tootoo1232008-08-28T09:22:31+02:00All Rights Reserved blogSpiritblogSpirit.comhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlNew ideas take flight in the City of Angels (06-03)tag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15673042008-06-05T11:56:19+02:002008-06-05T11:56:19+02:00 04:00 PDT Los Angeles -- Four postcards from Los Angeles - where the... 04:00 PDT Los Angeles -- Four postcards from Los Angeles - where the roadside attractionsinclude oil derricks, office towers, ocean views and a Rodeo DrivePlastic Surgery billboard that promises "We treat everybody like acelebrity." For those of you who find San Jose's Santana Row too gritty, Irecommend a visit to Americana at Brand in downtown Glendale. Or sosay the street signs. From where I sit - outside the CheesecakeFactory, across from a vast kidney-shaped lake amid stores on theground and apartments in the air - all I see is a stage-managedworld unto itself. Four-to-six-story buildings curve around the lake, blocking anyhint of the low-slung sprawl usually associated with Los Angelesand its suburbs. The storefronts are ornate, architecturally themedfor such tenants as Tiffany and Armani A/X; the residential floorsabove are purposefully bland, paper-thin hints of some vaguehistoric epoch. They're designed to be a backdrop, not adistraction. The Bay Area has pods of instant urbanity as well: Santana Row forthe South Bay social scene, Bay Street in Emeryville for East Bayteens deprived of enclosed malls. But the Americana's voluptuousattention to detail would make Walt Disney smile. Gas flamesflicker from stained-glass streetlamps. The entrance to the parkinggarage resembles the library of a private club, complete with achandelier. At 10:30 in the morning, jets of water in the lakespout in time to Dean Martin's "Ain't That a Kick in the Head." The May 1 opening bash featured Jay Leno as emcee and Gov.Schwarzenegger as a guest. Next to the Cheesecake Factory stands a curvy diner with a 1950slook - the one nod to Southern California's long love affair withautomobiles. Except, of course, for the 3,500-car parking garage. Lest you think big-name architects are infallible, gaze upon theelevator inside the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, Renzo Piano'stravertine-clad addition to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Piano's big move harks back to his Pompidou Center in Paris: at theBroad he moved nearly all the circulation systems outside thethree-story box, which contains 60,000 square feet of exhibitspace. You enter via an open-air escalator that takes a full minuteto transport you to the third floor. Inside, you're supposed tovisit lower-floor galleries via a glass elevator that holds 30people and is likened by Piano to a "moving room." "It's the materialization of the idea of levitation," theever-quotable Piano purred in a pre-opening interview about theelevator. "You just push a button." But when the museum opened in February, the lift would stall ifpassengers weren't distributed evenly inside. After tinkering andtests, it was shut down in April while a new piston was ordered.Levitation 2.0 should be ready to go this week, but when I visitedit was taped off like a crime scene - forcing museumgoers into asmall service elevator. For the record, Piano also designed the California Academy ofScience's new home in Golden Gate Park, which opens in September.Yes, it has stairs. Like many Bay Area cities, Los Angeles and its constellation ofsmaller communities are adding dense new housing to existingneighborhoods. The difference is that down here, the new stuffoften is the best thing around. Certainly that's the case on Gardner Street off Santa MonicaBoulevard in West Hollywood, where architect Lorcan O'Herlihyshowed me a 10-unit condominium complex he designed. The next-doorneighbor is a beige apartment block topped with Garage Floor Tiles in acrude stab at Santa Barbara lite. Across the alley is theconcrete-block backside of a retail building. And O'Herlihy's 1050 Gardner St.? Shaped like a sleek U, it snapsaround a courtyard that's visible from the sidewalk and is as lushas a jungle. Gauzy glass veils the main staircase. Aluminum windowframes painted blue and red knife out along the alley. Cedar slatssoften the modern lines. We also visited a building where workers are installing an outerskin of corrugated steel. It serves as a rain screen, shieldswest-facing units from the afternoon sun - and takes its vivid redhue from a Chinese restaurant at the end of the block. "This is a fascinating city. You discover incredibly interestingpieces when you least expect it," said O'Herlihy, whose 16-personfirm resides in an industrial patch of Culver City shadowed byInterstate 405. "In Los Angeles you can experiment. ... The contextis, there's no context." I feel very far from home. A final vignette from Topanga Canyon, a rugged remnant of thegeography that existed before Los Angeles transformed itself from ahamlet into the nation's second-largest city. Tucked between Malibu and I-405, this respite from sprawl is hometo 11,000 residents and a 13,000-acre state park. The commercial"district" is larger than our Inverness or Pescadero, but not bymuch. The new Sunset magazine hails it as a tie-dyed oasis from theworld outside. But at the Topanga Canyon Market, which shares a parking lot withZenbunni Gallery and Topanga Psychic, I find something Sunsetdidn't mention: a stack of Daily Varietys, the bible of theentertainment industry. Los Angeles is anything you want it to be. But it's still a companytown. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlGeorgia Building Authority Awards Condition Assessment Projecttag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15673032008-06-05T11:55:41+02:002008-06-05T11:55:41+02:00 KENNESAW, GA -- 06/03/08 -- MACTEC's Facility Lifecycle Group, thefacility... KENNESAW, GA -- 06/03/08 -- MACTEC's Facility Lifecycle Group, thefacility asset management software and services operating divisionof MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. (MACTEC) has beenawarded a contract by the Georgia Building Authority (GBA) toassess the condition of 13 Building Facilities in Atlanta.MACTEC Senior Vice President Larry White made the announcement. GBA is responsible for all services associated with managing 48buildings and various facilities located in the Capitol Hillcomplex, including the Georgia State Capitol building and theGovernor's Mansion. According to MACTEC Program Manager Russ Watson, the project is aprototype facility asset management program for the State ofGeorgia that will improve the stewardship of state-owned andmanaged facility assets. Facility asset management is a businessprocess/decision-making framework drawing from both economics andengineering -- it considers a broad range of assets and variables. "A key goal of the program will be to demonstrate anobjective-based approach to facility assessment that includeslifecycle and financial analysis for recommending repair andcapital renewal options," Watson said. The pilot project will use Vertex?, MACTEC FLG's flagshipproduct, which creates and defines assessment project measurementmetric and statistics, and provides software deliverables to fieldassessment teams. Vertex is a facility decision support systembased on data from field assessments. The web-based facility assetmanagement software is a capital planning tool that will enable GBAto generate detailed information regarding the condition of anasset, forecast its remaining useful life, and run budget,forecasting, and lifecycle cost scenarios. MACTEC, based in Alpharetta, GA, is a leading infrastructureengineering firm focused on five strategic business practice areas:Facilities, Transportation, Water, Energy, and Telecommunication.With annual revenues over $450 million, MACTEC's 3,000-plusemployees work from over 80 offices nationwide. MACTEC consistentlyranks in the top 10% of Engineering News-Record's Top 500 DesignFirms. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlGeorgia Building Authority Awards Condition Assessment Projecttag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15672562008-06-05T11:30:24+02:002008-06-05T11:30:24+02:00 KENNESAW, GA -- 06/03/08 -- MACTEC's Facility Lifecycle Group, thefacility... KENNESAW, GA -- 06/03/08 -- MACTEC's Facility Lifecycle Group, thefacility asset management software and services operating divisionof MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. (MACTEC) has beenawarded a contract by the Georgia Building Authority (GBA) toassess the condition of 13 Building Facilities in Atlanta.MACTEC Senior Vice President Larry White made the announcement. GBA is responsible for all services associated with managing 48buildings and various facilities located in the Capitol Hillcomplex, including the Georgia State Capitol building and theGovernor's Mansion. According to MACTEC Program Manager Russ Watson, the project is aprototype facility asset management program for the State ofGeorgia that will improve the stewardship of state-owned andmanaged facility assets. Facility asset management is a businessprocess/decision-making framework drawing from both economics andengineering -- it considers a broad range of assets and variables. "A key goal of the program will be to demonstrate anobjective-based approach to facility assessment that includeslifecycle and financial analysis for recommending repair andcapital renewal options," Watson said. The pilot project will use Vertex?, MACTEC FLG's flagshipproduct, which creates and defines assessment project measurementmetric and statistics, and provides software deliverables to fieldassessment teams. Vertex is a facility decision support systembased on data from field assessments. The web-based facility assetmanagement software is a capital planning tool that will enable GBAto generate detailed information regarding the condition of anasset, forecast its remaining useful life, and run budget,forecasting, and lifecycle cost scenarios. MACTEC, based in Alpharetta, GA, is a leading infrastructureengineering firm focused on five strategic business practice areas:Facilities, Transportation, Water, Energy, and Telecommunication.With annual revenues over $450 million, MACTEC's 3,000-plusemployees work from over 80 offices nationwide. MACTEC consistentlyranks in the top 10% of Engineering News-Record's Top 500 DesignFirms. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlHarmony woman to share love of fabric paintingtag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15672522008-06-05T11:29:57+02:002008-06-05T11:29:57+02:00 Your IP Address or perhaps someone from the same painting on tile... Your IP Address or perhaps someone from the same painting on tile geographical areaas you has been tracked visiting one or more websites andrequesting large amounts of content in a short amount of time. Thishas caused your IP Address to be flagged as a possible bot, spider,crawler, spyware, or some other malware. In general, we do notallow bots, spiders, or crawlers to access our websites. This is not meant to accuse you of anything. If you are alegitimate user and feel that you have reached this page in error,please complete the form below. Our staff will review theinformation that you provide and determine what options areavailable. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlAbit had quite unique thing on the floor at Computextag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15672482008-06-05T11:28:59+02:002008-06-05T11:28:59+02:00 ABIT HAD ONE quite unique thing on the floor at Computex, and it makes so... ABIT HAD ONE quite unique thing on the floor at Computex, and it makes so muchsense that I am shocked that no one else has done it before. Theidea is a digital photo frame with integrated printer, and Abitcalls it the FunFab. Abit FunFab frame/printer It seems like such an obvious thing to do, but not only is Abit thefirst, they also patented it. It just makes sense though, you havea picture on the frame, and the infirm grandmother over for theholidays really wants a copy. The 'old way' meant going to a PC,finding the pic, and printing it out on your inkjet withquestionable results. With a FunFab, you hit the print button on the remote, and a 3x5pic slides out the side. Grandmother is happy, you have far lesswork to do, and Abit shareholders are happy. The one pictured above is the P80, but there are several othermodels. This one is the larger screen, the smaller screen is justto the left. Both are 600*300 rez, and the printer is a 300 DPI dyesublimation unit that produces high quality prints. You can get newcartridges of course, and given HP's balance sheet, it should be alucrative business for Abit. You can also interchange the bezels to change the look, there iseverything from wood picture frames to carbon fiberesque finishes. Thefirst FunFabs should be out next month, they should sell for about200 Euros. μ shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlwonderful outdoor furniture from Everything Under The Suntag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15672462008-06-05T11:28:24+02:002008-06-05T11:28:24+02:00 Attractive outdoor furniture from Everything Under The Sun Everything Under... Attractive outdoor furniture from Everything Under The Sun Everything Under The Sun specialises in providing outdoor furniture. Everything Under TheSun supplies an extensive range of outdoor furniture to interiordesigners, commercial designers, designer houses, landscapearchitects, builders and project developers. Various brands of Garden Teak Furniture marketed by Everything UnderThe Sun include Gloster, Cane-Line and SunWeave. Gloster series ofoutdoor furniture include teak furniture in conjunction withaluminium, sling, stainless steel and woven synthetic wickers.These outdoor furniture are supplied at cost effective rates. Cane-Line brand of outdoor furniture from Everything Under The Suninclude garden furniture. These garden furniture are made ofsynthetic Hularo fibre. This fibre requires minimal maintenance aswell as resistant to diverse weather conditions. Cane-Line seriesof garden furniture comprise of woven furniture such as tables andchairs. SunWeave brand of outdoor furniture supplied by Everything UnderThe Sun include hand woven furniture. These hand woven furnitureare made using synthetic fibres and available in stylish as well asattractive designs. Some of the project accomplished by EverythingUnder The Sun include Ivory Towers, Canterbury Leagues Club, DenaroBeach Resort, The Peninsular Hotel to name a few. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlNroth Afric Ezz Steel to build 1.7m tpy striptag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15672432008-06-05T11:27:56+02:002008-06-05T11:27:56+02:00 Aimed at professionals like you - from mines to manufacturers,traders to... Aimed at professionals like you - from mines to manufacturers,traders to wholesalers and retailers - Metal Bulletin is your invaluable source of up-to-date market intelligencecovering the global industry. As a subscriber, you'll benefit from a comprehensive package ofnews, expert market commentary, reference prices and statistics -as well an impressive archive of articles and price data. Allseamlessly delivered through a weekly magazine, daily email serviceand constantly updated website. Quite simply, no other information service can offer you the samefrequency, breadth and depth of market intelligence as Metal Bulletin . Subscribe today and benefit from: The latest breaking global metals and flat rolled steel news - FIRST - Metal Bulletin frequently leads the market and its stories are later picked up byother news sources including national dailies; The best deals when trading - Metal Bulletin provides globally accepted reference prices for free market metalsand steel and includes most other world prices (622 in total); The most comprehensive news coverage - from global metal inventories; mergers & acquisitions; jointventures; IPO's; amalgamation news; international investmentopportunities; emerging markets; company financial results;government regulations affecting the metal trade - Metal Bulletin covers all your business intelligence needs; Understand the effects of international events on your business - with expert market commentary from the industry's most respectededitorial team; Be your own researcher - Metal Bulletin's archive service is an essential source for anyone who needs tochart price trends or keep track of stories as they develop. If youneed to find out anything about the market, from tracking acompany's history, to tracking a market, or a price, the archive isthe answer. As an investment decision, this is one of the best you could makeall year. Subscribe now and become one of the continually better informed. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlRourkela Plant makes good record production in Maytag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-05:15672342008-06-05T11:25:34+02:002008-06-05T11:25:34+02:00 The plant achieved all-time best performance for any month ofApril-May since... The plant achieved all-time best performance for any month ofApril-May since inception in several areas. These include hot metalproduction of 3,59,430 tonnes, crude steel production of 3,38,314tonnes and saleable steel production of 3,21,400 tonnes whichbesides being highest compared to any month of April-May alsorepresents capacity utilisation of 109 per cent, 107 per cent and115 per cent, they said. The best April-May production was also recorded in the finishingunits of Cold Roll Steel with hot rolled coils (total) at 2,64,933tonnes, hot rolled coils (for sale) at 1,27,754 tonnes, hot rolledplates at 52,055 tonnes and Cold Roll Non-Oriented (CRNO) steelfrom silicon steel mill at 14,720 tonnes, the sources said. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlSwedish woman celebrates rock solid marriagetag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-04:15665092008-06-04T13:52:58+02:002008-06-04T13:52:58+02:00 Her unusual attraction to objects dubbed 'objectum-sexuality' goes back... Her unusual attraction to objects dubbed 'objectum-sexuality' goes back to when she was seven and first saw the symbol ofCommunist oppression on television. Eija-Riita believes inanimate objects have souls and life-forces,which are beyond most people's perception. But when she first sawthe great Cold War monument, she says she immediately felt anintimate and lifelong bond. It was, simply, love at first sight. Somuch so, that she considers a small service in 1979 during hersixth trip to have been her wedding day. She changed her last name to 'Berliner-Mauer' German for 'BerlinWall'. This is not just a symbolic outreach to a powerful piece ofhistory. She truly considers her relationship with the Berlin Wall to be noless a marriage than what Julia and Lyle did only Eija-Riitta'ssays her union has lasted longer. "He's my husband and my friend," she tells me from her home. While she's never been intimate with a man, she says the wall hasfulfilled all of her needs including, yes, that one. How, remainsuncertain and bricked up. They have communicated, she says. She speaks and the wall, as wellas other objects, leave impressions on her mind. She's ogled other walls over these many years, but none can matchher husband. For example, the Great Wall of China is far too thick. She considers the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1989, to be close tomurder or at least, a mob attack on her mister. "I saw it on TV," she recalls with a sigh. "I turned it off andclosed all the doors and windows and locked myself inside. Icouldn't watch what they were doing to my husband." Since the crowds tore at the concrete and broke the steel bones ofthe Berlin Wall, she has never gone back to pick up the pieces ofher marriage. Instead, she surrounds herself with pictures andscale models. But she still considers her marriage to be ongoing. Thanks to her frank confessions, and a website devoted to those who view objects in the same way, Eija-Riittasays she's become a role-model. "For me...I thought everyone thought like me. That gave me thestrength to be open with everyone," she says. While she has no hard data, she believes almost one in 10 peoplemust feel about an object the way she feels about the wall. "A lot of people try not to say anything...they try to live normallives," she explains. "Some (other) people get angry, but only because of the symbolismof the wall." It's not that they're upset she's in love with aconcrete wall, but rather, that the wall was pretty evil. "But I don't see it that way." She says there are a lot of people who don't have any emotions. "I say, I feel fulfilled," she explains. "The important thing is that you love...that you have empathy." Despite the ups and down, Eija-Riitta feels her marriage has stoodup quite well over the years. And they've never once argued about underwear on the Wall And Floor or whohas to get up out of bed and turn off the light at night. shanhttp://tootoo3387.blogspirit.com/about.htmlStone market Celebrates Twenty Years of Success in Natural Stonetag:tootoo3387.blogspirit.com,2008-06-04:15665082008-06-04T13:52:27+02:002008-06-04T13:52:27+02:00 NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA--(Marketwire - June 2, 2008) - With itsextensive... NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA--(Marketwire - June 2, 2008) - With itsextensive collection of natural and exotic stone, Stone Mart isproud to celebrate its second decade of success in the natural Granite Stone Slabs industry this year. Stone Mart has helped hundreds of clientscreate a distinctive look and attractive living or office space,and caters to customers from around the world with quality stoneproducts. From marble stone slabs to unique stone medallions, Stone Mart hasbecome one of the country's top destinations for designer home andoffice decorating. Architects, designers and homeowners continue toturn to Stone Mart for their latest projects. The staff at StoneMart can work with almost any type of creative endeavor. Fromdecorating an outdoor patio area to choosing the right stone for acountertop, Stone Mart can help with the development and design ofevery client project. Stone Mart offers a wide selection of products in its "DesignerCollections," catering to venues including hotels, luxury condos,estate homes and offices. Mosaic glass tile, marble stone slabs,limestone tile and gemstone accents are only a few optionsavailable at the warehouse in North Hollywood. By providing highquality imported goods and delivering exceptional customer service,Stone Mart is enjoying its twentieth year in business. Stone Mart presents all of its products and samples of design inthe "Designer Collections," a collection of superior products forvisitors to browse and explore. Many of Stone Mart's products arealso available for viewing online at www.StoneMart.com , allowing clients to review all of the options available andcontact the company to set up a private tour or appointment. With its unrivaled selection and strong track record of qualitystone imports, Stone Mart is enjoying continued success as apremier destination for natural stone and exotic gemstones fromaround the world. This year marks its twentieth year in business,and Stone Mart looks forward to providing quality products andservices for its clients. About Stone Mart Stone Mart ( http://www.stonemart.com ) has grown to become a premiere destination for designers,architects, and luxury homeowners searching for only the world'sfinest selections in natural stones. From granite countertops to marble flooring , Stone Mart has become a leader in importing quality stone fromaround the world. All products are now showcased in the DesignerCollection Showroom in California.