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  • Rijkswaterstaat, Den Haag

    Gegevens
    Naam: Rijkswaterstaat
    Hoogte: 70 meter
    Plaats: Den Haag
    Oplevering: 1970
    Functie: Kantoren
    Architect: Gouwetor, Mulder en Tielman
    ___________________________________________________


    Flickr – Rienk Mebius


    Flickr – Gerard Stolk


    Emporis – Michiel van Dijk

  • Google’s Energy Efficient Computing and Sustainability

    Google Sustainable Operations

    Google has been at the forefront of energy efficiency quite some time.  Read on to learn more about Google current initiatives.

    They also have lots of data and metrics to compare their energy use per Google search to other activities.

    " … Data centers … account for most of Google’s energy needs … take our energy use seriously and, from the very beginning, Google has focused on designing systems that use as little energy as possible … operating what we believe to be the world’s most efficient data centers."

    " … Google-designed data centers use about half the energy of a typical data center … energy used per Google search is very small … currently use about 1kJ (0.0003 kWh) of energy to answer the average query … roughly .2g of CO2 … often take the place of more carbon- and time-intensive activities, such as driving a car to a library or spending hours navigating shopping malls."

    " … commitment to sustainability goes beyond just electricity and carbon … two Google facilities currently run on 100% recycled water, and by 2010 we expect recycled water to provide 80% of our total data center water consumption … share our own data center best practices and are encouraging our industry peers to do the same …"

    " … if all data centers operated at the same efficiency as ours, the U.S. alone would save enough electricity to power every household within the city limits of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C."

     

    Via:  Google  LINK

     

     

  • Michael Schumacher Sold His Kart Track to Brother Ralf

    Michael Schumacher seems ready to leave everything behind and focus solely on his return to Formula One racing, according to the recent reports in the German media. His preparation for the 2010 season of F1 has become so important that the 41-year old German decided to sell his kart track to brother Ralf, as he wouldn’t have had the proper time to take care of it throughout the year.

    The news was reported by German newspaper Sport Bild, who revealed however that the name of the ka… (read more)

  • Studying in Edinburgh

    Hello everybody. Me and 2 other friends, plan to study in Edinburgh. We are from Greece and we have some questions about the city, the life and cost of living and we need some helpful information. We had a deep search to find information but we still have some questions. I’d like if someone could help us. So, here we go.

    1) As we read, EU citizens pay no fees to study at a University in Scotland. Is that true? Well I guess it is but I’m not sure if everybody is applicable. If someone have any information about this, please let me know. 🙂

    2) None of us is rich so, we would like to know if there are part-time jobs for students available in Edinburgh, in bars, cafes, book shops etc.

    3) Some information about the cost of living in Edinburgh would be appreciated. 😀 For example:

    Prices of:
    a) bus tickets
    b) average house rental price per month, for a 3br house for example
    c) food prices of any kind (junk, restaurants, supermarket etc.)
    d) beer and coffee
    e) theatre/cinema/museums/concerts tickets
    f) a ticket to Glasgow/London by train or bus

    4) We found some information about scholarships but they all refer to payment of fees. As we may have no fees to pay, I would like to know if there are any scholarships available for EU students for other expenses like housing allowance or life expenses.

    5) What’s the average temperature in Edinburgh during the Autumn, Winter and spring, and what the wether is like? Which are the vacation periods (Christmas, Easter, Summer etc.) and how long each one lasts?

    That’s all I can remember now.

    We all applied to enter at the second year of BA at Photography & Film in Edinburgh Napier University, after two years of studies in Film Direction in a College in Athens, Greece.

    Thank you very much!
    Waiting for your help/advice 🙂

  • Haagse Poort, Den Haag

    Gegevens
    Naam: Haagse Poort
    Hoogte: 70 meter
    Plaats: Den Haag
    Oplevering: 1995
    Functie: Kantoren
    Architect: Kraaijvanger Urbis
    ________________________________________________


    Clemens Driessen


    Jan Klerks


    Kraaijvanger Urbis


    Kraaijvanger Urbis

  • Mina de São Domingos

    A Mina de São Domingos fica depois do aeroporto Low Cost de Lisboa, no Concelho de Mértola.

    http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mina_de_S%C3%A3o_Domingos

    Depois de cuidado estudo cheguei à conclusão que a mina já não está a ser explorada por aqueles senhores que lá andavam, conhecidos vulgarmente como mineiros.

    Ficam aqui algumas fotos, seleccionadas por computador, relativas a uma inspecção feita por mim e pela minha gaja no dia 1 de Janeiro de 2010:

  • Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself

    Church Sign: Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has.

    From the mouths of the oppressors often flows the truth, but a truth not intended to tell. As is the case in this sign…..

  • Klimat w architekturze

    Wątek niczego nie wnoszący, pomocny jedynie mi(choć może komuś się przyda?). Proszę was tylko o pomoc, musze przygotować referato-wykładzik nt. wpływu klimatu na architekturę.
    Stąd zwracam się do was. Jeśli ktokolwiek posiada jakąś wiedzę na ww. temat to mógłby sypnąć zdaniem może linkiem.

    Jedyne co chwilowo posiadam to z takich bardziej wartościowych źródeł to:
    link

    I ogólnie że klimat wpływa na: konstrukcje dachów, docieplenie/izolacje ścian, przszklenia i/lub wielkość okien, użyte materiały, głębokość i technologie fundamentu, infrastrukture komunikacyjną i może formę budynku/tkanki miejskiej.

    Jeśli ktokolwiek coś posiada prosiłbym o informacje poniżej.

    Wątek będzie do zamknięcia jak zbiorę odpowiednią ilość materiałów

    Dziękuje.

  • La Fenêtre, Den Haag

    Gegevens
    Naam: La Fenêtre
    Hoogte: 70 meter
    Plaats: Den Haag
    Oplevering: 2005
    Functie: Woningen
    Architect: Rudy Uytenhaak Architectenbureau
    __________________________________________________


    bron: www.oranjedak.nl


    bron: www.oranjedak.nl

  • my WTC, NY

    MY WTC , NY

    now i am working at world financial center in New York

  • Tobacco Could Be the Next Source of Biofuel – HeatingOil.com (blog)

    HeatingOil.com (blog)Tobacco Could Be the Next Source of BiofuelHeatingOil.com (blog)That way, biofuel production doesn't compete or conflict with growing crops to eat. Substantial areas are already given over to tobacco cultivation; …


  • Monsoon adds streaming, sideloading sweetness to new Volcano placeshifting box

    Blazing a different path from Sling or even its own HAVA line, Monsoon’s Volcano is not just an HD placeshifting device — it can play back video from attached storage devices, NAS or PCs, plus internet video from YouTube or CinemaNow. Existing remote DVR and streaming features are joined by sideloading, as it can deliver compressed recordings to compatible mobiles (Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Mobile) over 3G for later offline viewing. Other additions include an OS X client, MPEG-4 support plus plans for downloadable apps like Boxee and an open SDK for developers. Pricing is set at $199 with 4GB of flash memory included or $299 with 250GB HDD. Check out a video of our quick demo of the client running on a Motorola DROID and a press release with all the other details after the break.

    Gallery: Monsoon Volcano

    Continue reading Monsoon adds streaming, sideloading sweetness to new Volcano placeshifting box

    Monsoon adds streaming, sideloading sweetness to new Volcano placeshifting box originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Toshiba introduces DisplayLink-enabled Dynadock V10 USB port replicator

    Don’t call it a docking station. Toshiba’s latest Dynadock is classified as a USB port replicator, but what makes this one a wee bit special is the integrated DisplayLink DL-165 chip that enables 1080p content to flow from a USB port and onto a DVI monitor. Put simply, this device acts just like a typical USB docking station, but with minimal bulk; as for inputs, you’ll find four USB 2.0 sockets, a single DVI port, mic in, headphone out, a power port and support for resolutions as high as 1,920 x 1,080. It’s available now in Europe for an undisclosed amount, but who knows if it’ll ever head Stateside.

    Toshiba introduces DisplayLink-enabled Dynadock V10 USB port replicator originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • The Fall and Rise of Voice

    As a growth strategy for the telecom industry, focusing investment on mobility and data services while withdrawing it from wireline voice is doomed to fail. The rise of Twitter, Facebook and texting teens does not change the fact that people still depend on voice for the vast majority of their communication needs. And a single phone model for communication makes as much as sense as a single shoe model for footwear.

    The future of the telecom industry lies not in mobility or data services but in leveraging voice as the best means of conveying “social energy.” The notion of social energy — aka human connection — was emphasized in John Bowlby’s attachment theory circa 1940 and again in Abraham Maslow’s theory of a hierarchy of needs, from 1943. Bowlby argued that human connection is not optional, while Maslow ranked human connection as No. 3 out of five basic needs motivating human behavior. But while the pursuit of social energy drives the growth of Twitter, Facebook and the as-yet unknown next big thing in communication, it also serves to make even the presently problematic voice industry a multitrillion-dollar global business.

    And although President Obama suffers the same mediocre voice quality in conversations with world leaders as teens planning their social agenda do, even a standard telephone call represents the next best thing to being there relative to text or non real-time options. The question is not whether existing uses of the telephone might benefit from voice quality improvements, which, by definition, consist of only those activities one can accomplish in spite of the limitations. The question is whether the implementation of high-definition voice and other changes might make the telephone useful in contexts that presently require getting together in person. Orange’s announced plans to offer HD voice in 2010 as a competitive tool against O2 in the UK will provide an opportunity to put this question to the test.

    Indeed, the notion of social energy provides a ready road map for telco innovation. To that end, FWD, where I am CEO, has launched a VoIP trial dubbed Nova which leverages HD (G.722)-capable SIP end points to create the communication equivalent of a web site. Indeed, the declining demand for voice services make clear the need to create more compelling voice offers, but the notion of a telephone company without voice is like a music industry without music.

    In-post image courtesy of Flickr user garryknight; thumbnail image of user Don Fulano.

  • Nintendo Weekend Warrior – a little bit of everything

    There’s quite a drought plaguing the Wii and DS games this week, but the Weekend Warrior is packed full of everything else. Let’s see here: a stolen and pawned Wii, 22 Wiis for serial killers, a nearly

  • (Oude) Ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken & Justitie, Den Haag

    Gegevens
    Naam: (Oude) Ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken & Justitie
    Hoogte: 72 meter
    Plaats: Den Haag
    Oplevering: 1977
    Functie: Kantoren
    Architect: Lucas & Niemeijer
    ________________________________________________


    Flickr – FaceMePLS


    Emporis – Michiel van Dijk


    Emporis – Rob Brink

  • The Economy: Jobs Charts, Bill Gross Says, Boom-Bust, Keynsian Multiplier, Peter Schiff, S&P Top 10, Blackrock, Bill Conerly, John Mauldin

    bill-coppedge-dec09-1 original content selection by MortgageNewsClips.com

     

    cotd cotd1

    hitting the wall:  Chart of the Day – … For some perspective, today’s chart illustrates the percent increase in the number of jobs for every decade since the 1940s (the data goes back to 1939). …
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    casey1 caseys-daily-dispatch

    great unemployment charts:  The Sick Old Man of the AmericasCasey’s Daily Dispatch
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    time   +  pimco   +  zero-hedge

    this is interesting – Q&A:  Pimco’s Bill Gross Sees 2010 as Year of Reckoning – By John Curran – TIME.com 
    and
    Investment Outlook – Bill Gross – Let’s Get FisicalPIMCO 

    and
    Exercises In Supreme Hypocrisy: Bill Gross Edition – Submitted by Tyler Durden – In a pathological example of nearly clinical hypocrisy, PIMCO’s Bill Gross yesterday dedicated 4 meandering essay pages full of polemical ramblings to the characterization of America’s sad political and financial hybrid reality. Yet the billionaire’s saddest message is precisely the self-deluded aggrandizement that Gross decries yet willfully takes advantage of every single day. – Zero Hedge
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    bloomberg

    Global Boom Builds for Epic Bust: Peter Boone and Simon Johnson – There are three main lessons to be learned from the past year. First, we’ve built a dangerous financial system in Europe and the U.S., and 2009 made it more dangerous. – has other 2 and more thoughtsBloomberg
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    seeking-alpha1

    The Keynesian Multiplier: Less Effective with Each New Stimulus Package – Kimball Corson – There is a small war going on between liberal and conservative economists about whether government stimulus packages increase or do not materially affect basic levels of economic activity. Liberals think they stimulate economic growth a lot; conservative economists disagree. I think both camps are wrong and that the Keynesian multiplier becomes lower and lower and more and more transitory in its impact for each successive stimulus program adopted during a recession. …Seeking Alpha

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    euro-pacific

    Peter Schiff: A Hell of a Decade –  In its recent look back on the first ten years of the century, Time Magazine proclaimed the period to be “the decade from hell.” … Under no circumstances could the past ten years be described as “the decade from hell.” In fact, in terms of economic good fortune, the period shares parallels with the Roaring Twenties. I would describe this as a decade of sin that paved the way to hell. … – more thoughts at Euro Pacific

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    sandp1 resrecap

    has list – S&P’s Top 10 Worries for 2010 – To counterbalance an otherwise optimistic outlook for 2010, S&P’s Market, Credit, and Risk Strategies Group has issued a list of “10 Concerns You Probably Think You Don’t Need To Worry About In 2010 (And Therefore Should Be Worried About).”  The independent MCRS team is concerned about what one might call “stag-deflation.” … – Research Recap
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    dian-chu

    has lists –  BlackRock’s Crystal Ball into 2010 and the Next Decade – By Dian L. Chu
    BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) Vice Chairman Bob Doll has been putting out annual predictions for 15 years.  Doll, who helps oversee about $3.2 trillion at BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, just released his ten predictions for 2010 and for the next ten year.  Eleven of the twelve predictions he made for 2009 were right.  Below are Highlights of his latest market forecasts.Economic Forecasts & Opinions
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    bc1 businomics

    When Will China Be Larger than the U.S. Economy? – Bill Conerly – I got this question twice this week, once from an interest reader and once after a speech.  I expect China’s economy to be larger than ours within the next decade, most likely around 2018.  Here’s a picture of the two economies: … – Businomics Blog

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    johnmauldin09 johnm-frontline

    2010 Forecast: The Year of Uncertainty – … regarding the repeal of Bush Tax Cuts – … My contention is that if such a tax increase is enacted all at once, the economy will at a minimum dip back into a nasty recession. …  But I have to be willing to change my mind if The Great Experiment proves me wrong.  But if you think unemployment is high now, you will really not like what happens if we dip back into recession. It could go a lot higher. They are truly risking a great deal if they decide to pursue this experiment.  Thus, I am faced with a great deal of uncertainty as I look into the future with my forecasts …John Mauldin’s Weekly E-Letter

  • Neve em Castelo Branco

    Nevou, finalmente, em Castelo Branco. Como não é uma coisa que aconteça todos os dias, resolvi dar uma volta pela cidade mas, como estava tanto frio, só parei para tirar fotos junto à Agrária. Aqui ficam:

    Carros


    Tenho a certeza que vão aparecer melhores fotos.

    PS: Já vi vídeos da cidade com neve no telejornal 🙂