Eritrea is located in East Africa, more specifically the Horn of Africa and is bordered on the northeast and east by the Red Sea.

The country is virtually bisected by one of the worlds longest mountain ranges, the Great Rift Valley, with fertile lands to the west and the descent to desert in the East. Off the sandy and arid coastline is situated the Dahlak Archipelago and its fishing grounds. The land to the south, in the highlands, is slightly drier and cooler. Eritrea at the southern end of the Red Sea is the home of the fork in the rift.

Asmera is the capital and it is situated on the eastern edge of Eritreas highland plateau. Asmara enjoys a great climate, clean and picturesque streets, attractive palm trees, and a reputation as one of the safest, calm and alluring capital cities in Africa.

Eritreas capital holds an amazing surprise. The city was designed by Mussolinis architects as a bold experiment in 1930s Modernism, and Italian coffee, cakes and customs live on.

The main port serving Eritrea, Massawa became an urban centre in ancient times. It is the largest natural deep water port on the Red Sea. Massawa is divided into three parts Batse, Tualud, and the mainland. The island Batse comprises the ancient historical centre with interesting houses, hotels, squares and religious buildings and is a marvellous place to wander about.

The mountain city Keren, which means highland is one of the five major secondary towns in Eritrea. It is one of the major agricultural centres of Eritrea, particularly for fruits and vegetables. In addition its dairy herds supply fresh milk, butter and the cheese factory produces provolone and other cheeses

Nacfa the major town in the Sahel region of Eritrea, holds a special significance for the Eritrean people, being the home of the EPLF during their struggle for independence from Ethiopia. It is therefore the heart of collective Eritrean self determination. The currency, Nakfa, is named after this town.

Agordat is located between the Barka River and the Gash River. The area is famous for its banana plantations. The Akat trees or Doum Palms seen along the Barka River are known for their fruit. The mosque, the second largest in Eritrea was build by Haile Selassie in 1963.

Visitors who have ventured to this little known country since its independence in 1993 have discovered a land of green mountains, deserts and coral reefs, populated by many ethnic groups.

The country offers an untamed landscape of astonishing diversity, an interior rich in historical remains, a coastal gateway to some outstanding diving spots, and a broad, hospitable welcome. It will prove irresistible to those seeking adventure.

If you’re afraid that a vacation in Egypt will take you to a few dusty historical monuments and no where else, think again! Egypt vacations can fire the mind and the imagination in their variety and all you need to do is take a look around. When you explore the Red Sea, you never know what you’ll find, and there’s a very good chance you’ll come back with the memories of a lifetime!

You are in for a real treat if you decide to explore the Red Sea area; it’s a diver’s paradise and the accommodations that can be cheaply found are quite luxurious. The Red Sea has some of the finest diving in the world and whether you have a taste for breathtaking beautiful coral reefs or for exploring shipwrecks dating back more than a hundred years, you’ll find everything you’re after and more. The resort life around this area makes it the ideal place to spend an Egypt vacation and you’ll find that the pleasant balmy climate has made this area a favorite for tourists from all over the world. If you really want to explore the Red Sea are, head to Ayn Soukhna, where the year-round good weather makes it ideal for camping, water sports and fishing.

If you’re looking for your Egypt vacation to be a a little less active and a little more luxurious, the Red Sea will still meet all your needs. This area is known for its resorts and retreats and the beauty of the beaches and the services of the resorts will have you planning many trips there. As you explore the Red Sea looking for the resort that will best meet your needs, keep an eye out for Soma Bay, where you can find a truly luxurious standard of living. You’ll find that when you explore the Red Sea, there is a reason that this area is well known for it’s beaches. The land is utterly beautiful and you can see that people have taken pains to enhance the beauty with their resorts, not to replace it with something man-made.

The Red Sea area can also make the ideal end to an Egypt vacation. Many people start their vacations in Cairo, and experience the classical sites and attractions that can be found there. Take some time to get to know the bustling city of Cairo and make sure that you head out to the pyramids of Giza and stop at the Egyptian Antiquities Museum. The Red Sea area is where you go when you need a break from the hurried nature of many of the classical Egyptian tours and as such, it is wonderful place to end your Egypt vacation.

I came across some interesting things this week, so I am passing them along.

One was the much anticipated announcement of the debut of the Scarlet – a new camera from the same company that makes The Red. There have been a lot of rumors about this camera over the past year and it will be rolled out in 2010.  Check out Philip Bloom’s blog about it. And here’s another post on FreshDV with information about the Scarlet.

If you’re a Sony EX-1 shooter, here’s an interesting tip along with a how-to-video on using the Zacuto Z-finder with that camera. This viewfinder was made for the Canon 5d, but Martijn Schroevers found a clever way to attach it to the LCD of the Sony EX-1.

Next up is yet another new video camera format from Sony – NXCAM. The NXCAM can record 1920 x 1080 images at 24Mbps (50i or 25p), as well as supporting 720/50p and Standard Definition recording.
Very interesting but I wish these camera manufacturers would standardize formats and codecs.

I also came across a very interesting company called Wistia. They allow you to share and host your videos but in addition they offer heatmap tracking which gives you a visual spectrum of how your visitors watch your videos and what attracts them or confuses them.

And to give you an idea of how much web video viewing has exploded, here’s an online channel Expotv where consumers send in video product reviews. No fancy production values but an interesting concept of sharing information that has really caught on.

With all those news items I figured it was about time I changed my header – gone is that template blue – replaced by something more relevant to the blogger.

HOLA!

Based on the commute to work this morning, I sense the outdoor season in Toronto MIGHT be over. Just a thought…

So on that note, I must report that Northern California was GLORIOUS, and Yosemite was more than I picture. Its amazing to think that El Cap is about two CN Towers tall. I was as giddy as a…well, ‘mo climber. Special shout outs go to the Bay Area crew who were so awesome in taking me around, hosting me, etc. Matt L., Mikey A, Tim K. and the ENTIRE Planet Granite crew: Jeff C, Carolyn L, Ivan C., Renee, and Mickey. You guys are so friggin AWESOME and you have a very special gym and you’re so close to one of the most beautiful places with some insane climbing. Grazie tanto!

I’ve heard nothing but awesome things for Rocktoberfest down in the Red. A little sad I missed the milk crate stalking comp but c’est la vie. I also heard Rockhead’s climber Sonnie Trotter was down at the Motherlode climbing with Beth Rodden. SUPER COOL.

Looks like there may be another adventure heading down in November. Stay tuned!

The North American ‘Mo Climbers’ Summit is a GO! That’s right, we’re all getting together in crazy Las Vegas to climb down in Red Rocks from Dec 29th to January 3rd. We’re talking all the crazies from Homo Climbtastic, St. Louis ‘Mos, Austin’s GLAM (Gay, Lesbian and More), and the Bay Area’s Flame’n Flash. I’ve booked my flights for my dream vacation so meet you at the Celine Dion concert. If you’re down, PLEASE contact Dane from St. Louis as he’s been so awesome at coordinating our accommodations. Its like $26 bucks a night.

Don’t forget, the GoPro HD Hero Group buy is also a GO! Check out all the info here to sign up: http://tr.im/ByFW

I think that’s it. I don’t know when the next time I’ll be at the gym to be perfectly honest. I had my first day of physio for my shoulder and it wasn’t pretty. Turns out my bicep tendon is hitting my clavical, my pecs need to be streched out while I need to losen and strengthen my lapz/traps. You should have heard the CRUNCHING and CRACKING this woman did, I almost asked her to cease and dissist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k

R

Aloha!

For us Canadians, Thanksgiving has come. Ah, yes, a time for family, loved ones, and friends. Eating turkey, drinking wine, and fighting over minor things at the dinner table that are just expressions of repressed emotions such as hate and disappointment.

For climbers, however, this is the time to skip all that crap. Yep, most of us use those last few vacation days to extend the long weekend, and make the beautiful drive down to Kentucky for annual Rocktoberfest crankin’. As far as my Facebook newsfeed tells me, there are climbers from all over the east coast trailing it down to the Red! This includes K1 and other Homo Climbtastic crew members. Paint me jealous. For those joining in the festivities, please say hi to “Twinkie” and “Fuzzy Undercling” for me. And if you do care, you’ll being me back an Ale-8.

BUT this does not mean I’m missing out on climbing completely! Oh no! I’m basically waiting/crashing at my childhood home to catch a crackass early flight to California in the morning. So I’ll be crankin’ it in Yosemite for the first time and hopefully  chilling with the Flame’n'Flash crew! If I can arrange it, I’m gonna head to Bishop also but only time will tell. You may now colour me stoked.

Like a dork, I keep checking the Reel Rock Tour website(www.reelrocktour.com), almost daily at this point, because I’m anxiously awaiting the release of the Toronto screening. Does anybody know those guys? What’s holding them up? I’m so excited to see the friggin movies already!

In other news, Homo Climbtastic is on the verge of officially announcing the details for the greatly anticipated New Years Eve trip. Keep an eye out for that mofo of a message.

Anyways, everybody have a rockin’ long weekend! Over and out…

(sidenote: Chavez/Jon/Anthony/Tyco! I threw my backpack in the washing machine at my parent’s place. It  no longer smells like “month-long forgotten cheese”, hooray!)

WHADDUP T-DOT (et al)?! So WTF is up with this near-winter weather? And rain this weekend? Tabernac!

I’m a tiny bit bored at work…again. Its Fry-day so whateves.

Biggest news I’ve got is that I FINALLY got away with changing my name on Facebook to something ridiculous! I simply uploaded my porno name using the formula of middle name and street I grew up on. The other formula of first pet/street named ended up as “Popcorn Frank Rivers”, definitely not as cool.

The other and more official “FINALLY” is that the website is UP! Yih yih! Please check out www.climbmo.com. Its updated with stuff, usually alla mobile, climbing or non-climbing things. Add the RSS feed to a Reader of your choice. I feel bad for harassing you guys via FB so I’ll only do this for big sh*t so check that site if you want some form of an update. Doesn’t mean the Discussion Board is off limits…

Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up (Columbis Day for our beloved Yankees). There is muchos talk of heading down to the Red for Rocktoberfest. I’m not heavily involved with that but I know St. Louis and Michigan are super tempted. I, on the other hand will be cranking it avec the Flame and Flash ‘Mos in NorCal. Wish me luck cause I know Mikey will throw me up some highballs.

A kite boarding ‘mo faux buddy of mine is looking at getting people together to do a group buy for the upcoming GoPro Hear Sports Camera. If you search for some of the videos on Vemeo, you’d see some EPIC footage. Let me know if any of you are interested in grabbing one. Price I was quoted was around $300 CAD but the more people we get, the cheaper it gets. Heck, we can get some rad climbing videos done.

On that note, Canadian Sean McColl bags the second asscent of “Dreamcatcher” 5.14d in Squamish, BC. Epic! Check out the clip of Chris Sharma doing the first ascent via Big Up Productions. I love that move that Sharma sticks right after 00:48 when he just sticks that nasty slab bit. http://www.bigupproductions.com/#/vidplayer/Dreamcatcher/

Also, Tour de Bloc 7 Canadian Bouldering Comp schedule is up. (http://www.tourdebloc.com/) Nationals are gonna be at Joe Rockhead’s in Toronto! I might be a groupie and try and take my picture with Sean McColl.

I’m not climbing this weekend ’cause I’m a belay monkey tonight at Rockhead’s and then I’m heading up north for Harvest Fest. Remember, you can take the hippie out of the office but you…can’t take the office…to..see…hippies?

Rock Climbing!

Oh my, how the tables continue to turn. Even with seething media reports, Joe Wilson is the conservative’s new hero. The government media is only reporting the $250,000 that Joe’s opponent, Rob Miller, has raised since Joe’s outburst on the Congressional Floor. The report I heard from CNN made Miller sound like he’d already won, while ignoring that Wilson has raised about $750,000 in the same period of time. Oh, how the liberal establishment just cannot win these days. Maybe President Dumbass will be able to use some Marxist B.S to get Congress to pass a law against reading information on the Web. After all, we should only use the internet to support The Huffinggas Post or contribute to MoveOnoutofthecountry dot org. What will all the good little brown-shirt liberals do when the Repubs sweep back into power in 2010? Will they replay their old and tired “______ stole the election?” That’s worked about as well as socialism in Europe for the left in the last eight years. Maybe Ariana can fund a new website – they can call it TheGOPHatesYourGrandma.org. That’ll win elections for them!

Yet another banger from J Dilla off of the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 album, which I may remind you drops on September 8th. You may recall that the beat on this track was on the re-release of Jaylib, Champion Sound on the track “The Red”. I remember when I heard the beat initially (on the Jaylib album) and was kind of disappointed that Madlib had changed it. Either way you look at it, the beat does knock like crazy and these guys are dope as hell over it. Cappadonna’s verse is a little below average compared to Ghost Deini and The Chef, but it’s still a dope ass track.

Download: Raekwon, “10 Bricks” (Feat. Cappadonna & Ghostface) (Prod. By J Dilla)

Spotted @ 2DopeBoyz

If I had a dollar for everytime someone asked me what camera they should buy – I could retire.  These days I get a lot of “what video camera should I buy?”  That question is almost impossible to answer without more information.  So I usually reply with my own onslaught of questions “What are you going to be shooting?”, “What editing software will you be using?” , “Are you concerned about getting “natural sound” or will you be using the “video” and not the “audio” from the camera?”.  And of course the big question “What’s your budget?”.

One thing that complicates making a choice in video cameras is that unlike still cameras – video cameras shoot different types of files – mpeg2, native quicktime, HDV, AVCHD.  In addition some shoot to tape, some shoot to cards and some shoot to discs.  Then of course there’s the basic consideration of SD or HD.  And not all HD files are alike.  Sounds confusing and overwhelming doesn’t it?  And it can be so my advice is always to work backwards.

Start by identifying the type of shoots you’ll be doing – corporate interviews or beautiful imagery intended to be shown to a music track.  Where will it be shown?  Broadcast? Web? DVD’s?  And how will you edit it? What platform? What editing software? To help guide you with selecting the right camera for the editing software you have or intend to purchase I have come across some great links to compatablity charts. Adobe Premiere and Final Cut This is a great place to start to see if that reasonably priced prosumer camera that outputs AVCHD files will work with the prosumer version of the editing program you have or will you have to purchase the full pro program.  I have seen lots of posts on listservs with people who need help editing files from the camera they just bought and loosing a lot of time in the process, not to mention the frustration they put themselves through.

There’s all kinds of cool cameras coming on the market everyday and lots of people jumping on the bandwagon as seen in the success of the RED and the hybrid Canon 5D II. http://tiny.cc/KmAOK There’s a lot of great things about both these cameras but before you plunk down the money – ask yourself if it’s the right tool for you.  Unless money is no object, you’ll want to make sure that your investment in a camera will serve your purpose.  There’s a tool for everything.  Here’s another interesting camera that recently debuted.  If you’re an action adventure shooter – it could be the camera for you.  http://tiny.cc/3owdX

My advice is to make a pros and cons list before you even look at cameras.  That way you won’t be overwhelmed by the tools – but will choose the tool that is the right tool and the “means to your end”.

Here’s a clip of Madlib performing ‘The Red’ at Fabric last Tuesday. The crowd were pretty terrible at getting the timing right when they were shouting ‘turn it up’. At one point that night Madlib stormed off stage – joke or not, he sent some shitty hype man up to try and get us all into it a bit more. I think the problem was Madlib spent too much time playing 3 minute vocal samples and stopping tracks after 10 seconds than actually playing to the crowd. J Rocc killed it in his set before Mad’s and when the two of them teamed up they got it started again with a predictable (but fantastic) Dilla-fest. It was a good night! Thanks to Benji B and the Deviation crew.

The cover of Esquire Magazine’s June issue was shot with video! Now that’s convergence. Granted it was shot with THE RED camera, a high end HD video camera that shoots at 4K, but nevertheless it’s a sign of what’s to come. http://tiny.cc/MEmwI

When Canon and Nikon came out with their first generation of hybrid cameras the divide between stills and motion became much narrower. They still have a way to go to please filmmakers and high end video shooters but it sent a signal to where the camera manufacturers are heading. Some complaints from the Indie filmmakers have been that the camera shoots in 30p instead of the standard 24fps that filmmakers use. More importantly they don’t like the fact that you can’t shoot video in manual mode – only in auto mode. And audio is extremely limiting – but filmmakers capture their audio independently so that is only an issue for someone who shoots documentaries or a news shooter.

But back to THE RED. This is a high end HD camera that can be modified to meet many needs because of it’s an a la carte building process. But for around $25,000 you have a camera that shoots 4K and just 5 years ago, you couldn’t touch a camera like that for under $100,000. Because it’s a camera that you can build on – you can trick it out and easily spend that kind of money, but you don’t have to.

This has certainly changed how commercials are shot as well as some major TV shows. I’ve heard some art directors have taken frame grabs to satisfy their print needs. It’s not just “good enough” anymore – it’s just as good or better than an image from a still 35mm camera. Art directors are now scrolling through mov files to find just the right “moment”.

I remember years ago, 1982 to be exact when Lenny Skutnik dove into the frozen Potomac River to rescue people from the Air Florida crash. The news crews captured the moment on video and that moment won a Pulitzer prize in the still photography category. People questioned whether taking a “moment” from a running video camera was fair play to receive a Pulitzer for a “still image”. At the time, the quality was poor but nevertheless – it captured “the” moment.

And now magazine covers shot with video cameras – wow – what’s next?

If you’re afraid that a vacation in Egypt will take you to a few dusty historical monuments and no where else, think again! Egypt vacations can fire the mind and the imagination in their variety and all you need to do is take a look around. When you explore the Red Sea, you never know what you’ll find, and there’s a very good chance you’ll come back with the memories of a lifetime!

You are in for a real treat if you decide to explore the Red Sea area; it’s a diver’s paradise and the accommodations that can be cheaply found are quite luxurious. The Red Sea has some of the finest diving in the world and whether you have a taste for breathtaking beautiful coral reefs or for exploring shipwrecks dating back more than a hundred years, you’ll find everything you’re after and more. The resort life around this area makes it the ideal place to spend an Egypt vacation and you’ll find that the pleasant balmy climate has made this area a favorite for tourists from all over the world. If you really want to explore the Red Sea are, head to Ayn Soukhna, where the year-round good weather makes it ideal for camping, water sports and fishing.

If you’re looking for your Egypt vacation to be a a little less active and a little more luxurious, the Red Sea will still meet all your needs. This area is known for its resorts and retreats and the beauty of the beaches and the services of the resorts will have you planning many trips there. As you explore the Red Sea looking for the resort that will best meet your needs, keep an eye out for Soma Bay, where you can find a truly luxurious standard of living. You’ll find that when you explore the Red Sea, there is a reason that this area is well known for it’s beaches. The land is utterly beautiful and you can see that people have taken pains to enhance the beauty with their resorts, not to replace it with something man-made.

The Red Sea area can also make the ideal end to an Egypt vacation. Many people start their vacations in Cairo, and experience the classical sites and attractions that can be found there. Take some time to get to know the bustling city of Cairo and make sure that you head out to the pyramids of Giza and stop at the Egyptian Antiquities Museum. The Red Sea area is where you go when you need a break from the hurried nature of many of the classical Egyptian tours and as such, it is wonderful place to end your Egypt vacation.

This one makes me remember the movie “The Red”

you ever look at pictures of sport climbing and say to yourself “man, that looks badass!”?

yeah, me neither.  i mean, why would i want to do several boulder problems in a row when i’m already having so much fun doing them in the single?  plus. if you need more than two hands to count the number of moves in a problem, it’s no longer climbing.  it’s math.

but just the other day i took a gander at a picture of the red and thought “hey, i should climb there.”  from what i’ve read in the mags it’s not only world-class, but it’s really close to my house.  win – win; i like world-classiness AND i hate driving.  but then i remembered how tall everything is.  and how short i am relative to them.  it took me two hours and my calculator, but after some work i came up with this formula:

110′>6′

and that about sums up my relationship with clipping bolts in the red.  i fail at climbing really tall things, or rather they fail at having me climb them.  either way, show me an awful crag with stupid ‘bolted boulder problems’ and i’ll be there in a flash; stick clipping the second bolt and ticking lines like i’m getting paid for it.  but anything more than about 32′ and i’m gonna have to change my tactics.

on changing tactics:

here are the components of my plan.  add these to my current yoga/dave wahl core routine and what you have is….  some guy exercising a lot so he can climb up relatively tall cliffs only so he can start bouldering again and lose all the gains:

1) 4 x 4: four timed 5 move boulder problems with a rest commensurable with time on rock. 15 minute rest and repeat.

2) Active Rest 4 x 4: four consecutive boulder problems with a good rest and an easy downclimb. quite a bit harder than the 4 x 4 because you add 20 some moves in the downclimbing and get 0 no hands rests. also seems better for (re)creating route conditions and allows one to get a good feel for their pump threshold.

3) hit strip/campus run laddering: this is somewhat specific to my wall, but is not so complex as to not be reproduced elsewhere. in this routine i basically use (pad sized) crimps on the nicros hit strips, climb to the top, feet-on ladder up a set of nicros campus rungs just above the strips, head back down and repeat to failure. i follow this with a 2 minutes rest and repeat the sequence 3 times. i really like this workout because I always end due to my inability to pull more semi-hard moves. the 4 x 4 is fun, but sometimes my failure can be attributed to a non-forearm node in the body network that helps us “make with the climbing”. it’s also nice if you’re into quantifying gains and/or need some non-yds/v-scale/font numbers to make training more rewarding.

4) 5/10’s: using the same hit strip/campus rung stack, i do a similar laddering routine but instead of trying to move quickly between holds, i dead hang the large crimps for 10 seconds an arm and the campus rungs for 5.

5) Pick Two:  this is a newer one i’ve been trying.  basically i pick two problems on the wall, climb one, downclimb, climb the other, and then rest at the top.  basicially 20 moves and then a rest.  from the rest you start planning your next two.  the reason i like this is because you have to work your brain a bit to sort through the upcoming downclimbs and problem sequences.  in many cases, when i try and just project really long routes in the garage i tend to rely mostly on memorization rather than keeping calm and thinking clearly.

if you have any comments, suggestions, or whatever – feel free to share.