A friend of Olle’s is looking for an entertainer for the Copenhagen to Oslo ferry.

I have a client in New England who’s looking to contract with a Mac networking guru: they’ve got a large installed base of Macs connected to PC/Mac local network, and need assistance in solving networking, file sharing and other related issues. If you can help, please contact me for details.

I’ve rebuilt the blogroll page for this site. I took advantage of new Applescript capabilities in NetNewsWire 2.0 that let me:

tell application "NetNewsWire"
  export subscriptions to file "blogroll.opml" with including groups
end tell

This lets me reflect the categories I use in NetNewsWire on the blogroll page.

I’ve also update the blogroll with a bunch of new blogs I discovered through reboot 7.0.

In a CBC report about parking kiosks, Charlottetown city councillor George Trainor made an odd comment:

He said the city’s website will soon have a place for citizens to put their comments in writing. Trainor said stopping a councillor on the street won’t help. “I don’t want to talk to them on the street. I want to talk to them on the computer or put it on paper or something.”

When we use technology as an intermediating crutch like this, we remove its essential human element. If you don’t want to be stopped on the street, get off city council: it’s your job to get stopped on the street.

Olle, a new friend from reboot 7.0, recorded some thoughts before reboot. I told him he should put the audio online. So he did. Olle’s got a great podcasting voice. And postboot he’s keen to wear more unisex clothing.

The City Bike project in downtown Copenhagen is one of the greatest assets that a visitor can take advantage of, yet many visitors I met in the city seemed confused by the protocol, perhaps spurred on by disbelief that the system actually works, and is free.

So here’s a quick guide to how to become a City Bike user.

First, locate a City Bike rack with a bike attached to it. These are located all over downtown Copenhagen — there are reported to be more than 100 of them. They tend to be located in high-traffic tourist-centric areas, so you’ll find them in front of Metro and train stations, at museums, and at the edge of many parks. The telltale sign of City Bike is a metal rack about 3 feet off the ground with chains attached every couple of feet. Obviously you’re looking for a rack that has one or more bikes attached to the chains!

The key to City Bike, literally, is a 20 Kroner coin. This is about $4.00 Canadian or $3.25 US as I write. Don’t worry: you’ll get this all back when you return the bike.

City Bike Stand with an available bike.

A 20 Kroner coin, the “key” to the bike.

Before you bother to “check out” the bike with your coin, give it a basic going over: check that there’s a chain and tires, check that the tires have air in them, check that the wheels are affixed to the bike and that the frame isn’t bent. These bikes take a beating, and I ran about 50% at getting a good bike during my week in the city.

Once you’re ready to proceed, insert the 20 Kroner coin into the bottom of the black orb attached to the handlebar post. What you’re trying to do is to pop out the metal clip on the top of the orb, so, depending on how all the components are fitting together, you may need to push and wiggle a fair bit. Eventually the metal clip should pop out, and the bike is yours.

Insert the coin into the bottom of the orb.

The metal clip should pop out.

Give the bike another run-through before you do any serious riding: look for wobbles, rattles, or anything else unusual.

Before you head out, note the boundaries of the City Bike area on the map that’s mounted on the front of the bike: this shows you where you’re allowed to ride the bike (there are rumours of steep fines for “violators”).

You’ll find Copenhagen a very bike-friendly city, with special bicycle lanes on most streets, and special bike traffic signals at most intersections. And you’ll find lots of fellow cyclists out riding, which, if you don’t live in a bike-friendly city, takes some getting used to. Watch what other cyclists are doing to get a handle on the routines for stopping, making left turns, passing and so on.

When you want to stop and get off the bike for a while you have two choices. If you’re not near a City Bike stand, you risk someone leaving with your bike, either to ride it somewhere else, or to use it to retrieve the 20 Kroner coin. If you’re near a City Bike stand you can “return” the bike, retrieve your coin, and return later, gambling that your (or another) bike will be ready for you.

The greatest thing about the City Bike program over renting a bike, other than price, is that you can get a bike where and for as long as you need it. For example I got up in the morning, grabbed a City Bike, rode downtown, left the bike walked around, ending up down at the harbour ferry, sailed up the harbour, grabbed another bike, parked the bike and visited a museum, grabbed another bike and rode back downtown, where I took the Metro back to my hotel.

A quote from a nutritionist in the BBC television series Food on the Brain:

Part of our body today is yesterday’s lunch.

Perhaps because I’d just eaten a slice of Air Canada’s cheese-like pizza, that hit home. The series is well worth a watch if you can find it: they follow three teens with various learning, behaviour and social problems through nutritional testing followed by a dramatic change in diet (i.e. no longer drinking 4 large bottles of soda every day), followed by a “did their change in diet affect their problems” analysis.

There’s for-fee WiFi throughout Copenhagen Airport. As of this writing (June 2005) it’s 60 Kroner ($12.00 Canadian) for an hour’s worth, and you can pay with credit card (just open your browser and visit any site; you’ll get auto-redirected to the payment gateway and can proceed from there). An excellent place to use the WiFi is the “transfer lounge.” It’s quite, there are free power outlets and desks with chairs, and it’s right in the middle of the departure terminal.

Of course you can also use a luggage cart.

If you’re staying at the CAB Inn Scandinavia in Copenhagen, and need to get to/from Kastrup airport, there’s a really easy way to do it, a way that avoids the crowded downtown Central Station and any need to walk long distances, or take cabs or buses.

From the airport to the hotel: At the far end of the arrivals terminal buy a “3 zone” transit ticket, either from the machines or from the wickets; at this writing the cost is 25,50 Kroner. Go downstairs and catch the Copenhagen (København) bound train. Don’t go all the way into the city, however: get off at Ørestad. Walk upstairs and get on a Vanløse-bound Metro. You don’t need a new ticket, as your “3 zone” ticket for the train is still in effect. Stay on the Metro through to the Forum stop and get off. Walk upstairs. As you exit the Forum Metro station keep walking straight ahead in the same direction along the main street you emerge on; half a block later, just after the statue of three green men, turn right. CAB Inn Scandinavia is 1/2 block ahead on the right, very obvious. The entire trip, assuming good connections, will take you 30 minutes airport to hotel.

From the hotel to the airport: At the hotel make sure you have 25,50 Kroner in change; if not, ask at reception and they will help. Walk out of the hotel and go to the left. At the main street, in front of the statue of the three green men, turn left. Just ahead you will see the Forum, with the Forum Metro station in front. Walk to the station. Take the stairs down one level and buy a “3 zone” ticket from the machine, at this writing it’s 25,50 Kroner. Walk down to the platform and get on a Vestamager-bound Metro. Ride the Metro to the Ørestad station. Get off and walk to the end of the platform (away from the large Field’s shopping mall) and down to Track 1 of the train platform below. You don’t need a new ticket, as your “3 zone” ticket for the train is still in effect. Catch any train bound for Kastrup airport; there are helpful video displays at the track that show upcoming trains. The train to the airport takes about 8 minutes. Total trip, assuming good connections, will take you about 30 minutes, hotel to airport.

Note: at some point in the future, the Metro will be extended all the way to Kastrup, making this an even simpler transit. Watch the Metro website for updates.

It’s a beautiful day in Copenhagen — sunny, warm. Sad to leave. I’ve found a great way to get to the airport from the hotel that I’m going to try out. If it works, I’ll get there in a flash, it will only cost me 25 Kr. and I’ll avoid all the crowds downtown. If it doesn’t work, I’ll miss my plane. Wish me luck.

Update: It worked! Here’s how.