Max and Emma are our two dogs. Max is a 3 year old Labrador and Emma an 18 month old Belgian Sheppard. If you know Labradors, then you know about their beautiful rich fluffy coat. Emma has a much shorter and finer coat and her hair is not as long as Max’s. We do not comb them daily although we have one comb in the car and one at home. So when they shed, they shed a lot of dog hair. The following story is my experience on using a dog hair vacuum cleaner.
Before I ever wanted dogs I said to myself that my apartment should never have dog hair all over the place. It turns out that’s a big goal because, as I know now, dog hair is so easily shed all year round and especially around the seasons change.
I had not idea that I would ever be concerned with the questions what dog hair vacuum cleaner to use. So what is then the best way in my own experience to take care of dog hair? I tried a hand held small vacuum clear that quickly looses of power and the battery wears out. Sure, I can easily take it anywhere I want but it’s cumbersome. My wife had already bought a Dyson vacuum clear which I did not use much before. The Dyson vacuum clear was stored in a cabinet and hardly used and in the beginning I said to myself ‘well we don’t need that’. But what could I do now? I did not want to use the hand held vacuum clear anymore. Dog hair was piling up and out apartment is more a loft which means I have a lot of square foot to vacuum. So I gave the Dyson vacuum cleaner a try.
As you can see from the photograph the Dyson vacuum cleaner works really well. It works on all carpets we have in the apartment and with some small modifications I can get to all awkward places, too. May be you wonder why I am doing this? The reason is that I am working from my office at home when I am in the US and I cannot stand it to have hair on the carpet or the hard wood floor. So I can recommend Dyson vacuum clear based on my own experience. The reason why I post this experience here rather than on our other blog is that Dyson is an outstanding European idea and product.
Here are my recommendations:
- If you have the discipline, comb your dog with the right tools. Do it outside and not near your neighbors’ house; do it in a park or somewhere else.
- Take a suitable dog hair vacuum cleaner like the Dyson to vacuum your apartment.
- Do it regularly especially when it’s humid (you do not want for any reason dog hair to stick to your floor or carpet and when it’s wet or humid that can happen).
- Do it when the apartment is well lit or during the day as it’s easy to overlook even bushels of hair. Then you put the vacuum clear away only to discover you missed a spot.
- Take your dog to the grooming service one in a while. They do a much better job that I ever could.
And before I forget: it’s actually not bad to do it myself because it gives me a break during my work at the PC (or now iMac).
The Kieser Training method is originally a European idea. Pioneered by Werner Kieser from Switzerland, this method is based on the concept that we grow on resistance. In a recent study in Germany, study participants have seen effect as early as two weeks: energy levels were up. That energy levels are noticeably increased is an effect of strengthening your muscles because with stronger muscles your body will carry itself much easier.
The study examined training effects among 500 participants who used the Kieser Training method twice a week each time for 30 minutes for a period of 6 months. Pain has been reduced by 36% among 341 of the 500 participants. In particular, those participants who reported a restriction of their leisure activities (like hiking or going to a concert) could reduce these restrictions by 50%. Now what are the reason participants had pain before participating in this study?
According to health insurance companies in Germany 80% of all back pain related health issues go back to weak muscles and a lack of exercise. Having back pain is very common and more the result of our habits rather than any underlying diseases. This is an important clue. Because is means that regular exercise using the Kieser Training method may be an effective way to avoid or get rid of back pain. That is the simple truth: using Kieser Training you have the power to improve your health without any additional measure such as medication or visiting the chiropractic’s office. Hence, before looking into these approaches, valuable and indicated as they may be, have a look at a much simpler approach that gives you the ultimate control over your health.
The Kieser Training methods is a valuable tool for improving your health. We encourage to study it, read about it and try it out. I have tried the Kieser Training method and it worked for me in the past 15 years. I teach this method and advocate it.
Cycling is getting fashionable. Cities like New York are emerging recently as bike friendly towns. That was not always the case. AbouttTen years ago, you were not prepared to see any bike at all in Manhattan, and it was too dangerous to ride one. Today, there are many seperate bike lanes in Manhattan, but you still need to wear a helmet and be cautious with the cars and especially with the cabs. There are bicycle shops sprouting everywhere in New York, and you can get rentals.
There is now also a bike map for New York, and also Google maps are testing bike maps. There are foldable bicycles which are very practical to carry in your car. You park your car where you find a parking spot, and then you are off on your bike to go shopping in the city. 
Buy some bicycle bags, the ones from Ortlieb are of high quality, and they are all water proof. You need water proof bags. Bags which are only water resistant will not do it, because if it rains the content will be wet after about twenty minutes. With Ortlieb bags the content does not get wet at all. I also use Ortlieb bags to go to the beach.
Adidas is the sports brand in Europe and especially Germany for soccer or Fussball. It stands for high quality and their soccer shoes are one of the best in the world. The company was founded by Adrian Dasser. he was called Adi, and that’s where the name is from: Adi Das(ser). The company now makes running shoes, sports apparel, is in sports fashion, and provides quality gear in many sports.
Birkenstock shoe
Let’s face it when I grew up in Germany, Birkenstock shoes were looked upon as an ugly shoes worn mostly by Green and alternative people with wide trousers. The socks worn with them were made of thick wool giving the whole thing not much sex appeal. Actually, my first girl friend wore Birkenstocks and she look cool with wide navyblue-white stripped trousers.
Functionality or sex appeal has been dominating shoe business before but the astonishing story of the Birkenstock shoe has changed that all.
The Birkenstock family has apparently not withered nor hesitated with their course and their recent acceptance in the world of fashion has made them really successful. Within the last 30-40 years this ugly shoe is both revered as healthy and trendy. Celebrities like Leonardo di Caprio wear them and those socks I just mentioned made it to the front line of European fashion design when the label Dsquared put them on the catwalk for men wearing Birkenstocks with them.
Birkenstock has a long history attesting to the strength of their idea. A church record shows that Mr. Johann Adam Birkenstock registered himself in 1772 as a shoemaker in Germany. By 1896 Mr. Konrad Birkenstock owned two shoe specialty stores in Frankfurt, Germany and was starting to produce footbed insoles. That is the key term, the footbed sole. That is unique to Birkenstock shoes and lets their shoes appear a little too big and a little bit too awkward. It kind of breaks the line of fashion design because it does not fit in with the apparel.
So leave alone the appearance of the Birkenstocks and just try one. They feel very comfortable and have helped me to get over some ailments that I incurred during my workouts and jogging. Today I own 3 pairs of Birkenstock and they have been part of my wardrobe for a while now. Yet, I admit, when I wear them for work in my fashion company, two female colleagues greet me with a smile…
Birkenstock is not just a product but a European idea that has lived through dedication and consistency. That’s what I like about them too. An in addition, when they upgraded their footbed production they did this with a view on environmental protection and power consumption had been reduced by over 90%. This is another European idea: long before the term sustainability ever became en vogue, they did it already.
The Swatch watch is an inexpensive plastic watch from Switzerland recognized for its colorful and joyful design. It is lightweight and invites you to own more than just one watch but rather one for every occasion. Colorful watch like this were virtually inexistent in European style design and plastic was not really cool as design material. On the sad occasion of it’s founders death today it is worth to look at what this plastic Swatch has set in motion.
Nicolas Hayek moved to Switzerland from Beirut as a young man. He studied mathematics, chemistry and physics in France and came to Zurich, Switzerland to start his consulting firm. Notably, at that time the Swiss society was pretty tight and closed and he made an amazing carrier as a foreigner. He was pretty outspoken and direct, which is not exactly what we find often in the business world today.
The classical Swiss watch industry is a pillar of the national economy and had fallen into a crisis. Japanese digital watchmakers like Seiko had begun to undercut Swiss prices. Also public tastes were shifting from the prestigious hand made analog Swiss timepieces to the digital watches that came to serve the mass market. The Swatch watch and Mr. Hayek company have saved the Swiss watch industry to stay in business long enough to see the renaissance of the classical Swiss watches made by craftsmen.
The Swatch has also influenced the car industry by the invention of the tiny Smart car, a truly European style design car. Your still see only a few of these cars in the US.
Swatch is a European idea that inspired European style design with respect to cars, watches and the use of plastic as a design material of choice. We will admire him for his imagination and free outspoken voice. Let’s not be sad but celebrate by buying a wonderful Swatch.
 Smart Car |
 classical Swatch - European design |
 European style: eyewear goes a long way  European eyewear: my IC berlin glasses |
When is the last time you looked into the mirror or saw you in a photograph and you felt that you should come across better? That happened to me recently. Here is my story how I solved that problem.
I was not happy with the way I looked or rather with the way I felt about my look. There was nothing really wrong about it. I wear stylish European clothing as I work for a fashion marketing company yet something was missing. I asked my colleague Melanie at the office. She cautiously pointed at my glasses. OK, understood!
So I went to a store that sells European eyewear and I tried a few. It did not take long for me to settle for the brand IC Berlin from Berlin, Germany. Their frames are made out of steel; they are thin and elegant and have a couple of nice technical features. But mainly, they just look good on me and give me a crisp look. Usually I tend to choose glasses that make me look too academic and that does not really fit well to the fashion industry.
When I came back to the office everybody complimented me on my new glasses. That means something among all the fashion forward people. I was pleased. A friend of my colleague said that she would like to do photo shoot with me for free if I wore these IC Berlin glasses. I agreed and the picture you see here are from the photo shooting.
Lessons learnt: Need an energizing improvement of your image and style? Want to look and feel more attractive and compelling? Check out some European eyewear. Do not wait too long as I did. (If you had asked me these questions I would probably have said no) There is no reason not to work on our attractiveness. Eyewear from Europe is just one way to express that. By choosing European style glasses I show that I know my way around, I wear exclusive European eyewear and it does not have to be very expensive.
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I am a digital nomad (some call it digital boheme). When I visited Zurich in May 2010 my backpack fell apart. I am not a typical backpack user but a backpack is very convenient for me. My laptop, camera and phone with all the charging devices and adaptors for Europe need to travel with me. The backpack I used was not really great as it would not be water proof and that’s not at all good when you carry electronic devices with you. How did I solve this problem?
Luckily, I happened to visit a tradeshow for outdoor fashion and sports and came to the Ortlieb booth. At the booth a messenger bag from Ortlieb was in a container and a water jet constantly sprayed loads of water on it. I thought well that’s a cool bag. I asked the sales staff and it turned out that the Ortlieb messenger bags are waterproof and very handy indeed. I have not heard about Ortlieb before. Ortlieb is a German company founded in 1982 and located in Southern Germany which designs and manufactures products for outdoor use.
Back in Zurich I bought two of them one in black (see photo below) and one in silver. The silver messenger bag is so cute that I have actually not used it yet.
What I like about the messenger bag is that it is 100% water proof, does always look good on me and can be used both in the city as well as for outdoor sports. As you can see on my two photos I have two dogs and ride my mountain bike with them so that they get a really good work out. With my messenger bag I have everything I need with me all the time. In my next blog I will tell you how I use it and why I need it. In the meantime check them out on Ortlieb USA
my Ortlieb messenger bag in action
my Ortlieb messenger bag
waterproof and top functionality: the Ortlieb messenger bag
| Modern European interior design is simple and straight forward. Functionality is important. Lots of space is good. A hallmark of European design style is to have fewer but top design articles and objects. Objects are supposed to looking good from all sides, no hidden bad side are allowed. For example, you should not place a sofa against the wall just to hide that its rear side does not look beautiful. That particular tip shows your visitors that you understand what you are doing and that goes a long way. The choice of the non-color white inspires luxury yet reduced to its minimum. Black is possible too but needs more space to radiates its richness. Accessoires and object have to match that idea. I recommend to choose great design products, fans, lightening, furniture from Lumens.com. In my experience they have an ideal selection of European style objects and articles that work well, are stylish and of excellent quality. |
 Good look from all sides |
 European design: functionality |
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To add some personality to the room, I recommend to make a photo-gallery or show some real paintings perhaps mixed with pieces made by yourself. Great European style interior design benefits from large pictures or photographs in contrast so a series of smaller one.
Now let me come back to the topic of style and quality. You probably have all hear about Ikea, the Swedish company. I will write about that in the next blog post. Just to let you know, they have great design products, yet, when it comes to being a true European style interior design lover, I have met few people who would actually buy Ikea for that purpose. There are several reasons for that, and I will cover them on a different occasion.
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Bicycles are on vogue now in New York City. Ten years ago there was not much going with regard to bikes in the City. Yes, we saw bike couriers and messenger bags but wide public use of bicycles like in European Cities? Not really.
Now we see bicycle lanes, bicycles shops, bicycle garages and bike tours. This is great. I have two bikes myself and I love it. But what do I do if I have to use the subway in Manhattan? Or, say, I need to commute between the City and Hoboken with the PATH train? If I have to commute but I do not want to take the bus and ride to the station instead, what do I do? Well, I could leave the bike at the station and take the subway or PATH. But do I really want to do that? Leave my bike at the station? Abandoned? No. And strictly speaking I am not allowed to take the bike on the train between 6.30am and 9.30am and between 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm (see here for rules and scroll down until you find bicyles).
Here is the solution: Take bike like from Brompton. If this young lady can do this and still wear a dress, well then anyone can. I saw her climbing up the stair at Hoboken station coming from the City and she allowed me to take a picture. She actually carried the Brompton bike in a shoulder back when she climbed the stairs. In Europe we call them femme velo (for French: women with the bike). I spoke to her and asked if she new about the rules about bicycles on PATH trains and she said that because she carried the bicyles in a shoulder back she is fine. How cool is that, I said to myself. Check out Brompton.
 A Brompton bike in action |
 femme velo with Brompton bike |
Incidentally, this reminds me that I should really write to the Port Authority of NJ/NY and ask them to revise their rules about transportation of bikes. I have seen empty trains during the day past rush hour and there as sufficient space for bikes.
Best regards,
Mark