Unknown trouble getting through

To my blogger friends -- for those of you using the "verify yourself by typing the letters you see here" system -- it simply is not working for me. I KNOW I am typing the correct characters -- 8 times -- and I am never allowed to post. Not sure why that is, but it keeps happening... I have used my "American" keyboard and my "Portuguese" keyboard. If you have a suggestion - send me an email. I want to communicate with you.

Ray - your duck video was amazing.

Shelly - I want to congratulate you on your podcast.

And others...

jim

You know you are in Brazil when

You know you are in Brazil when the worker refurbishing the four story building across the street is barefoot. He´s hanging by a rope on a makeshift wooden seat from which he has a bucket of plaster attached which he is using to patch the walls - and has a pried-open 10L can of paint tied by rope to his wooden seat through the lid of the can from which he alternates some painting activity.

I watched him attach his "secure suspension system" by taking out several roof tiles and locating a roof beam onto which he tied his humble rope.

He did not seem confident, at first, about his mechanics. I cold barely watch!

But apparently he is an experienced, fearless, acrobat construction worker. He´s been up there all day and doing fine.

I hope he is getting paid a decent wage... (fat chance)

Rio readies for the future

It’s not your father’s Rio anymore.  Whether you agree with the strategies employed or not (or believe entirely their reports of success), Rio’s government has been taking what they consider to be strategic actions over the past few years to clean up corruption, increase transparency in government, professionalize the police force and take technological steps forward to alert and coordinate various first-responders to emergencies, both natural and criminal.

There is a great post about this effort over on the outstanding new blog Rio Real. If you have not already been following Julia Michael’s postings there – start now.

Here is a taste. This is an official brief video (with English subtitles) that lays out the vision of the “new and improved” Rio in terms of service, safety and coordination, using high tech urban planning and other technology.

Fruit Fibers Used To Make Car Parts

Did you see this?  According to an article here, Brazilian scientists are planning to build a greener car by making some of its parts out of fruit fibers.  They have figured out a way to use the fiber from fruit plants like pineapples and bananas to reinforce plastics that are used to make car parts like dashboards, bumpers and body panels.

These “nano-cellulose” fibers are apparently just about as stiff as Kevlar, but come from a green, renewable source (Kevlar is made from petroleum).

By using this technology they will be able to make parts that are 30% lighter and 3 – 4 times stronger.  Lighter cars means less fuel consumption.  Greener manufacturing and greener fuel efficiency.

Way to go Brazil!