Recently there has been a lot of news about the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the havoc that it has had on transportation in Europe, especially air travel. These disruptions have affected both business and personal transportation for passengers and products. However, most of what we hear related from this natural disaster is from outsiders discussing the impact on them. Below is an actual communication between one of Vinpower Digital’s revered Icelandic customers and how the eruption is seen through their eyes:

First we got, what may be called, a “Tourist” Volcanic Eruption. It was a nice little eruption that didn’t harm anyone and it was beautiful to look at until it ended. Two days later, on Tuesday morning last week, a new eruption started close by. The first one was between two Glaciers but this one was in the middle of one of them, still the smaller one. Scientists say that it’s 15 to 20 times more powerful than the first one. It caused huge floods because of the melted ice and then there’s a lot of ash falling down on farmlands and the area east of the volcano. The wind is blowing from the west and the north so we in Reykjavik are still free from this. As you have seen on the news, this has been having a tremendous affect on European Air Traffic.
Now the eruption seems to be slowing down and the ash fall isn’t as much so the air traffic will hopefully get back to normal.

About twenty miles east from this volcano there is another one, “KATLA”. It’s in the other Glacier which is much bigger. This volcano is expected to erupt in the nearby future. History shows that it has always followed the smaller volcano that is now erupting. According to Scientists it can be somewhere from a few weeks up to 24 months. KATLA, the volcano, normally erupts every 40–80 years. It last erupted in 1918 so it’s overdue. When it happens it will most likely be much bigger with much worse consequences, both locally and for Europe. The say it can even affect the whole planet’s weather system.

Guter Appetit! 好呷! Bon Appetite! おいしい!

One thing I’ve learned throughout my travels is that every country and culture has a unique relationship with food. Very often food defines who we are and represents distinct differences even between regions within a given country or state. Because Western foods are typically very different from that of Asian dishes, those of us traveling from Asian countries to Western countries like to take pictures of the food we encounter so that we can share them with our friends and family. The below images showcase the many foods and references to food that I encountered on a recent business trip through Europe.

Earlier this month, Vinpower Digital’s CEO Calvin Chang was involved in a car accident (see images below). Fortunately no one was hurt and Mr. Chang was not at fault as he had the right of way when the other driver made a left turn in front of him. Fortunately for Mr. Chang he was driving a safe car with crumple zones and airbags that prevented this accident from becoming far worse. This is a cautionary tale because it shows how important the equipment is that you put your faith and sometimes life in the hands of. From large or small, it’s critical that you ensure you’re protected if the unexpected should happen.

Much the same in duplication, when everything is running smoothly, all products seem to work the same. But it’s during those times of difficulty, whether it be a poor work environment, low grade media, 2nd tier or old drives, or any number of combinations that could lead to defective or low quality copies that you learn the difference between a good buy and simply a cheap buy.

Of course what trip to Southern California would be complete without a trip to the world famous Disneyland resort?

A taste of the beaches from Orange County (just south of LA) in Newport Beach.

Here are a few snap shots of the famed Hollywood, California.

The best view in town, the Griffith Park Observatory looking over LA and beyond from above.

Only in California can you go to the beach one day, where it will be warm and sunny, then go skiing or snowboarding in the packed powder of the local mountains the next. Here are some images taken 2 hours outside of LA on the way to Big Bear Lake.

Since we have offices in both Los Angeles County, California and in Taiwan, we often have employees from each office traveling from one to the other for training or to train. Since the LA office is our corporate headquarters, it’s more often that certain positions that require a unique combination of knowledge and skill sets, come to the LA office from Taiwan for a few weeks to a few months to obtain that training. In most cases, those employees have never been to America before let alone to the unique culture and scenery that is Southern California.

Over the next few days, I will post snap shots of the images captured by Marce, a member of our Taiwan leadership team chronicling his time and experiences in LA. The first sets of images are from Santa Monica where he captured a day at the beach during a typical LA winter:

With the manicured green lawns, giant palm trees lining the streets and the beautiful coastline in Southern California, it’s easy to forget that it’s predominantly the desert. But the beautiful thing about living is California is the variety it provides. Where else can someone go surfing at the beach, skiing in the mountains, or find sand dune in the desert all within a 2 hour drive?

Recently we had a solid week of intense rain (well intense for California – probably mild by hurricane prone states) and even though it forced most of us to dust off our umbrellas and raincoats, the residual effect was a fresh coat of snow on the mountain tops. For a perpetually shorter and shorter winter season, the ability to see snow sends many of us racing into the mountains to pretend we live in a winter wonderland every so often.

Below are two pictures of us frolicking in the snow, which judging by the plentiful of Joshua trees and lack of large pines shows we really are in a desert rather than lush mountainous valley.