TIME: Traveler's Advisory

	TRAVELER'S ADVISORY	AUGUST 3, 1998 NO. 31
Traveler's Advisory By SIMON ROBINSON NORTH AMERICA NEW YORK CITY Soon after the first electric light bulb lit up in 1879, Louis Comfort Tiffany began creating elaborate lampshades to grace the new invention. Tiffany, son of the founder of famed New York jewelers Tiffany & Co., designed the patterned lead glass shades, as well as jewelry, mosaics and furniture, over a 57-year career. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Tiffany's birth, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is displaying more than 150 of his works and has re-created a turn-of-the-century workstation to show how jewelry was made. Through Jan. 31. Down the road at Tiffany's headquarters on Fifth Avenue, another exhibition showcases the designer's jewelry. Through Sept. 12. GLOBE LANGUAGES Ever had trouble deciphering a menu in another language? A new hand-held scanner which translates between English and seven other languages may be your answer. The 16-cm-long, battery-run Quicktionary can be used on most typefaces, including italicized, bold and underlined words, but not handwriting. A few seconds after a word or phrase is scanned, a translation and list of synonyms appear on a digital display. The tool, developed by Seiko Instruments and costing about $250, can scan a maximum of 32 characters at a time. Three AAA batteries should provide for around 3,000 scans--enough to translate 15 pages of Time. For now, each Quicktionary translates between English and either Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese or Spanish, but more languages are promised. EUROPE LONDON Two centuries after British whalers, traders and missionaries began arriving in New Zealand, the first major exhibition of the history, culture and arts of that nation's first settlers, the Maori, has opened at the British Museum. The exhibition draws on the museum's extensive Maori collection, the best outside New Zealand, and includes material collected by explorer Captain James Cook, who visited the islands on his three 18th century voyages, artifacts collected by the influential early governor George Grey, wooden weapons, flax and feather cloaks, and bone and greenstone carvings. Through Nov. 1. AMSTERDAM During the first week of August, the Netherlands' largest city will host Europe's first Gay Games. Fifteen thousand gay men and lesbians from 64 countries are expected to watch or compete in events including athletics, swimming, weight lifting, soccer, figure skating, ice hockey, bridge and chess; a parallel cultural festival will feature concerts, films and art shows. MIDDLE EAST AQABA Archaeologists believe a mud-brick building uncovered in Aqaba, Jordan, may be the world's oldest Christian church. The 1,700-year-old building, found in an excavation site inside ancient Roman city walls, contained coins dating to the 3rd and 4th centuries. Experts say it was abandoned sometime in the 4th century.
time-webmaster@pathfinder.com

TRAVELER'S ADVISORY

AUGUST 3, 1998 NO. 31

Traveler's Advisory

By SIMON ROBINSON

NORTH AMERICA

NEW YORK CITY

Soon after the first electric light bulb lit up in 1879, Louis Comfort Tiffany began creating elaborate lampshades to grace the new invention. Tiffany, son of the founder of famed New York jewelers Tiffany & Co., designed the patterned lead glass shades, as well as jewelry, mosaics and furniture, over a 57-year career. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Tiffany's birth, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is displaying more than 150 of his works and has re-created a turn-of-the-century workstation to show how jewelry was made. Through Jan. 31. Down the road at Tiffany's headquarters on Fifth Avenue, another exhibition showcases the designer's jewelry. Through Sept. 12.

GLOBE

LANGUAGES

Ever had trouble deciphering a menu in another language? A new hand-held scanner which translates between English and seven other languages may be your answer. The 16-cm-long, battery-run Quicktionary can be used on most typefaces, including italicized, bold and underlined words, but not handwriting. A few seconds after a word or phrase is scanned, a translation and list of synonyms appear on a digital display. The tool, developed by Seiko Instruments and costing about $250, can scan a maximum of 32 characters at a time. Three AAA batteries should provide for around 3,000 scans--enough to translate 15 pages of Time. For now, each Quicktionary translates between English and either Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese or Spanish, but more languages are promised.

EUROPE

LONDON

Two centuries after British whalers, traders and missionaries began arriving in New Zealand, the first major exhibition of the history, culture and arts of that nation's first settlers, the Maori, has opened at the British Museum. The exhibition draws on the museum's extensive Maori collection, the best outside New Zealand, and includes material collected by explorer Captain James Cook, who visited the islands on his three 18th century voyages, artifacts collected by the influential early governor George Grey, wooden weapons, flax and feather cloaks, and bone and greenstone carvings. Through Nov. 1.

AMSTERDAM

During the first week of August, the Netherlands' largest city will host Europe's first Gay Games. Fifteen thousand gay men and lesbians from 64 countries are expected to watch or compete in events including athletics, swimming, weight lifting, soccer, figure skating, ice hockey, bridge and chess; a parallel cultural festival will feature concerts, films and art shows.

MIDDLE EAST

AQABA

Archaeologists believe a mud-brick building uncovered in Aqaba, Jordan, may be the world's oldest Christian church. The 1,700-year-old building, found in an excavation site inside ancient Roman city walls, contained coins dating to the 3rd and 4th centuries. Experts say it was abandoned sometime in the 4th century.

time-webmaster@pathfinder.com