Photo via the New Republic It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low , that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, ... View original post here: The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/ waste some time for a while staring at it while the entire life-sized animal scrolls across your browser window. Believe me, it's way cooler than you might think:... Read more from the original source: Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
published July 21, 2010 and has No Comments
Observation towers create a wonderful opportunity to connect with the environment, permitting a view over the treetops to incredible vistas. Many are utilitarian structures, but some are true works of art on their own. Abitare shows us this new one at a nature reserve on the Austrian River Mur, by Terrain: Loenhart & Mayr. ... Read the full story ...
Read more...published July 19, 2010 and has No Comments
Images: Green Building Advisor Born in Boston and living in Nashville, I'm continually struck by the fact that Southerners expect air conditioning to be everywhere and running at all times. Enduring the summer swelter just isn't the way it's done down here. New Yorkers and Bostonians, on the other hand, seem almost competitive over who can endure more heat. ...
Read more...published July 9, 2010 and has No Comments
One of the key elements of Passivhaus design has been the use of generous south-facing glazing for passive solar gain. That's great in winter, but you can have too much of a good thing in summer. Some designers install trellises and bris de soleil to cut the summer sun, but Karawitz Architecture goes a step further with an exterior ...
Read more...published July 6, 2010 and has No Comments
the good: 1 Bryant Park. Image: Viridian Realty For decades, modern office buildings have been pretty much covered in glass curtain walls. Some are high performance and very expensive, like the super-green LEED Platinum Bank of America Building at 1 Bryant Park in New York, or they can be the standard crappy suburban office building thrown up across North ...
Read more...published June 29, 2010 and has No Comments
Image from Footprint It's big and clunky and it's revolutionary. An elevator that uses no energy at all. Designed as part of the London Festival of Architecture , the challenge was to make some historic steps accessible by wheelchair and highlight the need for accessibility across London. The designer, an architect, worked with the Royal Engineers to create the ...
Read more...published June 28, 2010 and has No Comments
All Images by B. Alter: The Stadium The spotlight turned on East London for the second weekend in the London Festival of Architecture. That's where the London 2012 Olympics will be held, as will the last 6km of the London Olympic Marathon. In keeping with the East London theme, there was a tour of the Olympic site and the ...
Read more...published June 25, 2010 and has No Comments
Images by B. Alter: Norway As part of the London Festival of Architecture , twenty eight embassies are celebrating the best of their country's architecture. Strange creations like Italy's photo-reactive skin on its front door and Helsinki in a container are popping up in unexpected places. But we loved these moss-filled rooms created by PUSHAK, a Norwegian architecture firm ...
Read more...published June 25, 2010 and has No Comments
Images by B. Alter: Norway As part of the London Festival of Architecture , twenty eight embassies are celebrating the best of their country's architecture. Strange creations like Italy's photo-reactive skin on its front door and Helsinki in a container are popping up in unexpected places. But we loved these moss-filled rooms created by PUSHAK, a Norwegian architecture firm ...
Read more...published June 24, 2010 and has No Comments
Last year, Enviu , known for the sustainable dance floor and club , launched the Open Source House project , a platform to share much needed sustainable and affordable housing solutions. The goal of their first competition, in which 3100 architects participated, was to design an affordable, flexible and sustainable house for people living in poor housing conditions in ...
Read more...published June 21, 2010 and has No Comments
Image by B. Alter The London Festival of Architecture 2010 is a huge two week extravaganza that spans the city. There is a big international element this year, with more than 30 embassies opening their doors to present new work by their country's architects. Private architects' studios will be open to the public, cycle tours, walks, talks and displays ...
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This hand operated gramophone is as simple as it gets. Original post: Minimalist Gramophone Makes Playing Music Super Simple
Contrary to previously held notions of how whale songs are shared between neighboring populations, a surprising study finds that whales living the same ocean basin are singing different songs. Read the original post: Study: Humpback Whales Living in Same Ocean ...
