Category: News

The Burj Dubai
Soaring 818 meters (2,684 feet) the Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates claims to be the world’s tallest building. But the Burj Dubai is still under construction, and statistics include the skyscraper’s enormous spire.
The Taipei 101 Tower
Other record-breaking skyscrapers are on the drawing board, but they are too far from completion to enter the running. Among buildings that are fully completed, the world’s tallest appears to be the soaring Taipei 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan. The Taipei 101 Tower measures 509 meters (1,670 feet). However, the Tower’s massive 60-foot spire contributes to much of that height.
I decided to Google about the Burj Dubai a little, and i found an interesting interview at Wired with SOM´s structural engineer Bill Baker, telling the story behind the design, the structure and construction. The foundations were overengineered just in case the client wanted to rise the height of the building during construction… which he did!. Now the final height won´t be disclosed until the construction is finished.
Even though the Burj Dubai is still under construction, set to be completed in September 2009, it’s already the world’s tallest manmade structure. As of the end of September 2008, Burj Dubai rose to 2,320 ft (707 m) tall. The exact height is top secret but is estimated to be at least 2,313 ft and 167 floors high. Designed by the firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Burj Dubai features a triple-lobed footprint that was inspired by an abstract rendering of the Hymenocallis, a desert flower native to the area. The structure, which somewhat resembles the Sears Tower, is located in the heart of Dubai’s bustling business district. A hotel will occupy the bottom 37 floors of the building. Floors 45 through 108 will house apartments, and corporate offices will take up the remainder of the building

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The effects of the swine flu upon sharks is not a direct one – these mammals are not finding themselves coming down with cases of H1N1 like humans and other land animals. However, they are being threatened in a grave way by the virus through the pharmaceutical process which requires a substance that can be obtained from the sharks’ liver.

Read more of this story »

The DMX-P3 Dual CD/MP3 Mixer from Technical Pro may look similar to the Ion Audio Discover DJ but they definitely differ in specs. The DMX-P3 has dual CD players that support multi formats including MP3 discs, two USB inputs, iPod / MP3 input, tone controls, jog wheel with scratch and reverse functions and pitch control. DMX-P3’s programmable controls, jog wheel operation and flexible inputs make it easy for beginner or advanced DJ’s. No pricing or availability is known yet but keep checking their website for future product updates.

by Umbra Fisk

Send your question to Umbra!

Q. Dear Umbra,

I consider myself to live simply and in an environmentally conscious way. I have been having trouble with those who also are “green” but seem to be smug about it, ostentatious even, maybe hypocritical when judging others who appear “un-green” based on superficial things like my clothes. How do I stop being judgmental of the judgmental?

Meghan
Burlington

A. Dearest Meghan,

Howsabout we spend less time being shocked by people’s green choices and more time getting good stuff done.I chose your letter to kick off the New Year because I think it reminds us all of an important rule to live by: Judge not, lest ye be considered a self-righteous eco-prig more interested in the appearance of greenness than in making true planetary progress.

Meghan, you have probably noticed that over the last two or three years “green” has taken on a certain trendiness. Celebrities parade about in “think green” T-shirts and electric cars, and stores push us to keep up with the fashions by buying eco-items we surely don’t need. But you must know that there’s a wide spectrum of green in the world, and there’s more to green than all this faddishness. Clothes may make the man, but they don’t make the man (or woman) green.

While your consciousness is apparently not elevated enough for those who are judging you, it is probably far higher than many others will ever achieve. But that is not the point. The very layeredness of your question—how to stop judging the judgers—suggests that we are all in danger of losing sight of the true reason for “being green” in the first place. It is not so that we might win a contest, or parade our virtues about, or be in a position to make snide comments about those who don’t appear to have seen the light. It is so that we might make this planet a healthier, happier place to live.

Far be it from me to judge you for judging. But may I gently suggest that one way to stop being judgmental of the judgmental would be to put your energies into something else instead. Go clean up your local park. Become a Grist Climate Citizen and fight for climate legislation you believe in. Get a home energy audit and take steps to weatherize your house or apartment. Write a letter to a corporation either lauding or lambasting its practices.

We all could stand to spend more time doing this sort of thing in the New Year, and less time playing the “who’s greenest” game. Let’s just agree to live and let vert—and let’s make 2010 a year to remember.

Bombastically,
Umbra

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It seems that the staid British National Archives is coming forward in support of the sale of Friends Reunited to Brightsolid. The sale has been somewhat in doubt, as the “Competition Commission” has expressed reluctance to allowing the sale to go through. It’s looks like the principle reason for the support is that the Archives would like to make sure that Ancestry.co.uk has competition. Following is an excerpt from an article in the January 4, 2010 edition of the Financial Times.

The takeover of Friends Reunited, currently facing regulatory scrutiny, has found support from an unlikely quarter – the National Archives.

The government’s official archive rarely, if ever, intervenes in competition inquiries but it has backed the proposed sale of the social networking site operator – and its valuable genealogy subsidiary, Genes Reunited – to create a bigger rival to a larger American competitor. ITV has agreed to sell Friends Reunited to Brightsolid, a web company owned by DC Thomson, the Scottish publisher.

The National Archives said in a submission to the Competition Commission’s investigation into the deal that a combination of Genes Reunited with Brightsolid’s Find My Past site would create “more robust and serious competition” to Ancestry.com, the US-based market leader.

If the merger were blocked, “there is unlikely to be a realistic alternative bid from any existing genealogy company”.

“The reduction in the number of players would weaken the competitive scene, leaving consumers with less choice of product and pricing,” it said.

The National Archives said blocking the merger would also result in consumers having less choice in family history data and documents, and the rate of market innovation would slow.

Read the full article.

Were you able to watch the fan-made Legend of Zelda film, “The Hero of Time” over at the Internet? If you did, good for you. If you didn’t, well, sorry to say but you missed your chance.

2010 rings in the new year and the new, Winter 2010 TV season.  Many TV series return to the tube this week along with a few new premieres.

 

Don’t miss the Ultimate Guide to the 2010 Winter TV Season Premieres with free downloads by premiere date & by show name!

 

                  Nip/Tuck returns for season 7 on FX

 

Below you’ll find all this weeks TV premieres, finales and specials through next Sunday.

NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST

 

Sunday, January 3

Platinum Weddings (9pm on WE) New reality TV series – not in HD

Brothers & Sisters (10pm on ABC – Available in HD) – Season 4 continues with so much overly done drama Mrs GeekTonic’s emotions will be torn 🙂

Desperate Housewives (10pm on ABC – Available in HD) – Season 6 continues.  Housewives like this don’t seem to be in my neigborhood – probably not yours either.  Perhaps that’s the appeal of this soap opera?

Worst Cooks in America (10pm on Food) – They finally found a realityTV show I’m qualified for – just ask Mrs GeekTonic about the bugs in the broccoli meal ;).  New realityTV series for Food network.

Secrets of Aspen (10pm on VH1) – A new documentary/soap – we’ll call it realityTV

 

Monday, Jan 4

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (8pm on ABC Family – Available in HD) – returns for the second half of season 2

The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love (8pm on ABC– Available in HD) – Season 14 of the ever lasting bachelor realityTV series

Heroes (8pm on NBC – Available in HD) – Season 4 continues.  Back to it’s 9pm time slot on 1/11

Make it or Break it (9pm on ABC Family– Available in HD) – Returns with the second half of it’s first season

This Emotional Life (9pm on PBS – Available in HD) – A three-night special where a Harvard psychologist engages with some famous folks to discuss relationships and well-being.

Be Good Johnny Weir (10pm on Sundance) – A new RealityTV show

Blood, Sweat & Takeaways (10pm on BBCA– Available in HD) – A new RealityTV show

The Goode Family (10:30pm on Comedy) – Season 2 premiere

 

Tuesday, Jan 5

The Biggest Loser (8pm on NBC) – Season 9 premiere.  Still not in HD

NCIS (8pm on CBS – Available in HD) – Season 7 continues

NCIS: Los Angeles (9pm on CBS – Available in HD) – Season 1 continues

Last Restaurant Standing (9pm on BBCA) – Season 3 of this realityTV show

The Forgotten (10pm on ABC– Available in HD) – Season one continues

Life After People (10pm on History) – Season two premieres.  This is a documentary that shows what the earth will be like without humans.  I actually watched part of season one and it was okay.  But I’m shocked to see they brought out a season two…

The Good Wife (10pm on CBS) – Season 1 continues

 

Wednesday, Jan 6

I Get that a Lot (8pm on CBS) – Celebrities pretend to be everyday people to pull pranks on unsuspecting people.

Mercy (8pm on NBC– Available in HD) – Season one continues

The Middle (8:30pm on ABC– Available in HD) – Season one continues

The 36th Annual People’s Choice Awards (9pm on CBS– Available in HD) – Awards show hosted by Queen Latifah

Modern Family (9pm on ABC– Available in HD) – Season one continues.  I might add this is our favorite sitcom this season – possibly the best in a few years.  THis episode stars Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order) as Manny’s bio-father

Law & Order: SVU (9pm on NBC– Available in HD) – Season 11 continues

Ghost Hunters Intl (9pm on SyFy– Available in HD) – Season 2 premiere

Cougar Town (9:30pm on ABC– Available in HD) – Season one continues with Lisa Kudrow guesting and reuniting with Courtney Cox (both from Friends of course)

Ugly Betty (10pm on ABC– Available in HD) – Season four continues at yet another new day and time.  The biggest suspense in this one might just be whether this ends up being the final season.

Nip/Tuck (10pm on FX– Available in HD) – This is the season seven premiere.  Note that these nine episodes will be the last before the series ends.

Conviction Kitchen (10pm on Planet– Available in HD) – A new RealityTV series

 

Thursday, Jan 7

BCS National Championship Game (7:30pm on ABC – Available in HD) – Texas battles Alabama

Community (8pm on NBC– Available in HD) – Season one continues

Parks & Recreation (8:30pm on NBC– Available in HD) – Season two contines

The Office (9pm on NBC– Available in HD) – Season six continues

30 Rock (9:30pm on NBC– Available in HD) – Season four continues

 

Friday, Jan 8

Bones (8pm on Fox– Available in HD) – Season five continues with encore episodes

Ghost Whisperer (8pm on CBS– Available in HD) – Season five continues

Dollhouse (9pm on Fox– Available in HD) – The final three episodes of season two… and forever since this series has been cancelled.

Medium (9pm on CBS– Available in HD) – Season six continues

Shark Tank (9pm on ABC) – Season one of this realityTV series continues

Numb3rs (10pm on CBS– Available in HD) – Season six continues

Manhattan Marriage Project w/Gino Fillippone (10pm on TLC) – A new RealityTV series

John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show (11pm on Comedy) – A new RealityTV series showcasing folks like Janeane Garofalo, Paul F. Tompkins and Brian Posehn

 

Saturday, January 9

Operation Wild (10pm on Planet– Available in HD) – New series

 

 

Sunday, January 10

Food Network Challenge (8pm on Food– Available in HD) – Season 10 premiere

The Simpsons (8pm on Fox– Available in HD) – The 450th Milestone episode followed by the 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D

Chuck (9pm on NBC– Available in HD) – Chuck gets a two-hour season three premiere and then moves to it’s regular time-slot on the 11th.

Big Love (9pm on HBO– Available in HD) – Season four premiere

Celebrity Rehab (10pm on VH1) – Season three premiere

 

Click Here If You Would Like to Get a Regular E-mail for GeekTonic TV Premieres & News

“Watching the Worst Cooks in America struggle to become great cooks, makes a show that is very funny, dramatic and moving,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production, Food Network. “Ultimately, it offers hope for even the most kitchen-challenged of our viewers.”

Under the tutelage of Chef Anne and Chef Beau, the recruits are split into two teams. They learn valuable culinary skills from their team leaders, which are then tested in a series of high-pressure challenges. Based on their performances, the recruits will be narrowed down each week until two are left standing to face the final challenge: prepare a three-course, restaurant-quality meal for a panel of food critics that thinks the dishes have been prepared by chefs Anne and Beau. On the line are the chefs’ professional reputations and $25,000 for the newly-crowned kitchen hero. The winner will be revealed during the finale on Monday, February 1st at 9pm ET/PT.
Meanwhile, it’s the opposite end of the spectrum with “Worst Cooks,” which appeals to Average Joes and Janes on a completely different level. The highly entertaining, schadenfreude-filled hour starts with lines wrapped around city blocks as people eagerly try to prove their horrific cooking skills in hopes of landing a spot on the show. The producers and judges select the 24 most abject contestants for the premiere — and, we assume, those with personalities most appropriate for reality TV.

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Pity the small office when it comes to technology. With anywhere from several to several dozen employees, there’s often no budget for an IT director to manage all the network services required for a modern company of any size. Offices may need to handle email, file-sharing, calendar and contacts hosting, collaboration tools, and other matters.
Especially in this economy, how can an office of that size—perhaps your office?—afford the technician needed to install and keep a Microsoft Server 2008 installation on the rails, plus the initial cost in per-seat licenses. Unix and Linux distributions may be free or have relatively inexpensive purchase and service contracts, but you pay for that in requiring more expertise in house or on demand.

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Adrienne Bailon is an American actress, singer-songwriter, dancer, and television personality. She was a member of former girl groups 3LW and The Cheetah Girls.
While Kourtney definitely got her own little bundle of joy this Christmas, it seems Demi Lovato has a different kind of boy on her list. Demi tweeted, “Dear Santa, I want a boy for Christmas… wanna hook a sista up?! Oh, and not just any boy.. one that holds the door open for you, and writes hand written letters, and spends time with the rents.. ya hurrd?” Don’t we all, Demi? Perhaps actress Candace Cameron Bure will help Demi out. She told fans, “I feel like St. Nick- just dropped off some presents ”

Check out the rest of Monday’s best celebrity tweets below, including Tom Felton back to filming “Harry Potter”, Kris Allen getting lost in New York City, and Cory Monteith ‘fessing up to his greatest vice. Don’t forget you can always follow us @hollywoodcrush to get all the latest on your favorite stars!
Though the former Cheetah Girl claims the pictures were stolen alongside her laptop but Johnathon Jaxson’s subsequent confession suggested that it was all a plan by him and Bailon. He had stated that the hoax was an effort on part of Bailon to boost up her career and gain popularity. Many agree with Johnathon and believe that it indeed, was an effort to earn repute on international level.

Sources claim that a standard apology from the dancer has been issued addressing her fans to tell them she feels sorry for the leaked photos. However, the other unconfirmed news (so far) is that Bailon is on the ‘hit list’ of the Playboy magazine and even a $100,000 offer is already there if she agrees to expose for them.

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Looking for a more natural way to purify the air and add a bit of green to your home? Andrea is a plant, but so much more than that and was a result of a collaboration between designer Mathieu Lehanneur and Harvard professor David Edwards. It is an environmental purifier that uses the air-cleansing powers of plants and has a modular, bubble topped sci-fi look. The apparatus enhances the plant’s ability to remove toxic gases of indoor air and pump out clean oxygen. Andrea currently retails for $158.85 at Amazon.

Nachos aren’t just for snacking. You can make them meal. This dish delivers a full serving of vegetables, protein and grains, plus it takes less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish. Because it relies on pantry staples, Mealtime.org’s Chicken Nachos are perfect when you don’t have time to shop for ingredients and spend hours in your kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 5 oz (about 4 dozen medium) unsalted tortilla chips
• 1 can (9.75 oz) white premium chunk chicken breast in water, drained
• 1 cup drained and rinsed canned pinto beans
• 1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes with jalapenos
• 3 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation Time: Approximately 5 minutes

Cook Time: Approximately 4 minutes

Preparation:

1. Arrange chips on a large, microwave-safe platter.
2. Break the chicken in pieces and scatter over the chips. Scatter the beans over the chicken and the tomatoes over the beans. Top with an even layer of cheese and microwave at full-power until the cheese is melted, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Total cost: $7.99
Servings: 4

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories 380; Total fat 17g; Saturated fat 6g; Cholesterol 45mg; Sodium 850mg; Carbohydrate 36g; Fiber 5g; Protein 23g; Vitamin A 10%DV*; Vitamin C 8%DV; Calcium 25%DV; Iron 10%DV

*Daily Value

This is one for the recipes from the “Kitchen Countdown” collection at mealtime.org. The Canned Food Alliance and Chef Andrew Schloss created ten recipes which all have one thing in common: they each feature 1 pot; 5 ingredients; cost 10 dollars or less; take 15 minutes or less to prepare and have 400 calories or less per serving. This collection of recipes is perfect for busy moms looking to serve their families a healthy, hearty, easy-to-prepare meal. Find more recipes at mealtime.org.

Post from: Blisstree

Chicken Nachos

Daily Random Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups peanut butter
  
• 1/2 cup (one stick) vegan margarine
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 t vanilla
  
• 2 t arrowroot
  
• 2 t water
  
• 3 cups flour
  
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
  
• 1 t salt
  
• Splash some soy milk
  
• 1 package bakers’ chocolate chips
  

METHOD:
Mix everything in a bowl except chips and soy milk. Splash soy milk until the texture is somewhere between wet and dry. Add chips.

Bake at 350F/180C for 8-10 minutes (on my oven it was more like 12 minutes). This can be smelled from miles away.

NOTES:
J@ck’s highly requested peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

I am not J@ck. He is someone else… this is taken from the ‘Soy Not Oi’ cookbook. You can find it at Bound Together bookstore on haight street in SF… Good times.

“All that we eat, all that we wear, our houses, every comfort, and all our luxuries are brought us to-day by these invisible, but almost omnipotent, genii of the fire and the lamp and the thunder-storm.” That was R. H. Thurston, director of the …

Freescale Semiconductor is helping to kick this year’s CES off with a bang, as its latest reference smartbook design actually has somewhat of a sexy flair to it. Currently, the model is little more than a great idea, but the company is hoping to have it available for partner evaluation starting next month. In theory, at least, this “smartbook tablet” would boast an ultrathin form factor, weigh around 0.8 pounds and get powered by a 1GHz i.MX515 processor. Other specs would include 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 1,024 x 600 touch panel, 4GB to 64GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, optional 3G WWAN module, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, a USB 2.0 socket, audio in / out, 3 megapixel camera, inbuilt 3-axis accelerometer, an ambient light sensor and a 1,900mAh battery. We aren’t quite sure what kind of bulk discounts Freescale is counting on, but it’s hoping that this design will “enable a second generation of smartbook products with prices less than $200.” We dig the ambition and all, but we’re guessing OEMs will actually want to turn a profit should they sign on to sell something like this.

Continue reading Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200

Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s less than three weeks until the Arizona Family History Expo! It will be held on January 22 and 23 at the Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center Street, Mesa, Arizona 85201.

Ancestry.com’s C.E.O. Tim Sullivan will be the keynote speaker.

I will be presenting several lectures. My topics will be:

• State and Territorial Censuses & Substitutes – Additional Name Lists for U.S. Genealogical Research
• Organizing, Preserving, Accessing and Sharing Your Digital Documents & Pictures
• The Witness

See the schedule for times and other lectures that are being presented.

Click here for more information.

Munich, Germany | Curious Places of Worship

According to legend, in 1468 architect Jorg von Halspach went looking for money to build a new cathedral in Munich and ended up making a bargain with the Devil: the Devil would provide the funds for the huge building on the condition that it be a celebration of darkness, with no windows to let in light.

When the building was complete, von Helpach led the Devil inside to survey his work, and to show him that he had held up his end of the bargain. Although there was light, there seemed to be no windows, and the devil was satisfied. But then when he took another step further, the columns that had been blocking the view of the windows opened up and, in his fury at being tricked, he stamped his foot, forever marking the floor with his black footprint.

The large black footprint is still there, and indeed proudly shown off by the staff of the Frauenkirche as well as eager tour guides. Unfortunately, there are a few problems with the mythological origins.

The first problem is immediately obvious: there is an enormous window at the end of the church which is not blocked by columns. It was hidden behind a huge altar between 1620-1858, so it’s possible that the story cropped up during that time period.

The second problem is with the mark itself – the large footprint is inset into a til which does not match the surrounding floor. The church has been restored several times over the centuries, a huge restoration effort followed the collapse of the roof in WWII, with some work ending just recently in 1994. According to author Joe Nickell, the warden of the church admitted that the footstep now visible is a “reconstruction”, but it is unclear what exactly it is a reconstruction of, or when it first appeared.