One of the best parts of traveling...
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| St. Peterskirche, Zürich |
... is the chance to see the world in new ways. Every time I travel, I always see anew and come across wondrous things that rattle around in my brainpan for months afterward.
As one might say, in a turn of phrase widely attributed to Issac Asimov,
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but “That’s funny…”
As you know, I've just returned to Silicon Valley from my sojourn in Zürich. It was a wonderful time, full of fascinating places, cultural traditions, and an immersion in a culture that is not my own, but marvelous to behold.
But, as you might expect, I noticed a few funny things that drew my attention--things that I need to share with you as SRS Challenges.
Can you figure these out? (I don't think they're that hard, but they ARE incredibly interesting.)
1. In the picture of St. Peterskirche (above) there's something about the clock tower that struck my eye and made me say, "That's funny..." Does it strike your eye too? Can you find an explanation for it? (No, it's not leaning.)
2. All around Zürich I kept running across places that had this logo (below). They always seem to be centered around a coffee shop / diner of some kind, but they seem to be much more than just another coffee shop. What are these places? Why would one go there?
3. I was lucky enough to see one of these wee beasties flying over a clump of flowers and sipping nectar, looking for all the world like a hummingbird. But it's NOT a hummingbird! What is it? (I wish this image was mine, but none of my shots turned out. This is from Wikipedia.)
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| A mysterious flying critter. What is it? P/C Wikimedia |
4. You know the quote above that's reputedly by Asimov? I have my doubts. Can you figure out where it actually comes from?
As always, please tell us your findings in the comments below. BE SURE to tell us what you did to find your answers.
About Q1, the tower for me has three interesting things. I don't know if it's the one Dr. Russell noticed.
ReplyDeleteAt the top, the kind of flag. Then the device that looks like kitchen bell.
And finally the now closed squares. It looks like maybe the tower was a barn?
About Q3, that animal brings good memories for me. I asked about when Dr. Russell gave the first Search MOOC. Plus I also thought it was a hummingbird. In real life they are much more similar when you see them.
It's a Hummingbird Moth. And it's a great experience to see both pollinating. Hummingbirds and Hummingbirds moths in the same Lantana is magical