bryanpelz:

I have checked into Tan Son Nhat airport over 85 times. Been there hundreds. Only time I ever use a bus these days in #Vietnam (Taken with instagram)

putthison:

The Shady Series, Part V: How to Clean and Maintain Your Sunglasses 

With most sunglasses retailing between $100 and $300, actually buying a pair can be quite expensive. So for the last installment to this series, Agyesh and I would like to talk about how to get the most out of your purchase.

The first matter is knowing how to properly clean them. The key here is to make sure you don’t scratch your lenses, as they can be expensive to replace. If you’re in a normal climate, use a soft microfiber cloth. These will be better than, say, wiping your lenses with your shirt. When these cloths get dirty, gently wash them with water, but don’t put them in the dryer, as you’ll ruin the microfibers.

If you live in a dirtier climate, you may have hard particles on your glasses. In this case, don’t just rub the lenses with a cloth. You may end up scratching them. Instead, rinse them under running water and use a little liquid soap (though not the kind with scented crystals). Once you’re done, dab (don’t rub) your sunglasses with a soft cloth.

You should also not leave your sunglasses in particularly hot environments, such as the dashboard of your car. You can warp your lenses if they’re plastic, or at least degrade the protective films or coatings. Additionally, don’t prop your sunglasses on top of your head (doing so will stretch out the temples) and keep them in their hard protective cases when you’re not using them. If you don’t like hard cases, at least get the soft ones; don’t just shove your glasses into your pockets unprotected.

Lastly, take your sunglasses to an optical shop and have them regularly adjusted. Remember, all this usage will take a toll on the temples and nose pads! Most shops will do this for free, so stop by when they’re not busy and take advantage of the service.

So that’s it. We’ve gone through how to determine quality, covered a ton of models, and discussed how to choose a pair that’s right for you. Today, we’ve also reviewed some basic maintenance tips. Remember that while they make for great accessories, sunglasses are also practical. As any optometrist will tell you, UV rays can permanently damage your eyes over time, so you need to have a good pair of sunglasses throughout the year. With this guide, now you can buy yourself the best pair.

* Original artwork above by Agyesh Madan

Although statistically considered the 10th most spoken language in the world why does Punjabi commonly go unnoticed?

I answered:

Let’s say this question is a function of the value of learning a foreign language as a second language.

Unlike languages of colonialist countries (e.g. French, with less total native monolingual speakers), Punjabi is only spoken in its area of origin, Pakistan and India. These countries have large populations but speak a number of different languages, and other languages (such as English) are used as lingua francas. Languages like Urdu or Bengali would be more valuable as a second language subject, with their greater populations of speakers (by an order of magnitude).

Punjabi is not the main language of any country and is not an official language of the UN. Even in the only places where Punjabi is spoken, it makes sense to learn a different language to communicate or do business if one is coming to those places from outside. 

Similarly, popular minority languages in China (and others in India) also go largely unnoticed. Languages like Korean or Italian, with less speakers, are the languages of countries with more economic value than the Punjabi-speaking region. This could mean even languages like Turkish or Polish are more valuable.

Punjabi might be more on the order of Vietnamese as far as usefulness as a second language.

First wants - Tumblr is not Twitter

Tumblr is not Twitter. It’s not just a Twitter that allows longer posts, non-text-only posts. Only Twitter and its clones do that and still live by a 140 character limit in 2011.

But Tumblr also doesn’t make it easy to network. Where’s the search functionality? Twitter’s search is weak but at least it’s there.

Where do I get follow recommendations, besides just the most popular folks in several curated topics?

Here’s my Tumblr

My main blog is at saigonist.com.

My twitter is @tomosaigon