Üürile anda korter Tartu kesklinnas

Seoses sellega, et kolime lähinädalatel suuremasse elamisse soovin oma Tiigi tänava korteri välja üürida. Kasvõi kümneks aastaks.

Seega, kui kellelgi on mõni hea sõber või tuttav, kes soovib Tartu kesklinnas korterit üürida, võtke ühendust (blogi nimi @gmail.com)!

Natuke infot korteri kohta:
Hea asukoht - Tartu kesklinn, Tiigi tänav, Tiigi pargi vahetus läheduses.
Ruutmeetreid on 45. Esimene korrus. Stalini-aegne maja (1955). Kõrged laed (~3m).
Tubasid 2 (magamistuba + elutuba). Elutuba on avatud planeeringuga, läheb sujuvalt köögiks üle. Planeeringu mõttes sobib ta ilmselt ühele inimesele või ühele perekonnale.
Internet on olemas (kaabel+wifi).
Kaabeltelevisiooni ei ole. Kui väga vaja, siis ilmselt võib Elioni käesti DigiTV tellida, kuid see ei ole üürihinna sees.
Vann on olemas, dushinurk ka.
Keskküte, soe vesi on gaasiboileriga. Võimalus ka elektriline põrandaküte sisse lülitada, kui liiga külm on.
Täiesti möbleeritud.
Köögis on (elektri)ahi, gaasipliit, suur külmkapp.
Keldris on valvega rattahoidla. Auto parkimise võimalus hoovis.
Siseviimistlus looduslike materjalidega (savi- ja lubivärv, õlitatud saarelauast põrandad).

Hind: 300€ + kommunaalid (elekter, gaas, vesi, küte, internet).
Kommunaalide suurusjärk (meie pere viimase 2,5 aasta keskmine):

• gaas: 5€ kuus inimese kohta
• vesi: 5€ kuus inimese kohta
• küte: 24€ kuus
• internet: 10€ kuus
• prügivedu: 2,5€ kuus
• üldelekter: 1,2€ kuus

Eelistan tuttavat või tuttava tuttavat. :-)

Üüriperiood: alates veebruari algusest, 2014

[OS X] switching Java versions easily (OpenJDK 7)

I'm trying out OpenJDK 7 developer preview for Mac OS X and came across a blog post by Matt Raible, giving a useful hint for how to switch between JDK 6 and JDK 7 easily.

He suggested the following bash function (to be added to .bash_profile):

 function setjdk() {  
  if [ $# -ne 0 ]; then  
   export JAVA_HOME=`/usr/libexec/java_home -v $@`  
  fi  
  java -version  
 }  

(originally suggested by Mark Beaty)

While this is a nice function, it suffers from a problem that it only affects JAVA_HOME - it does not help me in the case I have a Java tool that relies on finding "java" executable from PATH (such as Vert.x).

So I improved this script to also alter the PATH:

 function setjdk() {  
  if [ $# -ne 0 ]; then  
   removeFromPath '/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Home/bin'  
   if [ -n "${JAVA_HOME+x}" ]; then  
    removeFromPath $JAVA_HOME  
   fi  
   export JAVA_HOME=`/usr/libexec/java_home -v $@`  
   export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH  
  fi  
  echo JAVA_HOME set to $JAVA_HOME  
  java -version  
 }  
 function removeFromPath() {  
  export PATH=$(echo $PATH | sed -E -e "s;:$1;;" -e "s;$1:?;;")  
 }  

Now, it works like a charm:

 neeme@Neemes-MacBook-Pro:~$ java -version
 java version "1.6.0_31"  
 Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_31-b04-414-11M3626)  
 Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.6-b01-414, mixed mode)  
 neeme@Neemes-MacBook-Pro:~$ setjdk 1.7
 JAVA_HOME set to /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.7.0.jdk/Contents/Home  
 java version "1.7.0_04"  
 Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.7.0_04-b20)  
 Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 23.0-b21, mixed mode)  
 neeme@Neemes-MacBook-Pro:~$ echo $PATH
 /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.7.0.jdk/Contents/Home/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/opt/play:/opt/vert.x/bin:/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin  

I hope someone else also finds it useful!

UPDATE: You might also be interested in checking out jenv utility, mentioned by @glaforge.

the long way from Beijing to Shanghai

As our METP program is drawing ever closer to the end, we are now planning a trip around China, lasting almost 3 weeks (my father will join us for first 2 weeks).

For those that are interested, below you can find our schedule. The trip includes 4-5 train rides (2 night-trains) between cities (+ local rides). Chinese railway map can make it easier to follow (found here).

28.03.11 Mon

• Beijing (北京)
• Neeme and Elina arrive by plane from Shanghai: 12:10 → 14:40, duration 2:30
• accommodation (5 nights): Happy Dragon Hostel

29.03.11 Tue

• in Beijing, no plans yet

30.03.11 Wed

• METP stuff:
  • METP Intercultural Training Workshop – 14:00 → 18:00
  • Networking Event – 18:30 → ...

31.03.11 Thu

• METP stuff:
  • METP 5 Graduation Ceremony – 16:00 → 18:00
  • METP Closing Ceremony – 18:00 → ...

01.04.11 Fri

• Great Wall

02.04.11 Sat

• train: 21:42 Beijing(北京) → 07:50 Luoyang (洛阳), duration 10:08 (link)

03.04.11 Sun

• Luoyang (洛阳)
• Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) tickets at Luoyang train station (Y120/child Y60), there is a free shuttle bus, regular lines nr. 60, 81 (Y2), taxi (~Y12). 15 km from city, ~30min. drive.
• train: Luoyang (洛阳) → Xi’an(西安), duration 1,5-2 tundi (options)
• Xi’an (西安)
• accommodation (2 nights): Xiangzimen International Youth Hostel

04.04.11 Mon

• Terracotta Army (兵马俑, ticket Y110), bus #306 last stop (~1h, ~Y10)
• Huaqing Hot Spring (华清池, ticket Y70, bath Y30), 10min drive from Terracotta Army, later bus back to city (Y7, 45min.)

05.04.11 Tue

• sightseeing in city, some options below:
• Bell tower (钟楼) in old town centre & Drum tower (鼓楼)
• The Great Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔) & The Great Wild Goose Pagoda North Square (大雁塔北广场)：large square with beautiful night scenes and fountains
• Ancient City Wall (古城墙) around old town
• Forest of steles/tombstones (碑林) & Shuyuanmen (书院门)：antiques, chinese paintings, etc
• The Great Mosque (清真寺) & Muslim Street (回民街): Food and shopping, Night Markets
• Tang Dynasty Lotus Park (大唐芙蓉园): just Tang Dynasty style, popular in recent years
• Famen Temple (法门寺) and Banpo Museum (半坡遗址) are great too, but a little far away.
• Other:
  • West Avenue (西大街), South Avenue (南大街) and Luomashi (骡马市, night market) for shopping
  • Defu Alley (德福巷) for bars and cafes
• train: 20:07 Xi’an(西安) → 12:54 Chengdu(成都), duration 16:47 (link)

06.04.11 Wed

• Chengdu (成都)
• accommodation (2 nights): Chengdu Lazybones Backpacker Boutique Hostel
• capital of Sichuan province – famous for it’s spicy cuisine
• arrival in the afternoon

07.04.11 Thu

• STONE ELEPHANT LAKE ECOLOGICAL RESORT (石象湖, chill-out picnic)- (ticket Y50, boat Y20), straight bus from Xinnanmen stop (Y25), 86 km, ~1h 15min. drive from city

08.04.11 Fri

• Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (ticket Y58, english guide Y100, taking picture with giant panda Y1000 :-P, with lesser panda Y100), straight bus #902, taxi (Y30), 10 km. ~30min. drive from city
• train: 15:38 Chengdu(成都) → 18:16 Emei(峨眉), duration 2:38 (link)
• bus, transfer, taxi (Y15) → Baoguo Village (报国村)
• accommodation at Teddy Bear Hotel (玩具熊酒店)

09.04.11 Sat

• Mount Emei (峨眉山)
• hiking in mountain : by bus from Baoguo (报国村) to Wuxiangang Park (五显岗车站), from there on foot to Qingyin Pavilion (清音阁) 1.5 km, from there on foot to Joking Monkey Zone (戏猴区) 1.5 km, from there back to Qingyin Pavilion (清音阁) 1.5 km, from there on foot to Wannian Temple (万年寺) 2km and from there either on foot 40min. or by cable-car 10min. (30Y) to Wannian bus stop (万年车场).
• from there by bus to Jieyin Hall (接引殿) and night at Taiziping monastery (太子坪).
• map of the mountain and one more

10.04.11 Sun

• early rise to see the sunrise, Jieyin Hall (接引殿) cable car (5min.Y40) to Golden Summit (金顶, Y10), walk back Jieyin Hall (接引殿, 2km ~1h), bus to Baoguo Village (报国村, ~2h)
• from Baoguo Village (报国村) bus to Leshan City (乐山, 40km, ~50 min, Y12), taxi to Leshan Port (乐山港, Y16), sightseeing ferry for Leshan Giant Buddha (乐山大佛, Y70, ~1h) Leshan map
• taxi to bus station, bus to Yibin (宜宾, ~1.5h) (or accommodation in Leshan)

11.04.11 Mon

• Yibin (宜宾)
• father flies back, plane: 12:50 Yibin → 15:35 Beijing
• Yibin Nan’an Long-distance Bus Station bus to Changning (长宁, 1h, Y11.50) every 20 min. between 6:30-19:00
• Changning bus to Wanling (万岭镇, biggest village in Bamboo Sea area, ~30min. Y4.50) every 20-30min. between 7:00-17:40
• Bamboo Sea (蜀南竹海, Shunan Zhuhai)
• accommodation “in the sea”

12.04.11 Tue

• buses from Wanling (万岭镇) to Changning (长宁) stop at 17:00, from Changning to Yibin (宜宾) stop at 18:00
• bus from Yibin (宜宾) to Chonngqing (重庆, 3.5h) every 50min. between 7:50-17:50
• accommodation: Yangtze River International Youth Hostel

13.04.11 Wed

• plane: 11:45 Chongqing (重庆) → 12:55 Guilin (桂林), duration 1:10
• in Guilin: bus from airport to city (28km, ~40min. Y20) after every flight, first stop Railway Station, 200m from station is Guilin Couch Terminal
• bus: Guilin → Longsheng County (龙胜, 100km, ~2,5h Y28) every 40 min, last bus at 18:00
• bus: Longsheng County → Ping An Village (25km, ~2h Y7) 7.40am, 9.20am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm, or minibus (~2h), last bus at around 5pm
• accommodation at terraces

14.04.11 Thu

• Longsheng Rice Terrace (龙胜梯田, map)
• checking out the terraces (ticket to area Y50)
• accommodation at terraces

15.04.11 Fri

• somehow get back to Guilin.
• Bus schedule from PingAn to Longsheng: 7.30am, 9.00am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm; fare: 7yuan one way.
• Longsheng → Guilin 13Y/15Y, ordi/fast, 2h, 6:00-17:30 ++ 10mn
• train: 15:36 Guilin (桂林) → 22:37 Changsha (长沙), duration 7:01 (link)
  Changsha (长沙):
• accommodation (1 night): Changsha International Youth Hostel

16.04.11 Sat

• bus Changsha → Zhangjiajie city (张家界, Y108, ~3,5h) every 1.5h between 8:00-19:00, minibus “张家界市-武陵源”
• Zhangjiajie city → Wulingyuan bus station (Y10, ~40min.)
• city bus #2 (5min.) / taxi Y5 ~3min. to hostel
• (ticket to park Y248, valid for 2 days, includes free bus service inside the park)
• Zhangjiajie (张家界)
  Huanglongdong e. Yellow Dragon Cave (黄龙洞)(Y82, takes approx. ~2h)
• accommodation (3 nights): Wulingyuan Zhongtian International Youth Hostel

17.04.11 Sun

• Wulingyuan Scenic Area map map2 map3

18.04.11 Mon

• Wulingyuan Scenic Area

19.04.11 Tue

• somehow get from Zhangjiajie to Changsha Airport
• plane: 16:15 Changsha → 17:50 Shanghai Hongqiao, duration 1:35
• plane back home:
  • 20.04.11 02:35 Shanghai Pudong → 08:40 Moscow SVO
  • 20.04.11 10:35 Moscow SVO → 11:20 Tallinn

Rahvusvaheline naistepäev

Hiinas on naistepäev jätkuvalt riiklikul tasemel au sees. Eile saadeti siselisti selline kiri:

Dear colleagues,

Following the holiday regulation from the State Council of China, all female employees in China will be entitled to half day leave on the Women's Day, March 8th. Accordingly, all female employees in [company name censored] will be eligible to half day leave on the coming Women’s Day on tomorrow, March 8th, 2011.

Female employees may choose to take the half day leave either in the morning or the afternoon based on work and personal arrangement. Please apply for it with your line managers beforehand, in order to minimize the impact on business and team activities.

We wish all ladies a Happy Women’s Day in advance!

Best Regards
HR & Organization

Mulle kõlab see nagu diskrimineerimine, kuid võib-olla olen ma lihtsalt kade.

about nerds

Today I stumbled on some nice articles about "nerds" as the author calls them. They are well written and worth sharing:

• Managing Nerds - how to cope with them at work.
  
• The Nerd Handbook - how to cope with them at home.
• N.A.D.D - Nerd Deficiency Syndrome
• Finally, the book: Managing Humans - even if you do not plan to buy it, the presentation is very original.
  

In some aspects I did recognize myself in those "nerd" descriptions (just not that extreme and some stuff does not apply at all). But I suspect most creative people can recognize themselves there, not just CS engineers.

From the comments, I found one more good read, on a similar topic: How Software Companies Die (much shorter than the essays above).

Huvitav, mis oleks nerd eestikeelne vaste? Google Translate jätab igatahes tõlkimata.

Looking for nanny in Beijing, Chaoyang, near UIBE

I have given up hope on finding an affordable kindergarden in UIBE area so now I start looking for a local, English-speaking nanny.

The child:
4-year old boy (speaks only Estonian, does not speak English).
Has 2 years of prior experience with kindergarden in Estonia.
If the nanny is really good then there may be a possibility to involve also another Estonian family with 3-year old girl.

Place and schedule:
Nanny can come to our home or (sometimes) we can take the child also to nanny's place.
The schedule can be half-a-day or full-day.
Nanny should teach basic Chinese to the child.

Preferably, the future nanny has:
* prior experience with children
* own children, of similar age (in this case our boy can come to nanny's place)
* prior work experience in kindergarden would be great

Time period: August 2010 until end of December 2010 (with possibility to extend it until end of March 2010).

If interested, get in touch: nemecec (ät) gmail.com

iPhone "Death"

Nagu paljud ilmselt teavad, varsti laseb Apple välja uue iFööni. Mudelinumeks pidi saama ilus ja lihtne "iPhone 4". Võib ennustada, et Hiinas see väga popp ei saa olema - number 4 on umbes sama, mis surm. :-)

Aga noh, võib-olla on õuna telefon nii vinge, et suudab sundida isegi hiinlasi oma ebausust loobuma. Ma olen küll mitu aastat sellest iFööni-hullusest eemale hoidnud, kuid kuivõrd nüüd lõpuks on mitmetegumitugi ka iFööni peale jõudnud, siis ehk võiks juba proovida.

Ja üks lisapõhjuseid on ka see, et Pleco on saadaval ainult iFööni peale. Ja arendajad on öelnud, et Androidi versiooni ei tule, kuna see Java-lik keskkond on selle jaoks lihtsalt liiga aeglane.