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15 Things You’re Hoarding that You Can Get Rid of Right Now

We’ve all seen those extreme cases on Hoarders, or at least have the vaguest concept of hoarding– houses packed to the rafters, barely a footpath through. But we aren’t really like that, right? Just because there’s a bit of unwashed laundry, or a few extra sentimental items lying around, we’re not actually hoarding, are we?

Well, according to my mother, who we all joke doesn’t have a sentimental bone in her body because she’s ruthless when it comes to clearing out clutter, we are. Definite, complete, total hoarders. Semi-neat hoarders, but hoarders nonetheless. So, I’m taking a page from my mother’s book (hopefully) and I’m giving you permission to part with those things you swore you couldn’t let go of, but maybe, with some careful guidance, you could actually say goodbye to today. And yes, this post is talking to me as much as it is to my readers; after all, I couldn’t have come up with 15 items for you to purge if I didn’t do a little cleaning up myself.

So grab 3 boxes and label them Trash, Sell, and Donate, and let’s get purging. Ready?

  1. Your Prom Corsage. Seriously. It’s been a decade since you went to Prom. I know you carefully preserved it and put it in your memory box, but why are you still holding onto this? It’s literally just dead flowers. This one is fit for the trash.
  2. That Pair of Jeans You SWEAR you’re going to fit into in 6 months. Yeah, the one that you’ll be back in after this diet. Or that diet after that one. Or the diet four diets from now. Unless they fit you right this minute, donate them. Someone else can use them. In the meantime, buy a pair that fits and makes you feel awesome and when you’re that size again, buy a new pair. Styles change anyway, so you’ll want something fresh.
  3. The brick phone you’re holding onto in case you break this one. Trust me. Just part with it. There are plenty of places that recycle old cell phones, and you really don’t need the last 5 cell phones you have. Unless you plan on making bulletproof armor out of your old Nokias, just recycle them and call it good.
  4. Those love notes from your ex. But really, I get that you’re holding onto these, but if you know it’s over and there’s no major attachment there anymore, save your absolute favorite one and toss the rest. You don’t need them.
  5. The knitting needles/rainbow loom/quilting supplies for that craft you were gung-ho about, then dropped. Sure, you were super into it for a few weeks, and then you realized that hey, you don’t have time for this! If you’re not keen on donating what you have left, then try selling your crafting gear and remnants online, or swap it with a friend who is over her most recent hobby, too– she can try yours, you can try hers, and you both have something new and fun to try out.
  6. Movie ticket stubs from that feature ages ago. Unless you have a super-strong memory attached (like the first movie you saw with your hubby, or a movie you went into labor in the middle of), toss the ticket. You won’t miss it. If there is a super-strong memory of it, put it in your album and be done.
  7. That shirt you bought at that concert for that band you loved in college. I get it, we all have shirts that have seen better days (and bands we liked before they sucked, you hipster, you!), but seriously… if you’re not still into the band and if the shirt doesn’t have a super special memory attached (again, something crazy like a first date with the hubs or labor), donate it. Or, if it’s in concert-condition, just trash it.
  8. The charger cord to your old laptop. You’re not using it anymore. I promise you won’t need it. Most likely, the newest version of that same laptop uses a different charger, and chargers are like $5 on Amazon anyway. Just recycle it or dispose of it properly.
  9. The almost-dried up bottle of last year’s nail polish color you had to have. You know the one, that bright pop that you needed before vacation or that moody hue that was perfect for fall, but you’re completely over it now (or you used it so much that there’s not even enough for a full manicure left)… just toss it already!
  10. The book you already read but weren’t ready to part with, or worse, the book you were going to read and never got around to. If you’ve read it awhile ago and are pretty sure you’re not actually going to read it again, donate it or take it up to half price books. If you didn’t read it, even though you swore you would because the reviews or Target or Oprah or someone said it was oh-so-amazing, either read it and sell/donate it, or just go ahead and get it off of your shelf without reading it. We’ve all bought those impulse books that we haven’t read. Just gift it to a friend, donate it, and move on.
  11. The Emergency Chocolate Bar that’s expired. If you’re a mom, I know you’ve got an emergency chocolate bar hidden somewhere. But you know you’ve had one that you’ve hidden long enough that it’s just not quite good anymore, and you have yet to replace it? Toss the old one, then treat yourself to a really delicious cup of cocoa or a new chocolate bar, and keep it where you’ll eat it before it’s yuck this time!
  12. The extra buttons from that cute jacket….that you donated two seasons ago. I can’t be the only one who still has extra buttons in the back of my jewelry box. Those buttons to that dress you loved intensely and eventually got rid of for one reason or another? Go ahead and get rid of the buttons, too. Or make sock puppets with your kids with them, but somehow, get them out of your jewelry box, already!
  13. CDs. All CDs. Unless you have a good excuse (like my car only plays CDs because I drive a 2002), get rid of CDs! If you have a must-have song or album, rip it into your digital format of choice (mp3, duh) and give it to a friend or sell/donate it to a used store.
  14. Shoes. How many shoes have you bought because you “just had to have them” and wore once or twice and got bored with? Just ditch the old shoes you’re done with– donate them, or sell them online for money for… uh… more shoes, of course!
  15. That gift that you just weren’t quite into. We’ve all been there– gotten a gift that was well-intentioned but not that great. Regift it (but not to the original giver… yikes!) or donate it for a good cause. Use caution when selling– if your friend is local and you’re trying a local swap site, you may hurt some feelings.

Your turn… let me know in the comments below what else you found while purging, or what else you’d add to this list, and if I have it on hand, I’ll be tossing it, too! Also, were there any items on this list that you were surprised to still be holding onto?


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In the present study, we investigated perceived responsibility, evidence strengthening, and defendant gender in the context of a criminal trial involving DNA. Evidence was introduced post-trial and varied as strengthening the defendant’s guilt v. innocence. We also examined perceptions of perceived responsibility for verdict in order to more closely evaluate the role of regret in decision-making. Results indicated that DNA evidence is perceived as reliable, regardless of whether it strengthened guilt or innocence. In addition, greater confidence in verdict was observed when evidence strengthened the guilt of a female defendant vs. a male defendant. Finally, jurors experiencing high levels of regret perceived DNA evidence more selectively compared to jurors with low levels of regret, supporting the importance of identifying individual difference factors prior to trial.

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Psychology Commons

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public static var defaultSolverIterations: int;
public static int defaultSolverIterations;

The defaultSolverIterations determines how accurately Rigidbody joints and collision contacts are resolved. (default 6). Must be positive.

If you are having trouble with connected Rigidbodies oscillating and behaving erratically setting a higher solver iteration count may improve their stability (but is slower).

This value is usually changed in Edit->Project Settings->Physics inspector instead of from scripts.

Note: Changing the defaultSolverIterations does not affect already created Rigidbodies. To change an existing Rigidbody please use Rigidbody.solverIterations.

See Also: Physics.defaultSolverVelocityIterations.

          Physics.defaultSolverIterations = 10;
using UnityEngine;
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public class ExampleClass : MonoBehaviour { void Example() { Physics.defaultSolverIterations = 10; } }

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Doin' It Halfway Since 1996

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

Tag Archives: Christmas

Why I Heart Christmas: New Traditions Edition

This is No. 4 in the four-part series “Why I heart Christmas”.

Click on the links to check out previous posts, A little Background, The Sibling Edition, and The Husband Edition.

Sorry this post is a little late, folks. We had some last minute house guests, which led to impromptu grocery shopping and house cleaning. And also, I was having a hard time loading pictures and videos. I’d better get the hang of this if I’m going to ever become a serious blogger, huh?

I think this post is my favorite to write of the bunch. I think because it’s so open with possibility. The girls are young and each Christmas brings a new age with new awareness and understanding of this special holiday.

First and foremost, this will probably cause a little controversy, but Hubs and I have chosen to NOT do the Santa thing in our household. The bottom line is because we don’t want to lie to our children, no matter how innocent or fun the lie is. (I need to insert here that in between starting this post and writing this sentence, we went to Chic-fil-A for Kids’ Night. Guess who was making an appearance? Santa. The kids giggled and were giddy. Firstborn Diva Child said, “I knew you weren’t telling the truth! Santa’s real! He’s here!” And Drama Queen Middle Child said, “Don’t you know he’s real mom?” Here’s a little picture from the encounter).

We do several fun things throughout the season to prepare for Christmas.

Like most families, we decorate the Christmas tree. I think my firstborn Diva child is going to enjoy it as much as I do. She loves ornaments. Our favorite is the Peanuts ornament. It’s shows Linus on the stage. We went to great lengths to get this ornament for her after seeing it some friends’ house a few years ago. Long story short, we tried to get it at several stores where we lived and we tried to get it online. They were sold out. I asked my mom to ask around. She called all the Hallmark stores in her city and found one that had the store model left. She drove to the other side of town to pick it up. She mailed us the box. When I received the package, it was empty. I called my mom who called the store who found it stashed somewhere in the back room. Then the battery was dead. So, all in all, when you consider the time spent hunting and procuring it, the gas used going to the store twice, postage, and the replacement battery, not to mention the cost of the ornament itself, we probably spent somewhere in the ball park of $60 to $70 on this ornament. I don’t think about that. I think about how much my girls love it. And how each time they push the button, they hear the Christmas story. Here’s what it looks like and does, in case you were wondering what ornament is worth that much money (FYI, this is a video I took of our ornament).

This year, one of my favorite bloggers, Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience wrote and gave a free Jesse Tree Devotional, complete with pictures to make ornaments. If you don’t know what a Jesse Tree is, it’s a daily devotional starting at the beginning of Advent. It goes through the history of Jesus’ lineage up to his birth. It helps those of us who are believers see our own lineage of grace. This is the first year I’ve done a purposeful daily advent devotional with the girls. Sometimes I don’t think they’re listening, but they remember which stories go with the ornaments hanging on the pine branches we cut from our huge backyard tree. Here’s a picture of our Jesse Tree, in progress.

I just have to interject here that if you haven’t discovered Ann Voskamp and A Holy Experience, take a few minutes today to peruse her blog. Everything she has ever posted that I have read has left me hopeful and encouraged. Her’s is a quiet voice in the noisiness of the internet. A quiet respite, a salve to the wearied soul. I have read her blog for years and as long as she continues to write, I will read.

In the past I have made these pancakes.

I may try my hand at Rudolph or Santa-shaped pancakes (see we still talk about and do Santa, we just don’t teach that he’s real). We actually have a family tradition that goes along with pancakes. It’s another from my mother-in-law. She reads “Little Black Sambo” (which is about a little boy in India whose mother makes him pancakes out of tiger ghee – you have to read it to understand it). She would read it on Christmas Eve and then fix pancakes for Breakfast on Christmas morning. Then we use Alton Brown’s recipe for Instant Pancake Mix. So good. Yes, pancakes are in order soon.

When I became a mother, one of the gifts my mother gave me for Christmas was “The ADVENTure of Christmas” by Lisa Whelchel. It’s only until recently that I felt that I could use some of the ideas in this book with the kids. There are all sorts of recipes (we’re SO trying Wassail this year), crafts (we might make some “Reindeer Evangelists” – candy canes made up as reindeer), and historical facts and stories about the traditions of Christmas. The artwork is fun and captivating. Most importantly, it takes some of the well-known holiday traditions and points them toward why our family celebrates the season, Jesus. I’m so excited to get to use it this year (here it is on her website, here it is on

Here are some websites I’ve found with some great ideas for this season:

Check out my friend Sarah’s blog, Mashed Bananas. While she is an incredible writer, she’s even a more incredible mom. Here are a few things she did one year with her kids. Really. She’s uber-mom. Uber-fun-mom. Indoor “paper snow ball” fight? Fun. Homemade snowflakes and hot chocolate? Yum. Then there’s the Santa pancakes I’m totally stealing. Here’s what she did the year before that, a homemade advent calendar made out of match boxes. I’m not nearly that ambitious, but if you are, it’s a super cute idea.

I love what this homeschooling mom (Our Homeschool Fun) has done with her kids. Check out the Christmas Trees made of wooden craft sticks. Love it!

Family Fun Magazine always has creative homemade gift ideas that the kids can do. I actually purchased the supplies to make these fun felt pens last year, but didn’t get to it (we had a lot going on). I think the girls would love to do it this year and give them to the relatives. I also saw these little bowling boys that I thought would be fun to make for my nephews.

And finally, there’s World Vision. We support a little boy named Jose in El Salvador. Because we do, we receive mail from World Vision throughout the year. We’ve been leafing through their Christmas 2010 Gift Catalog trying to figure out what the perfect gift to purchase might be. Do we buy a chicken or a goat or clean drinking water or a Ger for a family in Mongolia? The girls want to buy baby chickens. I’m thinking about a goat. It’s a great way to give to those in need out of the great abundance God has given our family.

While I have always loved Christmas, I think I love it more now. Being a mother and watching my children experience it is far better than experiencing it myself. It is my earnest hope and sincerest prayer that they learn the reason why this holiday is so special. It’s about an all-powerful, infinitely loving, exceedingly just, all gracious God humbling himself into the form of a helpless infant to save the fallen world he so lovingly created. I pray that as our family grows and matures that our faith will as well.

Why I Heart Christmas: The Husband Edition

If you missed Parts I and II of this four-part post on “Why I Heart Christmas”

Click Here for Part I, A Little Background

Click Here for Part II, The Sibling Edition

I love my Hubs. He’s so great. We just celebrated eight years of wedded bliss last month. And while that doesn’t sound like a lot, we’ve ventured further than many couples have. We’ve weathered many storms into which some would never dare to sail. Our waistbands are a little bigger and we have a few more wrinkles. But, for the grace of God, we’re chuggin’ along like a well-oiled machine. My hubs isn’t as enthusiastic as I am when it comes to Christmas. He’s had some cruddy Christmases. However, he loves me, so he lets me blare Christmas music in the house (and he sometimes even pretends to like it). He’ll sit through “White Christmas” if I give him puppy dog eyes (and then promise to watch Rambo or Terminator or Star Trek or Lord of the Rings). He’ll even eat the sugar cookies when I bake them. He’s such a trooper.

He was a Black Friday virgin, and I broke him in. Some of his favorite purchases in past years include a set of walkie talkies (that was before smart phones), a 40-inch Sony television, and then later, the 32-inch he purchased for his upcoming knee surgery. We don’t tend to Black Friday together (yes, I just turned a noun into a verb). Our plan of attack is divide and conquer, which we usually do. Being a former military man, he’s good at logistics and tactical advantages.

In our ten plus years as a couple, we’ve had many memories. Here are a few from this time of the year.

My first Christmas as a married woman was interesting. We had planned to divide our time between families. Pretty routine. However, on December 23, a huge snow storm hit the area where we lived. While a snow storm of that particular proportion wouldn’t cause us to fret now (having lived in Alaska has made us snow-driving experts), at the time, it caused great concern. My husband is from a warm, southern state and didn’t have much experience driving on snow and ice. No businesses are open on Christmas Eve, especially not small town gas stations that lined the road in which we were about to travel. We had planned to leave on Christmas Eve. I was supposed to work, but ended up not going in partly because I was sick, and partly because the roads were so bad. By the time we left our apartment, it was 6 p.m. It’s usually about a five and a half hour drive to my parents’ home. We packed our things, including our geriatric and insane beagle, stopped at Sonic to grab a bite to eat, and headed out in the Winter Wonderland with uncertainty in our tiny, two-seater, rear-wheel drive Toyota pick-up. There are a few things to mention here. Our dog smelled like butt all the time, even after a bath. She sat curled up at the bottom of my seat, so I had no leg room. Missouri is not the best at road maintenance, so the roads were awful. We were both very stressed and anxious, so we fought most of the way. I got confused because the snow made the surroundings unfamiliar and I told my husband to turn down the wrong road, which led us about thirty minutes out of the way (this was pre-GPS, which I don’t think I can live without now). While this doesn’t sound like a very nice memory, it always makes me smile and laugh when I think about it. We were so young and in love and stupid. What kind of idiots go out on bad roads on Christmas Eve, knowing full well that if something happens during the travels, they’d be hard-pressed to find anyone to help? Apparently us. Thankfully, God was watching over us and we made it safely to my parents’ home at 2 a.m. where we were greeted with open arms and a warm bed. My husband told me that the whole ordeal was worth it because my mom’s first words to him were, “Thanks for bringing my daughter home for Christmas.” We haven’t learned our lesson, though. Just recently we packed the kids in the car and took an overnight road trip. We’re gluttons for punishment, I guess.

Then there was the Christmas he was away. At war. In Iraq. A deployment changes things. It made me appreciate things I had taken for granted. While I sat around the fire pregnant with our second child and enjoying the festivities with my family, hubs was far away, living a very different every day life. That Christmas, behind the woman who was opening presents and smiling, was a worry. A worry that the holidays brought more fighting and more danger to the other half of my heart who was so far away. A worry that I may never have Christmas with my husband again. Thankfully, he did come home 11 months later. Others didn’t. And even though it’s been three years since the deployment, and even though he doesn’t say anything, I know that he thinks of his soldiers on each holiday we celebrate, including Christmas. We don’t have to say a word. I smile knowingly, grab his hand and kiss his cheek. It’s my way of telling him, “I’ll hold your hand while you miss them. I’m thankful for every day I get to spend with you.” Here’s a little sidenote/exhortation: The Christmas he was deployed (and the entire deployment really) opened my eyes to the reality that life’s too short to spend on petty differences. Take time to appreciate your loved ones. Let them know you care. Write a note. Give a hug. Say, “I love you.” Even when it’s hard to do. ESPECIALLY when it’s hard to do. Life is fragile and fleeting. Don’t take those moments for granted.

The next Christmas, after coming home from Iraq with a torn ACL and having knee surgery shortly after, we decided to still fly home. A flight home from Alaska with a two year old, a nine month old and a gimpy husband with a knee brace and crutches isn’t pleasant. It’s worse than a day-long trip in the car. Trust me. I’ve done both. I prefer the car. But he needed to see family. He had to see family after all he had been through. So we braved it. My father-in-law had ice for his knee as soon as we got in the car at the airport. I think we were still going through the transition period of the homecoming (it takes about six months, and even then, nothing is the same). I don’t remember too much about that Christmas except for his resolve to get home.

That was the last time we spent time with family during Christmas. The last two years we were “stuck” in Alaska, but made the most of it sharing our Christmases with good friends. This year, we’re back in the lower 48 and have plans to celebrate with family once again.

Which leads me to the 4th and final post of this “series”, New Traditions. This year has been so much fun because Firstborn Diva Child and Drama Queen Middle Child are so excited for Christmas. They begged to put up the tree. They picked out our outdoor decorations. Wait. I’m getting ahead of myself.

Come back tomorrow for “Why I Heart Christmas: New Traditions” to see what our young family is doing this year to celebrate the coming of the King!

Why I Heart Christmas: A Little Background

For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been my favorite holiday. Today’s post is the first of four that will outline some of my fondest memories of the holiday.

So, sit back. Grab a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of eggnog. And take a walk with me in my Winter Wonderland, delusional as it may be. Just an FYI, I’ll be watching The Secret Santa episode of the Office, from Season 2 via Netflix. So, if there are any “That’s what she said” references, you’ll know why.

I’ll admit it, I’m a Black Friday junkie. For the last two Thanksgivings, I have stayed up all night to get some deal or another on Black Friday. My family has been doing Black Friday sales since I was a kid. This year, I drug my family out to stand in line all night to help me purchase gifts for my girls. My parents, as grandparents, are just big pushovers. They’ll do anything for their grandchildren AND my dad can’t resist a good deal. While some people abhor Black Friday, I find it fun. I may have to go to a Support Group for it in the future.

But that’s not why Christmas is my favorite holiday. There are some much more significant reasons why I love Christmas. Of course, the most obvious reason I love Christmas is because it celebrates the birth of my Savior and God’s incredible grace to a dying people. That is why I celebrate Christmas. But I also have so many warm and fond memories associated with this time of the year that make it the best for me.

I have two favorite Christmas songs. One is “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney and the Wings.

I remember sitting in the car on Christmas Eve, waiting for my mom to finish loading all the holiday goodies so that we could begin the festivities at my Grandparents’ home. The radio was playing Christmas music, of course, and this song came on. I remember being so excited (because I still believed in Santa Claus then). Christmas was about to start! All the anticipation that had been building for weeks in my child mind was about to pay dividends. I listened to the song, loving the electronic sounds, the British accents, the children singing “ding dong ding dong”. It’s a good song. Now, every time I hear that song I can’t help but smile. The song embodies all the anticipation and excitement of Christmas for me. I once told my husband that I equated his coming home from Iraq to the anticipation and excitement of Christmas morning when I was a kid. It’s just a great feeling.

My other favorite song, in case you were wondering, is “Sleigh Ride” by Boston Pops Orchestra.

No real memory associated with this song, I just like it a lot. And it can’t be any other version of these songs, it has to be the songs by these artists, or it doesn’t count in my book. Christmas doesn’t start for me until I hear both of these songs. I used to listen to the radio waiting with baited breath to hear either or both of these songs. Now that there’s such a thing as youtube and itunes, Christmas can start whenever I want, even in July.

I ALWAYS helped Mom put up the tree. Many ornaments held special meaning for her, which meant they held special meaning for me as well. Even this year, when I put up my tree, there are a few ornaments that make me think of people, places, and times throughout the years. One ornament we hung on the tree this year was given to us by a little girl who was a friend of my niece’s (our niece lived with us for a few months). She came from a somewhat troubled family who was in a difficult situation. While the ornament itself isn’t anything special, I remember hanging it on my tree last year thinking that I would always remember who gave it to us. I would hold on to it and say a prayer for their family every time I pulled it out of the box (because we weren’t the sort of friends who would keep in touch). When I hung it on the tree this year, I thought of her. Each time Lil’ Linus pulls it off the tree and I return it to a naked branch, I say a little prayer. There’s one ornament left that Hubs and I gave as gifts at our wedding. I have a few ornaments from my childhood. I have a strange knack for remembering the people associated with certain things (like I can almost tell you who gave us all of the wedding gifts that we still own). And so it is with the ornaments on my tree.

When I was a child, my family had many Christmas traditions. Both sides of my family lived in town, so Christmas often began as early as the 23rd (I have two siblings who have birthdays very close to Christmas). On Christmas Eve, mom’s side went to the Candlelight Communion service. After, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a light dinner and gifts. Grandpa often gave a speech. We took turns opening our gifts.

Then we went home (and sometimes we fell asleep in the car). “Santa” needed us to go to bed so he could visit. Mom and Dad would put our stockings out. My sister and I were joking about this the other day. Now that we’re parents ourselves, we understand that this was more of a survival technique. IF When we got up too early, we were only allowed to play with what was in our stockings. This allowed Mom and Dad AT LEAST thirty more minutes of sleep.

Mom always made cinnamon rolls from the tube (i.e. Pillsbury). That was the only time of year that we got to eat them. So they were always a special treat.

After Dad finished his morning run, we opened our gifts. We usually wore some new article of clothing we had received. Then we took the twenty minute drive to Dad’s side of the family, where we opened more presents. After a huge feast, we’d either take a nap or take a walk. Then we’d head back over to Mom’s side of the family just to say “Merry Christmas!” and snack some more.

There were other traditions thrown in here and there. My dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible before we open gifts. One year we went around Grandma and Grandpa’s neighborhood and sang Christmas carols to all their neighbors. We did that for several years. After presents on dad’s side, we went bowling a few years in a row. Then there were a few years where we all went to a movie.

Christmas has always been a time of celebration and family togetherness. I’m sure there was drama here and there. But I was unaware of it as a child. Christmas was (and still is) a magical time for me.

Mom and Dad made sure we understood why we celebrated Christmas. They gave us the best gift a parent can give their child; they gave us the gift of truth. That a perfect and holy God became a tiny baby, was born under inauspicious circumstances, and came out of love to save the world he created.

Come back tomorrow to hear more about Christmas with my siblings (I have two brothers and two sisters).

Santa’s Been Naughty!

When you live in a consumer based society that has too much stuff and not enough time or creativity to really go out and purchase gifts for your loved ones (or co-workers), what do you turn to? White Elephant gifts of course.

If you don’t know what a White Elephant Gift exchange is, check this out. White Elephant has also been called Dirty Santa, Crazy Santa, Yankee Swap, and Thieving Santa. All have the same premise. Pick out a silly present that you yourself would never wish to receive, wrap it, and bring it to the gift exchange. Then everyone who is participating draws numbers and the first person picks out a present to unwrap. They unwrap the gift. Then the next person can either choose to steal the first gift, or unwrap another gift. And so the game goes on. Sometimes there’s a theme to the exchange. Sometimes the gift isn’t silly, but purchasing a gift under a certain price (that’s when it’s really interesting because there are usually gifts that someone really does want and then there’s a lot of fighting over the most popular items). Sometimes, usually dependent on the maturity level of the participants, rules are established (like presents can only be stolen so many times or the first person gets the last choice).

I may be tipping my hand to those who I will be participating with this year (I’m doing a regular White Elephant exchange and a 80s themed White Elephant exchange), but I figured it was worth a post to share some of my White Elephant ideas. I have participated in a White Elephant gift exchange for almost every Christmas of my adult life. I even did it as a kid. In my third grade class. To this day, I don’t believe that they stopped having Christmas parties at public schools just because it was politically incorrect, but because Mrs. Stevenson’s 3rd grade class Christmas party debacle of 1986 proved that eight year-olds can not handle a White Elephant-esque gift exchange. We all wanted the homemade stuffed animal in the shape of a huge nerd (the candy). It was purple. Only one person got to go home with it. It wasn’t me. Or the kid who was a Jehovah’s Witness because his parents weren’t sensitive enough to take him out of school early that day, but made him sit through the festivities in the corner of the room while the rest of us enjoyed sugar cookies and presents (sidenote: who thinks it’s a good idea to give a classroom full of kids sugar cookies? I guess me, because I’m planning on doing it for my daughter’s Kindergarten party). It ended with a black eye and three crying little girls.

Anyway, White Elephant exchanges aren’t for the faint of heart or those who get their feelings hurt easily. Because when it comes to stealing a present you have to remember, it’s not personal, it’s just business. I mean, did you ever see the Season 2 episode of The Office where Michael turns the Secret Santa gift exchange into a Yankee Swap because he got an ipod and he realizes that he overspent? Then he’s mad about getting a home made hot pad from Phyllis and practically makes Pam (who was supposed to get Jim’s teapot gift with personal items) give up the ipod? If you haven’t seen that one,  you should. And it totally illustrates my point about White Elephant not being for the immature. Here’s a clip to whet your appetite.

So, if you’re going to a White Elephant gift exchange this year, here are some of my expert gift ideas (okay, so maybe I’m not an expert, but just go with it):

MRE (Meals Ready to Eat, or as joked about in the Army, Meals Rejected by Ethiopians) – having been a military family, it’s fun to watch civilians open up the brown plastic package and say, “What is this?” Then it’s even more fun to watch their distasteful looks when you explain it to them. Unless the recipient is a survivalist. Then they hoard it like bottled water and bags of rice.

A big box of McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys – this is especially fun if the toys are really retro, because then everyone can take a walk down memory lane. Speaking of, what was your favorite Happy Meal Toy? Mine was this Nickolodeon microphone. We got it on a family road trip to Colorado and we had the most fun interviewing each other about what we saw as we drove through the  mountains. My mom still has it.

An industrial sized can of any type of vegetable – I remember one year that someone gave a huge can of beans at a gift exchange I was doing. The only problem was that the expiration date was sometime in the 1970s. Yuck.

A gift card – if you want to be unoriginal AND have the most fought over gift, get a gift card. But, don’t be lame and get a gift card to Walmart or Target or even Amazon. At least be a little conscious and get one from somewhere different, like a shop on  here or a company with a cause like this one or this one.

Some random garage sale item – okay, I saw this earlier this summer and ALMOST bought it, but didn’t. It’s a quilt made of bras. Tacky, yes. White Elephant gold? Absolutely.

An office toy – One night on a date, hubs and I stopped by Micro Center (the place where all nerds, geeks and prodigies gather to purchase computers and electronics. Seriously. The clientele there on any given night would shame a Star Trek convention). They had this really fun gun that shoots pellets from potatoes. I think it’s so the IT guys (because that’s who shops there) can keep their jobs while taking their passive aggression out on posters of their co-workers that they have hidden all around their offices. By the way, I really love my husband to let him go to Micro Center on our date night. Truly, Madly, Deeply.

So those are a few of my suggestions. I’d love to hear what your favorite White Elephant Gift ideas are. What have you received that was White Elephant genius? Or a complete fail? I’d love to hear your stories!

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Protecting the Most Hated Man on Earth February 28, 2006

Posted by doobya in america, w, world.

About 5,000 personnel including snipers, commandos and US Marines using helicopters, bomb detectors and electronic jammers will protect President George W. Bush during his visit to India this week, officials said yesterday.

Cartoons? Worth dying for? February 15, 2006

Posted by doobya in islam, religion, world.
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While the minority of hardliners on both sides of the Prophet cartoons controversy seems to get more vocal and violent by the week, garnering media attention and increasing tensions, some more intelligent reactions are starting to surface from the silent majority.

The only way we can end this vicious cycle of violence is by understanding each other.

What was ignored in most press coverage was the degree to which the response was widespread, spontaneous and largely took the form of non-violent direct action (…) Press coverage, at least, in the US, didn't help create understanding. If anything, it mirrored the gap and served in the end to fuel more misunderstanding.

If Muslims and Europeans, as equal citizens living together in a democracy, are not able to trust each other, if we are not able to talk to each other (…) we are sending a signal to Islamic majority countries that there is no way for Muslims and Westerners to trust each other. We in Europe have a great, great, great responsibility. It's important that European citizens understand that if mutual knowledge and mutual respect are improved, then we are sending the signal that it is possible. Right now, though, we are sending exactly the opposite message.

As this international and intercultural issue once again proves, violence and noise do not solve anything; they only escalate and amplify.

The sane way out of a situation like this involves calming down, educating, and listening to the other side's arguments. One thing we don't need is more intolerance. One thing we do need is more understanding.

Both sides have the bomb, and there's only one planet.

[Update – 21 Feb] Andrew Sullivan comes to a similar conclusion:

As readers know, I have no patience for the extremists in Islam, and no doubt about their current ascendancy. But they are not all there is. And we need to do a better job of reaching out to and understanding the arguments of their internal opponents.

Des champs de chanvre qui chantent l’avenir February 14, 2006

Posted by doobya in drugs, hemp, lang:fr, love, nature, world.
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Il faut croire que le chanvre a fait naître des vocations parmi la jeunesse… On s’inquiétait de la part toujours plus réduite des agriculteurs parmi la population active française ayant un emploi. Eh bien messieurs les politiciens, réjouissez-vous !

Nos campagnes françaises, en voie de désertification, vont se repeupler et les champs en jachère redevenir des surfaces agricoles utiles. Oui, car la jeunesse, préoccupée par les problèmes environnementaux, a décidé qu’il fallait réhabiliter le chanvre, pour le bien de l’humanité et de nos campagnes, hélas désertées au profit de mégalopoles surpeuplées et surpolluées.

N’ayez crainte, leur aspiration est sincère. Depuis longtemps ils rêvent de porter des slips en fibres de chanvre. L’un veut en isoler les murs de sa maison, l’autre souhaite qu’éole souffle dans la voile en chanvre de son bateau.

Lu par ici.

Community service February 12, 2006

Posted by doobya in cool, geeky, internet, world.
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Last month, several researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh reported they had examined some 438 vulnerabilities in programs made by 325 software vendors and found the patching speed of open-source vendors was roughly 60 percent faster than that of the closed-source vendors they studied.

Semaphore February 1, 2006

Posted by doobya in america, brainwash, fuck this, love, w, world.
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Amidst all the noise about this whole Iraq war stuff, I believe Cindy Sheehan‘s voice is one that deserves to be heard – if only for her courage. While dubya was addressing the media with this year’s State of the Union, Cindy was getting jailed for wearing a T-shirt.

Here’s the story, straight from Casey’s Mom.


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Doorways Around the World

Syggros Mansion

An abandoned villa falls to ruin. You can see the building here.

Photographer: Ovelikios from Athens Daily Photo. This doorway is in Athens, Greece.

October 8, 2007 - Posted by | doorway, Greece

  1. It amazes me the great variety of doors you can find.

    –steve buser
    New Orleans Daily Photo

    Comment by steve buser | October 11, 2007

  2. Me, too! I bet you have some interesting ones in New Orleans. Why don’t you send me some? 🙂

    Comment by mariemcc | October 12, 2007

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Drinking Under the Moon

"Poetry and hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. All you can do is go where they can find you" – A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Category Archives: Food

Lamb, apricot and butternut sqaush tagine.

I first made this as a treat for my parents when they had come back from a long journey. Having lived in the Middle East for a large proportion of … Continue reading

August 31, 2014 · Leave a comment

Courgette pasta with garlic and ginger tomatoes

This is such a delicious quick meal which is really healthy and filling. Ingredients (serves 1) 2 medium courgettes Light soy sauce 3 garlic pieces Handful of sweet cherry tomatoes … Continue reading

April 20, 2014 · Leave a comment

Lemongrass, Lime and Lychee Cocktail recipe

So today my gorgeous friend and I went to Oxford Street to hit the sales. After much elbowing and futile searching for bargains, we decided to recuperate at our favourite … Continue reading

January 9, 2014 · 1 Comment

My first term in London…..

In my final year of school I was accepted by Kings College London to read English Literature. Here, I have been lucky enough to meet some beautiful people who I have … Continue reading

December 17, 2013 · 1 Comment

Recipe for Healthy Date Balls

(makes 12-15 depending on size) 150 g Pitted dates 150 g Pitted prunes 150 g Ground Nut flour (from health food shops) 1 TBSp Honey 1 TBSp Chocolate Spread (preferably … Continue reading

September 11, 2013 · Leave a comment


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Tagged: Inishturk sweater

Inishturk Sweater

After almost 6 months of knitting (with a few projects in between) I’ve finally finished the Inishturk Sweater! The cables turned out beautifully and while there are definitely some spots that I messed up on, I’m really proud of it. This is definitely the most difficult project I’ve ever done.

I still struggle with my finishing techniques so I’m going to focus on improving them on my next project. And I’ll actually knit a swatch this time… I’m lucky this sweater fits so well. I’m also hoping blocking will help keep the shoulders from being as poofy as they are here.

Overall, the pattern was well written with plenty of helpful diagrams. The finishing section could have been more detailed though. I ended up liking the yarn (Lion Brand Fishermans wool) more than I thought I would. I didn’t have any problems with splitting but there were a surprising number of knots in the skeins. So far the sweater’s still a bit scratchy- especially around my neck- but I’ve heard it softens up after a bit

I can’t wait until its cool enough outside to wear this sweater!

Inishturk Sweater: The Turtleneck

Well, I finished the second sleeve and I’m on to finishing up my sweater! Over the past couple days, I sewed the shoulder seams and knit up the turtleneck. The neck was 2×2 ribbing so I had to find a cast-off method that would help retain its elasticity. I settled on what my Principles of Knitting book calls a “Grafting cast-off”. The pictures and descriptors in the book were hard to follow since this is a fairly complicated method so I turned to youtube. I found this video which helped a lot although I still had to watch it ten times. I’m pleased with the result- this method is fairly elastic and it looks pretty clean (when done correctly- which I didn’t really do in the back…).
I’m so excited to be almost done! I just have to sew the sleeves and body and it’ll be finished!

Inishturk sweater: the final piece

Since I finished the front of the sweater, its on to the final piece: a sleeve. This has been going relatively fast since it isn’t as wide as the body but I’m still starting to feel a bit burnt out with this sweater. I really want to be done with it- and I want the weather to cool off so I can wear it!
I’m about halfway done with the sleeve (the pieces are short because the shoulder hangs down a bit) and after its done, I just need to sew the pieces together and knit the neck!

Inishturk sweater: another piece done

Well, vacation definitely has its benefits- I’m done with the front of my sweater! All I have to do now is knit up a sleeve and stitch it together. I’m really excited to be done, and I’ve already started researching yarn for my next sweater. Too bad it hasn’t started cooling off yet. I’m really ready for sweater weather!
Here it is:

The airplane problem

So I’ve been working on the front panel of the inishturk sweater for the past week and a half and although its getting big, I decided to take it along on a trip to Savannah, GA with my boyfriend to visit his family. We flew in so as to avoid a 12 hour drive.
Everyone always complains about the size of airplane seats and I’ve always hated how my knees hit the seat in front of me since I’m so tall. Knitting on a plane brought up a whole new problem. Since my sweater is fairly wide, I’m using extra long needles. Unfortunately, they don’t fit in airplane seats! Thankfully I was sitting next to my boyfriend and we were on a baby plane (1 seat on left and 2 on right so no middle seats) so I only hit him with my knitting needles instead of some random stranger but it was still kind of annoying.
Have you guys had any problems knitting on airplanes? Or anytime during a commute?

Back to the sweater

Now that I’m done with the socks, its time to go back to knitting my sweater. After using size 1.5 double points for the socks, the extra long size 6 needles for my sweater feel really clumsy. The yarn is so thick too! I finished the back and a sleeve a few months ago and Im 6 inches done with the front.
Just as a reminder, here’s the pattern I’m using for the sweater


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From Evernote:

Knee study (No 111 Obese pats, MRI) – 5Kg weight loss IMPROVES knee cartilage within a year.

Clipped from:

This is a nice article that can be a positive incentive for patients to loose weight. A 5 kilogram weight loss to save yourself having a knee replacement sounds like a good deal and perhaps is something that overweight patients can visualise as an early gain and hence be a more powerful motivator for behaviour change.

"A recent study is encouraging concerning the effects of weight loss on knee joint preservation and perhaps even on rejuvenation. A study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases looked at 111 obese patients, one third of whom already suffered knee arthritis.[4]

Knee cartilage thickness was assessed using MRI at the beginning of the study and again 1 year later. The researchers found that weight loss helped preserve knees and led to improvement in both the quality and quantity of knee cartilage. Patients lost, on average, 9-10 pounds, and the more weight lost, the greater the increase in cartilage thickness."

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Chair Wardrobe

January 22, 2008

Many times we have found ourselves in a restaurant or cafe without a secure place to hang our jackets or hand bags. We will hang our belongings uncomfortably across the back of our chair for the world to see.
The “Chair Wardrobe” is a design concept by Erohina Yulia that allows for the outside of the chair to appear as a normal chair, but the secret is the inside storage for your items. The design is made of two different colored plastics signifying the double features of the chair.

Extract from Yanko Design

One Response to “Chair Wardrobe”

  1. Odysseus Says:

    I like the idea, but it isn’t “secure”, as everyone else in the restaurant will have the same chair and so know immediately what the “secret” is.
    Looks very uncomfortable too, but still I like the idea, just wouldn’t want to use one myself.

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Tag Archives: Materials

rough sheds, sydney london

Tinshed by Raffaello Rosselli
Amy Frearson | 21 June 2013 ● Dezeen
Australian architect Raffaello Rosselli has repurposed a corroding tin shed in Sydney to create a small office and studio apartment. Rather than replace the crumbling structure, Raffaello Rosselli chose to retain the rusty corrugated cladding of the two-storey building so that from the outside it looks mostly unchanged. The project embraces that it will continue to change with time through rust, decay and repair.

“The humble tin shed is an iconic Australian structure,” he explains. “As the only remaining shed in the area it is a unique reminder of the suburb’s industrial past.”

The architect began by taking the building apart and replacing its old skeleton with a modern timber frame. He then reattached the cladding over three facades, allowing room for three new windows. The frames of the windows are made from sheets of Corten steel that display the same orange tones as the retained facade.

“The materials have been left raw and honest, in the spirit of its industrial economy,” adds Rosselli. In contrast with the exterior, the inside of the building has a clean finish with white walls and plywood floors in both the ground-floor living space and the first-floor office.
Read more + Images

*Photography by Mark Syke, apart from where otherwise indicated.

Collage House, London

Dezeen Published on Feb 13, 2017
Movie explores Jonathan Tuckey’s home in a 19th-century workshop 14 years on
Filmmaker Tapio Snellman has documented the ageing process of architect Jonathan Tuckey’s home, 14 years after he overhauled a 19th-century London workshop to create it. The architect, who is the founder of London-based firm Jonathan Tuckey Design, renovated and extended the steel fabricator’s workshop in 2002 to create a unique home for his family and their dog. He left the bare brick walls tarnished with black marks and chose “simple and everyday” materials to rejuvenate the character of the building, but also because they would weather well. Snellman, who shot Collage House in 2016, captures the ageing of these materials – including nicks and scratches on a series metal fixture and doors by splitting the screen into four – a trick he repeats throughout his film. “The split-screen sequences talk about the occupants and about the way architecture is integrated seamlessly with family life and personal expression,” Snellman told Dezeen. “The four simultaneous views create one strong spatial impression without any single image dominating the effect,” he told Dezeen. Both moving and fixed larch plywood panels clad the exterior, while beach plywood sheeting used as a floor lining inside the house, along with a concrete covering. Douglas fir stud work was planed and left exposed to partition spaces. This enables zones of activity to be defined, while also maintaining openness throughout.

Movie explores Jonathan Tuckey’s home in a former London steel workshop
Eleanor Gibson | 13 February 2017 ● Dezeen
This photography taken by James Brittain when the project completed in the early 2000s shows how Tuckey overhauled the industrial building by partially demolishing walls to create a central courtyard. “Plywood has weathered beautifully on both the interior and exterior and the scuff marks of 15 years use now tell the personal story of the family,” Tuckey told Dezeen. “The concrete floors have patinated and subsequently become more beautiful,” he continued. “The exposed brick was already there but continued to age gracefully as it was used to hang pictures and the kids used it to draw on it.” A space that forms a central part of Snellman’s film is the open-plan kitchen-cum-dining room, which occupies the former workshop. Here, he captures diagonal patterns of light that floods in through the long skylight between the original wooden bowstring beams restored by Tuckey. Snellman contrasts colour footage with black and white in the film, as well as tracking members of the family through the house. “The very controlled track shots try to eliminate the viewers awareness of the presence of the camera, as if the space would be seen at its most intimate, when no-one is present,” the filmmaker told Dezeen.

Ground floor plan [click to enlarge]

First floor plan

When renovating the building, Tuckey’s aim was to maintain as many of the building’s existing features as possible, while also creating plenty of playful spaces that catered to his then-young children. He divided the long and narrow building, which widens at the southern end, into three parts. He also demolished one of the existing buildings to create a courtyard and a small pond. The entrance hall and living area occupy the northern end with a mezzanine above, while the kitchen-cum-dining room occupies the central space. A walkway links these spaces to the two-storey structure added to the southern side, which houses the bedrooms and a bathroom. Since the original renovation, Tuckey has reconfigured the arrangement of the bedrooms, as his now teenage daughters needed more space. The children’s bedrooms have moved upstairs from the downstairs, while the single room used by the parents was divided into two interconnected rooms. A pair of hatches in the bedrooms open to the rooftop terrance, which was also only recently completed by the designer.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Filed under Architecture, Construction, Design, Economics, Education, Fun, Heritage, Housing, Innovation, Inspiration, Media, Name, People, Pet projects, Property, Public interest, Resource management, Site, Structural engineering, Town planning, Urban design

ELEMENTAL | UC Innovation Center

An open and eco-friendly university building.

Location: San Joaquín Campus | Universidad Católica de Chile | Santiago, Chile
Client: Grupo Angelini | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Category Winner: Architecture
Designs of the Year 2015, Design Museum, London

Architects: ELEMENTAL (Chile)

“Santiago’s climate requires to change the conventional approach to working space design. We substituted the contemporary typical glass skin, responsible for serious greenhouse effect in interiors, for a thermal mass on the perimeter that avoids undesired heat gains. On the other hand, innovation and knowledge creation requires increasing encounters among people, so openness is desired. We multiplied open air squares throughout the building’s entire height and proposed a permeable atrium core so that while circulating vertically, people could see what others are doing. This reversed placement of opaqueness and transparency is the way sustainability and human relationships informed the form.”

Construction Year: 2012-2014
Budget: USD 18 million

ELEMENTAL (Alejandro Aravena, Gonzalo Arteaga, Juan Cerda, Victor Oddó, Diego Torres) is a Do Tank founded in 2001, focusing on projects of public interest and social impact, including housing, public space, infrastructure and transportation. A hallmark of the firm is a participatory design process in which the architects work closely with the public and end users. ELEMENTAL has built work in Chile, the United States, Mexico, China and Switzerland. After the 2010 earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile, ELEMENTAL was called to work on the reconstruction of the city of Constitución, where we had to integrate all the previous experiences. The approach we developed proved to be useful for other cases where city design was used to solve social and political conflicts. At the moment, we keep on expanding into new fields of action.

█ Website: http://www.elementalchile.cl/

Photography: Cristobal Palma, Felipe Diaz Contardo (www.fotoarq.com), Nina Vidic, Nico Saieh

Social housing, Incremental housing, Half a good house instead of a small one…. Housing as investment

Kosovo Architecture Foundation Published on Oct 8, 2015
Prishtina Architecture Week 2015, Day 4, Alejandro Aravena
Principal of Alejandro Aravena Architects, established in 1994 and, since 2006, Executive Director of ELEMENTAL, a for profit company with social interest working in projects of infrastructure, transportation, public space and housing, partnering with Universidad Catolica de Chile and COPEC, Chilean Oil Company.

He has been member of the Pritzker Prize Jury since 2009. The laureates chosen during his presence in the Jury have been: Peter Zumthor (2009), SANAA Kazuyo Sejima (2010), Eduardo Souto de Moura (2011), Wang Shu (2012), Toyo Ito (2013) and Shigeru Ban (2014). He was named Honorary International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 2009; member of the Board of the Cities Program of the London School of Economics, London, since 2011; Regional Advisory Board Member of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies;

Board Member of the Holcim Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland, since 2013; Foundational Member of the Chilean Society of Public Policies; Leader of the Helsinki Design Lab for SITRA, the Finnish Innovation Fund for the Government of Finland to design a national strategy towards carbon neutrality; and Board Member of Espacio Público, an independant chilean research center created in 2012. He was one of the 100 personalities contributing to the G+20 Rio Global Summit in June 2012, and was one of the speakers of TED Global 2014 in Rio.

Aravena was recently named as the Director of the 15th Architecture Exhibition of the Venezia Biennale.

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

ELEMENTAL housingELEMENTAL | Participatory design, social modelling for housing

Filed under Architecture, Business, Construction, Coolness, Democracy, Design, Geography, Innovation, Inspiration, Leading edge, Media, Name, Project management, Property, Site, Structural engineering, Urban design

Dezeen: Harbin Opera House, north east China | MAD

Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects_Beijing - aerial 1 [photo Hufton + Crow]Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects_Beijing - exterior 2 [photo Adam Mørk]Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects_Beijing - exterior 3 [photo Hufton + Crow]

### dezeen.com 16 December 2015
MAD’s sinuous Harbin Opera House completes in north-east China
Beijing studio MAD has completed an opera house in the Chinese city of Harbin, featuring an undulating form that wraps two concert halls and a huge public plaza. The opera house is the first and largest building that MAD has designed as part of Harbin Cultural Island, a major new arts complex among the wetlands of the Songhua River. The 79,000-square-metre building features a three-petalled plan. One houses a grand theatre with space for up to 1,600 visitors, while the other is a more intimate performance space for an audience of 400. The building is designed to mirror the sinuous curves of the marsh landscape, with an exterior of smooth white aluminium panels and glass. These contrast with the rooftops, where a textured surface of ice-inspired glass pyramids allows light in from above. According to MAD, the building is designed “in response to the force and spirit of the northern city’s untamed wilderness and frigid climate”. “We envision Harbin Opera House as a cultural centre of the future – a tremendous performance venue, as well as a dramatic public space that embodies the integration of human, art and the city identity, while synergistically blending with the surrounding nature,” said studio founder Ma Yansong.

MAD architects [website homepage i-mad.com 26.12.15]

█ MAD Architects: http://www.i-mad.com/

MAD has designed several cultural buildings, including an artificial island of art caves, an icicle-shaped wood sculpture museum also in Harbin and Chicago’s proposed George Lucas Museum. Curved surfaces are a recurring theme through them all, picking up Ma’s ambition for a new style of architecture, referencing the landscapes of traditional Chinese paintings.

“We treat architecture as a landscape,” he told Dezeen in an interview last year.

Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects_Beijing - interior 1 [photo Adam Mørk]

The smooth surfaces of the opera house’s exterior continue inside.
Read more + Images

█ Photography by Adam Mørk and Hufton + Crow.

Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects_Beijing [photo Hufton + Crow]

Related stories:
China Wood Sculpture Museum by MAD
MAD reveals concept design for George Lucas’ Chicago art museum
MAD Architects unveils slimmed-down design for Lucas Museum in Chicago

Related movie:
MAD wants to “invent a new typology” for high-rise architecture, says Ma Yansong
In this exclusive video interview filmed in Venice, Ma Yansong of Chinese architects MAD explains his concept for a “shan-shui city”, a high density urban development inspired by traditional Chinese paintings of mountain ranges.

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects_Beijing - plaza 1 [photo Adam Mørk]Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects_Beijing - exterior detail 1 [photo Hufton + Crow]

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Filed under Architecture, Business, Concerts, Construction, Coolness, Democracy, Design, Economics, Geography, Infrastructure, Innovation, Inspiration, Leading edge, Media, Name, People, Project management, Property, Site, Structural engineering, Tourism, Town planning, Urban design

Warehouse conversions | Apartment interiors #materials #light #colour

Loft-Barcelona-01 [homedsgn.com]

Warehouse Converted to Modern Loft
This 8,600 square-foot loft was completed and renovated by developers and designers of urban lofts Benito Escat and Alberto Rovira; the designers teamed up with interior design studio Minim for this ambitious project. What was once stables (built in 1930), a bomb shelter and then a print shop is now a modern loft located in Barcelona, Spain. The original brick walls are exposed, and the high concrete ceilings make the space truly magnificent. Glass lights set in the floor reveal the bearing structure and provide light to the level below.

More photos at http://www.iintrepidinc.com/lifeinstyle/2011/9/29/a-rustic-modern-loft-warehouse-conversion-barcelona.html

Russian architect Denis Krasikovis created this eclectic apartment in Murmansk, Russia.

001-murmansk-apartment-denis-krasikov [homeadore.com]004-murmansk-apartment-denis-krasikov [homeadore.com]008-murmansk-apartment-denis-krasikov [homeadore.com]002-murmansk-apartment-denis-krasikov [designyoutrust.com]011-murmansk-apartment-denis-krasikov [homeadore.com]

More photos at http://www.homeadore.com/2014/12/09/murmansk-apartment-denis-krasikov/

In 2014, Vertebrae Architecture designed this tiny 330 square feet apartment in Venice, California. Full height hidden storage delineates space and provides visual and acoustic privacy. The minimal material palette minimizes distraction and maximizes the spatial quality of the apartment.

001-micro-apartment-vertebrae-architecture [homeadore.com]004-micro-apartment-vertebrae-architecture [designyoutrust.com]006-micro-apartment-vertebrae-architecture [homeadore.com]007-micro-apartment-vertebrae-architecture [designyoutrust.com]

More images at http://www.homeadore.com/2014/12/08/micro-apartment-vertebrae-architecture/

Rad Design fully demolished and redesigned the interior of this loft in Toronto, Canada. Custom shelving and displays show off the client’s antique camera collection and books on photography. The client had requested use of reclaimed wood materials and simple, metal elements. A small black platform makes the low bed float slightly above the floor. The bright new kitchen and bathroom add modern touches.

001-photo-loft-rad-design [homeadore.com]004-photo-loft-rad-design [homeadore.com]003-photo-loft-rad-design [homeadore.com]006-photo-loft-rad-design [homeadore.com]005-photo-loft-rad-design [homeadore.com]008-photo-loft-rad-design [homeadore.com]009-photo-loft-rad-design [homeadore.com] 1

More images at http://www.homeadore.com/2014/11/04/photo-loft-rad-design/

Warehouse in San Francisco Converted into Contemporary Loft
This project located in the historic Oriental Warehouse Loft Building in San Francisco’s South Beach neighbourhood, is a complete reconfiguration and renovation of an existing loft apartment. In order to maximize the spatial experience of the loft, traditional notions of domestic privacy were abandoned in favour of open and transparent relationships. Here is more on the renovation process from the architects: “Opaque guardrails at the sleeping mezzanine were replaced with frameless glass guardrails in order to provide a direct visual connection to the living room below. A large over-sized sheet of transparent glass further eliminates privacy in the master bathroom by allowing views into and out of the bathroom to the rest of the loft beyond. In contrast to the existing heavy-timber and rusticated brick structural shell which are left exposed, sleek new interior finishes were replaced throughout including wall and floor finishes, kitchen and bathroom mill work and a new steel cantilever stair that connects the living areas on the ground floor with the sleeping areas on the mezzanine.”

Oriental Warehouse Loft exterior [freshome.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 2a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 4a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 6a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 8a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 13a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 7a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 11a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 3a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]Oriental Warehouse Loft 9a Edmonds + Lee Architects [edmondslee.com]

Edmonds + Lee Architects: http://www.edmondslee.com/owl.html

Jestico & Whiles, Andel’s Hotel Łódź, Poland, warehouse conversion (completed 2009)
Located in central Łódź, the hotel features a top-floor spa centre and modern interior design. Its spacious and bright rooms come with air conditioning and a flat-screen TV. The hotel houses a luxury spa, the skySPAce, featuring a glass-covered swimming pool with beautiful city views, as well as various saunas, a massage parlour and a fitness centre. The hotel is a beautiful building with a post-industrial character. You can see an old and historical place (loads of old factory elements) and on the other hand the building is really modern. The Andel’s Hotel Łódź is housed in the cultural and commercial complex of Manufaktura, just 1.5 km from the famous Piotrkowska Street. The hotel was recently awarded the best in Poland in a European ranking.

Andel's Hotel, Lodz, Poland 6 exterior [booking.com]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland 1 facade with pool room [op-architekten.com]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland 1 pool [holidaycheck.com]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland 1 pool [tripadvisor.com]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland 2 lobby area [vi-hotels.com]JAW-AHL-0003Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland top light [wikimedia.org]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland 3 lobby area [thecoolhunter.net]Andel's Hotel, Lodz, Poland 1 dining [e-architect.co.uk]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland 2 restaurant [tripadvisor.com]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland standard suite [vi-hotels.com]Andels Hotel, Lodz, Poland meeting room [urlowpolsce.pl]

More photos and their sources via Google Images

Lant Street warehouse conversion, Southwark, London
Dow Jones Architects
An ongoing process of urban regeneration has seen the transformation of nineteenth century light industrial buildings into residential quarters for the liberal middle classes. In Lant Street, a five-level former brick warehouse is a case in point; over the past few years it has been gradually transformed into residential property with an art gallery below street level. Dow Jones Architects was asked to convert the top two floors and the roof, with spectacular views of the city, into a separate apartment. The brief was unequivocal; the client asked for ‘London in my living room’.
Giving views of the City skyline, only previously available from the rooftop, required the placement of the living room on the uppermost floor, with the sleeping and bathroom area on lowest level and the kitchen and dining in the middle. Preserving the stairways in their original locations allowed a relatively unpartitioned organisation of the individual floors, with just two oversized, automatically operated fire doors unobtrusively concealed in wall linings. Dow Jones’ internal material palette combines the original brick surfaces and rough timber structure with new smooth oak linings with flush camouflaged doors. The in-situ concrete boxes that mark the wet areas – bathroom, shower room, kitchen – read as discrete objects placed atop the existing surfaces.

DowJonesArchitects Lant Street warehouse conversion, Southwark, London [architecturetoday.co.uk]

Read more at http://www.architecturetoday.co.uk/?p=6122

Historically Preserved Mansion Gets Eclectic Makeover
A true mansion, originally from 1922, with preserved architecture and full of details that reveal a rare magnificence, is the headquarters of the 22nd Edition of Casa Cor Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With very high ceilings and large windows, the beautiful and famous building has been designed in an eclectic style with over 5,400 square metres of constructed area, divided into 52 environments, with about 80 professionals who have demonstrated that it is possible to renew with style, but without deleting the marks of time. The building was once a Boarding School of Nursing Anna Nery (1926- 1973) and the College Student House (1973-1995). Here, past, present and future coexist im harmony.

Casa-Cor-13-1-Kindesign [onekindesign.com]

Casa-Cor-34-1-Kindesign [onekindesign.com]

Interactive room. Reuse was the watchword for Tiana Meggiolaro and Bia Lynch who set up the room with brick walls left exposed. “Based on the concept of upcycling and demos new function was given to the pallets, wooden structures used in freight transport that became bookshelf and countertop,” says Tiana.Casa-Cor-54-1-Kindesign [onekindesign.com]

Jewellery. The space of interior designers Mariana Dean, Jason Sartori and Luciana Arnaud pays homage to the fashion designer Coco Chanel and makes reference to her jewellery.
Casa-Cor-45-1-Kindesign [onekindesign.com]

More at http://www.onekindesign.com/tag/preservation/page/5/

Related Posts and Comments:
1.1.15 Dezeen: 3 projects #materials
28.12.14 Small apartments —then !! New York by Gehry #2011nuclear
25.12.14 2Modern Blog | Modern Decor + Architecture + Interiors
19.10.14 Dunedin: Randoms from inside warehouse precinct 18.10.14
22.6.14 Vogel Street Heritage Precinct (TH13)
17.4.11 Ricardo Bofill’s cement factory
28.12.10 Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus / Meyer, Scheter & Rockcastle

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Filed under Architecture, Business, Construction, Design, Economics, Geography, Heritage, Innovation, Inspiration, Media, Project management, Property, Site, Urban design

Christchurch rebuild, slants

Slow to roll….

nzplatts Published on May 7, 2014

Christchurch CBD Rebuild 2014
All music rights to Coldplay ‘Fix You’ – https://itunes.apple.com/nz/artist/coldplay/id471744

Christchurch, rise….

DTPictures NZ Published on Jan 18, 2014

Christchurch – January 2014
The familiar sound of Christchurch’s trams are back in the CBD, it was a glorious day, and I wanted to test out my new GoPro! Cue time lapses, wide angles, and gratuitous slow motion shots…
Photography: Dan Heuston
Music: ‘Rise’ by Ultravox (Google Play • iTunes)

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00, January 10 2015
Tougher conditions expected
By Tim Fulton – The Press
CHRISTCHURCH—Commercial construction firms are waiting to see how busy they will be this year as big jobs come together. The city’s commercial construction will get tougher, as the “greater rebuild” starts to wind down, Anthony Leighs says. “I have a bit of a fear that some will just react a bit too slowly and that will be painful and financially costly,” Leighs, the managing director of Leighs Construction, says.
The key to doing well in the rebuild is growing strategically, he says. Some companies are already caught between “scale-up” mode and planning for the time when work falls away. “Anecdotally, I know there are construction organisations who are finding the going, pretty bloody tough. And from this point onwards it’s not going to get easier – it’s going to get harder.”
Large projects for Leighs in the next 24 months will include Burwood Hospital overhaul and the Westpac and ASB buildings.
Commercial builders are also developing Christchurch Public Hospital, the Convention Centre, the Justice Precinct and “supposedly the Metro Sports Centre”. It is adding to the national strain on labour and construction materials, Leighs says. “The demand on resourcing is already pretty acute and it’s going to become far more significant.”

Christchurch CBD vision (labelled plan)

Hawkins chief executive Jim Boult says subcontractors to Canterbury’s commercial rebuild may soon look to the residential sector to ease staff shortages.

Christchurch has “adequate work for all good commercial construction companies at the moment” but companies will have to be nimble, Boult says. Most commercial firms are waiting to see how busy they will be, if and when some large government and private sector jobs come together. “If they all come out one-after-another, no problem. But if they all come out at the same time, then that could cause some constraints,” Boult says.
Contractors will probably need more migrants and imported, pre-fabricated materials from overseas to get the work done. They will also need to be careful not to be too large once their workload falls away.
Read more

### 3news.co.nz Wednesday 5 Nov 2014 11:27 a.m.
Rebuild companies breaching employment law – MBIE
Labour inspectors say they’re disappointed how many staff working on the Christchurch rebuild are not being treated fairly by their bosses. Sixteen labour hire and construction companies have been found to have breached employment laws following audits by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Labour Inspectorate. Inspectors audited 40 Canterbury companies in the last six months and of the 23 audits now complete, 16 have breached employment laws. Most of the breaches related to incomplete employment agreements, unlawful deductions from wages and insufficient records, Labour Inspectorate southern region manager Steve Watson says. NZN
Read more

Back then (2012)….

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 19:46 30/07/2012
Rebuild plan for Christchurch unveiled
By Lois Cairns
As many as 840 properties will need to be purchased to turn the Government’s plans for rebuilding Christchurch’s city centre into reality. The 100-day blueprint released by the Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) today outlines a bold plan to significantly shrink the size of the CBD by designating two strips of land – one in the east of the city and one in the south – as open spaces. These open spaces, along with the Avon River, which will be widened in stretches and developed into a riverside park, will serve to frame the new CBD, ensuring that all new development is concentrated within a tight geographic area.
Read more | Interpretive Location Map

AJ Funnell Published on Jul 7, 2014

Christchurch Flyover
Christchurch’s new look city… The video says up to 10,000 people could be working within 300 metres of the city centre. Animation Research Ltd (ARL).

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Filed under Architecture, Business, Construction, Democracy, Design, Economics, Events, Geography, Heritage, Media, Name, New Zealand, People, Politics, Project management, Property, Site, Town planning, Urban design, What stadium

Dezeen: 3 projects #materials

17 March 2014
Wooden strips coil around staircase at Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku
Les Haras de Strasbourg (France) is a hotel and restaurant project unlike any other. Composed of a four-star hotel and Michelin 3-starred chef Marc Haeberlin’s first brasserie, Les Haras presents an original solution to the question many provincial cities are facing: how to redevelop and harness the potential of their architectural heritage. Managed by the Institute for Research into Cancer of the Digestive System (IRCAD), presided over by Professor Jacques Marescaux, the project allies architectural creativity and technological innovation, two particular areas of French expertise, with philanthropy, an unprecedented mix for a historic redevelopment project in France.

Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 11

Parisian studio Jouin Manku created this 55-room hotel inside an 18th century building previously used as an equestrian academy, with a restaurant that features a staircase wrapped in a spiral of wooden strips. The pieces of oak around the stairs, which link two floors of the hotel’s brasserie, create handrails on one side and a balustrade around the top.

Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 5Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 4Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 3Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 2Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 1

“The interior design for the hotel and brasserie is characterised by its authenticity and modernity,” said the designers. “A particular idea of luxury and comfort inspired by the equestrian world, restrained and subtle.”

The staircase sits between a circular bar and open kitchen at the entrance level, where informal seating and a few dining table are located. Upstairs, guests dine beneath the original wooden roof supported by chunky beams and columns. Private booths are created within pods and large curved seats covered in saddle leather, while long tables extend down the length of the space to accommodate larger parties. Stonework around the windows has been left exposed and the walls are finished with rough plaster.

Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 10Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 9

The wood structure is also highlighted in the simple bedrooms, which are painted white and decorated with leather details on the headboards and furniture.

Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 6Dezeen Strasbourg hotel by Jouin Manku 8

Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku have expressed their vision of this former stud farm and historic site, in a design that is both elegant and simple. They have deliberately chosen to limit the range of materials used; solid wood, natural full hide leather and blackened or brushed metal to transpose the original life of this emblematic Strasbourg building into something resolutely contemporary and simple, whose architectural details attest to the studio’s creativity.
Read more + images

14 May 2014
Hotel Hotel Canberra lobby, Australia, by March Studio
March Studio was commissioned to design the lobby for the Nishi building, a multi-storey apartment building located in Canberra’s arts and culture precinct New Acton. The building houses two floors of hotel rooms, wrapped around a central courtyard and light well. The ground floor contains Hotel Hotel’s lobby, reception, concierge and bar, as well as retail and hospitality tenancies. The grand staircase links the apartment block with the hotel, whose design was developed by 50 artists, designers and makers including Japanese studio Suppose Design Office.

Dezeen Lobby by March Studio, Nishi Building, Canberra 4Dezeen Lobby by March Studio, Nishi Building, Canberra 5

The space features thousands of pieces of recycled wood, which are fixed around the walls and ceiling to create irregular patterns around the building’s precast concrete pillars. “Freed to scatter up the walls and across the ceiling, the suspended timber filters exterior light and views into and from internal spaces,” said March Studio in a statement. “Spidery, pixelated shadows are cast on the floor and bare walls.” The lengths are supported by steel rods that run from the ceiling to the ground floor, while sparser clusters of timber-covered steel rods line the front of the entrance.

Dezeen Lobby by March Studio, Nishi Building, Canberra 3Dezeen Lobby by March Studio, Nishi Building, Canberra 6

Each tread of the staircase is made up of three different types of glue-laminated timber profiles. Longer lengths of timber profiles protrude from the middle of the staircase to create an illuminated central balustrade. The staircase leads up to the hotel lobby and bar, which occupies two floors of the building. Here, chunky lengths of concrete and timber create bulky pieces of furniture, while decorative lighting fixtures hang from the ceiling and circular skylights bring in daylight from overhead.
Read more + images

Dezeen Lobby by March Studio, Nishi Building, Canberra 1

29 December 2014
David Ben-Gurion’s former home renovated by Pitsou Kedem Architects
A Tel Aviv flat that was once the home of Israel’s first prime minster has been renovated and extended by local firm Pitsou Kedem Architects to create a new basement level with industrial-style fittings. A framework of chunky black I-beams supports the ceiling of a new basement floor, added to the flat formerly owned by the late David Ben-Gurion, who was instrumental in the founding of the Israeli state and was prime minister between 1955 and 1963. The project, called Past Turned Into Space, involved reorganising the interior of the ground floor apartment, which is located within a two-storey block designed by Ukrainian architect Yosef Berlin in 1925.

Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 5Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 8Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 7

“Since the construction elements we created were totally new, we took care not to hide them but left them exposed in order to tell the story of the renovation.”

The protected building features renaissance-style arches with segmental keystones, balconies and pale pink plasterwork, and is located within a UNESCO heritage site in Tel Aviv. This meant the architects had to contend with severe building restrictions to add the subterranean level that would enable them to expand the residence into a 220-square-metre duplex apartment. A palette of exposed concrete, glass and steel were continued throughout the interior, lending an industrial appearance to the interior spaces that contrasts with the building’s ornamental facade. “We chose to use concrete and steel because we treat them as timeless materials,” said the architects. “This combination with a preservation building felt right.”
Read more + images

Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 4Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 3Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 6Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 2Dezeen Tel Aviv flat by Pitsou Kedem Architects 1

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Les Haras de Strasbourg – via Jouin Manku
Hotel Hotel, Canberra – Peter Bennetts unless otherwise stated by Dezeen
Tel Aviv apartment – Amit Goren, with styling by Eti Buskila

Filed under Architecture, Business, Construction, Design, Heritage, Hotel, Innovation, Media, Name, Property, Site, Tourism, Urban design


text:
Over a million developers have joined DZone.

The Top 10 Advanced Java Talks You Should See to Stay Relevant

DZone's Guide to

The Top 10 Advanced Java Talks You Should See to Stay Relevant

A great collection of videos from around the net which are essential viewing for any Java developer.

· Java Zone
Free Resource

Build vs Buy a Data Quality Solution: Which is Best for You? Gain insights on a hybrid approach. Download white paper now!

Duke Takipi

Learn from the experts: watch some of the best Java videos available online!

One of the main resources for learning about new things in software development is online talks and videos. You can find Java experts sharing their experience with you, without getting off the couch.

In the following post, we’ve gathered 10 of our favorite speakers and topics that we believe every Java developer should watch. Get the popcorn, sit back and let Java blow your mind.

1. Microservices @ Spotify

Kevin Goldsmith, VP engineering at Spotify, talks about the use of microservices in the company and why they are easier to test, deploy and monitor. He also invites you to use Spotify Apollo, the set of Java libraries that are used when writing microservices in Spotify.

Download the slides here

2. Get a Taste of Lambdas and Get Addicted to Streams

Dr. Venkat Subramaniam is one of our favourite Java speakers as he always delivers talks with complex concepts in a fun and engaging way. Lambdas and streams are the flagship features of Java 8, and in this talk, you’ll be able to experience the real power inside them. (By the way, if you’d like a peek into Java 9, check out our post about 5 Features in Java 9 that WILL Change How You Develop Software).

3. One Hacker Way

Erik Meijer, inventor of the Reactive Extensions (Rx), founder at Applied Duality, Inc. and the owner of the iconic colorful T-shirt, challenges the basic ideas on Scrum & Agile and how developers should be developing code for the future.

4. Hardware Transactional Memory

Gil Tene, CTO and Co-Founder of Azul Systems, tells us about Hardware Transactional Memory – that aims to simplify concurrent programming by allowing a group of load and store instructions to execute in an atomic/simultaneous way. In his talk, Gil elaborates about future chips that will support this, and how it can be helpful for JVMs as well.

Image title
  Watch it on InfoQ

5. Fixing Code at 100mph: Techniques to Improve How You Debug Servers

In this talk, Tal Weiss, CEO and Co-Founder of Takipi, covers different techniques for production debugging like distributed logging, jstack, BTrace and custom Java agents. Tal also explains why you don’t need log files to track production errors.

6. Staying Ahead of the Curve

Trisha Gee, Java Developer at MongoDB and a good friend of our blog, talks about the “dangers” of trying to stay ahead of the curve, and how you can balance them while embracing the change.

7. Move Deliberately and Don’t Break Anything

Unlike Mark Zuckerberg’s approach, Brian Goetz, Java Language Architect at Oracle, believes that programming language design is not just about type theory and grammars. In this video, he talks about some of the challenges and lessons of steering Java through major evolutionary changes, such as the motion to reduce verbosity from Java.

8. Advanced Topics in Programming Languages: Java Puzzlers

Josh Bloch, former Chief Java Architect at Google, along with Bill Pugh, presents eight programming puzzles for your pleasure. If you’re looking for a challenge, check out Java Deathmatch (and don’t forget to check your results).

9. Scalawags: The Sound of Dotty, w/ Martin Odersky

Scalawags is a monthly podcast about Scala language hosted by Josh Suereth, Dick Wall, Heather Miller and Seth Tisue. This month, the team interviewed Martin Odersky about Dotty, a platform to try out new language concepts and compiler technologies for Scala.

10. Hopelessness and Confidence in Distributed Systems Design

When designing real-world distributed applications, we face many decision points. Understanding the tradeoffs that we face at these decision points lets us make smarter choices faster. In this talk, Camille Fournier will discuss a series of real-world distributed applications and some of the key tradeoffs that were made in these systems.

Bonus: JavaZone Productions

JavaZone is Norway’s largest IT conference, and each year the team behind it creates trailer parodies to persuade developers to join them. You’ve probably seen the following video, but check out this link for more funny and creative videos.

Final Thoughts

Online sessions and talks are the best resources to expand our knowledge and learn about new, important and exciting elements in Java. While this is a short list, we’re always looking for more videos to watch. Saw anything interesting? We would love to hear about it!

Source Link

Build vs Buy a Data Quality Solution: Which is Best for You? Maintaining high quality data is essential for operational efficiency, meaningful analytics and good long-term customer relationships. But, when dealing with multiple sources of data, data quality becomes complex, so you need to know when you should build a custom data quality tools effort over canned solutions. Download our whitepaper for more insights into a hybrid approach.

java ,distributed ,videos ,java developer ,language

Published at DZone with permission of Henn Idan, DZone MVB. See the original article here.

Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.

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text:
Life & Technology

Handful lessons in different areas of technology and life in general.

Should you be interested with my service, you may reach me through my email at earljon [at]

3 responses to “Contact

  1. Patrick Smacchia April 22, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    I am Patrick Smacchia, a C# MVP. I am editing a tool for .NET developers: NDepend
    NDepend is a static analyzer that simplifies managing complex .NET code base.
    See its features here, most of them are truly unique:

    I would be glad to offer you a pro license. This way you can use the tool and buzz it on your blog if you find it useful.
    I just need your address and phone number in order to emit a proper pro license.

    Patrick Smacchia
    NDepend lead dev
    MVP Visual C#

  2. Prashanth August 28, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    How to remove the type added by SQL Script on the file generated.

    Example. Messages_GetList.Storedprocedure

    > I want to remove the .StoredProcedure

  3. Collins Cabrera April 5, 2011 at 11:35 am

    Do you also create an business applications like ‘Bloomberg or Settrade’ for iphone?

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