Science is the engine of prosperity

Dr. Michio Kaku explica de ce educatia este foarte importanta si cum stau lucrurile acum la nivel mondial. Concluzia socanata este ca 50% din masteranzii si doctoranzii din America sunt straini iar la nivelul stiintelor exacte acest procent se apropie de 100%.

The last soda shop

Regret ca nu avem si noi asa un magazin sau asa o varietate de bauturi racoritoare.

Stie cineva cine e producatorul din Romania la care se refera?

Meka Robotics San Francisco

Meka M1 Mobile Manipulator vimeo from Meka Robotics on Vimeo.

Meka S2 Humanoid Head vimeo from Meka Robotics on Vimeo.

Meka B1 Omni Base vimeo from Meka Robotics on Vimeo.

Meka A2 Arm Hammering Demo from Meka Robotics on Vimeo.

How computer memory is made

Cum sa faci un meniu inselator

There's a science to where on the menu you display that price, too, he says. Take a typical two-column menu: The description of the food is on the left, and the price is an inch or two from the description, on the right. Bad idea, says Mentzer. Get rid of the second column, he recommends, and put the price at the end of the sentence that describes the dish.

"You want people to read the price after they've read the description," he explains, "not before."

Now that you've nestled together price and description, you've got to think about where on the menu to locate each dish. Mentzer has studies that track where the eye travels when it reads a menu, and part of his presentation to clients is a menu divided into sections: the starlets (top right, the place for items that net the most money), the plow horses (top left, ideal for dishes that are higher than average in popularity and lower than average contributors to the bottom line), the dogs (bottom left, lower than average popularity, lower than average profits) and so on.

"The eye goes first to the starlets and it doesn't like to spend a lot of time with the dogs," he says. "I told a guy recently to move his pastas -- which are really high-margin -- from the dogs to the all-stars, and there was a 30 percent jump in sales."

Tot articolul: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/12/AR2008041201225.html

Improv Everywhere - 3000 people obey the MP3

Student loans gateway to slavery

(click pt mai mare)

Bedbugs return part 2

Se pare ca epidemia e destul de grava si a atras atentia CDCului

The classic bedbug strain that all newly caught bugs are compared against is a colony originally from Fort Dix, N.J., that a researcher kept alive for 30 years by letting it feed on him.

But Stephen A. Kells, a University of Minnesota entomologist, said he “prefers not to play with that risk.” He feeds his bugs expired blood-bank blood through parafilm.

Coby Schal of North Carolina State said he formerly used condoms filled with rabbit blood, but switched to parafilm because his condom budget raised eyebrows with university auditors.

Tot articolul:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/science/31bedbug.html

Eu zic sa pastram tot DDTul care ne-a ramas si sa il pastram cu sfintenie just in case.

De asemenea niste tips:

• Check the corners of your mattress (under) for little reddish brown spots. This is the first thing you should do at every hotel you stay at
• They leave black-grey poop stains on white surfaces
• They are visible with the naked eye

Part 1: http://gilotopia.blogspot.com/2010/08/bedbugs-return.html

Bedbugs return!

Din cauza lipsei DDTului si din cauza noilor obiceiuri de a depozita sau aduce mobila de pe strada America sufera de o epidemie groaznica de purici de pat.

Tot articolul: http://www.alternet.org/health/147848/bed_bug_infestation_is_scaring_millions_of_americans/

Piscine de oras

Ideea e sa filtreze apa din sursele naturale de apa ale orasului. Fantezie? Exista deja in Copenhaga:

Sursa piscine: http://www.pluspool.org/
Copenhaga: http://blog.thehighline.org/2008/03/28/lord-mayor-of-copenhagen-on-the-high-line-and-swimming-pools-part-i/

Walk across America

Making of:

Miami's Incredible Wall-Free Parking Garage - Herzog & de Meuron

The garage at 1111 Lincoln Road isn't the first mixed-used parking garage to incorporate retail and residential into its design, but it's the first we've seen that does so artistically. Created to accompany the bank building next door, 1111 is the work of architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. It's technically eleven floors tall, but each floor varies in size, with ceiling heights ranging from seven to 34 feet.
The ground floor is designed to house retail shops (expensive places like Taschen and Inkanta), with the top floor used primarily for penthouse residences and a large multi-use party space. Everything in between is mostly parking or art space.


Sursa si galerie: http://jalopnik.com/5594105/miamis-incredible-65-million-wall+free-parking-garage

Child brides - in America nu in satre

Rapidly fabbed not mass produced house

 the government of spain's ministry of
housing and the department of energy of the USA have teamed up to host europe's first
solar decathlon in barcelona. with the objective of achieving the cheapest solar home
in the world, the institute for advanced architecture of catalonia (IAAC) has designed and
fabricated the 'fab lab house' as their official entry into the competition. the 75 m2 house
is suitable for a family of 4 and the use of light wood as its main structural component makes it possible to assemble the house in fifteen days.

Tot articolul si galerie completa inclusiv plan:
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/10576/solar-powered-fab-lab-house.html

Savings in America

 I have heard lot of Indians in US including me telling at some point of time – “I will save some money in US and go back and settle in India”. I have seen only very few people who have actually done that. Why? The answer is very simple. In a fully capitalistic county like US it is too tough to save. Majority of the people are forced to live from pay check to pay check.

Tot articolul: http://www.sonyvellayani.com/2009/02/myth-about-savings-in-us.html



Sursa imaginii: http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/

U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan - Litiu in principal

 The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.
The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

Surprise surprise...

Sursa: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html

Remember "What's in the box?" - se va face un film holywood dupa el

About one year ago a mysterious short film called “What’s In the Box?” by Tim Smit was posted on YouTube that impressed millions with it’s convincing (but unofficial) connection to LOST, Half Life, Portal, and Samsung, along with great VFX mystery and action. It lead to a complex fan-made viral and, with the creator getting contacted by 20th Century Fox, supposedly sparked a feature film adaption based on the short movie and assumptions that the viral connected to said film. After days, weeks, and even months, there was no more news on this feature film adaption, and it was for the most part forgotten, until now. Find out why after the jump.

Filmul original:


"Noul" film:


Interviu cu regizorul:


Si trailerul 2010:


Sursa: http://www.movieviral.com/2010/04/04/exclusive-whats-in-the-box-director-confirms-feature-film-still-happening/

Earthships - case pasive

Le-am vazut la discovery. Din pacate nu este documentarul de pe discovery dar este o prezentare buna:



Mai multe:
Earthships 101 (au un intreg canal de youtube dedicat): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9jdIm7grCY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

Anul 1900 New York si Bucuresti

Am pornit de la o singura poza care nu merita postata dar m-a luat valul si am adunat o multime.

Aici avem o poza din Manhattan (New York) din 1900.

(click pt mai mare, si click iarasi la sursa pt si mai mare)
Atunci era "little Italy".

Acum este Chinatown la doi pasi de districtul financiar.

View Larger Map
(Google streetview interactiv)

Daca va uitati cu atentie se pot recunoaste unele cladiri. Pervazele si detaliile de fatada au ramas la fel.

Alte poze New York 1900:







Dar cum arata Bucurestiul la 1900? Surprinzator de bine in comparatie cu NY:

(click pt mai mare - observati domnisoara care trece strada singura in partea dreapta :) )

Ok dar aia e casa Capsa. Cum arata restul?

Tot aceeasi zona la cercul militar:



Calea Mosilor:


Alte zone:






Daca mai aveti alte poze ar fi grozav sa le putem adauga.

Cristi zice bine ce zice ca in numai 20 de ani de cand a fost facuta poza aia in New York fusese ridicata Empire State Building.

What's wrong with credit cards?

Stewart first explained that the problem with American consumers is that they not only desire a Champagne lifestyle on a Busch Light budget, but will take any opportunity to act on that appetite—even when painfully aware of the consequences of doing so. If you let them, they will spend, whether they have the money or not.

Video (nu poate fi embedded): http://tv.gawker.com/5478876/jon-stewart-sums-up-everything-that-is-wrong-with-america-in-under-four-minutes