The company which forces employees to work from home

Dear reader: the reason you're reading these lines due to Automattic, a company founded in August 2005 and is responsible for the WordPress platform, a software used by Green Savers and thousands of other sites from around the world to publish their news.

Automattic has about 230 employees, who are spread over 170 cities and different locations. But the company has only one headquarters in San Francisco. In other words, the vast majority of their employees work from home and avoid the morning and evening â€" stress â€" the traffic.

According to the CEO of Automattic, Matt Mullenweg, the reason that Automattic has a thirst is not related to working conditions. "Well, we had to have somewhere to receive our mail," explained to Mashable.

According to the charge, this strategy allows Automattic to find the best professionals in the world. "It allows us to reach the best and brightest professionals in the world," he explained.

The company has a monthly amount for each employee find a local co-working-180 ($ 550) â€" and offers an initial investment of € 2,175 ($ 6,600) for each mount your home office.

Automattic organizes some annual sessions with all workers, so that they can know each other better. "What we save, spend on travel," jokes Mullenweg. Employees can also choose the place where you will meet and rediscover.

One of the companies that work directly with Automattic, the WooThemes â€" which makes the themes and plug-ins for WordPress-has 37 people, out of a total of 45, working at home or in co-working spaces.

"Work at home brings several appointments. An e-mail conversation can be misunderstood, so I spent a lot of time on Google Hangout to see our faces, "explained CEO, Mark Forrester.

There are companies that are moving towards the opposite entido. Near the headquarters of Automattic, in San Francisco, three other multinationals repel the work from home. Apple, which has built a culture of secrecy, see telecommuting as an unnecessary risk; Google began offering free meals to keep their workers at Headquarters; and last year, Yahoo asked all the collaborators who worked from home for leave to.

Work from home

The term "telecommuting", which means, in Portuguese, working from home or telecommuting, was invented in the early 70, a NASA scientist who criticized the fact that the science taking a man to the Moon, but was unable to end the problem of traffic.

The solution found by this scientist Jack Nilles, was a concept in which people stop spending hours in traffic to, whenever possible, to work at home or in places close to home. That would mean not only an improvement of quality of life for them, but also for other workers who were unable to do the same.

The first company which adopted this strategy, an insurance company that wanted to increase the percentage of retaining talent, set up satellite offices near locations where many of their workers lived. We were in the years 70, pre-Internet era and pré-computadores.

The widespread use of computers "eureka" moment for Nilles. In 2014, anything is possible from home, since videoconferences, share documents and collaborate in real time from your phone, tablet or computer.

However, telecommuting is still not seen with good eyes by companies. In the United States, only 2.6% of the workforce (2.9 million people) worked from home, on full time, in 2012. About half of the labor force, however, could do it.

According to the Global Workplace Analytics, if all these 50 million workers stayed home only 2.4 days per week, for a year, the reduction of greenhouse gases would come to 51 million tonnes â€" the equivalent of removing all workers from New York.

Foto: ishane/Creative Commons

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Europeans are more closely related to Neanderthals that Africans

Europeans may be more closely related to Neanderthals than previously thought. Has long been known that breeding with Neanderthals left marks in the DNA of modern Europeans. A new study has confirmed now that the genetic similarity between the two species if accentuated with playback between humans and Neanderthals, which occurred in Europe and Asia, before the ancestors of the human species have spread across the globe.

Previous investigations indicated that modern Europeans and Asians were related to the Neanderthal because shared as common ancestor, the same African sub-population. Both the Europeans and Asians would have evolved from the same ancestor in Africa before spreading to other parts of the world. These two groups emerged in different time periods, with the Neanderthals to leave the African continent 200 thousand years before humans.

A new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Wageningen University, concluded that the two species bred in Europe and Asia for thousands of years.

The investigation involved the separation of the genetic code of each subspecies to calculate the statistical probability of the intersection of the two species have been recent or oldest. Scientists traced the biological ties that exist between humans and the old species, which are believed to have been missing for 30 thousand years.

The study concluded that the 2% of Neanderthal DNA in the genetic code of modern man comes from procreation outside of the African continent. "While there are solid evidence for genetic exchange between modern humans and Neanderthals in Eurasia, from several recent studies, it is difficult to uncover the ancient structure in Africa," says Konrad Lohse, one of the scientists who participated in the investigation.

Last week, scientists indicated that Europeans share with Neanderthals several genes involved in fat production. However, these same genes have not been found in Asia and Africa. This legacy of genes is related to a greater likelihood of cancer and diabetes, suggesting that the modern European might be closer to the Neanderthal than Africans.

Foto: erix! /Creative Commons

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Antwerp: military Chapel transformed into a modern restaurant

The architects of Piet Boon Studio transformed a historic Chapel of Antwerp in a restaurant with a modern design, The Jane. The restaurant is led by chef Sergio Herman, holder of a Michelin star.

Formerly, the space was the chapel of a military hospital. Despite the renewal, the architects kept the original ceiling, to evoke the history of the place. However, the religious stained glass windows were removed and replaced with stained glass Windows with patterns and designs. The 500 new stained-glass Windows bearing crosses, skulls and other religious symbols, as well as symbols related to new life from space: ice cream, cakes, wooden spoons.

The historical ceiling and new stained glass Windows can be admired more accurately from the bar of the upper floor, which boasts a large, modern chandelier, referred to Inhabitat.

This new restaurant is proof that all buildings, whatever his past, can be reused. See some of the pictures from the scene.

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The best routes to ride in Lisbon (with video)

For years, the city of Lisbon was haunted by reports and rumors about the terrible inability to use the bike in its streets. The chaotic traffic but, above all, the slope of its narrow streets, alleys and sidewalks was the perfect argument to scare the more adventurous cyclists.

Today it is known that is not so. Lisbon is not behind cities like Rome and San Francisco, just to identify two that share the number of hills â€" seven â€" but there are more and more people pedaling on their routes.

One of the projects that have contributed to this change of mindset is the Cycle Our City Lisbon, which recommends the best routes for biking in the city. The site advises with more experienced cyclists on the basis of the three most important factors on displacement in Bike: distance, inclination and traffic.

The project took a while ago â€" December â€" and still seeks the support of the citizens. "As the system still has no knowledge of these factors, it enables its own users to sort the sections they know. In future research, the system returns the best routes, "he explained to the green economy Nelson Nunes, the Project Cycle Our City.

The project was developed by Nelson Narayanan during his master's thesis from the Instituto Superior Técnico and Instituto de Engenharia e computer systems, driven by John Bacon.

"If it wasn't for us to do so would other people because it is a tool that is lacking in cities that have reduced infrastructure. There has to be a way for the user, home or smartphone, search for the best route, "continued Nelson Nunes.

The Cycle Our City already has 300 users volunteers and thousands of visitors. "Knowing good routes and make good choices of routes makes the difference between having a very unpleasant experience or the inverse," concluded John Barreto.

In the future, the site will have an application for smartphone and insert tracks recorded on GPS. Finally, Nelson Nunes wants to extend the project to other cities of the country. See the episode 236 of the green economy.

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The 18 most beautiful photos of the year for NASA

A satellite image of the Canary Islands in Spain, received the award for best cinematography of the year for NASA â€" or rather, for audiences who chose from among 32 pre-selected by the American Agency.

The fantastic image had competitors and was captured by Earth satellite in June 2013.

The photos were chosen in the shape of a football tournament â€" in knock-out version, as Scolari â€" as you can see here.

See some of the other finalists and, below, the respective location.

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1. Canary Islands, Spain

2.Liege, Belgium

3.Alaska, United States

4. Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic

5. Kliuchevskoi, Russia

6. Belgrade, Serbia

7.vulcao Pavlof, Alaska, United States

8. Khartoum, Sudan

9. Etna, Italy

10. Glaciar de Pine Island

11. Yarlung Tsangpo, Tibet

12. Dasht-e Kavir, Iran

13.Alaska, United States

14. Malaysia and Singapore

15. Beijing, China

16. the Atlantic Ocean and South America

17. Tamshiyacu, Peru

18. Edinburgh, Scotland

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Portuguese project could revolutionize the fishing industry (with video)

A Portuguese project, led by the shipyards of Vila Real de Santo António, intends to take advantage of the heat of the engines of vessels to generate electricity. The idea is called Eco-Cooler is intended for fishing boats up to 18 meters and allows you to keep the fresh fish with minimal risk to the environment.

"Using an absorption refrigeration system, the heat that is released by the exhaust of the engines of vessels can be a means of functioning for the cooling system," explained to the green economy Paul Keys, INOV engineer.

This reuse of exhaust gases, which were, until now, dispensable, allows you to increase the energy efficiency of the cooling system. An intelligent solution, created by Nautiber and that will be implemented at this stage, a single ship. The GENERAL is responsible for the system that controls and monitors the entire process of refrigeration system, to ensure that it works in the best conditions.

Once tested and controlled, the system may be acquired by other vessels. As a first step, it is for the Portuguese market. Afterwards, will be exported.

After the pilot project to be validated, to be followed by mass â€" we're talking about a few hundred installations. If all goes as expected, the Eco-Cooler can revolutionize the fishing industry.

The innovation is being supported by the economic business forum of the sea and has a total budget of €580 million. See the episode 235 of the green economy.

Foto: martinwcox/Creative Commons

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Mysterious epidemic is killing Indian tribe in Paraguay

A mysterious epidemic is killing the elements of an Aboriginal tribe of Paraguay. The epidemic, which is similar to tuberculosis, is not detected in medical examinations.

The alert is to be given by Survival International, which States that this tribe, the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, is being forced to leave the forest, once farmers and herders, they burn and cleanse the land.

The epidemic that threatens to extinguish this tribe is also a deadly precedent for the relatives of this tribe, who still live in the interior of the Amazon and are the last Indian tribe with no contact with the rest of civilization.

Since the elements of the Ayoreo were forced to leave the forest interior, they all have suffered from various respiratory diseases. As the elements of the tribes who have never had contact with civilization, also members of the Ayoreo people do not have immunity to external diseases, to which most of the population is immune.

The local doctors indicate that elements of the tribe have tested negative for tuberculosis, but have symptoms similar to those of the disease. See the before and after four members of the tribe.

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