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 December 31, 2010 and has No Comments
Images via The Do Lectures It's that time of year when, after days of lounging and eating and eating and lounging, we are struggling to get up from our oh so comfy sofas and get moving. 2011 is almost upon us - say goodbye to View post: The Do Lectures' Bold Designer Posters Deliver Motivating Resolutions for the New Year
Read more...published December 30, 2010 and has No Comments
heat loss from Passivhaus. Source: wikipedia Defining green building is not easy; for many, all that matters is energy consumption. One of the major ways of reducing consumption is to increase the amount of insulation, but that is only one component, and not necessarily the most important one. Earlier this week I wrote a post about "a strange debate ...
Read more...published December 29, 2010 and has No Comments
Image credit Nina Schymczyk When writing LifeEdited: What We Can Learn From Camping Equipment , I asked "Why do camping equipment designers make pots and pans that all stack together and take up the space of only the largest pots, while a regular pot and pan set takes up an entire drawer?" Mocoloco shows the work of Hanover designer ...
Read more...published December 27, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo via The Way We See The World Back in July we showed you Jelloware, cups made from Jell-O that make a far less wasteful solution for parties, festivals, and other events where minimizing trash is a must. The cups can be eaten, or simply tossed on the ground where the ingredients break down and help grass grow better ...
Read more...published December 23, 2010 and has No Comments
Image: Hometta The modern gingerbread house industry looked so promising a few years ago; I eagerly followed every launch. But this year, it seems to have tanked as deeply as the modern construction industry. I would have thought that, along with the tiny house and shedworking movements, gingerbread would thrive in tough times; they are small, relatively economical and ...
Read more...published December 21, 2010 and has No Comments
Images credit Vincent Wittenberg and Guy Königstein Deposits are a wonderful tool; I have previously suggested that It's Time for Deposits. On Everything. Dutch designers Vincent Wittenberg and Guy Königstein have carried the principle a step further, to street furniture. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger Here is the original post: Put Deposits On Everything, Even Street Furniture
Read more...published December 20, 2010 and has No Comments
Image: TreeHugger Looking back at 2010, it's clear that the Gulf Oil Spill is the story that will headline environmental history books. But it's not the only memorable one: From nearly invisible mirrored treehouses to strange pale and blind ants found in the Amazon to See the rest here: The Most Popular and Memorable Stories of 2010
Read more...published December 20, 2010 and has No Comments
Designer Lee Leong Chye of the Little Thoughts Group has designed this homage to the humble kerosene lantern, beautifully made of wood and powered by cranking the pump in and out. Hopefully the light from the LED is kinder than what comes out of the real thing, a harsh bright light that Yanko describes as "loving glowing glowing love"- ...
Read more...published December 20, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo: all lovely stuff The best of British design has a quirkiness and sense of humour about it that seems to be unique in the design world. As in British humour, they don't take themselves too seriously and an ironic edge is always present. Hence the wit and joy of All Lovely Stuff. Designed by a duo, these house ...
Read more...published December 3, 2010 and has No Comments
image credit Brian Marshall Brian Marshall runs a robot orphanage, repurposing used parts that "refused to give up on life just because they were being discarded." They are quite clever and funny, if a bit expensive at hi s Etsy store, but he also creates wonderful sculpture photos of his robots in action. ... Read the full story on ...
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This hand operated gramophone is as simple as it gets. Original post: Minimalist Gramophone Makes Playing Music Super Simple
Contrary to previously held notions of how whale songs are shared between neighboring populations, a surprising study finds that whales living the same ocean basin are singing different songs. Read the original post: Study: Humpback Whales Living in Same Ocean ...
