Las Vegas, part III

(The lights fight with the night for your eye's attention.)

In spite of the kitsch and false sensation of feeling important, it's all worth seeing, if nothing else but for its creativity. There's life in the city, after all, and there's a huge amount of things to do: for instance, the nightly shows by world-famous DJ's, comedians, and other artists and performers.

There is also every conceivable type of food known to mankind, and some of it is actually high-quality and authentic...

Las Vegas, part II

(The dancing fountains of Bellagio.)

Las Vegas has something to offer to everyone, both off and along the Strip. As a result, you will inevitably find yourself taking in the man-made sights that South Las Vegas Boulevard has to offer.

That's not counting all the free entertainment that is available right on the Strip itself, not limited to a talking tree. Imagine running into that one while drunk.

If you have heard of West Edmonton Mall, multiply it by ten in your head. That's how much each major casino-resort along the Strip has to offer. And there are about thirty of those.

Las Vegas, part I

(The volcano at The Mirage.)

As opposed to the last two detours, I arrived at my destination by plane. Upon disembarking from which, passengers are greeted by the one thing Vegas is most known for: a terminal full of slot machines (not "very exotic" dancers, unfortunately). The "frantic slot machine bonging" greets you just after the pilot welcomes you to Las Vegas.

Detour: Las Vegas

(Not the usual angle.)

"This city is dedicated to lowest-common denominator attention-grabbing: boobs and lights and noise."

A fitting quote, expecially because of what happens after about midnight. Among other things, "very exotic" dancers become visible even from the streets themselves, girls that you've seen only a couple hours prior dressed in pajama-sweats and in full make-up. You know they can't be tourists, and if you've ever been involved in any type of performance activity – including those involving clothes staying on – you'll instantly recognize the standard pre-performance routine: everything's ready, you just have to put your costume on. Even if you perform without one.

Review: Volkswagen New Beetle 2.5

Once upon a time, a man called Porsche had a task of creating a small, economical car that all his countrymen could afford. And in 1938, production of his invention began – first called the “strength-through-joy car” (KdF-Wagen) because of politics at the time. After a few key years, it was renamed to Volkswagen Type 1, known to the rest of us as the original Volkswagen Beetle.

Now, Volkswagen has decided to create a 21^st-century Beetle, taking all the design cues from the Type 1 and fitting them to the Golf VI platform.

This effort resulted in a car that takes the best out of an almost eighty-year-old design and makes it look masculine and sporty, while still clearly showing its roots. The performance of the highest model is practically identical to Volkswagen’s own Golf GTI sport hatchback, a car historically renowned for the grin it provokes as you sit behind the steering wheel.

But this isn’t it.

The subject of this review is instead the New Beetle – which is now the old one, but not that old one.

Harmonic D-minor

(A good ear is necessary.)

Step by step, the Fića is getting to the point where it should have been some time ago.

Modern cars have a robot computer that works as a knock sensor, electronic fuel injection, and on-board diagnostics. In the Fića – and other cars of its vintage – the car relies on you for all of that.

The interesting bit is that only basic mechanical knowledge is a prerequisite. The majority of the skills you need can be found in someone who tunes instruments...

In other words, if you know how to use an acoustic resonator (tuning fork) to tune an instrument, you will know how to be the car's fuel injection.