31 de Outubro - Dia mundial da poupança

Dia 31 de outubro é Dia Mundial da Poupança. Este dia foi criado em 1924, pelo Professor Filippo Ravizza, durante o primeiro congresso do World Society of Savings Banks, que decorreu em Milão. Faça parte desta iniciativa! Poupe...se puder!

Review do IPad Air

Apesar de ainda não estar em Portugal, fica aqui uma interessante review do IPad Air realizado por Tim Stevens do CNet.

A intensidade do riso

Anúncio da Honda - "Hands"

Anúncio super criativo da Honda.

Rotundas para peões na China

Quando muitas vias convergem para - ou partem de - um único ponto da cidade, o trânsito costuma ficar caótico. E a melhor solução que a engenharia apresentou para o problema até hoje foram as rotundas, um recurso que permite os cruzamentos, mas não elimina a confusão. Pior, dificulta a vida dos peões, os últimos a serem notados pelos condutores mais preocupados em sair ilesos da roleta.

 Mas, não no bairro de Pudong em Xangai, na China. Ali, os peões têm uma rotunda só para eles: a passadeira circular Lujiazui, construída do lado leste do rio Huangpu, na zona económica e financeira da cidade, cercada por arranha-céus onde não havia nada além de terra há 15 anos atrás.

Suspensa quase a 20 metros acima da rua, a ponte permite que os peões passem de um lado para o outro da rotunda em segurança, desde que estejam dispostos a percorrer o mesmo trajecto circular dos automóveis. De presente, eles ainda têm a possibilidade de assistir de camarote às confusões em que os automobilistas se metem lá em baixo.

 A passadeira dá acesso ao edifício Oriental Pearl Tower, conectando os prédios de escritórios do centro financeiro das redondezas a áreas de lazer e de compras, como shoppings e cafés.

Com 5,5 metros de largura, a ponte permite que 15 pessoas caminhem lado a lado, facilita o acesso aos transportes públicos e ainda é toda iluminada à noite, o que dá um bonito efeito à região. Além disso, vãos longos entre as colunas também proporcionam agradáveis experiências em relação ao nível da rua, de onde se pode ver a cidade um pouco mais do alto, tornando a rotunda ideal para passeios turísticos. Xangai style.

Ser Professor hoje em dia é quase um refugo da sociedade

As viúvas e a sua sobrevivência

Ørestad Library

Quebrando aquela ideia clássica que ainda temos das bibliotecas: lugares soturnos, escuros, com funcionárias com óculos supergraduados que vivem apenas naquele mundo (o que na verdade representa uma boa parte das bibliotecas publicas portuguesas), eis que na Dinamarca surge isto:

Ørestad Library from Kollision on Vimeo.

Redução de 770 mil postos de trabalho na área das TI em 2017, na Europa

As estimativas de 2002 quanto à angariação de postos de trabalho na Europa, na área das TI até 2017, eventualmente, não se irá concretizar. Nesse ano esperava-se que até 2017 os postos de trabalho relacionados com as Tecnologias de Informação cresceriam até 1,5 milhões! Mas um estudo recente da The Hackett Group vários factores podem levar a que não se atinja esse número daqui a 4 anos. entre eles, claro que está a crise financeira a atravessar o continente europeu, sobretudo os países da zona Euro e o Reino Unido onde existem mais companhias dedicadas às TI.

Segundo a Computer Weekly, estará também relacionado com o offshoring, sobretudo para países com mão de obra barata e com intelecto preparado para o desenvolvimento, gestão e manutenção de várias aplicações tecnológicas. Outro factor tem a haver com o aumento exponencial do Automation Software (programas preparados para desenvolvimento de várias tarefas que antigamente eram desempenhadas por...pessoas!).

Eventualmente a revisão em baixa no recrutamento de postos TI pode ainda ser revista várias vezes favoravelmente, uma vez que ainda faltam 4 anos até 2017. E no mundo da informática as coisas evoluem muito rapidamente, até de forma exponencial, daí que daqui a uns meses o lançamento de uma nova tecnologia, um novo equipamento pode levar à entrada de muitos profissionais de TI no mercado de trabalho.

Artigo da Computer Weekly.

New Media Ambassadors Resources

new media ambassadors resources | Infographics

I'm doing this very interesting course.To see more, access course website at http://www.geyc.ro

Fruta fora das convenções europeias

Desde que a UE (ou antiga CEE) lançou a CAP, com os cordeirinhos cá do Sul a assinar de cruz, parecia um mundo maravilhoso que aí vinha. Fruta e legumes com melhor apresentação, tamanhos balizados por medidas rígidas, prazos de validade apertados, enfim, um sem número de regras muitas delas estúpidas, com o único objectivo de o consumidor...consumir! A história da pesca e da quantidade aberrante de peixes que são deitados fora porque os senhores dos gabinetes de Bruxelas lhes parece que não assentam bem numa prateleira ou num restaurante também é digna de se comentar. Ficará para a próxima.

Agora leio no Público que muitos supermercados no para cima do meio da Europa (lá mais para Norte) já começam a vender fruta disforme, feia, com manchas, de variados tamanhos, etc. Com características que a malta do edifício Berlaymont não gostará muito, mas vamos ver o que dá.

Se fossem empresários portugueses (Pingo Doce e Continente a colocar esta fruta e legumes nas prateleiras, lá vinham alguns dizer que estavam a dar restos ao povo e e ganhar lucros com coisas que eram deitadas fora. Mas como a notícia vem mais do Norte, o 1º mundo, pode ser que a malta acate e fique até meia envergonhada e acanhada lá no cantinho em vez de reclamar: very typical por cá este comportamento! Neste caso cadeias de supermercado com a EDEKA (Alemanha), a COOP (Suiça) estão a tentar fazer algo melhor por este mundo, quando diariamente se desperdiçam toneladas de alimentos que ainda estão em condições para alimentar o ser humano!! Em Portugal a Cooperativa Fruta Feia, também faz algo pela sustentabilidade.

A Academia anunciou a short-list dos candidatos ao oscar de melhor filme estrangeiro

São 76 nomeados! (afinal a shortlist não é assim tão "short") os candidatos ao oscar de melhor filme estrangeiro. Está lá o português  Linhas de Wellington. Mas também não me parece que seja desta vez que ganhe. Embora seja uma produção pesada e adaptada às mentes escrupulosas dos júris da academia de Hollywood. Dia 16 de Janeiro sairá a verdadeira shor list para os filmes estrangeiros.

Afghanistan, “Wajma – An Afghan Love Story,” Barmak Akram, director
Albania, “Agon,” Robert Budina, director
Argentina, “The German Doctor,” Lucía Puenzo, director
Australia, “The Rocket,” Kim Mordaunt, director
Austria, “The Wall,” Julian Pölsler, director
Azerbaijan, “Steppe Man,” Shamil Aliyev, director
Bangladesh, “Television,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director
Belgium, “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Felix van Groeningen, director
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker,” Danis Tanovic, director
Brazil, “Neighboring Sounds,” Kleber Mendonça Filho, director
Bulgaria, “The Color of the Chameleon,” Emil Hristov, director
Cambodia, “The Missing Picture,” Rithy Panh, director
Canada, “Gabrielle,” Louise Archambault, director
Chad, “GriGris,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, director
Chile, “Gloria,” Sebastián Lelio, director
China, “Back to 1942,” Feng Xiaogang, director
Colombia, “La Playa DC,” Juan Andrés Arango, director
Croatia, “Halima’s Path,” Arsen Anton Ostojic, director
Czech Republic, “The Don Juans,” Jiri Menzel, director
Denmark, “The Hunt,” Thomas Vinterberg, director
Dominican Republic, “Quien Manda?” Ronni Castillo, director
Ecuador, “The Porcelain Horse,” Javier Andrade, director
Egypt, “Winter of Discontent,” Ibrahim El Batout, director
Estonia, “Free Range,” Veiko Ounpuu, director
Finland, “Disciple,” Ulrika Bengts, director
France, “Renoir,” Gilles Bourdos, director
Georgia, “In Bloom,” Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross, directors
Germany, “Two Lives,” Georg Maas, director
Greece, “Boy Eating the Bird’s Food,” Ektoras Lygizos, director
Hong Kong, “The Grandmaster,” Wong Kar-wai, director
Hungary, “The Notebook,” Janos Szasz, director
Iceland, “Of Horses and Men,” Benedikt Erlingsson, director
India, “The Good Road,” Gyan Correa, director
Indonesia, “Sang Kiai,” Rako Prijanto, director
Iran, “The Past,” Asghar Farhadi, director
Israel, “Bethlehem,” Yuval Adler, director
Italy, “The Great Beauty,” Paolo Sorrentino, director
Japan, “The Great Passage,” Ishii Yuya, director
Kazakhstan, “Shal,” Yermek Tursunov, director
Latvia, “Mother, I Love You,” Janis Nords, director
Lebanon, “Blind Intersections,” Lara Saba, director
Lithuania, “Conversations on Serious Topics,” Giedre Beinoriute, director
Luxembourg, “Blind Spot,” Christophe Wagner, director
Mexico, “Heli,” Amat Escalante, director
Moldova, “All God’s Children,” Adrian Popovici, director
Montenegro, “Ace of Spades – Bad Destiny,” Drasko Djurovic, director
Morocco, “Horses of God,” Nabil Ayouch, director
Nepal, “Soongava: Dance of the Orchids,” Subarna Thapa, director
Netherlands, “Borgman,” Alex van Warmerdam, director
New Zealand, “White Lies,” Dana Rotberg, director
Norway, “I Am Yours,” Iram Haq, director
Pakistan, “Zinda Bhaag,” Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, directors
Palestine, “Omar,” Hany Abu-Assad, director
Peru, “The Cleaner,” Adrian Saba, director
Philippines, “Transit,” Hannah Espia, director
Poland, “Walesa. Man of Hope,” Andrzej Wajda, director
Portugal, “Lines of Wellington,” Valeria Sarmiento, director 
Romania, “Child’s Pose,” Calin Peter Netzer, director
Russia, “Stalingrad,” Fedor Bondarchuk, director
Saudi Arabia, “Wadjda,” Haifaa Al Mansour, director
Serbia, “Circles,” Srdan Golubovic, director
Singapore, “Ilo Ilo,” Anthony Chen, director
Slovak Republic, “My Dog Killer,” Mira Fornay, director
Slovenia, “Class Enemy,” Rok Bicek, director
South Africa, “Four Corners,” Ian Gabriel, director
South Korea, “Juvenile Offender,” Kang Yi-kwan, director
Spain, “15 Years Plus a Day,” Gracia Querejeta, director
Sweden, “Eat Sleep Die,” Gabriela Pichler, director
Switzerland, “More than Honey,” Markus Imhoof, director
Taiwan, “Soul,” Chung Mong-Hong, director
Thailand, “Countdown,” Nattawut Poonpiriya, director
Turkey, “The Butterfly’s Dream,” Yilmaz Erdogan, director
Ukraine, “Paradjanov,” Serge Avedikian and Olena Fetisova, directors
United Kingdom, “Metro Manila,” Sean Ellis, director
Uruguay, “Anina,” Alfredo Soderguit, director
Venezuela, “Breach in the Silence,” Luis Alejandro Rodríguez and Andrés Eduardo Rodríguez, directors

O que os seus gostos musicais dizem sobre si num possível encontro

Interessante perspectiva de Scott Alden sobre os nossos gostos musicais. Claro que é tudo uma treta. Ainda assim....

Bruce Springsteen: You’re a monster in the sack.

Rod Stewart: You’re gross.

David Bowie: You’re selective, but slutty.

Kanye West: You’re kinda mean. In a hot way.

Jay Z: You don’t take any shit. Or at least you know that you’re not supposed to.

Beastie Boys: You believe that loyalty is rewarded.

The Arcade Fire: You spend the first third of a relationship in a romantic frenzy and the last two trying to justify it.

The Ramones: Unless you’re over 40, you’re trying to be cool.

Rush: You’re a man. And a nerdy one at that.

Led Zeppelin: If you’re a woman, you’re hot. If you’re a guy, you’re average.

AC/DC: If you’re a woman, you’re the kind of person who lets a guy move in with you after three dates because he’s temporarily homeless. If you’re a guy, you’re temporarily homeless.

My Chemical Romance: You’re not so much looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend as someone to share a “fuckyeahsuperheroeskissing” Tumblr with.

The Pixies: Relax. You’re cool.

Talking Heads: You’re a good person.

Stevie Wonder: You’re husband/wife material.

Hall and Oates: You’re not the type to let your wistful nature ruin your good time.

LCD Soundsystem: You’re not the type to let your strong sense of irony ruin your good time.

Insane Clown Posse: You’re not the type to let common decency ruin your good time.

Judas Priest: At some point in your life, you’ve sniffed a little glue.

Belle and Sebastian: If you hook up, it’s gonna get weird.

The Shins: You either really liked “Garden State,” or have a giant chip on your shoulder about how people only like The Shins because of “Garden State.”

R.E.M.: You’ve got a big heart.

Tori Amos: You cry during sex and get real quiet after.

That One Peter, Bjorn and John song with the whistling: You’re a human being.

The Mountain Goats: You’re very serious about your feelings.

Van Morrison: You’re a romantic. Possibly with a slight drinking problem.

No Doubt: If you’re a girl, you’re a confident person, but you know what it’s like to get treated like crap. If you’re guy, you’re just trying to get laid.

Nirvana: You’re angry and hurt.

Radiohead: You’re angry and hurt. But you’re open to getting some professional help.

Bebel Gilberto: You’re going to flutter little kisses all over every inch of your date’s body and soon as you get the chance. Also: You’re a foodie.

T-Rex: You’re an asshole.

Bob Dylan: You’re an asshole, but you don’t know it.

The Strokes: You’re not really an asshole, you just act like it sometimes.

The White Stripes: You’re kind of kinky.

Lil’ Kim: You’re really kinky.

Peaches: If you’re not getting a handjob under the table right now, it’s because you’re giving one.

Ani Difranco: You’re a good communicator. Maybe too good.

John Mayer: You’re a virgin.

Nickelback: You have low self-esteem and bad tattoos. But, god bless you.

The Clash: You’re willing to work for it, but you’re kind of pissed that you have to.

The Cure: You fall in love WAY too easily.

Best Coast: You fall in love way too easily, but only for, like, a week.

The Rolling Stones: You’re hot.

Rihanna: You’re hot.

Beyonce: You’re sweet, but not a pushover.

Britney Spears: If you’re a gay guy or a woman, you’re normal. If you’re a straight guy, you’re trying to get laid.

Mandy Moore: You have American Girl dolls. Plural.

Guns N Roses: You’re going to have to sex in the bathroom and regret it.

Joan Jett: You’re going to have sex in the bathroom and not regret it.

Fleetwood Mac: You’re reasonably well adjusted. Considering.

Jewel: Um… are you sure this is a date?

Nicki Minaj: You’re awesome. And kind of crazy.

Lil’ Wayne: You’re crazy. And kind of awesome.

Regina Spektor: You might be a perfectly nice person, but you’re kind of annoying.

Panda Blood: You made that up to see if your date would pretend to have heard of them.

Kid Cudi: No one understands you. But it’s not that big a deal.

John Legend: You have emotional sex.

Eminem: You have emotional problems.

Drake: You’re about whatever.

Vampire Weekend: You’re about being about whatever.

Gogol Bordello: You sweat a lot and you have a nice smile.

Tool: You’re either really smart or really dumb.

Peter Gabriel: Every relationship is a coming-of-age epic of which you are the star.

Leonard Cohen: You’re the kind of person that people get obsessed with for years. Too bad you’re too depressed to appreciate it.

TV on the Radio: You care. Deeply. Even if you act like you don’t.

The Smiths: It’s doomed every time, but it always takes a beautiful, long while to figure that out.

Depeche Mode: You’re screwed up, but you know it, which actually does help.

Cut Copy: You make out in public a lot.

Joni Mitchell: You make breakfast in the morning.

Wilco: You’ll make an excellent life-partner.

The Beatles: Eh. Who knows.

Coldplay: Missionary position only. But lots of kissing and eye contact.

Queen: You love with the heart of a warrior.

Oasis: You’re the kind of person who does things they’re not supposed to do. Like liking Oasis.

Daft Punk: Depends. You’re either prone to “raging” in the sense of “partying a lot” or in the sense of “throwing your X-Box controller on the floor and smashing it with your purple Sam Jackson lightsaber replica.”

Cat Power: You’re already getting over our inevitable break-up.

Aerosmith: Your wild days are behind you.

Paul Simon: You’re sincerely insightful about your relationship issues, but in the end you decide that it’s not your fault.

Bob Seger: It’s not your first time around the block.

Billy Joel: You know exactly what you’re doing.

Green Day: You get upset over nothing all the time, but bounce back quickly.

Justin Timberlake: You seem really lame at first, then turn out to be awesome.

Weezer: Awkward. And proud of it.

Prince: You’re a little weird, but you make up for it by being a total sex machine.

Cat Stevens: You had a glorious youth.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: You’re not super-interesting, but you’re nice enough and you’re certainly not going anywhere, so…

U2: You’re very loving, but prone to fits of irritating self-righteousness.

The Who: You’re a generally open, curious person, but you get really riled up when people cut you in line and stuff.

Sinatra: It bugs you that people aren’t classier these days.

Lupe Fiasco: You wrestle with moral dilemmas but never at the expense of your chill demeanor.

Mos Def: You’re straightforward.

Madonna: You’re kind of bratty, but you’re hot enough to pull it off.

Lady Gaga: You’re sort of obnoxious, but people can’t help but like you.

There was a minor uproar about not having included jazz in the last list, so I’m throwing a few in here.

Miles Davis: Introspective.

John Coltrane: Deeply introspective.

Charles Mingus: You’re cool as hell.

Thelonious Monk: You’re cool as hell. Even though you’re wearing mismatched socks.

And even though no one complained about it, I’m including a few classical composers here, too.

Brahms: You’re sensitive but guarded.

Beethoven: You’re guarded but sensitive.

Stravinsky: You’re romantic. Sometimes aggressively so.

Mozart: Smartypants.

And here are a few of my favorites from our readers:

From Glow420:
Jack Johnson: chill and easy going, allowing the relationship to take a natural path (versus rushing into anything)

From Anon:
Jack Johnson: You think you’re chill and easygoing, but really you’re just afraid of commitment.

From Tina Starr:
Nine Inch Nails: You’re kinky and and have lots of angry sex.

From Javier Ordonez:
Pink Floyd: Your alcohol/substance use prevented you from making it to the date, but the hours spent in heavy contemplation left you a better person. For now.

WHAT IF GUYS SWAPPED ROLES WITH GIRLS AT THE GYM?