Super yacht Adastra: a $42.5m Power Trimaran

Described by Boat International as “one of the world’s most amazing super yachts, that could spell the future for efficient long range cruising”, the striking 42.5m Trimaran Adastra is currently under construction at McConaghy Boats in China. This one-off trimaran designed by John Shuttleworth is being built for Hong Kong clients Anto and Elaine Marden for the small fee of $42,500,000.  A real bargain!

"Adastra" is the result of more than 5 years of design and discussion with the owners, to build a yacht that meets the needs of a very experienced ocean voyaging couple and their family, and to provide the level of comfort and style that would be expected in a yacht of this class and size. No effort has been spared in the challenge to produce a beautiful yacht that will have low fuel consumption and yet provide excellent sea keeping qualities and luxurious accommodation.

John Shuttleworth, the inventor

Owners: Elaine Marden and her husband Anthony

Super yacht Adastra by John Shuttleworth

Iberian Peninsula at Night

The city lights of Spain and Portugal define the Iberian Peninsula in this photograph from the International Space Station (ISS). Several large metropolitan areas are visible, marked by their relatively large and brightly lit areas, including the capital cities of Madrid, Spain—located near the center of the peninsula’s interior—and Lisbon, Portugal—located along the southwestern coastline. The ancient city of Seville, visible to the north of the Strait of Gibraltar, is one of the largest cities in Spain. The astronaut view is looking toward the east, and is part of a time-lapse series of images.

The network of smaller cities and towns along the coastline and in the interior attest to the extent of the human presence on the Iberian landscape. The blurring of city lights is caused by thin cloud cover (image left and center), while cloud tops are dimly illuminated by moonlight. Though obscured, the lights of France are visible near the horizon line on the upper left, while the lights of northern Africa are more clearly discernable at right. The faint gold and green line of airglow—caused by ultraviolet radiation exciting the gas molecules in the upper atmosphere—parallels the horizon (or Earth limb).

The Iberian Peninsula is the southwestern-most of the European peninsulas (together with the Italian and Balkan peninsulas), and includes the Principality of Andorra, as well as the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic. The approximately 590,000 square kilometer landmass is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest, west, and southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. Its northeastern boundary is marked by the Pyrenees mountain range.

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/

New Technology - Cloud Communicator tablet by NEC

Dual screen NEC tablet goes official (LT-W Android Cloud Communicator) using
the open-platform Android.
It can be operated by fingers or using the provided pen stylus.
It includes cloud computing technology.

More info here

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) vs ODM (Original Design Manufacturer)

An original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, manufactures products or components that are purchased by a company and retailed under that purchasing company's brand name. OEM refers to the company that originally manufactured the product. When referring to automotive parts, OEM designates a replacement part made by the manufacturer of the original part. In this usage, OEM means "original equipment from manufacturer".


On the other hand, an original design manufacturer (ODM) is a company which designs and manufactures a product which is specified and eventually branded by another firm for sale. Such companies allow the brand firm to produce (either as a supplement or solely) without having to engage in the organization or running of a factory. ODMs have grown in size in recent years and many are now sufficient in size to handle production for multiple clients, often providing a large portion of overall production. A primary attribute of this business model is that the ODM owns and/or designs in-house the products that are branded by the buying firm. This is in contrast to a contract manufacturer (CM).

Cloud Computing Strategic Direction Paper by Australian Governement

The Department of Finance and Deregulation, through the Australian Government Information Management Office, has consulted with government agencies, industry and the public to develop an Australian Government Cloud Computing Strategic Direction paper to explore the opportunities and impacts of cloud computing.

According to the paper, some agencies have already commenced small pilots and proofs of concept to evaluate the potential of application, platform and infrastructure cloud computing.

• Australian Taxation Office (ATO)

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

• Treasury / ATO

• Department of Immigration and Citizenship (IMMI)

Additional information here