Saint Petersburg has a new sustainable airport

Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, is already working. Designed by Grimshaw Aechitects, the space maintains the characteristic traits of the atelier â€" practicality and details of construction, associated with sustainability.

The new space has a cover that resembles a wooden origami and the interior spaces are spacious and bright, taking advantage of the natural light as much as possible. The Pulkovo airport is the first phase of a larger project to improve the transport infrastructure of Saint Petersburg and make the city as a gateway to Russia.

The Grimshaw Architects have won an international competition, in 2007, to design the Pulkovo airport. The new terminal is expected to receive 12 million passengers per year, referred to in Inhabitat. However, when the second phase of the project is completed in 2017, the space must be capable of an annual volume of 17 million passengers.

The design of the new airport was inspired by the city of St. Petersburg, with interconnected areas that are reminiscent of the Islands and the bridges of the city. The roof and the roof were designed to withstand large temperature fluctuations. The facades and Windows were optimized to capture as much light and prevent overheating in the summer. Some of the facades also include panels that allow you to control the amount of sunlight.

"This building represents a starting point for the Grimshaw. We are known for our significant structures and by attention to detail. Here, we wanted to keep all these elements, and our interest in sustainability, but also trying to make the building into a more defined and spacious, "said Mark Middleton, project manager of the Grimshaw.

. fancybox-wrap {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; z-index: 8020; }. fancybox-skin {position: relative; /* margin-top: 20px! important; */background: #222222; color: #74b32e; text-shadow: none; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 2px; border-radius: 2px; }. fancybox-opened {z-index: 8030;} . fancybox-opened. fancybox-skin {-webkit-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba (0, 0, 0, 0.5); -moz-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba (0, 0, 0, 0.5); box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba (0, 0, 0, 0.5); }. fancybox-outer,. fancybox-inner {position: relative;} . fancybox-inner {overflow: hidden;} . fancybox-type-iframe. fancybox-inner {-webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;} . fancybox-close {background: url('wp-content/themes/codistage/styles/fancybox/exit.png') no-repeat; width: 25px; height: 25px; float: right; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 5px; }/*. ng-gallery-image img {width: 565px; height: 393px;}*/O novo aeroporto de São Petersburgo1of 14jQuery (document). ready (function ($) {var thumbContainerWidth = 0, thumbs = Array (), selectedIndex = 1, thumbIndex = 1, imageOffset = 7; $ ('. ng-gallery-thumbnail-box '). each (function () {thumbs.push($(this)); }); /* thumbnail navigation */$ ('. ng-greensavers-thumb-next '). unbind (). bind (' click ', function (e) {e.preventDefault(); if (thumbIndex< == (thumbs.length-imageOffset)) {$ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). stop (). animate ({left:-$ (thumbs [thumbIndex]). position (). left}); thumbIndex + +; } }); $ ('. ng-greensavers-thumb-prev '). unbind (). bind (' click ', function (e) {e.preventDefault(); if (thumbIndex >1) {$ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). stop (). animate ({left: $ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). position (). left + ($ (thumbs [thumbIndex-1]). position (). left-$ (thumbs [thumbIndex-2]). position (). left)}); thumbIndex--; } }); $ (window). load (function () {/* set thumbnail container width */$ ('. ng-gallery-thumbnail '). each (function () {thumbContainerWidth = thumbContainerWidth + $ (this). width () + 10; }); $ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). width (thumbContainerWidth); }); });

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Achim Steiner re-elected executive director UN Environment program

Achim Steiner, executive director of the program for the environment of the United Nations (UNEP), was re-elected for a term of two years, starting in June this year.

Steiner was re-elected by the Assembly of the UN unanimously and with the recommendation of the current Secretary General of the Organization, Ban Ki-moon. The current executive director was chosen for the post for the first time in 2006, referred to a statement issued by the UN.

Before joining the Organization's environment program, Achim Steiner, German and Brazilian nationality, was director-general of the International Union for conservation of nature and natural resources between 2001 and 2006.

During the previous mandate, Steiner launched the Green Economy initiative, in 2008, established the first scientific-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystems and adopted the Convention of Minamata for mercury.

Foto: snre/Creative Commons

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Interactive toys interfere with the development of children?

It is common to see a child talking to legos, Barbies and Action Man or nenucos. However, these toys do not respond or interact in any way. But this reality is changing.

The advent technology brought a new reality for children when it comes to jokes. Interactive programs already exist, with various characters, who keep dialogues with children or programs, in the form of animals, which are very real. But these programs are beneficial or harmful to children's development in the 21st century?

For a new generation of children, this type of interactive toys can be the future of games. Although, in the future, we can watch many of the scenarios that we used to watch science fiction movies, there are other more immediate concerns. Since it has been hard to study the side effects of this new trend among toys, nobody knows exactly how these objects can affect a child's development-for better, worse or have a neutral effect.

To better understand these impacts, which are not yet scientifically proven, the Mashale spoke with several builders of toys and child development specialists.

This type of toy is aimed mostly at children in the early stages of mental development and, although there is no scientific evidence, theories about how the interactive toys can affect children are many.

Oren Jacob worked at Pixar for more than 20 years. Later, after leaving the company, created with a friend, who also worked at Pixar, a company, the Toy Talk. The most famous toy is Winston Show, a interactive program in the form of a cartoon that listen to children and interacts with them. According to Jacob, this toy can stimulate language development â€" which translates into extra points when it comes to persuading on the purchase of the product. Once children start talking love to have conversations, even meaningless, the program allows them to talk about what you want the cartoon will listen and always respond. "You can express yourself out loud and have a game partner that responds always and never tires is a very attractive option," says Jacob. "That's how you learn to speak".

Lauren Sherman, researcher, agrees that this kind of toys can help to a certain extent. This researcher working in the Children's Digital Media Center, in Los Angeles, a research lab that focuses on the effects of digital media on the development of children and young people. While recognizing the benefits of these toys, Sherman notes that interact with a program is not the same thing as interact with people, then that is not entirely advisable to replace human contact by contact with interactive programs.

Kaveri Subrahmanyam, associate director of the same laboratory, indicates that children tend to form ties with the characters and interactive programmes, the investigator, considers that these emotional ties may interfere with the "informational development of empathy", since contact with a wide range of emotions is smaller. Despite the benefits and harms of interactive toys are not fully proven, researchers advise parents to regrarem the use of these toys for children.

Photo: Thijs Boy/Creative Commons

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Norway will cut part of the island where took place the massacre of Utoya

Almost two years after the bombing, the Norway will perpetuate the victims of Anders Breivik through three memorials. The memorials will be designed by Jonas Dahlberg-the winner of a competition called Memorial Sites After 22 July, destined to choose the artist to create the memorials.

The three works will have a cost of about €3,3 million for the Government in Oslo. On July 22, 2011, recalled, 77 people were killed: eight in the explosion of a car bomb with a bomb in the Centre of Oslo and 69 in the massacre on the island of Utoya.

The most interesting of the three memorials commissioned will be of Sørbråten peninsula, called Memory Wound (Wound of memory). For this monument, Dahlberg will cut a piece of land on the peninsula, separating it through a channel of three and a half meters of width of the main portion of Earth. The work will be a "symbolic wound" in the landscape refers to the Verge.

Another of the monuments will understand 100 cubic meters of rock extracted from Sørbråten which will be transferred to the Government quarter in Norwegian capital, where the memorial will mark the spot where the car bomb was detonated.

Additionally, the artist will still build a temporary path between Gubbegata and the Deichmanske library. Subsequently, Dahlberg will utilize the peninsula cutting trees to create a permanent Amphitheater in the Government quarter, called "Time and Movement" (Time and motion ").

The Memorial will be inaugurated on July 22, 2015 at the fourth anniversary of the attacks, and the Amphitheatre will be opened later.

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Celebrities and top designers are using fur

Despite the angry reaction on the part of the defenders of animals, many are still the public figures who continue to wear fur â€" even those who had promised to never use, like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford (pictured), referred to the Guardian. 

Despite an appeal by the designer John Bartlett to stop using animal skins, several clothing brands like Dolce Gabbana &, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Tom Ford have all continued to use skins for the latest season sets.

Although companies like H&M, Topshop and Calvin Klein have banned the use of skins, these may be increasingly to be used.

During this month will be held in the Finnish city of Helsinki the largest fur auction ever seen, in which prices are expected to reach record values. Merchants and designers will compete in 11 million mink pelts, 2 million Fox pelts and 1 million skins a variety of wild animals.

Mark Oaten, executive director of the Federation of international trade in Furs, asserts that "the demand for fur is so great that the industry is going through a desperate shortage of products." Second, young Oaten began using skins and the latest technological advancements have supported industry to do much more with them.

Foto: tomy japan/Creative Commons

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Esther: wonderful nut that prompted the owners to create a haven for pigs

The mini pigs are fashionable. As such, Derek Walter and Steve Jenkins, a Toronto couple decided to adopt one of these animals. However, as many people have been deceived into buying these pets, also this couple was wrong and, rather than adopt a mini pig, hosted a normal domestic pig.

Esther, so they called it. This was rejected by the domestic pig farm where he was born, in the summer of 2012. Derek and Steve knew of the case and decided to embrace the animal, thinking that it was a mini pig. However, with the passage of time, the animal continued to grow, until acquiring the proportions of a normal domestic pig.

When they discovered that the animal was not a mini pig, this couple doesn't get rid of the animal, which already belonged to the family, as well as dogs and cats I've ever had.

With more than a year and a half and 180 pounds, Esther â€" which is already a phenomenon on the internet â€" prompted the owners to change their lifestyle: Derek and Steve have become vegetarians. Now, after they find out how magnificent could be a pig, these two Canadians intend to open a refuge for animals this spring.

"The idea is to build an environment that is accessible and interesting enough to attract visitors", says Steve Jenkins, cited by Dodo. "We want to accommodate mostly pigs but we hope to be able to host all kinds of farm animals. We hope to be able to maintain a barn with all or almost all pigs or some sort of House with clean floor, blankets and hay. Anything that stimulates the intelligence of animals and take people to consider us differently. "

The idea for the creation of the refuge came from the feeling that this could provide more space to Esther to play. However, Derek and Steve indicate that educate visitors is the first motivation of the project. "View Esther playing as our dogs was the key to unleash the project. We quickly realized that the pigs are not stupid animals, as you might think, and we want to introduce visitors to this reality in a smooth way. We don't want to fill visitors with vegetarian or propaganda in favour of animal rights, we want to stimulate these aspects through direct contact with the animals ".

In the long run, these two Canadians expect their refuge becomes a unique venue, that people want to visit not only to see the animals but also to play with and learn from them. "Is a huge task and our goals are very aggressive, we know that. But this has become more of a mission than a dream and we will fulfill this mission, "says Jenkins.

Esther follow Facebook.

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Robots take over the creative work and I write books and music

Robots and computers already have a large number of applications and progressively go replacing the human being in the most varied tasks. Initially they were used to perform heavy or hazardous work, robots are currently used in creative functions â€" an example of this are the IBM computers that were programmed to cook and create new recipes.

Despite these intelligent robots IBM being just a prototype, you better get used to the idea of having meals made by robots or papers written by computers, which means that these intelligent machines will also be able to override the creatives of the most varied professions.

There are computers that develop creative work for quite some time. Already there are novels written by computers that combine the plots of Tolstoy with the writing style of Murakami, as well as for music and news written by computers, referred to Quartz.

But what makes it possible for machines to operate in these areas considered artistic works? The answer is simple: both the music, how the writing can be transformed into science, through the creation of large databases of music, books and news-and now also recipes, which are converted into binary code.

In recent centuries, the human being has done a great job to improve the culinary arts, but in the future this role may belong to the computers and the IBM project is an example of this. When assessing the variety of existing recipes and analyzing the implicit flavors to certain molecules, computers can create various recipes, as numerous as their databases allow.

Such advances in computational art can allow in the future to order a book written depending on customer preferences or a song composed according to the listener's tastes. And maybe in the near future can be surprised with any exotic recipe created by a computer or even a plate with his name, created from its gastronomic tastes.

Foto: crstnksslr/Creative Commons

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