Fabian R Lischka

Buenos Aires, Moers, Karlsruhe, Warwick, London, Palo Alto, Hong Kong; Goldman, Credit Suisse, HackerSchool, metric system, The Economist.

All Posts

2013

SI Units, Date and Time Formats

I just want to explain why I am a big fan of SI units (the metric system), and the ISO date format.First, the metric system. It is so simple and elegant. Con...

My first Loop

From Ardmore airport (NZAR), near Auckland, NZ, with Andrew Hope from Citabria NZ, in ZK-CIT, a nice Citabria. A lot of fun, and Andrew is a great instr...

The Assumptions Underlying the CAPM

It wasn't quite clear to me what the logical dependencies were in the CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model). I looked into it, and have written up my thoughts b...

Milestone: 100 countries

Today, I achieved one of my life sub-goals: Traveling to 100 countries (including the one I was born, which one cannot really categorise as "travel", strictl...

2012

In Borneo

Just arrived in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah). On my way to Brunei now, then to Sarawak, and back. Photos later!Fab

2010

Palau: Water

We went scuba diving in Palau: Daniel, Alma, Marco, Fab, Abda, Deb, Max, Jim.Palau is a marvelous group of islands in the North Pacific, between the Philippi...

Palau: Land

There's also plenty to do for non-divers. Some of us did a tour inland:A traditional men's house. Here's the front of it:Looks like they're mostly discussing...

Palau: Air

And finally, a few pictures from the air (I took a helicopter ride). Here the natural arch in the Rock Islands, Palau. More of the rock islands: Honeymoon...

2009

Diving in Cebu

Last weekend I was in Cebu, Philippines, for some diving with a few friends. Very, very nice.We spent the day on this interesting kind of outrigger boat, app...

Taxes, Sailing, and some edifying links

Just finished my Hong Kong tax return in under 18 minutes. You copy over a few numbers from your pay slip, apply a few deductions, and that's it. The top tax...

2008

The etiology of "The shrimp fucks the cabbage"

here at the wonderful Language Log.

My first computer :-)

Just found an old bill from the Vobis Data Computer GmbH: I bought my first computer, a wonderful Sinclair ZX81, on 11 Oct 1983 (when I was 11 years old). It...

Spiderman

This guy climbed up the Four Seasons today during lunch, and why not? (You'll probably have to click on the picture to see him - there are better pictures ou...

Highlights from the JP Morgan conference call on the Bear Stearns acquisition

Mike Cavanagh - JPMorgan Chase - CFO:Okay, I think we're going to take just one or two more, operator. Unidentified Participant:Hi, this is (inaudible). I'm ...

2007

HK humidity, culture, mango

Just bought a dehumidifier. It is hot and humid here. Also got a water filter, so I don't have to carry bottles of BonAqua from the 7/11 at the corner anymor...

Back in HK

Monday had Thai/Malaysian food and then drinks in LKF with Ling and a couch surfer, including some fun live music by a South African band. Tuesday, I finally...

Qingdao (青岛）

Last weekend I was in Qīngdǎo (青岛, "green island" - very original. Note that while it's reasonably green, it (like man) is no island) in Shāndōng province (山...

Korea: More

The Peace Museum:The Seoul Dano Folk Festival 2007 was fun. I enjoyed the singing:So did this guy:Most of all, I liked the drumming. Sounded good, looked goo...

Korea: Temples

Here's the main gate of the Changgyeonggung 창경궁 royal palace, one of the "Five Grand Palaces" of the Joseon Dynasty. When the Japanese occupied Korea during ...

When I have a question, I ask the bears.

I have arranged this charming set of figurines in my office cubicle (ok, it's not a cubicle, it's "the floor"). The scene is an allegory on War and Peace.Any...

Transport in Cambodia

So, over Easter I was in Cambodia. Beautiful country.Now, there is a lot of traffic on the road. A lot. Trucks, cars, tuk-tuks, motor cycles ("motos"), bikes...

HK Arts Festival

When I see performing art, there are two indicators I like it: I am engrossed and smile obliviously, or I am engrossed and sob obliviously. Currently, the HK...

Back in HK, Friends, Gocarts

Just been back in HK for two weeks, and already two old friends from Germany have visited (independently). Here's Jamil and me in front of my office:Yesterda...

London, cooking

Arrived in London Sunday morning at 5. Very nice flight (new BA business class). Very nice hotel. Adjusted to time difference (=slept). Today Monday first da...

Flat in HK

Looked at more flats with several agents. Can be any two of cheap, nice, big, centrally located.This one I like best so far (it's nice and centrally located,...

First week in Hong Kong 香港

I love this city. It is vibrant, varied, crammed, noisy, smelly, garish. In other words, wonderful. (Obviously, matters of taste enter the picture here.) Sur...

Arrived in HK 在香港到了

Very relaxing city. Arrived Friday afternoon.The famous escalator - want to live close to here (can get to work in under 10 minutes walking then).View from t...

2006

What every man ought to do

So, I finally succumbed and did what every man does in his life (except quiche-eaters): Get a remote-controlled helicopter.It really is rather difficult to g...

HK Visum arrived

Got my visum for HK. Also checked tickets, move, etc. All set to go, modulo packing and actually buying tickets.

Sightseeing flight in HKML

Called Reshma, chief flying instructor from the Kenya School of Flying. They have their main offices in Nairobi, but train a lot in HKML (Malindi) on the coa...

End of Trip: FAKD - FAGC

Flew with Cliff from Klerksdorp to Grand Central, Johannesburg.Off we go.Last Leg.Cleaning up...Bye, ZS-NXW! Thanks to everyone that helped - Stefan, Lee, Cl...

Back to South Africa: FYKT-FAUP-FAKD

Clearing customs and immigrations in FYKT (Keetmanshoop, Namibia) and FAUP (Upington, South Africa) was no problem (in Keetmanshoop, the lady at customs and ...

FYWE-Olifantwater-FYKT

So, the aircraft was repaired this morning, so I set off to Olifantwater (finally met Ralph, Christian, Ecki), and further on to FYKT (Keetmanshoop, Namibia)...

Back to Windhoek for repairs: FYOA-FYWE

The glas fibre cable between Ondangwa and Windhoek was cut. There was no phone, no mobile phone, no internet, and my satellite phone was out of batteries. An...

To Epupa Falls:That's the plan. Engine problems:Stuck in Ondangwa

In Namutoni, Klaus and Gerhard suggested I visit Epupa falls next. It is at the northern end of Namibia on the Kunene river between Namibia and Angola. Klaus...

To the Etosha Pan, Namutoni: FYWE-FYMO

The Etosha ("Great White Place") Pan is a large salt pan and nature reserve in the Kalahari in Namibia's north. There are three large lodges on its southern ...

Swakopmund

Today Ashok took me on a tour to Swakopmund on Namibia's coast with its famous dunes, some 4 hours drive west of Windhoek (we didn't fly for fear of deterior...

With Ashok in Windhoek: Trains

On Couchsurfing I had meet Ashok, and he picked me up at Windhoek Eros now. He's Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Namibian Railway, Transnamib. He had worked...

Further North to Windhoek: FYKT-Olifantwater-FYWE

When I searched online for information on obtaining a landing permit and clearance for Namibia, I found this report about a few people flying through Namibia...

Fish River Canyon: FYKT-FYKC-FYKT

Decided to fly over Fish River Canyon, about one hour south west, towards Lüderitz. I planned to stop at the Canyon lodge (FYKC) first, to have lunch, and as...

Entering Namibia: FAKD-FAUP-FYKT

After a hearty breakfast, Cliff took me to the airport, and off I went to FAUP (Upington - note: one "p").Here I cleared customs and immigration, fueled up, ...

Finally on the road! FAGC-FAKD

After a quick one hour checkout I got ZS-NXW, a fine 1979 Cessna 172N with 180 hp (good to have with the density altitudes prevailing in Namibia at this time...

Getting a Cessna in Grand Central

After some phone calls, I got a Cessna 172N with 180 hp for a good rate from Babcock Central Flying Academy (CFA).. Willie Marais and Meka (right) did a grea...

Thunder and lightning in FAGY

Today we wanted to fly to Pietermaritzburg close to Durban on the Eastern coast and then up the coast to Moçambique, but encountered cumulonimbus and thunder...

Flying the Jabiru J400 (FATP)

Today Stefan checked me out in the Jabiru 400 that I was planning to take on my long cross country trip (can't take the Mooney for insurance reasons, you nee...

License in Jo'burg, sightseeing with Caroline and Stefan: FATP-FAGC

Stefan and I flew to FAGC (Grand Central Airport, Johannesburg) to submit my application for the private pilot license to the CAA (the South African Civial A...

Practical test FATP-FAJK-FAKM-FATP

Cross country flight and practical test. From FATP Tempe (Bloemfontein) to FAJK (Jan Kempdorp - a fairly obscure field, not listed in many places, apparently...

Flight training in FATP

Flew around in the Mooney. Radio work, stalls, emergency landings, precautionary landings, incipient spin.There are many parachuters on the field, both recre...

Arrived in FATP (Bloemfontein, South Africa)

Flew from FAGM (Rand Airport, Johannesburg) to FATP (New Tempe Airport, Bloemfontein) with my instructor, Stefan Veldman from EagleWhizz in a Mooney M20 with...

Another Baytour

In a Cessna 172, you can fly from Palo Alto (KPAO) over San Francisco International, downtown, Golden Gate bridge, and back over Stanford in about one hour. ...

KPAO-(KSBA)/L52: My first emergency landing

So, on 8 April 2006 I flew with a friend (pilot, too) in a brand new (2005) Cessna 172 SP (180 hp) with Garmin G1000 glass cockpit from Palo Alto, California...

MNMG-MNLL-MNMG: General aviation flying (or drug trafficking?) in Managua, Nicaragua

So, there I was, on holiday in Nicaragua, held by two police men interrogating me about the contents of my pockets.I was on holiday in Nicaragua, and actuall...

2004

Land of Big Sheep

In Mandarin Chinese, America is called "美国", land of beauty, while Germany is "德国", land of virtue. Now, these names are flattering at first; but then, "美“, ...

First Solo

Today I flew solo for the first time. Fun fun! It was in N595SP (a Cessna 172 SP with 180hp) around the pattern at KPAO (Palo Alto, CA). Here my first ever s...