Goal For The Green

Experience Sky Factory’s Biophilic Illusions of Nature at Greenbuild 2012
The Sky Factory will exhibit at Greenbuild 2012, November 14 – 16 at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco, CA.  You can visit booth #4457N to experience eScape™, the new digital cinema virtual window with HD motion and sound; and a Sky Factory EcoSlim LED Luminous SkyCeiling™, the leaner, greener virtual skylight. 

Fairfield, IA November 6, 2012 — The Sky Factory is exhibiting at Greenbuild, November 14-16th, in San Francisco. The company will showcase eScape™, the new virtual window that displays eight hours of real-time, high-definition nature sequences captured with leading-edge RED Digital Cinema™ technology; and the EcoSlim LED Luminous SkyCeiling™, a vividly realistic virtual skylight that creates a sense of openness in otherwise confined spaces. Sky Factory products bring nature’s soothing presence to interior environments — image, motion and sound — a significant, researched, biophilic benefit for mind and body.

Sky Factory eScape™ is a digital cinema virtual window that features a commercial-grade HD LED screen embedded in a full-size casement window; several trim styles and finishes are available in wood and aluminum. Unedited nature scenes include tropical ocean views with dramatic surf, sunrise and sunset, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife and underwater marine life. Go here to watch a video on escapes.

Sky Factory EcoSlim LED Luminous SkyCeilings™ are virtual skylights displayed in an ultra-thin, toxin-free, energy-efficient system. The dimmable EcoSlim LED edge-lighting system contains virtually none of the toxic elements of fluorescents, is far longer lasting (50,000 – 100,000 hour life), and costs 15% less to operate for comparable illumination. The EcoSlim lighting unit has a compact profile that uses less material to construct; EcoSlim frames are made from 76% recycled aluminum. The EcoSlim power supply was recognized by the Illuminating Engineering Society in the IES Progress Report as “a unique and significant advancement to the art and science of lighting”. The LSC 24PS power system provides the first LED power supply with up to 1,500 watts capacity. It has a 24-V DC output and is capable of being dimmed. Multiple power supplies can be controlled by one dimming device.

Sky Factory reconnects people with the energizing and healing qualities of natural beauty and daylight utilizing unique architectural and biophilic design elements. Biophilia refers to human beings’ instinctive, genetically based need to affiliate with nature. Sky Factory products are versatile, visually engaging tools that modify the experience of the built environment and enliven human beings’ innate attraction to the natural world. These realistic illusions bring the refreshing influence of nature to enclosed spaces where access to real nature is limited or impossible. Applications include residential, hospitality, retail, office, educational and healthcare spaces.

Texas Tech University’s Neuroimaging Institute has partnered with Sky Factory to research the neural effects of Sky Factory’s photographic sky compositions. The first half of their research is complete. Of particular interest to Sky Factory’s founder, Bill Witherspoon, is “the fact that the Sky Factory sky compositions activate areas of the brain not activated by other positive images. Sky Factory artists introduce compositional principles and elements into our sky images that insure the necessary visual cues are present to trigger a profound ‘relaxation response’ — the unique physiological state that corresponds to an expanded awareness and sense of inner peace and stability. We expect that additional research is likely to further link this experience of SkyCeilings™ to the biophilic engagement that is reported by end-users.

The second part of the study will compare health data from patients staying in hospital rooms with and without Sky Factory Luminous SkyCeilings™. This part of the study will conclude in late 2013.

Sky Factory is an AIA Continuing Education System (AIA CES) Registered Provider, offering two free courses for AIA credit: Illusions of Nature in Architecture and Sustainability, Biophilia, and Illusions of Nature. The courses are available both as live webinars and online download. To learn more, visit www.SkyFactory.com/education/

About The Sky Factory
The Sky Factory, LC is a unique fine art and technology company that creates realistic Illusions of Nature™ – virtual skylights and windows – that transform interior spaces. Founded in 2002 and based in Fairfield, IA, the company is factory-direct with International Partners representing 50 countries. Sky Factory was named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 20 Small Company Workplaces 2010 and was recently featured as the Wall Street Journal’s Workplace of the Day.

Joy to the World!

Disney’s “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, arrived in stores yesterday 11-06-2012, on Blu-ray & Digital Copy. The Classic Christmas Tale is The Charles Dickens-inspired classic holiday story. “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” will ring in its 20th anniversary with the Blu-ray™ debut of this family favorite, With A Muppet Twist.

It’s Not Easy Being Scrooge Special Edition

The Muppets Bring a Hilarious Twist to This Classic Christmas Tale.

Here is a jolly musical clip to bring you some holiday cheer!

OK- It may be a little early for Christmas Carols, but everyone loves the Muppets!

For the Very First Time it is now avalable on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, as of November 6, 2012

And now,here is a word from Gonzo:
Greetings, holiday movie fans and lovers of culture, I am Gonzo … or perhaps better known to fans of this classic motion picture as literary legend Charles Dickens. Are you ready to laugh, cry, sing, frolic, cavort and enjoy yourself beyond belief!? Well, you’re in luck, because this 20th Anniversary Edition of Disney’s “The Muppet Christmas Carol” is guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit that will stay with you forever—or at least until your Aunt Edna starts complaining that nobody is eating the

fruitcake she brought … again!

Available for the first time ever on Blu-ray with high definition sound and picture, so you can enjoy even more of my blue-ness, not to mention the incredible spectacle of Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchit, Academy Award® winner Michael Caine (Best Supporting Actor, 1999, “The Cider House Rules”) as Scrooge, wonderful songs by Oscar® winner Paul Williams (Best Original Song, 1976, “Evergreen” from “A Star Is Born”) and, of course, my pal Rizzo the Rat as … well, Rizzo the Rat.

This is a heartwarming and hilarious holiday classic, told as never before by yours truly! Yule love it!

The Talent Cast includes: Michael Caine (“Cars 2”)

The Muppets Steve Whitmire (“The Muppets”); Frank Oz (“Monsters, Inc.”); Dave Goelz

Performers: (“Muppets from Space”); Jerry Nelson (“Muppet Treasure Island”)

Director: Brian Henson (“Farscape”)

Executive Producer: Jerry Juhl (“Fraggle Rock”)

Writer: Jerry Juhl (“The Great Muppet Caper”)

The Suggested Retail Price for the 2-Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray and Digital Copy) is $26.50 in the U.S. and Canada

Configurations:
1-Disc DVD = $19.99 U.S. and $24.99 Canada

In Blu-ray you get these Bonus Features:
Disney Intermission—An all-new bonus feature. When the film is paused, fans can watch and “cluck-a-long” to five classic holiday-themed songs performed by the Muppets Chickens and chums.
Audio Commentary—All-new audio commentary with fan-favorite characters, Kermit, Rizzo, Gonzo, and more, all reflecting on their experience making “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”
Frogs, Pigs and Humbug: Unwrapping a New Holiday Classic. A Behind the Scenes Look—Hosted by director Brian Henson, Gonzo and Rizzo fans go behind-the-scenes of the making of “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”

Blooper Reel: “On the Set” Bloopers from the set of the film.

Pepe Profiles Gonzo: “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Weirdo”—A Special look at the man, the myth, the legend the Great Gonzo, hosted by
the one and only Pepe the King Prawn.

Christmas Around the World—Gonzo and Rizzo take a look at how Christmas is celebrated all over the planet.

DVD Bonus Features:

Audio Commentary with Brian Henson
Blooper Reel
Pepe Profiles Presents “Gonzo: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Weirdo.”

Christmas Around the World

DISC SPECIFICATIONS

This joyful Disney feature became available in stores on November 6, 2012. It is rated G, in the U.S. and Canada.The Bonus material is not rated.

The Feature Run Time is Approximately 89 minutes

Audio Features: 5.1 DTS English, 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound French, 2.0 Spanish

Languages/Subtitles are available in: English, French, Spanish

Be sure and get your copy today, and make the Muppet lovers on your list happy!

For two months in a row, the jobs report has gotten better.  I don’t know about you, but I have been wondering what’s behind the sudden turn around?  Then it occurred to me a few days, after last months jobs announcement, that there seemed to be a NEW secret, that most of the rest of the nation didn’t know about. Energy can fuel the economy!

I saw this story on the news (NBC), about three days after last months jobs report. You may have thought that America’s shale oil and gas boom couldn’t get any bigger than the one made public in the Bakken formation, of North Dakota. If you haven’t heard of that, well, they have been Bringing Home the Bacon From The Bakken for about three years now.

But NOW, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates, there is a a newly-emerging shale deposit that most likely contains about 38 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas,  about 940 million barrels of oil, and nine million barrels of natural gas liquids such as, ethane and propane. It’s simply huge, and a very rich and shallow deposit.

It’s called the Utica Shale formation. The USGS, provided its first assessment of the Utica shale deposit, recently(about three weeks ago). It found the reserve, which lies underneath the Marcellus shale play, to potentially contain the deposits and massive reserves mentioned above. The fields are part of the Appalachian Basin, which the USGS  has said is the longest-producing petroleum play in the United States.

Rectangular joints in siltstone and black shale within the Utica Shale (Ordovician) near Fort Plain, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Understanding our domestic oil and gas resource potential is important, which is why we assess emerging shale plays like the Utica, as well as areas that have been in production for some time,” Brenda Pierce, USGS energy resources program coordinator, said in a statement.

Anadarko Petroleum, one of the more active energy companies in Ohio, claims to have already delivered 9,500 barrels of crude oil and 12 million cubic feet of natural gas from one well in the Utica shale play.

DTE  Energy, a  Michigan utility company  signed a memorandum of understanding in September, with Canadian pipeline company Enbridge and natural gas infrastructure company Spectra Energy Corp. The agreement calls for the development of about 250 miles of pipeline meant to carry as much as 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas PER DAY, from the Utica  shale play in Ohio.  So, it seems that there will be jobs working on and building this pipeline.

As oil and gas drilling production in this newly found formation picks up speed, it could become the third-largest deposit in the United States.  The Marcellus and Utica shale deposits have the potential to greatly improve the economies of eight states, and set us on the path to energy independence within 15 years.

Massive oil and gas development

For investors, these areas are where energy companies are scrambling to get a piece of the action.  No, we haven’t really heard much on the topic, but this has been a relatively quiet secret for the last 2 1/2 years. During this time frame, the big oil and gas producers such as BP (NYSE: BP), Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) are already getting more involved in these areas, setting the stage and digging in their claws. All of this has been going on for about the same amount of time as the North Dakota boom.

But the most active driller currently in Ohio, is a Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK).

They are Utica Shale’s top energy stock holder. Over the last few years years, Chesapeake Energy, has quietly acquired more than one million acres in the Utica Shale deposit, with a total of 87 wells, in operation. That is more than any other energy company investment, at this time.  In Ohio, they are considered the No. 1 player that is currently in the  best position, to gain from the area’s growing Utica Shale exposure.

When I was a child, the common thing was to head West to find good paying jobs.  That is what my family did.  Now, if you need a job, head East! While there is a plus side to all of this, it has greatly changed many quiet rural farming communities. Fracking(breaking apart the shale to release the gases) is still part of the extraction process.  The best thing about the shale in these newer formations, is that it is much closer to the surface, than in the Bakken (Williston, N.D.) region. It is good to know we are moving and working toward better and greener tomorrows.

Related articles

• Utica shale, below the Marcellus, contains large gas, oil reserves, study shows