Jamie Shiers

Back in Barcelona for the 4th time for LHC Computing. This time, the machine is due to turn on in a matter of weeks.

Barcelona was the scene of a hot workshop on LHC Computing back in the era of Object Databases. The hot - possibly cooling - topic today is (still?) Grids (moving to Cloud computing?)

It was here that the plans to deploy gLite were first discussed widely with the Grid community.

Barcelona was also first step on a circumnavigation tour of (W)LCG Tier1 sites - perhaps appropriately - although Columbus still stands pointing out in the direction of where the New World isn't.

Today it is not only the scene for the possible Grid-cloud watershed, but also for the "future sustainable e-infrastructure" (sic).

What have I learned through it all? Well, quite a lot about hotels and restaurants!

Here is an arbitrary list of tips for visiting Taipei.

• Getting there and away. There are two airports in Taipei. The (truly) international one, also known as CKS, has two terminals. Cathay Pacific arrives at T2 - which is a 'semi-domestic' terminal, whereas KLM etc arrive at T1. Taipei airport is in downtown Taipei and not what you want if you are hoping to get back to Europe;
• Getting to ASGC: good idea to get hold of a business card / the address written in Chinese.
  
• Eating: if it looks like chopped, lightly sauted onions, make sure it is (and not jelly-fish. Unless of course you like jelly-fish).
  

Computing in High Energy Physics is a conference series held roughly every 18 months. It rotates around Europe, North America and elsewhere.

In 1992, it was held in the Imperial Palace in Annecy.

The conference highlight was the WorldWideWeb - still to hit the mainstream. Just months later you heard it mentioned everywhere.

It was an exciting conference - this was the time of HEPLIB, the start of the move from PATCHY to CVS/make etc, PAW++, "the birth of OO" and much else. (Databases for the multi-PB of Physics Data anyone? - that's another story).

It was also the time I realised that I was working ~100% on LHC Computing.

And I still am...

Almost 15 years to the day, I am back on the same stage, talking at CAS 2007 - an equivalent conference for Atmospheric Sciences. In between times, we've had the rise & fall of Object Databases, LHC++ and a few other "lives".

Now - just one day after Ken Jacobs did the Swiss announcement of Oracle 11g at CERN - and ~3 years since we last met - its LHC status time.

Many ghosts have finally been laid to rest.

Time for something new?

Whereas this 'delicacy' in Old Blightey tends to mean a tasteless mush & malt vinegar, over here in British Columbia it's light, crispy and delicious.

Here's a whistle-stop tasting tour round Beautiful BC.

White Rock - just south of Vancouver, near to the US border: excellent value, delicious chips and the lightest, crispiest batter and piping hot fish. 'Cadre' not so good, but value for money, this one wins hands-down.

Salmon Arm (or nearby) - slightly too tough, but still a great lunch and way better than the ubiquitous burger.

Whistler, Chateau Whistler (of course): washed down with a gulp or two of Chardonnay from Okanagan: best for quality of service - and of fish! (Start the next day with a 'breakfast wrap' of eggs, guacamole, mozzarella, beans and salsa. Offering zero fat milk in my cappuccino seems pointless...)

Vancouver waterfront: fish'n'no-chips: great Pacific Salmon, light & crisp Pinot Blanc - perfect for a light evening meal.

Downtime Vancouver: a few pints of home-brew, including the marvellous Empress!

The verdict: let's see what we get on Vancouver Island..

Hmm - unfortunately the fish on VI that I tried was a) overcooked b) overpriced. Boo-hoo.

(Fortunately, Hugo's offers a delicious range of home-brew, ranging from Czech-style through a few pale ales to a chocolatey (sic!) voodoo brew.)

The bottom line - to travel hopefully is still usually better than to arrive.

The escalators in the U-Bahn clatter with a familiar "chitty chitty" sound. Spare ribs and foaming beer in the shade of the Chinese tower. A smartly dressed man spies left over beer in abandoned mugs - sometimes coming up with close to a full litre. But the best is the Chitty-style 'caberet' in the Löwenbräukeller at the Starkbierfest - thigh-slapping to match that in 'the ole bamboo'.

And the chorus goes...

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit der Gemüt-lich-keit! Ein Prosit, ein Prosit der Gemüt-lich-keit! Prosit, Prosit, Pro o-o sit! Eins! Zwei! Drei! -- G'suffa! ...

The day starts with an envigorating dip in the pool of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. Breakfast is a twist on the usual Eggs Benedict - this time served on potato cakes with smoked salmon on the side. Still, enough cholesterol for a month...

Hair-raising drive to the airport only to discover that although passengers are commanded to be at the gate at least 1/2 hour before departure, this applies neither to the plane nor its crew. Transferred to another flight: video on demand, catering by the Oberoi chain, spicy samosas as a mid-flight snack and a row of 4 seats to myself. Marvellous.

A card laid on my turned-down bed says "Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep!"

Not surprising its one of my main hobbies...

What an amazing city Rome is - or perhaps cities - from different times and civilisations, overlayed / overlapping in space. Rather than the standard tourist circuit I find its best to just wander and stumble upon wonder upon wonder. Sooner or later you'll come across all of the major sites in any case.

Strawberry ice cream still tastes exactly like strawberries and cream - and not pink emulisified non-diary vegetable fat. Coffee has at least all four accepted tastes and not just "bitter".

Try a "pizza fritta" (speciality).

Tastes abit like a donut with pizza filling.

How did it finds its way here from Glasgow?