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Bad Time to visit Europe

The Euro is at an all time high against the dollar. Yup, since the forced conversion which required most European currencies to be converted to the Euro , it has surged way beyond expectations.

Obviously this is a bad time to be visiting Europe eventhough the lower off-season cost would tend to make it an attractive choice for a vacation. I have some Euros left which I haven't a chance to convert. Maybe that vacation idea isn't so bad after all.

Does anyone know of a good way to do money exchange with a medium-to-minimal exchange fees? I was about to exchange it at Wells Fargo in Vegas 2 1/2 years ago, but didn't get a chance. I currently don't have any major bank accounts but belong to a credit union instead.

Getting Data from CUE/BIN files

I have had the hardest time trying to extract data from ".bin" files. These are disk images which have been extracted and can be stored within your hard-disk. For some reason, every CD program seem to support only their own format and getting compatibility between formats have been quite difficult. The ones that are more familiar are .iso, .nrg, etc. You can use the
Virtual CD-ROM tool
to extract ISO files, however ".bin" files are a bit trickier. Previously, I have been trying to use WinImage to do the extraction from ".bin". However, those have (at various times) resulted in corrupted files. Something that works intermittently can't really be relied upon.

I currently have Nero installed. Here is a silly trick to get at the files embedded in those pesky ".bin" images.

• Use the image recorder to burn the ".bin" files into ".nrg" files
• Mount the ".nrg" file using Nero Image Drive. This will let you access the embedded files as a new drive.
• Once you've copied the files you need into your hard-disk, it is easy to delete the ".nrg" file that you don't need anymore.
  

The Journey or the End-goal

The journey is more enjoyable and valuable than the end-goal. Pause and soak in life as well as smell the roses when you get the chance. I need to teach myself that lesson. I know that this is not a point-of-view that is acceptable in this day and age. However, it is something that I (in my own lifetime) have found to be true. My entire life has been spent in pursuing goals. Our whole society is bent in the pursuit of following and achieving goals. To tell you the truth, so far they have only lead to many many reasons to be unhappy.

Today, I have seen the blue feathers that peek out from a duck's wings. Today, I have seen palm trees bend so gracefully in the force of strong winds. And my life feels richer from noticing the things I have never bothered to notice before. And I realize that there are so many other things I have never bothered to stop and notice before. The things such as the shimmer of a lake as strong winds blow and make ripples upon the water.... I have never noticed before.

I am reading the book "80/20 principle: the secrets of achieving more with less". I agree with the author to some of his points but I laugh at the attempts the author takes to exploit these principles. It is naive to believe that we can actually exploit life. The study of science teaches us to exploit life. There is something inherently wrong with that. Does anyone else notice?

Notoriety via the Web

Just for kicks, I decided to do some web searching on an artist friend of mine Kai Hoang. He has spent most of his life doing abstract art in various localities. Back in San Jose, we used to have coffee and talk of abstract matters. Although he considers himself obscure with an occasional gallery presentation here and there, I have been able to dig up (without too much effort) these tidbits about him:

• Asian Arts Now , another
• humanity through arts
• Los Arboles school directory
• SF Art Commission Gallery
• Viet Arts 1994
• Humanity Through Arts

Like it or not, the internet makes your life a little more transparent. I have been wanting to tell him to put more of his art on the internet for exposure but apparently it has already been done.