The building has been nominated to Stockholm Building 2010 for it’s design by the Swedish architect Per Johanson, who played with pastel-colored balcony windows glass as a contrast to the white side of the house which continues over the roof and is supposed to make the house look like it’s upside down U-shaped – at least on a a distance.

What’s so special (read scary!) with this house is the balcony rail of glass from floor to ceiling that hangs like a loose plate outside the balcony itself. I’m afraid of heights myself, so my first thought was how I would dare to go to the front of the balcony rail without getting the feeling of falling down…

When traveling by the subway train passing by the house, you get many reflexes in the colored glass on the house. The more practical side of me thought: how difficult to clean the windows, so much glass everywhere – and how to clean the outside?

I suppose they hire professional windows cleaners to get the job done and not hanging out from there themselves. Phew!

This whole area at Brommaplan is now in the plans of renewing with 600 new apartments as well as 14000 kvm shopping/service areas and it was not a day too early if I should be honest! It’s a bit worn down and not effective used today.

Stockholm is growing and developing – all places need to catch the modern time we are in even though we also need to keep the wonderful old architecture Stockholm has too.

©Lifecruiser Love Stockholm
 

The shopping mall is named Bromma Blocks and is located very close to the quite small Bromma Airport. They have actually used the old hangars as a mall – with huge improvements of course…

Once upon a time, Bromma was Sweden’s biggest airport, which is hard to believe today!

©Lifecruiser Love Mirror Photos

Another shopping mall wall photo by Lifecruiser:

Photo: Mall Wall Art

If you haven’t installed a mobile and iPad plugin for WordPress yet, it is really high time to consider it. The future is all about mobility, just look at the young people in your surroundings: how do they use internet? Yes, mainly by their mobile devices.

For a long time now, we have been thinking about getting a mobile plugin for our WordPress Blog software for Lifecruiser.com, but not really found someone that live up to our criteria for such an important plugin. Until now – WPtouch Pro impressed us from the first second we had installed it!

Earlier we have seen other solutions, to create and add customized themes to be able to read the blog properly in the mobile. WPtouch Pro does it all automatically for Android, iOS or iPad, without you have to do anything other than some settings – if you want too.

I found it so super easy to install – and to configure settings, icons to use etc. Almost anyone can do it, it is such a breeze!

My earlier researches did show a lack of customization, while WPtouch offers so many highly useful configuration options. I highly recommend the Pro version, it’s worth the money if you’re serious about your blogging and want your blog to stay alive ahead.

For us travelers it is even more useful, to be able to make a fast & easy check up on our blog during a trip is essential to us.

I will write a more detailed review of the WPtouch Pro mobile plugin for WP later, but the plugin impressed me so much, that I instantly had to tell you all about it!

This is a must plugin to have! It will only take you a few minutes to have it up and working!

Why not try it out by visiting Lifecruiser.com in your mobile phone and add us like a WebApp on your homescreen to easier find us again? (I just LOVE that feature!)

Disclosure: I purchased the WPtouch Pro plugin with my own money. This is NOT a sponsored review, it is my honest opinion. You can show me some appreciation for the tip by clicking my linked image below to purchase this plugin, so I get an affiliate commission. I would love you for that!

©Lifecruiser Love WPtouch Pro

Pssst! If you do: please tell us in the comments, so we can go ahead and visit your blog in our mobiles and see how awesome your blog is!

The traditional Marseille soap is made from vegetable oils and it grew so popular that it in 1913 the production had reached 180,000 tons (!) and already in 1924 there were 132 soapmaking companies in the Marseille and Salon areas.

Traditionally, the soap is made by mixing sea water from the Mediterranean Sea, olive oil, and the alkaline chemicals soda ash (sodium carbonate) and lye (sodium hydroxide) together in a large cauldron (usually making about 8 tons). This mixture is then heated for several days, stirred constantly.

The mixture is then allowed to sit, and once ready, it is poured into the mould, and allowed to set slightly. Whilst still soft, it is cut into bars and stamped, and left to completely harden. The whole process can take up to a month from the start before the soap is ready to use.

Source: Wikipedia

You can read more about the traditional Marseille soap history at Marseille Tourisme.

Today there are only a few remaining soap factories around Marseille and some soaps has palm oil instead of olive oil, but still very nice soaps so it’s no surprise that this is one of the things the many tourists are buying there.

I would find it very interesting to take a traditionally Marseille made soap and a modern one from our stores to a lab to be able to really compare the content…

Lifecruiser ♥ Vintage Marseille Posters
 

Earlier posts in this serie:

French beach leach
Bloggers toast in France
Bloggers finally meet in France after three years of blogging
French blogger host lost
Start Fart of France Trip
Marseille Air Lair Stare
Pastis in Provence Southern France
Photographer beholder but not older
Connect Hotel Skavsta Airport
 

1. The edible hotel room in New York. How about booking into a yummy chocolate designed suite? Run to the Byrant Park Hotel! The room has a chocolate inspired dining table and a chocolate wall made with more than 10,000 confections!

   I might need to ask for more towels though, because of all the drooling… *giggles*

   Read more at: BBC News

2. Bikinis Rules at Mexican Airline. The discount Mexican airline VivaAerobus have been influenced by Ryanairs earlier Calendar, but with cheesecake shots of attractive female flight attendants. Now airlines has started to use sex to sell.

   I suspect we might see more of this now during the crisis, the competition about the travelers are going to get tough!

   Read more at: MaxaBlog

3. Craziest party hostels around the world. Top list of the 20 craziest (or more fun?), whether or not you want to go there – or to avoid going there.

   I do wonder about Wombats in Berlin though. If it’s like Wombats in Vienna, the partying does not disturb you IF the partying is mostly going on in the Wombar. We slept very well – when we wanted to sleep…

   Read more at: Matador Nights

4. How to avoid getting the flu. Adventure Doc gives tips how to protect yourself during flu season, especially for us travelers. One repeated advice: Wash your hands! There are also some other great advices, including book tips.

   Read more at: Matador Life

5. How To Backpack. A complete, very impressive and useful backpacking – hiking and trekking – guide. The best one I’ve ever seen so far! Great advices mixed up with illustrations.

   Read more at: Google Knol

6. Ten Innovative camping products. My favorite products are: The Cocoon, top-of-the-range cross between a tent and sleeping bag, a solar powered tent and the Respite: A cross between a hammock and a tent.

   I wanna see more inventions like these ones, might even get me camping. Really useful and comfortable!

   Read more at: Camping Tourist

7. Five star hotel airplane. The A380 is the ultimate in luxury. It has three decks: the top two for passengers and the lower one available for a medical centre, shopping or a fast-food franchise. The aircraft has features like spas, casinos, gyms, bedrooms, and duty-free shops.

   I’m not sure I like the mention of Titanic though…. *giggles*

   Read more at: Wheels Mania

8. The worlds best job. Everyone is talking about it and many is applying for it:

   Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. One of the main duties are to report back to Tourism Queensland as well as the rest of the world what’s going on at the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

   Who wouldn’t love that job…?

   Read more at: Island Reef Job

This is also submitted to my social bookmarking sites, so if you feel like adding me, you find my profiles here: Lifecruiser at StumbleUpon or Lifecruiser at Digg.

Lifecruiser ♥ Travel
 

Listen very carefully to everything that is said in the video below and especially in the beginning:

“This generation of children that grows up now, are the first generation in modern history that’s not going to be as healthy as their parents”.

I find that very disturbing and I would be even more concerned and worried if I were a parent.

Let these words travel around the world:

Une bonne raison de consommer bio et équitable !

To make the film “Our children will accuse us” wich speaks about the problem with a bad alimentation and pesticides, realised by a french man, can stay a long time in cinema rooms , a maximum of people must watch the “bande_annonce” during the three day to come. (sorry for my bad english langage)

Bonjour,

Pour que le film “Nos enfants nous accuseront”, qui dénonce les méfaits de la mauvaise alimentation et despesticides, réalisé par un français, soit de plus longue durée possible lors de sa sortie en salle, il faut qu’un maximum de personnes regarde la bande-annonce dans les 3 jours à venir.

http://www.nosenfantsnousaccuseront-lefilm.com/

Faites passer, c’est sérieux. Même si vous ne visionnez pas complètement, c’est le nombre de visites dans les 3 jours qui fera son poids… Aller le voir est encore mieux.

Autre document ci-dessous.

Bon appétit …..!

I’m really concerned that not more has been done in this matter already. We’re supposed to be so intelligent, living in such developed countries, but is it the opposite really?

One of many questions are: why aren’t every school canteen serving organic food? Then follows many, many other questions.

I’ve always said that all the pollutions, pesticides, hormones and whatever we put into our food, must leave dangerous traces in our bodies. No one knows exactly the long term side effects.

I feel really sorry for our youngsters growing up today to this – by humans created – mess we leave after us.

Try to put yourself in their shoes. We haven’t seen the end of this influence yet. Who knows how their future will be?

Sometimes I wonder exactly how dumb, numb, greedy, selfish and [fill in the blanks yourself] we humans can be…

Lifecruiser ♥ Life
 

This is at a road side in Andalucia, the South of Spain, early April 2008. The farms gatepost said: “Tapatana” and I think it’s in the Cadiz area.

We were very surprised to see such big wind power turbine park there – and it stretched for many kilometers.

Afterwards I learned that Spain is in the top list of countries producing most wind power and April 18, 2008 they did set a record of wind power with 10,879 MW, which is 32% of Spain’s power requirement.

Which means that Spain not only has big bull power, it also has big wind power.

Some say it’s destroying the landscapes view, but I did find it kind of majestic actually. Just to hear the sound of them, nothing else. It gives a clean impression. I can’t say what it does for the bird life and such though.

Besides that, what alternatives do we have so far? I rather give my vote for solar or wind power than anything else.

Lifecruiser ♥ Spain

Sources: Wikipedia and Reuters.

They actually sent me a Twitter message already the 4th of September asking me what I thought about their new site, but as you might know, I was in Vienna then. After coming home from there I’ve being busy before I went away again to Norway. Yeah, lot of travel.

Today I was too curious and just had to check it up – ahoy, was I up for a big surprise! I instantly LOVED their design of the place and the interactive user interface.

It’s very user friendly, so anyone can handle it, I’m sure. Maybe this is my future at the elderly home when I got too fragile and senile to travel in real life? *giggles*

This is THE tool for us travelmaniacs – when we’re not out traveling in real life. If you’re not interested in travel, you might not find it as fascinating as we do though.

I’ve been waiting for years for something like this to show up, a social travel niche world, virtual, but yet a copy of the real world and not fictive like most other similar sites. I’m so excited to see what the developers will come up with after this fabulous start.

There is a lot of interesting and exotic destinations since it’s like in the real world and just look at the gorgeous photos! They’re using Yahoo! Maps and Flickr to show them to you.

Only problem as I see it is that it makes me wanna go there in real life. Now.

If you decide to try them out, don’t miss that you have the possibility to change your settings through the user control panel. Choose your home base or the vehicle you choose to travel with. (The left and right arrows)

You also have tools like the Journal and Journey Planner with some ready-to go roundtrips, like the one I choose as my first trip: World’s most active Volcanoes. Sounds hot enough, don’t you think?

  

Keep in mind that they’re only in the beginning (alpha) phase, so even if you don’t find it perfect now – keep an eye on it and the Journeys blog or Journeys Facebook Group.

It’s very, very promising so far even if it’s only offline trips at the moment. They have announced future additions such as geo and travel based user generated content tools and missions / games.

This is a perfect tool for us travelers to meet and have a chat about places in the world. I can imagine that the information about the destinations will increase with time, so it also can serve as a travel guide. Or even as an educational tool for children.

Look me up and we’ll meet somewhere in the world!

Lifecruiser ♥ Journeys
 

I’m not surprised. Google Maps has satellite pictures from all over the world and what could be more natural than to start using them in such an useful way?

For most of the places the quality of the maps are really good and of course it will improves to be even better with the time. I love the fact that I can see where I’m going, more truthfully than having to trust photos at the Charter companies own sites.

Personally, I’m surprised that I haven’t seen it everywhere else already. You can quickly get a picture of the place and it’s so easy to navigate between different countries and places there in.

It’s said that this is just the beginning in the cooperation, they’re going to develop it further. I’m looking forward to that!

Now I wonder if it will be possible to see people at the pool… or in the bar…. *giggles*

Click this link to test it: Ving Worldmap Master.

Just think about it, sitting in a sky hotel bar in a stationary orbit 22,000 miles above the Earth sipping on our glasses of Dom Perignon… That’s what I call a spectacular view!

There have been expressions like “take the elevator to heaven”, “the stairway to heaven” or “the space elevator” used. The reason for this becoming more possible is that they have found the material strong enough for it that was missing earlier.

Even though it seem to have existed even earlier on, it’s just that we haven’t been aware of it.

“Scientists have recently discovered carbon nanotubes in the damascene steel they used in the Middle Ages to make Saracen swords which might explain what made them so exceptional.”

They call it nanotubes, microscopic cylinders of carbon and the worlds strongest material. It’s now developed by several different companies. In one experiment one sheet of nanotubes could support 50,000 times its own mass. It’s 100 times stronger than steel with a sixth of the weight and as rigid as diamonds, can stretch beyond 20% of their rest length and able to withstand extreme temperatures.

They are now investigating how to build such an elevator to heaven. One solution could be a base station on Earth and an orbiting satellite and solar-powered climbers that would crawl up a single cable into space. The cable would be up by the rotation of a 600-ton satellite counter-weight, similar to a heavy object at a spinning rope.

All this would be happening during our time here, it’s no long term project, they claims it’s possible within 15 years!

It would allow spacecraft to ride the cable into orbit, giving us a much cheaper, safer and environmentally-friendly way of launching spacecraft.

There are other useful examples of how to use it too. Like much smaller and more energy efficient computer chips, radiation-proof textiles, thin bullet-proof jackets, dent-resistant car bodies, suspension bridges spanning enormous distances and earthquake-resistant buildings to mention some.

Something along the way that we need to think about is the fears that an aircraft would crash into the elevator ribbon – or Space debris and terrorism. That’s also why the developers propose a floating base near the equator, more than 400 miles from the nearest flight path.

They claim that should the 800-ton ribbon break, it would either fly into space or fall back to the ground in fragments that would, in theory, hit no harder than a sheet of paper.

I’m not so sure that I wanna be there then… *giggles*

Think if it were possible to build up airlines with ordinary flights by nanotubes. What a reduce of greenhouse emissions that cause climate change!

Well, you never know, they might come up with something else

Sources:

• Stairway to heaven
• Chalmers University research about nanotubes
• The Nanotube Site
• Worlds strongest material
• When can we take the elevator to heaven
• Wanted Inventors to Build Space Elevator

Captain ♥Space Lifecruiser