by Michel Cruz

Rimontgo’s José Ribes Bas to speak at FutureTense

Boca Raton, Florida – (Feb. 15, 2008)

José Ribes Bas, co-director of Inmobiliaria Rimontgó, has been asked to speak at FutureTense, the international forum for the development and application of technology in the real estate sector. Held during its annual conference at Boca Raton, Florida, on April 9-11, FutureNet is the initiative of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, and forms part of its drive to embrace new technologies in the sector.

“We can’t fall behind in our knowledge and application of the latest technology,” said Mr. Ribes. “If that were to happen, we could be guilty of missing important opportunities in the marketing of properties. Basically, we owe it to our clients to stay abreast of the latest technologies and developments, as that is the only way we can ensure them the best possible service.”

A passionate promoter of modern marketing avenues in an ever-developing market, Mr. Ribes is one of in a selective list of distinguished speakers on topics that will range from search engine strategy and data analytics to future online media developments and how companies can retain a local presence while becoming increasingly global in their marketing.

A driving member of many international organisations such as the Spanish Official Real Estate Brokers’ Association, the European Real Estate Network and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, he will be speaking about the strategies available to maximise web exposure and use the web as an ever more effective marketing tool.

by Michel Cruz

Future Perfect

Discover the work of Welsh-born design powerhouse Ross Lovegrove in this beautiful new book by Phaidon

Ross Lovegrove is one of the world’s most prolific designers, with a portfolio ranging from furniture to water bottles, from airplane seats to Thermos flasks. When he speaks of design, he uses terms more suited to a biologist, doctor or bio-engineer. In other words, his vocabulary, like his design work, is pervaded with an organic, natural theme that takes physical form in such structures as his ‘DNA Staircase’ or the iconic biolove bicycle.

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by Michel Cruz

A feast for the eye

Design, as a force that marries the practical requirements of function with the more visually driven aspects of form, has been around since mankind first started shaping its surroundings. Throughout history, however, there have been times when prosperity allowed creativity to flow freely and produce the architectural and artistic masterpieces that still have such a powerful impact upon us today.
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by Michel Cruz

Cork vs. Plastic

Have you noticed how many wine bottles have plastic corks these days? I couldn’t help wondering why. After all, aren’t we meant to be replacing synthetic products with natural ones where possible, to help clean up our planet—not the other way round? Intrigued, I did a little research, and found the wine industry is in the midst of turmoil.

For centuries, in fact for about as long as people can remember, wine has been sealed with cork stoppers. So close is this link that you can’t really think of the one without the other, and indeed, the humble cork is a wondrous thing. Wholly natural, it is flexible and durable, forming an excellent seal to a bottle, yet one that allows itself to be extracted with relative ease. What’s more, it forms the basis of a noble, age-old industry that has become a part of the physical landscape and human fabric of countries like Spain and Portugal.

This industry is also eco-friendly and sustainable, as the cork is harvested by removing the barks of the region’s cork oaks in a seven-year cycle, and the cork stoppers themselves are biodegradable natural products. Why then, is this industry in peril as the market has suddenly become flooded with plastic substitutes? Although plastics manufacturers have clearly put a lot of effort into making their creations look like the real thing, they cannot hide the tactile proof that they’re plastic—and far from beneficial to the environment.

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by Michel Cruz

Walking on the moon

In July 1969, a tiny craft of lightweight steel, electric wires and electronic circuit boards approached the moon. Inside were three men, hearts pounding as they started on the complicated processes involved in descent and, hopefully, the first ever landing on the moon. Distracted for an instant from their perennial worries, strife and diversions, a world full of people watched in frozen suspension; billions of eyes and ears following every move of three lonely individuals. If it failed, the moon would become their grave, the world a witness to their deaths. If it succeeded, they would become the greatest navigators and explorers of all time, obliterating the proud records of the discoverers who came before.
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