See on Scoop.it – Other Atlanta News Events
A Frank Lloyd Wright house in Arizona, under threat of demolition by the luxury home developers who now own it, may have a new buyer, and savior.
See on www.nytimes.com
by Thom Abbott
See on Scoop.it – Other Atlanta News Events
A Frank Lloyd Wright house in Arizona, under threat of demolition by the luxury home developers who now own it, may have a new buyer, and savior.
See on www.nytimes.com
by Thom Abbott
Ah, yes, it’s that time of the year to adjust our clocks again! Unfortunately, it’s not just the external alarm clock on your nightstand that you may have to adjust. I find this time change kind of depressing. By 6pm it will be pitch black (where did THAT phrase come from anyway?) So by dinner time, we will be in the dark till morning.
Now for morning people like me, maybe this WILL be a good thing! I find myself getting up at 6am, and it is dark, so with light coming in the bedroom window, maybe the early morning rise will be easier? But I still don’t like this dark at 6pm thing.
That was a question I asked myself just as I wrote this post. Where did the idea for Daylight Savings Come from anyway? Here is a brief portion of an explanation I found at Wikipedia:
“From 1945 to 1966, there was no federal law regarding daylight saving time, so states and localities were free to choose whether to observe it, and could choose when it began and ended. By 1962, the transportation industry found the lack of nationwide consistency in time observance confusing enough to push for federal regulation. This drive resulted in the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-387). Beginning in 1967, the act mandated standard time within the established time zones and provided for advanced time: clocks would be advanced one hour beginning at 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in April and turned back one hour at 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in October.”
You can read the remainder of the story and information here.
I always had a hard time remembering which I had to do, turn the clock back, or move it forward. I finally remembered the “Spring Forward” and “Fall Back” routine.
So, Saturday night, November 3, 2012, Fall Back, and get yourself an extra hour of sleep. Then spend the next 5-7 days referring to “well it’s really only (insert time)” Oh yes, you know you do it too!
by Thom Abbott
See on Scoop.it – Georgia Tech News Events
Grandma and Grandpa would love a little robotic help around the house, a new study has found.
In a survey, a team of psychologists and engineers found that adults over age 65 felt generally positive toward the idea of having a robot help them with chores, although they preferred humans help for tasks such as getting dressed or eating. The study was designed to help robot-makers design appealing bots for seniors in the future, especially older people who want help so they are able to live in their own homes instead of moving to an assisted living facility or a relative’s house.
“There are many misconceptions about older adults having negative attitudes toward robots,” Cory-Ann Smarr, a doctoral student in psychology who worked on the survey, said in a statement. “The people we interviewed were very enthusiastic and optimistic about robots in their daily lives.”
Smarr and her colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology showed 21 people aged 65 to 93 a video about a home robot, the PR2, made by California-based robotics developer Willow Garage. Researchers then asked the study participants the tasks for which they would want robotic assistance.
See on www.mnn.com
by Thom Abbott
See on Scoop.it – Midtown Atlanta Conversations and Condos
Now the second largest source of mortgage money in the country — Freddie Mac — is warning about a troubling new wave of post-crash fraud: scammers who illegally rent out its foreclosed and for-sale homes to unsuspecting consumers shopping for houses to lease. The bogus landlords don’t own the properties — Freddie does — and they have no right to offer them to anyone. But they use Craigslist and other online sites to advertise them to prospective tenants.
Typically the rents are tantalizing — say, $1,200 a month for a three-bedroom home in a neighborhood where similar houses command double that — and the terms are straightforward: Pay us a one-month security deposit and one or two months’ rent upfront — always in cash or money order — and we give you the keys, no questions asked. The fraud promoters sometimes change the locks on the front door, remove the lockbox installed by the realty broker marketing the house for Freddie Mac and tell prospects: Oh, and don’t worry about that real estate sign in the front yard offering the house for sale. We tried to sell the house but it didn’t work out, so now we’re renting it.
See on www.washingtonpost.com
by Thom Abbott
So, you like whipping up that Sunday Brunch for your Midtown Atlanta friends? Take a nice plate of Eggs Benedict, crispy hash brown potatoes, a delish mimosa, and take in the skyline view, right? You love the kitchen! So, maybe this is YOUR calling? The Food Network Star Casting takes place tomorrow in Midtown Atlanta!
Casting directors will be looking for those individuals that have a love of food and feel they are the fresh squeezed OJ in that mimosa!
Any chef or culinary professional interested in becoming the host of his or her own cooking show is welcomed to apply. Applicants should bring two labeled photographs of themselves and a resume.
The Food Network Casting will be in Midtown Atlanta, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Wednesday at the W Atlanta – Midtown, located at 188 14th Street.
Come on ATL! Let’s get another celebrity chef! Just remember when you become famous, you heard it here!!!
by Thom Abbott
I’ve always been a firm believer that you should be involved in your community. If you live in a single family home, it might be your neighborhood association. If your home is located within a particular city (Smyrna, Dunwoody, Doraville, etc) then attend your City Council and Planning Commission meetings. (You will be BLOWN AWAY by actually watching government at work!)
If you live in Midtown Atlanta, then tomorrow is a great event for you to attend. The Midtown Neighbors’ Association Community Leader Social. It will be held at Escorpion Tequlia Bar and Cantina, located at 5th and Peachtree Street in Cornerstone Village Condominiums.
I look forward to seeing you all there!
Thom Abbott
Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office