Topic: Germany

Twinkind: A man looking at his 3D-printed mini look-alike.

3D-Technology: Print yourself another you

26.01.2015

There’s screeching violins and scary guns, minute bikinis and most interesting food. Human stem cells, bionic ears, fetuses or King Richard III.’s reconstructed face. With appliances becoming more affordable, 3D printing has not only enriched the options for the science and technology sectors considerably. A wide array of objects can now be designed and printed up to a certain scale with the range stretching from things practical to weird and from commercial products to manufacturing parts. Bioprinting of portions of the human body for medical purposes has revolutionised the field. And a wealth of exciting developments is still in the pipeline. Experts predict that privately owned 3D printers will be a frequent commodity in the not too distant future and 3-dimensional DIY activities a realistic option for virtually everyone.

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Beautiful buildings along Neisstraße in Goerlitz.

Filming Location Goerlitz: George Clooney was here …

3.01.2015

Imagine, you were a citizen of a usually quaint pretty small town situated close to the Polish border and, all of a sudden, George Clooney crossed your path! Or one of the ‘Inglorious Basterds’. Or perhaps you would happen to bump into Bill Murray right in front of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’. Theoretically, you could. Practically, although the mentioned protagonists were physically present, you would probably have had to be satisfied with a clandestine glimpse of the desired human objects (one of which was voted „sexiest man alive“ not too long ago) from afar. With film sets meticulously cordoned off and actors well protected against curious intruders at all times, one does not just walk into stars of such calibre at random! Not even in the narrow alleys of remote Goerlitz. Unless, of course, one becomes an extra in one of the productions – allowed to play an (in?)significant role within the twinkling orbit of much-admired international celebrities.

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Coal miners working at the Zeche Zollverein in Germany.

Germany. Zeche Zollverein: Diamonds are Forever

16.10.2014

Events above the pit-web

The actual pit may have been shut down decades ago, but the lifeblood of Zeche Zollverein, one of Europe’s largest industrial monuments, is pulsating powerfully through its veins to this day. Bestowing upon it a new purpose by turning its extraordinary properties into an event location seemed a brilliant idea, whereby the challenge lies in simultaneously complying with the constraints a recognised UNESCO world heritage site has to bow to. The venue shakes up an impressive cocktail of modern industrial architecture corroborated by the moving history of a legendary colliery – and has rightly become a much-regarded landmark – and a meaningful symbol for the Ruhrgebiet region. Zeche Zollverein is the indisputable epitome of coal mining activities in Germany.

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A jumble of cables: Frankfurt is the world's largest internet exchange point.

Internet Exchange Point Frankfurt

10.10.2014

A gigantic digital hub

In fact, Frankfurt is the world’s largest Internet exchange node with more than 3.2 terabits per second peak traffic; the leading Internet exchange for Central and Eastern Europe; has the world’s largest and most advanced Ethernet-based platform, DE-CIX Apollon – delivering high-availability peering with full 100G Ethernet capabilities, about 600 participants at the peering platform and more than 10 terabits of connected customer capacity (Public Peering) …
You are not an IT expert and all of this is absolutely Greek to you? Well, welcome to the club!

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A marshaller at Frankfurt Airport: Follow him!

Germany. Free 24h WIFI at Frankfurt Airport!

3.07.2014

Maximum Ubiquity at Germany’s largest Airport

Fraport AG, the company managing Frankfurt Airport (FRA), expands its free Wi-Fi access from 60 minutes to 24 hours. This around-the-clock freebie is available immediately. With more than 300 Wi-Fi access points located in the terminals, utilising the free Wi-Fi service is pretty easy: Passengers and visitors simply have to log on via the “HotSpot” Internet portal of Deutsche Telekom. A few quick clicks enable them to check on their e-mails or search for information. Travellers facing a stopover lasting longer than 24 hours, are eligible for another full session of an identical length of time.

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