Shimoni Mony

Smallpox Salad?

2009-02-11T22:22:00.002-05:00

I played with Microsoft's photosynth for a couple minutes today, and in looking for photos for my synth, I found a cute photo I took in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I simply had to post it. That last salad choice is killer.

As for more tech stuff, and the new MamboPics.com, stay tuned... coming in 2009.

A few more little details about pyoffwiki

2008-05-23T03:20:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize how many offline Wikipedia readers are out there in the wild until I was almost done with a working version of pyoffwiki. Since I was so close, I decided to take the (usually bad) ostrich strategy of not looking at anything else until I was done. This is good because I actually got this thing released, and people are using it... with all its issues. But bad, because I knew that people had already thought about (and solved) the same problems I was having, and came up with good solutions. Overall, since it was a only a day or two, I think it was justified, and now I can go back and revisit the problems.

The main problem is Indexing. It can't been a huge file like the one generated with Xapian in Thanassis Tsiodras' solution. It also shouldn't be like my solution that allows for only exact search (using cdb) or browsing (sorted title list) starting from a given string. It should be something resembling Patrick's solution. Or even better... a compressed suffix tree, that is, if it's small and fast enough. Time for some more research. Any other ideas?

There is one thing though, that sets this project apart from the others... which has been a design goal for me from the beginning. I wanted to minimize what people have to do on their own machines and to minimize handling of the Wiki database dump data. The first one gets rid of the bad experience of spending 8 hours building an index and finding you did it wrong. The latter makes Wikipedia the unique source of the data... I don't want to distribute 4GB files, torrent or otherwise... let Wikipedia cover the bandwidth costs. It also lets the user feel safer... that the data is actually coming from Wikipedia, and not some random person. (Some people are neurotic like that) I know... the content of Wikipedia is written by... blah blah blah. I still trust it more than many other sources. Any comments on this?

And lastly, to clarify some questions people have had. The full size English Wikipedia is working on the Irex Iliad, but you have to put everything on an ext2 linux partition (for now). The German Wikipedia and English Wiktionary are also working. Pyoffwiki does NOT support any images right now... they are just way too large (about 400GB as of October, 2007). Maybe we shoud download and resize (down) the images for the top (10,000) articles? And it does work on Linux, but I don't see an audience for it... there are other... better offline viewers that don't make the compromises that need to be made on slow and memory limited (ram and disk) devices.

BTW: Ostriches hiding their head in the ground is a myth. Don't believe me? Try to find a good photo... not this one

Offline Wikipedia viewer for the Irex Iliad

2008-05-21T17:23:00.000-04:00

One of the things that I really wanted to have with me while traveling around the world was Wikipedia. Although internet cafes are plentiful, sometimes you're just sitting in the middle of a jungle somewhere and discussing something like "Malaria", "Snake bites", or simply "Python"... I mean the other "Python". And some random question comes up, like "Was the snake that just bit me poisonous?" Ok... so maybe we should have taken an experienced guide with us, but that's all besides the point. Now you don't have to fret anymore... you can always have your Wikipedia with you.

If you have an Irex Iliad and a 4GB Flash Card, you can carry Wikipedia wherever you go.

Yesterday I released a (hacked together) version of an Offline Wikipedia reader. Most of the work was either cross-compiling Python for the Iliad, finding parsers for Wikipedia's markup, or figuring out how to do fseek() in a huge (3.5GB) bzip2 compressed file. I also had to learn how to program in Python, and write some indexing/browsing code (based on CDB), but that's just details.

I guess some people thought it was useful, since I was already on the front page of MobileRead.com (archived here), but now I wonder if this will make a dent in amazon's kindle sales? (jk)

I'll be covering more about this project on this blog, and over on the pyoffwiki project page on google code. If you have an Iliad and want to use it, head over to the mobileread forum, which also contains an installer for the Iliad (thank you Adam B), or directly to the getting started page.

Python 2.5 for the Irex Iliad

2008-05-20T18:41:00.000-04:00

So someone posted a semi-functioning python build for the Iliad a while back, but most of the modules (even the help) don't work. Since I wanted to learn python and needed it for a small project on it, I decided to take a crack at cross compiling it.

I have to say that it is one of the more complicated things to build (especially when you know nothing about the language), since it uses the python interpreter itself in the build process. And since we are cross compiling, we can't run the iliad binary on the build machine. Jumping through all kinds of hoops, I managed to get it up and running, and even included a couple of extra modules (such as Django) in the mix.

To download it, head over to IRex forum on MobileRead

Back in the city and onto less interesting stuff

2008-05-12T02:05:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not talking about the new Sex in the City movie... I'm talking about myself. Since I gave up my old place in the West Village before traveling, I had to find a new place to live in. OK, so it's not the west village, but the upper west side is not that bad. At least I'm close to Fair Way... then again... I had Chelsea Market before.

Also, now that I'm back, I'll be using this blog for what most of you will find "less interesting" stuff... the stuff I do for "a living". Tech stuff.

But don't fret... I'll probably put more stuff (probably mostly photos) from my trip on my original blog website: AmirShimoni.com I just don't know when that will happen.

Basic Travel Route (The Movie)

2008-04-14T15:31:00.000-04:00

A couple of people have asked to see what my trip route was... so I mapped a basic outline of my route on Google Earth and created a movie from it. It's definitely not complete, but a good representation of the route. You can also browse the route on Google Maps.

I'm home... exactly 2 dozen countries later

2008-04-02T11:37:00.000-04:00

So it's been almost 8 months since I left... and I've visited 24 countries... yet... it feels like I never left NY.


Albania   Austria   Bosnia   Bulgaria   Croatia Czech Rep.
Estonia   Germany   Hungary  India      Israel  Latvia
Lithuania Macedonia Moldova  Montenegro Poland  Romania
Russia    Serbia    Slovakia Slovenia   Turkey  Ukraine

POTD 8 - Theyyam in Kerala

2008-03-23T08:52:00.000-04:00

In India we got to see a Theyyam, a traditional ritual art form indigenous to the state of Kerala... quite a treat. Most of the time the guy was bobbing around like crazy, but I managed to capture one sharp photo in the 1 second the guy stood still during the hour performance.

Interesting way to lose a cell phone

2008-03-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

So I lost my cell phone today, after more than 7 months of carrying it around the world... it fell out of a plane! But first... how I lost the only other one I lost.

More than 10 years I was flying model RC helicopters... overall a pretty safe hobby except when things go wrong. I was flying one day and pretty strong gust of wind caught me off guard and crashed it. The main rotor broke off and went flying into my cell phone a couple of feet away from me. Quite scary, but I walked away with just a slightly bruised ego and a broken Nokia.

Today I went with my cousin (22 year veteran pilot) to fly some RC planes and after a little bit I had the bright idea of strapping my cell phone to the plane to record a video of the acrobatic flight... that is, my cell phone with my brand new SIM card and SD card. The flight started out great, but about 2 minutes into the flight, my cousin took the plane out to some distance to do some tricks. All it took was a simple turn at the end of a complicated aerobatic maneuver for the phone to come loose and plummet into a thick thorn filled field of very high (4 foot) grass.

The phone must have either turned off on crashing to the ground... or had no reception... so calling it did not help locate it. An hour search also proved fruitless... just lots of thorn filled bleeding appendages... oh well. I guess it's my subconscious telling me it's time to buy a new phone... an iPhone?

Coming Home!

2008-03-20T04:36:00.000-04:00

I finally bought a ticket home... I'm landing in JFK on the 1st of April!

Why all these changes?

2008-03-15T10:56:00.000-04:00

As I get older, it seems that I value convenience more and more... i.e. I rather have something be convenient than have full (or partial) control over it. This is of course in reference to my blog... and nothing else :)

So I have decided to host my blog on blogger... all my posts are moved over. I don't have to worry about all the hosting problems and upgrading of wordpress. I lose some control, such as random plugins that I never use... I guess that I win in the end.

(I have no idea what I just said in the two paragraphs above)

As for why "Shimoni Mony" as the new title. Well... over my life time I've had two songs associated with my last name. One being Newcleus - "Jam On It" (blast from the past!) because the way they say "jam on it" sounds like the way some of my friends say "Shimoni". And the other song is "Mony Mony" made popular by Billy Idol. Again... "Mony" sounds like a little like my last name. So between the two (and not having any other bright ideas), I decided "Shimoni Mony" kinda flows... so go with it. Hopefully I'll actually use this blog... welcome to:

blog.amirshimoni.com

Wrapping up India!

2008-03-08T22:48:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you just have to move on. I could easily spend months more traveling here in India, and I definitely want to see the north one day, but for now, I will have to be content with having seen just a bit of the south. I'm going back to Israel in a couple of days to meet my Mom and travel with her for a bit. And then, "What's next" you ask? Change the stupid name of this website!

POTD 7

2008-03-08T22:38:00.001-05:00

Is that flower eating ants? or vice versa?

So many amazing places

2008-03-02T03:26:00.001-05:00

There is so much to write about and yet, I find myself tight on time... about to catch a night bus to Mangalore. Since I visited the tea plantations in Munnar, I've traveled to Cochin, Allepey, Wayanad, and finally here to Mysore. I've been traveling with a core group made up of Ollie (UK), Jana (Australia), Fil (Australia) , Jane (UK). With Dave (NZ) with us until Wayanad. Leo (UK), Nadja & Vibeke (Denmark) and various others joined us for parts of the journey.

In Allepey, seven of us did a two night backwater tour... it's a sort of water canal highway system. I've heard lots of mixed feelings about the overnight boat trip, but along with a great group of people, it's a trip that I will a remember for the rest of my life. Yet... I can see how going with the wrong group of people, or getting a bad boat can ruin your experience. Only photos will show what the trip is like... coming soon?

In Wayanad we stayed at the Varnam Homestay... one of the most genuine homestays I've ever been too. You really feel like you are part of the family. Plus we got to do lots of really amazing hikes and activities such as waterfall climbing and going into bat caves... check out two short video clips... here and here.

I posted some photos on facebook but you have to be a member to see them. Soon I'll post more to flickr.

Video of a bike ride in Munnar, India

2008-02-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

So I uploaded a video to Facebook only to realize that you need to be logged in to see it, so if you are on Facebook, go check out a small clip of a bike ride we did in Munnar, India.
And if you're not... then sign up.

POTD 6

2008-02-13T17:31:00.000-05:00

So I'm currently in Munnar, India and the scenery is spectacular... here's one lonely tree among the tea plantations.

Bangalore to Kodaicanal

2008-02-09T00:13:00.000-05:00

So after a pretty "ok" night bus, we ended up in Bangalore, my first real Indian city. The noise, pollution, and simply craziness was kinda of nice for an hour or two, but then got to be a little too much. We found a breakfast place serving some fresh and delicious chowpatti with some kind of delicious dhal. The place was packed, but so worth it... not a single traveler :) One of the nice things about India is that since they have so many languages (27?) , people from different regions often communicate in English... which has a nice side effect... people can communicate on a descent level. (at least in some places)

We (Ollie and I) walked around the town the entire day... about 16km... and I think it was enough to see the city. Given that we just came off of a night bus we were quite exhausted by the time we had to board the next night bus to Kodaicanal... another 13 hour night bus :( The bus ride ended up being ok... with quite a bit of shuteye. Yet... two night buses in a row takes a toll on you... and we'll need a couple days to recuperate.

Hampi and more salsa

2008-02-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

So the president of India came to Hampi two days late, and we didn't have to move... although we couldn't go to the main side of Hampi for 3 days. Nevertheless there was plenty to do... relax, swim, hike, see lots and lots of monkeys and a couple of temples. The other side, which we got to go to after these couple of days was phenomenal... so many gorgeous temples... and all of them so ornate. One could easily spend a couple of weeks here, and never see the same thing twice.

I also managed (thanks to my local guesthouse owner Babu) to volunteer some time at the nearby Kishkinda trust. I taught two salsa (really cha-cha) classes to the local school teachers, which in turn will teach the kids in the village. So the kids called me "master" teacher... as I am the teacher of the teachers :)

As part of the treat, I got to eat some real Indian food at the homes of some of the local villagers. That was one of the nicest travel treats I've had in a long time. Real food that people eat day to day is such a refreshing change from the daily restaurant food. And by some form of magic, (tfu-tfu-tfu) I haven't been sick yet (3 weeks)... the entire trip!

But now I'm moving on... tonight I'm heading to Bangalore (in another overnight sleeper bus). This is just a short stopover on the way to Kodaikanal in the far south. I will also stop traveling with Ifat for now, and I'll be traveling with a nice British guy I met here in Hampi... Ollie.

Palolem to Hampi

2008-01-31T02:54:00.000-05:00

Today I arrived to Hampi after spending a week on a very nice beach in
Goa called Palolem. I've been spending longer than usual in
places... and it definitely has it's benefits. For example, the
corner Samosa guy that makes kick-ass somosas and Indian-Portuguese
egg sandwiches knows me by name. The food is amazing here... and I've
gotten pretty adventurous... eating stuff like Goan chorisso. But
I've also been amazed at how good (and easy) it is to be vegetarian
here... malai kofta has definitely became a staple.

The overnight sleeper bus to Hampi was really bad... but I got some
sleep once I got here. On the other hand, I just found out that the
town is closing down tomorrow... so I have to leave town. All because
the president of India is coming to town... hopefully I'll find some
accommodations nearby... and come back here in a day or so.

Walk Around Sighisoara, Romania

2008-01-29T07:34:00.000-05:00

In Sighisoara, Romania, I went for a walk to find some "trees" that people said were really cool (and old)... but managed to find nothing. 5km into my walk I decided that I'm probably going the wrong direction, so decided to go into the forest to see if I there is anything. I turned on the GPS (homing in on my hostel)... put on my ipod and started walking through this enchanted forest. The hike was semi-strenuous, but very scenic... and at some points a little scary... thick forest and then all of a sudden... you get to a cliff's edge. There were a few moments that I had one foot dangling in the air.

So here I am walking... haven't seen people for hours... and just like in the horror movies... when the soundtrack is all nice and mellow... all of the sudden you see something run across your field of view at full speed. I'm usually pretty calm, but that scared the #$%@! out of me... especially having no clue what it was. The rest of the hike in the forest was quite rapid... but I finally got out, although in a pretty shady part of town. Lots of homeless kids living along side the railroad tracks in half destroyed buildings. As I continued to walk back to the hostel, I realized that quite some thought has been put into "hiding" this part of town from the tourists and travellers... this kind of stark contrast is not what most people want to see on their trip to beautiful Sighisoara.

Some rather uninteresting photos from the walk around Sighisoara can be seen here.

POTD 5

2008-01-22T07:31:00.000-05:00

When I was in Sighisoara, Romania, I was told that #11 (Green door) on something or other street rents bikes. I knocked on the door and waited for 10 minutes, but nobody showed. I decided to take a photo just so I can ask the guy who told me about this place if it's the right door. I was later surprised that the photo actually had some merit on it's own.

Poiana Brasov, Romaina

2008-01-20T07:42:00.000-05:00

So I'm going to post some stuff from my Eastern Europe Trip before my India trip... and I found a website that allows you to post treks (from GPS) along with photos from flickr, so check it out... my Poiana Brasov "trek". I did this climb of a ski resort with Sarah and Maggie... we thought we would climb to the top and then get the gondola down, but we missed the last gondola by 5 minutes or so. On the other hand, we got to spend some time with a wild donkey on the way up. Here are the photos from that trek. And here is a pdf with detailed info from Brasov trek.

Arambol, Goa in India

2008-01-17T07:28:00.000-05:00

So I'm back on the road.

I got to Arambol, Goa two days ago, and it's been really nice nd relaxing here. I'm traveling with Ifat (ee'f-aht), my cousin's friend. We've been getting along pretty well as travel partners... given that we only met in the airport in Israel! We found a hut on the beach which is quite comfy and cheep... no mosquitos, but we've had some monkey visitors (meaning real monkeys) in the middle of the night; but they couldn't figure out how to get in :)

The weather is amazing... the water is so pleasant, and the food is delectable... I'm just waiting to get sick :(

I found a group of volleyball players here on the beach from everywhere in the world including India... and it's been a blast to play after taking such a long break from the sport. A nice dip in the water is also something you don't get to do while playing VB in Central Park.

I also got one of the vendors to sow me a "sleeping pouch". Just a huge sheet folded in half and sown most of the way up. Maybe it will buy me some protection from the mosquitoes, as I have decided not to take anti-malaria pills right now. Knock-on-wood.

I have no Idea where I will head to next... probably south a bit.

Heading to India

2008-01-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

So I've decided to continue my trip... on Monday, Jan 14th, I'm going to head to Goa, India, to start my travels again. I'll start my blog up again soon.

Turkey to Israel

2007-12-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

So I had a great time in Turkey after Istanbul. The day after I left Istanbul I met Adrian, Gabrielle, Adam and Jen... and had a blast doing a road trip from western Turkey into the center (Cappadocia). There are so many stories from Turkey... but you will have to wait a while to hear them... Jen and Adam might beat me to them on their blog.

But after that last bit of good traveling... it started getting cold, rainy and windy... so I decided to leave the rest of Turkey for another trip (during a better season) and head to relatively warm Israel. I'll be here for about a month until my sister, brother (in law) and nephew come here (in January), and then either head home or India. This will hopefully give me some time to blog and post more pictures... and relax.

For now... here's a cute picture of my sister and son (my nephew)