The race for the next high-speed train

by David Breisch on

The race is on, so to speak, with a number of countries and companies recently announcing their plans for the next-generation of high-speed rail travel. While France set the railroad world speed record in 2007 at 575 km/h (357 mph), Japan and most western European countries have set their revenue speed limit at 300 km/h, or around 186 mph. It looks like eager train-travelers (and possibly former air travelers) will soon be traveling a good deal faster in almost any of the above-mentioned countries. Read on for details on some of Japan, China and France’s high-speed ambitions.

Japan, the country that most will agree invented high-speed rail as we know it, is now showing off a prototype of a new high-speed train. Well, more specifically, it’s a Japanese company that’s doing so – Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The design of the amazingly-titled Environmentally Friendly Super Express Train (or efSET) will be complete by March 2009, with engineering testing done in 2010. A lightweight body will allow the train to run at up to 350 km/h (217 mph) in revenue service, and components tested in daily Shinkansen service will keep the system reliable. Kawasaki hopes to sell its design to Japan Rail as well as other countries around the world.

Not to be outdone, Alstom, a French company that’s been building high-speed trains for decades has also unveiled the first generation of its AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse). The train is, in fact, already done and is currently undergoing testing at various sites all over Europe. Alstom expects its design to travel at revenue speeds of 360 km/h (223 mph).

Finally, as we’ve previously reported, China is developing a new high-speed link between Beijing and Shanghai. The 380 km/h (236 mph) trains will make the 650-mile trip in about five hours and are scheduled to debut in 2012. Curiously enough, it’s the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that has the most thorough report on the matter, so check it out if you’re interested.

Learn a new language, and the Silbo Gomero

by Abha Malpani on

I recently had the opportunity of meeting the co-founder of a new language-learning website called “Busuu”. Busuu is a language on the verge of extinction; apparently today it’s spoken by only 8 people in Cameroon. Other than that cool snippet of information, I didn’t pay much attention to the website until I got an email saying that it will teach you how to do the whistle “Gomero”, i.e. the Silbo Gomero.

The Silbo Gomero is a whistle that is (was?) used to communicate in Gomero, in the Canary Islands. People who know this language can communicate full sentences through this whistle, and since it can be heard up to a distance of 8 kilometers, it used to be an extremely useful way of communicating across the deep alleys and mountains of the island.(Voice can only travel 200 meters). It used to be a recognised language, but now since there are few people who can whistle this way and it’s not an easy whistle to learn, this “language” faces the threat of extinction.

Busuu aims to help preserve such languages that are under threat of disappearing, and their proactiveness towards trying to help users understand and learn this whistle is commendable. The fact that you are far from learning the whistle after looking at their material is a different point, but if they are planning to expand on such efforts, this is a great start. Here you can check out a great video they did that explores the hows and whats of this Silbo Gomero.



This whole learning the Silbo Gomero tactic could well be a publicity stunt for Busuu, but worth it if it drives traffic to this new and cool language-exchange/learning-community. The website is easy to navigate and presents a community-driven language learning system. Become a member and you can add study modules and attempt to familiarize yourself with a new language, with the option of being helped by native speakers of the language you want to learn. It all works on a system of mutual help, so it’s pretty cool to see it function well. Right now they offer opportunities to study English, French, Spanish, and German. Although you may not learn the language in any concrete or complete way, it’s a good place to start and to meet some multi-lingual people.

A Swiss delicacy… breast milk???

by Anna Brones on

Switzerland is known for many things: the Alps, chocolate, fancy banks, neutrality, etc. Now we can add gastronomic breast milk to that list. Sound a little wierd? It is.

A Swiss restaurant owner by the name of Hans Lochner has created a bit of controversy by announcing that his menu will now feature local specialties such as meat stew and various soups and sauces containing at least 75% human breast milk. It might sound strange, but to Lochner, the idea is a simple one. “We have all been raised on it. Why should we not include it in our diet?” he said.

In fact, as Lochner points out, a mother’s milk is healthy and great to cook with: “One can cook really delicious things with it. However, it always needs to be mixed with a bit of whipped cream, in order to keep the consistency.” Better book a table at the Storchen restaurant next time you’re in the country… or just stick with the chocolate.

Velibs are the new box of chocolates

by Grant Martin on

If you’ve been to Paris any time in the last few years you’ve probably noticed the ubiquitous bicycle rental kiosks. Called Velibs, the concept has become so popular that the model has been replicated elsewhere. Just this past summer in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, the city outfitted the downtown area with a variety of stands.

With such a large user base and number of units on the road, maintenance becomes a critical part of operations – and an important thing to look out for when picking a bicycle. Many a time have I spent twenty minutes plugging my American Express card into the kiosk, paging through the terms and conditions and picking out a unit only to jump on, get halfway down the street and realize that the bicycle doesn’t shift out of first gear or that the seat slooooowly sinks when I’m riding it. Trust me: as a tall person, nothing sucks more than riding a bicycle with the seat all of the way down.

A host of things can go wrong with your Velib after you check it out, which is why I now equate them to a mixed box of chocolates. They may all look the same until you’re heading into traffic and you find out that they handlebars aren’t bolted into the front fork.

At this point I’m past surprised or frustrated if something is wrong with my bicycle – now it’s a personal challenge to see if I can adapt to whatever is wrong with it. But for you, my advice is as such: kick the tires and test the seat before you rent a bicycle. The ten seconds you spend checking out your Velib is well worth the frustration of dealing with a broken bicycle on the road.

Buy a Sicilian villa… for only 1 euro!

by Anna Brones on

Vacation homes abroad don’t scream cheap, so when I saw that the mayor of the hilltop town Salemi in Sicily was selling old stone villas for a mere euro (that’s about $1.42 at today’s exchange rate) I knew there had to be a catch. There is.

The picturesque villas were damaged in the 1968 earthquake and since then have remained unoccupied and left to deteriorate. Then again an old fixer-upper in a charming Sicilian village sort of sounds appealing. That’s Mayor Vittorio Sgarbi’s idea; he wants to get residents to restore the villas to their original character. Once you buy a villa, you have two years to restore it, complying with local architectural standards and hiring local builders, architects, decorators, etc. in order to stimulate the local economy.

Granted you’re probably going to have to factor in 100,000€ ($142,000) for the restoration process, but hey, if you have a hundred grand to spend, isn’t a fabulous vacation villa in Italy worth it?

Still tempted? Go the the mayor’s website and find out more.

[Via Intelligent Traveler]