0-100 in about 4sec. A new generation electric car

Today we had a very interesting presentation at our office. Representatives of Tesla Motors came to talk about their prototype of an electric sports car. It is an amazing car, having an acceleration better than most sports cars, but a consumption of only 2 litres/100 km (if you translate the cost of the used energy into fuel costs). It is fully electrical, so you charge it overnight or at any energy outlet, and you can cruise for about 400km. After the talk we went downstairs to get a real look at the car, and it was even better than expected. I am convinced that this is the future...

Activities besides working

Playing fuzzball is the favourite way to take breaks and get our heads free. We recently participated in a Yahoo fuzzball tournament, but we lost in the first round...guess we need some more practice.


In the afternoon Nick (another intern) and I are usually hitting the volleyball court on the campus. During the summer I met a lot of nice people there and we had some good games of vball.

Brazilian Party in San Francisco

Last night of Markus in the Bay Area before he returns to Austria. We went to this nice location, called SupperClub in Downtown San Francisco. Was really good music (there was also a live brazilian percussion band) and a nice venue

Windsurfing at Coyote Point

Around 30 min north of Sunnyvale is a great spot for Windsurf. Unfortunately I dont have time to go there very often, but the few times I went I had a great time. The wind is very constant, only the choppy water gives me hard time, but I am learning and getting better.
Right behind you can see the skyline of San Francisco. The airport is also just around the corner, so in the beginning it scares you a little bit, when every other minute those big planes approach the runway only a few hundred metres above you.

My first fourteener- Mt. Sill, we beat you!

Together with 4 friends we started last Friday after work for another adventure. The goal was to hike up a fourteener - my first attempt to hike up a mountain which is higher than 4000 metres. The first night we spent at Tuolomne Meadows, already at 3000 metres to get acclimatized. The next day we drove to Bishop and hiked up to the base camp, which was at a height of approx. 3500 metres. This was very strenuous, but the trail and views were rewarding. We camped up there, had some good food and the next day, after a slightly cold night, we started our climb. We were crossing two snowfields (we had crampons and ice axes) and needed to climb a little bit, and I could tell that the air is getting thin in this altitude. But all effort was forgotten, when we reached the top and were really impressed by the views we got offered from the top. We spent another night at the base camp, hiked back out and drove back to Sunnyvale the next day. See more pics

Hiking Mission Peak in Fremont

It takes around one hour to get up to the Mission Peak. It is located 30 min south of Sunnyvale and a nice hike after a day of work. The view is wonderful, one can overlook the Silicon Valley and the South Bay area.