How a high-school dropout found his way in the restaurant world

How a Famous Foodie Got His Start

By COLLEEN DEBAISE

 

Since stumbling upon cooking at age 17, Bobby Flay has opened a cadre of restaurants—from New York's venerable Mesa Grill to Bobby's Burger Palaces, a chain of casual-dining eateries. And he's become a cookbook author, Food Network star and Iron Chef along the way. Mr. Flay, 46 years old, credits much of his prolific career to timing, powerful mentors and a good deal of chance. As a judge and investor on NBC's "America's Next Great Restaurant," he plans to fund an aspiring restaurateur's dreams when the show wraps May 1.  

 

Edited interview excerpts follow.

Ben Fink

Bobby Flay 

Q. How did you get your start at such a young age?
A. I dropped out of high school. I really had no interest in doing any school work whatsoever. My father, who is very much a scholarly guy, said: "Well, you're going to have to get a job then." Two days later, he called and said the bus boy at a restaurant where he was a partner [Joe Allen, in New York's Theatre District] needed two weeks off to visit his sick grandmother. I was told to fill in.

Q. What happened after two weeks, when the bus boy came back?
A. I was literally walking out of the restaurant and the chef said, "Do you want to work in the kitchen?" And I said, "Sure." It was because I had nothing else to do that day. If I had plans with friends, I probably would have said no. I wasn't desperate to work in the kitchen.

Q. So you didn't have dreams as a kid of becoming a chef?
A. No! This was 1981—food and America hadn't had its renaissance yet.

Q. When did you take a liking to cooking?
A. I remember waking up one morning, staring at the ceiling, and thinking: "Wait, I really want to do this today." Something clicked. I had been so disinterested in doing school work. I finally found something I could do with my hands that was productive.

Q. You did go back to school a short time later, enrolling in the French Culinary Institute's six-month program at age 18.
A. It was not my favorite thing. But I knew this was my last chance without my father killing me. It gave me a foundation forever. I utilize things I learned in FCI every day.

Q. What was your first job, post-FCI?
A. I was hired as a sous-chef at a restaurant on the Upper East Side. The chef liked to drink—some mornings we would find him sleeping [on the floor]. Two weeks after its opening, I became the chef. I was 20 years old, and way over my head. I had to hire the cooks and do the menus. I did it for a year, but I thought, I need to know how to cook better.

Q. You went to work for Jonathan Waxman, then one of New York's hottest chefs. How did that happen?
A. I was at a cocktail party at the French Culinary Institute. This woman Gail Arnold met me—she was the chef at Bud's (a Waxman restaurant) and I said: "I would love to work there." And she said OK.

Q. Just like that?
A. It's easier than you think it is to get a job. I said to her: "I will promise you this, I will give you 120%. Just tell me what to do." Today, when I hire, I look for people who want to be trained and molded.

Q. You wound up working at three of Waxman's restaurants—what did you learn?
A. That was the first time I had seen Southwestern ingredients, like blue corn meal and chile peppers. I fell in love with the flavors, the colors, the textures. It became the palette that I reach for always.

Q. You solidified your reputation when you opened Mesa Grill in New York, in 1991 at age 26—how did that opportunity arise?
A. Jerry Kretchmer [the New York restaurateur] had just come back from a trip to the Southwest, probably because he wants to be a cowboy. And he asked around—who cooks really good Southwest food? So he heard about me, and he asked if I wanted to open a restaurant with him and I said yes.

Q. Did you have to come up with the start-up capital?
A. No—he and another partner, Jeff Bliss, took responsibility for raising the money. I think it was a bank loan. I didn't have to sign it. I was bringing sweat equity.

Q. A few years later, you started to appear on TV—what drew you to that?
A. The Food Network was just starting in New York, and I was getting lots of attention from Mesa Grill. They had no money, so if you couldn't get there by subway, you couldn't be on. It wasn't like TV was something I really wanted to do—but I knew it would be great publicity for my restaurants.

Q. Which has been your most successful restaurant?
A. In terms of revenue, it's between Bar Americain in New York, Mesa Grill in Vegas and and Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City. But they're also the biggest restaurants.

Q. If you had to streamline everything you do—and pick just one thing—what would it be?
A. Standing in a kitchen in my whites, cooking. Period. No question.

Q. How is "America's Next Great Restaurant" doing?
A. The ratings are moderate, but they're not off the charts. It's in a bad time spot. But I'm definitely happy with the show.

Q. What advice would you give an aspiring restaurateur?
A. Have twice as much capital as you think you need. If you think it's going to take eight months to build the restaurant, know that it's twice that. Expect the unexpected. It will ultimately happen, whether it's the health department [coming in], or the chef quits, or the gas line doesn't work. And go slow. Don't try to feed 300 people the first night. You want to be a good restaurant for 20 years, not 20 weeks.

 

Must Haves for Spring

By TINA GAUDOIN

Having written that title, I am going to contradict myself. There's nothing really "must have" about fashion or style. Where clothes are concerned, "must haves" really are for children in third-world countries or for the Libyan refugees streaming across the Egyptian and Tunisian borders, without any of their worldly belongings.  

 

I haven't come over all worthy—well, all right, I have, but I'm just making the point that in my business, the idea of "need" is a marketing-created imperative, rather than an economic, social or personal necessity.
All of that being said, I'm about to tell you to spend a lot of money on a few items—and I'm assuming that if you have the means to do this, you will almost certainly have donated to one of the aforementioned causes already.

Why the money? Well, sometimes—just occasionally, if you have the means, I believe in buying "the best of" for a particular season. These are pieces that you will have forever, that came down the runway and were destined for the fashion archives (and the pages of magazines).
What I'm saying is, if you can, spend on the original; don't waste money on High Street looky-likeys, because the pieces I'm about to recommend will never be bettered and you will always look and feel good in them.

Stella's fruitopia

I love Stella McCartney for her humor and for the way she cuts her clothes. She's short on irony and big on celebration, both of life and of a woman's body—this is a very good thing for a women's designer, and it's rare. I'm not saying that you should go all out and wear her Citrus print from top to toe, but I am recommending her silk maxi dress with the oversized print on the bodice and a fine, almost Liberty-like print on the pleated skirt (£1,665). Flattering, feminine and on trend.

White

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana created the prettiest white dresses this season, in embroidered silk-chiffon.

There are a number of ways to go with white this season, but beware parties and social occasions (everyone is going to go in this direction, so unless you want to join the mass ranks of women who appear to be nursing orderlies, then steer clear). One perfect white piece is the answer. Chanel inevitably has the crème de la crème of boucle jackets, with feather trim (from £21,926). Dolce & Gabbana created the prettiest white dresses this season, in embroidered silk-chiffon (£2,045). They sell the satin bra (£255) and briefs (£200) to go with it, explaining at the shows that their collection was "for a bride's trousseau." Well, Kate Middleton did ensnare the future king of England by flashing her knickers and bra from the runway. Meanwhile, the most sensible and classic white piece this spring is the YSL trench in cotton gabardine (£1,880).

Prada's bonkers graphics

Prada

Prada's bonkers graphics

Here's another Miuccia Prada classic—her crazy cherub meets fruit and stripes graphics. Buy the cotton skirt (£540) in the muted grays, browns and blacks, and wear it with a simple top in black, white or navy. It's going to look incredible during the autumn, too, with a cashmere rollneck, boots and woolly tights. 

Christopher Kane's acid trip

net-a-porter.com.

Christopher Kane's laser-cut skirt (£1,610)

Kane's laser-cut acid leather caused a storm when he sent it down the runway last September, calling the look Princess Margaret on acid. These are collector's pieces because they broke the mold by standing British-style conservatism on its head and making it sexy (something designers have been trying to do for years). Buy the laser-cut skirt (£1,610) and top (£1,200) in neon yellow. Or pair the skirt with Kane's henna argyle cardigan (£820).

D&G's floral maxi

D&G

Dolce & Gabbana's floral maxi dresses

No apologies for two Dolce & Gabbana mentions, because this season, the designers got it entirely right. D&G trends "younger" than the Dolce line, but their sexy, simple, floral maxi dresses (£1,565) would look great at almost any age (as a rule of thumb, past 50, wear with flats or barefoot). Cinch with a leather belt from Lanvin in tan (£410).

Jil Sander's stripes

Jil Sander

Jil Sander's stripes

Yes, I know. Stripes again. But these are the seminal stripes and shapes of the season. Voluminous bubble skirts worn with simple tees and shells; bold, almost garish colors; and huge florals. Buy the stripes. The horizontal, baby pink or blue and white long skirt (£1,370), and the ribbon stripe top in black or cerise (£720) are stunning.

The wedge

net-a-porter.com

The extreme version of the wedge

The extreme version of the wedge, which tapers to nothing at the ball of the foot—incredibly sexy, somewhat precarious and possibly uncomfortable for more than a few hours (limo service required). These elongate the front of the foot and the leg, and will come in very handy with the new maxi. The best are from Lanvin in snakeskin (£640) or Christian Louboutin in canvas and raffia (£345).

The brogue

 

Prada

The brogue

The alternative to the wedge and best worn with the new cropped pants or the balloon skirt. The ultimate are from Prada, with their über Teddy-Boy burlap, striped soles (£510). For the less adventurous, Pierre Hardy's white leather brogues (£288).

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page W4

Turning Chocolate on Its Head

Visit Bruges for Dominique Persoone's twist on the treat—with a hint of tobacco, wasabi or onions

By PAUL AMES

When a supplier to the Rolling Stones invites you to try the contraption he invented to facilitate the inhaling of powdered stimulants up both nostrils, it's perhaps wise to hesitate.

Kris Vlegels

Dominique Persoone

Thankfully, this is Belgium and Dominique Persoone's drug of choice is chocolate. In this case, he's pushing a finely ground dust of pure Dominican Republic cocoa cut with ginger and mint which his "chocolate shooter" catapults nose-ward to fill the brain with an explosion of phantom flavors.

Mr. Persoone is Belgium's most audacious chocolate maker, a self-styled "Shock-o-latier" who has shaken up the kingdom's delicious but tradition-bound world of pralines, cream-filled manons and cognac truffles, by stuffing bite-sized parcels of the finest chocolate with the likes of tobacco leaves, wasabi or fried onions.

"When you think about chocolate 20 years ago, it was a typical product for grandma's birthday. She already has everything, so what do you buy? A big box of chocolate," Mr. Persoone reflects. "I don't say those chocolates are bad, but the thing I'm very proud of is that I make some new creations, like the Coca-Cola one. My son is 11 years old and he loves it. It's a chocolate ganache with the flavor of cola. That's the first layer and the second layer is an almond praliné with sugar explosives so it's like when you drink Coca-Cola, you have the flavor and you have the fizz."

Mr. Persoone was born in Bruges in 1968. The medieval city on the damp polders of Flanders prides itself on its chocolate. It currently boasts more than 50 chocolatiers and its chocolate museum, which opened seven years ago, now draws more visitors that the city's renowned collections of Flemish art. Located in a 15th-century wine merchant's house, the Choco Story museum (www.choco-story.be) traces the history of chocolate from its origins as the sacred drink of the Mayas and Aztecs to Belgium's emergence as a cocoa-superpower after the Neuhaus family—Swiss immigrants in Brussels—confected the first chocolate-filled bonbons in the first years of the 20th century.

Piet de Kersgieter

Chocolate paint sold at his shop, the Chocolate Line, in Bruges

Mr. Persoone, however, wasn't immediately smitten by choco-mania. Instead, he headed off to Paris to train as a chef and it was researching techniques for making the perfect pain-au-chocolat in a Parisian bakery that rekindled his interest in all things cocoa.

He returned to Bruges in 1992 and opened his shop, the Chocolate Line, in the leafy Simon Stevinplein square between the cathedral and the 13th-century bell tower.

Mr. Persoone dreamed up the chocolate shooter when the wives of Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts asked him to help prepare a surprise birthday party for their Rolling Stone husbands.

Piet de Kersgieter

: 'Creole' pralines made with bitter ganache of espresso coffee

"They asked us to put some jokes into the menu, so one of the things we did was make a dessert with different structures of raspberry. Instead of putting chocolate on the dish, because they were the rock 'n' roll grandpas, we thought they should sniff the chocolate and to get a good result we designed a machine for that," he says. "We just made one for that party, but then everybody talked about it in the newspapers, so then we had to make it commercial because everybody was asking for it." 

It would be easy to dismiss Mr. Persoone's creations as gimmicks that successfully lure a stream of tourists into his cosy little shop in the heart of historic Bruges. But behind his image as the world's wackiest chocolate maker since Willy Wonka, Mr. Persoone takes his chocolate very seriously. He collaborates with scientists to uncover new flavor combinations and uses only top quality natural ingredients, matching chocolate varieties sourced from around Latin America to complement his strange fillings.

Milk chocolate filled with bacon sounds scary. But Mr. Persoone subtly blends textures and flavors so the hints of salty, crispy fat complement the creamy chocolate. It's a similar story with his "Bollywood," which combines white chocolate with saffron and curry.

Piet de Kersgieter

Dominique Persoone's second shop has opened in nearby Antwerp on the Paleis op de Meir

"Cauliflower really matches with the bitter chocolate of Ecuador; it took time to find that balance, but foodies love it. Or look at this green one," he says, picking up a shiny, bitter-chocolate emerald. "It's made from passion fruit, green lemons and vodka. I only use real products, juice from passion fruit, skin of lime, a little bit of vodka. It's so fresh, it's so fruity."


That dedication to quality has earned Mr. Persoone the respect of some of the world's superstar chefs. He is on first name terms with Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal. René Redzepi of Copenhagen's Noma sent his pastry chef to pick up tips in the Bruges chocolate factory and Sergio Herman of the three-star Oud Sluis in the Netherlands treats female guests with a complementary sample of one of the chocolatier's signature creations: a bar of caramel ganache filled with Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar and pine nuts.

"In the beginning, I was making classic chocolates, which I still make and still like very much, like pralinés, whipped cream, marzipans, all that stuff. But then I started using a little bit of my chef's influence on the chocolate. We made chocolate with cauliflower and chocolate with peas, chocolate with smoked salmon. In the beginning, everybody thought I was crazy...but little by little I got more respect from people who are into food. Then suddenly, I was one of the three chocolate makers who are in the Michelin Guide."
Says Mr. Herman: "Dominique comes up with ideas and flavor combinations that have never been done before. He is breaking all boundaries."

He got a tattoo on his right bicep proclaiming "chocolate is rock 'n' roll." Last year, Mr. Persoone opened a second store in Antwerp, taking over part of a former royal palace that once played host to Napoleon. In honor of the emperor, he makes a chocolate in the shape of his bicorne hat, filled with marzipan, cherry liquor and bitter banana cream.

As well as stretching the outer limits of the chocolate-maker's art, Mr. Persoone also embarked on a personal quest to discover the origins of the product which has become his passion. In 2008, he set out on a tour of Mexico in search of the original wild criollo cocoa beans that the Maya used to make their spiced drinks centuries before the arrival of Cortez.

Piet de Kersgieter

Pralines are being prepared in the factory

His expedition led him to write "Cacao," a book that's part travelogue, part history of chocolate, part recipe guide. Published in four languages by Editions Francoise Blouard in Brussels, it was selected as 2009 chocolate book of the year in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris. Mexico also inspired Mr. Persoone's popular "choc-tail," a thimble of lime-infused dark chocolate with a Maldon salt-encrusted rim that's served with a pipette of tequila.

The book's success has spawned a twice weekly show starring Mr. Persoone on Flemish television and a second trip to Latin America focused on Brazil, Panama and Costa Rica.

"In Europe, we learn there are three varieties of cocoa—criollo, forastero, trinitario—but I met a professor in São Paulo who told me that in the Amazon they've found already 24,000 different cocoa varieties," he says, emerging from a back room with a box of hand-grenade-sized pods from a plant closely related to cocoa harvested on his journey and a tray of his latest chocolate creation.

The Chocolate Line

Classic Easter eggs

"For me this is the most exiting: theobroma grandiflorum. In Brazil they call it cupuaçu. I was so exited about it, I bought a ton of them. We were able to ferment, to dry, to roast it and we made a kind of chocolate with it. We can't call it officially chocolate, we had to find a new name for it: cupolade. It is very new, I just served it two days ago and it is the first time we use it like this in Europe. Inside I made a filling with the pulp...taste it, in the beginning it's quite caramel and then you have like wild mushroom and then acidity of the bananas, all the acidity of the fruit. I really love it. And it is just the natural pulp."



Not all Mr. Persoone's experiments are so successful. He recalls how his scientist collaborator once explained that chocolate contains the same hormone released by the brain during an orgasm. "My idea was to make small Valentine hearts with an overdose of this love hormone. I thought it was a funny idea."

After several weeks of experimentation the results were promising. "Together with the scientist, we tasted it and the result was amazing. You can't walk any more you are just smiling you really get ... wow!" This particular delight was destined however never to reach the lovers of Bruges. "I thought I ought to call the food and drug administration. They said: "Dominique please, your sniffer, it's OK, but this is too much. It's dangerous." It seems it's the same hormone they use in medicine for people who are depressed."


He does have a few other products that explore chocolate's erotic potential: a dark chocolate lipstick designed originally for enlivening consumption of vanilla ice-cream, but also good for sweet kisses; and an edible chocolate paint developed for the American artist Spencer Tunick, who dribbled it over scores of naked women squeezed into a Bruges alley for one of his trademark mass nudity tableaux.

What is the "Shock-o-latier" planning for Easter? Chicken-filled eggs, Easter bunnies with real bunny?
"No, nothing like that. I'm very open minded and I really like to have fun, fun, fun and do crazy things, but Easter and St. Nicholas, those things are such a wonderful tradition. That's why I make very classic eggs and rabbits. Those important moments in the year for children, I think we chocolate makers have to show respect for that and it would be stupid to change."

 

 

In Tokyo Suburb, ‘Primitive’ Life After Quake

By Kana Inagaki

Getty Images

Temporary toilets are seen as the water supply has been suspended due to the liquefaction triggered by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Urayasu, Chiba on March 19.

Still wearing blue emergency overalls, Hideki Matsuzaki, the outspoken mayor of Urayasu, a seaside city near Tokyo, is still steering his community’s battle with the mammoth March 11 earthquake and ensuing damage.
More than a month after the disaster, residents in this town, the location of the Tokyo Disneyland theme park, are trying to come to grips with the vivid scars across the city, including warped roads, popped-up manholes and tilted houses caused by soil liquefaction.

 Yomiuri Shimbun/Associated Press

Soil liquefaction is seen in front of a police station in Urayasu on March 25.

What it was like when the earthquake struck on March 11? Was your home also damaged?
My house lost electricity, gas, water and plumbing – what I would call a quadruple whammy. My wife and daughter were out in Tokyo so  they couldn’t immediately get back home. When I arrived at my house, all the dishes in the kitchen were destroyed so it took until past 3 a.m. to pick up the broken pieces. Then my wife finally came home.


What was the biggest challenge you faced?
I’d say it was the destruction of our lifelines caused by the bigger-than-expected liquefaction. We’ve done emergency repairs for now, but a full recovery of the sewage system will take more than three years.  We’re like a primitive society not to be able to use the bathroom in this day and age. (As of Wednesday, nearly 300 households do not have functioning plumbing.)


Urayasu has long been known for soft grounds since it sits 75% on reclaimed land. Why did it take so long to restore water?
We knew our city was vulnerable to natural disasters. The name of our city, Urayasu (Ura means border between the waterfront and shore),  is already telling. It’s a city that prays for the coastlines to remain tranquil. That is why we had put so much energy into disaster prevention measures.


The weak grounds and some extent of liquefaction were within our expectations. But our preparations were based on a magnitude-7.5 earthquake (not magnitude-9.0). We don’t know why a quake with an epicenter in northeastern Japan had wrought so much damage to our city. This is all completely unexpected.


How do you feel about the government’s response? Has this affected the long delays in restoring the lifelines?
Both the national and prefectural governments have dragged their feet. We have been hit with rolling blackouts three times despite the fact that our area was affected by the disaster. They don’t see or feel our pain, but I guess in that sense I had a free hand without having to be bullied (by the government).


Are you concerned that the popularity of the city will decline?
I think land prices will fall over the next one or two years. But our condominiums were undamaged despite such a widespread liquefaction. If you think about it, it’s actually a “buy.” And this doesn’t change the fact that we are close to central Tokyo. We’re going to do our utmost to restore our city and make it stronger.

 

 

 

Quake Bogs Down a Tokyo Suburb

By KANA INAGAKI

URAYASU, Japan—More than a month after the devastating earthquake hit northern Japan, hundreds of residents in an upscale bedroom community near Tokyo still don't have functioning plumbing, causing the city's mayor to lash out at the national and prefectural governments for not responding quickly enough.

Associated Press

Soil liquefaction pushed manholes out of the ground in Urayasu.

Urayasu, a 20-minute train ride away from Tokyo Station, is akin to Westchester County in New York: close enough to the city to commute daily, but far enough away so people can afford to buy more-spacious homes.


But when the earthquake struck on March 11, the city, which is also home to Tokyo Disneyland, quickly sank into the ground and became submerged in mud, partly because 75% of it sits on reclaimed land. Tens of thousands of residents in this city with a population of 165,000 were deprived of water and natural gas for weeks following the quake. Tilted houses, warped roads and popped-up manholes are now strewn across the dust-covered city. As of Wednesday, about 140 households remain without running water in Chiba prefecture, while nearly 300 households in Urayasu are unable to shower or flush toilets due to broken or clogged sewage pipes.

Located about 190 miles south of the earthquake's epicenter, Urayasu was spared the tsunami but much of the wreckage was caused by soil liquefaction, which occurs when soil loses its strength because of an applied stress such as a temblor. The stress can be exacerbated in soft-clay soils and landfill areas.

No deaths were reported from the earthquake in Urayasu, where no apartment buildings collapsed. Tokyo Disneyland, which has been closed since the earthquake due to parking-lot damage and power shortages, is set to reopen Friday.

Kunie Fukuda, 64-year-old owner of a hair salon in Urayasu, said life without water had been hard, but she added the daily inconveniences pale in comparison to the sufferings in northern Japan. "We're right next to Tokyo so I didn't think it would take this long," she said.

"Both the national and prefectural governments have dragged their feet. We have been hit with rolling blackouts three times despite the fact that our area was affected by the disaster," said Hideki Matsuzaki, mayor of Urayasu, in an interview.

"They don't see or feel our pain," he said, though adding the city will need all the government and prefectural aid it can get to address the widespread liquefaction damage. Mr. Matsuzaki said the city estimates costs to repair basic infrastructure to reach at least ¥73.4 billion ($880 million), eclipsing its annual budget of ¥61.1 billion ($730 million). While the city will aim to complete emergency repair of the sewage system by Friday, he said it will take more than three years to fully restore and improve the infrastructure.

American Steve Marshall, a 45-year-old professional magician who has lived in Urayasu for 13 years, said he was thinking of moving back to Florida with his Japanese wife and two children after all his performances were canceled following the quake. "When I saw the black mud coming out, I knew this wasn't right. It was weird," he said. "Every time an earthquake comes, my heart will start pumping and my adrenaline will shoot up."

Mr. Marshall may not be alone in choosing to leave the city. A local real-estate agent said the company has received several cancellations of leases by South Koreans and Chinese, which make up the largest segment of the city's 3,800 foreigners.

Experts said another anticipated fallout from the liquefaction is a decline in Urayasu's property prices. Despite being known for soft grounds, the city has regularly ranked among the most popular Japanese residential areas, favored by young couples and relatively affluent families. From March to September, Takashi Ishizawa, a real-estate analyst at Mizuho Securities Co., projects the city's land prices to decline as much as 10% from a year earlier. In 2010, prices went up 1.1%, compared with a 2.7% decline in residential areas nationwide.


The road to full recovery will be long. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, much of the electricity, gas and water were cut off in many districts across Chiba prefecture. Civil engineers said the magnitude of the quake, measuring 9.0, and repeated aftershocks accelerated the spread of liquefaction.

Susumu Yasuda, a professor at Tokyo Denki University, said that codes for sewage systems that address liquefaction were introduced in Japan only in 1981, which left older reclaimed land areas such as Urayasi—where the first construction began in 1964—vulnerable.

In neighboring Narashino, the liquefaction-damaged city has asked its residents to use only 75% of the available water at least until June, advising them, for example, to use plastic wraps over their plates to avoid washing them.

"We need as much money as possible, but it's hard to clear all the government standards to receive it," city official Haruo Suzuki said. He added that current reconstruction funds are limited since they can be used only to restore infrastructure to pre-disaster conditions, rather than for an upgrade.

 

 

Outdoor swimming: take to the wilds

By Gary King 7:00AM BST 26 Aug 2009

Forget splashing around in the local pool. For a real thrill, Gary King takes his children to discover the exhilaration of swimming in outdoor water holes 

Image 1 of 2

Outdoor types: Gary King with Seb and Bella  Photo: GUZELIAN

 

After four hours of travelling we pull up in the car park of William Wordsworth’s former home, Rydal Mount in the Lake District. My children Seb, 10, and Bella, 7, have reached that point in a car journey where squabbling starts. “I thought that you said we were going swimming,” they chorus.

I explain that we’re just waiting to meet the person who will be taking us.

“What’s wrong with down there?”

They are staring back down the valley at Lake Windermere. It snakes away in a glorious glittering arc and is framed by dense, verdant foliage. It looks especially inviting after our long journey.

I’m saved from having to clarify further by the arrival of Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society and our chaperone for the day. She strides across the car park, backpack slung over her shoulder in walking boots, khaki shorts and damp, tousled hair. She has already been swimming this morning.

She plucks a map from her backpack, traces a line with her finger and says, “I’ve never been here before so I don’t know what it’s going to be like. Hopefully there will be rock pools and waterfalls.” The children run ahead as we wind up a steep trail into the Cumbrian countryside away from the more obvious choice of Lake Windermere. Dry stone walls criss-cross the rolling hills, sheep dart across our path and the gush of running water peals across the landscape.

After a mile we cut across a field and the trickle of a stream gets progressively louder until we see a pool about 30 feet across being fed by a burbling waterfall.

Rew formed the OSS in 2006 after taking a swim in nearby Lake Buttermere in late October. It was a pivotal moment in her life. “It was one of those dark and stormy nights,” she says. “I’d just arrived in the Lake District and I was determined to take the plunge regardless of the weather. It was fantastic and I thought to myself that everybody should do this. So many things in life tend to disappoint and outdoor swimming isn’t one of them.”

The ethos behind the OSS is simple; find somewhere to swim outdoors, get in, have fun and spread the word. Three years later there is a thriving community of over 4,500 members made up of all ages and abilities. They regularly meet for organised swims all over the country and anybody is welcome.

“It can get pretty nippy up here so I suggest the children wear their wetsuits,” says Kate as we peel off our clothes. When I mention that I also have mine she raises an eyebrow and says: “You’ll look a right wimp in that.” So sporting nothing more than a pair of swimming trunks, I tiptoe across the coarse grass to the edge of the pool. I’m sure Wordsworth himself must have sat by this very spot staring at the clouds and pondering the wonder of life. Whether he ever stripped down to his bloomers and jumped in is another question.

Poised on the edge I leap in and the effect is immediate. It’s cold, bracing, refreshing, invigorating. The children follow suit, laughing and hollering, their car-induced angst instantly washed away.
It’s not long before we’re joined by another family. In the space of 20 minutes Kate has recruited four more members, taken tips on other spots and swapped telephone numbers.

“The OSS is a social network, so much of what we do is about connecting people who have a common love. It’s all about giving the water back to the people. It’s there to be explored and enjoyed.” Fittingly, as she says this Seb and Bella leap in together and disappear under the glassy surface for a couple of seconds. They emerge grinning broadly and give us a thumbs up before scrambling out to jump straight back in again.

For more information visit www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com. 'Wild Swim’ by Kate Rew is available through Telegraph Books for £11.99 + £1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk

________________________________________________________________

OUTDOOR SWIMMING TIPS 

1 Don’t hang around with cold water lapping your ankles. Take the plunge.

2 In high-up streams and lakes it may be cold at first. So exhale, swim to a nearby tree or rock, puff a bit and within a minute or so you’ll feel the warmth charging around your body.

3 Always ask locals before getting in. Teenage boys tend to have a wealth of knowledge.

4 Take lots of warm clothes, even in the summer. Getting chilly is fine, as long as you can warm up afterwards.

5 Increase your time outdoors gradually, you’ll acclimatise to the cold and be able to stay in the water increasingly longer.

6 Have fun, take in your surroundings, lie back and look at the clouds or study tree roots. Swimming outdoors doesn’t have to be at the same pace as pool swimming.

 

 

 

 

Chicken skewers with lime, chilli and mint, and oriental salad recipe

By Diana Henry 7:00AM BST 10 Apr 2011

Seared chicken skewers marinaded in lime, chilli and mint and served with a crunchy oriental salad 

Chicken skewers with lime, chilli and mint, and oriental salad Photo: ANDREW TWORT

 

Serves six 
 

For the chicken
12 boned and skinned chicken thighs
1½ tbsp groundnut oil
juice of 1 lime

For the marinade
grated zest of 4 limes
juice of 6 limes
2 red chillis, deseeded and shredded
3 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp fish sauce
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chopped mint
freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
½ tbsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp ginger syrup
1 tbsp chopped peanuts (optional)
2 tbsp groundnut oil

For the salad
10 radishes, cut into matchsticks
5 Chinese leaves, cut into shreds
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
15g (½oz) coriander, torn
leaves from 4 sprigs mint
75g (2¾oz) mizuna or watercress
35g (1¼oz) pea shoots or rose radish sprouts
lime wedges, to serve

Soak six long or 12 short wooden skewers in just-boiled water for 30 minutes. Cube the chicken. Make the marinade by mixing together all the ingredients for it. Put in the chicken, turning it over to make sure it is all coated, cover and refrigerate for one to four hours.

To make the dressing whisk together all the ingredients except the oil. The sugar should dissolve in the lime juice. Now add the oil. Prepare the salad vegetables.

Thread the chicken on to the skewers and shake off any excess marinade. Heat the oil in a large frying-pan (big enough for the chicken to lie flat). Alternatively heat a dry griddle pan and use the oil to paint the chicken. Cook on all sides until the chicken is cooked through, starting on a high heat to get a good colour all over then turning the heat down. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper and squeeze over some lime juice.

Toss the salad with the dressing and serve with the skewers. Offer extra wedges of lime on the side and plain boiled rice.

 

 

Crowd-pleasing chicken recipes for spring

By Diana Henry 7:01AM BST 10 Apr 2011

Got fussy eaters in the house? Cook chicken and everyone's happy, says Diana Henry 

Chicken with yogurt and pomegranate Photo: ANDREW TWORT

 

It's had a rough ride of late, the chicken, mostly because of how it's farmed. Is it OK to eat a Freedom Food bird? Does organic also mean free-range? I was shocked to discover, while eating round Scandinavia a few years back, that Swedes and Norwegians regard chicken as fast food. They feel as guilty about offering it to their children as they would about giving them a burger. I regularly put a chicken in my fridge, however, blessing its existence. Every week I feed my own children, plus often my partner's as well. Weekends see family gatherings of anything from six to 14 people, ranging in age from five to 85 years old. Within this there are picky eaters (five-year-old Gillies, who would eat penne with tuna at every meal if he could), adventurous eaters (10-year-old Celia, who would probably try Mexican ant eggs) and the not-that-bothered (78-year-old Martin, who would rather read poetry than eat anything). I know, though, that they will all dig into chicken with relish.

The other complaint – that it is bland – is hard to understand. No, it isn't grouse (thank God). It isn't pheasant, either. But the 'blandness' (which is more the lack of a strong flavour) is partly its virtue. It's why even the most hard-to-please enjoy it. Anyway, who can eat a griddled chicken thigh – juicy, slightly charred, seasoned with garlic, black pepper and flakes of sea salt – and not purr with pleasure?

Chicken takes well to all sorts of flavours and techniques: its flesh soaks up soy sauce; its skin becomes burnished with honey; it can lie in a delicate sauce of cream and chervil, or be skewered and marinated with pomegranate molasses, cayenne and garlic. I cook it in all seasons, but I have a particular appetite for it in spring when brighter, zingier dishes are required. In the past month I've made old-fashioned poulet bonne femme (white wine, shallots and button mushrooms), a Scandinavian braise with leeks, waxy potatoes and dill, an Eastern stew of thighs with chilli, coriander and coconut milk and a warm salad of torn chicken, olive-oil-fried sourdough, watercress and dried cherries.

Once I'd made the skewers below I went skewer-mad, marinating the meat Indian style in yogurt, garlic and ginger, or Middle Eastern style in cumin, cayenne, olive oil and lemon. The picky eaters were happy, the greedy eaters were happy. I haven't spent long preparing these dishes and it hasn't cost much. Take the advice of campaigners and buy birds farmed with care, but when you hear one of the 'cognoscenti' complaining it doesn't taste of anything, just yawn. And heat your griddle for another load of skewers. 

 

 

How to keep hens happy

By Francine Raymond 12:00PM BST 12 Apr 2011

A garden without lifestock is a dull and dreary place argues Francine Raymond 

Poultry passion: Francine Raymond and Buff Orpingtons at her former home Photo: FRANCINE RAYMOND; MARTIN POPE

 

Much as I love the excitement of my new garden, there is one thing I really miss: the drama, colour and movement of a flock of hens.

A garden without some kind of livestock is a dull and dreary place, so come September I hope to buy three new Buff Orpington pullets. Although I’m not a beginner in the true sense of the word, having kept hens for more than 15 years and become a bit of a bore on the subject, the process of choosing new birds and preparing for their arrival is one I’d like to share with you, hopefully passing on my passion for poultry.

The Hen House
 

Looking out on my garden, I have decided to site their run so that the birds will enjoy the afternoon sun, the shelter of an ancient birch with a solid fence behind them and access to my new orchard.

Hens need shade and shelter from the elements, and safety from predators. I intend to fence the run with chestnut posts and bird-proof wire, bringing the wire out into an apron, and pegging it down to prevent digging intruders. I’m not sure whether I’ll need a roof (I have heard tales of foxes, but not their shrieks), so I will make the posts tall enough to take one if needs be, with room for me to stand up straight.

I’m hoping my son Jacques will build me the ultimate palais de poulets. My design brief would include instructions that the henhouse be made of marine ply – lapped wood houses mean too many hidey holes for nasty parasitic mites; an Onduline roof – roofing felt offers similar insect accommodation; that the house should sit on legs with ramp access for its occupants – offering a purpose-built hen dust bath underneath, limited shelter to rats, and easier on my back when mucking out.

It would be fun to paint it in similar colours to my house, even to a similar design. Generally, I don’t recommend those with recently planted gardens embark on keeping free-range birds, but I’m hoping to outwit mine with years of experience gardening with hens.

Firstly I shall contain them in my wild garden and orchard – ideal territory because chickens descend from junglefowl and like a bosky spot, and everything I plant will have its roots protected from scratching feet by pebbles or its delicate shoots from pecking beaks by cloches and nets.

My vegetable beds and seating/eating area will be out of bounds so I can grow salads un-nibbled, and we can relax in a chicken poo-free environment.

Breeds
 
Take care buying your first birds: they are the basis of your future flock. Read a book, go on a course, consult the poultry press, then visit breeders and shows to help decide which breed you like.

If eggs are your priority, then go for commercial hybrids or top-laying pure breeds like Welsummers, Marans or Light Sussex, but remember, hens that lay for Britain eat for Britain, and if what’s on offer is your garden… So plenty of space away from precious plants is a prerequisite.

If you’re more interested in fowl aesthetics or the pleasure of their company, then Orpingtons, Brahmas, Silkies and Pekins make good family companions and disinterested gardeners. Start small with two or three hens; you can always get others as your ladies produce fewer eggs, or even with time hatch out a few yourself from bought-in eggs. Stunning as they are, I never recommend cockerels to beginners.

Choose a local breeder who has been recommended and visit before buying. Leave auctions and the internet to seasoned buyers, and don’t be bullied into accepting cockerels or second best.

Look for healthy birds with perky heads and tails, shiny eyes and pinkish combs, smooth legs and shiny feathers. Spring-hatched chicks are best as they’ll have the summer to grow outdoors, so get ready to welcome your new pullets at point of lay – POL (24 weeks of age) – towards the beginning of autumn. That will give you time to site your run and build or buy your house.

Keeping hens is great fun for the whole family. They’ll have a good life strutting around your garden, the soil will benefit from their manure, pests and weeds will be kept to a minimum and wildlife will increase. Children learn a lot from their flock – and believe me, there is nothing quite like a really fresh, home-laid egg.

Read the top 10 questions about keeping hens here

Look at a slideshow of the top 10 pure breed hens here

Francine is giving a hen keeping course especially for Sunday Telegraph readers on Wednesday, April 20 at Blackthorpe House & Design in Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. To book call 01359 270 996 or email susie@blackthorpedesign.com (b&b is available)

For more information, books (such as 'Keeping a Few hens in your Garden’ by Francine Raymond) and poultry products, see www.kitchen-garden-hens.co.uk and join the Henkeepers’ Association, a source of online information for people who keep poultry for pleasure.

Hen house makers: Domestic Fowl Trust, 01386 833083; www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk; Forsham Cottage Arks, 01233 820229; www.forshamcottagearks.com. Blown Goose Egg Supplier: www.eggstravaganza.co.uk; 01642 372 6000.  

 

 

London 2012 Olympics: it will be a Twitter Olympics

Chei Amlani

Currently working on the London 2012 Olympics coverage online, the chance of a lifetime. Also on Twitter @cheiamlani

By Chei Amlani Olympics Last updated: April 13th, 2011

No, there will notbe an actual Twitter Olympics. No gold medals for fastest tweet or long-distance tweeting events, throwing your tweets the furthest, or a Twitpic triathlon. But if you have yet to catch up on the latest digital trend, have reservations about it’s usefulness, don’t know why you’d use it and don’t understand any of the aforementioned terms, then read further. As trends go, and for the uninitiated trending is the way Twitter marks out the most popular or talked about topics, this is one any sport and Olympic fan really shouldn’t ignore. Twitter is undoubtedly one of the best ways to follow sport and major sporting events. Come London 2012 it could be indispensable.

Let’s get the cynicism out of the way first. Twitter is easy to dismiss. Shakespeare might have defined a tweet as a “tale told by an idiot” and as “signifying nothing”. And he’d have been right, or at least  sufficiently under the limit of 140 characters that each Tweet must contain to be published to make his point. But it’s unlikely his entire works would have found a home there.

This is not a place for long-form content. It’s little snippets of information (referred to as micro-blogging) about people and their lives. Harnessing the shared, communicatory ethos of the web, it distills the notion that ‘everyone has a book in them’ down to ‘maybe just a few tweets’. So yes, the critics will tell you, not entirely incorrectly, that there is plenty of uninteresting stuff out there and plenty of people who feel the need to let everyone know every aspect of their dull, impaired, self-obsessed existences, perfect for the ‘Internet generation’ and their short attention spans -  (see also Facebook). It’s a sign of our impending doom and the fall of our civilisation.

But, as with much on the Internet, accessing it and using it is free. It has also become phenomenally popular and with that have come the usual questions – how will it make money, what is the goal, will someone buy it, what is it doing to our brains…but despite some of these fundamentals being unanswered it seems all the world is there, trying desperately to grab a moment of your precious time.

‘Social media’ is the buzz word, it’s a place where every company, organisation, individual and government can reach out to the world and get their message across. We are soon to have a so-called Twitter Tsar (on an annual salary of £142,000) and the emergence of companies trying, in essence, to sell you things or using their ambassadors to influence you into ‘following them’ (this is how you keep track of another person on Twitter) demonstrates that this is not just a space for the individual. It also lays claim to a moral neutrality. That is, it is just a platform and not responsible for the content on that platform. So it has been used across the world as a communication tool in countries where freedom of speech has been stifled but also effectively used by rioters to organise meeting locations and stay one step ahead of the police.

So what has this got to do with the Olympics? Well, sports stars, organisations and sponsors haven’t been shy to take up the gauntlet. London 2012, the IOC, the BOA, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Bradley Wiggins, Adidas, Nike, Beth Tweddle, Sky, the Press Association, the BBC all use it throughout the day to flag content they have published, update information to their followers and break stories.

Every media organisation has their own official feeds while many of their journalists and staff also have individual accounts. The Tweets are published in newspapers, on live blogging services and regularly make the headlines as it gives celebrities and sports stars direct access to the public before a press officer can grab their thoughts and shape them into less damaging opinions.

Tottenham’s defeat at the hands of Madrid in the Champions League last week was the perfect example. The trending topics focused around the goalscorers and the team’s performance. You would have had access to immediate news and statistics from reporters at the game – which subs were warming up and what the atmosphere was like.

You would also be aware that you weren’t the only one questioning the quality of Ray Wilkins’ commentary on Sky. Sky themselves were most likely to have been acutely aware of this. Twitter is, as much as anything, a great way of providing customer feedback. And when the reason for Aaron Lennon’s late, late omission from the team was questioned, young Aaron himself took the ‘Tweetosphere’ to set the record straight.
As the Telegraph reported recently, the service has more than 200 million registered accounts, but fifty per cent of all tweets are generated generated by only 20,000 ‘elite’ users’. And here’s where it can prove really useful for the Olympic and sports fan. Invest a little time in the process, or better still get someone to do it for you.

Sign-up, log-on, and find the people you want to follow (using the simple search tool, or the relevant websites normally have a link encouraging you to follow them on Twitter). You don’t need to discriminate. If you think they might be slightly interesting, hit the green follow button. You’ll be recommended people as well. Download the app onto your phone if you have one smart enough and when an event happens you won’t miss a thing.

It’s not just a first-class news wire and breaking news service, but a fantastic way to access genuinely interesting content, features and interviews as links to further, relevant, content are very much part of the Twitter experience. And the ability to do it online and on your phone while also following the coverage of events on television (as well as the Telegraph’s excellent minute-by-minute blogs) makes the sporting event at home arguably much richer. You may even want to turn off the commentary.  And if an event of note has occurred, or a relevant piece is published, someone is likely to Tweet this. Across multiple publishers.

Twitter becomes the gateway for following your topics of interest, also making it equally easy to ‘unfollow’ people when you lose interest.  Not only that, but it is comfortingly easy to just skip past the Tweets you don’t care for and, if you really can’t resist, to message the people who are Tweeting. It makes a persuasive argument, even for luddites and cynics.

By the summer of 2012, it may all have changed. Twitter may have been replaced by something else laying claim to the digital zeitgeist, it may have destroyed itself in an attempt to cash in on it success. You may also have questions about how your personal data is being used. But come the London 2012 Games, where the amount of information published will be  immense and trying to stay on top of what is happening when will be extremely difficult, you could do much better than log onto Twitter, ignore your concerns, and join the crowd.

It’s simple to sign up, easy to use, and because you don’t need to contribute it doesn’t have to impact on your life to the extent other services do. It won’t necessarily make you happier, wiser or richer. It won’t necessarily change the world. But for sports fans, passionate about their sports and reading more on their sports, staying in touch with the competitors and the organisations and the latest news there isn’t, as yet, a better all-round service.

We’ve put together a list of people we are following our Games. Follow this link http://twitter.com/teleolympics/lists/london2012 (sign-up if you haven’t already) and get started.

 

 

 

London 2012 Olympics: Two key green targets in doubt, with another costing £1m

By Jacquelin Magnay, Olympics Editor 12:00AM BST 12 Apr 2011

The Olympic Delivery Authority has failed to deliver on two of its key promises to make the London 2012 Olympic Games as green and sustainable as possible and has had to buy its way to meet one of its green targets. 

Green street: London 2012 is not on course to meet some of the promises made about sustainability Photo: EPAO

 

 

The ODA has paid more than £1 million as an offset payment to achieve one of its major promises - delivering a 50 per cent cut in carbon footprint. The money, which will go to the mayor of London's Renew scheme will help pay for low energy lighting and insulation in local schools and housing.

Without this payment, the Olympic bosses will have only achieved around a 40 percent carbon reduction. But the biggest failure has been in the levels of renewable energy on Olympic Park. For years the ODA has promised it would use 20 percent renewable energy on Olympic Park, a target that was clearly dashed when a 120m two megawatt wind turbine that was to power 1000 homes was scrapped last year.

Yesterday the watchdog Commission for Sustainable London revealed the ODA will use just nine percent of renewable energy - and that figure was boosted from a lower number after a decision to install solar panels on the media and broadcast centres.

This has been economically viable from subsidies from government tariffs. However the ability to use other renewable energy was restricted by existing contracts.

"Biomass boilers will be used as part of the energy centre but other renewable heat sources were not able to be used due to the energy centre contract requiring the owners to have exclusive rights to heat the Olympic Park, the commission chair Shaun McCarthy said.

"It is regrettable that onsite renewable solutions could not be found.
"However, we believe (contributing to the Renew scheme) is an acceptable alternative solution in that it provides genuine additional carbon reductions and helps to address other social issues such as fuel poverty."


McCarthy said the ODA and Locog currently scored around eight out of 10 in delivering other sustainable solutions. He praised the velodrome construction but noted the aquatic centre was significantly less carbon efficient.

"With hindsight, some key early decisions and actions could have enabled even higher standards," he said. "Whilst there is still much to do, we are currently confident that London 2012 is on track to deliver unprecedented levels of sustainability."

McCarthy said the Commission was keeping a close eye on the commitment to maintain 45 hectacres of biodiverse habitat on the Park, especially following on from changes post-Games to keep the Olympic Stadium as a much larger structure than originally intended.

 

 

Wanted, a Twitter Tsar paid as much as PM to boost Government's 'online presence'

By Daniel Martin
Last updated at 8:17 AM on 8th April 2011


David Cameron is to appoint a highly paid ‘Twitter Tsar’ to boost the Government’s online presence.

The successful candidate will earn £142,000 a year – only £500 less than the Prime Minister himself.

The vacancy for the ‘new and exciting role of Executive Director of Digital’ was posted on the civil service website.

It will fuel criticism that Mr Cameron, who used to work in PR before becoming a politician, is more interested in public relations than he is in governing the country.

The listing comes as millions of public sector workers are taking a pay freeze – and as ministers are demanding that council chief executives earning more than the PM take a pay cut.

It is not the first time the Government has appointed a so-called Twitter expert. Gordon Brown brought in Andrew Stott as Director for Digital Engagement and Transparency in 2009 – on an even higher salary of £160,000.

The job specification for the Coalition position is full of digital gobbledegook.

It states: ‘The successful candidate will have a proven credibility in transformation through the delivery of digital channels and engagement together with a track record of leading digitally enabled change at a strategic level, in a large federated organisation with complex delivery chains.’

The job will ‘champion the citizen and end user through the implementation of the Coalition Government’s digital strategy’, it adds.And, perhaps surprisingly for a job involving explaining the Government’s digital strategy, on required language skills the advert states: ‘None.’

Cabinet office sources said the job would not just be about Twitter, the microblogging social media site in which users write messages of fewer than 140 characters.

The successful applicant will also run Directgov, a government website which gives people advice about tax and benefits.

The job is the idea of Martha Lane-Fox, the entrepreneur behind the lastminute.com website, who was appointed the Government’s Digital Champion with a remit to encourage more use of online resources.

Yesterday she said – appropriately on Twitter – that it was ‘mean’ to describe the role as ‘Twitter Tsar’, adding that it was about much more than that. She said it was essential for a government to have a decent website and she claimed the new job would involve cutting the number of government websites – saving millions of pounds.

Last night the Cabinet Office said: ‘The Executive Director of Digital is a major cross-government role that will have responsibility for overseeing and improving all of the Government’s online presence and extending the number of public services available online.

‘The new role combines the work of the Chief Executive of Directgov and part of the work of the Director for Digital Engagement and Transparency, and will bring considerable savings to the taxpayer.

‘The Executive Director will be responsible for more than 100 staff and for saving at least £6million from Directgov’s annual budget.’

MIT Architect Plans to Print Her Own Buildings

Alex Knapp

Robot Overlords


3-D Printing is probably one of the most exciting technologies emerging right now.  As it becomes more accessible, it will truly revolutionize manufacturing and materials science. (And you know it’s on the move since it’s already involved in intellectual property litigation.)  Last year saw a number of stunning innovations in the field, and the best innovations are still to come.

Neri Oxman, an architect and professor at the MIT Media Lab, is working on one such set of research — using 3-D printing technology for buildings.

"Existing 3-D printers, also called rapid prototyping machines, build structures layer by layer. So far these machines have been used mainly to make detailed plastic models based on computer designs. But as such printers improve and become capable of using more durable materials, including metals, they’ve become a potentially interesting way to make working products.

Oxman is working to extend the capabilities of these machines—making it possible to change the elasticity of a polymer or the porosity of concrete as it’s printed, for example—and mounting print heads on flexible robot arms that have greater freedom of movement than current printers.

She’s also drawing inspiration from nature to develop new design strategies that take advantage of these capabilities. For example, the density of wood in a palm tree trunk varies, depending on the load it must support. The densest wood is on the outside, where bending stress is the greatest, while the center is porous and weighs less. Oxman estimates that making concrete columns this way—with low-density porous concrete in the center—could reduce the amount of concrete needed by more than 10 percent, a significant savings on the scale of a construction project."

It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes a feasible building process.  The minute control over materials made possible by 3-D printing could definitely make a difference in pre-fabricating materials for construction. But I think the big question here is whether it can be cost-effective over current techniques — and whether customers will buy even if they are.

Still, I think it’s an exciting avenue for research and I’m excited about the possibilities for this technology to be applied to construction.

Thanks to Next Big Future for the link.


This article brought to you by BlackBerry and Sinyal Kuat Indosat #

From #SXSW: Research shows Twitter can help predict business trends

By Guest Blogger on April 7, 2011

This guest post is by Daley Epstein, a contributing writer for SmartBrief. She is reporting live from South by Southwest in Austin this week.

“What is social broadcasting? It’s about sharing your local information with the big world,” said Huaxia Rui, a doctorate student at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. When this concept is compounded, sharing has additional value.

Rui works with Liangfei Qiu, a University of Texas graduate student, to run an on-going research project that uses “the wisdom of crowds” to predict box office sales.  The experiment uses Twitter to gather data in the form of a game. As participants log in with their Twitter username, they are given $1000 in virtual money and are asked to make bets on the box office.

This approach proves surprisingly effective — the margin of error in predictions is only 10%. The two explained that many business examples share the following characteristic: small bits and pieces of relevant information that exists in the opinions and intuitions of diverse individuals. Through a carefully designed prediction market, Rui and Qiu extracted meaningful predictions about the future success of movies and proved that Twitter can foresee some business trends.

Interested in wages your bets and becoming a part of the research? Click here to learn more about iBet, the Twitter Prediction Market game.

Scientists find waves are getting bigger

Bridie Smith

March 25, 2011

                         A surfer rides a large wave at Tamarama. Photo: Jon Reid 

Ocean wind speeds and wave heights around the world have increased significantly over the past quarter of a century, according to Australian research that has given scientists their first global glimpse of the world's rising winds and waves.

Published in the journal Science today, the research – the most comprehensive of its kind ever undertaken – used satellite data collected from 1985 to 2008.
It shows the extreme wave height off the coast of south-west Australia today is six metres on average, more than a metre higher than in 1985.

"That has all sorts of implications for coastal engineering, navigation and erosion processes," said Alex Babanin, an oceanographer at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, and co-author of the paper.
However, there are greater uses for the data compiled by Professor Babanin, his Swinburne colleague Stefan Zieger and the Australian National University vice-chancellor, Ian Young.

To date scientists have largely focused on temperature as an indicator of climate change. But climate is about much more than temperature, as winds and waves control the flux of energy from the atmosphere to the ocean.

"Scientifically, this is another set of environmental properties which can be used as indicators of what is happening to the climate," Professor Babanin said. "Temperature changes the global patterns of the pressure, pressure defines the winds, winds define the waves. It's all connected."

The trio established that between 1985 and 2008, global increases in wave height were most significant for extreme waves – large spontaneous waves. They increased in height by an average of 7 per cent in the past 20 years. In equatorial regions the rise was 0.25 per cent a year, while in higher latitudes the rise was up to 1 per cent a year. The mean wave height also increased, but to a lesser degree.

When analysing extreme wind speed data over the world's oceans, the researchers found they increased by 10 per cent in the past two decades, or by 0.5 per cent a year.
Professor Babanin said waves were generated by wind. However, the data show the lift in wind speed was greater than wave height increase.

He said he doubted the 23 years of data could be immediately used to forecast future wind and wave conditions.

"These are the environmental properties which can be used as indicators for the climate behaviour along with the other properties, such as temperature and precipitation, and extrapolations have to be made with caution," he said.