Dive Deep into Creativity: Your Ultimate Tumblr Experience Awaits
Cities - Blog Posts
happy 4th of july
do not repost only reblog
@Hanv-Iyxn/Deviantart
@Hanv-Iyxn/Artfight
Discover NASA Technology in Your Life
Have you ever wondered how space exploration impacts you? “Spinoffs” are products and services developed from NASA technology or improved through NASA partnerships. These innovations—first created to help explore space and study Earth—are responsible for billions of dollars in both revenue and saved costs, tens of thousands of jobs created, and for changing the world around us.
Our NASA Home & City interactive web platform allows you to explore some of the spinoff technologies you can find in your everyday life, demonstrating the wider benefits of America’s investments in its space program.
Here are the seven most unexpected items you can find in your homes and cities which were “spun off” from technologies to enable the study and exploration of space.
1. Wireless Headsets
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” On July 20, 1969, millions were glued to their television sets when NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong offered these famous words via live broadcast, upon becoming the first man to ever step foot on the Moon. This historic transmission was delivered from Armstrong’s headset to the headsets of Mission Control personnel at NASA, and then on to the world.
Improved by the technology that carried Neil Armstrong’s words, more compact and comfortable headsets were developed for airline pilots in the 1960s and '70s. Today those advancements continue to evolve in all forms of communications and telephone equipment. Mobile headsets provide greater efficiency and flexibility for everyone from professionals to video gamers.
2. Water Quality Monitoring
On the International Space Station very little goes to waste. This includes water, which is recovered from every possible source, cleaned and recycled.
Following our development of a simplified bacteria test for water quality on the space station, one engineer created a foundation to distribute test kits suitable for use in rural communities around the world. Water contamination is still a major problem in many places, and the test helps local communities and governments obtain and share water quality data using a smartphone app.
3. Skin Cream
We know that on Earth, gravity is a constant. For astronauts in orbit, however, it’s a different story—and according to a scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center, studying what happens to bodies in microgravity “can lead to significant new discoveries in human biology for the benefit of humankind.”
As our researchers experimented with replicating microgravity conditions in the lab, they invented a bioreactor that could help simulate conditions that human cells experience in a space-like environment. This allowed them to perform tissue-growth experiments on the ground and in space, and eventually, to consider the question of how to protect human cells from the toxic effects of long-duration space missions.
Now, thanks to this NASA-patented bioreactor, one company uses agents from human cells that produce collagen to enrich its skin cream products. Lab tests have shown the rejuvenating cream to increase skin moisture content by 76 percent and reduce darkness and wrinkles by more than 50 percent.
4. Acoustic Guitars
From its start, NASA has innovated in all branches of aeronautics, which has led to numerous advances in helicopters, including ways to limit vibrations as they fly and advanced composites to build tougher, safer vehicles.
An industrious helicopter manufacturer that built up its expertise with NASA contracts later used the same special vibration analysis equipment to enhance the sound of acoustic guitars. The company also built the body out of a fiberglass composite used for rotor blades. The resulting instruments are stronger and less expensive to produce than those of traditional rosewood and produce a rich, full sound.
5. Tiny [Mobile] Homes
While the International Space Station is the largest spacecraft ever flown—it's about the size of a football field—living and working space for astronauts is still at a premium. NASA created a studio called the Habitability Design Center to experiment with the interior design of spacecraft to maximize usable space and make scientific research as efficient and effective as possible.
An architect who helped NASA design the interior of the International Space Station launched a company specializing in compact trailers for camping and exploration. Suitable for a full hookup campsite or going completely off-grid, the company's flagship trailer can accommodate two adults and two children for sleeping and can be customized with a range of features including a shower, refrigerator, toilet, and more. And it all fits into a unit light enough to be towed by a four-cylinder car.
6. Blue Light Blocking Ski Goggles
Skiers and snowboarders face extremely bright sunlight, especially when it's reflected off the white snow. That can make it hard to see, and not just because of glare. The blue in sunlight makes it more difficult to discern colors at the edge of the visible light spectrum, like reds. A NASA-designed filter used in snow goggles helps block up to 95 percent of blue light, making it easier for people on the slopes to see the terrain clearly.
7. Implants for the Hearing Impaired
Hearing aids, which make sound louder, can only do so much for those who were born or have become deaf. Cochlear implants work in a completely different way, converting sound into digital signals that can be processed by the brain. And the technology traces back in part to a NASA space shuttle engineer who used skills in electronics instrumentation and his own experiences with hearing loss to develop an early version of the life-changing device.
These are just a few examples of thousands of NASA Spinoff and dual-purpose technologies benefiting the world around us.
Trace space back to you and visit NASA Home and City today!
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
Lately I've Been Falling In Love
I try to fall in love at least once a week. Lately I’ve been falling in love with music and cities because people don’t always love you back the way you want them to. Instead of setting myself on fire, I’d rather buy a ticket to New York and fall in love with the view. Or listen to Coltrane and fall in love with the blues. Or run my finger across a map and fall in love with the idea of falling in love with someone new, somewhere new, in a place I’ve never been and in a language I’m not that fluent. But sometimes I can’t help myself and I still fall in love with you. All of you. Over and over again. I fall in love with the memories. I fall in love with the possibilities. I fall in love with cities I’ve never been to, like Montreal, or Paris, or Little Rock, Arkansas. I fall in love with new Prince songs I’ve never heard before. I fall in love with bad advice. I fall in love with that missing hour of sleep I lost last night. I fall in love with the people who love me every now and then just to see what that feels like.
Cádiz, Spain by sgraudiovisual
The City
Gray skies, tall buildings,
Noisy silence somehow dull,
The lights bright yet dark
Dome City Blog 5 - Churches, mosques, synagogues & temples
We are coming to the end of the Easter Weekend as I write this. Therefore, it seems appropriate for me to comment on churches, mosques, synagogues and temples within the Dome City.
I believe that on balance religion is a power for good. As a practicing Christian I see the merit in having a set of beliefs and guides for living that encourage me to love my neighbour, to be honest and to be trustworthy.
If a Dome City is going to be a success it will need to be the sort of place people want to live. Having good neighbours is one of the factors that I would list as important to making a place somewhere that I want to live. Religion can play a role in this is 2 ways. The first is as a guide for peaceful living and the second is the way that religion brings people together for religious observations, celebrations and works.
Therefore, I would suggest that space be set aside for churches in the Dome City. In my mind, the obvious place for a Dome City in the UK would be near London. In Britian as a whole according to the Office of National Statistics, based on the 2011 census data, 59.3% stated that they are Christian, 25.1% of the population state that they have no religion, 7.2% did not respond to the question, 4.8% stated they are Muslim, 1.5% stated they were Hindu, 0.8% were Sikh, 0.5% were Jewish, 0.4% were Buddhist and 0.4% were other religions. If this were an accurate reflection of the people who chose to live in the Dome City it is clear to me that around 75% of the population would have a religious affiliation. Of course not all of them would be regular participants in their religious community but a reasonable number would be.
The data for the above paragraph was taken from http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_290510.pdf
In the spirit of interfaith pluralism I would suggest that the churches, mosques, synagogues and temples be placed close to each other, probably on the same level of the Dome City.
In Triumph of the City by Edward Glaeser it talks about a suburb of Houston called Woodlands. One of the things that intrigued me about this suburb is how the developer, George Phydias Mitchell, recognised the importance of religion for promoting social capital. The paragraph that captures this best for me has been extracted and is shown below:
One of the most interesting, and almost urban, aspects of The Woodlands’ management is its focus on social capital. The Woodlands works precisely because it is not a collection of isolated individuals; its social infrastructure has been designed to foster interpersonal connections. In 1975, Mitchell hired a Wharton-trained Lutheran minister to run The Woodlands Religious Community Incorporated, now called Interfaith, which was meant to “plan the religious community and all the human services in this new town.” The minister bought a motor scooter and followed moving vans , meeting new residents as they arrived. Interfaith made sure that The Woodlands provided appropriate space for social, particularly religious, activities. Because nothing sours an area like religiously motivated hatred, Interfaith makes sure that religious messages are kept positive. In the aftermath of the 9/ 11 attacks, Interfaith managed to get rabbis to pray for Palestinians and Islamic leaders to pray for Jews.
Glaeser, Edward (2011-03-18). Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier and Happier (pp. 181-182). Macmillan Publishers UK. Kindle Edition.
Aside - Those interested in energy matters like I am will recognise the name "George Phydias Mitchell", this is the man credited with developing the techniques to extract natural gas from tight shales using hydraulic fracturing (fracking). - end aside
I would hope that a UK Dome City would encourage the same sort of thing taking into account the differences between American and British religious views and practices.
Joe Heffernan 6-April-2015
The Economist | Land-shackled economies: The paradox of soil via @theeconomist
BUY land, advised Mark Twain; they’re not making it any more. In fact, land is not really scarce: the entire population of America...
Dome City Blog 3 - Energy production in the city
In today's blog I plan to talk about energy production and use within a Dome City.
In general, residents of cities use less energy per capita, then people in rural areas. Some reasons for this are:
Distances travelled can be less,
Mass transportation systems can work well,
Shared walls in housing lead to lower heating requirements,
If energy sources are located in the city then combined heat and power can be used, and
Less resources are used to provide infrastructure for high density populations compared to low density ones.
A Dome City should have nearby power resources large enough to cover the needs of the population for electricity, heating, cooling and local transport within the city. Transport away from the city would most probably provided in standard cars and trucks powered by gasoline and diesel.
I would propose that the Dome City has a electricity power station sited just beside it. This power station would be located close enough to the Dome City to allow the waste heat, which arises from electricity production, to be used to provide hot water, heating and if required, cooling, to the city. This is known as combined heat and power (CHP) or as cogeneration. When a Dome City is sited in a tropical location then a "trigeneration" systems which includes refrigeration could be provided. The typical efficiency of thermal power plants for electricity is 30% to 40%. This waste heat represents a significant resource. District heating would be feature of the Dome City. This heat supplied to residents and business would form another source of income for the city.
My preferred method of dealing with electricity production would be with Nuclear Power. Nuclear Power is a low-carbon form of electricity production that is not so climate dependent compared to wind or solar. Furthermore, while wind and solar can be excellent sources of low-carbon electricity at the right locations, these forms of energy production are intermittent. This intermittentcy requires back up power sources to cover the times when these renewable sources cannot provide power.
There are proposals for new smaller reactors known as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). By definition these reactors have electricity outputs of less than 300 MWe (Megawatts electrical). The suggested size of these reactors varies from 2 MWe for the UPower proposal to 130 MWe for the B&W MPower proposal. The system that I would most want to see would be 3 number NuScale 45 MWe reactors to provide electricity and heat to the city. A combined output of 135 MWe would generally provide more power than the city would require. I would estimate that the city will consume around 100MWe. However, the additional supply could be used to entice power hungry industries to move to the city. Some energy intensive industries are data centres or heavy manufacturing. Alternatively, the additional supply above the needs of the city would be a useful source of income for the city.
The NuScale reactors have a refueling cycle of around 2 years. Refueling would be staggered such that no more than one reactor is off line at any one time. In the UK, the city should be connected to the National Grid and any shortfall in power during a refueling shut-down could be supplied from the grid.
The use of 3 number SMR's has the advantage of "right-sizing" the plant to the population of the Dome City. The Dome City will take several years to build. Once the lower levels have been constructed I would expect that people would begin to move in. However, to reach the full population of around 100,000 people will take a number of years. Initially a single reactor would provided for power. The second and third would follow in later years when the population as grown large enough to justify the additional generating capacity.
I would very much hope that the power station for the city be owned and operated by the municipality.
I appreciate that there will be some reading this blog that are opposed to or afraid of nuclear power. In addition, the NuScale SMR is still in the design and licensing phase. We are still waiting for the first one to be constructed. An alternative to an SMR that would accomplish much the same ends is to have a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant producing electrical power for the city.
This brief outline on the supply of electrical power and heat to a proposed Dome City has set out what I consider to be the "best" option. The compact nature of the Dome City would allow Combined Heat and Power to be feasible. The power station would have 2 sources of income. One comes from the Electricity produced and the second is the hot water and heat supplied. This would increase it's financial performance and make it easier to find financing for this aspect of Dome City development.
Top New Travel Cities
Weve assembled 5 Up and Coming Travel Spots for 2017 Beginning with the simple wonderful beachy coasts to mysterious regions with profound social chronicles Tell us about your adventures to these uncommon goals
For a genuine shoreline escape El Nido Philippines is your new go to! El Nido is situated in the southwestern island of Palawan The territory is home to gem white shorelines limestone precipices shooting into the sky and coral reefs amplifying out of the turquoise sea water El Nido is a standout amongst the most wonderful travel goals with miles of seascapes that are stunning For a prevalent involvement in El Nido The Lagen Island Resort offers four altogether different kinds of lodging water bungalows beachfront houses Forest rooms just as Forest suites The hotel is settled in a lavish downpour woods and a tidal pond offering all encompassing perspectives on the inlet Make certain to get the island-jumping visit journey that incorporates visits to Big Lagoon Seven Commando Beach Secret Lagoon Small Lagoon and Zimizu Beach
An unquestionable requirement see Tropical travel goal is Kihei Hawaii Kihei is in South Maui Hawaii and has a long history of whaling Despite the fact that the areas atmosphere differs incredibly radiant climate is available on the coast with cooler climate in the heartland do to the numerous superb rainforests and cascades The Mana Kai Maui Resort brag polish and unmatched civilities which neglects Keawakapu Beach where visitors can swim and snorkel in the sea simply outside their entryways Whats more the lodging has condominiums rather than rooms and keeps up the upscale Five Palms café A unique journey ought to be at the highest point of your plan for the day! Through Maui Flight Academy daily outing that lands on a few unique islands and incorporates guests assuming control in the little plane taken amid one of the stops This is a magnificent encounter! Shoreline outings can likewise be had with the Molokini sail and swimming experience Ensure you experience the Kamaole Beach Park and the humpback whale haven
In spite of the fact that Jericoacoara Brazil is very hard to achieve the minute you arrive you are transfixed through its characteristic magnificence and grasped with the casual vibe it is evident this wont be a standard voyage! The indigenous Tupi-Guarani individuals have occupied this locale of Brazil called Jericoacoara (Jeri) for centuries assembling their towns on its rich scene The locale was proclaimed an Environmental Protection Area in 1984 and by 2002 it had turned into a National Park Jeri has the steadiest breeze on their ocean (South Atlantic) joined with reliable waves the area holds the title of the best area for water sports on the planet An energizing and uncommon outing can be taken by kayaking through mangroves to find Mangue Seco This town is totally disengaged from the world Mangue Seco is situated between the mouth of the Real River (Royal River) the sea and enormous sand ridges that move with the breeze The main path into the town is through water its troublesome access makes Mangue Seco an extraordinary fortune most likely exceptional to the world related article
For the movement pilgrim there is Easter Island Chile Easter Island which sits in the South Pacific nation of Chile and has interesting verifiable interest Indeed the Island is little however investigating Easter Island gives explorers a rich encounter! The territory of Rano Raraku is home to The Grand Statues solid human figures cut by the Rapa Nui individuals on Easter Island in eastern Polynesia somewhere in the range of 1250 and 1500 AD The secret encompassing these statues lives on the grounds that the precursors of carvers still populate the island today Aside from the profoundly established culture Easter Island has numerous amazing 5 star properties The Hangaroa Eco Village and Spa is a standout amongst the most lofty on the Island and offers two cafés a pool and a full spoiling comfort the spa is incredibly famous You cant miss investigating Easter Islands fortunes including the archeological historical center Hanga Roa the Rano Kau hole the Orongo stately town just as a review of the southern hide seals
Another goal enclosed by culture is Baku Azerbaijan Baku is known as the Paris of the center east and is a novel uncommon city by the ocean the Caspian Sea to be definite The city is comprised of a couple of various societies (Europe Asia Russia and the Middle East) however European culture is felt The Castle of the Shirvanshahs an immense illustrious complex is a miracle to be seen The medieval walled old city houses the notable stone Maiden Tower an unfathomable history to be encompassed by After you the Palace of the Shirvanshahs a huge imperial complex and the notable stone Maiden Tower There is a great deal of amusing to be had in Baku too the day can start with scuba making a plunge the city and end with snow skiing in the north The Fairmont Baku at the Flame Towers has a praiseworthy property in the focal point of the city previous article
life update
sisters tennis thing is over with, now i’m in the car. mom is smoking outside, i can smell it. it’s definitely not my favorite smell in the world, i can’t wait to get lung cancer from second hand smoke!! phone is charging, back at 22% now. it’s so hot in the car. Drain You by Nirvana just finished and now i’m listening to American River by Destroy Boys. i miss my boyfriend. siiighhhh. just got a lil bugger off my hand. also i in fact did not get any videos of my sister. perchance. ugh im baking in this car. i saw someone with a Kill Em All shirt, it was lit!!!
moms grabbing another cig?? no nevermind this is lit. listening to War Pigs by black sabbath now. i think my mom feels better? she seemed a bit down after the tennis thing. it’s alright though, we’re lit. phone is at 25% now!! we’re going back to my city now. i feel like saying city means they’re super far apart, but it doesn’t feel that way. we’re actually going to another city which isn’t mine, but close. i’m kind of tired, but i’m glad to be hanging out with my mom :3
With only the irregular rush of cars playing notes in the dark air, I think of how I've lived a thousand lives before and no experience of mine will ever be unique. Yes, it must be a curse to never know enough, but isn't it a greater burden, how with every try, memory brushes out of reach and I'm born anew, scribbling different patterns over the same black slate, mere Sisyphus rolling the stone back up, but not quite, yet again. In another lifetime perhaps my fingers bled more amply over the long gone green, but I shall never know, shall I? Soon, I too will fade again, like the stars burnt into my blood and at the edge of dawn, I'll become yet another familiar turn in someone's long forgone hometown. The same lover, hopeful yet and despite the ghost heartaches from previous lives. familiar aches of circling and continuing about birth and rebirth, like the tissues after tissues used to wipe my tears, discarded and never thought of once again. The familiar homesick sounds of the city lull me to a serene embrace and I think, how only the brightest flash across the night sky is when the endless stars touch something achingly mortal.
You can't drag me away from cities, no matter the serenity of small towns and farmhouses. Something unspoken about it always attracts me, so many lives, bursting with energy, each fast and bright in its own galaxy, none too similar to the other or to mine, and I, a lone observer, will never get enough of that feeling.
Quad Cities Fast Food
Quad Cities Fast Food
Snow In New Orleans
* * * *
Everything in New Orleans is a good idea. Bijou temple-type cottages and lyric cathedrals side by side. Houses and mansions, structures of wild grace. Italianate, Gothic, Romanesque, Greek Revival standing in a long line in the rain. Roman Catholic art. Sweeping front porches, turrets, cast-iron balconies, colonnades- 30-foot columns, gloriously beautiful- double pitched roofs, all the architecture of the whole wide world and it doesn't move. All that and a town square where public executions took place. In New Orleans you could almost see other dimensions. There's only one day at a time here, then it's tonight and then tomorrow will be today again. Chronic melancholia hanging from the trees. You never get tired of it. After a while you start to feel like a ghost from one of the tombs, like you're in a wax museum below crimson clouds. Spirit empire. Wealthy empire. One of Napoleon's generals, Lallemaud, was said to have come here to check it out, looking for a place for his commander to seek refuge after Waterloo. He scouted around and left, said that here the devil is damned, just like everybody else, only worse. The devil comes here and sighs. New Orleans. Exquisite, old-fashioned. A great place to live vicariously. Nothing makes any difference and you never feel hurt, a great place to really hit on things. Somebody puts something in front of you here and you might as well drink it. Great place to be intimate or do nothing. A place to come and hope you'll get smart - to feed pigeons looking for handouts”
― Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Volume One