Nicey nice smelling pencils made from recycled newspaper!
Hooray!
For kids! For growns! For walruses!
Pack of ten = $11.50 = s&h
Smencils from delight.com!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Smencils!
Nicey nice smelling pencils made from recycled newspaper!
Hooray!
For kids! For growns! For walruses!
Pack of ten = $11.50 = s&h
Smencils from delight.com!
Imagining the 10th Dimension
The one, the only SuperForester Taylor sent us to this incredible piece of concepting.
Enjoy.
TenthDimension.com
A Better Way To Do Everything!
Thanks to the internet every part of our lives can be examined, workshopped, and improved.
Which brings us to: A Better Way To Tie Your Shoes.
Never-Slip Shoe Knot - good advice
And are you still folding t-shirts the old way?
Not us, ever since we saw this:
How about egg peeling? Tell us you're doing it like this:
Or folding up a half-eaten bag of chips?
Showering?
Where will it end? Perfection?
Fun!
Which brings us to: A Better Way To Tie Your Shoes.
Never-Slip Shoe Knot - good advice
And are you still folding t-shirts the old way?
Not us, ever since we saw this:
How about egg peeling? Tell us you're doing it like this:
Or folding up a half-eaten bag of chips?
Showering?
Where will it end? Perfection?
Fun!
Our Circular Life
I am being constantly reminded to SLOW IT DOWN!
Their Circular Life has taken time lapse footage in beautiful major cities around the world and lets you toggle time and space. What was born of a patient and slow process transforms into a speedy and brief existence only to be SLOWED DOWN by you and I!
People trail in and out of frame. Cars, motorbikes, boats and happenings live and then dissolve again. Go Forward go back, go back go forward~
I wonder if someone is toggling my time and space right now...
Many Love,
TV
designboom: Recycled Jewelry
SuperForester Meg just sent us this great link!
Over at designboom, they've got a beautiful multi-page spread of jewelry from around the world made of tantalizing recycled materials.
The pages are ordered roughly according to the materials used, so there's one page for glass & ceramic, one for paper, one for metals, all very beautiful and with links to the artist should you decide you wanty.
Check it:
Check out poor jewelry @ designboom
Special thanks to SuperForester Meg!
Make: Concrete Rings
Over at designboom they've got a great post about 22 Studio and their concrete rings, with the added bonus of a photo walk through of the creation process.
Yay! We like making!
Check it out: 22 Studio's concrete rings
Air Jelly! Robotic Flying Jellyfish!
What?! For serious?!
Want! Want! Want!
The future is NOW y'all.
Air Jelly and Water Jelly by Festo
Festo @ wikipedia
Crayon Physics Deluxe!
crayon physics deluxe is an amazing puzzle game that lets you use your drawing and physics skills to level up. Insanely good fun.
Thank to swissmiss for the heads up!
The Way Home
Morning all!
Just watched a really wonderful Korean film called The Way Home, (Jibeuro).
It's about a young boy from Seoul who goes to live with his elderly Grandmother in her rural village. Wonderfully heartbreaking and honest, this film is a treasure.
The Way Home @ imdb
The Way Home @ amazon
David Ford: GTH
I wish the song was titled something else, but this man is such an embarrassment of talent and creativity that I couldn't not put it up.
Enjoy.
David Ford @ wikipedia
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Waste = Food
Amazing documentary about China, Ford Motorcars, Nike shoes, William McDonough and the future of growth.
So inspiring! Enjoy.
So inspiring! Enjoy.
Nanorigami!
"Researchers at the USC Information Sciences Institute have demonstrated a way to manufacture miniscule containers that might be used to deliver precise micro- or even nano- quantities of drugs.
According to ISI project leader Peter Will, who is a research professor in the Viterbi School of Engineering, the new technique, described in a paper in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, is a two-step process. Part one is the creation of flat patterns, origami, of exactly the fold up shapes familiar to kindergarten children making paper pyramids, cubes or other solids, except that these are as small as 30 micrometers on a side. (1 inch = 25,400 micrometers)"
Aaaaaaaahhhh!!! So cool! The science of small is so hot right now.
Click here for the full story from Information Sciences Institute.
Slap a FedEx logo on the side, fire up the Matter Compiler, and we're off!
TeleFloydies!
youtuber DaveyIsAmused has mashed the Teletubbies with some Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and the results are deliciousnessmaking and candyflosstastic.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Wired: Nano Photos Rival Modern Art
Just saw this on wired.com
"Every six months, the Materials Research Society celebrates the most eye-catching images found in the course of their researchers' studies -- celebrating the serendipitous convergence of science and art.
Materials researchers may struggle for years with stubborn instruments, fragile crystals or difficult chemical reactions before obtaining a bit of precious data from the exotic substances they study. Now, the scrutiny of samples not only yields potentially important data, but also artistic inspiration.
Take a look at the latest finalists."
-Aaron Rowe @ wired.com
Amazing.
See more here.
Real Life Superheroes!
Zetaman is a superhero who does not fight crime. Well, not exactly. He fights the moral crime of homelessness. This paragraph is making less and less sense, let's try again...
Zetaman goes out several times a month and gives aid to the homeless in Portland, Oregon. He wears a cool costume, but unlike Batman, his utility belt is full of coupons, homeless outreach vouchers, and granola bars.
His real name and identity are unknown, but his mission is one we can all get down with: Help those who need it.
The world needs heroes, and ordinary folks like you and me are popping up all over the U.S. to be heroic.
People like the Capital City Super Squad
"The Capital City Super Squad is a volunteer organization using superhero identities to inspire and help the people living, working and visiting Washington DC.
The Capital City Super Squad engages in civic activities in the guise of superheroes to help the people of Washington through safety patrols, community events, fundraisers and other activities. At the current time we have seven active members; Captain Prospect, team leader, Nice Ninja, Spark, Siren, Justice, DC Guardian and The Puzzler. They are a part of what some call a movement of Real Life Superheroes around the world. The team is always looking for community events where we can help and for new members to the team with the shared goal of improving their community and inspiring others."
Helping the community and inspiring others? Sounds heroic to us!There are a ton of Real Life Superhero sites and organizations:
Capital City Super Squad
World Superhero Registry
Heroes Network
It's all about thinking globally, acting locally, and giving selflessly to your community.
I love that I am writing these words right now.
Life is good.
Much love goes out to all the RLSH's out there, working hard to uphold justice.
Los Angeles Passes Awesome Green Building Laws!
Most of us know that green buildings are great. They use less energy, are less polluting, get fresher air, recycle water, have green roofs, are healthier for occupants, etc.
Most of us aren't building contractors.
Check this:
"Last week the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved of a green building ordinance that promises to cut millions of tons of pollution over the next decade. The law will require new commercial buildings and high-rise residential structures over 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards, including drought-resistant landscaping, use of recycled materials, and energy efficient heating, cooling, and lighting. This makes LA the latest of 14 US cities that have required private developers to meet greener building practices. These legislative efforts were heralded by several groundbreaking reports released earlier in the month.
The CEC’s study found that “promoting the green design, construction, renovation and operation of buildings could cut North American greenhouse gas emissions that are fueling climate change more deeply, quickly, and cheaply than any other available measure”. The two-year study brought together an international group of architects, developers, sustainability and energy experts, and local and national government representatives to explore the potential and pitfalls in greening our built environment.
Hot on the heels of these findings comes Costar’s report, a brazen testament to the economic viability of LEED and Energy Star buildings versus non-certified structures. The study analyzed roughly 1,300 LEED and Energy star certified buildings (351 million square feet) and compared them to non-green properties similar in size, location, class, tenancy, and age. The findings were incredible: LEED buildings sell for $171 more per square foot, command rent premiums of $11.24 per square foot, and have 3.8% higher occupancy rates. Energy star buildings showed similar stats, selling for $61 more psf, with rent premiums of $2.38 psf and 3.6% higher occupancy rates."
-Mike Chino @ inhabitat
Can't argue with those numbers.
Change the behavior, change the laws. We all win.
This is great news.
Most of us aren't building contractors.
Check this:
"Last week the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved of a green building ordinance that promises to cut millions of tons of pollution over the next decade. The law will require new commercial buildings and high-rise residential structures over 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards, including drought-resistant landscaping, use of recycled materials, and energy efficient heating, cooling, and lighting. This makes LA the latest of 14 US cities that have required private developers to meet greener building practices. These legislative efforts were heralded by several groundbreaking reports released earlier in the month.
The CEC’s study found that “promoting the green design, construction, renovation and operation of buildings could cut North American greenhouse gas emissions that are fueling climate change more deeply, quickly, and cheaply than any other available measure”. The two-year study brought together an international group of architects, developers, sustainability and energy experts, and local and national government representatives to explore the potential and pitfalls in greening our built environment.
Hot on the heels of these findings comes Costar’s report, a brazen testament to the economic viability of LEED and Energy Star buildings versus non-certified structures. The study analyzed roughly 1,300 LEED and Energy star certified buildings (351 million square feet) and compared them to non-green properties similar in size, location, class, tenancy, and age. The findings were incredible: LEED buildings sell for $171 more per square foot, command rent premiums of $11.24 per square foot, and have 3.8% higher occupancy rates. Energy star buildings showed similar stats, selling for $61 more psf, with rent premiums of $2.38 psf and 3.6% higher occupancy rates."
-Mike Chino @ inhabitat
Can't argue with those numbers.
Change the behavior, change the laws. We all win.
This is great news.
More Bike Lanes for NYC!
Just saw this on treehugger:
"Perhaps because Mayor Bloomberg's plan for congestion pricing in New York City has failed, the Big Apple is now trying to make up for it by becoming more bicycle-friendly. As it is, 112,000 New Yorkers bicycle on an average day, an increase of 10% over the last decade. The proposal, which is part of a new Department of Transportation strategic plan, hopes to double that number by 2015, as well as
"Perhaps because Mayor Bloomberg's plan for congestion pricing in New York City has failed, the Big Apple is now trying to make up for it by becoming more bicycle-friendly. As it is, 112,000 New Yorkers bicycle on an average day, an increase of 10% over the last decade. The proposal, which is part of a new Department of Transportation strategic plan, hopes to double that number by 2015, as well as
--Add 200 miles worth of new bicycle lane between 2007 and 2009
--Install 37 bicycle shelters and 5,000 bike parking racks by 2011
--Install 15 additional miles of protected on-street bike lanes by 2010 and 30 miles from 2011 to 2015
Finally, "To raise bike-consciousness in the city, the Transportation Department and the nonprofit group Transportation Alternatives are holding a competition to find the most bicycling-friendly employers in the city."
Hooray! Mas bike lanes for all! Bloomy, you're the bee's knees.Johnnycakes!
This is rad. Just found it over at martinjmorris.blogspot
“Cookumentary” by Martin Morris (6 mins)
Jonas “The Johnnycake Man” (78) is one the very special characters who lives on Bocas Island in the Northern Caribbean coast of Panama. On Wednesdays and Sundays, Jonas peddles the streets of Bocas Town selling his homemade Johnnycakes from the box on the front of his bike.
“Johnnycakes” are small coconut milk breads traditionally baked in a pot over the fire. They are a Creole specialty, and along with other treats such as banana pudding and coconut balls, can be found throughout the Caribbean.
Jonas’ Johnnycakes are some of the best around and he is very proud (and protective) of his recipe. This cookumentary is a special opportunity to spend some time with Jonas and get baking with an expert. Why are they called “Johnnycakes”? …Watch and find out!"
A very sweet little film. Just the right thing to get you in the mood for lunch.
Click on “The Johnnycake Man”
“Cookumentary” by Martin Morris (6 mins)
Jonas “The Johnnycake Man” (78) is one the very special characters who lives on Bocas Island in the Northern Caribbean coast of Panama. On Wednesdays and Sundays, Jonas peddles the streets of Bocas Town selling his homemade Johnnycakes from the box on the front of his bike.
“Johnnycakes” are small coconut milk breads traditionally baked in a pot over the fire. They are a Creole specialty, and along with other treats such as banana pudding and coconut balls, can be found throughout the Caribbean.
Jonas’ Johnnycakes are some of the best around and he is very proud (and protective) of his recipe. This cookumentary is a special opportunity to spend some time with Jonas and get baking with an expert. Why are they called “Johnnycakes”? …Watch and find out!"
A very sweet little film. Just the right thing to get you in the mood for lunch.
Click on “The Johnnycake Man”
Who Watches the Watchmen? Now, Everybody.
Good Morning All!
Jackson here.
Just saw a very interesting post on boingboing.net
NYPD cops videoed illegally warring on photographers
"In March 2007, a free speech and free assembly rally was held in Union Square to protest a new NYPD rule of dubious constitutionality instituting a permit requirement for any assembly of 50+ people on foot or on bike in NYC.
The arrests did not go smoothly. But the NYPD couldn't arrest everybody, and so there is much video evidence of the arrests. Lots of screaming and flailing, you get the picture.
Not surprisingly, the videos tell a tale much different than the arrest reports.
So now we have an interesting conjunction of forces. The police doing their job, and citizens filming them doing it. What it boils down to is transparency and accountability. Video evidence provides us with both.
As history has shown us time and time again, put a person in a position of power over others and they will abuse that power. They will do it because they can. This doesn't mean that they're bad people, it just speaks to the intoxicating nature of power.
John F. Kennedy once said: "Secrecy is the enemy of Democracy." (I paraphrase)
For a true democracy to exist, the watchers must be watched, and allow themselves to be watched, for the good of both the state and society.
The rumblings of the people's wishes for an accountable and transparent society have begun, and that rumbling is getting louder.
Sites like RateMyCop, and PoliceWatch allow users rate their local police and upload videotapes of questionable police activity. While this is currently viewed as radical and incendiary, it is well within our constitutional rights and an absolute necessity to ensure a democratic and free society. (Does it not speak volumes about the way we currently live that transparency and accountability should be considered incendiary?)
Why should this be an issue?
If a policeman or woman is acting within the letter of the law, acting truly as a Peace Officer, then they should have no qualms about being taped while carrying out their duty. It is only when the rights of citizens are being trampled in order for the police to "control the situation" that being filmed becomes an issue.
In a world where everyone is a cameraman, this issue is not going away anytime soon.
This little issue is going to force us to reevaluate our stance toward Control and Power.
Who should have control or power over another?
Why should they have it?
What manner of accountability should those doing the controlling have to those who are controlled?
Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I am deeply compassionate to the job the NYPD do. The insanity of what they are required to do on a day to day just boggles my mind. Imagine spending your morning talking to a group of schoolchildren about drug safety and your evening having bullets flying by your head. That's an incredible disparity of function, and quite a thing to ask of someone. The police are good and necessary, as long as they are acting with peace and the public good in mind.
Here's a beautiful (paraphrased) quote that I think sums things up nicely:
"In an era when everything can be observed, all we have left is politeness."
-Neal Stephenson
We the citizenry must treat those entrusted with the act of controlling us with compassion and manners, and they must treat us exactly the same way.
Improve your environment. Treat those around you with compassion and respect.
When tempers flare and things get intense, that's when you need manners and respect the most.
Love to all,
Jackson
Jackson here.
Just saw a very interesting post on boingboing.net
NYPD cops videoed illegally warring on photographers
"In March 2007, a free speech and free assembly rally was held in Union Square to protest a new NYPD rule of dubious constitutionality instituting a permit requirement for any assembly of 50+ people on foot or on bike in NYC.
While the restriction would apply to any assembly of 50 or more people, it was enacted as transparent attempt shut down, harass or frustrate the Critical Mass bicycle rides that have occured monthly in Manhattan for at least ten years.
After the rally proper, a Critical Mass ride (accompanied by citizen videographers from the Glass Bead Collective and other groups) set out north from Union Square, only to be subjected to outrageous and illegal treatment by NYPD officers in Times Square under the supervision and instigation of Sgt. Timothy Horhoe.
Despite the numerous video-verified complaints of unlawful arrest and the numerous provably false sworn statements in police reports documenting the incident, the Civilian Complaint Review Board said in March of this year that they cannot act to punish the officers involved for their willful perjury."
So, to distill: bunch of bicyclists were exercising their right to ride around and snap pictures of stuff. The NYPD, apparently under orders to do so, were knocking cats off of their bikes and arresting those who dared photograph or videotape the arrest proceedings.The arrests did not go smoothly. But the NYPD couldn't arrest everybody, and so there is much video evidence of the arrests. Lots of screaming and flailing, you get the picture.
Not surprisingly, the videos tell a tale much different than the arrest reports.
So now we have an interesting conjunction of forces. The police doing their job, and citizens filming them doing it. What it boils down to is transparency and accountability. Video evidence provides us with both.
As history has shown us time and time again, put a person in a position of power over others and they will abuse that power. They will do it because they can. This doesn't mean that they're bad people, it just speaks to the intoxicating nature of power.
John F. Kennedy once said: "Secrecy is the enemy of Democracy." (I paraphrase)
For a true democracy to exist, the watchers must be watched, and allow themselves to be watched, for the good of both the state and society.
The rumblings of the people's wishes for an accountable and transparent society have begun, and that rumbling is getting louder.
Sites like RateMyCop, and PoliceWatch allow users rate their local police and upload videotapes of questionable police activity. While this is currently viewed as radical and incendiary, it is well within our constitutional rights and an absolute necessity to ensure a democratic and free society. (Does it not speak volumes about the way we currently live that transparency and accountability should be considered incendiary?)
Why should this be an issue?
If a policeman or woman is acting within the letter of the law, acting truly as a Peace Officer, then they should have no qualms about being taped while carrying out their duty. It is only when the rights of citizens are being trampled in order for the police to "control the situation" that being filmed becomes an issue.
In a world where everyone is a cameraman, this issue is not going away anytime soon.
This little issue is going to force us to reevaluate our stance toward Control and Power.
Who should have control or power over another?
Why should they have it?
What manner of accountability should those doing the controlling have to those who are controlled?
Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I am deeply compassionate to the job the NYPD do. The insanity of what they are required to do on a day to day just boggles my mind. Imagine spending your morning talking to a group of schoolchildren about drug safety and your evening having bullets flying by your head. That's an incredible disparity of function, and quite a thing to ask of someone. The police are good and necessary, as long as they are acting with peace and the public good in mind.
Here's a beautiful (paraphrased) quote that I think sums things up nicely:
"In an era when everything can be observed, all we have left is politeness."
-Neal Stephenson
We the citizenry must treat those entrusted with the act of controlling us with compassion and manners, and they must treat us exactly the same way.
Improve your environment. Treat those around you with compassion and respect.
When tempers flare and things get intense, that's when you need manners and respect the most.
Love to all,
Jackson
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Daily Mammal!
SuperForester Steve sent us this link to The Daily Mammal, which is the site of artist Jennifer Rae Atkins. She is trying to draw every mammal on earth. One per day.
Like this sweet little fella here!:
Laotian Rock Rat (Laonastes aenigmamus)
"The coelacanth of rodents," this Laotian rat is a member of a family scientists thought had been extinct for 11 million years. So those scientists must have been surprised when they found some for sale in a food market in 1996!
Actually scientists initially thought the rat was a member of a brand-new family and described it as such. Other scientists who excitedly read the 2005 paper that described the new family recognized its resemblance to the Diatomys fossils they studied, and released their own paper in 2006 making the claim that the Laotian rock rat is actually what's called a "Lazarus" mammal. (Like yesterday, I don't have the fortitude to decipher the scientific articles to figure out whether this claim still stands or not.) There is only one other mammal species known to have that long a gap in its fossil history.
This drawing is approximately 6"x9". It's done in layers of marker, pen, and colored pencil on tracing paper, giving it a translucent and vivid beauty. Your drawing comes with a 9"x12" black mat with a backing board, as well as a dark-gray sheet of art paper that makes the colors pop. I'll pack it safely before I ship it to you.
Shipping within the U.S. costs $6. Shipping everywhere else costs $15. I use USPS priority mail.
Five dollars of every purchase goes to an animal-related charity."
So every day she draws a mammal, the drawings go on her Etsy page, and part of the proceeds from the sales go to helping animal charities.
Nicey nice nice!
(Isn't it funny the way science has a knack for thinking things are extinct and then finding someone somewhere who's selling the extinct thing for dinner? Seems like it happens all the time.)
Why not cruise over to Etsy and get yourself a nice mammal?
Like this Gray-Faced Giant Elephant-Shrew?
Thanks to Steve for the intel, and thanks to Jennifer Rae for the inspirato.
Love to All,
Team SF
Steven Leckart - Last Day Off Grid
Episode 5 - In which our hero wins his just desserts, and reflections on the week past.
Steven Leckart - Day 5
Here's a nice quote:
"With enough money, you could do this, no question. Yet, with about $5,000 worth of gear, I wasn’t leading even a semblance of the life I’m used to. Beyond the massive cutback in the time I normally spend typing at my desk, here’s a short list of what unexpectedly fell off my radar while I tended to the solar garden: all news, the election, Flickr, Facebook, my iPod, instant messaging, most personal e-mail, shampooing, all household chores (again, just ask my wife), calling my parents, and taking time to respond to the comments left on my previous posts. Thank you for reading and for all the encouragement!
So would I try this again? Maybe. Under the same conditions, not a chance. I'd definitely want more gear (short list below!), and I'd have to see about tracking down a typewriter. All this long hand is killing my wrist."
Doesn't sound so bad. Sounds pretty great actually.
It has been wonderful to follow Steven's progress.
Thank you, Steven, for the Earth Week inspiration!
Free WiFi Radar
For truly autonomous networking, use Easy WiFi radar to find friendly host connections.
This program scans the area, locates unlocked wireless access points and let's you cyber-surf the internet. Hee hee.
Good thinking.
Want your own free copy of Easy WiFi Radar? (Sadly, it's for Windows only.)
Click here: Easy WiFi
This program scans the area, locates unlocked wireless access points and let's you cyber-surf the internet. Hee hee.
Good thinking.
Want your own free copy of Easy WiFi Radar? (Sadly, it's for Windows only.)
Click here: Easy WiFi
Friday, April 25, 2008
IKEA Gets It!
Holy Guacamole!
Something insane just happened!
I was on the instructables.com site learning how to build my own LED bike helmet, when out of the corner of my eye, something interesting went down.
On the corner of the page, where ads go, (i.e. where my eyes don't go,) IKEA had placed an ad of a woman using a chainsaw to get a bunch of pasta to fit in a drawer.
So, get this: I actually clicked on the ad.
Whoah. An advertisement that I didn't automatically tune out? An ad where something interesting happened? I had to know more.
Some further clicking brought me to the IKEA page at youtube, where they've got a ton of cool videos, all featuring the same chainsaw swinging Momma that first caught my eye.
These ads are brilliant. They are likable, watchable, and inform one about a product in a way that doesn't pander, doesn't ram anything down your throat, just gently showcases.
In short, these ads are everything that most ads aren't.
Who is this woman? She's a treasure.
Brilliantly done, IKEA.
I just realized how insane it is that every company hasn't done this yet.
DIY LED Bike Helmet!
Safety is rad.
DIY is rad.
DIY safety is the intersection of rad and radder.
Thank you to sternlab.org
Make yo sweet self one of these beauties.
Live to be a thousand, my homies.
Here's how: DIY LED Bike Helmet @ instructables.com
Laptop Compubody Sock
Laptop interface for privacy, warmth, and concentration in public spaces.
From sternlab.org
Brilliant.
Make your very own: Laptop Compubody Sock @ instructables.com
Steven Leckart: 5 Days Off the Grid - Day 4
Episode Four: In which our hero tries to give energy away.
It has been so wonderful to follow Steve on his journey towards the off grid Mecca.
Read all about his fourth day right here: Steven Leckart Off the Grid Day 4
We're going to try to coerce Steven into a little celebratory interview tomorrow, or considering that tomorrow's Saturday, a little Monday interview.
Awesome.
Graffiti Research Lab - The Movie
This is off of boingboing.tv
"The Graffiti Research Lab is dedicated to outfitting graffiti writers, pranksters, artists, and protesters with open source tools for urban communication."
Marvelousness.
GRL is great. Here's the GRL wiki.
Would you like to make your own LED throwie?
Here's how: Instructables - DIY LED throwie
Pretty colors!
This land is your land, decorate it as such.
"The Graffiti Research Lab is dedicated to outfitting graffiti writers, pranksters, artists, and protesters with open source tools for urban communication."
Marvelousness.
GRL is great. Here's the GRL wiki.
Would you like to make your own LED throwie?
Here's how: Instructables - DIY LED throwie
Pretty colors!
This land is your land, decorate it as such.
NY Times: Bring On the Right Biofuels
An interesting Opinion piece from Roger Cohen on nytimes.com.
Bring on the Right Biofuels
"Fads come fast and furious in our viral age, and the reactions to them can be equally ferocious. That’s what we’re seeing right now with biofuels, which everyone loved until everyone decided they were the worst thing since the Black Death.The supposed crimes of biofuels are manifold. They’re behind soaring global commodity prices, the destruction of the Amazon rain forest, increased rather than diminished greenhouse gases, food riots in Haiti, Indonesian deforestation and, no doubt, your mother-in-law’s toothache.
Most of this, to borrow a farm image, is hogwash and bilge.
I’ll grant that the fashion for biofuels led to excess, and that some farm-to-fuel-plant conversion, particularly in subsidized U.S. and European markets, makes no economic or environmental sense. But biofuels remain very much part of the solution. It just depends which biofuels.
Before I get to that, some myths need dispelling. If Asian rice prices are soaring, along with the global prices of wheat and maize, it’s not principally because John Doe in Iowa or Jean Dupont in Picardy has decided to turn yummy corn and beet into un-yummy ethanol feedstock.
Much larger trends are at work. They dwarf the still tiny biofuel industry (roughly a $40 billion annual business, or the equivalent of Exxon Mobil’s $40.6 billion profits in 2007). I refer to the rise of more than one-third of humanity in China and India, the disintegrating dollar and soaring oil prices.
Hundreds of millions of people have moved from poverty into the global economy over the past decade in Asia. They’re eating twice a day, instead of once, and propelling rapid urbanization. Their demand for food staples and once unthinkable luxuries like meat is pushing up prices.
At the same time, the rising price of commodities over the past year has largely tracked the declining parity of the beleaguered dollar. Rice prices have shot up in dollar terms, far less against the euro. Countries like China are offloading depreciating dollar reserves to hoard stores of value like commodities.
Food price increases are also tied to oil being nearly $120 a barrel. Fossil fuels are an important input in everything from fertilizer to diesel for tractors.
Another myth that needs nuking is that the Amazon rain forest is being destroyed to make way for Brazilian sugar-cane ethanol. Almost all viable cane-growing areas lie hundreds of miles from the rain forest. Brazil has enough savannah to multiply its 3.5 million hectares of cane-for-ethanol production by ten without going near the Amazon ecosystem.
Brazilian rain forest is burning, as it long has, for a complex mix of economic reasons. Brazil’s successful ethanol industry — 80 percent of new cars run on ethanol or gasoline and all gasoline comprises 25 percent biofuel — is not one of them.
The danger in all this anti-biofuel hysteria is that we’ll throw out the baby with the bath water.
Those hundreds of millions of Chinese and Indians now eating more will be driving cars within the next quarter-century. What that will do to oil prices is anybody’s guess, but what’s clear is that ethanol presents the only technically and economically viable alternative for large-scale substitution of petroleum fuels for transport in the next 15 to 20 years. It’s not a panacea, but it’s a necessary bridge to the next technological breakthrough.
The question is: which ethanol?
Right now, the biofuel market is being grossly distorted by subsidies and trade barriers in the United States and the European Union. These make it rewarding to produce ethanol from corn or grains that are far less productive than sugarcane ethanol, divert land from food production (unlike sugarcane), and have dubious environmental credentials.
What sense does it make to have a surplus of environmentally friendly Brazilian sugar-based ethanol with a yield eight times higher than U.S. corn ethanol and zero impact on food prices being kept from an American market by a tariff of 54 cents on a gallon while Iowan corn ethanol gets a subsidy?
“It would make a lot more sense to drop the tariff, drop the subsidy, and allow Brazilian ethanol into the United States,” said Philippe Reichstul, the chief executive of a biofuel company in São Paulo. “Pressure on U.S. land will be slashed.”
The United States and Europe should maintain their biofuel targets. Pressure to scrap a European plan for renewable fuels to supply a tenth of all vehicle fuel by 2020 must be resisted while rethinking the policies that favor the wrong biofuels.
The real scam lies in developed world protectionism and skewed subsidies, not the biofuel idea."
We're All Related
Morning All,
Jackson here.
I've been fortunate enough in my life to do a great deal of traveling. And while I haven't been everywhere, I have been to a lot of wheres, and one of the things that's always stood out to me is the way that certain faces pop up again and again on folks all around the world.
You're standing there looking at a crowd of people walking by, and you think: "hey, that looks like Mike! Fuzzier eyebrows and darker skin, but that's Mike!"
Pretty soon, you're seeing Mike-variations everywhere you look.
Well, as it turns out, that because in all likelihood those multiple doppel-Mikes all share a common ancestor. To go one step further, we ALL share a common ancestor.
Just saw this on cnn.com:
Humans nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago, study says
"The report notes that a separate study by researchers at Stanford University estimated that the number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000 before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age.
"This study illustrates the extraordinary power of genetics to reveal insights into some of the key events in our species' history," said Spencer Wells, National Geographic Society explorer in residence.
"Tiny bands of early humans, forced apart by harsh environmental conditions, coming back from the brink to reunite and populate the world. Truly an epic drama, written in our DNA."
Did you get those numbers?2,000 people. Roughly half men and half women, are the mitochondrial grandparents of every human being you pass on the streets. The cat who sells you your paper and coffee in the morning? That's your long lost grand-cousin, thrice removed.
That's why we can't keep harming one another. Using violence on your fellow human beings is like smacking your brother or sister: bad manners.
Look around at the faces you pass during your day, for these are the faces of your family.
Love to all,
-Jackson
University of Texas Turns Microbes Into Ethanol!
Morning All!
Proof of concept is a very important thing. It demonstrates that a process can be made commercially viable, that is, if the right people are willing to invest time and energy into it.
Researchers in Texas have just discovered a process whereby microbes can be converted into ethanol. With headlines everywhere yelling about global food prices rising because of the amount of corn used to make biofuels, this new process could be a godsend.
Read all about it:
New Source for Biofuels Discovered by Researchers At The University of Texas at Austin
"AUSTIN, Texas — A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin who say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation's transportation fuel if production can be scaled up.
Love to all,
Team SF
Proof of concept is a very important thing. It demonstrates that a process can be made commercially viable, that is, if the right people are willing to invest time and energy into it.
Researchers in Texas have just discovered a process whereby microbes can be converted into ethanol. With headlines everywhere yelling about global food prices rising because of the amount of corn used to make biofuels, this new process could be a godsend.
Read all about it:
New Source for Biofuels Discovered by Researchers At The University of Texas at Austin
"AUSTIN, Texas — A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin who say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation's transportation fuel if production can be scaled up.
Along with cellulose, the cyanobacteria developed by Professor R. Malcolm Brown Jr. and Dr. David Nobles Jr. secrete glucose and sucrose. These simple sugars are the major sources used to produce ethanol.
"The cyanobacterium is potentially a very inexpensive source for sugars to use for ethanol and designer fuels," says Nobles, a research associate in the Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.
Dr. R. Malcolm Brown (left) and Dr. David Nobles with one of the cyanobacterial strains that produces cellulose and glucose. Photo: Richard Santos
Brown and Nobles say their cyanobacteria can be grown in production facilities on non-agricultural lands using salty water unsuitable for human consumption or crops."
Every little bit of good news is like sweet sweet nectar to this thirsty hummingbird.Love to all,
Team SF
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Where Do You Get Your News?
Afternoon All!
Jackson here.
Whenever I meet people these days, if we have the chance to have a real, honest to goodness conversation, I'm bound to ask: "Where do you get your news?"
I don't have a television. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't ever like to ever own one again. (I'd prefer a nice HD projector.)
That said, I no longer get my info from TV, and what a difference it seems to make in terms of my daily outlook. I was over at SuperForester Andrew's apartment recently to watch Saturday Night Live and was completely transfixed by the television. The opinions and information in every moment are such an incredible peek into the zeitgeist (spirit of the times,) that I wonder if perhaps I should get back into TV, or risk being left behind.
Nah... The truth box is all the TV I need.
So now I get my info from the internet, and I am free to check facts, balance multiple viewpoints, and cross-reference news items in a way that I feel portrays events in a much more objective light.
So here is where I get my "news":
Google.com/news - the broad strokes.
cnn.com - the Amero-centric broad strokes and assorted zaniness.
treehugger.com - Pink news ("green" is over.)
inhabitat.com - Pink architecture and design news
slashdot.org - Nerdcore wonderland
boingboing.net - Sexy nerdcore wonderland
swissmiss.typepad.com - wry design and kid-centric product news
wikipedia.org - reference (taken with a grain of salt, but taken liberally)
imdb.com - all things Hollywood.
aicn.com - all things nerd Hollywood fanboy-style.
vbs.tv - the hipster version of 60 Minutes.
It is through these 11 sites that I get my daily dose of news, information, and opinions.
I love these sites dearly, and champion them relentlessly.
So, tell me: Where do you get your news?
Comment at the bottom, or email: superforestnyc@gmail.com
(Note: Dirrrr. I forgot nytimes.com!)
Vertical Farming in NYC
Hello All!
Blogging is so great. Every time you see something that moves and inspires you, you just copy, paste, and blammy! Their content is your content.
Like this wonderful post over at treehugger!
Vertical Farms NYC!
The best part of the article is the comments at the end. People get so mad!
Trailblazin' ain't easy, y'all! Yeah, the naysayers can naysay, but the dreamers will go right on dreaming.
A wonderful place, this land of the free, home of the brave.
We love you America!
First Rock Port, Then the World!
Just saw this over at treehugger.
Wind Power Produces 123% of Residential Energy Demand in Rock Port, Missouri
"Rock Port, Missouri, is a small city of 1,300 people, and they just made history by being the first city in the US to be 100% powered by the wind, also making them #1 in the US for percentage of renewable energy. The Loess Hills Wind Farm, built by the Wind Capital Group, employing 500 workers from 20 states for about a year, is expected to produce about 16 million kilowatt hours annually, while Rock Port only uses 13 million. The excess wind power will be sold to other communities in the area."
Power meters spinning backward? A U.S. city exporting energy? If they can do it in Rock Port, we can do it in Manhattan!
Big, big change is in the wind, y'all! News like this makes our Thursdays great.
Thank you to treehugger for bringing this to our attention, and a huge thank you to the people of Rock Port, Missouri for leading the charge. First Rock Port, then the world!
Yayyyyyy!!!!!
One grid down; many, many to go.
(note: just found this on youtube!)
Sassy!
Steven Leckart: 5 Days Off the Grid - Day 3
Episode 3: In which our hero's legs play power generator.
Steve's 3 days into his off the grid challenge, and what fun it's been so far!
Day one: He charged!
Day two: He cooked! (Or tried to)
Day three: He high steps his way to autonomy!
Watch:
A fascinating journey, and one for the books. So far, it seems like one can live a semi-normal life, without surrendering too many creature comforts, and reduce one's carbon impact significantly.
Great news.
Go Steve!
Read his progress over at dvice.com.
p.s. We don't mean to eCrush on him or nothing, but someone as photogenic as Steve should do more visual content. You hear us, Steve? Let the world see more of that sustainable kisser!
You're our off the grid hero, Yo!
TINY Toms Shoes!
Good Morning!
I assume that most of you already know about Toms Shoes. They are cute, hip and are a wonderful company to support. They have an simple mission: For every pair of Toms shoes that you buy, they will give away one pair of shoes to a child that needs them.
Plain and Simple.
This idea was started by the company's founder, Blake Mycoskie. Check out his YouTube Video of his shoe drop in Argentina!
But what I didn't know is that they make shoes for babies and toddlers! I just bought Ethan a pair yesterday! They are super cute, practical and comfy! I love that now we can match in our Toms Shoes! It's too cute.
Go out and get a pair today!
Happy Walking!
Niki
I assume that most of you already know about Toms Shoes. They are cute, hip and are a wonderful company to support. They have an simple mission: For every pair of Toms shoes that you buy, they will give away one pair of shoes to a child that needs them.
Plain and Simple.
This idea was started by the company's founder, Blake Mycoskie. Check out his YouTube Video of his shoe drop in Argentina!
But what I didn't know is that they make shoes for babies and toddlers! I just bought Ethan a pair yesterday! They are super cute, practical and comfy! I love that now we can match in our Toms Shoes! It's too cute.
Happy Walking!
Niki
World's Oldest Oil Paintings Discovered
Wowzers! They may not look like much, but these oil paintings discovered in a cave in Afghanistan have completely rewritten the art history books.
Parse this:
"KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Scientists have found what they described this week as the earliest oil paintings ever discovered.
Afghan murals show oil painting was going on for centuries earlier in Asia than Europe.
Murals found on cave walls in Afghanistan prove that painting with oil had been going on in Asia for centuries before artists used the technique in Europe, scientists said this week.
Until now, art historians believed that oil painting started in Europe in the 15th century.
Scientists found the murals in a network of caves where monks lived and prayed in the Afghan region of Bamiyan, according to a statement on the Web site of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, where the ancient paintings were analyzed."
Here's the original story from cnn.com: World's Oldest Oil Paintings
Ha ha ha! Love history. You think you've got it right and then blammo! Turns out you were off by a couple centuries.
It's wonderful to think how much there is to relearn and reexamine.
Here's to discovery!
