We're having a contest. Post a photo in this room on our forum and tell us about the ugliest heating system you've ever seen. Our judges will pick the winner at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. The winner gets a check for a thousand bucks. Enter as often as you'd like! Got ugly?

Build a net-zero building, but then let the occupants decide how much energy to use. If you were in charge of this, would you choose tenants of a certain age (they can't park cars there), or would you go for a mix? Would it be like a college dorm, a senior-citizens complex, or a real-world apartment building? Kids and teenagers allowed. Read about it and let me know what you'd do. I think it's an interesting experiment.

Travis Ramsey wrote an orchestral piece he calls The Lost Art of Steam Heating, after the book I wrote (he asked if that was okay). He sent me the score and a recording of the first performance, and I enjoyed it. I'm delighted to read that he's done it again. Here's his story. It's nice to see what a few clanging radiators can inspire.

A few weeks ago, I told you about how Parisians were going to use the body heat from their Metro station to warm a nearby housing project. Well, subscriber, Mark Kretz, who lives in Sweden, reminded me that the Swedes are in the middle of a similar project, and he gave me a link to share. It's here. Thanks, Mark. I want to visit!

And on a fixed income! Nevertheless, the good people of the United Kingdom turned down the Queen's request for heating assistance. Hey, it's not easy to heat a drafty palace. I give her credit for trying. Here's the rest of the story.

Thanks to Ron George, subscriber and one of my favorite engineers, for giving me permission to share this two-part article that he wrote with you. It's all about the 22 pitfalls to avoid when designing or installing a combined heating hot water and domestic hot water system. Good stuff! Here's a link to Part 1, and another link to Part 2. Thanks, Ron!

David Osborne is a plumber in Scotland, who invented this method of boiling water to help prevent diseases common in Africa. It's wonderfully simple and I think the world needs more David Osbornes. Here's the link.

Or a grand experiment? I enjoyed this article in The New York Times and wanted to share it with you. Dubai has become a sort of mad Legoland for the world's architects. It will be interesting to watch what happens in Masdar as it grows. Stay tuned.

Hug your kids!