Archives for August 2011
What is a short sale? [infographic]
You or someone your know, may be one of the nearly 23% of homeowners whose properties now are worth less than the underlying mortgage loan and you find yourself in a situation where you have to move (a new job, perhaps, or because you can no longer afford the payments on this house and are hoping to downsize), the only way to sell your house successfully is either pay the bank the difference between the sales price and your mortgage balance out of your own pocket… or convince the lender to accept less cash than you actually owe.
While a short sale may make sense for some, the pros and cons should be weighed carefully before you get the ball rolling. In this infographic, we walk you through the basics of short sales, who should consider one and the typical steps in the process.
click image for larger view
If you are someone you care about is wondering about the possibility of a short sale and if they are a candidate. Please call or email Emmanuel@EmmanuelFonte.com
Constructive Concrete: Incredible Carbon-Negative Cement
What could be better than building concrete structures without creating more CO2? How about this: a new form of cement that actually absorbs carbon dioxide rather than being a primary source of its man-made emissions.
Consider this: 1 out of 20 units of carbon released by human activity into the atmosphere comes directly from concrete – this does not even take into account other construction-related activities, such as on-site vehicles or other building materials.
So how does an age-old, nearly-universal building material move from being destructive to the environment to being constructive for pollution? “By replacing the calcium carbonates used in cement formulation with magnesium silicates, and by using a low-temperature production process that runs on biomass fuels … developing a new class of cement that offers performance and cost parity with ordinary Portland Cement, but with a negative carbon footprint.”
Novacem™s Carbon Negative Cement is two steps in the right direction, simultaneously displacing a carbon-intensive building block and substituting it with something that goes beyond simply doing no harm. As for awards: “Novacem is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer for 2011 and features on MIT Technology Review’s list of the ten most important emerging technologies for 2010. It is also on the Global Cleantech 100, is a Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation winner and a Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer for 2010.”
ThumbSaver – Magnetic Nail Setter
If you’re like me, you’ve smashed fingers while nailing or using a drill to drive screws. Here is an amazing thumb saving device.
The ThumbSaver helps to position a nail without exposing finger to hammer hit. It has a powerful magnet that can hold all sizes of nails, stable and screw etc. And its bent design allows it to reach all narrow spaces. BUY | $12.99
3D Digital Models Sliced in Plan & Section
Plans and sections provide blueprints for building, but a three-dimensional slice along the horizontal or vertical axis through a house provides subjective spatial and experiential data almost impossible to capture (or show) in other graphics.
Sectional slices of entire sites can show how views, daylight and shade work within and between neighboring houses. Detail cuts can illustrate relative heights and provide a snapshot of space shapes, and hybrid models give glimpses into three dimensional-complexity hard to capture in two-dimensional pictures or images.
Plans add dimension and depth to flat drawings, modeling the most important features by slicing below the ceiling to show the inner workings of a level and its relationship to outdoor volumes.
But beyond bland the bland slice, dice and be done approach lies a rich set of possibilities for layering a sectional photo of a real model (or digital file) with additional annotations, information and sketches, either to explore or simply represent a design in progress.
For all the versatility of computer models, though, there is still something to be said for the act of creating physical ones – particularly if they are treated as evolving rather than finished works, like this 1960s Sydney Opera House section assembled in part to resolve engineering and architectural decisions.
Beautiful Penthouse Interior Design
Bed Overboard! Kids Floating Pirate Ship Bed
What six-year-old children don’t dream of something this spectacular? A space ship theme was considered, as were race cars and medieval castles … but with pirates you can never go wrong, right? Argh!!!
“The rope bridge is connected to the top of the jail cell, built to accommodate evil doers, thieves and little sisters.” At the end of the bridge, across from the crow’s-nested-and-steering-wheeled vessel, sits the faux-stone prison turret with a theme-fitting wood ladder.
Curved wooden ribs support plywood planking (sorry, no actual plank!) covered with plaster and epoxy for stability and aesthetic effect.
A knotted climbing rope drops down from the lofted play area to a closet below … and then a secret spiral slide spins you the occupant the way down to the first floor.
![A 44-Point SEO Checklist to Help Improve Your Process [Infographic]](http://www.emmanuelfonte.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SEO-678x226.png)
