Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Influences
30 different people that influenced my life were painted one on top of another on my torso. I either painted a picture of the person or an object that represents the person.
Many people are asking about Hitler and how he could be an influence. He has had an impact on the entire world and changed how society deals with hate. Obviously he is not a influence in a positive way except for the positive changes that have occured to society since his existence.
People are also wondering how long it took. I spent 20 hours painting and I had the piece on me for about 30 hours. I slept with it on and it was aweful!
Source: philinthecircle.com/influence
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
The World’s Highest Bridge
The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by architect Norman Foster, in collaboration with French bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one pier's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft)—slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building. It was formally dedicated on 14 December 2004 and opened to traffic two days later.
Statistics
2,460 m: total length of the roadway
7: number of piers
77 m: height of Pier 7, the shortest
343 m: height of Pier 2, the tallest (245 m at the roadway's level)
87 m: height of a pylon
154: number of shrouds
270 m: average height of the roadway
4.20 m: thickness of the roadway
32.05 m: width of the roadway
85,000 m³: total volume of concrete used
290,000 tonnes: total weight of the bridge
10,000–25,000 vehicles: estimated daily traffic
€4.90–6.50: typical automobile toll, as of 2005
20 km: horizontal radius of curvature of the road deck