Wuppertal Suspension Railway

Wuppertaler Schwebebahn

Postcard DE-2357046 came from Germany as a self-made photo card. It shows the Wuppertal Suspension Railway, a unique suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars that was built in between 1897 and 1903 with the first track opened in 1901.

The railway is still used as a local public transportation system. The route runs 13.3 km or 8.3 mi; the tracks are elevated at a height of about 12 m or 39 ft over the river and about 8 m or 26 ft over the ground. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes.

Óbidos, Portugal

Vila de Óbidos

Postcard PT-311465 from Portugal shows Óbidos, a vila with a population of 3100 people. As the municipal seat of the municipality of Óbidos, it is located in the Estremadura Province, Portugal. The vila is located on a hilltop, encircled by a fortified wall, part of a well-preserved example of Medieval architecture. The vila established its charter in 1195, during the reign of Sancho I. The distinctive streets, squares, walls and its castle are now a popular tourist destination.

Shachihoko, a Golden Fish, Osaka Castle, Japan

Shachihoko

A dear Postcrosser friend from Taiwan traveling in Japan sent this postcard of Shachihoko, a famous golden fish, from Osaka Castle (大坂城 or 大阪城). The castle played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

Shachihoko (鯱) is a mythical creature with a dragon head and a fish body. Sit on the tower roof ridge of Osaka Castle, they were symbols of the prestige and authority, and thought to protect the castle by spitting water from their mouths in an event of fire. Since they were covered in gold, they were believed to have doubled their powers.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Lakes of Plitvice

Postcard DE-2356456 from Germany arrived yesterday shows the national park Lakes of Plitvice located in the karst mountain range of Croatia. The park is famous for its lakes arranged in cascades. Currently, its 16 lakes result from the confluence of small surface rivers and subterranean karst rivers. The lakes are all interconnected yet separated by natural dams of travertine from moss, algae, and bacteria deposition and growth. Plitvice Lakes National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 among the first registered natural sites worldwide.

"They're Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace"

"They're Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace"

Postcard GB-450015 from U.K. was titled "They're changing guards at Buckingham Palace", which was the first line of a poem from Alan Alexander Milne(1882-1956)'s 1924 collection, "When We Were Very Young".  Nine-year-old actress Ann Stephens recorded the song during World War II.

The Guard at Buckingham Palace is called "the Queen’s Guard". It is divided into two detachments: the Buckingham Palace Detachment responsible for guarding Buckingham Palace, and the St. James’s Palace Detachment responsible for guarding St. James’s Palace. Changing the Guard is the process of a new guard exchanging duty with the old guard. During the August 2013, Changing the Guard will take place at Buckingham Palace on the even days (August 2, August 4, August 6, ... August 30).

Django Unchained

Postcard DE-2339136 from Germany was of the 2012 movie Django Unchained. A German bounty hunter and former dentist, Dr. King Schultz, played by Christoph Waltz, bought the freedom of a slave, Django, played by Jamie Foxx, with the intent to train him as his deputy bounty hunter. However, he was led to where Django's wife was under the control of Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, a ruthless plantation owner.

You can rent the instant video or purchase a Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, and UltraViolet combo from Amazon.

DefCon

DefCon 20, 2012

DefCon 21, one of the world's largest annual hacker/computer security conventions, is currently held in Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from August 1 to August 4, 2013. The first DefCon took place in June 1993. The postcard, sent to Taiwan last year, shows the logo of DefCon 20, July 26-29, 2012.

Attendees to DefCon include computer security professionals, journalists, lawyers, security researchers, and of course, hackers. However, the trend has been shifted from "hacking" in early days to "computer security" in recent years. For me, it's a great place to learn the impact of advance of technology to the civil liberties and privacy. ACLU will present a panel discussion: "NSA Surveillance and More" this year. Electronic Frontier Foundation has a session called "Ask the EFF: the Year in Digital Civil Liberties". 

Federal law enforcement agents from the FBI, CIA, Department of Defense, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other agencies regularly attend the DefCons. Last year, four-star General Keith Alexander, head of the NSA, was a keynote speaker at the event. However, DefCon founder Jeff Moss requested government agencies to stay away from the event due to the recent revelation of the NSA surveillance program by Edward Snowden.