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author | Norbert Preining <norbert@preining.info> | 2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900 |
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committer | Norbert Preining <norbert@preining.info> | 2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900 |
commit | e0c6872cf40896c7be36b11dcc744620f10adf1d (patch) | |
tree | 60335e10d2f4354b0674ec22d7b53f0f8abee672 /usergrps/uktug/baskervi/6_2/glean.tex |
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diff --git a/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/6_2/glean.tex b/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/6_2/glean.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..a5034bdeee --- /dev/null +++ b/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/6_2/glean.tex @@ -0,0 +1,217 @@ +\author{Malcolm Clark} +\title{Malcolm's Gleanings} +\begin{Article} +\section{Hints and allegations} + +Have you booked your trip to Dubna yet? +Despite my own personal reservations I'm +sure this will turn out to be one of the +great TUG conferences, honest. Trust me. +The sorts of efforts which are being made to +ensure that all the delegates are welcomed +when they arrive in Moscow and conveyed +to Dubna seem to indicate that this is +going to be a very effective and friendly affair. +Go for it. It will be something to tell your +grandchildren about. + +A colleague (David Wright) recently spent a few weeks in Moscow. I asked +him for his comments, since they may be applicable to +those who manage to attend the conference. +He writes: + +``I had a great time -- but I was lucky in having the option + of staying with friends who have a good flat in one of the + more privileged areas. I stayed for 2 nights in a student + house -- pretty scummy and with a bathroom replete with + cockroaches and a rat\slash mouse which lived behind the toilet. + I was there as a student however and they do look after + non-student guests better -- but you should be + prepared for pretty basic accommodation and then + anything better will be a pleasant surprise. This is a good + rule of thumb for all areas of life in the former SU. + + Something you may notice is that Russians + have a casual approach to safety -- the only way to be if + you are permanently living in an environment where + things are fairly out of control. For visitors it is worth + being fairly cautious -- particularly with respect to traffic + which is anarchic. + From observation and what I have heard, emergency + services are rudimentary or non-existent and many + Russian hospitals are pretty run down -- so even with + good medical insurance, you might find that initial + treatment is tough. + Having said that, life becomes pretty normal after a + while and you can't spend your time wondering + whether the Metro or buses are getting the requisite + preventive maintenance -- they clearly aren't. You + could pack a geiger counter if you are + staying on the site of former or current reactors\dots + + Transport is very good actually -- you can travel as + far as you like on the Metro for 1500 roubles + (about 5,000 roubles to the dollar, so about 20p) + - to do so you buy `jeton' + which you feed into the barrier. On buses, trams, etc + you can buy 10 tickets from the driver (a `knitchka' + \textsl{lit.} small book) for 19,000 roubles -- valid on all + versions (tram, trolleybus or bus) and for any length + of journey. To validate one for a trip you stamp it + in one of the coded punches in the vehicle. + + An absolute must to visit is the refurbished Tretyakof + Gallery which is the centrepiece of Russian art -- but + it is worth reading a bit or getting a guide unless you + are the rare Westerner who knows anything about Russian + art. The Pushkin also currently has two exhibitions + (Moscow-Berlin 1900--1950 -- excellent, covering art, + architecture, drama, film, etc.\ \emph{and} of course the new + Trojan Gold (which opened the day I left). + An annexe to the Pushkin which holds several private + collections is also well worth a visit and for the really + art mad there is also the House of Artists near Gorki + Park (also a nice place to stroll in warm weather) which + houses an extension to the Tretyakof and numerous + other transient exhibitions. + + The Kremlin is fairly essential (both for the churches and + the treasures -- which I didn't see, as I left some things for + another trip), but if one wants a weird experience and is + interested the Museum of the Revolution is it -- two of + us went -- paid about 30p to get in and were the only people + there (apart from the old ladies guarding every room). It + is likely to disappear at least in this form so it will soon + itself be history. + + Other places which are worth a go are the Bolshoi Theatre + -- not the greatest in terms of performances but relatively + cheap -- best tickets about 75,000 roubles. Don't fall for the + ticket touts (anywhere) -- attendances by Russians have fallen + off greatly because most have to prioritise expenditure fairly + ruthlessly and the new rich have not yet matured into great + patrons of the arts. + The Conservatoire is interesting for its place in music + history, but by modern standards the hall is not acoustically + great (a bit like a school hall with pretensions). The music is + good and varied, though with quite a lot of more modern + Russian music. + + For the really authentic Russian art experience, however, + try the theatre -- lots of them -- a very good one is the Mali + near the Bolshoi which has been refurbished recently. You + have to be prepared not to understand much so a Russian + version of a play you know is probably best. The \textsl{Cheek by Jowl} +theatre company + were in Moscow when I was there, so if you want a Russian\slash + Western experience there are sometimes such options. + + If you hate busy city life, try Suskova -- a preserved palace + in the Moscow suburbs (South East), which has an interesting + palace (wooden!), a lake a park, many folly\slash pavilions a + couple of which house glass and porcelain collections. + It is, though, also well worth walking round the back streets + of Moscow, especially near the North West quarter of the + inner garden ring (road). In spite of years of destruction + there is still quite a lot left of what must have been a + rather beautiful city. + + Food is a problem in Moscow -- not many good places. + To get Russian fast food (pies basically, but don't try + the synthetic borsch) try the Russian Bistros. + For + a good Russian meal (100,000 roubles and upwards each) + there is a restaurant in the basement of one of the + old university building in the centre of Moscow (a bit + hard to find though). + + Changing + money: you should take all your money ideally in + dollars (in a money belt!) and change about \$100--150 + a time. There are many places to do this (all + marked `obmen valouti'). Some are pretty heavy places + because they are protected against frequent raids, but + they are ok. You should get a receipt of the transaction + in case you are asked to show them at the airport when + leaving (I wasn't). If they ask a question when you + hand over you money, passport and visa -- you should + carry both of the latter at all times -- just say `da' -- + they are sure to be asking whether you want a receipt. + \emph{Very important} -- take new notes (insist at the + bank that they give you these) -- many exchange places + refuse even slightly worn/soiled notes and there is only + one central official exchange place where one can be + certain that any note will be changed. This is not a + fantasy: some people in our group had real problems + because they couldn't change some of their money. + + At Sheremetevo airport expect the worst -- this is surely + amongst the least welcoming of all airports in the + world. We had a long wait at immigration (over an + hour) and baggage appears to come randomly off the + carousels. After a while it is just dumped anywhere on + the floor of the baggage hall. When you leave, you + go through customs before checking in your bags -- + and you need to find the (unmarked) area where you get + and fill in a customs declaration before you join a + queue. In general most bureaucracy in Russia is just + obstructive, however, rather than really threatening\dots + + Good luck.'' +\section{Urgent Newsflash: Origins of \LaTeX} +Another correspondent (RAR) sent me this towards the +end of March, beginning of April. It has the uncomfortable +ring of truth to it: + +``U.S.\ Government Department of Defense papers released yesterday reveal +the true source of the \LaTeX\ document preparation tool. Under the +twenty-five year rule, hitherto secret Military Intelligence papers have +been released into the public domain, detailing the Government +involvement in the development of a prototype software tool. + +Major General Charles Schultz publicly apologised at a press meeting +held to defuse what was described as a `tense situation' as the +unsavoury origins of the `alleged software' were finally unearthed. +Developed at the height of the Cold War, the prototype system was aimed +at crippling the so-called `information net' within the Soviet high +command. Maj.\ Gen.\ Schultz said, `We realised what would happen if an +enemy organisation actually tried to create documents with this thing. +Of course, it seems cold-blooded now, but you have to remember that this +was at a time of war.' He added, `We never expected it to get out into +general circulation'. + +Apparently, the software was released into a controlled environment +under the cover of a beta-test at several academic sites in Europe and +America. `We put in place all safety measures. However, we didn't fully +appreciate the tenacity of academic staff in using and then illegally +copying it into the wider environment. With hindsight, we should have +taken a warning from the fact that they still thought Fortran was a good +idea.' + +DoD boffins are rumoured to have panicked and released a beta-version of +Emacs, the strangely popular editor-cum-operating-system in order to +stem the spread of \LaTeX. However, Maj.\ Gen.\ Schultz declined to +comment.'' + +Had Schultz gone further and revealed that Unix was a similar +escaped virus, I would have been inclined to believe this. +Still, a close friend maintains that the CIA was the major +sponsor of Pollock and Rothko (among other major non-figurative artists) +in order to confuse and alarm those pesky Russkies. It all depends +on whether you believe in the conspiracy or cock-up theory of politics. + + +\section{Fonts} +Gleanings from the Web: Adobe and Microsoft +have made an agreement to create a new font format called OpenType which will +combine TrueType and Type~1 into a single new font format. This new format will +use Adobe's new font compression to create compact fonts. Details +can be found at the following URL: +\url{www.microsoft.com/truetype/fontpack/opentype.htm} + +On the other hand, there is a history of alliances like this +being made in order to ensure that the technology is still-born. +Don't hold your breath. + + +\end{Article} |