"Survey Signals Dubai Housing Boom Has Ended" (WSJ)

Even Dubai is on the real estate roller coaster:

"This city's six-year property boom appears finally to be over, with asking prices for some homes here falling as much as 19% in October from the previous month, according to a closely followed survey.

Home prices were climbing sharply as recently as the first half of this year. But over the summer and fall, tightened local lending collided with the global financial crisis to choke off easy credit. That scared away buyers, especially local and international property speculators who have helped fan years of price increases..."

Google Flu Tracker

"Explore flu trends across the U.S.

We've found that certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity. Google Flu Trends uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional systems."

Do you favor a federal government bailout of the Detroit automakers?

That's a tough choice....Detroit, you know I love you, but........

123People.com

This has to be the most amazing/creepy internet tool I've seen in a while!
You can look up anyone by name or zip and it aggregates all of their personal and digital info! Enjoy/Beware :)

"Anti-Prop. 8 Campaign Gets A Boost From Apple" (Los Angeles Times)

Cool, big business taking a stand on social issues:

"Apple Inc. said Friday that it was donating $100,000 to fight the proposed ban on same-sex marriages in California, taking a rare political stand that may win over some customers and irk others.

The computer and gadget maker joined such companies as Google Inc., Qualcomm Inc. and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in declaring opposition to Proposition 8, which would define marriage as only between a man and woman.

“We strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights – including the right to marry – should not be affected by their sexual orientation,” Apple said..."

"Russian, Plus American Tourist Return from Space" (Associated Press)

"Richard Garriott, a 47-year-old computer games designer who created the Ultima game series, paid US$30 million for trip to the International Space Station. When he lifted off Oct. 12, he became the first American to follow his father into space..."

How Toxic Is Your iPod? (SCIAM)

"There's a big question behind this podcast: how environmentally friendly is an iPod? The answer: this Apple is more brown than green. But it's getting greener.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has not only revealed new environmentally friendly MacBooks, he has unveiled new iPods that are the most toxin-free ever. They’ve eliminated the poison arsenic and the brain-damaging mercury—and sheathed it in a recycleable aluminum skin.

Why do we care? When you trash last year's model—or any old technology for that matter, remember the Walkman?—it often ends up in a landfill or, even worse, exported to countries like China or India. There laborers are paid a pittance to smash, crack, melt and cook the materials out of old electronics. The result is local children with lead in the blood and adults poisoned by toxic fumes..."

Bill Gates' Mystery Startup: bgC3 (PC Magainze)

No one's really sure if bgC3 is just to help coordinate activities for his other organizations, or if it's some new tech/business related initiative.

"Todd Bishop, who has covered Microsoft for the last five years at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, has helped kick off his new TechFlash.com site with by revealing some details behind bgC3, a new startup apparently backed and founded by Bill Gates.
Gates, who stepped down as Microsoft's chief executive earlier this year, is apparently not quite ready to quietly spend the rest of his days fishing on Lake Washington.

"Is this Bill Gates' next big business?" Bishop writes. "A Gates insider gives an emphatic no—saying it's not a commercial venture but rather a vehicle to coordinate the software mogul's work on his business and philanthropic endeavors."...

Aetna Links Up With Microsoft's HealthVault (WSJ blog)

"Aetna is taking a new step toward making patients’ health records portable.

The national insurer will begin allowing enrollees in its plans to transfer medical records to Microsoft’s year-old health record site, HealthVault. Starting next month, many Aetna members will be able to move information from their Aetna “personal health record” — an online repository of data that includes claims, diagnoses, test results and prescriptions — to HealthVault, the WSJ reports.

This is part of a broad effort among tech companies, insurers and health providers to help patients access all of their health info in one place and transfer it easily to doctors or hospitals, among others. Sites including HealthVault and Google Health, which launched earlier this year, are trying to become central points where patients’ data are available to them, for instance, when they switch from one insurer to another..."

Computers & Politicians: Who's the Mac & who's the PC?

They say Mac users love their Macs, whereas PC users don't really love their PCs, they just use them and put up with them.

In presidential candidate terms, Obama is the Mac, and McCain is the PC. I know many people like each candidate, but Obama supporters seem to really like him, effectionately; whereas McCain fans simply support him. If Obama wins the election, I think people will literally be celebrating in the streets; I don't foresee the same reaction for a McCain win.

I would love to see a commercial of this, or a YouTube parody. Any takers??

Kapow!! CERN Atom smasher gets to work

From Scientific American / Reuters:

"Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) started up a huge particle-smashing machine on Wednesday, aiming to re-enact the conditions of the "Big Bang" that created the universe.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the largest and most complex machine ever made and the platform for what experts say is the largest scientific experiment in human history.

Tests conducted inside the tightly-sealed chamber, buried under the Swiss-French border, could unlock the remaining secrets of modern physics and answer questions about the universe and its origins.

The 10 billion Swiss franc ($9 billion) machine's debut came as a blip on a screen in CERN's control room, with a particle beam the size of a human hair appearing in the tightly-sealed 27-km (17-mile) circular tunnel..."

*** The ring has a 27km (17-mile) circumference and is located 100 meters underground.

There are also some beautiful pictures at this site: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/the_large_hadron_collider.html

Some interesting U.S. waste & recycling facts

"The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste.

Out of ever $10 spent buying things, $1 (10%) goes for packaging that is thrown away. Packaging represents about 65% of household trash.

On average, each one of us produces 4.4 pounds of solid waste each day. This adds up to almost a ton of trash per person, per year."

*** I see restaurant to-go containers as a significant contributor to these statistics. My friend just opened a pub and is using containers made from sugar cane fibers and corn plastic. Even the clear plastic-looking salad containers are biodegradable. They look the same as regular plastic containers, but take a second to look at your next to-go containers to see what they are actually made of. More info on these type of products from Eco Products: http://www.ecoproducts.com/food_services/food_containers/food_service_food_containers_index.htm.

The Masdar Initiative - Abu Dhabi, UAE

"Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 13 January 2008 - The WWF and Masdar, The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, today launched a “Sustainability Action Plan” to deliver the world’s greenest city – Masdar City. Located near Abu Dhabi International Airport, Masdar City will be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, aiming to exceed the 10 sustainability principles of “One Planet Living™”– a global initiative launched by the Worldwide Fund for Nature and environmental consultancy BioRegional.

Masdar City’s electricity will be generated by photovoltaic panels, while cooling will be provided via concentrated solar power. Water will be provided through a solar-powered desalination plant. Landscaping within the city and crops grown outside the city will be irrigated with grey water and treated waste water produced by the city’s water treatment plant.

The city is part of the Masdar Initiative, Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted investment in the exploration, development and commercialisation of future energy sources and clean technology solutions. The six-square kilometre city, growing eventually to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents, will be home to international business and top minds in the field of sustainable and alternative energy..."

"Create Your Own Social Network for Anything": Ning!

Microsoft Surface

This is so cool, yes, even cooler than an iphone! The build of it reminds me of the old glasstop video games where you sat across from your opponent for some wicked Pacman battles.
YouTube also has some funny parodies on MS Surface, but I'm including an informative one that shows you some of the amazing possibilities of this device. Microsoft has many more videos on their site too.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags - Goodbye barcodes! (Scientific American)

RFID tags have some very efficiency-enabling and cost-reducing uses, however they also come with a full set of privacy issues. We already use RFID tags in many of our everyday lives with drive-thru toll passes, implanted animal ID chips, door security cards, and other ways we may not even be aware of. Walmart uses them for their Supply Chain Management System and requires that their suppliers shift to this technology as well. Due to the power and volume of the Walmart retail system, their initiative will help reduce the cost of individual tags so that they become a more realistic alternative for other businesses and uses.

"Drilling for Hot Rocks: Google Sinks Cash into Advanced Geothermal Technology (Scientific American)

"For $1 billion over the next 40 years, the U.S. could develop 100 gigawatts (a gigawatt equals one billion watts) of electricity generation that emits no air pollution and pumps out power to the grid even more reliably than coal-fired power plants, according to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now Google.org—the charitable wing of the search engine giant—has chipped in nearly $11 million for this renewable resource: so-called geothermal power, or tapping the Earth's heat to make electricity.

That makes Google.org the largest funder of enhanced geothermal research in the country, outspending the U.S. government. The Australian government has pledged $43.5 million for such projects and already has several in the works, as do Europe and Japan.

But no such advanced geothermal plants are online in the U.S. at present, and may not be for many years to come...

"EGS is not for tomorrow," adds Lucien Bronicki, Ormat's co-founder and chief technology officer. "You have to reduce the cost of drilling to be able to go deep. You have to improve the efficiency of the pumps so you don't lose too much electricity pumping water around."

But for Google, one of the world's largest consumers of energy for its endlessly multiplying data centers, access to a googol's worth of clean energy is quite appealing. "EGS is a very exciting opportunity," Reichert adds. "We have a long way to go to bring it to commercial reality.""

Ikea investing 50 millions Euros in green technology

"...Ikea's pledge to invest €50 million ($77 million) in greentech points to a vast new market in which people would make more buying decisions that reduce their carbon footprint and allow them to use energy efficiently.

The company plans to invest in companies developing products that it could carry in its stores, including solar panels, energy-efficient lighting and water-purification kit..."

The Gina Light from BMW: "Haute Couture Carmaking for the Future" (Financial Times)

"Concept cars are built to surprise, signal new directions and push accepted limits – a bit like what haute couture dresses do in the fashion world.

But even by those standards, BMW startled motoring circles in June when it published a study for a car whose outer skin is made of cloth.

Built around a flexible metal structure, the Gina Light is covered with a sheet of durable fabric that stretches to fit when the doors open or close. Two eyelid-like slits appear in the cloth when its headlights are turned on. The model provided some clues about preoccupations and plans at the world’s top-selling luxury carmaker.

A century after Henry Ford launched the Model T, revolutionising how cars were made and sold, BMW and other manufacturers are preparing themselves for a future of intensifying cost and regulatory pressures..."

"In Booming Dubai, Call It the Anti-'Credit Crunch'" (Wall Street Journal)

"The booming Persian Gulf is starting to suffer from its own form of a credit and lending crisis.

As oil-fueled economic growth in the region surges, banks are finding that they don't have enough cash to meet all the demand from businesses to expand their operations.

The development means that unless banks are able to boost their deposits or develop new financial instruments, a lack of finance could provide an important brake on how quickly the region can grow....

"One of the big issues in the U.A.E. is the lack of financial instruments," says Mohsin Khan, the IMF's regional director for the Middle East and Central Asia. In particular, the fund is working to develop markets for "sukuk" bonds, a form of Islamic fund raising that can be traded without violating the Koran's prohibition on usury.

The value of sukuks issued rose to $47.10 billion in 2007 compared with about $25 billion in 2006 and $10 billion in 2005."...

Another factor adding to the crunch is the dollar's recent strength, which has driven away many foreign speculators who had bet the U.A.E. would cut its peg to the dollar, or revalue the local currency, the dirham."

Toilets at Google (Check out the buttons!)

Wooden Laptop from Fujitsu

"Japanese laptop vendor Fujitsu asserts its environmental awareness by releasing a wooden laptop. The "WoodShell" PC adopts cedar wood and bio-based plastics for its housing...

Fujitsu's wooden laptop is only available in Japan at the moment, and it's unclear whether the company plans to launch it globally...

The WoodShell laptop was showcased at Japan Design 2008 alongside another, more conventional-looking, but still eco-friendly laptop called the FMV BIBLO NX. The latter is built from corn-based plastic instead of the more common, petrochemical-based materials."

Solar panels on big-box U.S. retailers' roofs! Cool!! (IHT)

"Retailers are typically obsessed with what to put under their roofs, not on them. Yet the biggest store chains in the United States are coming to see their immense, flat roofs as an untapped resource.

In recent months, chains including Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl's, Safeway and Whole Foods Market have installed solar panels on roofs of their stores to generate electricity on a large scale. One reason they are racing is to beat a Dec. 31 deadline to gain tax advantages for these projects. ...

American retailers are following the lead of stores in Europe, which are much further along. Store-roof projects are so numerous in parts of Germany that they can be spotted in satellite photos. Government subsidies there, however, have lasted for years.

"In Germany, there are none of the concerns you find in the United States about whether support will be around next year," said Jenny Chase, an energy analyst in London. ...

Bernard Sosnick, an analyst with Gilford Securities who has examined Wal-Mart's plans, said the day might come when people can pull their electric cars up to a store and recharge them with power from the roof or even from wind turbines in the parking lot.

"It's not as over the horizon as it might seem," he said."

"Eye Spy: U.S. Scientists Develop Eye-Shaped Camera" (Reuters)

"CHICAGO (Reuters) - Borrowing one of nature's best designs, U.S. scientists have built an eye-shaped camera using standard sensor materials and say it could improve the performance of digital cameras and enhance imaging of the human body.

The device might even lead to the development of prosthetic devices including a bionic eye, they said..."

Yeah!! My Kiva loan money has all been raised!

I didn't think the money would be raised so fast! I'm excited to see how the loan process will continue and what Christine's group will be able to achieve with the loan!!

Looking for a good way to spend $25? (and get it returned to you!)

$1,550.00		Loan Request
$1,000.00		Raised so far
$550.00		still needed

"Christine Kiwanuka is the leader of a group of five women. She is 48 years old and is married with six children. Her eldest child is 20 years old and her youngest is 8 years old. All of her children are in school. Christine lives in a semi-urban slum on the outskirts of Kampala that is prone to flooding during the rainy season.

Christine plans on using this loan to increase her stock by purchasing wholesale and to install piped water in her home. Christine will then be able to sell more products, including water, and increase her profits. With the profits, Christine will continue to pay school fees. She hopes to eventually be able to afford to buy a motorcycle to rent out and to purchase a refrigerator to sell cold drinks..."

Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier - Poissy, France

How do you dogear a Kindle?

Kindle, the new electronic book! Sounds pretty cool and eliminates the need for storage and ordering of books. You can read about it on Wired, and also NPR did a (poolside) review of the handy new gadget. Priced at $359 on Amazon, I hope the price comes down to less than $200 in a year or so. By then, too, I'm hoping they can make a more durable version that can get dropped and rained on, as tends to be the lifestyle of my electronic gizmos :)

From Wired: "Since the Kindle was launched last November, it has been the subject of careful dissection, review, and speculation by countless blogs and news outlets, sparking one of techland's all-too-frequent debates: Is Amazon's new e-reader a game-changer?"...

UPDATE: "China Eases Internet Restrictions for Foreign Journalists" (International Herald Tribune)

"BEIJING: The Chinese authorities, bowing to criticism from Olympic officials, foreign journalists and Western political leaders, have lifted some of the restrictions that blocked Web sites at the Main Press Center for the Summer Games, although other politically sensitive sites remained inaccessible Friday."...

Access to sites the government normally blocks expanded throughout the day Friday. The first sites unblocked included those of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Radio Free Asia and the Chinese language service of the BBC.

By early evening, reporters at the press center could read about topics that have long been taboo here: Taiwanese independence, jailed Chinese dissidents and the 1989 crackdown on protestors in Tiananmen Square.

Other sites, particularly those that mention Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement, remained off limits...."

The WORLD Islands - Dubai, UAE

If I were as rich as Michael Klein (see earlier post), I would surely buy the whole world, as in "The World" islands in Dubai, UAE! This is yet another mind-blowing project underway in the constantly evolving Emirati city of Dubai.

"It was developed by Nakheel Properties and was originally conceived by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai." (Wiki)

All of the islands have been sold and construction is well under way. They are being formed from sand dredged from the sea, which by the massive volume required, makes me wonder what will be the ecological impact of this landshift.

"Brazil Rides Wave of Growth" (International Herald Tribune)

Brazil is on the rise! This article is another example of how small loans (e.g. through Kiva.org, discussed in an earlier post) can make a huge difference in people's lives by affording them the opportunity to take care of themselves and their families through working and earning a paycheck.

"FORTALEZA, Brazil: Desperate to escape her hand-to-mouth existence in one of Brazil's poorest regions, Maria Benedita Sousa used a small loan five years ago to buy two sewing machines and start her own business making women's underwear.

Today Sousa, a mother of three who started out working in a jeans factory making minimum wage, employs 25 people in a modest two-room factory that produces 55,000 pairs of cotton underpants a month. She bought and renovated a house for her family and is now thinking of buying a second car. Her daughter, who is studying to be a pharmacist, could be the first family member ever to finish college."

"...Instead, he (President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) has fueled Brazil's growth through a deft combination of respect for financial markets and targeted social programs, which are lifting millions out of poverty, said David Fleischer, a political analyst and emeritus professor at the University of Brasilia. Sousa is one such beneficiary..."

"Klein to Leave Citi with More than $42m" (Financial Times)

Congratulations Mr. Klein. I'm trying to understand why/how one person deserves that much money. Wouldn't it be great if he invested a large portion of it into something beneficial to the world such as microloans (e.g. Kiva.org - see earlier post for info). Imagine having the power to drastically improve people's lives by helping entrepreneurs around the world to be successful and self-sufficient.

"Citigroup will pay Michael Klein more than $42m in cash and stock after the high-profile banker decided to leave the financial services group and pledged not to work for a rival until October of next year.

Mr Klein’s package, which Citi detailed on Friday, is one of the largest sums paid to a departing banker who was not a chief executive since the beginning of the credit crunch. It is more than that received by his former boss, Chuck Prince..."

"Advertising Slowdown Weighs on Media Groups" (Financial Times)

In the current economic climate, companies are trimming their advertising budgets, which is hurting media groups that depend on this revenue stream for survival.

"Advertising weakness is spreading from newspaper and radio groups to the rest of the media and casting a shadow over a year that was supposed to benefit from the Beijing Olympics and a high-spending election season, analysts warn.

The biggest threat to the industry from big advertisers such as car dealers, banks, retailers and airlines, among others, as they tighten their belts..."

Media Ecology

Relatively new branch of communications study that examines how media environments effect people's lives.

"Media ecology looks into the matter of how media of communication affect human perception, understanding, feeling, and value; and how our interaction with media facilitates or impedes our chances of survival...

Media ecology is the study of media as environments..."

"Time for a Brand New You" (Financial Times)

"What do people say about you when you are not there? This may not be a question you have asked yourself before. But your successful, politically astute colleagues will probably have spent quite a lot of time thinking about their reputation, image and impact on others. So perhaps you should start thinking about it. Your career prospects depend on what They are saying about You.

This is the era of the “personal brand”. A decade ago, the management guru Tom Peters urged business people to work on “the brand called You”. Some laughed at the shameless vulgarity. Others felt it too outlandish to take seriously..."

"Kiva: We Let You Loan to the Working Poor"

Make small loans to people in need around the world, get paid back, and do it all over again!!

"Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world..."

Social Capitalism: Fast Company's 2008 Social Capitalist Awards

I'd never heard about Social Capitalism, so when I read about it in Fast Company magazine last week I wanted to discover what it was all about.....especially since at first glance it sounds a bit contradictory.

Definition: "Social-Capitalism as a theory challenges the idea that Socialism and Capitalism are mutually exclusive. Social-Capitalism posits that a strong social support network for the poor enhances capital output.

By decreasing poverty, capital market participation is enlarged..." (Wiki)

Unfortunately...."International Olympic Committee Agrees to Internet Blocking at the Games" (International Herald Tribune)

"BEIJING: The Chinese government confirmed Wednesday what journalists arriving at the lavishly outfitted media center here had suspected: Contrary to previous assurances by Olympic and government officials, the Internet would be censored during the upcoming games.

Since the Olympic Village press center opened Friday, reporters have been unable to access scores of Web pages - politically sensitive ones that discuss Tibetan succession, Taiwanese independence, the violent crackdown of the protests in Tiananmen Square and the sites of Amnesty International, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers known for their freewheeling political discourse..."

"Lion that Loves Humans"...this is amazing!

Dynamic Architecture, in Dubai, UAE

Another amazing project from Dubai! This 80-floor rotating tower is set to be completed in 2010. 90% of the tower will be built in a factory and shipped to the construction site. The entire tower will be powered from turbines and solar panels. Enough surplus electricity should be produced to power five other similar sized buildings in the vicinity. The turbines will be located between each of the rotating floors. They could generate up to 1,200,000 kilowatt-hours of energy. The solar panels will be located on the roof.

Song: "Landed", by Recloose

No video, but the song is on you tube. It's got a beatbox, froggy, jazzy feel :)

Song: "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" by Saint Etienne

Old-school down-tempo 90's jam.

Song: "Don't Stop", by the Brazilian Girls

Funky, chill, boppy :)

Song: "What Ever Happened?", by The Strokes

Rocking & rolling, but not exactly Rock 'n Roll.

Song: "C-C" (You Set the Fire in Me), by Tom Vek

Frank Gehry's "Dancing House" (The Fred & Ginger Building), in Prague, Czech Republic

I used to walk along the Vlatva river in Prague while I studied there in '99 for a semester, always awed and happy to see Fred & Ginger dancing in large above and next to me. It's amazing how a material as sharp and fragile as glass was constructed into a form that appears to flow and evokes the image of a swaying female dancer. If he doesn't catch her, she'll shatter.

Frank Gehry's Fisher Center @ Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

I stumbled upon Gehry's floating and folding performance center at Bard College in the Summer of '07 while driving around exploring the Hudson Valley area. The back of the building is a bit disappointing and disconnected design-wise from the more visible front and sides. It's a reverse mullet of a building: party up front, business in the back.

"Untouchable By Birth, Undaunted as a Politician" (International Herald Tribune)

"LUCKNOW, India: Kumari Mayawati, a daughter of so-called untouchables and India's most maverick politician, stunned the nation last year when she won majority control of India's largest state with an inventive political coalition that fused votes from up and down the ancient Hindu caste pyramid. Now, with national elections only months away, Mayawati has emerged as the most important low-caste politician in India's history, and she is asserting herself as a rainbow coalition leader whom all Indians can trust to be their prime minister one day. How far she will rise remains to be seen. But there is no disputing her importance..."

2 Quotes from Comedian Steven Wright

- "What's another word for thesaurus?"
- "When I first read the dictionary, I thought it was a poem about everything."

"Gore Seeks 100% Green Energy" (from Financial Times)

"The US should aim to generate all of its electricity from zero-carbon energy sources within a decade, Al Gore, the former vice-president, urged on Thursday."

"...Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute, an environmental group, said: “We need to change the debate in this country from what we can’t do to what we can. America has led every major technological shift in the last 100 years, and we can lead the next one as well. The problem is not technology, it is political will...”

Learning how to blog

I'm learning as I go, so watch for changes and please give me any tips on how to create/enhance a blog!

Dancing Matt!

"There are no weekend box office charts for online videos. But if there were, near or at the very top of the list right now might well be a four-and-a-half-minute video called "Dancing," which more than four million people have viewed on YouTube, and perhaps another million on other sites, in the just over two weeks since it appeared. It's the online equivalent of a platinum hit, seeping from one computer to the next like a virus..." (from International Herald Tribune)
2008

2006

"What Makes A Viral Ad?" (from CNN)

"(CNN) -- How do you create something that people want to spend more time with, and also want their groups of friends or social community to spend more time with? In this award-winning viral, a John West "spars" with a grizzly bear over a fish. The answer lies in the idea that it's "oh so viralicious," it's got to be shared -- with your friends and colleagues at the very first instance, at that second. And what will drive that is the power of that idea -- its creativity, its point of view, or sheer genius in expression." (from CNN.com)