Cayman from above

About time

Today I read a news item that I have been waiting for for a long time: Skype for your mobile now out in beta. It is a so-called mobile “thin“ client that works on about 50 of the most popular Java-enabled mobile phones (most newer mobile phones). There are some geographic restrictions on features, but Denmark is one of the countries with full support. A problem I'm bound to face in Cayman is the archaic mobile data speeds (there are no 3G networks), but at least I will be able to use wifi.

Monster tegning

Tobias har endnu engang fået publiceret en tegning på borneliv.dk. Denne gang er det det en af hans mange monstertegninger. Nedenfor er hvad eksperterne skrev om værket.

Krokodille Monster hedder denne tegning af Tobias Bang Mikkelsen. Ifølge Tobias bliver krokodille monster angrebet af "Lille" monster.

Tobias fortæller selv følgende historie om motivet i tegningen:
"Når krokodille monster sover kommer der nogle små monster og renser tænderne. De spiser monsterbiller og grøntvat og drikker sodavand og løber stærkt."

Det er en rigtig god historie med masser af indhold og dramatik, handling og udtryksfulde ord. Ofte er den tegning, et barn tegner, en erstatning for den fortælling, som barnet ikke selv kan fortælle på grund af manglende ord og sprog, som kan udtrykke barnets følelser og viden. Tobias har imidlertid en god forklaring på den smukke tegning med de mange flotte farver.

Farverne hvid, sort og grå er udelukket som bærende farver på figurerme. Gul er desuden heller ikke en vigtig farve hvilket fortæller os, at Tobias ikke selv er med på tegningen. Fortællingens eller historiens sprog i form af ord (vises med den lilla farve) er en "naturhistorie" (med den grønne farve i midten). Fortællingen eller historien er om en fantasinatur, hvor de "levende" monstre (vist med farverne rød og lyserød) forholder sig symbiotisk, intuitivt og eksistentielt til hinanden (vist med blå nuancer).

Tobias har sikker ikke viden om malerne Asger Jorn og Carl Henning Pedersen, men det er lige før, at tegningen "måske kunne" være en "tidlig" Asger eller Carl Henning.

Rigtig flot tegning, Tobias.

Flock

If you haven't tried Flock, it's about time....
Downloaded it yesterday as an alternative to Mozilla's Firefox and it seems to work really well. This post is written use the Flock blog editor. Flock also allows you to upload photos, share photos by drag-n-drop, keep up to date with Facebook, etc. A must try for social networking people. Download it here.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Swimming at the Lions Pool with Tobias

Today I took Tobias with me to the Lions Pool for some morning swim training. We had agreed the day before that he was willing to give it a try.

For his age Tobias is an excellent swimmer and has always had a natural way with water. Already at the age of 2 he was jumping off the 1 meter diving board and swimming to the edge. This was back in 2004 at the Whitehorse Aquatic Centre, while we were living in Melbourne. Nowadays he is in the water nearly every afternoon, playing with Christoffer (whose swimming is also coming along well) and the other kids in our complex. Miss Rosy, his swimming teacher, has recommended we enroll Tobias in a class for older children to take advantage of his potential.

Anyway, when Tobias and I arrived at the pool at 6 am he didn't want to jump in. He is careful by nature, so this was expected and after 30 min of watching me and others swimming he decided it was time to join in. He did the first 25 m breaststroke and then proceeded to do freestyle breathing on both sides, as he has been taught. I swam with him, taking a small break every 25 m, doing about 200 m in total.

He manages a 40 second 25 m which I think is excellent considering his age. For comparison I can swim a 33 second 50 m which is a lot faster than him, but ridiculously slow compared to the world record. I am sure Tobias will be able to shave at least 10 seconds of his time before his 6th birthday if he keeps practicing.

UPDATE: Today Tobias managed to swim 25 m in 34 seconds - an improvement of 6 seconds. I think he will soon break the 30 second barrier. With a bit more stamina, he will be able to keep a good position in the water all the way. Currently he loses speed during the final 10 m, which would appear to be lack of good form in the water causing excessive drag.

DHL Duathlon

Below is a snapshot of an article in the Netnews here in Cayman (click on it to enlarge it). It is describes the 2008 DHL Duathlon held last week. As a member of the Committee of the Triathlon Association in Cayman, I assisted in organizing the event. You will see me at the start line (in the left hand side of the picture) and crossing the finish line (I was not being directed to the transition as stated).Majken and I participated as a team (the Great Danes). I did the 2x2 mile run and she the 20 mile bike ride. Overall we placed 3rd in a time of 56 minutes and 43 seconds. Majken had an amazing ride on the bike and managed to keep most of the chasing riders behind her.
You can see more pictures from the event here.