Sunday 12 May 2013

DUTCH : Design, Urban, Technology, Culture, Holticulture

When I think about the Netherlands and try to imagine the awesome things there, I found that this country is not only good in just one thing. The Netherlands is one of the successful countries in the world that can survive from many disasters, changing time, and modernism.

Let's draw it into some parts. 

1) Design
The Netherlands is a country of designers. We can see from many architectures in every corner of the country, starting from Amsterdam, Volendam, Rotterdam, etc. This country still keeps its old fashioned architectures when many of the citizens design a modern and unique design and concept for its living home. Dutch design also embodies innovation and creativity; the things to be inspired all over the world. 
Architecture in Amsterdam

2) Urban
Urban living in the Netherlands is rather different than urban living in the other countries in the world. Its capital city, Amsterdam, is the city of cycling. It's like the breathing art to be followed.
Cycling in Amsterdam
3) Technology
Dutch is known for its water technology. In the past, the only place to live in Netherlands were in the East and South area. More than 2/3 mainland of this country was prone to flooding. Dutch then innovated to make windmill and polders. It was the greatest discoveries to save and survive from the disaster they used to face that day. Now, the windmills and polders have been developed to many countries like USA, Belgium, France, etc.
Polder

Kinderdjik (Windmill)

4) Culture
In Netherlands, the culture is their cheese. To say that cheese is synonymous with Alkmaar is something of understatement. It's world famous for its cheese market, which is held every Friday between April and September. To be a country that keeps its culture is another dutch pioneering these days. 
Alkmaar traditional cheese market
5) Holticulture
Who don't know about Tulip? We used to think that Tulip is a flower from Netherlands. Actually, it isn't. Tulip is a flower from Turkey and Iran. So, how can the Netherlands today is known as the Tulip country? Well,  there is the biggest garden flower full of many variety of Tulip in the Netherlands. It's called Keukenhof. By holticulture technology in the Netherlands, now there are so many variety of Tulip. It was only orange, but now.. as far as the tourists who visit Keukenhof can see the garden of rainbow Tulip. Dutch horticultural industry is a global trendsetter supplying market all over the world.
Keukenhof

There are many surprising things in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has been a pioneer from those five sector; in design, urban, technology, culture, and also holticulture. For a developing country like Indonesia, it's not too late to run to be like Netherlands. It's a great refection to developing countries anyway.

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Fly me to the Mars


When I was young, there was a lesson that has caught my attention. I was in the 4th grade of elementary school when my teacher talked about the galaxy. Our galaxy, named Bima Sakti, is the result of a Big Bang tragedy million years ago. As all the things about space has turned to be my favorite, I started to study and remember as much as I’ve read in the books about it. I know about Mercury that will have -200°C in the night, or Jupiter; the biggest planet in the galaxy. From all space objects in this galaxy, Earth is the only planet to be lived for living creature because it has water and oxygen.
Galaxy
There are many researches about space. The developed countries like USA, Russia, EU, and Japan have tried to created technology to know the secret of the universe. The space exploration projects are developed years by years. It’s Apollo 11 that brought Neil Amstrong to the Moon in 20 July 1969. 
Neil Amstrong in the Moon
After the first step of human in the Moon, we constantly develop the technology to answer our curiousity. Human want to land their ship not only in the Moon. Carl Sagan is a scientist who made the Viking Lander probes which would land on Mars. 
Carl Sagan and this project, Viking Lander
Fifteen years after Carl Sagan passed away in 1996, a company from the Netherlands came to answer Carl’s-and probably many people-question about living in the Mars. Is it possible to move and live in the Red planet?

This company, named Mars One, has a mission to establish a human settlement on the planet Mars in 2023. Mars One was built in 2011 by Bas Lansdorp, an enterpreneur from Netherlands with his passion to science. He received support from scientists, engineers, businessmen and –women and aeropace companies from all over the world. 
Road Map of Mars One from 2013 - 2025
Marieke Wagensvel, a communication specialist of Mars One who graduated from Utrecht University said “The technology to travel to Mars and build a base are already available. We should not wait for politicians to decide if we want to go to Mars, we should look at ourselves and see what we can do to make it possible.”
Design Mars One for human settlement in 2023
This project is a one way travel to Mars. In 2013, there is a selection to choose  40 people who will be traveled to Mars in 2023 and four astronauts who will be traveled  there to prepare the human settlement on the Mars in 2014. They will send more astronauts per two years. The application was opened last April and will be end this June. There are more than 78.000 applications to this project. That's a huge number!

So, are you interested in applying to be the one who live in the Mars?

After all, the Netherlands is trying to show us their potential talent not just to be a pioneer in holticulture or creative industries, but also in the aerospace technology. Ten years from now, when we talk to Dutchmen, we will probably say “Hey, fly me to the Mars.”


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