believe, I tried. After 250m I was out of breath and I took a breather. After 500m I started worrying about getting muscle cramps so I went back to the changing room and drank water. When I came back, I felt this great resistance swimming, like suddenly the viscocity had taken a leap. After a while it felt normal again, I thought let's do at least 1km today but after another 10 laps I started feeling this new and heretofore unknown pain in my right shoulder. Tried to just keep going but it wouldn't stop. I was defiant, I did 20 laps in all, 1500m. I was so exhausted I had trouble getting out of the pool and the minute I stepped out, I got a cramp in my foot. Not a bad cramp, just some small muscle so it didn't really hurt. I lumbered into the pool opposite the walk way, the hot one. A Spanish "cruise ship" was parked outside. But I still felt cold in my shoulders, the hot water wasn't doing it. So I went to the sauna, the steamy one. Leaned up against the wall, ah that's better. Sat there for minutes, didn't feel an inch rested. Finally I looked down at the bench, looked comfy. So I lay down on the bench. Never done that before. It must have been 10 minutes. Finally I thought that's enough.

Don't really know how long the break lasted but it was time to get back in there. After 30 laps, the least I could do was 10 more. The thing is I didn't feel like stopping. Not long ago I was exhausted, now I wanted back in. Water was so cold. Well let's go 10 laps then. Although since I've done 30 already, how about 20 and I'll get to 2500m? Let's just play it by year, no point in setting the bar too high (too far away rather). The 10 were a breeze, I decide to go for 2500m and set a new personal record. Although once I started I was thinking hey what if.. I'm doing well today, why not try 3km. Play it by year. After another 10 laps I was really tired but I had just a little left. Oh the last 10 were a struggle. Swimming really isn't that tiresome but if you go long enough, hunger will kill your spirit. And boredom. I left work at 3.30, came straight here, may have been 4 before I got in. By the time I was done it was 6.05. Oh now I really feel like shit. Pain all over, hungry. I'm gonna hate myself tomorrow.

2005 total: 3.5km
since 2004: 24km

Turning Torso, Malmö

From the man who brought you this shit, now coming to a place in Scandinavia (how I wish it were Trondheim).

* The height will be 190 meters. This can be compared with:

o Kaknästornet, Stockholm, Sweden: 155 meters.

o Kronprinsen, Malmö, Sweden: 86 meters.

o Globen, Stockholm, Sweden: 85 meters.

* Five elevators:

o Three for those living in the building.

o Two for those working in the building.

* Maximum deviation at the top for the most severe expected storm: 0,3 meters. It will not be possible to feel the movement.

* 25 000 cubic meters of concrete.

* Every second window can be opened ten centimeters. There are safety blocks.

* Window cleaning is included in the monthly fee. There will be a special crane on the roof for the purpose.

* Fire protection: Every room is sprinkled. The water supply for the sprinklers is doubled, and has its own emergency electricity supply. One of the elevators also has emergency electricity supply, for use by the safety personnel during an evacuation.

* There will be 54 floors. The tower will turn 90 degrees.

* Architect: Santiago Calatrava.

* The building is modeled after a human torso in a turning motion.

* Is built by HSB Malmö. HSB started thinking about Turning Torso in May 1999.

* The total cost is calculated to be around 1600 million SEK. Previously, they were talking about 1100 to 1200 million SEK. In the beginning, they were talking about 950 million SEK.

* October 2004 (Was August 2004): The concrete framework will be ready.

* Late Summer 2005 (was Spring 2005): Turning Torso will be ready for its inhabitants.

* The reinforcing iron bars are made ready on the ground in a building nearby, to minimize crane use.

* At the top of the building, there is a climbing form used for moulding the core, stair well and elevator shaft.

* Turning Torso will mainly have rental apartments. The largest apartment will be 230 square meters. The smallest apartment will be 45 square meters.

* Twelve floors (4 200 square meters.) for commercial use at the bottom. (Offices). All other floors will be used for the 152 apartments.

* It is not decided yet if the entrance will be manned 24 hours a day. The garage is supervised by a camera.

* In the original plan, the city wanted a 25-floor student house on the spot. The city wanted a high building there to not let the huge building nearby (Malmömässan) dominate the whole area when seen from far away.

I came across a news story which suggets that 26 Norwegian "mercenaries" are employed in Iraq at the moment by a private company. A spokesman for these guys, some kind of promotor I guess, gave an interview to the paper. Now there's nothing really funny about this apart from one little thing.

"We are not attackers, we just want see to it that the Iraqis get power and light. And that the Americans get their oil." :dielaugh:

"A stable, robust, scalable, dynamic and reliable information system is a cornerstone of any kind of Grid system."

Let me stop you right there: :dielaugh: Robust? The very same infosys which crashed over a slightly malformed configuration file? Reliable? The same infosys which crashed twice in two months? Stable? The same infosys which launches daemons and never actually kills them, so you end up with just more and more processes?

It's good to aim high. :D

I know, I know, but I just came across a terrific example surfing today. The most severe case of bad advertising I've seen in 2005. It's an ad posted in Gazeta Wyborcza, probably the most respectable Polish daily, ordered by some Christian interest group (hell, religion is so hip these days).

Since the font is so tiny, I'll help you read it. It says "Is the load hard to bear [ed. as in do you have a heavy conscience?]? Go to confession before Easter".

Whenever I see something like this I tend to stare in awe and wonder who would actually pay for this to be made? Do people just order ads without knowing anything about how they will turn out, and then they're forced to pay what it cost to make them? Is there no iterative process of development (yes I know I'm rehashing software development theory, feck off)? Or do people actually want ads like this one? Could it be? Does anyone actually think this is a good one?! Did someone get a pat on the back for this one?