Photo via the New Republic It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low , that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, ... View original post here: The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/ waste some time for a while staring at it while the entire life-sized animal scrolls across your browser window. Believe me, it's way cooler than you might think:... Read more from the original source: Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
published May 31, 2010 and has No Comments
All photos by Lloyd Alter When Viljo Revell designed Toronto City Hall back in the sixties, the podium roof was for grand entries; you could drive up the ramp and walk right into the Council Chambers. It never quite worked out that way and was pretty much ignored for years. Not any more; this weekend Mayor Miller cut the ...
Read more...published May 27, 2010 and has No Comments
Urilift What is the perfect thing if you are sitting at your pop-up table and having a beer or three? A pop-up urinal! In a lot of older cities, there is a shortage of toilets and a surplus of beer. The result often is public peeing. But if we are going to have vibrant (and sweet smelling) cities, we ...
Read more...published May 26, 2010 and has No Comments
Images via Ecofriend There are three key design points we encourage all gadget designers to hit: 1) Design stuff that is cradle-to-cradle and doesn't need energy from the grid; 2) Design something that will actually function as you say it will; 3) Design stuff that would have a fighting chance on the consumer market. While the Aeolus cell phone ...
Read more...published May 26, 2010 and has No Comments
All photo credits: Troy Holden Today there was new space added to the Twitter HQ, doubling their size. Designed by the lovely and talented Sara Morishige Williams ( @sara ), the newest spaces are consistent with the philosophy of the existing offices that opened last November (which we wrote about) . Sara (and Twitter) wanted to create a healthy ...
Read more...published May 25, 2010 and has No Comments
Greg Lindsay of Fast Company attends the 18th annual conference on New Urbanism, the architectural movement founded by Andrés Duany that tries to imbibe new communities with lessons from the old. But he finds that Duany has moved on. Lindsay writes: "Duany believes the metaphorical asteroid -- call it peak oil, climate change, the collapse of complex structures -- ...
Read more...published May 24, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo by gleewaytee Biomimicry is a relatively new discipline in science and technology in which researchers look at the systems and organisms in the natural world to come up with solutions for problems. We've seen some Read the original post: Top 5 Areas Where Nature-Inspired Innovation Works
Read more...published May 24, 2010 and has No Comments
Photos via Jaymi Heimbuch Just Fine Design/Build showed off their beautiful design for a chicken coop at this weekend's Maker Faire . The creators, Kevin McElroy and Matt Wolpe, say that the Chick-in-a-Box is both a statement on food security and access as well as that nothing - even chicken coops - need to be ugly. The design is ...
Read more...published May 14, 2010 and has No Comments
Digital design and fabrication makes things possible that could only be dreamt of earlier. Dwell shows a lampshade that is not only designed using computers, but students at Ball State's Institute for Digital Fabrication wrote a program that modifies every single piece into a slightly different shape. Then it is assembled by hand. They start with a 3D idea, ...
Read more...published May 11, 2010 and has No Comments
Image via Dell Late last year we let you know about Dell's new bamboo packaging for its netbooks . It was part of a push for the company to lighten the environmental footprint for its products. Now, the company has announced that not only is the packaging made from bamboo, but it's also officially compostable. Great green news, at ...
Read more...published May 11, 2010 and has No Comments
Screen shot from sketchup video here ; I do hope they hire an architect. The Reverend Kenneth Dupin just wants to make it easier for people to take care of aging adults and keep them close to home; he has developed what is essentially a hospital room in a garden shed. But in Fairfax county, Virginia, it is controversial ...
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A Finnish designer has made a working surfboard from broken skateboards. Read the original here: Hollow Surfboard Is Made from Broken Skateboards
How to grow tastier tomatoes and how to make food taste sweeter without sugar: just two amazing discoveries from a study of the chemical interactions underlying tomato flavor preferences Read the rest here: The Secrets of Tasty Tomatoes Discovered - Can ...
