i had a four and a half layover in Chicago today. nothing again the windy city. [do you know how it got that name?] part of it was spent walking from one food court to the next avoiding the tshirt, jeans and bad sneakers clad population which seemed to permeate all walking corridors on Saturday afternoon. It is such a different look from London Heathrow on monday mornings. i wonder what ORD wold look like at 0800 on monday morning....any different? i would really hope so.

in the end it was fine. i retired to a lounge and ignored the really bad outfits.

it is really hard to understand exactly why i love hong kong. but i do. it has an energy that emerges from its history and its urban density that is hard to match. i am on the 19th floor of the hotel looking out at a sea of lights. the streets are teeming with life here around Mon Kok. it exudes vitality. this feeling despite the oppressive heat and humidity that settles on you the minute, no second, you walk out of the air conditioned buildings. my mints which i left open in my room were a congealed mass when i woke up this morning. good for the skin. hard on shirt collars. so why wear them? you ask. silly to actually. but the buildings are so cold that i need a wool vest so i don't freeze. crazy waste of energy.

i love hong kong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqk3dk97WyI

check it out.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/07/01/solar.textiles/index.html?iref=intlOnlyonCNN

Matt Frei of the BBC wrote a really good comment from Houston, Texas.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7486705.stm