Dec 21,2017 - The town of Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden is home to an annual hotel made from snow and ice. Now in its 28th edition, the Icehotel features 15 rooms boasting impressive frozen sculptures. Highlights include a space-themed room and another dominated by a strange ice queen.
Constructing the Icehotel involved harvesting thousands of ice blocks from a nearby frozen river. A 30,000 cubic meter (1,059,440 cubic ft) mixture of snow and ice was used to create the hotel. It includes warm rooms, sub-zero ice rooms, an ice bar, as well as a ceremony hall suitable for weddings and the like.
That said, it's the 15 rooms with the ice carvings that are naturally the main draw. These are kept at a temperature of -5° C (23 degrees Fahrenheit) and guests sleep atop reindeer skins in sleeping bags. The sculptures were created by 36 artists hailing from 17 different countries, and range from abstract scenes to lifelike animals.
The artists are very skilled and the rooms are worth checking out in full, in the gallery.Guests who opt to brave the cold are woken with a hot drink, plus a sauna, hot shower and roaring fire are available too. Activities include a northern lights tour on snowmobile, a half-day tour with dog sled, ice sculpting, and yoga.
The Icehotel opened its doors December 15 and is running until April 15, after which time it will begin to melt away. Pricing starts at 2,250 SEK (around US$267) for a single night in a warm hotel room, but the ice sculpture suites cost considerably more. The solar-powered Icehotel 365 is also installed on the same site and is open year-round.
Source: New Atlas Icehotel For more images || December 21, 2017 |||
Dec 21, 2017 - TL;DR–an item that represents the work that someone invested is a representation of value. This has been true throughout history and it is true now.
The origin for this post is a bit unusual….the Old Testament.
I was reading a story about Joseph when he was viceroy of Egypt and how his brothers came down from Canaan to buy food during the famine. The text says that they brought “money” with them (in the form of silver coins).
The question that I had then was: Why would believe that the ruler of a foreign land would accept their silver coins in payment for something of “actual” value, in this case, food?
Physical Proof of WorkThroughout history, some metals have achieved the status of “precious” and been used as a form of money.
As we talked about the other day, money needs to have a few characteristics to make it work.
It needs to be durable, transportable, and relatively scarce, among other things.
One possible reason that a silver (or gold) coin works as money is that it actually is a physical representation of the fact that someone put their labor (which is value) into the mining, refining, smelting, forging, etc. of the coin.
So, the coin in your hand is a “proof of work.”
That proof, then, represents value and it can be transferred from one person to the next.
That’s the physical world.
Digital Proof of WorkThe reason why (some) blockchains have value is because of the “proof of work” algorithm.
In this case, the miners invest work (computing power and electricity) to verify transactions and add blocks to the chain. When they do, they get new Bitcoins which are the digital representations of the fact that they did the work.
The more I think about it, the more I realize Satoshi’s genius in outlining the terms for the Bitcoin blockchain as he did.
When you can prove that work was done to create something, that thing has some inherent value.
The Problem with FiatWhich brings us to fiat currency.
When the US dollar was backed by gold (until 1971), we just had an easier, more transportable way of representing the proof-of-work that went into creating the gold.
When Nixon took the US off that standard, however, it became free floating.
Ironically, it is the US dollar that isn’t really backed by anything (except for the government’s ability to coerce you to use it when paying your taxes and jail you if you don’t).
For 46 years, we’ve had the inertia of the value of a US dollar because everyone else accepts the dollar for payment. It’s a big magic trick we all play on each other.
But here’s the challenge.In order to create new dollars, there is no “work” that needs to be done. Someone pushes a button and POOF…money is created.
Argentinians, Zimbabweans, Turks, Cypriots and others have seen firsthand what happens when this is taken to its extreme. That is the danger of being able to create money without any actual work behind it.
What’s Old is NewSo, the reason why the ancient Near East accepted gold or silver coins is the same reason why more and more people are accepting cryptocurrencies. It represents a proof of work.
All of us know that our labor has value.
By having an incorruptible proof of our labor (a gold coin or a blockchain-based coin), we can give others greater confidence that they can accept the proof in exchange for their assets.
Source: Jeremy Epstein for Never Stop Marketing || December 21, 2017 |||
Manchester with Cathay Pacific
Price: From $1,609 return
Class: Economy
Departs: Auckland
Arrives: Manchester
Airline: Cathay Pacific
Travel Dates: Tuesday 16th of January 2018 until Friday 30th of November 2018
Description: Fly to Manchester from $1609* return - ex Auckland with Cathay Pacific.
Sales Until: 27 Feb 18.
Travel Dates: 16 Jan - 30 Jun 18, 1 Sep - 30 Nov 18.
Closeout and blackout periods apply over school holidays and peak holiday periods & availability of seats is likely to be very limited over this time.
Conditions: * It is our policy to present the cost of our flights & holidays inclusive of all airport and government charges. Please accept however that these charges are not within our control, therefore we reserve the right to pass on any increase. Travel agent professional service fees where charged, will be additional to the advertised prices.
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Paris with Air China
Price: From $1,329 returnClass: Economy
Departs: Auckland
Arrives: Paris
Airline: Air China
Travel Dates: Sunday 4th of March 2018 until Sunday 25th of November 2018
Description: Fly to Paris from $1329* return - ex Auckland with Air China.
Sales Until: 19 Jan 18.
Travel Dates: 4 Mar - 31 May 18, 18 Oct - 25 Nov 18.
Closeout and blackout periods apply over school holidays and peak holiday periods & availability of seats is likely to be very limited over this time.
Conditions: * It is our policy to present the cost of our flights & holidays inclusive of all airport and government charges. Please accept however that these charges are not within our control, therefore we reserve the right to pass on any increase. Travel agent professional service fees where charged, will be additional to the advertised prices.
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London with American Airlines
Price: From $1,715 return
Class: Economy
Departs: Auckland
Arrives: London
Airline: American Airlines
Travel Dates: Monday 15th of January 2018 until Saturday 24th of March 2018
Description: Fly to London from $1715* return - ex Auckland with American Airlines.
Sales Until: 31 Jan 18.
Travel Dates: 15 Jan - 24 Mar 18
Closeout and blackout periods apply over school holidays and peak holiday periods & availability of seats is likely to be very limited over this time.
Conditions: * It is our policy to present the cost of our flights & holidays inclusive of all airport and government charges. Please accept however that these charges are not within our control, therefore we reserve the right to pass on any increase. Travel agent professional service fees where charged, will be additional to the advertised prices.
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