Energy usage by large, old buildings like the Empire State Building represents a huge obstacle to cities’ dreams of carbon neutrality. New York City’s buildings account for 70% of its carbon emissions, for example, and half of those emissions are produced by the largest 5% of its structures. But retrofitting old buildings to make them more energy efficient represents a formidable challenge, both from an engineering perspective and in terms of convincing owners that doing so is in their financial interest.
Category Archives: Reviews
Tech Reviews: Apple AirTag Lost-Item Tracker (Video)
Can a drug-detection dog beat Apple’s U1 chip? Attach a $29 Apple AirTag to your stuff and you can use your iPhone to locate it when it goes missing. WSJ’s Joanna Stern put the new gadget up against a drug-detection dog and other lost-item trackers, like the Tile Pro, in a series of indoor and outdoor challenges. Photo illustration: Laura Porat for The Wall Street Journal
World News: Rise Of E-Money, Spain’s Indignados Protests & Dostoevsky
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: the rise of e-money, ten years after Spain’s indignados protests (10:03) and “the brothers Karamazov” on stage (17:36).
Analysis: India-Pakistan Conflict Explained (Video)
In February 2021, India and Pakistan agreed to strictly observe all previous agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors, and to address core issues and concerns. It was their first joint statement in over eight years. But will the agreement be upheld this time? Both countries have come close to an all-out military conflict several times in the past two decades. DW takes a look at factors that are driving the hostility between the two South Asian neighbors.
Artworks: Andy Warhol’s ‘Marilyn Monroe’ Of 1962
Andy Warhol created his first painting of Marilyn Monroe in 1962, in the wake of the American movie star’s sudden death at the age of 36. Tragedy, and its portrayal in modern mass media, fascinated Warhol; at the time of Monroe’s death, the artist was enmeshed in his Death and Disaster series, an exploration of gruesome images found in newspapers and magazines. Monroe’s death pushed the narrative of tragedy and celebrity one step further, and in it Warhol found inspiration for arguably the most important suite in his oeuvre. Dating from 1967, Marilyn Monroe is a complete portfolio of ten screen prints, each produced in a different combination of intense, flat colors. This portfolio, which comes from the estate of Barbara Spiegel Linhart, who purchased the works from David Whitney in 1969, is the best possible example of this important set of screenprints, and is a highlight of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Sale this May.
Nicknames: Story Of New York City’s “The Big Apple”
A lot of American cities have great nicknames. But it was 100 years ago when the nation’s biggest city got its most famous one. Michelle Miller has the details on how “The Big Apple” came to signify New York.
Digital Currencies: Could They Be The End Of Banks?
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have been billed as a major disruptor to finance. But digital currencies issued by governments might be even more radical—they may even threaten the future of traditional banking.
Media Infographic: The World’s Top 50 Websites
Design: Top 10 Innovative Pickup Truck Bed Campers
When it comes to mobility, versatility, and drivability – you really can’t go wrong with a truck bed camper. There’s no need to buy an additional RV or caravan. Your truck can convert to a mobile home and back again – with the benefit of only paying one registration fee! Here are the 10 best you’ll find in North America.
Political Analysis: Brooks & Capehart Discuss Latest Employment, Election Law
New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including the latest jobs report, the internal politics in the Republican party as it attempts to oust Rep. Liz Cheney, and the latest string of election law changes in conservative states.
Boomers Daily 