Gryphiusstrasse, Hamburg - Google Maps

This is pretty hilarious: after oodles of meetings and debates, Germany's largest cities have conceded to allow Google Maps street-views ... sort of ... almost ... kinda. For example, here you can just see the window of my old home on Gryphiusstrasse, Hamburg - Google Maps
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That's it, iirc, on the 3rd floor up, that would be Derek's bedroom window and to the left of that, midst the blur, the balcony where we'd launch our rockets for the New Years fireworks. Back down the other direction it seems things haven't changed in 45 years, the block across the street is still under reconstruction, although here it looks no less blocky and blurry than our staid old apartment block.
I can't wait to explore back down the bookending mainstreets to see if the businesses at least let Google map their facades. I wonder if the old 45rpm record vending machine is still there ...
For those interested (and who either read German or don't mind a google translation) Daniel Schwerd offers some explanation as to why the streets of those fair cities should be so, well, grossly pixelated.  Oh and before you waste the time to bother with it, you should know that the entire core of the Reeperbahn has been completely blacked out.

Spectacular ancient maple

Spectacular ancient maple, originally uploaded by TeledyN.

The schoolyard fenceruns right through it out behind Hillcrest Elementary;
the boys say it may be a Totoro tree.

Famous Last Words

Famous Last Words
Originally uploaded by TeledyN

The only quote of mine left of those that adorned the Toronto transit, and perhaps the last of them to prove false ;)

The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough? - 60 Minutes - CBS News

The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough? - 60 Minutes - CBS News: "Bloom boxes will power not just our richest companies, but remote villages in Africa and all our houses.

'In five to ten years, we would like to be in every home,' he told Stahl.

He said a unit should cost an average person less than $3,000.

'You are an idealist,' Stahl remarked.

'You know, it's about seeing the world as what it can be and not what it is,' Sridhar replied."

Billboard - Google Books

Billboard - Google Books: "In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends."

Costa Rica Creates Department of Peace

IMAGINE PEACE: "Costa Rica’s justice ministry was created to oversee the country’s penitentiary systems and supervise research on criminal behavior, but had no responsibility for crime prevention. A 1998 executive decree addressed this lapse by creating the National Directorate for the Prevention of Crime. The recent legislation takes crime prevention in a new direction, replacing the old directorate with the newly formed Directorate for the Promotion of Peace and the Peaceful Coexistence of Citizens.

“While we talk about prevention of violence, we are experiencing its effects every day. Changing the language and speaking about ‘promotion of peace’ lead[s] us to the roots of the problem,”

The ministry will take on new responsibilities, including peace promotion, violence prevention (for example, by targeting a recent increase of juvenile offenders), and an emphasis on conflict resolution.

“With this change in name, the focus on prevention of violence has been shifted to promotion of peace,” says Kelly Isola of the Rasur Foundation, the Costa Rican nongovernmental organization that proposed the law in 2005. Having a department of peace, she said, will enable Costa Rica “to benefit from international experiences, which demonstrate that a culture of peace has positive effects in the reduction of violence and crime.”"

How Organized Consumer Purchasing Can Change Business

How Organized Consumer Purchasing Can Change Business from carrotmob on Vimeo.
The predictable reflex behaviour called "business sense" will fall for a ploy, every time. There's no trick there, its simple behaviour-mod, 2-4-6-8 Ring the Bell and Salivate ... a carrot on a stick. That part is easy, but the REAL trick is getting the shoppers to coordinate THEIR purchase reflex to hold the carrot's stick.

And I would give up all hope of THAT, had I not seen http://vimeo.com/2913530