A tennis court with a great view; just don't fall off the edge
Filed under: United Arab 
Last week, I wrote about the soon-to-be world's tallest skyscraper, being built in the heart of Dubai. Here's another outrageous sight. This used to be the helipad at the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel, temporarily converted into a tennis court for an exhibition match between Agassi and Federer.
"I have been in Dubai many times and have stayed at Burj Al Arab before, but this was an absolute treat," said Roger Federer of Switzerland. "To play tennis with Andre on top of such an amazing hotel and overlooking the whole of Dubai was absolutely spectacular."
The court is some 200 meters off the ground and covers 400 square meters, or about 8 times the size of my apartment in New York. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments  |
Behind the Olympics: Anyone else desperately trying to buy tickets?
Filed under: China  So I'm some two years behind the curve when it comes to buying Beijing Olympic tickets. There's been several phases of ticket sales, and suffice to say, finding one now is about as easy as finding a good surf spot in the Sahara.
I've already come across eBay auctions of closing ceremony tickets for $20,000, granted the poster was nice enough to offer a "buy one get one free" sale.
If you're still keen on catching an event or two before the end of the Games this Sunday, here's a cheat sheet on, well, not getting cheated.
First, a disclaimer. If you're thinking about buying tickets at this stage, be prepared to see your money disappear. There's just so many scams out there that getting a ticket now has turned more into a lottery. For instance, just this past weekend, some 100 scalpers were rounded up for selling tickets at inflated prices in Beijing. And a month or so ago, one notorious website was shut down for selling fake tickets.
But there are still some ways to find ticket. Your options are:
- Official ticket vendor. For Americans and some other Westerners, the official ticket vendor is CoSport. Although they don't advertise it too much, you can still land tickets to some of the less popular events the day before the event.
- Craigslist. For those who want to see some of the more popular events--closing ceremony, 10 m diving, basketball gold final--Craigslist's Beijing page is your best bet. Go to tickets, where you'll find plenty of people buying and selling tickets. Be careful though, lots of scammers here who will be happy to take your MoneyGram and Western Union transfers and run.
- Bird's nest. If you want the cheapest tickets, the best deals can often be found outside the venues. Just look for scalpers, many of whom are bold enough to drape huge signs over themselves advertising their prices. Probably the safest bet since you'll be able to see the tickets. Just make sure to bring plenty of cash.
- Third-party vendors. There's a handful of companies that will gladly sell you Olympics tickets for a profit. One of the more popular ones, with plenty of popular events still available, is here.
- BOCOG. Word on the street is the Beijing organizing committee keep 2% of seats for last-minute emergencies. So if you beg and cry loud enough, who knows?
See you in Beijing! Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments  |
Olympic Fever in Hong Kong?
Filed under: Festivals and Events  Though it has been officially part of China for 11 years now, Hong Kong's athletes marched into the Games under their own flag. Beijing's goodwill gesture of holding the equestrian events in Hong Kong was welcomed, but Olympic fever has seemed slightly muted in the former British colony.
Yes, Hong Kongers aren't as excited about the Olympics and the success of team China as mainlanders are, but that doesn't mean they are not following the Games closely. And, with no athletes expected to earn worldwide attention, Hong Kong has adopted some PRC stars as their own. Billboards featuring (now injured) Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang and hoops star Yao Ming are quite visible. Large screen TVs are broadcasting events in public spaces and crowds are stopping to watch.
But what does Hong Kong really think of Beijing's coming out party? The mainland is already swallowing up Hong Kong's once great film industry, and Mandarin is being heard in Kowloon and Central more and more every day. And now Beijing has grabbed the spotlight and captured the imagination of the world.
But Hong Kong has seemed to embrace the Games nonetheless.
They can start thinking about their future with Beijing after the Olympics have closed.
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First commercially available fuel cell charger appears online
Filed under: Gear  Our buddies over at Engadget are reporting on the availability of a portable fuel cell designed to recharge your gadgets. The Medis 24-7 Power Pack was first announced back in 2005, but it has taken them some time to get the technology to a stage where it is reliable enough to sell commercially.
The 24-7 power pack contains a fuel cell using "a direct liquid borohydride technology". I have no idea what that means, but it delivers enough power to keep your iPod playing for up to three and a half days, and that is really all I need to know.
The 24-7 Power Pack is currently available online for $39.95 which includes the Power Pack itself, a variety of charger cords and a user manual. The Power Pack is not rechargeable (or reusable), so once it is empty, you'll need to spend $22.95 for the replacement pack. The Power Pack is scheduled to appear in Best Buy stores soon.
The manufacturer does not mention whether the fuel cell is approved for taking on a commercial flight, and knowing the TSA, I'm not sure they know either.
I have to say I'm quite happy to see this technology finally appear in a commercial product, companies have been showing off their fuel cell products for years, but until now, none of them were actually made available for us mere consumers. I'm sure that the price will scare some people away, but being able to carry a 6.5 ounce backup power pack with the capacity to keep my iPod playing for 3 days is worth $23 to me. As the technology matures, I'm convinced that prices will drop. Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments  |
Where to plan your next environmentally vacation: 15 green cities
Filed under: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Ecotourism  The good folks at Grist put together their own list of 15 green cities. Although their thought was probably to showcase the green efforts made by local governments and locals to make the cities more environmentally friendly, in reading it I realized it was a great list of places to chose your next eco-vacation.
If you're looking to take public transportation, play in parks and learn more about sustainability as part of your next vacation, here are the 15 cities that made the list:
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Portland, OR, U.S.
- Curitiba, Brazil
- Malmö, Sweden
- Vancouver, Canada
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- London, England
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador
- Sydney, Australia
- Barcelona, Spain
- Bogotá, Colombia
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Kampala, Uganda
- Austin, TX, USA
Some of the selections surprised me; Bangkok for example, but apparently it's all about the city's strategy to make things greener. Check out the full list with accompanying explanations here.
What green cities have you visited?
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