Archives for 2017

The high cost of free parking

The cities we live in are shaped by the way we get around them. Over the past 60 years, with more and more people opting to drive cars, the need for parking spaces has increased with the boom in driving.
To accommodate that demand early on, cities and towns started requiring developers to include parking with their new buildings after World War II. These policies, known as mandatory parking minimums, set precise standards for parking spaces for each building. And these parking spaces don’t come cheap.

To learn much more on free parking’s affect on cities, Donald Shoup’s book is here: https://www.amazon.com/High-Cost-Free…

And Mobility Lab, who helped make this video, covers many more issues around infrastructure is here: https://mobilitylab.org/

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Sounds of the Nightmare Machine

What happens when a horror movie composer and a guitar maker join forces? They create the world’s most disturbing musical instrument.
Affectionately known as “The Apprehension Engine,” this one-of-a-kind instrument was commissioned by movie composer Mark Korven. Korven wanted to create spooky noises in a more acoustic and original way—but the right instrument didn’t exist. So his friend, guitar maker Tony Duggan-Smith, went deep into his workshop and assembled what has to be the spookiest instrument on Earth. [pb_vidembed title=”” caption=”” url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lTYPvArbGo” type=”yt” w=”680″ h=”385″]

  • The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently released their latest Existing Home Sales Report.
  • First-time homebuyers made up 31% of all sales in August.
  • Homes are selling quickly with 51% of homes on the market for less than a month.
  • A limited supply continues to drive up prices for the 66th consecutive month.

http://www.emmanuelfonte.com/19317-2/

A Strat is Born

This short film “A Strat is Born” takes you on a high-speed ride through the creation of a Fender Stratocaster guitar at Fender’s U.S. manufacturing facility in Corona, Calif., showing you every step from bare wood to onstage and set to a pulse-pounding soundtrack by Wayne Kramer.

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Mind-blowing Origami Creations

Screen Shot 2017-03-28 at 11.32.38 AMTwenty five years ago, physicist Robert Lang worked at NASA, where he researched lasers. He has also garnered 46 patents on optoelectronics and even wrote a Ph.D. thesis called “Semiconductor Lasers: New Geometries and Spectral Properties.” But in 2001, Lang left his job in order to pursue a passion he’s had since childhood: origami. In the origami world, Lang is now a legend, and it’s not just his eye-catching, intricate designs that have taken the craft by storm. Some of his work has helped pioneer new ways of applying origami principles to complex real-world engineering problems.

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A Fresh Take on Tradition

A mix of abstract art, fun wallcoverings and contemporary furniture updates this suburban Chicago family home

The young professional couple had loved high-rise condo living in Chicago’s Lincoln Park and had begun raising their family there. But with their children growing older, they felt it was time for a move to the suburbs. The bones and airy floor plan of the traditional house they bought in Winnetka, Illinois, were ideal, but the aesthetic didn’t quite match their style. Enter interior designer Jeannie Balsam, who infused the family’s traditional suburban home with a fresh, modern aesthetic.

38 alternative uses for unused household items

Some of us have a terrible habit of wasting things.

We buy items for around the house thinking they will be useful, but before long they end up forgotten, locked away in a cupboard. However, when the time comes for cleaning, you’re faced with a new dilemma: isn’t there somewhere better for those household items than in the trash?

There are all sorts of things that we keep for no good reason. Paper plates that don’t get used, cassettes that have become obsolete, rubber bands that appear out of nowhere. It feels wasteful to throw them away.

With a bit of imagination, you don’t need to write those items off just yet. Nearly everything you find in your house can be put to some secondary use if you think about its shape and texture instead of its usual purpose. Even old wine corks can be cut up and stuck inside cupboard doors to stop them banging when they shut.

We’ve put together a list of 38 items that you may want to throw out, but have more life in them if given a chance.

These ideas can help you save the planet while also saving money. How many of these objects can you find in your home today?

Souce: https://www.cashnetusa.com/blog/38-alternative-uses-unused-household-items/

How Millennials are Changing the Housing Market

Millennials are changing the game when it comes to the housing market. Tech savvy and mobile, millennials know exactly what they are looking for. Are you paying attention? Check out the infographic below for more!source: https://www.nationwidemortgages.net/millennials-housing-market.html 

How Supply And Demand Impacts Real Estate Home Values