Disqus - Latest Comments for Triseult

Re: The Ultimate Guide to Stopping and Removing Google Analytics Spam and Bot Traffic

Daniel Roy — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 02:55:37 -0000

Just wanted to say a big thank you. I've been trying to filter out referral spam for ages now, and this is the first solution I've found that works!

Re: 15 pro travel tips no one ever tells you

Daniel Roy — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 22:49:56 -0000

IMHO, this is a mix of good advice and pretty bad one.

Here's the ones I have issue with:

2. Bring a power strip, a FlipBelt, and earplugs.

Agreed with the power strip and the earplugs. Invaluable. I have a travel-sized power strip with USB ports that's been a life saver in many occasions. (Especially in India where, for some reason, hotel/hostel rooms always have one single power outlet in a strange place.)

As for the FlipBelt... Product placement? Those aren't bad per se, but be aware that pickpockets know tourists carry money at waist level, so putting your cash and cards there, and then taking your money out in public is an invitation to get robbed. At least it's not the good old "money belt hidden worn over the clothes," but it's still not ideal.

3. Don’t eat at restaurants that advertise their food with photos.

I've been turning this one in my head and I don't understand it. Some restaurants use pictures to advertise their items, some don't. I don't see that as a criteria for quality at all. Sure, some tourist restaurants advertise their items using pictures, but so do some really excellent places, so it's really a nonsensical recommendation.

Instead, follow some no-nonsense signs: go to places packed with locals, order what's popular, and follow your nose. Never went wrong for me. Always trust a restaurant packed with taxi drivers - they can drive a long way to get to some cheap, delicious food - and never trust a place packed entirely with teenagers.

12. Do your restaurant research ahead of time.

Sure, if you want to eat in overhyped and/or touristy restaurants, go right ahead.

Some places (Thailand, Korea, Mexico) are so dense in restaurants you can always find a great spot on the fly. Others (Eastern Europe and America) require a bit more planning, but you definitely don't need to research in advance. A better idea is to make note of restaurants BEFORE you're starving and getting cranky. Just make a mental note (or put a pin on your map) of an interesting restaurant and come back later. You'll find real undiscovered gems this way instead of just going to restaurants with a good social media presence.

One thing you SHOULD research ahead of time is eating habits. For instance, breakfast outside is very rare in some Eastern European countries, so you should make sure to grab something. In France, make sure to have lunch at lunchtime because restaurants close in the afternoon.

13. Use an actual map.

This one is the most baffling to me. Nothing spells "clueless tourist" like trying to fold and unfold an oversized map. Smartphones are wonderful because you can just peek at your screen instead of carrying an oversized piece of paper that takes up room in your day pack anyway.

I guess there's a certain charm to having a paper map, but I think there's a very clear reason why this is a tip no one ever tells you.

Re: 4 Things to do on your first day in India ~ LONGING TRAVEL

Daniel Roy — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 11:43:09 -0000

I see... Wow, I guess booking directly on Cleartrip was becoming too convenient, so the IRCTC had to step in. :D

And yeah, accommodation was a heck of a challenge in India. It wasn't so bad in major cities (although oddly enough, the most bare-bones, concrete walls-style places were the most bug-free), but I traveled a bit off the beaten path going south from Kolkata to Chennai and wow, I had some nasty experiences.

I DO miss the traffic, the food... Oh, the food. I'm thankful to be in Thailand right now (northeast, far from the tourists), which feels like an easy, laid-back India to me. But it's... not... India...

Re: 4 Things to do on your first day in India ~ LONGING TRAVEL

Daniel Roy — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 08:24:59 -0000

Ah, the first day in India... I remember it like it was yesterday. :) I think I spent my first week there (in Kolkata) in a state of exhilaration and panic. Definitely worth it. And yes, good advice on booking your first day there to get your bearings, though it's a good thing to have a few backup options because even that sometimes fails... My first hotel room in Kolkata was a cockroach dance floor.

Regarding train booking, they implemented this ridiculous rule that you need a local cellphone number while I was there, two years ago. It's a very good idea to get a SIM card, and I think it's great that you put that up in your list. Have you heard of Cleartrip.com? I used them extensively the 5 months I lived in India, and they are way, way better than the IRCTC's website.

You're right, India never leaves you... There are days I think, "But I'm over *here* and India is over *there*!" Hard to explain if you haven't been!

Re: How fast can you slow travel?

Daniel Roy — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 02:38:08 -0000

That's an amazing post! I think you hit the nail right on the head. Slow Travel isn't about how long you travel, it's how you establish a meaningful connection to a place, live in the present, and observe your surroundings.

Having a routine and doing things you enjoy at home are huge. The routine I have when I arrive somewhere is what I call my "grounding ritual." It usually involves finding a great little place to eat, measuring the surroundings with my feet, and knowing I have a friendly place to sleep. As for doing things I enjoy at home, my favorite is running. It really opens up a lot of possibilities to interact and explore in a different way.

Again, thanks for a great post!

Re: The expat art of giving up

Daniel Roy — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 02:34:39 -0000

Funny story! In my opinion, this is not an issue with Japan itself, or even with East Asia... It's just a matter of cultural distance between two cultures.

Some of my foreign friends in Canada had these kinds of issues with the way things are done in Montreal, for instance. But we're usually blind to our own idiosyncrasies. I've had a few questions from friends that stumped me... I probably answered something similar to these men at the Japanese swimming pool.

After living in Shanghai for three years, I adopted a Chinese turn of phrase: 没有为什么; literally, "There is no why." The idea that everything has a rational explanation is an illusion. We're all irrational beings.

Re: Sustainable | Slow | Stylish: The Slow Movement and Privilege

Daniel Roy — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 06:35:11 -0000

Gosh, I couldn't agree more! My own area of expertise is more Slow Travel, but it irks me how the only way Slow Travel gets discussed is as an elitist activity. I believe in Slow Travel because it can bring people from all walks of life together, yet here it is, described in the press as if you need $10,000 and three months off to be able to pull it off.

I've written a blog post on the subject of Slow Travel for people on a short schedule. It's a start, I hope:

http://www.thewayofslowtrav...

I hope Slow as a whole can become more inclusive. Time may be a luxury in this day and age, but that's precisely why we need to learn to spend it wisely.

Re: Mongolian "Gangnam Style" remake

Daniel Roy — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:27:38 -0000

You're wrong, it's 'oppan'.

'oppan' (오빤) is a contraction of 'oppa-neun' (오빠는). "Oppa" is the pronoun used to designate an elder brother. "Neun" is a subject marker. Basically, the sentence reads:

"Oppa-neun Gangnam Style" -> Elderbrother(subject) [is] Gangnam Style

Re: Sad news: Glitch is shutting down

Daniel Roy — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:03:26 -0000

They tried to incorporate some farming elements that involved a bit of skill. I'm thinking of fox brushing (where you had to put your brush over a fox at the right moment) or salmon pocketing (click on a salmon as it swims away).

Both were annoying, not fun at all. They required a small measure of skill that made the task tedious, and the Flash interface was just not ideal for it.

Re: Sad news: Glitch is shutting down

Daniel Roy — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:01:21 -0000

I'm willing to bet that the unlaunching was a symptom of the decline, not the primary cause of it. They obviously launched thinking they would attract large numbers, and I would think that the unlaunching idea came as a result of those numbers simply not materializing. That was a desperate, ill-advised strategy to get to do the big launch all over again.

I've been on Glitch on and off for a year, mostly because I kept hoping something big would happen to the gameplay and it would somehow realize its potential. But even though I spent a lot of time there, it never really clicked for me. It was just a cross of a platformer and MMO-like grinding. The quirkiness was nice, but in such high doses that, just like a pound of cheesecake, it usually weighs too heavily on your system.

I just never found something I felt I should share with my friends. That's where the crux of the matter is. If it had been something exciting that I wanted to bring my friends into, then I, like everyone else, would have done the marketing legwork. I do feel sad about it ending... But it failed, not for lack of trying, but for lack of succeeding.

Re: Arrêtez-moi quelqu'un! Vowing to violate Quebec's anti-protest law

Daniel Roy — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:17:15 -0000

"Arrêtez-moi quelqu'un" usually means "Someone stop me!" in French, which you might say as a joke if you want to do something silly or stupid on impulse. ("I'm gonna buy that $30 t-shirt. Someone please stop me!")

In the context of civil disobedience, it takes on the added meaning of "Someone arrest me". "Arrêtez-moi" means both "stop me" and "arrest me".

Re: Naked lunch

Daniel Roy — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:53:54 -0000

Relevant Onion is relevant:

http://www.theonion.com/vid...

Re: Electro/swing mix: "Caravan Palace"

Daniel Roy — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:19:00 -0000

The description is incorrect. Alexandre10021 is just the person who uploaded this; the band is called Caravan Palace, and they released an eponymous album in 2008. This song is from their new EP, called "Clash".

All their stuff is high-rate... Highly recommended.

Re: First lady of Iceland climbs security fence to join protesters

Daniel Roy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:01:37 -0000

As First Lady, is she not, in some unofficial manner, part of the Government, so to speak? If Michelle Obama joined Occupy Wall Street, would we not look at her and think, 'Why doesn't she just talk to her husband over dinner?'

What is she trying to say? I don't understand.

Re: Understanding cities by riding bikes

Daniel Roy — Sat, 21 May 2011 14:22:27 -0000

I'll one-up you: try running everywhere in the city.

There's a huge thrill to crossing your entire city (in my case, Montreal) on foot, step by step. You get a real sense of traffic flow, quality of infrastructure, distances, and you get to experience 'transition zones' between neighborhoods.

Mind you, as other posters have pointed out, this also works with bikes, skateboards, walking... Ultimately, with anything that you have to power yourself, versus petrol-powered vehicles meant to get you fast from point A to B.

Re: Worldreader: ebooks for kids in the developing world

Daniel Roy — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:37:23 -0000

Yeah, what kids in the developing world need are ebook readers free of DRM. What's wrong with, you know, books? If the book tears, it's still readable. But a gizmo that needs electricity to recharge and has sensitive electronic equipment inside...

Geeze, this is the kind of charity work that makes me cynical about charity work. It's a lot more about pushing our own tech-savvy agenda on the developing world than actually helping them develop on their own terms.

Re: Worldreader: ebooks for kids in the developing world

Daniel Roy — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:37:23 -0000

Re: Sober Up with Associative Compensation

Daniel Roy — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:48:01 -0000

The US, good service? Hah, no.

Try Turkey. Or Mexico. Or Japan. Incidentally, none of them expect tips de facto.

The best service I've ever had was, invariably, in places where there was a culture of service, where being kind to customers (and the reverse, to staff) was the social norm.

Re: Open Thread: Jay Chou In The Green Hornet

Daniel Roy — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:04:22 -0000

I don't have a problem with Chow's English proficiency per se. I also can't say I agree that Kato having less-than perfect English somehow demeans him.

The way I see this, this is an Audrey Tautou situation: Tautou was the star of Amélie Poulain, and was a HUGE thing in France and Quebec because she played such a quirky, charming character. Then somehow she was noticed by Hollywood, who cast her in The Da Vinci Code... where they didn't know how to use her AT ALL.

In my opinion, this is the same thing here: Kato is one of these roles that is inherently Asian thanks to Bruce Lee (for better or for worse), and someone in Hollywood got wind of Chou being a big thing in HK and Mainland China.

And so we get him in a Hollywood movie, where they don't let him excel at what he does best... Instead, he gets to play straight man who never smiles, and never jokes.

The truth is, Chou out-funnies Seth Rogen any day. I love Seth Rogen, but Stephen Chou can make me cry in laughter.

Re: Race and assault collide: the Adrianne Curry incident‏

Daniel Roy — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:11:20 -0000

First thing: I understand this is a dangerous issue, because we're condemning the behavior of a victim of a despicable sexual assault. I'm glad that Racialicious has made the distinction very clear between the assault, in which Curry is a victim, plain and simple; and the resulting comments, where she, er, turns out to be something of a dumbass.

So, on to my point:

I think Curry's statement starts being problematic long before she talks about the aggressor's ethnicity. She feels the need to justify that this guy was not a 'con goer'. I'm not sure how this is supposed to make a difference. Would we assume that all con goers are potential sexual predators if one of them had committed a sexual crime in this manner?

Does it not imply, then, when she tags her aggressor as an illegal Mexican immigrant, that she believes that all Mexican illegals are potential sexual predators?

The Ugly is strong with this one.

Re: Hitler finds out about the BP Oil Spill

Daniel Roy — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:12:05 -0000

I usually admire the concise wit in these Hitler videos, but this one was pretty lame. No wit, just average attempts at matching the expected line.

That being said, it was still cathartic. So that's good.

Re: Hitler finds out about the BP Oil Spill

Daniel Roy — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:12:05 -0000

I usually admire the concise wit in these Hitler videos, but this one was pretty lame. No wit, just average attempts at matching the expected line.

That being said, it was still cathartic. So that's good.

Re: Movie Review: A Map For Saturday

Daniel Roy — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:20:47 -0000

I watched "A Map for Saturday" - twice - in the months leading to my 9 months trip. At the time, I found it profoundly inspiring, and I was often in tears as it echoed my own yearning to quit my job and see the world.

I've now come back from my trip, and although I haven't rewatched it yet, thinking back on it there was very little of Brooke's experience that mirrors my own. I strayed well clear of the tourist circuit most of the time, and I traveled with my spouse. My trip was also focused a lot more on connecting with locals, a dimension I find sorely lacking from Brooke's film. It's really more about the young RTW backpackers scene, which mostly sticks together on the party hostel route, and that was definitely not what I wanted out of travel once I hit the road.

Re: Sustainable Food and Privilege: Why is Green Always White (and Male and Upper-Class)

Daniel Roy — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:39:18 -0000

Interesting and thought-provoking editorial.

The way I read this article, it's not so much a condemnation of the movement, but about the way it's being publicized. My experience with local markets up in Alberta and Quebec - nay, the world over - has always been very diverse in terms of cultures represented, and driven in large part by women. But it's true that the public faces of the moment revert to white males very often, and that's sad.

As a matter of fact, I'd argue that local farmers' markets are an excellent way to promote a culturally diverse food system. My favorite farmers' market, the Old Strathcona in Edmonton, features a lot of women, and a lot of different cultures, from Mexican to Native American to Ghanaean. And really, the discourse there is not about a return to tradition - these are food rebels, tracing their own path out of the capitalist system.

That being said, it's disingenuous to link Pollan's praise of Julia Child with a desire to see women back in the kitchen. He's talking about the pleasure of cooking, period, regardless of gender. Geeze. It's a historical fact that Child empowered a lot of women who were in a traditional role, but he's not decrying the moving of women out of the kitchen - he's deploring that EVERYONE is out of there.

Now, one point I take exception with in the article: that of "local" having nationalist implications. "Local" has, well, global implications in this context. It's favoring local economies the world over, instead of big, long-distance, gas-guzzling industries that dehumanize animal farming and pollute our environment. Yes, it means more self-reliance, but consider this: if a "locavore" travels to, say, Lebanon, is he expected to eat American, or Lebanese? The point is to favor local, small-scale and sustainable, which are community values, not nationalistic values.

I'm a fanatical traveler (now in my 9th month around the world), and I make a point of always eating local in any way I can. Naturally, I have not touched global fast food in my entire trip (almost never touch it in the first place), and I avoid packaged products. This practice is anything but nationalistic - it's global, and it values all these non-White, woman-empowering communities you decry are being left out of the movement.

Re: Ideal toy commercials from 1963

Daniel Roy — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:26:10 -0000

Well, except it's not about the toys, it's about the imagination. I don't think any kid has ever felt the toys available to them were boring... They pick up what they can get, and they play.

Gaming consoles have a lot of good about them, but what they don't offer is a simple template for kids to project their playtime fantasies. And I think herein lies the true value of 'boring' toys.