vienna is a fascinating city, and one i often visit. indeed, i'm planning another trip there soon. while i love the city, i find the inhabitants strange - even the young people are old.

"on your left is a cool building, on your right is a cool building, nope.. i cant remember who designed that one either.. but its cool though".

in cyberspace, there is nothing natural about large-scale divisions like cities, nations, bureaucracies, and corporations. the only divisions, and rough ones at that, are among audiences, entourages, and what could be called attention communities. each community is centered on some topic and usually includes a number of stars, along with their fans. attention flows from community to community. below this primary exchange will flow the less important exchange of goods and materials.

...the opposition also questioned why, in an effort to save €13 in subsistence payments, members of the dublin garda motorcycle unit, who deal with the city traffic, go for their tea at rush-hour and return when it is over.

labour's finance spokeswoman, ms joan burton said that the minister of state for justice had promised a "garda bicycle" for blanchardstown, when she asked how many bikes would the dublin west town get and when, mr naughten quipped: "does a garda come with them?" the minister's response was: "you can cycle away on that one."

"what am i looking forward to? you won't have to go to any more trouble buying stuff until your confirmation. after my communion, i'll be finished something special. it's special because you won't be doing it again for the first time. i'm going to be able to eat the bread. the bread is the body and blood of jesus."
claire redington (8)

"you normally get money. a lot of my cousins got millions and millions. i think i'll get some. all my cousins and aunties are coming. the body of jesus is the bread. what does it mean? i'm not sure, really."
patrick mcdermott (8)

"i'll be receiving jesus into me and all that. the bread of life. i don't think i'll feel any different afterwards. children get presents on their communion because it's a big day for them, like their birthday."
jack dunne (8)

"i'm looking forward to it because you get to put on a communion dress. my dress is white with lots of pearls and a bow. i don't know why the dresses are white. eating the bread of life means you're going to take jesus with you wherever you go. you get presents from people because they love you and they're after seeing what you've done and they're very very happy for you."
ciara bowens (8)

"after my communion i'm going to be a part of jesus' family. it's going to be a very special day. i'll feel different afterwards because i know jesus loves me."
james prendergast (8)

japan's expertise in technology, design and engineering is responsible for some of the most advanced and desirable consumer products in the world. names such as sony, sharp, honda, yamaha and canon have acquired legendary status in contemporary culture. detail examines and celebrates the manufactured precision and technical virtuosity of mass-produced japanese products - products we use or see everyday, but whose complexity of invention we only partly understand and appreciate.
the book explores key themes such as artificial intelligence and robotics, showing the latest products - from honda's asimo humanoid robot and sony's aibo dog to epson's micro-robots. miniaturization is another important strand of japanese product design: as cameras, watches and communications devices are becoming ever smaller, their technological functions are increasing to a level unimaginable ten, or even five, years ago. detail shows how japanese manufacturers constantly strive to invent new forms and to perfect existing technologies.
also revealed in this book are the qualities found in traditional japanese aesthetics - minimalism, elegance, simplicity, symmetry, workmanship and clearly-expressed function - and their evolution into modern, highly technical, mass-produced products. in addition, a brief cultural and historical background of how japan came to dominate the development of high-quality mass-manufacturing is offered.

"it was like watching a brilliant footballer weaving his way the whole way through a defending team's players, and then shooting wide right at the end," says tony davidson. the crew resorted to placing bets on which part of the sequence would go wrong. invariably it was the windscreen wipers. when the final, 606th take eventually succeeded, there was a stunned silence around the paris studio. then, like shipwrecked mariners finally realising that their ordeal was at an end, the team broke into a careworn chorus of increasingly defiant cheers and hurrahs. champagne bottles popped. the cylinder liner had brushed its nose affectionately against the rocker shaft and the gear wheel cog for the last time. the interior grab handles and the suspension spring coils had done their bit. a classic was complete. cog was in the can.