Chicago doesn't ordinarily get a lot of attention for its beauty, but the ranking (as 2nd most beautiful city in the world and 1st in the US) makes sense when you consider our abundance of public parkland, stunning architecture and famously clean streets (thanks alleys!), plus our proximity to the glittering shores of Lake Michigan.
For proof, look no further than beautiful gardens tucked away in Jackson Park and the South Shore Cultural Center, or the many lovely vantage points to check out views of the skyline or even our most stunning restaurant spaces. It's like our adopted hometown architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said: "Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world."
Inaugurated on August 4, 1895, the Beirut-Damascus railroad became the first major railway in the Levant, preceding the more famous Hijaz Railway by 13 years. The winding, 147-kilometer route took the steam engines just nine hours.
The builders addressed the challenge of the mountains by laying narrow-gauge tracks 1,050 millimeters apart. Where the track became too steep for the iron wheels to keep their grip, they laid a third, toothed rail in the center, with which the locomotive’s rack-and-pinion cog system could mesh and provide mechanical traction.
The civil war in Lebanon in the 1970s brought a halt to the traffic and the track and rolling stock has been neglected since.
In a region that has seen more conflict than stability in the past half century, restoring a historical railroad could seem superfluous. Yet following the August 2020 Beirut port catastrophe, discussions about the railroad may have a new chance.
“There is now an opportunity to rebuild the port of Beirut in a better way,” says Yarob Badr, Regional Advisor for Transport and Logistics at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. “There is a need to consider railway connectivity in the port of Beirut which is now missing.”
If you're looking to live off the grid — like so many of us have been dreaming about as climate change ravages cities and the pandemic made us crave space — there are some things you may want to consider.
Why do you want to do it? What kind of off-the-grid dweller do you want to be? Can you afford the hefty up-front costs? And do you have what you'll need? Do you have what it takes?
For all the talk about digital advertising, it is only now catching up to global spending on traditional TV, radio, newspaper, billboard and other advertising as the chart below shows.
It’s boom times for YouTube and its creators. The Google-owned service, bought for just $1.65 billion in 2005, reported ad revenue of $20 billion last year (plus what analysts say are billions of dollars more from subscriptions to products like YouTube Premium, the financial details of which the company doesn’t disclose). Some context: If YouTube were a stand-alone entity, that would make it the world’s fourth-largest seller of digital ads, after its parent company, Alphabet, Facebook, and Amazon. But what really has Wall Street salivating is the question of just how big it might get. YouTube’s 2020 revenue was up 31% from 2019, compared with a 12.8% increase for its parent, Alphabet.
On Deal Architect, I had hoped this week to have 7 episodes of conversation with SAP lead execs across different verticals. In spite of Stacy Comes' best efforts I will only be able to run 4 this week:
A new project involving the State of Michigan, Ford, Bedrock and Bosch will see the launch of a real-world test site for emerging parking technology, the Detroit Smart Parking Lab (DSPL) in Michigan. The group will also test technology relating to the efficient return of rental cars.
Scheduled to open this September, the lab will enable mobility and smart infrastructure companies, real-estate innovators and startups to test their own parking-related mobility, logistics and electric vehicle charging technologies.
As electric cars catch people's interest more and more every passing day, a team of students from Eindhoven University is taking a big leap into the future and embarking on a Euro trip in a solar-powered vehicle. What makes the project even more interesting is the fact that this vehicle is a full-fledge home with a living area, shower, cooking range, and even an infotainment system.
Dubbed Stella Vita, this mobile home is designed by the Solar Team, a team of ambitious students from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands who, according to their website, "innovate without preconceptions and pressure of market demands".
For decades, Kenya and surrounding countries focused on hydroelectric power and oil-fueled thermal stations, but lately they’ve awakened to the potential of their vast underground energy resources. The region sits astride the Great Rift Valley, an area where tectonic plates meet, bringing the magma at the Earth’s core closer to the surface. It’s one of the world’s most active volcanic zones—Mount Kilimanjaro lies at its heart—with dozens of hot springs hinting at the intense heat lying just below. Kenya gets nearly half of its electricity from geothermal plants, more than any other country, according to researcher Fitch Solutions, and it’s on track to increase that to almost three-fifths by 2030.
Royal Caribbean has announced a 9 month long "ultimate world cruise" to sail in December 2023 on its Serenade of the Seas (see tour of the ship below). COVID should be a distant memory by then and the world should be wide open.
I had two reactions
a) One of excitement - similar to that when I booked my first round the world ticket on Pan Am in the 1980s (in the end, I did 3 of those trips. The tickets were valid for 12 months so I could plan business and short vacations as part of the itinerary)
b) The other of horror - 9 months at sea, lining up for buffets, with patchy satellite wi-fi and rushed excursions at every port? Besides, you have to be retired, and comfortably so given the price, to think about the complete package.
In fact, when I heard about it, I joked it would be better to get on a tanker in Asia and sail to the LA area and get paid to enjoy time on the water as you await a slot at one of the clogged ports there.
However, my wife went through the fine print. You don't have to sign up for the entire 9 months. You can join for just one of the 4 segments:
Round the Horn: Americas & Antarctica Expedition: December 10, 2023 — February 11, 2024, 64 Nights, 36 destinations
Wonders of Asia & the Pacific Expedition: February 11, 2024 — May 9, 2024, 87 Nights, 40 destinations
Middle East Treasures & Marvels of the Med Expedition: May 9, 2024 - July 10, 2024, 63 nights, 44 destinations
Capitals of Culture Expedition: July 10, 2024 — September 10, 2024, 63 Nights, 40 destinations
Besides, we happened to be driving by the Port of Tampa today and I found out Serenade is spending the next few weeks making our fair city its home base. I am already feeling a bit more loyal and thinking this may be a bit more manageable, especially on one of 3 segments which only last 2 months. Yes, laugh at the "only 2 month" part, but compared to 9?
When I joined Gartner in the mid-90s, analysts qualified for a sabbatical for every 5 years of tenure. Of course, they did away with the policy before I qualified. Well, may be I can finally have my sabbatical 3 decades later on the Serenade?
Not so fast.
Royal Caribbean will prioritize those who book the entire cruise. They will also prioritize their elite Crown and Anchor members. The Serenade is one of the their older (20+ years in 2023) and smaller ships. Then there is the sticky issue of a non-refundable deposit 2 years in advance. Lots to think about.
In the end, it may end up becoming a bonus for Margaret more than a sabbatical for me. She has certainly earned it.
Readers, think of similar for your spouses. Even better, find reasons for your employers to sponsor this dream trip!
Spyce’s new food robot makes both salads and warm bowl food, and holds 49 separate recipes. Serving dishes are placed on a conveyor belt that runs underneath the dispensers, which automatically portion out the proper ingredients for each dish. There is also a plancha searing station to cook and dispense proteins and vegetables as well as a superheated steamer to cook pastas. The Infinite Kitchen can make up to 350 bowls in an hour, with the average bowl costing $11.
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