Room with a view

Earlier tonight I visited the website of a professor whose undergraduate courses I took a few years back. On it she has a link to the view from her office. Could there be a correlation between the lovely summer's day and the empty parking lot in front of the Department of Computer Science?

From my office I look out over the Eindhoven city centre. In the distance I can just see the beautiful old Philips light bulb factory, De Witte Dame. If I look carefully, between the trees I can also see Le Corbusier's Objet Mathématique, the last remnant of the Philips pavilion at the 1958 World Exposition in Brussels. Not the purple Jacaranda trees of my home town, but not bad either.

I recently visited a friend who used to share my office, and view, in Eindhoven. After graduation he got a position with a first-class research lab. His new office does not have any windows. So much for a room with a view.

Serious about recycling

When it comes to the environment, Belgians are quick to point out that their government enforces recycling by law. Apparently, Belgium is serious about recycling and will slap you with a fine if you are not.

I recycle because I subscribe to the idea of sustainability and not because I fear the Belgians. As I often do, this morning I set out early to our local recycling depot. Unfortunately, I was told that today they cannot accept paper. This is the fourth time this has happened. The following flashed through my mind. Get serious!

Independence day

Today India celebrates sixty years of independence from Britain. My son also set his first small step toward independence. This morning my wife and I took him to daycare for the first time. A great day for freedom? I am not sure. As I left my blue-eyed boy with strangers, I felt rather like a villain.

Travel, but not as we know it