Japan’s Futtsu gas-fired power station goes live with maximum capacity 5,040 megawatts (second largest gas-fired power station in world) and will integrate GE’s cloud-based platform Predix in No. 4 block (three GE gas turbines, 507 megawatts each). Intel will work with Predix to make manufacturing facilities more smart and connected. GE to build custom blades to retrofit 50-year-old power plant in Wedel, Germany.
June: 100m² monobrand showroom opened in Prague’s industrial Holešovice district, in partnership with exclusive agent, Konsepti. September: Taccia 2016 LED launched, returning to 1958 Castiglioni brothers design with plastic bowl reflector. Tate Modern devoted area of new Switch House to British designer Jasper Morrison, titling the collection Thingness with Superloon floor lamp and Luxmaster ceiling Light.
Musk gives Mars update (spacex.com/mars). SpaceX aims to transport 1m people to Mars over next 50-100 years using Interplanetary Transport System (ITS). Goal is to reduce cost per ton by 5 million percent. First test of Raptor: 3x thrust of Merlin. Anomaly in early September: pre-launch static fire of AMOS-6 Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex resulted in vehicle loss (upper stage oxygen tank failure).
August 23, Santa Monica City Council adopted resolution calling for closure of Municipal Airport on or before July 1, 2018. 15×15 Climate Action Plan Final Report outlines 3-year effort to reduce city emissions 15% below 1990 levels by end of 2015 (outcome: reductions of 20% reached). 86% of nearly 700 tech firms in LA are located in SM’s Silicon Beach (CBRE). September 25: closing reception of motion-based exhibition, Transported (Bergamot Station). October 7: inaugural #CarFreeFriday.
Annual best college rankings released (U.S. News & World Report): Princeton #1, Harvard #2, U. Chicago and Yale tied #3. Launched: Tata Group collaboration in network science, data science, healthcare and microbiome research. September: Reinecke Library reopens following 16-month renovation, preserving Gordon Bunshaft’s modernist design (October 1963). Freshman application updated: now more specific, about community footprint, academic excitement and favorite pursuits.
M-A-W Quebec raised nearly $2 million at its 10th edition of 48-Hour Ride at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. M-A-W America welcomes Connie Weaver, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of TIAA to its National Board of Directors. M-A-W co-founder Tommy Austin to speak at annual Three Wish Circus in El Paso, TX.
Four new ETFs will capture investment opportunities created by the global trends (ageing population, healthcare, robotics and digitalization). London: Investment Institute warn of effects of climate change ahead of physical risk, regulatory change and technology change. BlackRock joins investors to take legal action against Volkswagen for fabricating emissions tests (nearly 11 million diesel cars).
September 10 earthquake in Kagera Region has claimed at least 19 people and injured over 300. University of Dodoma (UDOM) students embark on scientific research to apply technology to enable wildlife authorities to combat poaching in protected areas. Tanzanian police have killed 65 people and injured 270 during clashes at Canadian-owned gold mine. UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon, urges Tanzania to uphold mediation efforts in conflict-hit countries across the Great Lakes region.
Latest novel Nutshell released in UK (1 September) and US (13 September), a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the perspective of an eight-month-old fetus. Leaning on the renowned narrative “… stimulated a surge of inventiveness on Mr. McEwan’s part, as he mischievously concocts a monologue for his “almost child”…” (New York Times).
Broel Studio Inc. hand-painted bottles for “Where Stars Collide” Auction of Washington Wine. Late July, winemaker Josh McDaniels incorporates two concrete tanks for first time, one for Syrah, the other for secret project. Sports Illustrated article covers Rick Mirer (founded Mirror Wine Company, Napa in 2008) and Doubleback’s Drew. 5 September, first day of harvest for 2016.
The Killers, Duran Duran and Stevie Wonder feature at Jazz Aspen over Labor Day Weekend. Mandy Ortiz takes 1st female in Red Bull Rise, Josh Smullin 1st male – each athlete summits Aspen Mountain eight times (equivalent to 25,600ft) in 7:38:59 and 7:01:55 respectively. The Meeting (snow film festival) begins 6 October at Wheeler Opera House including productions from Teton Gravity Research, Level 1 and Matchstick Productions.
After 28 years at Tate, Director Nicholas Serota steps down at end of 2016, starting as part-time Chairman of Arts Council in February 2017. New Tate Modern Switch House (architects, Herzog & de Meuron) opened to public on 17 June, housing free collection with 800 works from 300 artists. Tate Modern welcomed 1m visitors to new spaces in first month. Showing: until 27 November, Recognition (virtual gallery comparing works of art with Reuters images). Until 30 October, American modernist Georgia O’Keeffe.
Third album, Blonde, released on August 20th, reached top of Billboard 200 for week ending August 25th (selling 276,000 equivalent album units, Nielsen Music). Blonde arrives with the third-largest debut week of 2016, following Drake’s Views and Beyonce’e Lemonade (65.4m streams via Apple Music, exclusive license). Blonde released two days after full-length video Endless, making the set were Ocean’s first full-length offering since his debut album, Channel Orange (2012).
Obama’s September visit to Laos: announced US contribution of $90m for cluster bomb clearance. Şuşa (Shushi) region of south-west Azerbaijan cleared of last known minefield. Over half a million square meters of land in grazing lands of northern Afghanistan cleared, safely destroying 113 anti-personnel mines and two items of unexploded ordnance. Colombia Government and FARC end 50 years of armed conflict with deal to support President Juan Manuel Santos’ Ottawa commitment 2021 mine-free goal.
Early September, 4,300 Superchargers worldwide. Model S now world’s quickest production car (0-60 mph in 2.5 sec and first to go 300+ miles). Tesla voted Forbes’ world #1 most innovative company for the second year in a row. SolarCity and Tesla to merge into one company – emphasis on Powerball and Powerpack as central to the ‘storage’ element of the new company. SolarCity stockholders to receive 0.110 Tesla common shares per SolarCity share.
10 years since the release of ‘Let My People Go Surfing’, Penguin published updated version with additional content including a prologue from Yvon Chouinard. Early August, Patagonia Provisions release a 25-minute film Broken Ground featuring different types of farming, regenerative farming, diversified crop development and restorative fishing. Patagonia’s Responsible Wool Standard updated to focus on animal welfare and responsible land management.