E-mails from an Asshole. The 10 Coolest Foreign Words The English Language Needs. Have you ever blurted out, "Wow, that guy is just so...so... " and then were left floundering with nothing to say? Well, it's not always your fault. English doesn't have words for every situation, or even the ones that happen every damned day. Fortunately, other languages usually do. And since we already borrow words from them (just recently we've taken "schadenfreude," the German word for pleasure in someone else's misfortune) here's a few that we need to pick up right away: Bakku-shan (Japanese) Means: A beautiful girl... as long as she's being viewed from behind. Say you're in a bar, and you look over to see the most incredible sight you've ever seen: a tall, slim woman with a waterfall of dark copper hair, an ass like a fresh peach in shrinkwrap and legs all the way down to the floor.
That's when she turns to look at you. Bile rises in your throat. Congratulations, you have just been a victim of bakku-shan: a girl that looks attractive from behind, but not from the front. Why americans should never be allowed to travel. I had someone ask for an aisle seats so that his or her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii? " I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts.
"Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, "Capecod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa. " A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I got a call from a man who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada? " Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. A nice lady just called. A woman called and asked, "Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know who's luggage belongs to who?
" How To Be Alone. BallDroppings. Calatrava's Soaring Pavilion Spreads its Wings to Create Shade. The Milwaukee Art Museum originally took up two floors of space in a 1957 building designed by Eero Saarinen as a war memorial. Then in 1975 a larger space was created for the museum by David Kahler, who connected the building to the city with a concrete bridge. To further accommodate its needs for more space, a grander entrance and a strong image for the city, the museum sought out architects to design a new addition and settled on Santiago Calatrava in 1994.
The impressive project is now called the Quadracci Pavilion, named after Betty and Harry Quadracci who kicked off the capital campaign with a $10 million donation. Calatrava took inspiration from the nearby lake, sailboats and soaring birds to create his masterpiece, which was built next to the existing Kahler building and connects to Wisconsin Avenue via a cable-stay footbridge. Photos © Timothy Hursley. The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet | Magazine.
Two decades after its birth, the World Wide Web is in decline, as simpler, sleeker services — think apps — are less about the searching and more about the getting. Chris Anderson explains how this new paradigm reflects the inevitable course of capitalism. And Michael Wolff explains why the new breed of media titan is forsaking the Web for more promising (and profitable) pastures. Who’s to Blame: Us As much as we love the open, unfettered Web, we’re abandoning it for simpler, sleeker services that just work. by Chris Anderson You wake up and check your email on your bedside iPad — that’s one app.
During breakfast you browse Facebook, Twitter, and The New York Times — three more apps. On the way to the office, you listen to a podcast on your smartphone. You’ve spent the day on the Internet — but not on the Web. This is not a trivial distinction. A decade ago, the ascent of the Web browser as the center of the computing world appeared inevitable. “Sure, we’ll always have Web pages. Sesame Street: True Mud. Moved Temporarily. Adobe looks to Bloom boxes for electricity | Green Tech. Adobe has hired Bloom Energy to install enough fuel cell servers to provide one-third of all electricity for Adobe's San Jose, Calif., headquarters, both companies announced today.
Specifically, Bloom will install 12 of its fuel cell servers on the fifth floor of Adobe's West Tower at the campus. Each Bloom box, as the company calls them, is roughly the size of a small van and contains thousands of ceramic fuel cells that can convert fuel and oxygen from the air into an electric current. For the Adobe installation, the units will use biogas for fuel. One Bloom box can produce enough electricity to power one 30,000-square-foot office building, or 100 average U.S. homes, according to company statistics.The installation is part of Adobe's long-term goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 121.5 million pounds in 10 years.
It's also a victory for the start-up energy technology company. Currently, each Bloom 100kW unit is reportedly sold for between $700,000 and $800,000.