Jun

26th 2008

Shape-Shifting Highrise

Filed Under Middle East, Urban Geography | Leave a Comment

Italian architect David Fisher has announced plans to build an 80-story highrise in Dubai with 80 apartments that will spin independently of one another in order to constantly change the shape and look of the building.

 

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Jan

20th 2007

Travelers in the Middle East

Filed Under Middle East | Leave a Comment

Travelers in the Middle East Archive

http://timea.rice.edu/

As Edward Said demonstrated in his landmark work, Orientalism, the ways in which the Middle East has been represented by outsiders (particularly those in the West) has had a tremendous influence on how this region of the world has been viewed by others. For anyone with an interest in Western interactions with the Middle East, this fascinating and engaging online digital archive includes travel guides written by Western visitors, photographic and hand-drawn images of Egypt, and some interactive GIS maps of both Egypt and Cyprus. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Travelers in the Middle East Archive (TIMEA) includes over 15,000 pages of text, 800 images, and 150 historical maps. Visitors with an interest in how such projects are created and maintained will also appreciate their papers and presentations section, which includes pieces on their work. Along with other materials included here, one of the highlights of the site must certainly be a first-hand account of travels through Palestine and environs written by H. Rider Haggard, who is probably best known for his series of late 19th century adventure novels set in Africa.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Jan

14th 2007

UK Intelligence Believes Terrorists are Using Google Earth

Filed Under Europe, Google Maps, Middle East | Leave a Comment

The United Kindgom paper the Telegraph recently published an article in which UK intelligence officers assert that terrorists are using Google Earth’s satellite imagery to pinpoint vulnerable British camps in Iraq.  A recent raid of insurgent homes turned up print outs of imagery from Google Earth of sensitive British locations with coordinates printed on the back.  An intelligence officer with the Royal Green Jackets battle group is quoted as saying “We believe they use Google Earth to identify the most vulnerable areas such as tents.”  In response, the Telegraph reports that “A Google spokesman said the information could be used for “good and bad” and was available to the public in many forms. “Of course we are always ready to listen to governments’ requests,” he said.” 

Source: Telegraph