Whether it's a home or an office, a good space requires personality and the photography studio of Fotobia has it in excess. The walls are filled with vintage-style screen prints, old hanging cameras, supermarket signs, and skate decks. And despite all the fun in the officefrom mustached stick figures to classic soda popthe workspace isn't lacking in practical charm.

Daniel Goncalves, the owner of Fotobia, offers an endearing story about how the space came together:

The studio is located in a historic seminary that was converted into lofts near downtown Jacksonville. [My wife] Magda was getting fed up with my gear taking over our living space; as punishment, I got my dream studio. She has always had a love for design, graphic elements, spaces. So when we found this loft, we created the clean, modern design together.

His studio is a great example of how you don't need a ton of space to make something functional and beautiful:

The studio is not huge, but it fits our needs perfectly. It's right on the line of being just big enough to shoot in, but not so big that we don't use all the space. I love the view; it feels like we're in a secluded warehouse district. While brainstorming, I like getting lost in the image of cars on the highway looking like they are driving over the rooftops of the adjacent buildings.

Want to see more? Hit up Herman Miller Lifework for more photos and an interview with Daniel.

If you have a workspace of your own to show off, throw the pictures on your Flickr account and add it to the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool. Include some details about your setup and why it works for you, and you just might see it featured on the front page of Lifehacker.

Studio Tour: Fotobia | Herman Miller Lifework

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Soda Pop and Skate Decks: The Studio of Fotobia [Featured Workspace]

Whether its a home or an office, a good space requires personality. The photography studio of Fotobia has it in excess the walls are filled with vintage-style screen prints, old hanging cameras, supermarket signs and skate decks. Despite all the fun in the office, the workspace isnt lacking in practical charm.

Daniel Goncalves, owner of Fotobia, offers an endearing story about how the space came together:

The studio is located in a historic seminary that was converted into lofts near downtown Jacksonville. [My wife] Magda was getting fed up with my gear taking over our living space; as punishment, I got my dream studio. She has always had a love for design, graphic elements, spaces. So when we found this loft, we created the clean, modern design together.

His studio is a great example of how you dont need a ton of space to make something functional and beautiful:

The studio is not huge, but it fits our needs perfectly. Its right on the line of being just big enough to shoot in, but not so big that we dont use all the space. I love the view; it feels like were in a secluded warehouse district. While brainstorming, I like getting lost in the image of cars on the highway looking like they are driving over the rooftops of the adjacent buildings.

Want to see more? Hit up Herman Miller Lifework for more photos and an interview with Daniel.

Studio Tour: Fotobia [Herman Miller Lifework]

Original post:
Soft Drinks And Skate Decks: Fotobia’s Studio

Written by The Herald Saturday, 21 July 2012 00:00

Summertime presents the return of several seasonal fire hazards as activities shifting outdoors, according to Ted Pisciotta, assistant chief of Shelton Fire Prevention. Among the most common involve cooking grills, wooden decks, and use of gasoline and other flammable liquids.

Here are some fire prevention tips:

Locate grills and any propane tanks/cylinders a safe distance from buildings, wooden decks and other combustibles. Never store propane indoors.

Check propane gas hose connection is tight and check hoses carefully for leaks. Applying soapy water to the hoses will easily and safely reveal any leaks.

Inspect and clean tubes and burner of gas grills where spiders and small insects may make nests or webs. This could lead to a fire. Frequent inspection and cleaning is typically necessary before use.

Only use charcoal starter fluids designed for grills and do not add fluid after coals have been lit.

Eliminate dry leaves, combustible storage or other debris from beneath wood or plastic constructed decks. Avoid putting trash and other combustible materials on the deck.

Avoid smoking on a wood deck. If you permit smoking, use suitable disposal containers/ashtrays. Never use paper or plastic cups, napkins etc.

Store gasoline and other flammable liquids in a building separate from the house or place of residence, such as a secured shed located a distance from the main structure. Never store such liquids or propane cylinders within and attached garage or basement. Always keep out of reach from children.

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Fire safety tips for the summer

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Clive Palmer says the design team has completed preliminary work on Titanic 2, and "all the money I've got is the budget" but that "no pensioners will be allowed in the Casino".

There is something irresistible in imagining Clive Palmer in the third-class 'tween-decks of his Titanic II, the bodhran pounding, the fiddles flying and the uillean pipes wailing, Guinness spilled and light feet a-jigging.

Could he please, please lure Kate Winslet down there for a wild reel? It would, without doubt, be the finest application conceivable of the billions surging from Australia's coal deposits.

Clive, you may be aware, has made it known that when his dream ship is built, he'll spend his time in third class because that's where all the fun will be.

Clive Palmer at the Titanic II announcement. Photo: Glenn Hunt

It seems rather more likely that Clive is having a wee bit of fun with all of us. Is there even a third class, once known as steerage, in a cruise ship any more, even if such a strata seems necessary if the Titanic II is to be a replica of the first?

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Well, let's imagine there will be, and let's imagine this fabulous fantasy will eventually float upon an ocean.

Third class passengers, Clive has declared, will be screened from the casino up in snooty first class because they should be saved from themselves. They couldn't afford to lose their money. And pensioners would be banned altogether.

Read the original:
Titanic II: nothing on earth could stand between Palmer and the prow of a prank

Mr Wee's 'proud' collectables: A 1958 glass to commemorate the 75th anniversary of F&N and a 1953 glass to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Photo courtesy of David Wee

Last month, he left his job as an events manager at People's Association to pursue his passion. He also started a company trading in vintage items. I wanted to collect things from the '70s and '80s that bring back a lot of memories, said Mr Wee.

All of these tell a bit of story about Singapore's heritage, Singapore's history.

His collection first began 15 years ago during a visit to Sungei Road. There, Mr Wee spotted a vintage F&N glass which made him reminisce about his younger days.

I wanted to keep a slice of history because I feel that in Singapore, things are disappearing very fast, he said. If I don't keep them, maybe they will end up somewhere (being) disposed of.

Living with his 77-year-old father, Mr Wee's collection is sprawled across two rooms in their two-storey home. There are two items that Mr Wee is particularly proud of a 1958 glass to commemorate the 75th anniversary of F&N and a 1953 glass to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Mr Wee's collection includes childhood games such as paper balls, paper aeroplanes, kuti-kuti and chapteh. These items are an eye opener not just for his friends but also his three nieces, aged between seven and 10.

To me, history is about keeping all these things and then passing it on to the next generation and at the same time telling them about (the history of these items), he said.

Last Sunday, Mr Wee showcased his collection at the Our Void Decks, Our Shared Spaces travelling exhibition at Chai Chee Road. The exhibition was a prelude to this year's Singapore HeritageFest which kicks off on Friday.

The exhibition brought back fond memories for some residents. Mr Poh Chang Sek, who lived in Chai Chee Avenue till the late '80s, recalled there used to be a stamp club located at his void deck. At that time the club was quite active, there were a lot of collectors, said the 76-year-old retiree.

Continued here:
Keeping the history of void decks alive

Greg Hesse sees a connection between his profession building fences and decks and his passion, which is music.

Im a very artsy-fartsy kind of guy, said Hesse, who owns Hesse Fence & Deck and plays guitar in a band called Timbucktoo. A lot of what we do, other fence companies wont try. We kind of dig the improvisation involved.

That could be anything from a double-arched gate with a custom iron insert and gothic hardware for a residential customers backyard to a fence around Kapaun Mount Carmels baseball field that looks completely different on each side.

Over the years weve gotten into more custom design than I thought we would, Hesse said.

Hesse started the company 30 years ago actually, 32 if you count the two years he operated it as Wood Fences Unlimited. He changed the name because he started building decks and because his last name at least in east Wichita, is well known.

Hesses father ran a sporting goods store for years. Watching him, I thought Id do better as entrepreneur than working for somebody else.

Hesse got most of his training in Colorado, building condos in the mountains and then working for an uncles hurricane fence company in Denver.

I learned a lot of carpentry from a lot of skilled carpenters, he said.

He returned home to enter Wichita State University as a 21-year-old freshman, but dropped out when his fence-building business took off. Sales rose every year until 2010, when they dropped dramatically, he said.

Now, theyre climbing again.

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Hesse Fence & Deck owner thrives on creativity

Clearing the decks for conducting counselling for transfer of teachers, a division bench of the A.P. High Court comprising Justice V.V.S. Rao and Justice Krishna Mohana Reddy on Thursday stayed the operation of the A.P. Administrative Tribunals (APAT) orders pertaining to the ongoing counselling process.

The interim orders will clear hindrances in the counselling process. The bench was dealing with a writ petition filed by the State government challenging the APATs orders that make it mandatory for teachers, who work in a place for two years, eligible for seeking transfer through counselling.

The APAT gave the orders when some teachers approached it seeking permission to attend the counselling. They contended that the two-year period should be calculated on the basis of various factors, including the period which was lost due to joining. The APAT directed the government to permit these teachers to participate in the counselling.

The government informed the High Court that when the rule mandates two years service at one place, the APAT could not interpret it to defeat the spirit behind the rule. The bench suspended the operation of Tribunals order.

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Decks cleared for teachers’ transfers

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New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald is joined by local, state and federal officals to announce New York Worksproject on Congress Street Bridge Monday, July 2, 2012 in Troy. (J.S. Carras / The Record)

By James V. Franco jfranco@troyrecord.com Twitter.com/francorecord

Troy Mayor Lou Rosamillia speaks in front of local , state and federal officals during announcement of New York Works on Congress Street Bridge Monday, July 2, 2012 in Troy. (J.S. Carras / The Record)

TROY Work on the decks of 11 bridges in the Capital District is underway, including on the Congress Street Bridge which, links the Collar City to Arsenal City.

The work $19.9 million of federal and state money that will be spent in the Capital District is part of the NY Works, program included in the 2012-13 state budget proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and passed by the Legislature.

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Work on 'key corridor' Congress Street Bridge underway

BAY CITY, MI A Midland Street business owner is grateful for his sidewalk deck, but said the rules that govern it are costing him money.

Kevin Novellino owner of Brooklyn Boyz Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, a sitdown restaurant at 507 E. Midland St., and Brooklyn Boyz at 612 E. Midland St., which sells pizza by the slice and deli items went before the Bay City Commission tonight to ask members to consider lengthening the hours the decks can be used.

"For some of us it's become a financial hardship, closing it so soon at 12. What I'd like to ask is extending it an hour and a half, to 1:30," he said.

In 2008, the city approved use of structures that can extend up to 10 feet into the roadway. Sales or service must stop by 11:30 p.m. and all areas must be vacated by midnight.

Most of Novellino's business is on Friday and Saturday nights between 11:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., he said. Allowing customers on the decks until 1:30 a.m. still would give owners enough time to clear their entire facilities by the state-mandated 2 a.m.

A former city commissioner, he helped bring the decks into being, but said the rules need tweaking. At his smaller business, which does not serve alcohol, the pizza ovens can keep the indoor temperatures in the 90s, but at midnight the customers no longer can use the decks to eat their slices.

Novellino also had not foreseen the ban of smoking inside bars. "After midnight it forces all of the smokers outside on the sidewalks; they're not allowed on the decks."

Not only would a change benefit his customers, he said, it would make it easier for police to pick out people who are just hanging out on the sidewalk, not doing business anywhere and potentially causing trouble. "They'll stand out more to the police that they're underage, they're just loiterers."

Novellino said the lucrative Fourth of July weekend will pass with the midnight curfew, but perhaps commissioners can enact something later this month. "It'll give us the second half of the season to show as business owners that we are mature and can manage our decks."

Read more here:
Brooklyn Boyz owner wants customers allowed on Midland Street decks until 1:30 a.m.

SKATERS and skating enthusiasts alike gathered at the Putrajaya Challenge Park for a day of fun at Go Skateboarding Day 2012.

The event, organised by skate brand Vans and RSH (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to support the local skating community, was part of worldwide Go Skateboarding Day celebrations.

The highlights of the event were the Vans Trick Dice and Vans Highest Ollie competitions.

The Vans Trick Dice category is for amateurs, where participants have to roll a single die to determine which skating trick they have to perform, said Vans brand manager Emilia Ag Dahalan.

The Vans Highest Ollie is for professionals, who have to skate and clear an obstacle of a certain height, she added.

Some 200 skaters participated in the two competitions this year, which is a similar number to the previous years event that was held at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur.

While the competitors showcased their talents, non-competitors took the opportunity to hone their skateboarding tricks like kickflip, ollie and pop-shuvit at the park that was designed to appeal to the skating and stunt biking community.

The champion of the Vans Highest Ollie received RM1,000 cash, RM300 Vans gift voucher and Vans merchandise, Oakley sunglasses and a Wrigley prize pack.

The second prize winner walked away with RM500 cash, RM300 Vans gift voucher and Vans merchandise, Oakley sunglasses and a Wrigley prize pack, while the third place winner bagged RM300 cash, RM300 Vans gift voucher and Vans merchandise, Oakley sunglasses and a Wrigley prize pack.

The top three winners of the Vans Trick Dice category each won a RM250 Vans gift voucher, Vans merchandise, Oakley sunglasses and a Wrigley prize pack.

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Skateboarders take flight with their skills on the decks