Bits by Slavito (page 7)

From May 31st until June 4th, Montrealers and those who find themselves at the 45th parallel will be able to enjoy the annual jamboree of electronic music and "new technologies" called MUTEK.

This year, the only name I recognize on the program is that of Richie Hawtin (he plays outdoors in Parc Jean-Drapeau on the 4th). That either says something about the festival's inability to attract more headliners or, more likely, it says something about how clueless I've become on the subject of electronic music. Or, possibly, it says both.

Anyway, you now have less than a week to get to Montreal and catch the groove: www.mutek.ca.

If you are (like some of the contributors to this site) a designer, a musician, a video artist or anybody else with a penchant for using Apple computers, I have just the right idea of your September vacation.

Open up your iCal and mark the dates in your favorite color: from 12th to 16th of September you are going to be in Paris, checking out new super-slim screens, extra-mighty mice and nanoscale iPod's all while chatting with your European kin.

I am reminded that last year the event didn't feature any major announcements from the company. There were no keynote speeches either. But the year before, it did! So, your guess is as good is mine on whether we'll see anything major announced in Paris this year. I doubt it matters, though, because the event primarily serves as a bonne excuse for going to France for "professional" reasons. Perhaps, I don't need to tell you that it's tax deductible and if worst comes to worst, you won't regret this trip as much next April.

www.apple-expo.com

We Russians just don't know when to stop. Most people would consider this mental peculiarity a drawback. We, on the other hand, are proud of it (that's because we don't know when to stop being proud either).

This sweeping generalization applies equally to alcohol consumption and building skyscrapers. For proof, one needs to look no further than the "Moscow City" project that has been under development for the past decade. Many an architectural rendering has been discarded during this timespan - only to be replaced by drawings of towers that are bigger, better, badder. And more "Moscow". (Like Moscow actually needs vertical growth).

Last year, SiteBits wrote about the "Federation Complex" - two towers of 340 and 240 meters respectively. This year, this already feels too short. We need another tower and we're talking at least 600 meters...

Read the rest of: "Moscow in Foster Care"»

Don't get me wrong - I love Spanish food. I adore it. I can't get enough of all that cocido, jamón serrano, chorizo and tortilla española, so whenever I am in Madrid I basically eat in advance. Madrid is a city where I can go to a sketchy diner, sit on a bar stool at the counter pretending to be a visiting American, take out a French novel from my pocket... and still get a hearty, delicious meal - for less than 10 euros!

But that doesn't help me solve the problem I encounter almost every morning. I'll tell you what does. Read on...

Read the rest of: "VIPS: Breakfast in Madrid"»

You know you're already too late to the game when New York Magazine publishes an article (newyorkmetro.com) telling you that you should be living not in New York, but in Buenos Aires, enjoying warmer temperatures, cheaper real estate and "girls in bikinis".

Written by the GoodAirs.com guy, Ian, this article borders on advertorial in the way it unabashedly plugs the author's expat buddies with their hobby-like business projects while simultaneously propagating this whole myth of a warm, sunny, cheap New York (or Paris) on the other side of the globe. If you're too lazy to follow the link and read it yourself, I'll summarize it for you. The gist is that in Buenos Aires, even a "nobody" from Manhattan can suddenly and effortlessly become somebody. And, presumably, get to hang out with "girls in bikinis" as a result.

The secret behind this miraculous transformation?...

Read the rest of: "Buenos Aires Dreaming"»

Via [IHT] -- Today's issue of IHT's travel section [profiles] the city which come June, will be playing host to the 2006 World Cup. We're talking about Leipzig, Germany, of course.

The 4-screen profile gives an overview of the history and main attractions in the city nicknamed Heldenstadt (the City of Heroes), teases us with little-known trivia (Leipzig was home to Germany's first conservatory) and supplies the minimal amount of neighborhood savvy:

The Zentrum has some beautiful Saxon architecture and remains very lively until late...

The Süd district is more modern and younger; cafés and boutiques selling everything purses to yarn line strip for about 10 blocks.

There are plenty of hotel rooms in the city (11,500, according to the IHT) which should work in your favor should you decide to visit, but beware that during the World Cup accomodation is likely to be scarce and the prices inflated. [The City of Heroes and Saxon allure]

To have a coffee in a literary setting that's oozing atmosphere and tradition in Madrid requires almost no effort.

Just walk to Pasillo de Recoletos, look for the address plaque that says "21" and open the door to Café Gijón.

Read the rest of: "Café Gijón"»

There are two important things I learned from my recent whale-watching trip. One: whales come in all sizes, mostly smaller than you think. And two: whales are not dolphins!

Read the rest of: "Whale Watching In Quebec"»