Inhabitat.com says:

Malaysia is no stranger to iconic buildings. Two of the tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers, are located in Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital. So it comes as no surprise to us that a stunning new residential development is planned for the Putrajaya waterfront known as Precinct 4, just 30km south of Kuala Lumpur. The design, however, is a refreshing and original with unique, marine-inspired structures - which also draw from traditional Islamic designs - arranged in a permeable, radiating block of bioclimatic architecture.

The winner of a recent contest, the design for Precinct 4 comes from Studio Nicoletti Associati and Malaysian architects Hijjas Kasturi Associates, who provided the masterplan of Putrajaya. The goal of the designers was to provide a model for sustainable residential design that was inspired by the city's unique landscape which includes an expansive artificial lake. The biggest inspiration came from the sea and the entire development resembles a fleet of ships.

The architect's goal was to design buildings that tell "of its place of origin which is culturally modern, Islamic and tropical in nature." Added to this is Nicoletti's extensive experience in design and construction for extreme climates. For Precinct 4, the Italian firm brought sustainable strategies like terraces, sunshades, natural ventilation and integrated green space into the design. The buildings will source from alternative energy and are expected to produce 50% less CO2 emissions than similar residential projects.

Link to more photos/renderings: Inhabitat: Sustainable Towers in Malaysia by Studio Nicoletti Associati

"University of Texas at San Antonio students found themselves in the middle of a misunderstanding when allegations that they plagiarized another university's honor code circulated through the media.

"The story accused the students of copying Brigham Young University's honor code, which was also taken from another school, Clemson University. In an Associated Press article that was published nationwide, plagiarism experts referred to the incident as an indication of "sloppiness among Internet-era students," but officials from Clemson said they disagree."

Full story at: UTSA honor code council accused of plagiarism

Have a great weekend, and remember, anything worth doing is worth doing twice.

Jonathan Haeber over at bnet explains, in One Tourism Slogan that is Tough to Top:

Before the Las Vegas tourism authority launched their "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" campaign, tourism was falling at about 5% annually.

By 2007, the advertisement had become iconic, and widely credited with record visitor numbers. It led to four consecutive years of growth in Vegas visitation. Though the ads came at a cost -- the tourism authority paid R&R Partners nearly $325 million linking the city with the slogan -- the investment ultimately paid off.

The rest of the article is at: BNET1 | BNET.com

"Pedestrians in the city often find themselves walking in deep thought. A routine trip can prompt reflections on everything from future goals to last night's dinner conversation. As people sacrifice personal time for hectic schedules, these casual occasions for reflection become all the more important.
Sidewalk Psychiatry encourages self-evaluation in transit by posing critical questions on the pavements of New York City. Now your daily ponderings and emotional problems can be prodded and treated on the go - and, best of all, it's free of charge!"

Link: Candy Chang - Public Art - Sidewalk Psychiatry

"Success is taking all the things that made you weird as a kid and getting someone to pay you for them when you're older."--David Freeman, Screenwriter

And with that, carry on, Copywriters!

It should come as no surprise since the world is already graced with theHello Kitty AK-47, the Hello Kitty Rectal Thermometer or the Hello Kitty Lawnmower, and pretty much anything else an obsessed mind can conjure. Cute tissues, though.

You must see more, via OneInchPunch: Real Life Children’s Crayon Drawings

Fascinating stuff. Out of the 100 studies, maybe ONE real product looks like the photo. Even more fascinating: people actually eat the things pictured. Yikes.

Advertising Vs Reality - A Product Comparison Project | Funtasticus.com

A different tactic is now offered by Howjsay.com a mouse-overable sound directory to at least 89,258 English words.

Link: English Pronouncing Dictionary with Instant Sound Free Online

The fabulous personal productivity blog 43 Folders gives some sweet and effective insta-cures for when you're staring at a blank screen while deadlines loom.

Among the tidbits in the entry Hack your way out of writer's block:

Write crap - Accept that your first draft will suck, and just go with it. Finish something.

Unplug the router - Metafilter and Boing Boing aren't helping you right now. Turn off the Interweb and close every application you don't need. Consider creating a new user account on your computer with none of your familiar apps or configurations.

Write the middle - Stop whining over a perfect lead, and write the next part or the part after that. Write your favorite part. Write the cover letter or email you'll send when it's done.

Write five words - Literally. Put five completley random words on a piece of paper. Write five more words. Try a sentence. Could be about anything. A block ends when you start making words on a page.

Bravo, Merlin Mann -- we especially like the one about the power of lower standards. Crap or not, it's a start.

Had occasion to check back with our client Covered Wagon Ranch recently. Their web site rocks copywriting by Miz Engel of Faith River Communications, and those words are getting the job done.

Like any good story, good marketing writing has to stand the test of time. Sure, web immediacy makes it possible to change and tweak online writing any minute of any day. And content absolutely must be in perpetual-update mode, since that not only pleases the search engines, but it makes readers happy, too.

Even in this atmosphere, there's still something to be said for being solid, reliable and predictable. A little something that remains true, no matter what.

At Christian's behest, here's a find for our readers who check in regarding the marketing of organic foods:

The Ethicurean

This blog is devoted to "tasty things that are also sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical."

Yum!

These are no ordinary tennies. Wild colors, exotic leathers, celeb signatures, extreme design. Don't worry, BayAreaKicks won't generally wander into that pseudo-scientific speak of performance technology; rather, they're all about the look.

And we like it.

BayAreaKicks: Sneaker News