Great Jim Jarmusch Quote

Came across this great quote from director Jim Jarmusch:

(The print is from artist Mark Malazarte.)

My favorite line is the Jean-Luc Godard quote at the end, "It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to".

Hope this inspires you to steal a few things this week.

-Spoon

First Jet Flight Powered by Algae

Well, I just heard some great news.

Continental Airlines just completed its first test flight with a Boeing 737 that was partially powered by biofuel made from algae! The flight was the first test done so by a US commercial carrier.



Props to Continental!

One of the planes' two engines consisted of a 50-50 mix of biofuel and aircraft fuel.

"The flight from Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport completed a circuit over the Gulf of Mexico, and pilots carried out a series of tests at 38,000ft (11.6km), including a mid-flight engine shutdown.

'The airplane performed perfectly,' test pilot Rich Jankowski told the Houston Chronicle newspaper.

'There were no problems. It was textbook.'"

Textbook baby!

The best part about the test is that the biofuel used is a "drop-in fuel", meaning that there is no modification required for the aircraft to use it. The use of algae is fast becoming the future for biofuel: it grows extremely fast, does not compete with food crops, and is better for the enviroment.

All that is left is to make algae commercially competitive.

Check out the full BBC article here.

To get your algae fix, click here.

Get Your WattzOn!

Just found this cool website courtesy of lifehacker.com.

WattzOn is a personalized energy consumption tracking website. Simply put, you enter in data about everything you do, from what you buy to the type of food you eat, and it tracks your energy consumption based on historical data.



What distinguishes this energy tracking site from others is the custom data that you can enter. It allows you to create an account where you can track every single purchase you make, from books to toilet paper, video games to clothes.


You can then compare your consumption to other individuals and items. For example, versus bulbs:



Check it out. If you dig the slick charts and handy customization, sign up and get your WattzOn!

-Spoon

(Photos and heads up courtesy of Kevin Purdy over at lifehacker.com)

How to be a Gentleman (or Lady)

For Christmas this year I received several books from my father. At first glance (I will be honest), they looked awfully boring. But being the bookworm that I am, I had to read at least a little bit before I could pass judgment.

Boy was I wrong.

The books in question are a series of small readings that give lessons on how to be more like a gentleman in your daily living. At first I thought, "Why would I need this? I don't go to fancy balls or dress in tuxedos." But soon I realized what these books were really trying to teach.

The back of the covers read,

"A gentleman is someone who makes others feel comfortable. Good manners is simply a matter of common sense and courtesy."

and,

"Being a gentleman means being there when you are needed and knowing when you are not needed. It means knowing what to say and knowing when to say nothing at all. Being a gentleman is about making the world a nicer place for other people."

Sounds a bit like our Humanifesto, don't it?

The titles of the books vary depending on what exactly your looking for, but include "How to be a Gentleman," "As a Gentleman Would Say," and "50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know."

I am currently reading the second from that list. As a Gentleman Would Say offers advice on how to respond or conduct oneself when speaking to another. Some of it's advice is common sense, such as:

"A gentleman never asks a woman if she is pregnant" and, "a gentleman never talks with his mouth full"

While some of the advice actually make you think, like:

"A gentleman takes no part in petty arguments over important topics. Instead, he takes action to bring about change."

And ladies, do not think that the gentlemen have forgotten you! They have the same exact line of books, but with "Lady" replacing "Gentleman" on the cover.

I love how the authors write these. They clearly explain that being a Gentleman (or Lady) does not mean being rich, snobby, well-to-do, etc. Rather, it means conducting oneself to bring about a positive change in everyone you meet.

If your interested, click around Amazon for the right Gentleman or Lady book for you.

Happy (Belated?) 2009!

-Spoon

SuperForester Jason Mraz Presents: Merry Holidays

Morning Peeps,

SuperForester Carla just sent me this gem of a video done by our buddy Jason Mraz.


Go out and spread some o' that holiday cheer.

Love,
Spoon

Sun do Shine

A little diddy from the old cartoon Rock-a-Doodle to get your day started:



Sun do shine, you better shine!

Always,
Spoon

DIY - Building a Guitar in your Kitchen

Afternoon peeps!

When most people decide to pick up an instrument they buy, borrow, or steal one. But not my crafty brother-in-law, Steve! For the past year or so, Steve has been building a guitar right in his very own kitchen.

Looky-loo:


That is his workspace.







And Steve has been cool enough to keep a blog that shows the progress! I'll let him explain:

When I discovered nearly a year ago that I knew someone who actually builds acoustic guitars, I was shocked. I knew that fine acoustic guitars were hand built works of art, but I guess I had never really thought of building them as a hobby. Despite attempts to cajole me into building one of my own, I adamantly thought for a while that I lacked both the knowledge and the resources to construct one of my own (at the time of writing, I live in a small 4th floor Seattle condo without any extra space or anything resembling a workshop with power tools), so I wrote off the whole idea.

Six months later however, the urge to give it a try was too great and I finally posed the question, "Suppose I decide to build a guitar...?" I would have no idea of not only how possible it would be to build a convincingly fine acoustic guitar, but to do so without any prior experience, power tools, or a dedicated workspace.

The purpose of this blog is to encourage first-time guitar builders or anyone who may be interested in taking up this incredibly rewarding (and impressive) hobby by chronicling my building experience--both the successes and the arguably more valuable mistakes--and to dispel all notion that you must have a dedicated workspace and a myriad of expensive power tools.

Word, brother.

Steve keeps great track of what he is doing and includes helpful photos for those of us who don't always understand the "shop talk."

If your interested in seeing how guitars are made by hand, take a peak at his blog, Building an Acoustic Guitar in your Kitchen.

Here's to life,
Spoon

"Plot, It Builds Charater" T-Shirt

SuperForester Spoon just sent this in. Literarilly hilarious!


(via typetees.com)

The Show by Lenka

Good Morning SuperForest!

With the holiday season coming to an end in its usual, busy fashion, life can get pretty hectic.

We have all been there: Last minute shopping, visiting friends and family, all kinds of goodies and sweet treats to make.

Sometimes when we start to get frustrated it is good to sit back and say, "hey, I can't control everything, so I might as well enjoy the ride."

Or, like the talented Australian singer Lenka says: just enjoy the show.



Her official music video doesn't allow embedding, but here is a link to that as well:

Lenka - The Show

I have had this catchy tune stuck in my head for a while so it seems only fair to share that with you all!

Here's to life,
Spoon

Green Fire Station

Happy Friday peeps!

I just read an article in our local newspaper, Orlando Sentinel that made my day. The City of Orlando is building a new headquarters for the fire department. New facilities for our hard-working firefighters are great, but what tickled me is that they are building it using eco-friendly designs.

(Oh yeah, that's a green roof!)

I'll let the writer, Mark Schlueb, explain:

"Like four smaller fire stations opened since last year in distant parts of the city, the new downtown station has been designed according to environmentally friendly building standards.

The concrete torn up from the old downtown bus station will be crushed and reused for the new station. Extra insulation, including traditional insulation in the walls and a roof partially covered with grass, will reduce heating and cooling costs. To cut operational costs further, architects included high-efficiency air-conditioning systems, low-flow plumbing fixtures and sensors that turn off a room's lights when no one is present.

'We get more bang for our buck when we build in that fashion,' Mayor Buddy Dyer said."

I love that last quote. What a practical view to building more effectively and efficiently. The building was designed to achieve the "silver" certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

And the best part? I can watch the building rise up from my own office window:


Happy Days,

Spoon

Patrick Moberg Illustration

Good morning everyone!

Spoon here.

I found this wonderful drawing yesterday via Ffffound! (click to enlarge)


It is by a very talented artist who goes by the name of Patrick Moberg.

A quick glance at his site and I also found this clever little animation:



Here's to life,

Spoon

What a Wonderful World

Greetings friends and family,

Today I found myself filled with a strange emotion. It started out as mild excitement and built slowly, until I found myself brimming with optimism. That feeling? It's Hope.

"Hope is a belief in a positive out come related to events and circumstances in one's life."

"Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best."

"To hope is to wish for something with the expectation of the wish being fulfilled."

No one can deny the importance of tomorrow's outcome. I for one am filled with extreme hopefulness.

And it is not because of who will or will not be elected.

I am filled with hope because of the country we live in.

Tomorrow we celebrate our democratic freedom. A freedom that allows us, despite our individual beliefs and differences, to come together as a nation. A freedom that makes everyone real equals, even if it is for only one day every four years.

Tomorrow, Joe the plumber's vote will count the same as Bill Gates'.
Tomorrow, my vote will be weighed equally with Michael Moores'.
Tomorrow, you and George W. Bush will have equal say in determining our next president.

And that is why I am hopeful. Sure our country has it's problems. But all-in-all, it is a pretty flippin' sweet place to live.



Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World
performed by Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole:

"I hear babies cry and
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than
I'll ever know
And I think to myself,
'What a Wonderful World'."

Love and Hope to all,

Spoon

Green City

Hey peeps,

I have a bit of a confession to make: I am a sucker for sweet video games.

I try to steer clear and be more productive with my time, but sometimes they are just too good to resist.

That being said, I LOVE it when games can be incorporated into and used as teaching tools. Like putting words to song, it makes it easier to learn when you are having fun.

Well that is exactly what the people over at Alternative Energy have done. Using EA Games' Sim City Societies, Alternative Energy incorporates a great teaching tool into the already popular video game. Alternative Energy explains:

Through an initial Web tutorial, students will learn to build their own virtual SimCity based on societal model, and in the proceeding lessons, set specific goals, monitor their city’s energy use and chart growth. The students will then control their city, choosing more environmentally-friendly and alternative energy options for city infrastructure.

Students can choose to implement over 500 unique objects into their city, ranging from workplaces to residential buildings and venues, and they can even choose to “bulldoze” pollution-causing buildings or allocate more money to energy research within their city.

As the program progresses, students will monitor their city’s pollution, energy output and health risks, while researching green initiatives, environmental issues and real-world green design applications at home.

Students get to learn how to be more sustainable and get to play video games? Awesome.

It says the lessons are for middle and high schoolers but I bet we could all learn a bit from this great program. If you know any teachers looking for a way to reach out to their students about the environment, this would be a great start!

Hope everyone had a great weekend,

-spoon

(found via treehugger. I believe Sim City Societies retails for about 20 clams, or you can pick it up at Amazon for $9)

Worms! Can ya dig?

Hey everyone!

Say you wanted to compost your organic waste for a while, but you live in an apartment, or don't have enough room for a traditional compost in your backyard. Well, with worm composting, now you can! The Can-O-Worms lets you have your very own composter right in your kitchen.



Please allow me to introduce to you some of my friends:



These little guys are the world's best recyclers. Vermicomposting, simply put, is the process of composting using earthworms. It is very similar to regular composting, but with a few differences. Let's take a minute to learn about these crazy crawlers, courtesy of Abundant Earth:

They can live for a long time (15 years or more!)
They have both male and female reproductive organs
They can be bred easily at home or school
They produce castings which have a neutral pH (around 7)
Their castings increase crop and pasture yields
They increase the level of essential microbial activity in the soil
They can consume their own body weight in food every day
They double in population every 2-3 months, in ideal conditions

Imagine eating your own body weight in food every day! Worms will eat just about any organic material (except meat), even the useless junk mail you receive. Not so useless anymore, eh? And the castings that your worms leave behind work as a great natural fertilizer!

The Can-O-Worms retails for around 120 bones. If you would like a cheaper, DIY alternative, try making your own!

Love,

Spoony

Earth From Above

Happy Hump Day Y'all!

I discovered an amazing photographer today, in a Boston article courtesy of Ffffound!

The man's name is Yann Arthus-Bertrand, and he specializes in aerial photography. Next spring, Yann will be in New York City to display his latest exhibit, Earth From Above. Even better, the Boston article claims that Yann's goal is to "inspire people to think globally about sustainable living." Rock on Yann!

Here are a few samples of his amazing work:

(all photographs © Yann Arthus-Bertrand)

Amazing.

Here is the link to the main page of the exhibit: Earth From Above

So if your in the Big Apple come spring, be sure to check it out!

And make sure to tell Team SuperForest all about it!

-spoon

Jason Mraz Presents: A change IS going to come

Hey everyone!

I am sure a lot of you already know this, but for those who don't, singer/songwriter Jason Mraz has an amazing blog.

I found his latest post to be very inspirational, so I thought I would just share it with you. Take a peak and you'll see what I mean:

A change IS going to come

Last year Bob Dylan compiled a song list for Starbucks’ Artist Choice Series. In addition to offering up a keen selection of country, blues, and jazz, he also supplied notes and commentary as to why he held the songs in such regard. BUT, the best part was the forward.

He wrote, "When I was asked to put together this collection of songs, I wasn't sure what to do. So I just grabbed a bunch of things I was into recently. Some people have favorite songs, but I've got songs of the minute -- songs that I'm listening to right now. And if you ask me about one of those songs a year from now, I might not even remember who did it, but at the moment it's everything to me.”

I bring this up as today’s lesson: Nothing is final. One day you’re high. The next day you’re low. You might have a funky, expressive, or awful haircut today, but soon it will grow into something else, something new and random. Maybe you grew up liking pop music and boy bands, but now you like a specific mash up of Electronic & Classical. You might decide you don’t want to smoke cigarettes anymore; that it’s just not who you are. Maybe you were a staunch republican but now have curiosities about the well-spoken and well-organized Democratic Nominee. Perhaps you were madly in love last week, but woke up today feeling comfort in solitude, without a desire to be held.

Everything is fine. Not finAL.

We tend to instantly identify with “things.” And we believe in so much, when in fact, a belief isn't known to be true. It's a hope for the truth. We hold grudges because of what someone said when we were young. We store hurtful words and replay them in our minds until we think it to be true. And some of us believe a TV commercial and think we need a faster computer, a smarter phone, a stronger pill, a more relaxed-fit jean, etc. We think that certain things, thoughts, or actions make us who we are and sometimes we become addicted to those thoughts or behaviors and then become too afraid to let them go.

I write and post a lot therefore many people assume I have every self-published word memorized or that I live these shared thoughts constantly. This is not the case. My brain doesn’t reference myself very well actually, and I’m sure I contradict myself every other day in one way or another. One day I feel like I have all the wisdom of the world and the next day my soul wears thin and I stutter just ordering ice cream.

And everything is fine.

Because I trust in the ever-changing climate of the heart. (At least, today I feel that way.) I think it is necessary to have many experiences for the sake of feeling something; for the sake of being challenged, and for the sake of being expressive, to offer something to someone else, to learn what we are capable of. These meanderings, rants, and blogs for instance, provide a great deal of comfort just sharing it, even though i put a part of myself on the line to be criticized or considered an ass.
Oh well, Courage is triumph of the soul is guess. and an Ass can still be of great service.

So Remember, You have the right to change your mind.

About anything.

Anytime.

This is not the ending.

P.S. – No doesn’t mean forever. It simply means, “Not right now.”

And on the topic of Not right now, whatever happened to you in the past is not happening now.

You will be safe behind your honest decisions and mood swings.

I promise.
-mraz
Berlin

Great message. I love the idea that you are allowed to change your mind. Not one of us remains exact same person we were past. Don't feel bad for changing. Embrace it.

Lots 'o love,

Spoon

Welcome SuperForester Spoon!

A while back we started an advice column, and so far SuperForester Spoon has been the only person to use it.

But that's cool as it has lead to the addition of a new Team member, Spoon his very self!

A huge welcome to Spoon, who has provided some very quality info so far.

It's wild to think, but this time last year SuperForest didn't even exist! Now there are eight people around this wonderful planet working hard to bring you positive news and sustainability goodness.

Amazing.

Love to All,

Team SuperForest

SuperForester Spoon Presents: Amazing Image!

Spoon says:

Good Wednesday!

I love this picture/t-shirt...just thought I'd share it.

J: Awesome, Spoon! Very SuperForest.

Want the shirt the above image comes on? Here it is @ threadless.

SuperForester Spoon Presents: Daughtry - What About Now

Hey Yo!

A few weeks back, we started Ask SuperForest, our very own advice column.
Our first (and currently only) question came from SuperForester Spoon in Florida.

(You can read his question and our answer right here.)

Today, Spoon sent in his first post!

Hey everyone!

My name is James but most people refer to me as Spoon. I stumbled across Superforest a few months ago through Jason Mraz's site (not unlike some other folks out there) and have been hooked ever since.

I am a student as well as a musician and employee. I love anything that has to do with music, reading, films and especially things that have to do with Florida.

I was born and raised in the Sunshine State, which is still hurting in some areas because of the recent Tropical Storm Fay. So when I found Daughtry's "What About Now" video I was personally touched because of what is happening to thousands of people across this state, several of whom I personally know.

If you ever find yourself asking, "What can I do to make a difference?" The answer is simple: You ARE the difference. You ARE the change.

Get out there and create some good vibes, you will be surprised to see just how many you get back in return :)

I hope everyone is having a happy Monday and may the sun shine down you all!

Sincerely,

Spoon

Sadly, the video has embedding disabled. No matter, click on any above picture to see it on youtube.

Awesome!

Great first post, Spoon!

And if you've got a question you'd like Team SuperForest to answer, email asksuperforest@gmail.com. Yes, do!