International icebreaker
I am not even twelve hours into the Italy trip and it is clear that the iPhone may be the surprise social lubricant of the journey. People are unabashed about asking about it, wanting to hold it, play with it. And I am of course obliging.
The great thing is that being wowed by the iPhone has nothing to do with language. It is visual and tactile and immediate. An Italian at O’Hare and an Indian in Milan (where I am now) were flicking through my kids’ photos in no time flat. A great conversation-starter.
For what it’s worth, the phone works great over here and EDGE isn’t too bad either.
Hi, I’m John Tolva!
Here's a little bit about me and how to get in touch.
Views From The Tank
Clowns at the circus
Marginalia
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The condiutions and accomplishments that this story described laid the foundation for the beginning of my career.
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“And so those fish are then left with less information about when it's safe to go out and eat and control these algae. And this feedback has these ecosystem-level consequences.”
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"It’s not Columbus’ fault that industry promises about the imminent arrival of self-driving cars were way overblown." ← Actually, it is Columbus' fault.
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"Chicago has a weakness at its very foundations. The towering skyscrapers and temples of commerce were built upon a swamp."
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The story of bootlegged records pressed to x-ray film in Soviet Russia.
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This simple vernacular architecture is more complex than it seems.
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Disguised Cell Towers of the American West
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A photo of the city of Chicago, awkwardly described by Microsoft's computer vision AI.
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Classic travel. Recommend.
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Click anywhere on the map and watch a satellite fly-through of where a drop of water falling there will end up.