metkere.com/en wonderful things

North Korea’s latest launch is not missiles, but a TV advertising campaign for a locally-brewed beer.

The advert, billed as the "Pride of Pyongyang", promises drinkers that the beer will help ease stress. "It represents the new look of Pyongyang. It will be a familiar part of our lives", the advert says.

Taedonggang Beer Factory has been making the brew since 2002.

A Russian woman from Novosibirsk region has decided to name her newborn son after Michael Jackson.

Jackson fan Yevgenia Shalenko, 29, gave birth to a boy on the day of the pop legend's death.

"My son’s birthday is both the happiest and the saddest day of my life, as the first thing I learned after recovering from labor was that Jackson had died", Shalenko told.

The woman has already filed a request to register her son as Michael Shalenko-Jackson.

A natural gas pipeline exploded in western Moscow early Sunday, sending flames up to 200 meters into the air in what a top city official called the largest fire in the capital since World War II.

The spectacular fire drew a large crowd of onlookers, including a person who showed up wearing a Spider-Man suit but abstained from any attempts at heroics. «Mayor himself called me! — Spider-Man announced to everyone. — He asked me to save Moscow from fire!»

More photos of fire and it“s consequences.

Officials in Kazakhstan say they have a found a woman who will this week celebrate her 130th birthday, making her 16 years older than the oldest known human currently living.

Sakhan Dosova — a mother of ten — says she has never visited a doctor nor eaten sweets. She is addicted to cottage cheese and puts her longevity down to her sense of humour.

Her date of birth is said to be 27 March 1879, and it is clearly shown on her documents including her Soviet era passport and independent Kazakhstan identity card.

«100 Years to Lenin», made 1970, Siberia.

Collection of giant soviet signs cut into forests.

Lenpolygrafmash UD-M Printer.

Russian manufacturer Lenpolygrafmash produces a series of computer peripherals for operation in harsh climatic conditions. Difficult to judge how they are reliable, but the design and characteristics inspire respect for the Russian technical genius.

Pictured above: Lenpolygrafmash UD-M Printer. Designed for printing alphanumeric and graphic information. Provides high reliability operation in harsh mechanical, climatic conditions, transport, including marine vessels.

Interface — CENTROLNICS, RS232C.
The system is compatible with the Epson LX-800 commands.
The speed of output — not less than 12 characters per second.
The level of acoustic noise — less than 55 dB.
Dimensions — 355x345x115 mm.
Weight — less than 14.5 Kg.

Lenpolygrafmash Color Inkjet Printer UDC.

Color inkjet printer UDC is designed for color printing of alphanumeric and graphic information for the operation in harsh mechanical and climatic conditions.

Features

The printer is installed on two platforms, with rubber shock absorbers, and placed in a sealed, metal casing is made of hard aluminum alloys.

Main characteristics

Interface — USB.
Memory — 32 MB of embedded RAM, 8 MB of ROM.
Print quality — color printing with a resolution of 1200 dpi.
Print speed — 2 pages per minute with a maximum resolution.
Dimensions - 490x240x170 mm.
Weight - less than 12 kg.
Operating temperature -10 to 40 º C.
Storage temperature -40 to 85 º C.

Lenpolygrafmash Flatbed Scanner SK.

Flatbed scanner SK is designed for reading high-quality color and grayscale information in the documents of A3 format (A4 in the design) in the rigid mechanical and climatic conditions.

Features

The metal case ensures the stability of the scanner at low temperatures, shaking and dust. The design allows the scanner to read information from the uneven surface of deployed instruments cover sheet and documents to guarantee the safety of the original in the scanning and transmitting information to the PC via the USB connector.

Main characteristics

Resolution — 300/600 dpi.
Scan Time — less than 2 minutes.
Dimensions — 540x420x200 mm max.
Weight — less than 20 kg.
Operating temperature range — from minus 40 to + 50 º C.
Storage temperature range — from minus 50 to + 70 º C.

And our favorite gadget:

Lenpolygrafmash USB Flash Drive.

The design allows the use of the device in harsh mechanical and climatic conditions. Possible functions of a password to access the memory device using a special software.

Main characteristics

Interface — USB 1.1
Capacity — 128 MB.
Operating temperature range — from minus 40 to + 70 º C.
The time information storage — 10 years.
The number of cycles of recording — 100000.
Dimensions — 72x31x12 mm.
Weight — 80 grams.

Unfortunately, the price of devices is not listed on the site.

See also: Soviet Era Futurism, Pre-Revolutionary Infographics, IKEA decorates subway train in Siberia.

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This post in Russian.

Photo: Alexey Sazonov/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images.

An opposition activist held a flare in Moscow Thursday. Hundreds of people marched against the Kremlin, shouting «We need a different Russia» and «Russia without Putin».

Comparative population in various countries. From left to right: China, Great Britain with colonies, Russia, United States, Germany, Japan, Austro-Hungary, Great Britain and France.

Published in 1912, the Nicholas Rubakin’s book «Russia in Figures» contains wonderful examples of vintage infographics.

Comparative strength of different faiths in Russia. Orthodox, Old Believers, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, other Christians, Jews, Islam, Buddhists, and the remaining

Comparative strength of the peoples living in Russia. Russians (with the Ukrainians and Belarusians); Turks and Tatars; Poles; Finnish tribes; Jews; Lithuanians; Germans; Caucasians and Georgians; Highlanders; Armenians; and other

The professional composition of the Russian population. The relative strength of professions.

Yuri Gagrin, the first man in space, would have been celebrating his 75th birthday on March 9.

Gagarin was the first to make a manned space flight on board the Vostok spaceship on April 12, 1961. The flight around the Earth took 108 minutes, after which he safely landed in the Saratov Region. He died in an air crash in the Vladimir Region during a training flight on board a Mig-15 fighter plane together with Colonel Vladimir Seryogin on March 27, 1968.

March 1991.

First Russian President Boris Yeltsin on Time covers.

September 1991 и March 1993.

July 1996 и September 1998.

German Sterligov is building a computer-based barter system. Photo by Alexander Natruskin/Reuters.

Barter is back in Russia, reports The New York Times. Advertisements are beginning to appear in newspapers and online, like one that offered «lumber in Krasnoyarsk for food or medicine». A crane manufacturer in Yekaterinburg is paying its debtors with excavators.

In the mid-1990s, barter transactions in Russia accounted for an astonishing 50 percent of sales for midsize enterprises and 75 percent for large ones. The practice kept businesses afloat for years but also allowed them to defer some fundamental changes needed to make them more competitive, like layoffs and price reductions. It also hurt tax revenues.

German Sterligov, one of the first Russian capitalists, plans to use a computer database to create chains of six or seven enterprises having difficulty selling their products for cash, in which the last firm on the chain would pay the first in a single cash transaction.

«What was in the past will remain in the past», Mr. Sterligov said. «We are making a step into the future».

Several young people dressed as mummies attempted to hold a protest at Red Square in Moscow. The protesters wrapped from head to toe in white bandages identified themselves as Orthodox monarchists. The group previously held a demonstration in support of burying Lenin near the graves of his mother and sisters in St. Petersburg.

Michael Reissinger from the Scholz & Friends agency made this animation about history of marketing.

«We live in Novosibirsk». Every day that phrase can deliver almost 1.5 million. Among them are foreigners, who lives in the city becomes a real challenge. They come here to work, learn and observe the solar eclipse. If they want to stay here forever? Hardly. But each of them, we believe, is trying to get some pleasure from being here.

metkere.com discussed with the three foreigners their lives in the city.

Scott Richardson

— What is the purpose of your visit to Novosibirsk? What do you do here?

— I am an American lawyer from Florida teaching a two-week course on criminal law and procedure at Novosibirsk State University. It is in association with the Center for International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria. CILS places lawyers in educational institutions in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, who volunteer their time to teach courses in many areas of the law.

— Did you know anything about Novosibirsk before coming here? What were your expectations?

— I read as much as I could find online and in books. I knew that the city is the third largest in Russia, and that it played a significant role in the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In addition, because the University is in Akademgorodok, I learned about the development of this center of intellectual and research activity.

— Can you compare Novosibirsk to any other cities of the world you have ever been to?

— Most of my time has been spent in Akademgorodok. It is in a very pretty setting, surrounded by forests. I cannot compare it to any place I have ever been to. I went to Novosibirsk last Friday evening. The Opera and Ballet Theater is one of the most beautiful of its kind. Novosibirsk itself had the feel of many modern cities, with many restaurants, nightclubs and retail stores.

— What you are most lacking here?

— Other than my wife? I guess it is the immediate access to the internet, because at home, it is so easy to get online. Here, it took quite an effort to get it working consistently in my flat.

— What frustrates you most about living here?

— My inability to speak the Russian language. I tried before coming here, but it was too difficult and time consuming. That is my fault. When I go to a store or a restaurant, I am frustrated by my inability to make myself understood. But that is not the fault of the very friendly and gracious people here, who are very patient with me!

— And what makes you glad?

— I am very gratified that the Russian students and professors I have met are genuinely interested in academic cooperation and the exchange of ideas. We all want to live in a world where we understand each other, and the key to understanding is communication. As long as we continue to communicate in an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation, the citizens of our two countries will always see the path to a better world.

— If you have a chance to take anything from Novosibirsk as a souvenir, what it would be?

— I am happy to take the memories of a truly beautiful place, and the friendship of the people I have met.

Bruno

— What is the purpose of your visit to Novosibirsk? What do you do here?

— Well, I am here for more than a visit. I arrived in October 2007 and plan to stay for at least another 2 years. I am engineer, working as a project manager in a company providing services for the oil industry. I mean that’s what I do professionally. Beside that, in my free time, I try to use the opportunity that’s given to me to explore life here, meet people, and do the same things that all of you Russians do.

— Did you know anything about Novosibirsk before coming here? What were your expectations?

— When I was proposed this position in Novosibirsk, my knowledge about Novosibirsk holds in 3 words: Siberia, cold, far. My expectations were then pretty low. I felt I’d be happy if I survive there. Back in the U.S. where I lived before coming here, some people told me that there was no TV here… (and that’s coming from the people who knew enough about Siberia to know that Novosibirsk was a city). Still, I felt there must be more to it than I was told at the time, and I am extremely happy I came.

— Can you compare Novosibirsk to any other cities of the world you have ever been to?

— Ouch… that’s a tough one. I can’t really say that Novosibirsk is a pretty city. Cities in Europe usually have kept a trace of their history that gives them a certain charm that Novosibirsk is lacking. However, Novosibirsk compensates by its dynamism and ambition… while managing to keep its own identity. While I can regret that I cannot find all the other stores that I could find in other cities, I still appreciate that the center does not yet look like a giant shopping mall and that there is no McDonald’s here (as there are in all American cities and small towns). One thing I really enjoy here is how people like being outside (particularly in the summer) and that there is always activities in the street and in the parks.

— What you are most lacking here?

— On the material side? The easiness of the American life. On the personal side? My family.

— What frustrates you most about living here?

— How did you know something would frustrate me here. Let’s put it in these words: the unjustified complexities of some administrative systems, and the very special interpretation of the «standing in line» concept.

— And what makes you glad?

— What makes me happy is the dynamism of the people I work and hang out with. There is such an energy in some people here, and such great potential. And people are very «simple» (in the right sense of the term) in the sense that what they enjoy is very genuine: they love kids, they enjoy life, they enjoy others…

— If you have a chance to take anything from Novosibirsk as a souvenir, what it would be?

— It would be the seasons… I love the difference between the long days in the summer and the crazy vegetation, and the cold and snowy winter. Add the raw fish that you guys have as appetizers (salmon).

Lucas Orner

— What is the purpose of your visit to Novosibirsk? What do you do here?

— Our purpose for being in Novosibirsk is to learn the Russian language. My wife Jamie and I are students at Novosibirsk State University, where we study Monday through Friday from 9:00am-12:20pm. We have heard that NSU is one of the best places to learn Russian and based on our classes, we agree. They have an excellent language learning program and our professors are excellent teachers of the language.

— Did you know anything about Novosibirsk before coming here? What were your expectations?

— We knew some basic information about Novosibirsk before we came and we found a lot of information and pictures of the city on the internet. We also have an American friend who lived here several years ago, and he was able to tell us more about the city and what we should expect. Our expectations were that Novosibirsk was a large city in a very cold area of Russia. We heard a lot about the prestige of the university and the many scientific institutes that were connected with it.

— Can you compare Novosibirsk to any other cities of the world you have ever been to?

— My hometown is Chicago and there are many similarities between Novosibirsk and Chicago. Historically, they were both built around the same time. In the 1870?s the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the city, but it grew rapidly into one of America?s largest cities. Novosibirsk was also built in that era and grew quickly to be one of Russia?s largest cities. Also, Chicago is located on Lake Michigan like Novosibirsk is located on the Ob Sea. Both cities also have great public transportation and many museums and theaters.

— What you are most lacking here?

— It is most difficult to be so far from our family who live in the U. S. Otherwise we have been able to find everything that we enjoyed having in the U.S.

— What frustrates you most about living here?

— The only frustration that we have living here is not being able to speak the language yet, but that is why we are here. Hopefully in a couple months we will be able to communicate more clearly.

— And what makes you glad?

— We love the beautiful forests that surround the city. We enjoy walking through the forest on our way to classes each day in Akademgorodok. The great language study program at NSU also makes us very happy because it is our reason for being here and it has been even better than we expected.

— If you have a chance to take anything from Novosibirsk as a souvenir, what it would be?

— My wife and I have just been discussing this question. I think I would choose some locally-made winter clothes, especially a winter hat. I have met many talented people who are able to make their own gloves, scarves, and hats, and I think that would be what I would want to take as a souvenir. It would remind us of the cold winters.

Wonderful photoset of New York in the 1930s.