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  • Get started with cryptocurrencies (and get free dogecoins)

    Get started with cryptocurrencies (and get free dogecoins)

    Note: This offer has ended.

    Official Dogecoin logoDogecoin is a cryptocurrency inspired by an internet meme featuring a Shiba Inu and I’m giving away 100 Ɖ each to the first ten people who leave their Dogecoin receive address as a reply below.

    Wait, what?

    All right, you could head over to Wikipedia and read a bit about cryptocurrencies and Dogecoin. If you prefer “learning by doing”, just go to dogecoin.com/get-started and get a wallet.

    Why?

    Because Dogecoin is a fun1 way to get started with cryptocurrencies and has a great community over at r/dogecoin. Also because it’s Friday and the sun is shining and I need a new post on my blog.

    1 It even uses Comic Sans!

  • Chan (Zen) and daily life – public lectures in Luxembourg and Trier

    Chán monk and chief teacher of Dharma Drum Mountain Ven. Guo Yuan will be giving several public lectures during the next days:

    • Sunday, March 23 from 16:00 to 17:30 in Trier. Languages: Chinese and English. Location: ESG, Im Treff 19, 54296 Trier. Flyer (PDF).
    • Monday, March 24 from 18:30 to 20:00 in Luxembourg City. Languages: English with French translation. Location: Franciscaines de la Miséricorde, 50 avenue Gaston Diderich, 1420 Luxembourg. Flyer (PDF).

    Attendance is free, registration is not required.

    There will also be lectures in Chinese in Luxembourg on Sunday and Monday, you can download the flyer here.

    To find out more about Chán and Dharma Drum Mountain, visit chancenter.org (where you can download Chan Magazine which contains transcripts of similar lectures) or dharmadrum.org.

    Update Monday March 24, additional info for the talk in Lux.: You can park your car on the premises. Use the main entrance to get into the building. There’s another door behind it which is usually locked, so you might have to wait a minute for a friendly nun to let you in. The way to the room is indicated with the flyer posted above.

    The talk itself is mostly going to consist of several stories with very little “Buddhist jargon”. (if it’s similar to the one in Trier yesterday). Spoiler: You can read one of the stories in this picture. Guo Yuan Fa Shi is going to give a brief explanation of each story. The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions in the end. You may also be asked to close your eyes and think of nothing for a minute, but that’s pretty much it as far as audience participation is concerned.

    Finally, the organizer (Mrs. Lin) is going to thank everyone and remind you of the donation box sitting by the exit, although nobody’s going to shame you into donating (I’ve seen far more heavy-handed methods employed by other charities). You can also get some books and pamphlets for free!

  • Maps of Luxembourg (updated)

    It’s been a while since I last wrote about maps of Luxembourg. Here’s what’s changed since 2010/2011:

    The usual suspects

    Google Maps is now more closely integrated with Google Earth, which has new 3D models of the buildings in Luxembourg city. Be sure to check out the Cargo Center at the airport, Google’s algorithm is hilariously bad at 3D-ifying planes.

    It doesn’t seem that Microsoft’s Bing Maps has changed much, but its multiple angles in “bird’s eye” view often look better than Google’s 3D models.

    OpenStreetMap is still your best option for hiking and biking trails. BTW, if you want to have access to offline maps on your android phone, I highly recommend an app called OsmAnd.

    Lesser known maps of Luxembourg

    GR-Atlas visualizes a range of topics from the greater region and has received a few updates, e.g. a map of former and still active breweries in the Greater Region (found on wort.lu).

    map.geoportal.lu combines aerial images with topographic or street maps and lets you add dozens of layers, covering a wide range of topics. Its “natural hazards” layers can help you avoid expensive mistakes when buying or renting a home (or office, I sure wouldn’t want my small warehouse to be flooded). If you like Sim City, you’ll love this map!

    topograhpie.lu is Luxembourg city’s urban information map. Identify buildings by their house number, visualize bus routes, find the nearest Hot City hotspot and much more.

    New: mapping-luxembourg.lu, a joint project of the City’s History Museum and the National Archives, superimposes historical maps (and photos) on the current map of Luxembourg city (found on reddit).

    Do you know other interesting maps of Luxembourg? Please leave a comment!