than 214,000 user created games, and it still surprises me that almost all of them are seriously good. And for Americans: You can make your college climb higher on the lists! I love this site and have learnt so incredibly much from it. Not the most useful things, though...hehe...but it's just so fun and addictive you won't believe it. I get totally lost in the game every time I visit the geography quizzes... And it's such a big site that there's nothing you wouldn't find. Like guessing the 200 biggest cities in the US. That's the one I'm struggling with at the moment, after learning for instance the presidents. Just had to tell you. Oh, and I don't mind if you take a look at some of my quizzes: http://www.sporcle.com/user/Norwegian_dude/contributed I challenge you to try one quiz and not get addictive!
Just had to let this be the first link shared. It's called sporcle, and was founded in July 2007. It now has more than 214,000 user created games, and it still surprises me that almost all of them are seriously good. And for Americans: You can make your college climb higher on the lists! I love this site and have learnt so incredibly much from it. Not the most useful things, though...hehe...but it's just so fun and addictive you won't believe it. I get totally lost in the game every time I visit the geography quizzes... And it's such a big site that there's nothing you wouldn't find. Like guessing the 200 biggest cities in the US. That's the one I'm struggling with at the moment, after learning for instance the presidents. Just had to tell you. Oh, and I don't mind if you take a look at some of my quizzes: http://www.sporcle.com/user/Norwegian_dude/contributed I challenge you to try one quiz and not get addictive!
First post
My first blog. My first post. Hmmm....what to say?
I hope as many people as possible will come visit this site. High ambitions are always good to have. So I am quite curious about how high that number is gonna be, but at least I can say you are very lucky who have seen the blog yourself. So if you like it, then please recommend!!!
Well, you probably wonder what this blog is all about. I can tell you that even I don't really know. I am very interested in photography and very interested in just having fun. So I have some photos and tips I would like to share, and then I also want to share some of the websites I find most amusing. Perhaps some travel tips too? I have a lot to say...
I am currently studying comparative politics at the university in my beautiful city on the coast of Norway, so I will try to mix some politics into all this as well. Just for fun.
The background is one of my pictures taken in Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ, USA. It's meant to symbolize that life can be blurry sometimes, especially when hiding behind something. You can't see the details from distance (there you see the political side of me...) And if you wonder about the name of the blog, well, comment and I'll tell you if you're right or wrong!
Thank you so much for watching!
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