Thanks to some local friends one of the stops during my tour of Bahrain yesterday was the new Bahrain International Circuit– the first track on the Grand Prix tour in the Middle East.
I figured I was just going on a quick tour to see the ground, go to the control tower, hear about the construction (it was a massive project) and snap some photos.
So I started snapping away…
We visited the race tower…
And some great VIP viewing spots and saw the track from above…
Definitely the best place to watch from…
The control room is incredible. Completely electronic, the whole track is wired in every way imaginable. They can zoom these cameras onto the serial number on a car part– and change aspects of the track at the touch of a button.
While I was there one of the control room guys admitted playing Playstation on the massive screens once!
Map of the track. They can actually run two races on it at once (and have before) as there are two circuits, one inside the other. The track has a fully functional hospital capable of even heart surgery– equipped with two heliports in case a patient needs to be moved quickly.
Back up on the top of the tower..
Off in the distance there was a little car buzzing and squealing around the corners. I asked about it… My guide looked at me and said, he’s coming to get you!
Sweet! Laps on an F1 track!
Suited up with what turned out to be a very crazy driver, and a good one.
Open track was amazing. And when I told him I loved cars, he knew he could push it. It was probably 110° on the track, plus the engine heat. Very surreal. Two laps on this F1 track will never be forgotten.
This little thing goes way faster than you imagine. I promise.
BIC goodies. An incredibly impressive facility. Absolutely top notch everything. I look forward to coming back one day to see a race there. Big thanks to those that made this possible!
Last year, Michael Lewis found himself traveling quite frequently from New Jersey to Santa Barbara, CA. You see, as the Director of Product Development for a tech company that was being acquired by a west coast SAS company, trips to California’s central coast were becoming a commonplace occurrence. During this time he discovered two things – how beautiful SB is and how frustrating and annoying packing and carrying toiletries was becoming. Even a person like Lewis who was becoming well-versed in FTA rules and regulations would face the occasional mishap – a dopp kit full of shampoo from a bad packing job, a missing razor due to simply forgetting, or missing toiletries altogether because his checked in bags were arriving on a different plane half a day later.
After the acquisition was complete, Lewis quit his job, sold his car, and moved to SB to start Suite Arrival. The company provides a service to fill a very particular, and in my opinion, needed niche. Before you embark on your trip, you simply visit their website and choose among dozens of items, ranging from body wash to sunscreen, anything you might need for your time away from home. All the most popular brands are represented and Suite Arrival adds new partners all the time. On a recent visit, I noticed they now carry premium label Billy Jealousy and even offer snacks and gum now. Currently, Suite Arrival operates in the continental US and delivers straight to your hotel so the package is ready for you when you check-in. Concerned about strict hotel policies, I asked SA if they ever had any issues with delivery and Lewis assured me they have always been able to work it out. He also let me in on a few things they have up their sleeves – city guides relevant to the city you are visiting, additions to the partners list, and even a pilot program for international service. Personally, I am waiting for the last item to be checked off as I am traveling to Montreal next month.
Bright and early this AM I went to an event at the Museum of Islamic Art here in Doha. The architecture was completely breathtaking.
Beautiful skylight…
Gorgeous details..
This building was Art-chitecture.
Staring straight up at the opening in the ceiling. Simply stunning.
The Doha Skyline from the edge of the Museum in three shots. One.
Two.
Three. *With Reflecting Pool
I had to snap this, fascinating to see two women working on computers in the office wearing the traditional black dress covering everything but their eyes. (Called an Abaya).
I couldn’t sit still long. I’m off tomorrow on a quick trip through the Middle East. Visiting Doha for business, followed by some fun in Bahrain, Cairo, Beirut and perhaps a swing through Damascus if time allows.
So I saw all of these mediocre pictures of that volcano in Iceland nobody can pronounce the name of, so I figured I should go and do better. But the flights to get over took forever as expected (somewhat). 4 days after leaving I finally made it, but the weather was terrible for another 4. Just before leaving it got pretty good for about a day and a half and this is what I managed to get.
Music of course by the one and only Jonsi. Hat tip to Micah!
I’m heading to Tanzania! I’ll be in Dar Es Salaam, the Ngorongoro Crater and into some more remote areas with my friends from Millennium Promise. The primary purpose of the vist is a YGL Summit and a speech in London, but I’ve bolted on some pretty interesting side trips.
Posting will be minimal (as will my computer use in general). I’ll be updating occasionally from Twitter and snapping lots of pictures to share upon my return. See you on the other side…
I own a number of packs for a variety of pursuits and they all have hydration support. What this usually means is a compartment for a bladder and on the higher end packs, elastic bands for tube routing. That’s really the extent of the “advanced” features when it comes to hydration packs – until now. Osprey, a name synonymous with high-end technical packs, has recently introduced their Hydraulics line and their engineers have come up with some really unique features that make so much sense, it makes you wonder why nobody thought of them earlier. The Raptor is geared towards mountain bikers and comes in four sizes, all the way down to a minimalistic 6 liters. It touts a dedicated tool pocket, blinker light attachment, reflective graphics among its features. The Manta is their answer to a modern daypack and the one I am most excited about. Three sizes (20, 25, 30L) means anything from a full day outing to a light overnight. It boasts a built in raincover and trekking pole attachment among its lengthy feature list.
What really sets this series apart are the best-in-class innovations. First is the bladder, which was developed by Nalgene. The stiff back allows you to easily slide it into a pack even when loaded. It provides support that molds along your back and you can refill it even when the pack is full. It also is designed to prevent barreling while creating positive water pressure. Another feature I really like is the magnetic attachment for the bite-valve. Great innovations by Osprey, check it out.
I’m in Long Beach for TED 2010, and the vibe here is great. The speaker lineup looks simply incredible. Already did a bit of an exciting helicopter tour (see some shots from the sky here) in a bit of a rain storm around LA and looking forward to a seirous brain safari starting tomorrow! Blogging every session from here is hard, but tweeting isn’t, so follow on.
The above image is by Chris Jordan and depicts 11,000 jet trails, equal to the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours. I realize I am in some way apart of the problem. I guess the next thing to do is start offsetting my carbon more often. Tips welcome.
* indicates cities visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.
Hat tip to Kottke and Amit for the idea again (my last year’s 2008 list has somehow disappeared though.) Once in a while I linked to the reason behind my trip, although that got complicated quick.
If you dream of being a great filmmaker, this could be Your Big Break. Write a screenplay for a 3-minute film that ‘captures the spirit of 100% Pure New Zealand, the youngest country on Earth’, and you could be one of five filmmakers to wing your way to NZ to have your short film produced by Lord of the Rings producer Barrie Osborne. The winning film will be selected by Peter Jackson and presented worldwide as part of 100% Pure New Zealand!
Disclosure:100% New Zealand is currently advertising on this site. And I think this is a damn good promotion for creative professional to get to work!
Even though I’m told there isn’t a word for entrepreneur in Arabic, there is certainly a good amount of “from the ground up” spirit happening from within a new generation of people living in Dubai. I had the pleasure of visiting one such project called The Shelter, a wonderful workspace, cafe, store, screening room type place. It’s situated in an old warehouse in an industrial part of Dubai, off the beaten path. If you’re in town and need a place to work (or just want to see something that makes you feel good), I highly encourage you to stop in and see this place.
The Shelter is a first of its kind community workspace that allows individuals from various creative disciplines to engage in an environment that nurtures entrepreneurial small businesses. The Shelter is a medium for forward thinkers, creatives and intellectuals to connect and exchange ideas; converting those interactions into commercial services and products through subsidized work spaces.
I’m headed to Dubai for the Summit on the Global Agenda (a World Economic Forum event), as I’ve been serving on the Marketing and Branding council. I’ll let you know how it goes. Excited to see the tallest building in the world, having previously gone up the Taipei 101 as well.
On my flight out to Hong Kong from New York earlier this week, I had the pleasure of trying out Cathay Pacific’snew business class seat for the first time (at my own expense). Spending 16 hours on a plane is never fun, but I have to say, it went by in an absolute flash this trip and it was all because of the seat.
I’ve written about all kinds of aircrafts, seats, classes and long-haul international flying options and I’ve got to say these new fully-flat seats on the 777-300ER Cathay planes are some of the best I’ve ever experienced.
As background, it’s important to know the difference between “fully-flat” and “lie-flat” seats. There are plenty of airlines that will give you a lie-flat seat, but they angle it at the ground to fit more in the cabin. These slanted seats constantly feel like you’re sliding down them and you’re always thinking you’re going to fall right off. Fully-flat seats are, well, completely flat. Horizontal to the ground and most like your bed at home (or, they certainly try to be).
Layout wise, the business class on Cathay Pacific is most like Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class. The herringbone style lineup gives extra privacy when you recline it into a flat bed and although it feels a little sardine-like at times, it feels good to have walls up on both sides of you while you sleep. Design wise, there’s not much to say. It isn’t much to look at (that’s not the point), but it’s soft and comfortable in all the right places and allowed more than enough room for me to stretch out fully with room to spare.
The entertainment system is also worth mentioning as I think it’s the first setup I’ve ever seen which easily rivals (if not beats) Virgin America’s highly technical and impressive system in the USA. Entertainment was shown on a massive moveable HD wide screen. One gripe of most planes is immovable screens but not here. A complimentary noise canceling headsets was also included. I was able to watch Star Trek in all it’s glory, create a good playlist for the trip, and choose from what seemed to be easily more than 100 on-demand movies and TV shows to make my selection.
For me, the true test of any airplane seat like this is simple. Did I sleep? Like a baby. 11 hours worth (with no pharmaceuticals). A highly recommended seat, and amazing treat!
