Are Robots Taking Over?

Hi!

Just a little unknown fact:

Interesting...hmmm....

Via SwissMiss via Spoon & Tamago

Have a robotic day!

n

Vertical Garden in my apartment?

Good Morning!

I just saw this at Apartment Therapy and I'm always looking for new ways to bring the outdoors inside. 

It's available at Smith and Hawken.

This looks so easy to install!

It can be used indoors or out, has 90 planting cells, and is made from cedar and recyclable polyethene. 

Now, if only I had light in my apt! 

Happy Monday!

n

With what shall I wrap all these gifts?

Good Morning!

We all know how wasteful wrapping presents CAN be. I always tend to go for the obvious newspaper or paper bags to wrap gifts, but there are more creative ways to make a gift fun to open. (I mean, is that the purpose of wrapping paper? Just so you have a few minutes to be curious about what is inside? Silly, but necessary, I guess.)

What I have been doing this year is making little drawstring bags out of excess fabric and putting the gift inside, which can then be used as a purse for little girls. I have been making a lot of gifts for kids so the little purses will definitely be reused. (I wish I took pictures to post, but I keep forgetting to and I already gave them away!)

The above video is via Whole Foods Market who advocates reusing their store bags as gift bags since they are made of 80% post-consumer recycled PET bottles. They are now being sold in small gift sizes.

Then, on Inhabitat today, I noticed that they posted about a company in the U.K. called Represent that started a project called Future Present:

"Every year in the UK we use more than 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper for our Christmas presents, equivalent to 50,000 trees. And sticky tape, being non-biodegradable, prevents us from reusing those mountains of wrapping paper."

They put together 20 great ways to wrap gifts from various designers, without using conventional wrapping paper.

Here are a few:

I really love the scarf idea and the hot/cold bags. Any other ingenious ideas you want to share?

Happy Gift Giving!

Niki

Driving on the Highway Creates New Energy?

The news for recently developed ways to harness energy doesn't stop! Just last week I posted about harnessing energy from revolving doors in a cafe in the Netherlands and about the Toyko subway stations that are harnessing energy from the floors, as people pass through.

Now, with similar technology that is being used in Tokyo, they are testing a roadway next month in Israel that can create energy from the motion of the cars on a highway.

"Engineers at Innowattech in Israel recently created a new type of road that generates electricity as vehicles pass over it! The supercharged surface is embedded with piezoelectric crystals, which transform kinetic energy from passing vehicles into an electrical current. With widespread adoption, the technology could feed energy back into the nation’s burgeoning electric vehicle grid, transforming congested roadways into a clean green source of energy."

Incredible!

Thanks, once again, Inhabitat for the heads up!

Niki

The Magno Radio: Easy Listening!

The Magno Radio: 

"Designed in 2007 by Singgih Kartono and made by hand in an Indonesian farming village, the Magno is a mix of modern and friendly old-timey styling. Made from new growth wood, meaning for every tree used in production, a new one is planted, it's uncoated surface should be oiled periodically to encourage a deeper, more personal connection between listener and radio. FM/AM, MP3 compatible, with short wave reception. 7.5″ x 7.5″ x 4.25″

A beautiful alternative to plastic radios and a nice (but pricey) gift for that special NPR lover!

Available at the beautiful design mecca Moss for$250.

Happy Listening!

Niki 

Need Help Moving? Mean Green Trucking!

Hi Everyone,

I just noticed these guys driving down the street and I love sharing practical information about companies that are taking steps towards a more sustainable way of life. 

Mean Green Trucking is doing what they can to better our environment, while providing a necessary service. 

Their New York warehouse is solar powered, their trucks run on vegetable oil and they plant a tree (through americanforests.org) for every move they do. They have already planted over 1,000 trees this year!

So, if you live in NY or Los Angeles and you need help with a move, why not use these guys and help our environment at the same time? 

Sounds like a win/win situation to me.

Happy Monday!

Niki 

Yes, harness MY energy, please!

Good Morning,

I had one of those "duh" moments a couple of days ago when I saw an article on Inhabitat titled "The World's First Energy Generating Revolving Door".

This article refers to a cafe in the Netherlands that installed revolving doors that generates energy from the people going in and out of the cafe. This energy is then given back to the coffee shop to be used.

Here at SF, we've been wondering why this technology, which has been developed for some time now, hasn't been put into effect in New York City. We have millions and millions of people revolving through subway turnstyles everyday and we could be harnessing our own energy.

Then, yesterday, Inhabitat posted about The East Japan Railway Company installing energy generating floors that will power the Tokyo Subways. They are using a technology called Piezoelectric flooring which they have been testing over the past year. Now, they have installed it in a Tokyo subway station to generate power for the ticket gates and display signs. They hope to generate enough power, in the future, to power their entire system.

I live in a major city where there is tons of waste. We never think about the fact that just by walking though doors, we are wasting energy. But now, with the technology advancing, there is a better way to generate renewable energy! We could harness our own energy by just walking through revolving doors and getting onto the subways.

Now, literally, we possess enough power that can actually make a difference. It's amazing to see the technology, that we all knew was out there, being utilized. Step by step (pun intended), we can save energy!

Thumbs up to Inhabitat for the news and images!

Thumbs up to progress! Please, bring this technology to New York!

Niki

Handmade for the Holidays!

Good Morning!

Holiday gift giving always seems a little stressful to most and I am definitely one of those people.

Trying to find the "perfect" gift and do it in the most responsible way ends up taking up way too much of my time.

This year, I'm a fan of making gifts. There are great guides out there with various DIY ideas for holiday gifts. Here are links to a couple major guides:

Treehugger
Inhabitat
Design Sponge

Another great idea is Etsy. I'm sure, most of you, are familiar with Etsy and I love perusing the site to see what beautiful things people around the world make and sell.

I've been wanting a pair of gloves for my son and since I am a terrible knitter/crocheter, I thought I would see if someone on Etsy could make me a pair. I found a woman in Wisconsin who makes the fingerless gloves that I thought Ethan would actually keep on his hands. She welcomed custom orders and was awesome. She gave me tons of options, was super responsive and emailed me pictures along the way to see her progress. I loved them so much, I asked her to make a pair for me, as well!

If you need a pair of gloves (or scarf or hat) you should check out Debbys Etsy store. She was amazing to work with. I'm so excited to get them. She was really fast too!

If you do not have the time or the skills to make gifts yourself, why not support these great crafters and give someone a great handmade gift that was made with love!

Happy gift hunting!

Niki

P.S. Of course, charitable donations are amazing gifts too. Here are Treehugger and Inhabitat recommendations. We are definitely Kiva fans around here.

Daniel Libeskind Tower for NYC!

Good Morning!

This just caught my eye on Inhabitat:

This proposal is for a building at One Madison Avenue (at 23rd street). 

"Daniel Libeskind recently unveiled a soaring green skyscraper for New York that is constructed of mostly glass and stands to be the city’s tallest residential structure at 900 feet. Dubbed the New York Tower at One Madison Avenue, the 54-story apartment building features a series of ‘sky gardens‘ cut out from its facade that provide green space and terraced balconies for residents. Terraced gardens are becoming quite popular as a means for people to have an outdoor connection, fresh air, and even a place to grow their own food."

Here is a link to an article in New York Magazine where Daniel Libeskind discusses this spectacular building. 

I normally wouldn't post about buildings that are not in the process of being built, but the thought of living down the street from where I currently reside, high in the sky with a wonderful garden outside of my door, got me very excited! 

Please bring more nature to us city folks!!

Thank you Inhabitat and Daniel Libeskind!

Have a wonderful day!

Niki   

The Sunshine State: Keep Shining!

Hey!

Just saw this at the NY Times blog:

"The Sunshine state is starting to live up to its name on the energy front. Today Florida Power & Light, the state’s biggest utility, broke ground on what it says will be the first utility-scale solar investment in the state — and the second-largest of its kind in the country when it is fully turned on in 2010....

This solar thermal plant, which is located on the Atlantic coast just north of Palm Beach County, will consist of 180,000 mirrors, spread over 500 acres. It also matches solar power with an existing combined-cycle natural gas plant, so that when the sun is not shining, the natural gas can take over the work of powering the turbines....

The plant is the first of three solar facilities that F.P.L. is constructing in Florida, which the utility says will make the state the second-largest solar energy producer in the country. California is currently the largest."

Yay for progress!

Thanks to Florida Power and Light for the image and the NY Times for letting us know!


Niki

Eyebeam: Holiday Hackshop!

"Eyebeam is an art and technology center that provides a fertile context and state-of-the-art tools for digital research and experimentation. It is a lively incubator of creativity and thought, where artists and technologists actively engage with culture, addressing the issues and concerns of our time. Eyebeam challenges convention, celebrates the hack, educates the next generation, encourages collaboration, freely offers its contributions to the community, and invites the public to share in a spirit of openness: open source, open content and open distribution."

Eyebeam is located just a few blocks away from our studio and always has amazing exhibits and parties going on. 

For the holidays, they are doing a program called "Holiday Hackshop". 

Here are the details:

"If you haven't yet experienced everyone's favorite holiday gift-making event, here's the scoop: For one day, and one day only, Eyebeam becomes an all-ages, multi-workshop electronic craft-making fair, with entertainment, decorations and plenty of holiday spirit.

The majority of the workshops are artist-led, with small fees for material costs, and you'll leave with gifts that will far surpass lopsided clay mugs of years past!

All in all: A fun, thrifty, edutainment alternative to the trance-and occasionally rage-inducing department-store crawl.

Workshops:

Extreme Weather Snowglobes made of recycled materials
Led by resident Andrea Polli and collaborators Heidi Neilsen and Chuck Varga
Fee: $5/For all ages
1 - 5PM (Jump in any time; information sessions at 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, 4PM)

Bright Bike!
Led by senior fellow Michael Mandiberg
Just in time for the holidays: an opportunity to wrap up your bike with retro-reflective material to make biking NYC far safer.
Fee for materials: Whole bike: $30; material to wrap selected parts of bike: $10
You must bring your own bike to participate!
Recommended for ages 12 years and older.

Session 1: 1 - 3PM: (can accommodate 15 bikes)
Session 2: 3:30 - 5:30PM: (can accommodate 15 bikes)
5:30 - 6PM: Bike Ride/parade with workshop participants to document the effectiveness of the Bright Bike wrapping!

Frankenstein your iPod!
Led by resident Hans-Christoph Steiner and Chris "the Widget" DiMauro
Turn you iPod (or one of the stash we'll have on hand) into something you never imagined possible.
Fee: Free (We recommend you bring your own iPod, though we will have some on hand.) Recommended for ages 12 years and older, unless accompanied by an adult.

Session 1: 1 - 3PM: Frankensteining 101: Hacking your iPod
Session 2: 4 - 6PM: Install iPodLinux for making music with PD or Rockbox for playing Doon on your iPod video (can accommodate 10).

We'll have a stash of old iPods on-hand for harvesting parts, but those interested are advised to bring their trusty iPods with the battery, software or hardware failures.

Bend it, Shake it Workshop
Led by resident Christina Kral with collaborators Jamie O'Shea, Drayton Hiers and Dan Ribaudo
In this two-part workshop we invite you to hack and bend discarded plastic, battery-run toys to turn them into a potpourri of instruments. As the "Petit Finale", we'll be play a score with the hacked instruments inside the Video Womb, a video installation/experience by Christina Kral, Drayton Hiers and Dan Ribaudo.
Fee: $5 Recommended for all ages, those under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult.

1 - 5PM: Workshop
5PM: performance in the video womb

Want to see what we mean? Bend it, Shake it: http://vimeo.com/2269185
Video Womb: http: //vimeo.com/2250069

Demonstration: A Reenactment of The Battle of the Pyramids
Led by resident Adrianne Wortzell
Come witness the assembly of Resident Adrianne Wortzell's latest project, A Reenactment of The Battle of the Pyramids. Wortzell and her team of interns and volunteers will hack 30+ "Talking Elmo" toys to allow them to move in unison. The team will be hacking away-assembly-line style, but on-hand to discuss the project and answer any questions.

Fee: Free, all ages welcome
1 - 5PM

For more: http://www.adriannewortzel.com/battle"

EVENT/WHAT: (Free workshops/Christmas party): Eyebeam's beloved, annual Holiday Hackshop!
DATE: Sat., Dec. 13, 1PM - 5PM workshops | 6PM: Holiday party (think spiked eggnog, cider and holiday treats!)
LOCATION: 540 W. 21st St., NYC
COST: Free to visit; minor materials costs for select workshops

If you are in NYC on December 13th--check this out! 

It sounds like a lot of fun and really neat to be led through these workshops by local artists. I'm sure you can also get great ideas for hacking your own holiday gifts! 

Have fun!
Niki

Random Signs of Kindness!

Hi Everyone,

"If we all do one random act of kindness daily, 

we just might set the world in the right direction" 

 

Thanks to the random West Village Homeowner for these words of Wisdom.

Happy eating to everyone! Remember, don't wear your tight jeans tomorrow!

Niki 

Handmade Baby/Toddler Shoes!

Good Morning,

I have been loving 2 pairs of shoes that I recently bought for my son. Both handmade with love and care, produced responsibly and really comfortable.

Gucio:

These are handmade in Krakow, Poland.

"A MESSAGE FROM THE MAKER, SLAWOMIR....
The idea of making shoes came to me when my first child a son was about one year old. As soon as he started to take his first steps, my wife and I wanted to buy him his first pair of shoes. We were convinced that his first pair of shoes should be comfortable, let his feet develop naturally, and, what's more, make walking easier. To our surprise, we couldn’t find any shoes that met these criteria. As a matter of fact, they were exactly the opposite of what we were looking for - tough soles, too narrow, made of hard leather or other materials which didn't give enough comfort for the little feet of a toddler.

At that time, I was a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland, in the department of Industrial Design. I decided to design good shoes for children as a year long project, and my idea was accepted by my professor. Those days, I had no idea about shoe construction and treated the topic in an artistic way instead of a professional way.

I finished my project on time needed the objective opinion of professionals, so I went to the biggest institution dealing with the whole shoe industry in Poland – the Central Laboratory of Shoe Industry - to get their opinion. The result from this visit was the proposal of undertaking the job in this Institute.

I was sent to the best school of shoe design in the world - Ars Sutoria - in Milano, Italy, to obtain the professional education in shoe construction and design.

After returning, I was sent to many factories in Poland as a shoe designer. At the same time, I was forced to make Gucio prototypes for my friends' children and their friends. I wanted to make other companies interested in my product, but they treated my unusual design as a strange thing which they would not be able to sell. They didn't treat my suggestions seriously when I told them that my friends and many other people like the shoes and children want to wear them (they take off other shoes and want only these.)


This lasted a few years until I had the opportunity to start my own business and produce Gucio shoes in larger quantities. I decided not to make a lot of models, and that I would concentrate on just one perfect design.

Gucio shoes are still changing in many "invisible" details to reach this perfection and make first steps for all children easier and more pleasant."

These shoes are made using pre-World War II non-electric sewing machines.

They are available at I'm Still Me.

Soft Star Shoes:

These are handmade by a family in Oregon.

I'm in love with these. They have a very soft sole. The Makers (and many medical experts) believe that barefoot is best, but when you need a little protection, their soft soles are the next best thing for the health of your feet. I can't wait to get the winter boots! I think these shoes make great gifts and you can even design your own pair and choose from loads of fun colors. They also make a line of Vegan Shoes.

I wish I knew the name of every person who made all my shoes.

In case anyone needs some new shoes for a little ones growing feet, I highly recommend these.

Keep Walking!
Niki

Zigo Bike!

Hey!

I came across this AMAZING bike this weekend and I can't stop thinking about it, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

It's called the Zigo and it has the capabilities to be 4 unique modes of transportation! 

Take a look. It converts from a regular bike for one, to a bike with a child pod(for 1 or 2 children), to a jogging stroller or just a regular stroller for 2 children! There is nothing more practical for city/apartment living than a bicycle that can accommodate all these different situations. Saves space and although it is expensive, it probably saves money in the long run.

If you are in the market for this sort of bike, I had seen one a little while back on minordetails called the Taga. 

It seems great too-very compact (it folds up), but it doesn't seem to be available in U.S. 

The Zigo is available on their website or at SpunkySprout.

With all the great new Bike lanes in NYC, this seems like the most fun and practical way to get around with a little one! 

So cool.

Have a great Monday!

Niki 

Behind the Scenes: Trashing your electronics!

Hey everyone,

"An estimated 133,000 computers are discarded by homes and businesses EVERYDAY!"

If you haven't realized yet, I love finding out what happens to all of our trash we throw into trash cans.

By now, we all know that we need to recycle our electronics. In fact, there are signs all over NYC right now for an Electronic Recycling Event happening this weekend.

I just saw this article on NotCot via the NYTimes about how a company in Islandia, NY deals with all of our old hard drives and computer equipment. 

The short of it is that it all gets shredded on a 60 ft. long conveyor belt and made into shreds, no longer than 4" long. 

"At the end of the shredding process, the e-scrap is shipped in 2,000-pound storage containers to a company in Canada where it is ground and pulverized into its very low-tech base components: small particles of copper, plastic, steel, silver, gold, platinum. This material is then sold to companies that use it in other products." 

This seems like a long way to travel, but I can only hope that they are doing their homework and this is the most efficient way to be handling these scraps. 

I love the images: (courtesy of Maxine Hicks for the NY Times) 

Thank you to the New York Times for getting the dirt on this! 

Happy Thursday!

Niki