I had the unique opportunity this year to visit CERN’s Large Hadron Collider a day after LIFT Conference 2008, an experience which helped me to understand better CERN and its innovation. I was in a group together with Bruce Sterling, Ben Segal, Robert Scoble (who did the video below), Aral Balkan and others. Below is a video which helps you understand what is happening underneath CERN research and scientific labs. Thanks to Robert Scoble for recording and putting it live in FastCompany.tv.

At DLD Conference Lufthansa asked:
In view of modern rail travel concepts, what innovative ideas and visions must the aviation industry implement in order still to be attractive in 15 years’ time?

A very good question to discuss, with all frequency of planes growing daily, unconditional weather, delays, and plus now double security checks, traveling has become a nightmare. What will amuse the human being in 15 years to still think that flights are attractive is technology and the use of it in costumer side. More analysis to come in this topic.

I’m going to LIFT Conference 2008 with set of tools to create, share and present. I will create network possibly by increasing my Linkedin connections, I will share conversation and a presence during LIFT08 with Twitter, and will get much social with Facebook (physical contacts only).

Here is the trend graph of recent months popularity of these social networks:

Meanwhile I will have a possibly to present my open stage proposition: How innovative projects can transform education and ICT opportunities. (Your vote and support is highly appreciated at this stage).

And the most important part is to meet with network of people i created last year, compliments to LIFT team for making the event this year much more valuable to be part of it.

LIFT Conference is about to start soon, this time richer with program attached with preliminary network using social media softwares. As last year main discussion during the breaks was Twitter, this year it Facebook will dominate the field. The recent report provided by Glen O’Neil on Network Mapping shows the increase of network among participants, this time I expect an increase of 30% of contacts in Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.

I do think that the more you travel the hardest it gets, I missed my flight to Prishtina, Kosovo today operated by British Airways. The reason was my fault, i did not make it in time, and I was 30 minutes late.

British Airways kindly offers flight deals but when you are in need they are well known to analyze the importance of your travel, so they start to increase fines and provide expensive solutions. That is how I got rewarded today. My travel agent managed to re-book me for 12 January, the only possible date to go back, it was fully booked. People are traveling but there are only 3-4 flights a week.

Update: I need to come up with something to solve this 3-4 flights a week problem. I have in mind something.

Mike Arrington called me two days ago on my private cell phone in relation to my previous post regarding the Technology Usage in SEE. Following our phone conversation he invited to give me a free ticket for Web 2.0, I checked the dates and on that time I will be out of country going to a private vacation, so i rejected the offer. Mike also asked me if i have any idea about what he should do with this ticket and I recommended him to let people write about the negative side of TechCrunch.com

Now the post came up and I got angry because Mike Arrington again stole MY IDEA as he stole many ideas from other people around the blogosphere. TechCrunch is about gossips and attacks and Michael Arrington stealing ideas, TechCrunch is about Web 2.0 and Michael Arrington stealing ideas, TechCrunch is about Innovation and again Mike Arrington stealing ideas. TechCrunch is about entrepreneurship and Mike Arrington stealing ideas.

So what is TechCrunch about?

In case you don’t know where I’m from, here is a small website with some general information regarding Kosovo.

Greetings from Berlin 2007
Update: Here are some Youtube videos

Another summer another vacation. This year on the list for vacation was Montenegro because of two reasons. First, I haven’t been there since 1996 (10 years) and second to explore the newest independent country in region. So together the “travel team” Me, Agne, Dovile and Jeton decided to start the engine of Volkswagen Golf II and start the journey.

First impressions sent me 10 years back when I saw the border in Montenegro, the border police didn’t even check anything and just let us proceed with our way. So nothing changed!

But, wait a minute, there is one thing that really changed, the New Montenegro Tunnel build in very European Standards which cost 2.5 EUR to pass was really impressive and also save you plenty of time on travel around 44 KM.

This time we decided that first target will be Budva, a well known place for having vacation, on the way to Budva we stopped to St. Stefan old coty very very busy but very nice, we spent some time there, turned the engine again and on the way to Budva again.

Budva needs improvements, need more roads and need some infrastructure to manage all tourists, we stayed for 2 hours in car queue, too much traffic, too busy, at the end we found a way to escape which leads you to Kotor and Herceg Novi cities. We stopped for a drink in Kotor, the place was good except the small beach they have, so we told ourselves to stop in Budva on the way back.

We got back to Budva, and spent time there, in the mean time we spent time also in other places called Ulcinj (Ulqin) and St.Stefan.

Beaches and accomodation were ok, not that good as we had last year in Saranda. Ok, since I didn’t check on internet for more regarding Montenegro, I was fooled by BBC and CNN advertisements on Montenegro, but it weren’t that English that we expected. You get stock if you only speak English, so with our Serbo-Croatian language skills we managed to communicate, Albanian language is not welcomed there yet, a friend of mine from Podgorica told me that Montenegro bar owners made a criteria for waiters to know English, Serbo-Croatian and Albanian language, well it wasn’t like that at all or maybe we were into a wrong place.

What really disturbed me in the beach (even was private) was people trying to get money photographing kids with large snakes and other animals, such as pony with jeans (Diesel) and monkeys.
I saw lifeguards passing around monitoring the sea, why they don’t demonstrate how they would act if someone is in troubles. Probably they need a creative manager :) maybe I was so much influenced by reading 5 issues of Wired Magazine that I took with me.

But, the vacation was great since I was with people i like so much; thanks to Agne my vacation was excellent. Even if it was raining all the time I would enjoy. Thanks to Jeton and Dovile for controversy discussions we had. It was more brain releasing thing.

When I got back to Prishtina I’ve got a book I’ve ordered early from Amazon.co.uk, “Fast Company’s Greatest Hits: Ten Years of the Most Innovative Ideas in Business” waiting for me, so I will enjoy reading it now.

Apart for being in Montenegro, we also spent one day in Prizren and around. Most of the time I was away from internet and I was accessible only through my Pocket PC, but phone system was disabled until yesterday.

Vacation was nice
Nice is Good

Good news: My friend Matt from Slovenia got the driving license today, Congratulation Matt and thanks for reminding me.

So, what about my driving license?
I still don’t have it. I’m really getting worried if I will be able to gain this year since I’m engaged in many things. Same thing happened last year when I decided to get it also but I didnt had time to run after it.
But, this year i made it as high priority and if I check the schedule, it can be middle of March 2006 when i can start. I really hope that I wont pass another year without driving license.