Welcome to the Heart of Europe

Man, it's time

...the echo goes from the mountains. "Mander es ischt Zeit, sagt der Tiroler." Not sure, whether this was originally meant for a website, but who knows in the flat part of Austria anyway. For sure we wish you a lot of fun while going through these pages. And time flies: Many years ago I had helped out at a newspaper, in distributions though. A lonesome online copy of my Sunday Paper didn't leave much echo. What would be more appropriate than calling this web-magazine "Great Times"?

You got time?
Time to remember
Great Times!

A Stitch in Time

Time will tell... It's all about time. The greatest gift we can make, the biggest offence, as we withhold it. Time is easily wasted, but time is also a healer, as we learn to deal with sorrow and disappointment. Some say, time doesn't change, people do. Songs remind us that "Time goes by" and "Time, and there's so much left to say..." A proverb from tailors & surgeons tells us: "A stitch in time saves nine." It reminds us that doing things immediately will save us from having to do more work later.

Time is a gift. And a healer.

Daily Grind & Change

"The only constant is change", is such a nice, meaningless quote. So many things are easier said than done. As Austrian singer-songwriter Georg Danzer had put is: "Who doesn't want change, doesn't want life!" However, sudden turnarounds may cause fear and stress, triggering deeply routed primary instincts and defense mechanisms like run, fight, or play dead! But change is a part of our lives as much as a website is dead, if no more updates occur any more. Ideally, we live our life as we play chess, always thinking ten steps ahead. But truth may differ from school theory, as it does so often. Exactly!

Trouble on its Way

Music can make us happy. Be it a catchy tune to whistle along, a musical memory of good times, themes that stimulate thoughts and ideas. Austrian pop music and Purple People have fascinated me from young age onwards. Some of its proponents are still around, others have been immortalized through their work or otherwise, like the Falco staircase or Danzer walkway. One step always follows the other, like in church: First there is the music and then the people start to sing. As years go by, music teachers may more or less enthusiastically present the "soundtrack of our youth" to new young generations. But then again, there are parents evenings…

Collector's Item

Over the years we do not only collect memories, we also accumulate lots of stuff. We collect dust collectors, little figurines in vitrines, books and magazines on shelves, which we may or may not ever touch again. But most of all we collect little stories, fables of Amper, Uscita and of Magicians. They may be hidden in one of too many drawers deep inside, or just be published in a blog, which not too many people may pay attention to or may appreciate. There can be so much misunderstanding over little things, just take the simple sentence: "Bring me the menu, please!" But that is a heavier story…

Number One

It's a numbers game: There are things we may do for the very first time, other important steps that may be second handed or handled in a matter of seconds, while remaining of great importance to us. And then, obviously there is the number three, which has got a deeply positive touch in itself. Of course, there are unlucky numbers, which vary by culture. As do sayings, just think of wishing someone "a lot of pig" instead of luck. What is important here is that we can make a difference and bring people closer together, be it online or offline, digitally or analogue, whether we are "da bizi's" or love to eat exotic food that barks or hisses, or whether we even like to pet alligators? "We are different - we are the same", as wise words put it on the cover of a children's book. But who knows for sure, who he really is? Are we… happy?

Some people could die for meeting real celebrities. It makes them feel important themselves. We met the wax double of the American President. Our conversation was rather short.

Some say, life is like a German jelly donut: You hope that there is sweet jam inside, but sometimes it is sour mustard. Wherever you go, just expect another surprise around the corner.

Is it all about Strategy?

Learning more about options in information and business technologies, strategies and trends is key for becoming part of the future. New concepts need to be brought to the table, when they are fully understood, ready and relevant. What is the point of taking a picture of the bride before she wears the dress? As virtual worlds emerge, value adds and success behaviours are worth debating, just as the idea of networking and online neighbourhood is. Quick-witted comparisons between service levels and ducklings come to mind, as do KLB-approval and the breakfast-fable of the marginally involved chicken and the deeply committed pig.

Talents Unraveled

Decision impact analysis, essays, satires, cartoons and posters, we have been through all of it! And the results were often very good, even surprisingly astonishing on some occasions. Obviously, we also enjoy watching movies with friends, including another rerelease of "Star Wars" and continuous battle in the kids' room. Outside, we play ball, a bit messy and not as elegant as Barcelona's Messi or Austria-Vienna's Polster, as also our life keeps rolling, rolling, rolling on. We like comedians with our without burning thumbs and Ottifants, and we are happy or sad, weak and strong, depending on circumstances, mood and weather conditions.

Global Village

One of my favourite terms, remembering roots and everything, is "global village". In this case, I do not just mean the little world of Minimundus with all its model size sights, or meeting all kinds of celebrities at Madame Tussauds house of wax, but I am talking of places far away and sometimes too far away. Over the years we have been travelling abroad quite a bit, and the question remains, where home is. Is it the city of music or the surrounding of the only temple? Is it, wherever harmonic life occurs, where we can ride a bike or wherever our children sleep? Are we afraid of alienation? Are we proud cosmopolitans or humble small-towners, who appreciate simple moments?

Does this page sound Greek to you already? Well, what about the next page then?