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Tag: blockchain
Thought starters: impact of coronavirus, Trump's failures and the grow of VR and blockchain
We are beginning to see countries emerge from lockdown typically as the spread of coronavirus begins to peter out. Sweden has been something of an outlier in Western Europe with a relatively approach to social distancing and its embracing of the process of herd immunity as Nils Karlson, Charlotta Stern, and Daniel B. Klein recount:
As the pain of national lockdowns grows intolerable and countries realize that managing—rather than defeating—the pandemic is the only realistic option, more and more of them will begin to open up. Smart social distancing to keep health-care systems from being overwhelmed, improved therapies for the afflicted, and better protections for at-risk groups can help reduce the human toll. But at the end of the day, increased—and ultimately, herd—immunity may be the only viable defense against the disease, so long as vulnerable groups are protected along the way. Whatever marks Sweden deserves for managing the pandemic, other nations are beginning to see that it is ahead of the curve.
As we attempt to move back to something close to normal life, many of us are beginning to look at ways of mitigating the risks we face particularly in our workplace. It looks increasingly like it's indoor spaces where we're most vulnerable to infection. Dr Erin Bromage reviews case studies of where we have a clearer view on where coronavirus was spread, providing some helpful advice:
Basically, as the work closures are loosened, and we start to venture out more, possibly even resuming in-office activities, you need to look at your environment and make judgments. How many people are here, how much airflow is there around me, and how long will I be in this environment. If you are in an open floorplan office, you really need to critically assess the risk (volume, people, and airflow). If you are in a job that requires face-to-face talking or even worse, yelling, you need to assess the risk.
It's proving hard to get a clear picture on the impact of coronavirus on countries health, complicated by difficulties in gathering statistics and attributing deaths to the virus. The Economist has pulled together figures on excess mortality for different countries which provide an indication of how big a mark the virus has left on different populations.
It's not hard to find reasons to criticise Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic but Edward Luce's account provides one of the better ones:
In hindsight, Trump's claim to global leadership leaps out. History will mark Covid-19 as the first time that ceased to be true. US airlifts have been missing in action. America cannot even supply itself.
The coronavirus pandemic has made disparities between different parts of society more apparent with knowledge workers often able to work from home. Service and manufacturing workers on the other hand are more likely to face unemployment or working in environments where working with social distancing might not be possible. Sara Selevitch's account of life as a restaurant worker in Los Angeles makes clear some of the challenges many people are facing:
What I am getting used to instead is the arrival of a future that tech companies have been priming us for: public spaces populated mostly by delivery drivers purchasing doomsday groceries and meals for those wealthy enough to stay home.
The reality ignored by every #StayAtHome PSA is that people's ability to social distance relies on the labor of others. It's not so much that the work we're doing is itself essential. It's our working, rather, that is essential to maintaining the status quo.
Amazon is one of the organisations that has strengthened its hold on society during the pandemic acting as online department store for the masses (or at least those who can afford Amazon Prime). Unfortunately some of Amazon's workers are doing better than others, so it's encouraging to see some of their more privileged workers such as Tim Bray making their voices known:
Amazon is exceptionally well-managed and has demonstrated great skill at spotting opportunities and building repeatable processes for exploiting them. It has a corresponding lack of vision about the human costs of the relentless growth and accumulation of wealth and power. If we don't like certain things Amazon is doing, we need to put legal guardrails in place to stop those things. We don't need to invent anything new; a combination of antitrust and living-wage and worker-empowerment legislation, rigorously enforced, offers a clear path forward.
The election of Barack Obama gave many of us hope that America would become a post racial society but the election of Donald Trump has brought on a retrogressive trajectory. Here Adam Serwer reflects on what he describes as America's racial contract:
The implied terms of the racial contract are visible everywhere for those willing to see them. A 12-year-old with a toy gun is a dangerous threat who must be met with lethal force; armed militias drawing beads on federal agents are heroes of liberty. Struggling white farmers in Iowa taking billions in federal assistance are hardworking Americans down on their luck; struggling single parents in cities using food stamps are welfare queens. Black Americans struggling in the cocaine epidemic are a "bio-underclass" created by a pathological culture; white Americans struggling with opioid addiction are a national tragedy. Poor European immigrants who flocked to an America with virtually no immigration restrictions came "the right way"; poor Central American immigrants evading a baroque and unforgiving system are gang members and terrorists.
I am a big fan of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, so it's great to see him writing about the food industry again even if the words are not especially flattering:
The pandemic is, willy-nilly, making the case for deindustrializing and decentralizing the American food system, breaking up the meat oligopoly, ensuring that food workers have sick pay and access to health care, and pursuing policies that would sacrifice some degree of efficiency in favor of much greater resilience. Somewhat less obviously, the pandemic is making the case not only for a different food system but for a radically different diet as well.
Franklin Foer points to the fragility of the American democratic system given the threat from the Russian state and Donald Trump's unwillingness to address it:
Vladimir Putin dreams of discrediting the American democratic system, and he will never have a more reliable ally than Donald Trump. A democracy can't defend itself if it can't honestly describe the attacks against it. But the president hasn't just undermined his own country's defenses—he has actively abetted the adversary's efforts. If Russia wants to tarnish the political process as hopelessly rigged, it has a bombastic amplifier standing behind the seal of the presidency, a man who reflexively depicts his opponents as frauds and any system that produces an outcome he doesn't like as fixed. If Russia wants to spread disinformation, the president continually softens an audience for it, by instructing the public to disregard authoritative journalism as the prevarications of a traitorous elite and by spouting falsehoods on Twitter.
Virtual reality has been one of those technologies that has seemed just around the corner for the last 10 years. While the consumer version of Oculus's VR headsets have now been available for over 10 years now and there's little sign of them making major in roads, even within the gaming community. Benedict Evans reflects on where to next:
To put this another way, it's quite common to say that the iPhone, or PCs, or aircraft also looked primitive and useless once, but they got better, and the same will happen here. The problem with this is that the iPhone or the Wright Flier were indeed primitive and impractical, but they were breakthroughs of concept with clear paths for radical improvement. The iPhone had a bad camera, no apps and no 3G, but there was no reason why those couldn't quickly be added. Blériot flew across the Channel just six years after the Wrights' first powered flight. What's the equivalent forward path here? There was an obvious roadmap for getting from a duct-taped mock-up to the Oculus Quest, and today for making the Quest even smaller and lighter, but what is the roadmap for breaking into a completely different model of consumer behaviour or consumer application? What specifically do you have to believe will change to take VR beyond games?
In a similar manner, Chris Dixon and Eddy Lazzarin explores the development of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, positing that we've seen three waves of innovation (with presumably more to come):
Andy Greenberg's profile of Marcus Hutchins provides an engaging tale of redemption in the latters transition from black to white hat hacker:
Stadtmueller began, almost as if reminiscing to himself, by reminding Hutchins that he had been a judge for more than three decades. In that time, he said, he had sentenced 2,200 people. But none were quite like Hutchins. "We see all sides of the human existence, both young, old, career criminals, those like yourself," Stadtmueller began. "And I appreciate the fact that one might view the ignoble conduct that underlies this case as against the backdrop of what some have described as the work of a hero, a true hero. And that is, at the end of the day, what gives this case in particular its incredible uniqueness."
Header image: Clearing VII by Antony Gormley from his 2019 Royal Academy exhibition.
Categorized as Thought Starters Tagged Adam Serwer, Andy Greenberg, blockchain, Chris Dixon, coronavirus, cryptocurrency, Daniel B Klein, Donald Trump, Dr Erin Bromage, Edward Luce, essential workers, excess mortality, Franklin Foer, hacking, industrial agriculture, Marcus Hutchins, Michael Pollan, Nils Karlson, Sara Selevitch, Sweden, virtual reality
Thought Starters: ubiquitous smartphones, post-PC and universal basic income
Thought Starters provides me with a chance to review and highlight some of the more important or interesting research and opinions that I've read over the last week or so. This edition looks at the transition from a PC to a smartphone-dominated world, the story behind financial results from Apple and Facebook, the growth of Sci-Hub and a closer look at the universal basic income model among other things:
Benedict Evans profiles the increasingly ubiquitous smartphone and how the mobile market is changing as the technology becomes increasingly commodified:
Steven Sinofsky moves to an iPad Pro for his daily computing requirements and shares his experiences. As the PC loses its hegemony, raises new challenges and opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs:
The shift to this new form factor and new platform will bring with it cultural changes that take advantage of what are perceived as disadvantages. As makers, being early is essential, otherwise you are late.
For more on the topic of post-PC world, I'd suggest reading Paul Thurrott's reluctant forecast of the demise of Microsoft's Windows and Steven Sinofsky and Benedict Evans rounding out their thoughts on the a16z podcast:
The release of quarterly results has provided a valuable window into the ups and downs of some of the world's tech giants. Neil Cybart's analysis of Apple's financial results suggests we've reached peak iPhone, with sales hit by longer upgrade cycles and fewer easy growth opportunities:
Apple CEO Tim Cook has emphasised the company's service offerings in recent announcements. It's worth having a read of Ben Thompson's analysis of this move as the company looks to avoid being typecast as simply a maker of beautiful devices:
With regards to the iPhone, it's hard to see its record revenues and profits ever being surpassed by another product, by Apple or anyone else: it is in many respects the perfect device from a business perspective, and given that whatever replaces it will likely be significantly less dependent on a physical interface and even more dependent on the cloud (which will help commoditize the hardware), it will likely be sold for much less and with much smaller profit margins.
Facebook had more joy with its financial results growing monthly and daily active users and mobile's share of traffic although growing presence in developing markets is dragging down its average revenue per user. Whilst recent research suggests that people might be increasingly wary of sharing their personal thoughts on Facebook, the social network maintains a strong role as onramp to many consumers' digital world as Will Oremus comments:
The company has reinvented itself in two distinct ways. First, Facebook as a platform has been quietly evolving into something different than a social network—something less personal, but no less useful. Second, Facebook as a company has been furiously hedging its bets on the future of technology and social media, to the point that it is no longer properly described as merely a social network—no more than Alphabet (né Google) is properly described as a search website.
So what has the Facebook app and site become, if not a social network? The answer is rather obvious when you watch how people use it. It has become a personalized portal to the online world.
Whilst tech unicorns have typically avoided the scrutiny of the stock market by staying private, analysis of sales of ping-pong tables in Silicon Valley suggest that venture capital funding might not be as free flowing as it once was:
Whilst we're on the subject of startups, it's worth reading Chris Dixon's call for entrepreneurs to look broadly to better understand future threats and opportunities, namechecking automation of logistics, apps, video and voice services:
Think of the internet economic loop as a model train track. Positions in front of you can redirect traffic around you. Positions after you can build new tracks that bypass you. New technologies come along (which often look toy-like and unthreatening at first) that create entirely new tracks that render the previous tracks obsolete.
The American IAB has released research tracking consumers' use of smartphones and tablets when shopping, pointing to the ways different age categories use their devices. This providing both a threat and an opportunity for traditional bricks and mortar retailers:
John Bohannon profiles the growth of Sci-Hub which offers users a means of accessing copyrighted academic research regardless of whether people have the necessary institutional resources. The service provides a valuable source for researchers in less well-funded institutions, but usage statistics suggest that users include plenty of people with the necessary credentials and are simply looking for more user-friendly alternatives:
With predictions of automation threatening employment across an increasingly broad spectrum of jobs, there's been growing calls for the introduction of universal basic income. This would essentially provide a guaranteed income to all regardless of employment status and has gained an interesting collection of supporters from both ends of the political spectrum. It's something I am expecting to hear a lot more about in the coming months and you get an introduction to the concept from Tim Harford (shorter version), Andrew Flowers (longer version) and the Freakonomics team (podcast version).
The featured image is a Nerone mural from Bordeaux, France published in ekosystem.
Categorized as Thought Starters Tagged Andrew Flowers, Apple, Benedict Evans, blockchain, Dominic Frisby, Facebook, Freakonomics, IAB, iPhone, John Bohannon, Neil Cybart, Nerone, post PC, retail, Sci-Hub, smartphone, Steven Sinofsky, tablets, Tim Cook, Tim Harford, universal basic income, venture capital, Will Oremus
Thought Starters: venture capital's global hubs, blockchains and Facebook's ups and downs and Amazon as more than just a retailer (and we're not talking about AWS)
Thought Starters provides me with a chance to look through the articles, research and opinion pieces I've read, highlighting interesting trends, developments and changes in the world you and I live in. This edition looks at the global hubs for venture capital, blockchains ups and downs, Facebook's success and challenges and Amazon's move from retailer to service provider among other trends and insights.
A profile of Martin Prosperity Institute points to the dominance the US has in venture capital with London ranking 7th among metropolitan centres:
There's been a lot of talk of the potential for blockchain technologies to upend the incumbents in the financial services sector, but the major banks are beginning to make themselves known. Tanaya Macheel profiles different blockchain based initiatives by some of the major American banks which includes attempts to patent innovations in a sector previously associated closely with open source technology:
Keeping on the blockchain theme, Timothy B. Lee profiles the growing pains that Bitcoin is experiencing as growing demand challenges the infrastructure of the technology as it currently stands:
The Bitcoin community is currently locked in a debate about whether to follow that same trajectory: whether to grow quickly at the cost of possibly becoming more centralized. The difference is that the way the Bitcoin network works means that early adopters have an effective veto over further growth. If a critical mass of Bitcoin stakeholders refuse to accept larger blocks, the Bitcoin network could be stuck with its current, limited capacity for years to come.
WhatsApp has done a great job of expanding its reach which has seen it recently pass the 1 billion user maker despite having only 57 engineers. What the mobile messaging platform has been less successful in doing is monetising its user base compared to Line and WeChat as Terence Lee reports although there are indications this is likely to change:
Amazon is one organisation that has done a great job of monetising its platform, moving from a bare bones online retailer to a dominant player in retail providing a range of ecommerce related services to third parties (see illustration below). This ties in nicely with a recent Jan Dawson blog post where he stresses the need for providers to absorb as many activities as possible (eg Facebook) or alternatively be on as many domains as possible (eg Uber):
An interesting recent development in Amazon's strategy is its experiment with the opening of a physical store in Seattle with reports that they plan on rolling out 300 to 400 stores across the US in the future.
Tal Shachar with Liam Boluk point to the growing glut of content that consumers face across a range of media and with this comes the growing issue of discovery and opportunities for content curation. Sentiments further echoed in a recent post by Benedict Evans:
https://twitter.com/BenedictEvans/status/677977465373896704
WeAreSocial have recently published the Digital in 2016 report, providing a range of digital benchmark statistics including internet, mobile internet, social media and mobile app usage along with a range of other indicators. Well worth bookmarking for future use:
It's financial results season in the US with recent announcements from Apple, Alphabet and Facebook. One of the interesting points to emerge from Facebook's results is how well the company has transitioned to a mobile first company since 2010 as Alice Truong reports:
Where Facebook has been less successful is in the launch of its Free Basics offering in India. The service looks to offer free access to limited selection of mobile optimised content to mobile users but has come into fierce opposition from net neutrality campaigners in India according to Lauren Smiley's report:
Free Basics only serves a tiny Facebook-endorsed portion of the Internet to users for free — a "walled garden" as opponents call it — while users must pay to access anything else on the web. As Backchannel has been chronicling for some time, they see it as a violation of the principle of net neutrality, that all things on the internet should be treated the same to preserve competition: no faster data connection for deep-pocketed companies, no charging consumers for some sites but not others, no cordoning off slices of the internet by private companies.
Sometimes the internet doesn't prove quite as virtual as you'd imagine. Dan Wang profiles the physical delivery of data to servers around the world by content delivery networks (CDNs) as a means of speeding up the delivery of content to internet users in a curious mix of the physical and the virtual:
So instead of using the Internet to transfer big pieces of data, companies have turned to the global freight network. High-traffic websites copy data onto hard drives (which are no bigger than what you'd use to back up your laptop), pack them into cardboard boxes, and then fly them around the world. They can be in a box in the belly of a passenger plane, right beside cartons full of iPhones.
Business Insider profiles the digital habits of American teens. Whilst the sample size of 60 is a far from representative sample, it does provide some interesting insights into the habits of younger consumers:
Alexander J. Motyl warns of a Russian collapse, fueled by an economy hamstrung by its dependence on a declining petroleum market and a political system resistant to change and reform:
The problem for Putin—and for Russia—is that the political–economic system is resistant to change. Such a dysfunctional economy is sustainable only if it is controlled by a self-serving bureaucratic caste that places its own interests above those of the country. In turn, a deeply corrupt authoritarian system needs to have a dictator at its core, one who coordinates and balances elite interests and appetites. Putin's innovation is to have transformed himself into a cult-like figure whose legitimacy depends on his seemingly boundless youth and vigor. Such leaders, though, eventually become victims of their own personality cult and, like Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Mussolini, do not leave office voluntarily. Russia is thus trapped between the Scylla of systemic decay and the Charybdis of systemic stasis. Under such conditions, Putin will draw increasingly on Russian chauvinism, imperialism, and ethnocentrism for legitimacy.
Ben Judah recently published This is London: Life and Death in the World City, taking the approach of a foreign correspondent to reporting on the experience of immigrants in his home city. His interview in London School of Economics' lecture series is well worth a listen for anyone interested in the experience and impact of London's many immigrant communities:
The featured image is a CT mural from Torino published in ekosystem.
Categorized as Thought Starters Tagged Alexander J. Motyl, Alice Truong, Amazon, banks, Ben Judah, Benedict Evans, Bitcoin, blockchain, content delivery networks, content glut, curation, Dan Wang, Facebook, Jan Dawson, Lauren Smiley, Liam Boluk, London, Martin Prosperity Institute, Russia, Tal Shachar, Tanaya Macheel, teenagers, Terence Lee, Timothy B. Lee, venture capital, Vladimir Putin, WeAreSocial, WhatsApp
Thought Starters: the fallacy of maximising shareholder value, the impact of climate change on your wallet and our responses to ISIS
The following is a look through articles, research and opinion pieces highlighting interesting trends, developments and changes in the world you and I live in, with an emphasis on technology.
The following figures presented by DoubleLine Capital's Jeffrey Gundlach point to the fact that the global economy isn't out of the woods yet:
Steve Denning uses Roger L. Martin's analysis in Fixing the Game to point out how management's focus on maximising shareholder value comes at the expense of long term value creation and ultimately society:
"In today's paradoxical world of maximizing shareholder value, which Jack Welch himself has called "the dumbest idea in the world", the situation is the reverse. CEOs and their top managers have massive incentives to focus most of their attentions on the expectations market, rather than the real job of running the company producing real products and services."
Om Malik covers the release of the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, highlighting growing penetration of different technologies (smartphones, mobile internet etc) and the regions where we're forecasted to see particularly strong growth:
We're seeing technology have an increasingly significant role in the employment landscape as machine learning, robotics and a growing array of sensors expand the range of tasks we can automate. The Bank of England's Chief Economist, Andrew G Haldane recently gave a speech where he explored these changes and their implications which can be found in an abbreviated form on re/code:
Chris Field and Katharine Mach profile the work of Marshall Burke, Solomon Hsiang, and Edward Miguel who have researched the economic impacts of climate change. With the Paris Climate Change Conference fast approaching, now is an important time to make your concerns known about global warming to your local government – not one to stand on the sidelines for:
"Their conclusion delivers two blockbusters. First, in contrast to past studies, they argue that 21st century warming could lead to huge global-scale macroeconomic impacts. The best estimate from Burke and colleagues is that business as usual emissions throughout the 21st century will decrease per capita GDP by 23% below what it would otherwise be, with the possibility of a much larger impact.
Secondly, they conclude that both the size and the direction of the temperature effect depend on the starting temperature. Countries with an average yearly temperature greater than 13°C (55°F) will see decreased economic growth as temperatures rise."
Before you suggest the issue of climate change is too difficult, it's worth reviewing research at the Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University which points to the feasibility of a move to a society that doesn't rely on fossil fuels:
"In a few decades, the world could be powered by nothing but wind, water, and sunlight. That's the conclusion of a new study released just before world leaders head to Paris to strike a climate deal.
"These are basically plans showing it's technically and economically feasible to change the energy infrastructure of all of these different countries," says Mark Z. Jacobson, director of the Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University, who worked with University of California colleagues to analyze energy roadmaps for 139 countries."
Chain founder Adam Ludwin is interviewed for Andreessen Horowitz's podcast focusing on the growing world of blockchain innovation. Among the subjects covered are the merging cultures of finance and tech, the price of bitcoin, the importance of blockchain (rather than bitcoin) and a review of private and permissioned blockchains and uses for colored coins and sidechains:
Michael Vakulenko looks at at how the movement to self driving cars is likely to unseat traditional manufacturers' position in the car market. Among the particular technologies and innovations he points to as catalysing change are services and apps, transportation platforms, fleet routing and navigation:
"It's still too early in the game to say which companies will dominate the future transportation market. One thing is a safe bet: The future transportation ecosystem will look very different from the existing automotive industry. It will resemble modern technology ecosystems with their platform business models, permissionless innovation by developers, and domination of software-centric companies."
Technology based disruption hasn't received the same level of media attention in education as it has in other sectors with the possible exceptions MOOCs reflecting a more constrained funding pool and the comparatively complex web of different stakeholders. The NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition provides a valuable review of emerging innovations in the primary and secondary education sector, with technologies typically augmenting rather than replacing current ways of working:
The New York Times' experiment with Google Cardboard has gained lots of plaudits for pushing the boundary for online journalism at scale. Whilst the experiment has catalysed interest in these new formats, Will Smith stresses the need for fully featured virtual reality platforms such as Oculus Rift to differentiate themselves from Google Cardboard:
"In the meantime, if you enjoyed your first taste of VR, courtesy of Cardboard and 360 video, that's great! Welcome to the future! But if that first taste of VR turned your stomach, please know that it doesn't have to be this way. The problems that affected you have been solved—you just need better hardware than comes free with the Sunday paper."
Steve Albini wrote the essay The Problem with Music in 1994 critiquing the music industry and its ability to both give musicians money and then take it back with a litany of expenses. Albini gave an update of sorts last year at the Face the Music conference where he saw musicians as now being in a better position to take control of their own destiny:
The Socio-Economic Segregation in European Capital Cities project has been looking at levels of inequality and the proximity of the rich and poor in 12 different cities across Europe. Richard Florida's summary of the research points to a general trend of increasing income inequality (measured by Gini coefficient) and residential segregation (measured by index of dissimilarity) across Europe, although Tallinn and Oslo make for interesting outliers:
ISIS' attack on Paris on the 13th of November was a tragedy which has led to some important discussions about how we deal with the threat of terrorism. The Economist's look at global deaths from terrorism puts the deaths in perspective, pointing to how much the West has in many cases been spared the worst effects of terrorism:
The attacks have led to renewed calls for backdoors in secure products and encryption software. Kim Zetter provides a valuable rebuttal starting with the lack of evidence to support the view that the terrorists used encryption technology. She then goes on to point out that there will always be homebrewed encryption alternatives, encryption doesn't hide metadata and weakening existing products ultimately makes everyone vulnerable:
"If Snowden has taught us anything, it's that the intel agencies are drowning in data," EFF Attorney Nate Cardozo says. "They have this 'collect it all mentality' and that has led to a ridiculous amount of data in their possession. It's not about having enough data; it's a matter of not knowing what to do with the data they already have. That's been true since before 9/11, and it's even more true now."
Adam Shatz writing for the London Review of Books reports more broadly on ISIS' aims with the terrorist attacks and the options the West has in reducing chances of future incidents:
"Now IS is unrivalled among jihadist groups, and no one knows quite what to do that won't make the problem worse. Anything that can be done now risks being too little, too late. It's true that IS is no match, militarily, for the West. The attacks of 13 November were in the anarchist tradition of the 'propaganda of the deed', and we shouldn't fall for it: the social order of Europe isn't in jeopardy. But it would also be a mistake to underestimate the problem. IS has managed to insert itself, with no small amount of cunning, and with acute sensitivity to feelings of humiliation, into two of the most intractable conflicts of our time: the relationship of European societies to their internal, Muslim 'others' and the sectarian power struggles that have engulfed the lands of Iraq and Syria since 2003."
One of my real concerns is that the attacks could further marginalise Muslim populations already living in Western Europe and USA and lead to the closing of borders to refugees fleeing turmoil in places like Syria and Afghanistan. By doing this, the West would essentially be handing ISIS a victory of sorts as Adam Taylor reports:
"The very same refugees entering Europe are often the very same civilians who face the indiscriminate violence and cruel injustice in lands controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (though, it should be noted, many in Syria are also threatened by the brutal actions of the Syrian government). Globally, studies have shown that Muslims tend to make up the largest proportion of terror victims, with countries such as Syria and Iraq registering the highest toll.
If Muslim refugees come to Europe and are welcomed, it deeply undercuts the Islamic State's legitimacy. Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, has helpfully catalogued some of the Islamic State's messages on the refugees pouring into Europe from the Middle East. The messages give the impression of deep discomfort and even jealousy that the Muslim population the Islamic State so covets for its self-proclaimed "caliphate" would rather live in "infidel" Western lands."
The Economist's analysis of health spending and life expectancy point to the fact that there's a far from direct correlation between the two with the United States's poor performance in particular standing out:
Raffi Khatchadourian has written a thought provoking profile of Nick Bostrom for the New Yorker profiling the latter's research into whether developments in artificial intelligence and other technologies will lead to human extinction. His approach is definitely more thoughtful than your average Hollywood blockbuster.
The featured image is Phoenix by DALeast in Penang, Malaysia and published in StreetArtNews.
Categorized as Thought Starters Tagged 360° video, Adam Ludwin, Adam Shatz, Adam Taylor, Andreessen Horowitz, Andrew G Haldane, Atmosphere/Energy Program, automation, automotive, Bank of England, Bitcoin, blockchain, Chain, CityLab, DALeast, DoubleLine Capital, economy, edtech, encryption, energy, Ericsson, Fast Company, Forbes, Future of Humanity Institute, GDP, Google Cardboard, Guardian, gun control, guns, healthcare, inequality, International Monetary Fund, Internet of things, ISIS, Jeffrey Gundlach, Mark Z. Jacobson, music, New York Times, New Yorker, NMC, Om Malik, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Raffi Khatchadourian, refugees, Richard Florida, self driving cars, shareholder value, Socio-Economic Segregation in European Capital Cities, solar energy, Stanford University, Steve Albini, Syria, terrorism, The Atlantic, The Economist, VisionMobile, Vox, Washington Post, Will Smith, wind energy, Wired, World Bank, World Economic Forum
Thought Starters: Chinese digital media, iPhone's dominance, Holacracy and Europe's lagging digital innovation
We are seeing Chinese businesses increasingly innovate and excel, providing business models that set themselves apart from businesses in the West. Digital media and communications have been a particularly fertile ground illustrated by the following table which illustrates how diversified the revenue streams of Tencent and YY are compared to their American counterparts:
Apple is carving an increasingly dominant place in the world's smartphone marketplace in terms of market share and profit. Some critics have questioned whether Apple can continue this growth trajectory, but Ben Thompson provides a strong defence for why we're not likely to see this train derailing in the near future:
Closely tied to the issue of smartphone ownership is the penetration of different mobile browsers. Here again Akamai's figures point to Apple's Mobile Safari browser dominating globally:
Roger D. Hodge looks at the ups and downs of Zappos' introduction of the Holacracy system for self-organisation. It's a long article but provides a valuable window into the challenges (and some of the opportunities) of introducing radical organisational change:
As we embed the internet in an more aspects of our lives, countries' digital readiness provides an increasingly important measure of future economic health. Tufts University created the Digital Evolution Index to measure the building of digital capacity and many European countries don't come out particularly well according to Bhaskar Chakravorti and Ravi Shankar Chaturvedi:
One digital innovation with its roots in Europe is the blockchain platform Ethereum (although there's definitely an argument for it being a global project). Vinay Gupta provides a valuable look at the development of blockchain and smart contracts within the wider context of the evolution of databases and the internet.
Christina Farr looks at the rise and fall of the home cleaning service Homejoy, providing important lessons for startups aiming for growth at all costs.
A lot of media attention has focused on the rapid rise in San Francisco property prices, so it's interesting to see UBS' comparison of how overvalued the city's real estate is compared to other leading cities:
Eric Jaffe's analysis of trends in working hours over the last 130 years points to a downward trend – lets hope that we see this trend continue without leaving us all unemployed:
The featured image is a mural in Covilhã, Portugal by Pantonio and published in StreetArtNews.
Categorized as Thought Starters Tagged Akamai, Apple, Ben Thompson, Bhaskar Chakravorti, blockchain, bubble, Christina Farr, Creative Strategies, digital capacity, Digital Evolution Index, employment, Eric Jaffe, Ethereum, Facebook, Harvard Business Review, Holacracy, Homejoy, iPhone, McKinsey Global Institute, mobile browser, mobile internet, monetisation, property, Ravi Shankar Chaturvedi, Roger D. Hodge, smart contracts, startup, Stratechery, Tencent, Tufts University, Vinay Gupta, working hours, Youtube, YY, Zappos
Thought Starters: the changing media landscape, smartphones' impact on our lives and Volkswagen's blunder
The following is a collection of articles and thought pieces highlighting interesting trends, developments and changes in the world you and I live in, with an emphasis on technology:
The last year has seen growing interest among banks and other large financial institutions in blockchain based solutions. The technology has real benefits but also comes with limitations which Ben Milne from Dwolla explores.
Blockchain and bitcoin have been closely associated with open source technology, but Brian Armstrong argues for a more balanced attitude to intellectual property as the technology matures and patent trolls emerge.
Facebook is looking to grow its presence in developing markets as it rebrands its Internet.org app as Free Basics by Facebook:
The marketing and media landscape is continuing to evolve rapidly with Goldman Sachs pointing to the growth of closed advertising systems, the role of Google and media consolidation as being key drivers for change.
Jason Kint and Vincent Peyrègne in their analysis point to the unfettered chasing of advertising dollars as inevitably to the growth in ad blockers (see below). In response, they're calling for the industry to proactively respond with the development of guidelines which will see a more responsible attitude to consumer privacy and online advertising banners:
Armando Biondi on the other hand looks at the increasingly fragmented marketing technology landscape and points to how this is redefining the role of the CMO to one who increasingly manages a range of technology service providers.
SAP have worked with the team at Information is Beautiful to produce an interactive infographic providing an introduction to the internet of things. You can get a taste of it below but I'd recommend clicking through to get the full interactive version:
Dan Frommer asks why we're still calling that device in our pocket a phone when talking makes up only a small part of its use according to Akamai research:
It's worth having a look at comScore's 2015 U.S. Mobile App Report if you want to a window into how consumers are using their smartphones:
Smartphones are reshaping the way that consumers communicate with each other, not just digitally but also impacting on our conversations in the real world. Sherry Turkle looks at those aspects that change and stay the same.
Volkswagen's rigging of emissions tests in the US has seen the automotive brand deservedly take a big hit. Nature takes a closer look at the story and some of the wider problems associated with diesel automotive emissions. But before you single out Volkswagen, it's also worth looking at research from Transport & Environment which points out other brands that have been pushing the boundaries:
The United Nations Refugee Agency have produced the following video which does a great job of putting Europe's refugee crisis in context and suggests who could be doing more:
The featured image is Black Machine by NEVERCREW in Turin, Italy and was published in unurth.
If you're interested in a more regular and unfiltered stream of information and insights, I'd suggest you follow my Pinboard and Pinterest accounts.
Categorized as Thought Starters Tagged ad blocker, Akamai, Apple News, Armando Biondi, banking, Ben Milne, blockchain, closed advertising systems, CMO, communication, conversation, Dan Frommer, Facebook Instant, Goldman Sachs, Information is Beautiful, Internet of things, Jason Kint, mobile apps, mobile internet, Nature, NEVERCREW, online media, refugees, SAP, Sherry Turkle, Transport & Environment, United Nations Refugee Agency, Vincent Peyrègne, Volkswagen
Thought Starters: WeChat, Android fragmentation, media consumption and Ethereum
The following is a collection of articles and thought pieces highlighting interesting trends and changes in the world you and I live in, with an emphasis on technology.
Connie Chan's profile of WeChat for Andreessen Horowitz is a strong reminder that there's plenty of tech innovation outside Silicon Valley which can change the world.
The significance of WeChat can be seen in Benedict Evans' analysis of the growing dominance of mobile and more specifically smartphone. As handsets increasingly come to dominate the digital landscape there's been a flow on effect on a range of new tech innovations that are leveraging associated hardware and software innovations:
Cities around the world are competing to be seen as the most friendly for internet startups. Startup Compass have looked to rank cities by their performance, funding, market reach, talent and startup experience in the 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking. It's no surprise that Silicon Valley comes out on top:
OpenSignal have updated their findings on fragmentation within the Android ecosystem which provides an illustration of the broad array of devices and challenges in adapting to the operating system:
Ofcom's Communications Market report provides a valuable window into the changing media and technology usage of UK consumers. A great starting point if you're doing research into use of TV, video, radio, telecoms and web based content.
Liam Boluk looks at consumers' changing consumption of music in the US and how the industry is attempting to adapt to new business models:
Ethereum has launched its blockchain based cryptocurrency out into the public realm incorporating a virtual machine and smart contracts. This along with other blockchain based platforms will push the internet into new realms inside and outside the financial sector. Check out the video below, Vinay Gupta's introduction and Ethereum Frontier Guide if you want to get more actively involved.
Big news this week was Google's announcement of a restructure that has seen the creation of Alphabet as a holding company with various subsidiaries for its various business arms. Ben Thompson takes a closer look at the motivations and likely implications of the move.
Marco Arment takes a critical look at the increasingly intrusive online media sector. He goes on to argue (despite being a publisher himself) that this approach provides growing justification for consumers' use of ad blocking software despite the negative effects this is likely to have on media creators:
"All of that tracking and data collection is done without your knowledge, and — critically — without your consent. Because of how the web and web browsers work, the involuntary data collection starts if you simply follow a link. There's no opportunity for disclosure, negotiation, or reconsideration. By following any link, you unwittingly opt into whatever the target site, and any number of embedded scripts from other sites and tracking networks, wants to collect, track, analyze, and sell about you."
The featured image is Cesarea, a piece by Bosoletti in Casarano, Italy and published in StreetArtNews.
Categorized as Thought Starters Tagged adblock, Alphabet, Android, Ben Thompson, Benedict Evans, blockchain, Bosoletti, Connie Chan, Ethereum, fragmentation, Google, Liam Boluk, Marco Arment, mobile messaging, music, Ofcom, OpenSignal, ranking, smartphone, startup, Startup Compass, UK, WeChat


WaterMelon, a self-proclaimed 'international' game development studio, started as a homebrew outfit. While the company incorporated in Muscatine, Iowa in 2009 – 5 years after the group reportedly started working on "Pier Solar and the Great Architects" ("Pier Solar") – and incorporated in Hong Kong in 2015, the general vibe the company gives off is one of a shady Chinese operation.
"Pier Solar" made a big splash back in 2010, as it was originally released via an incredibly limited print run for the Sega Genesis, over a decade after the Genesis' demise. Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy ROMs, "Pier Solar" was functionally un-pirateable due to some of the technical wizardry involved with its oversized cartridges (capacity, not physical). Thus, "Pier Solar" became something of a Holy Grail for seekers of old-school RPG goodness, as it was made public right in the middle of the drought-stricken 7th Generation, in which RPGs were driven to the brink of extinction.
When, in 2014, it was revealed that "Pier Solar" was getting a High Definition re-release for the Sega Dreamcast as well as every digital platform known to gamers, a great sense of ease washed over the RPG-starved masses, as we knew that we would no longer be deprived of a taste of this elixir distilled from the last remaining waters of the Golden Age. I ordered a Dreamcast copy of "Pier Solar" for the outrageous price of $50, then proceeded to wait, and wait, and wait… and wait… and wait some more. Before my physical copy of the game even arrived in the mail, I had purchased "Pier Solar" for a paltry sum during one of GOG.com's sales. I still had the intention of playing the Dreamcast version, so I held back, and got lost in my backlog.
Eventually, "Pier Solar" floated to the muddied surface of my glut of unplayed games. I no longer have my Dreamcast connected to my TV (as I had to replace my old one), so I decided to leave the Dreamcast copy that FINALLY arrived sealed in its shipping wrapper (to preserve its collector's value, obviously). I fired-up the GOG.com version of "Pier Solar" and prepared to have my mind blown.
It was… but not in a good way.
"Pier Solar" is an attractive game when running in 16-bit mode. The environments are quite eye-catching, though the character sprites are, unfortunately, less than impressive. When running "Pier Solar" in HD or HD+ (HD+ just applies a smoothing filter to HD, which would look familiar to anyone experienced in the use of emulators on 16-bit ROMs), the environments look absolutely amazing… yet the sprites still look the same, and somehow manage to look even worse due to the clash between their style and the environments.
The character sprites are very pixilated and overly ambitious, making it difficult to tell what the characters look like. To make up for this, each party member and important NPC has a portrait that appears when they speak (as has become a fairly standard practice). These character portraits differ greatly between 16-bit and HD mode, making the characters practically unrecognizable. To make matters worse, these ugly, pixilated sprites receive an excessive amount of animation for EVERYTHING they do. These animations are slow, repetitive, and drag down the game's pace significantly… even when casting healing spells outside of battle!
The environments, while beautiful, also tend to be incredibly cluttered. Perhaps this is the result of overly-ambitious graphic designers attempting to prove just how much (WaterMelon) juice they can squeeze out of a Genesis or Dreamcast, but it makes the game tedious to play. Paths are frequently hidden by clutter, making it difficult to tell where the party can walk and even where they need to go.
Enemy designs are incredibly bland, and get re-used a LOT. Most 16-bit games would pallet swap enemies to allow for differently-colored versions of the same generic monster to have different levels of power. "Pier Solar" doesn't bother with that. It just re-uses the exact same (hideously-colored) turtles, slimes, naked giants, etc. throughout the game without pallet swapping. Even worse, none of the game's enemies have names applied to them, so I can't call them out by name, only description. There are plenty of rehashed bosses too, which is further disappointing.
The soundtrack is probably the best single thing about "Pier Solar," and even that is a mixed bag. While the main theme is quite pleasant, and is artfully woven through other tunes in the soundtrack, the two tunes players will hear most – the battle theme and the victory chime – are bland and grating, respectively.
I have heard that most of the digital versions of "Pier Solar" suffered from numerous annoying bugs early on. Having played a fully-patched and finalized version of the game, I can confirm that I did NOT run into any major bugs. I can also confirm that the fully-patched version of the game on digital platforms adds a number of player concessions, including the ability to speed-up the horrifically slow animations and fiddle with the random encounter rate. These concessions are very nice, but they ultimately don't do enough to save this game from itself.
"Pier Solar" opens in a small town and reveals that our hero, Hoston (not Houston, which would have been better), and his friends are all tweens or young teenagers.
"Pier Solar" has numerous moments throughout its script that seem like they were written by an English as a Second Language (ESL) student… A 'C' student, at that!
"Pier Solar" features a lot of dialog. Much of this dialog seems like it was intended to be funny, but actually just comes off as cringeworthy. Referencing real-world topics in a fantasy world, breaking the fourth wall, and cluttering the game's lore with stupid, throw-away comments makes it impossible to take the characters, plot, or narrative seriously. This isn't a parody game like "Earthbound," and it cannot get away with that kind of stuff.
STRIKE 3… "Pier Solar," you're OUTTA THERE!
But wait! The game still isn't done flailing away at its attempted story! "Pier Solar" features incredibly weak character development, boringly stereotypical NPCs, and a predictably clichéd plot that doesn't hold any promise.
STRIKE… 4? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?
"Pier Solar's" story elements are so bad that, when combined with its mediocrity in every other area, I couldn't bring myself to push through to the end of the game. While "Pier Solar" is reportedly somewhere between 20 and 50 hours long, I only managed to make it 9 hours in before setting the game aside for a month in favor of sorting through the massive hoarding piles left behind by my late Troll Dad. When you would rather sort through literal garbage and random junk than play a game, you know you have a Bad game on your hands (yes, with a capital 'B')!
"Pier Solar" is a fairly straight-forward turn-based RPG. How could WaterMelon screw that up?
Well, they could make the random encounter rate a skosh too high and make the rate of ambush attacks even higher than that (giving monsters a free turn against the player's party). They could also combine a generic MP system for casting spells with a 'Gather' system that requires characters to spend/waste a turn charging up energy (which is not MP, somehow) in order to cast higher-power spells… make that up to 5 turns spent Gathering. They could also make random encounters incredibly beefy, to the point of taking numerous turns and a significant resource hit against the party each and every time, not to mention the fact that enemies can come in flying and earthbound varieties, and only a small portion of the player's party can hit flying enemies with standard attacks.
Guess what? WaterMelon did ALL of those terrible things I mentioned. Even worse, they screwed up the world map once the player passes about the 5-hour point. What at first looks like a fairly standard world with visitable points of interest that lead to towns, dungeons, etc., eventually morphs into a giant maze with very little overworld activity. The player will spend a huge amount of time in inter-connected dungeons that just refuse to open-up to the world map. These dungeons are so overwrought and convoluted that they EVEN CONTAIN TOWNS.
Cutting the bitterness of these ill-conceived mechanics with some generic equipment and item mechanics isn't enough to turn "Pier Solar" into a good or enjoyable game. It's just a slog that doesn't do anything clever or engaging with the genre framework it's built upon.
I was one of those in pursuit of the RPG Holy Grail, and I believed it would be "Pier Solar and the Great Architects." I was wrong. We were all wrong! "Pier Solar" is not the next great RPG we've been looking for. "Pier Solar" is not a successful homage to the great RPGs of the 16-bit era. "Pier Solar" is not even a good game. Having seen their magnum opus and having dealt with their horrendous customer service and constant missed deadlines, I will never buy another WaterMelon product again.


Show Racism the Red Card and Sue Mutter, Advisory Teacher: Gypsy Roma Traveller Education and EAL worked in partnership with Dagenham and Redbridge for a great day of learning and fun.
Students from Cleveland, Ray Lodge, Goodmayes and Aldershot Schools were invited on the 26/1/15 to take part in a series of workshops held at Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club.
The day began with a brief introduction of the people on the day. From SRtRC we had Osei Sankofa and Clint Easton, and from Gypsy Roma Traveller education we had Sue Mutter with her fantastic volunteers.
Students had an anti-racism workshop with our inspirational educators which focused on terms and definitions, and also discussed myths around stereotypes; using specially developed resources we worked with students to encourage participation and discussion, and students came back with some really interesting comments. The students then had a workshop with Sue talking about racism towards Gypsy and Traveller people, and then a 50 minute ground tour of the stadium!
After lunch the students watched our SRtRC film featuring Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry and Rachel Yankey among others talking about the dangers of racism and their own personal experiences. They were treated to a panel including current Daggers players Scott Doe, Abu Ogogo and current manager Wayne Burnett. In addition the panel included SRtRC staff member Clint Easton, David Landau from Redbridge Equalities and Community Council, Jason Lee, former professional footballer and now equalities representative of the Professional Footballers Association and Redbridge Borough Commander Sue Williams. The students got to test the panel with some very hard questions. Among the best questions was Michael from Ray Lodge School who got the panel deliberating with his thought provoking question 'If you had to sum up racism in one word, what would it be and why?' and another student who asked 'Have you ever formed an opinion of someone before you meet them, only to change your mind when you do meet?' After many more great questions the best three were picked and the winners received a SRtRC T-shirt, SRtRC mini football, and tickets to the Dagenham and Redbridge FC match this weekend!
Show Racism the Red Card would like to sincerely thank Dagenham and Redbridge FC and Redbridge Council who funded the work, for their continued and staunch support with this valuable work.


In a concerted effort to elevate our institution's standing among those in the Kansas City research community and beyond, we recently announced a fundamental shift in our research operations to focus on advancing the scientific exploration of biomedical and translational research.
The shift in strategic direction marks an important step toward achieving KCUMB's strategic goal of enhancing research activity and positioning the University as a magnet for students pursuing degrees in the biomedical sciences. It also provides us with additional opportunities to collaborate with colleagues at the University of Kansas Medical Center, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Children's Mercy Hospital and other key stakeholders in the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute.
As a result of this shift, KCUMB will no longer pursue industry-sponsored clinical trials. We are currently working to transition our existing industry-sponsored clinical trials to other providers.


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World's best airport bike paths
By Peter Walker, for CNN • Updated 21st October 2014
Bicycles and airplanes might not seem like the greatest travel partners.
Yet two wheels and two wings can co-exist in surprisingly beautiful ways.
Consider the airport bike path, an increasingly popular feature at airports around the world.
Some allow travelers to pedal right up to their plane, while others skirt airport perimeters, permitting cyclists a closeup view of the behemoths of the sky.
Here's a selection of world favorites.
Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok)
Suvarnabhumi's 15-mile bike track loops around the airport.
Courtesy Richard Barrow
Cycling in the Thai capital's infamous traffic is generally the preserve of the borderline suicidal.
A different experience awaits with the newest of the world's airport bike routes.
At just more than the 15 miles long, the traffic-free loop circumnavigates Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (sometimes referred to as Bangkok International Airport).
It's free, though cyclists need to show ID for access.
The smooth, green-tarmacked track was formerly part of an access perimeter road used during the airport's construction about a decade ago.
It's now used by all sorts of riders, notably the rapid, sporty variety, who use it as a training route.
This isn't the oddest sporting facility you'll find at a Bangkok airport.
The city's older international hub, Don Mueang International Airport, has a Royal Thai Air Force golf course between its two runways.
Anyone can play, but be prepared for your golf bag to be checked first for surface-to-air missiles.
Kastrup Airport (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Whatever Bangkok is to cyclists, the Danish capital is the opposite.
Cycling isn't a hobby here, it's a way of life.
Throughout the city are miles of carefully planned, segregated bike lanes full of pedaling Danes.
Given that, and the fact the city's Kastrup Airport is just six or so miles from the center, it's no surprise this is one of the world's smoothest bike-to-plane experiences.
There are a range of traffic-free bike lanes all the way from the city to airport terminal buildings, and you can leave your bike directly outside the airport, assuming there's space (lots of airport employee ride to work).
That leaves the conundrum of transporting large baggage.
Copenhagen cycling blogger Mikael Colville-Andersen has a solution: he's been known to collect guests, bags and all, from the airport on a cargo bike, the voluminous, box-fronted machines common in the city.
One caveat to all this bike joy is that it's largely for the locals -- there is, as yet, no bike rental outlet at the airport.
MORE: 10 things to know before visiting Copenhagen
Lanzarote Airport (Canary Islands, Spain)
If you've ever had the urge to see the belly of a plane operated by budget carrier Ryanair from a distance of about 20 meters but just didn't know how, here's the answer.
Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, a compact, volcanic smudge off the coast of northwest Africa, is already something of a draw for serious road cyclists with its lightly trafficked roads, idyllic scenery and perma-spring climate.
There's also a quiet, largely traffic-free bike lane along the coast from the main resort of Puerto del Carmen to the island's quiet capital, Arrecife.
Aside from passing beaches, bars and restaurants, it skirts Arrecife's surprisingly busy seafront airport.
Those in the know stop just beyond the fence at the tip of the southwest-facing runway.
Takeoffs are exciting -- an increasingly loud roar that crescendos when a plane suddenly shoots overhead.
Landings are better.
On a clear day (and most days are clear) you can watch aircraft landing lights draw near for several minutes as the plane draws closer, finally just clearing the fence -- and you -- before landing.
You know you don't have to duck but you still might.
MORE: 10 of the world's best city running trails
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver's International Airport has five sets of bike parking racks between its terminals.
Courtesy VANCOUVER AIRPORT AUTHORITY
Vancouver's busy international airport describes itself as "committed" to helping more people ride to and from its location on a semi-detached island a little more than 10 miles from the city center.
An official airport map has a range of cycling options, including cycle lanes adjoining roads and shared pathways, with no fewer than five sets of bike parking racks scattered between the terminals.
If you arrive weary from a flight and decide you simply can't face a ride into the city, the airport's rapid rail transit system happily transports bikes (apart from two hours during peak commuter times).
Manchester Airport (UK)
Manchester Airport, it's fair to say, isn't on many list of the world's great aviation hubs.
But it is the UK's third busiest airport, handling 20 million passengers a year. And it has a defunct Concorde on display.
Far less known is that Manchester Airport -- located in the Cheshire countryside about 10 miles from the city center -- possesses an eight-mile orbital cycleway.
This bike route is so close to the action it features a pair of tunnels passing under the twin runways.
The route also takes in some lovely countryside adjoining the Styal Country Park, and a selection of pubs.
It's more often used for leisure riding and plane spotting than riding to catch flights, though some do.
MORE: Best perks from the best seats: Ultimate first-class airline offerings

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I do handmade forgery. Material - any. Clay, wool, cotton, straw and others. I adore decorating the house with my own hands. I think this brings a special cosiness to the house. I work as a manager for one economic company. I like my work, it suits me. I found many friends thanks to this work. We like to organize themed parties. We even have our own special holidays, which no one will understand except us.
I'm looking for a man who is ready to give me a real happy family. In return, I will make him the happiest man in the world. I will never betray or deceive my man. I want to be respected and appreciated. I want to be one team with my man. We are equal players. We are partners. I want a family in which I will feel protected and calm.


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![](https://github.com/cobi-bike/DevKit/blob/master/COBI-DevKit.png)

One of the most natural things in a city is riding your bicycle. And bikes are getting smarter today, too.

We have folks from [COBI](https://www.cobi.bike) on site at our hackathon. They just recently released an SDK for their connected biking system so you can program your own module that appears inside the COBI app.

Find their SDK documentation [here](https://github.com/cobi-bike/DevKit).
And here's the direct link to their [FAQ](https://github.com/cobi-bike/DevKit/blob/master/FAQ.md).

Please do talk to the nice & cool guys from COBI during our hackathon if you have questions about their product or their SDK.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Rising 417 feet the art deco masterpiece was completed in 1931. For over a half century this thirty two story Saint Paul landmark dominated the Minnesota capital city skyline. In the 1980's the completion of Galtier Plaza (46 residential floors – 450 feet) and the Wells Fargo Center (36 office floors – also 450 feet) at last brought the First National Bank Building neighbors. It features perhaps the world's first skyway, if not certainly the highest at the time, which connects its 17th floor with its companion building. The fifty foot, three sided red neon 1st'sign atop the office building is a night-time beacon seen for twenty miles. The full block property recently received a major restoration and upgrade for its twenty first century tenants.


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Solana (SOL) looks poised to break above $200 – Analysis and price prediction below
After an impressive 2021, Solana (SOL) has lost a bit of momentum especially after the broader crypto correction we saw at the tail end of the year. The coin still managed to return 8600% in value, and as the ecosystem continues to bring in more blockchain projects, the future is looking bright. But can Solana (SOL) rebound and surge past $200 in the near term? We will analyse this below but first, some highlights:
Solana (SOL) is trading around its $167 support and has been for a while. This could suggest it's consolidating for an upward breakout.
Overhead resistance is around $180, and we expect SOL to test it in the coming days as part of a broader rally towards $200.
However, the coin is still well below its 50-, 100-, and 200-day simple moving averages, suggesting bear pressure is still high.
Solana (SOL) – Price analysis and prediction
After losing some of the gains it had made in 2021, Solana (SOL) appears to have found sufficient support around the $167 price. In fact, for most parts in December and January 2022, the coin has traded around that threshold.
If a rally comes, it will start from $167 moving upward. But an upswing can only happen when SOL surges above its 50-day moving average of $174 and starts to retest the overhead resistance of $180.
Once it tests the $180 mark and consolidates around it, we could see an uptrend surging above $200. This move will represent gains of nearly 20% from its current $167 price.
Why you should buy Solana (SOL)
Solana (SOL) is often seen as the Ethereum alternative, and for a good reason. It offers better speeds and scalability. So far, the platform has seen increased developer activity, and its long-term fundamentals are incredible. Solana (SOL) is projected to hit $1000 by 2030, so it's a very decent buy.
Can Binance Coin (BNB) hit $650? Here is some analysis and price prediction
Internet Computer (ICP) has outperformed all crypto assets in the last 7 days – Where will the uptrend go next?
Analysis Bitcoin BTC CRYPTOCURRENCY February 27, 2022 0
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What: of Mice and Men and Impersonal Natural Laws
Book: Of Mice and Men
Pages: 3 Words: 536 Views: 584
?Of Mice and Men Naturalism The struggle against forces beyond human control: Lennie couldn't control that he had special needs. So him nor George could help it. In the end, he just got scared and that's why he had killed Curley's wife. "I tried, Aunt Clara, ma'am. I tried and tried. I couldn't help it"(97). He was explaining how he couldn't help that he broke everything that he pet. Because, he was too strong for what he could handle and he was just born with special needs which is a force beyond his control.
Individuals' lives and characters governed and determined by impersonal natural laws and forces, such as social conditions and the environment: Pretty much all of the characters lives were determined by environment and social conditions of the Great Depression. It caused most of them to be often searching for a job and didn't have a lot of money. Also, Lennie and George had their lives change because of a social condition/law. Lennie says, "Jus' wanted to feel that woman's dress-jus' like it was a mouse"(11). And after that the woman accused him of rape. Which led Lennie and George to leave Weed, which changed their lives forever.
Nature being indifferent to human struggle or society as insensitive to special needs. Attempts at exercising free will or choice are hamstrung by forces beyond their control: Lennie couldn't control that he had special needs. Nature just gave it to him. "I don't want ta hurt ya"(87). This shows that Lennie really didn't want to, he was just to big and strong. Afterwards society was insensitive to him (even with his special needs). This shows when Curley got everyone together to go and try to kill Lennie. So in all society didn't except Lennie even at the beginning. Humans as animal-like; instinctive:
Throughout the novel there was many comparisons of characters as animals. This mostly just happens when describing Lennie, because he is so big. "…and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags it's paws"(2). That describes Lennie as a bear because of how he was walking which not only showed naturalism, but was really putting a picture in the reader's head of how he was walking too. "Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again"(8). The task of caring for Lennie has fallen to George, who like a dog's "master", must watch Lennie every moment.
Death is natural; survival of the fittest: Survival of the fittest is definitely portrayed in this novel. Curley's wife was obviously weaker than Lennie, so Lennie could kill her because of how strong he was. But later, Lennie died because of what he had done to her and he was weaker in the brain, which ended up killing him in the end. Because George didn't think he could keep going to new places with Lennie because he would keep getting in trouble. At the end of the book Slim knows why George would have to kill Lennie. "You hadda George, I swear you hadda"(102). w
Author: Josh Garten
Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby Analysis
Of mice and men "dreams"
Of Mice and Men Essay - True Friendship
Of Mice and Men: How Does the Writer Create a Memorable Climax in Chapter 5?
Of Mice and Men- How Does Steinbeck Show Loneliness in 'of Mice and Men'
Topic: What: of Mice and Men and Impersonal Natural Laws


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Jimmie Silver
August 16, 2018 November 10, 2018 Managing Editor 1221 Views
Jimmie Silver joined the United States Army in 1988. He was assigned to the 28th Combat Support Hospital (28th CSH) at Fort Bragg, NC. In 1990 he was called to a tour of duty in the Middle East serving in Desert Storm. In 1992 Jimmie was honorably discharged from the military after serving 4 years. He continued to serve for another six years in the Army Reserves and North Carolina National Guard.
Jimmie worked as a Correctional Officer at Caledonia Correctional Institution followed by Rocky Mount Department, NC Division of Motor Vehicle and retired from the North Highway Patrol as 1st Sgt. after 30 years of service.
Jimmie attended Nash Community College and earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. He also is a graduate of North Carolina State University, Administrative Officer Program. The Administrative Officer Program is a unique and prestigious program for law enforcement managers. This program only accepts 30 participants from across the U.S and International Departments.
Jimmie hold certifications as a North Carolina Training and Standards Instructor and Specialize Instructor. Jimmie is also a Federal Instructor in the areas of Incident Management. Jimmie was promoted to supervisor and served in several areas in the highway patrol to include Headquarters, Special Operations and Field Supervisor. Jimmie was the first Native America to serve as a supervisor in the Hazardous Material Unit and at Headquarters in the Motor Carrier Unit with the Highway Patrol.
Jimmie was the recipient of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award. This award honors persons who have a proven record of exemplary service to the state of North Carolina and their communities that is above and beyond the call of duty and which has made a significant impact and strengthened North Carolina. It is awarded by Governor Roy Cooper.
Jimmie volunteers in the in the community, church and charity organizations such as Chairperson of the State Employee 's Credit Union Advisory Board. He is an active member of the American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars and Troopers Associations. He is married to Terri Silver and they have two daughters India and Elizabeth and a grandson Emory.
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Although "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel was written about twenty years before I was born, it has always been one of my favourite songs in the world. And I have always wondered what it may sound like, the sound of silence. Now I know: Silence sounds like gently rolling hills and mountain tops covered with snow, like horses softly plucking grass between heather on pasture that stretches to the horizon. Silence sounds like "No phone connection", like no electricity. Silence sounds like beef steaks, as long as my forearm, which are silently fizzling over the log fire. Silence sounds like Brokeback Mountain.


with charities both locally and in other parts of the world.
If you have any enquiries about our support to charitable organisations, please email us.
Both directly and via the French Huguenot Church of London, we have been supporting charities such as ACO (Action Chrétienne en Orient), Dispensaire Français (French Clinic – DF-SFB), the Notre Dame de France Refugee Centre in London, the construction of a Protestant church and educational centre in Djibouti, the Jonas Foundation and the Shelter charity which helps the homeless, since 2015.
In addition to financial aid, we aim to sustain active links with the charities we support. For example, the children's and youth choir of the Jonas Foundation UK regularly comes to take part in Sunday services in Soho.
Collections of clothes and toiletry items are organised regularly within our congregation for the Notre Dame Refugee Centre in Leicester Square.
For your involvement in different activities, please follow the links to find pratical information and contacts.
– By bank transfer, mentioning the reference 'Solidarité' and your name.


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The Future of Aviation: Electric Airplanes Will Decarbonize the Aviation Industry
The global aviation industry produces about two percent of all human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Aviation is responsible for 12 percent of CO2 emissions from all transport sources, compared to 74 percent from road transport, according to the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). In 2018, flights produced 895 million tonnes of CO2, worldwide. Globally, humans produced over 42 billion tonnes of CO2.
Aviation has brought great benefits to humanity; it has connected people and businesses across the world contributing to globalization and the expansion of international commerce. More recently, aviation and low-cost travel have opened the world to thousands of remote workers and location-independent individuals --also known as digital nomads-- who enjoy the marvels of traveling the world at a low-cost while delivering their work digitally.
However, recent discussions on the implications of climate change and how carbon emissions are affecting the environment have prompted more initiatives focused on reducing carbon emissions. One of those initiatives involves decarbonizing the aviation industry.
There has been a significant improvement from the fuel consumed by jets in the 1960s to the present day. Jet aircraft today are over 80 percent more fuel-efficient per seat kilometer than the first jets in the 1960s, according to the Air Transport Action Group. In the same way, urban mobility has experienced an evolution toward vehicle electrification, we will soon start to see the transformation of the aviation industry into the development of large electric air vehicles that will be cruising the skies in just a few years' time.
One of the most significant initiatives for electric air vehicles that has been initiated by a world-class higher education institution is the Cambridge Zero, which combines a full range of research and policy expertise in order to help create a zero-carbon future.
Cambridge Zero: An initiative from the University of Cambridge that brings electric air vehicles closer to the sky
TheUniversity of Cambridge in England, U.K. has launched an ambitious new environment and climate change initiative with the goal of scaling the process of turning ideas into new technologies in the aviation and power industries. This could result, for starters, in covering around 80 percent of the United Kingdom's future aerodynamics technology needs.
Cambridge Zero is not just about developing greener technologies but combining the University's top-class research and policy expertise in favor of developing actionable solutions that work for the citizens' lives, society, and the biosphere as a whole.
Electrification: Electric air vehicles (EAVs) perhaps ready by 2024
Worldwide, flights produced 895 million tonnes of CO2 in 2018. Globally, humans produced over 42 billion tonnes of CO2. --ATAG
For small and medium-sized aircraft, electrification is a way to decarbonize. Currently, over 70 aviation companies are planning the first flight of electric air vehicles (EAVs) by 2024. Unfortunately, larger aircraft have to continue relying on the jet engine, for now. However, this is going to change in the coming years thanks to hybrid-electric engines that will come first. As the path to fully electric aircraft continue to evolve initiatives such as the Cambridge-MIT Silent Aircraft Initiative and the NASA N+3 Project are developing novel aircraft architectures with the potential of reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 70 percent.
According to the N+3 Technology Level Reference Propulsion System Project's Abstract (PDF), an N+3 technology level engine, suitable as a propulsion system for an advanced single-aisle transport, was developed as a reference cycle for use in technology assessment and decision-making efforts. This reference engine serves three main purposes:
It provides thermodynamic quantities at each major engine station
It provides overall propulsion system performance data for vehicle designers to use in their analyses
It can be used for comparison against other proposed N+3 technology-level propulsion systems on an equal basis
This reference cycle is meant to represent the expected capability of gas turbine engines in the N+3 timeframe given reasonable extrapolations of technology improvements and the ability to take full advantage of those improvements.
Meanwhile, at the Whittle Lab in Cambridge, the researchers are working on applications that include the development of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, the generation of power from the tides and low-grade heat like solar energy, and hydrogen-based engines. According to ProfessorRob Miller, Director of the Whittle Laboratory, world leading turbomachinery research lab at the University of Cambridge, the researchers are also working on existing technologies as a way of reducing the carbon emissions, like wind turbines, and developing the next generation of jet engines such as Rolls-Royce's UltraFan engine, which will enable CO2 emission reductions of no less than 25 percent by 2025.
Professor Miller's research is aimed at reducing the emissions of both air travel and land-based power production. He has worked extensively with industry; he is currently undertaking research in collaboration with Rolls Royce, Mitsubishi, Siemens, and Dyson.
Rolls-Royce UltraFan engine: The next generation of jet engines
The UltraFan is a new architecture of Rolls-Royce for civil engines. Phil Curnock, Chief Engineer, Civil Future Programs, Civil Aerospace Rolls-Royce explains how the progress and technologies at play within the UntraFan bring a new era of jet engines closer to reality. Curnock says the UltraFan is different from today's engines because it incorporates the power gearbox into the gas turbine, which allows a larger diameter fan, more flow for the engine which makes the engine more efficient
The power gearbox is introduced between the fan and the intermediate pressure compression. This ensures that the fan, compressors, and turbines all continue to run at their optimum speed. It also incorporates a composite fan in the front of the engine, which allows for a lighter turbine.
Meanwhile, in Gloucestershire, Rolls-Royce introduces Accel
Accel, Rolls-Royce powered new electric demonstrator aircraft's flight testing is scheduled to begin rather soon in 2020. The zero-carbon emissions is set to become the world's fastest electric-powered aeroplane after breaking the current record. The first flight will be targeting a new air-speed record of more than 300mph flying 200 miles (from London to Paris) on a single charge. The current speed record for an aircraft powered by electricity is 213mph and was set in 2017 by Germany's Extra Aircraft 330LE powered by a Siemens electric motor.
Accel, powered by "the most powerful battery ever put in an aircraft," according to Rolls-Royce and reported by Industry Editor Alan Tovey at The Daily Telegraph, is partly funded by the U.K. government and it involves a host of partners including electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA as well as aviation start-up Electroflight.
The electric plane, which targets the record books, was unveiled for the first time at Gloucestershire Airport, in the U.K. last week.
Electrical propulsion system: Building the aircraft of the future
Dr. Chez Hall, has been developing research into the areas of aero-engine design for reduced carbon emissions, engine-installation interaction, and low-noise turbomachinery since 2005.
Together with his research team at the Whittle Lab, they are working on how a potential replacement for the 737 could work. The futuristic aircraft architecture would count with an electrical propulsion system which would be embedded into the aircraft fuselage; this would allow up to 15 percent reduction in fuel burn. According to Professor Rob Miller, a key element of meeting the decarbonization challenge is to accelerate technology development. Focusing on the process itself during the past five years, they now can develop technology at least 10 times faster and 10 times cheaper.
"Our solution is to merge the digital and physical systems involved. In 2017, we undertook a pioneering trial of a new method of technology development. A team of academic researchers and industrial designers were embedded in the Whittle Lab and given four technologies to develop.
The results were astonishing. In 2005, a similar trial took the Whittle two years. In 2017, the agile testing methods took less than a week, demonstrating a hundred times faster technology development," wrote Professor Miller on the Whittle Lab blog.
"We describe it as tightening the circle between design, manufacture, and testing," he says. "Design times for new technologies have been reduced from around a month to one or two days using augmented and machine-learning-based design systems. These make use of in-house flow simulation software that is accelerated by graphics cards developed for the computer gaming industry."
"Manufacturing times for new technologies have been cut from two or three months to two or three days by directly linking the design systems to rows of in-house 3D printing and rapid machining tools, rather than relying on external suppliers. Designers can now try out new concepts in physical form very soon after an idea is conceived."
He also explains that testing times have been reduced from around two months to a few days by undertaking a value stream analysis of the experimental process. Each sequential operation was analyzed, in order to remove over 95 percent of the tasks, producing a much leaner process of assembly and disassembly. According to Professor Miller, test results are automatically fed back to the augmented design system, allowing it to learn from both the digital and the physical data.
"There's a natural human timescale of about a week whereby if you go from idea to result then you have a virtuous circle between understanding and inspiration. We've found that when the technology development timescale approaches the human timescale – as it does in our leaner process – then innovation explodes," he says.
Decarbonizing the aviation and energy industries
The New Whittle Laboratory will house the National Centre for Propulsion and Power, which is due to open in 2022 with funding from the Aerospace Technology Institute. The National Centre for Propulsion and Power is designed to combine a scaled-up version of the agile test capability with state-of-the-art manufacturing capability to cover around 80 percent of the U.K.'s future aerodynamic technology needs.
The Whittle Laboratory counts with very strong industrial partnerships which have lasted for over 50 years with manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Siemens, as well as a partnership with Dyson for around five years. According to Professor Miller, another component of the new development is going to be a Propulsion and Power Challenge Space where teams from across the University of Cambridge will co-locate with industry to develop the technologies necessary to decarbonize the propulsion and power sectors.
Thanks to these strategic partnerships and their many benefits it has been possible for the researchers to enable technology strategy that can be shared at the highest level also triggering the start of new projects that can be kicked off rather quickly, and without the need for contract lawyers. Joint industry–academic technology transfer teams move seamlessly between industry and academia, ensuring that technologies are successfully transferred into product.
According to Professor Miller, the partnerships provide a source of real high-impact research projects. "It's these long-term industrial partnerships that have made the Whittle the world's most academically successful propulsion and power research laboratory."
"We are at a pivotal moment, in terms of both Cambridge's history of leading technology development in propulsion and power, and humanity's need to decarbonize these sectors. Just 50 years ago, at the opening of the original Whittle Laboratory, research and industry faced the challenge of making mass air travel a reality. Now, the New Whittle Laboratory will enable us to lead the way in making it green."
Electric aircraft propulsion technology evolution
In the video above, Dr. Duncan Walker, Senior Lecturer in Applied Aerodynamics at Loughborough University, and a Member of the Rolls-Royce UTC in Combustion System Aerothermal Processes since 1994, explains all about the changes expected in aviation in the coming years, including the electrification of future aircraft propulsion technologies. Dr. Walker specializes in experimental and computational study of gas turbine aerodynamics and combustion system aerothermal processes.
According to Dr. Walker, the big changes are not going to happen for the first 10 to 20 years, However, after that, "we're going to see electric powered aircraft coming along." First, and pretty much as we have seen it with electric vehicles, it is going to be a hybrid type aircraft with at least one jet engine or gas turbine. That will produce most of the thrust required for cruise. He explains that to help the aircraft off the ground it will have big electric fans powered by batteries.
Battery technology is not good enough at the moment, Dr. Walker says. The development of better batteries and better energy storage will be happening in the next 20 or 30 years. The combustion system also has to change, obviously, since that is where the fuels are burnt and where the emissions are produced.
There are exciting times ahead for the aviation industry. We all hope that in a few decades' time electric airplanes will be as common as the aircraft that cruise the skies today.
Watch the video: Is There A Better Way To Power Airplanes? (January 2023).
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WIth over 20 years experience at the NCAA Division 1 college level as head coach at the University of New Hampshire, Thompson understands what it takes to develop into a collegiate player. He has extensive experience with youth players, both girls and boys, throughout his over 26 years of soccer instruction.
UNH all-time wins leader
Honored as America East Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2009
Won America East regular season title in 2009
First undefeated conference regular season (6-0-1, 2009) by any America East team since 1997
Led UNH to conference semi-finals six times (2006, '07, '09, '10, '12, '13), and conference title games in 2010 & 2012
Led America East conference in best discipline record 14 out of 15 years
Finsihed in top three in national Division 1 NSCAA fair play rankings (2009, 2012, 2013)
UNH soccer was nationally ranked in 1993, 1994, 1997, and 2005
Named US Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) Regional Coach of the Year in 2008
Led Seacoast United U18 Academy Team to only USSDA playoff berth in club history (2011)
Coached Seacoast United U17 boys team to USL Super Y League championship match (2007)
Coached Seacoast United U17 boys team to USYSA Region 1 final (2007) and #8 national ranking
Led Seacoast United youth teams to eight NH state USYSA titles in nine years (1998-2006)
Member of USYSA Region I Olympic Development Staff (1994-2007)
For the 2016/17 season, Rob is coaching the 2000/U17 Girls NPL and 2004/U13 Boys NPL Premier Blue teams.


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Never A Dull Moment At JDT
Ah, Johor Darul Takzim. The Malaysian club flush with royal riches are not finding football success that easy to come by.
Just recently, Bojan Hodak was bought in to replace Cesaer Jiminez as first team coach...the reason? Jiminez's English was not that good! I guess the initial job interview was carried out in Spanish? Anyway, he has been placed in charge of the JDT U21 and JDT II where, I imagine, the players understand Espanol better than the first team!
Expensive Argentine import Pablo Aimar, who was runoured to have been unhappy at the club anyway, has been dropped. The crown prince of the state, who is also the president of the football club said JDT were not 'able to maximise our investment'.
And then there is the decision to drop Singapore international defender Baihakki Khaizan, a 'phenomenal defender' says the prince, but Jiminez said the team needed someone with 'greater physical ability.' So they drop the player voted the best defender in the league last season.
Bai remains under contract apparently and has been told he can train with the first team but will only play for JDTII!
With JDT fans talking about boycotting games in anger at recent developments at the club, the prince had taken to the clubs Facebook page to explain the recent decisions but he began his statement by saying 'I would like to take this opportunity to express my disappointment due to a majority of you out there jumping to conclusions and speculating without actual facts and truth.'
He went on to say 'We must be an example as a professional club football association in the country' and goes on to talk about the club's fighting spirit. The same fighting spirit, perhaps, that saw players from an opposing team allegedly assaulted in the tunnel at half time.
On the field Johor Darul Takzim have been enjoying some good form recently, winning four and drawing three of their last seven games, a run that has seen them climb to third in the Super League, three points behind leaders Pahang.
Appointing big names in whatever capacity guarantees nothing but headlines just like pots of money guarantees nothing but less cash in the bank.


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Félix Murcia Aguayo (Aranda de Duero, Castella i Lleó, 1945) és un director artístic espanyol, responsable de l'ambientació i decoració d'un gran nombre de pel·lícules, sèries de televisió i obres de teatre, i fundador i vicepresident de l'Associació Professional de Directors d'Art de Cinema i Televisió d'Espanya.

Trajectòria
Estudià en l'Escola d'Arts i Oficis de Madrid, on obtingué els títols de disseny interior, arts aplicades, escenografia, i el superior de disseny. També va fer estudis de guió cinematogràfic i de direcció de cinema. Els seus primers treballs van ser per als estudis de la televisió holandesa de Hilversum, i a partir del 1966 per a Televisió Espanyola, fins al 1978. A partir de llavors es dedica exclusivament al cinema, i comença a impartir classes de la seua especialitat en l'Institut Oficial de RTVE, labor que dugué a terme fins al 1980. Aquest any participà encara com a escenògraf en la sèrie Fortunata y Jacinta dirigida per Mario Camus. Posteriorment ha treballat en moltes pel·lícules que ja són història del cinema espanyol, com ara La escopeta nacional (Luis García Berlanga, 1978), El crack (José Luis Garci, 1981), La fuga de Segovia (Imanol Uribe, 1981), El bosque animado (José Luis Cuerda, 1988), El rey pasmado (Imanol Uribe, 1991), Días contados (Imanol Uribe, 1994), El perro del hortelano (Pilar Miró, 1996), les nominades als Oscar Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Pedro Almodóvar, 1988) i Secretos del corazón (Montxo Armendáriz, 1997), en projectes internacionals com Els senyors de l'acer / Flesh & Blood (Paul Verhoeven, 1984), Gallego (Manuel Octavio Gómez, 1988), Adriana (Margarida Gil, 2004), i ha estat nominat al Premi Goya a la millor direcció artística dotze vegades, en cinc de les quals li fou atorgat. També ha estat el responsable de l'escenografia en gran nombre d'espectacles teatrals. El 1982 dirigí, a partir d'un guió propi, Sombras de cristal, el seu primer curtmetratge, guardonat aquell mateix any amb el Premi Especial Qualitat per la Direcció General de Cine. Durant anys ha exercit de professor-tutor de direcció artística en l'Escola de Cinematografia i Audiovisuals de Madrid, i des del 2009 coordinà, ensems amb Jonathan McKinstry, la nova titulació de direcció artística en el centre d'estudis cinematogràfics de la Ciutat de la Llum, abans que aquesta fos tancada el 2012.

L'any 2002, la SGAE publicà el seu llibre La escenografía en el cine. El arte de la apariencia, un dels títols més importants en espanyol dedicats íntegrament a aquesta especialitat.

Premis
 Premi Nacional de Cinematografia del Ministeri de Cultura (1999)
 Premi Goya a la millor direcció artística:
 1986, per Dragon Rapide
 1991, per El rey pasmado
 1993, per Tirano Banderas
 1996, per El perro del hortelano
 1997, per Secretos del corazón
 Premi Especial Qualitat 1982 de la Direcció General de Cine del Ministeri de Cultura per Sombras de cristal
 Premi Especial Qualitat 1995 de l'Institut de la Cinematografia i de les Arts Audiovisuals del Ministeri de Cultura per Sombras en una batalla

Referències

Cinema a Espanya
Escenògrafs espanyols
Cartellistes espanyols
Guanyadors del Premi Goya a la millor direcció artística
Persones d'Aranda de Duero
Artistes de la província de Burgos
Dissenyadors espanyols

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Jason Berry
City of a Million Dreams – The Film
City of a Million Dreams – The Book
Render Unto Rome
Earl Long in Purgatory
Up from the Cradle of Jazz
Vows of Silence – The Film
Vows of Silence – The Book
Last of the Red Hot Poppas
The Spirit of Black Hawk
Louisiana Faces
Kirkus Review: City of a Million Dreams
August 20, 2018 user
A vivid evocation of the Big Easy, whose nickname sidesteps three centuries of uneasy history.
Writer and documentary film producer Berry (Render Unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church, 2012, etc.) opens with a juxtaposition of two important moments in the recent history of New Orleans: the 2015 funeral of musical legend Allen Toussaint, which "resembled an affair of state," and the fiery debate over removing Confederate statues from the city's public places. This "clash of icons" speaks to the significant question of what the city's history really is: Is New Orleans a space where transformative works of art and music have been born or a place where some of the worst angels of our nature have been let loose? The answer, of course, is both. Borrowing the thought from novelist Walker Percy that the people of New Orleans are "happiest when making money, caring for the dead, or 'putting on masks at Mardi Gras so nobody knows who they are,' " Berry explores key moments in the clash of cultures and powers. Carved out of the scrubby Mississippi River lowlands as an entrepôt and anchor for France's inland empire, New Orleans was, by its 10th year, "a black majority town with slave labor." Indians were enslaved, too, even as the French concluded treaties with faraway Indian nations. The city was affected by both the Reign of Terror in Paris and the slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, both of which indirectly led to the acquisition of New Orleans as part of Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase—said the seller, a cash-strapped Napoleon Bonaparte, "I renounce it with the greatest regret….I require money." Confederate center, strategically important port, birthplace of jazz, setting of tragedy and disaster, and now a site of gentrification: Berry nimbly covers New Orleans in all its aspects over 300 years, "a map of the world in miniature, a blue city floating against the odds of sea rise and climate convulsions, blue forever in its long sweet song."
Every major city should have such a guide to its past.
About Jason
Jason Berry achieved prominence for his reporting on the Catholic Church crisis in Lead Us Not Into Temptation (1992), a book used in many newsrooms. He has been widely interviewed in the national media, with many appearances on Nightline, Oprah, ABC and CNN. USA Today called Berry "the rare investigative reporter whose scholarship, compassion and ability to write with the poetic power of Robert Penn Warren are in perfect balance."