Nahalal

(image via yannarthusbertrand.com)

(image via nahalal.org)




Nahalal is a planned agricultural community in Israel.

It is also, needless to say, visually stunning.

A recent National Geographic article points out that Nahalal has "one structural kink (in) this design: Growth is limited. Once a rigid circle is drawn, there's little room to go forth and multiply." - Alan Mairson

I politely disagree.

There is always up.


(image via inhabitat)


Here's the wiki: Nahalal

Nanyang Tech's Green Roof!

"(This is the) 5-Storey Teaching Facility at Nanyang Drive for School of Art, Design and Media.

Located at the junction of Nanyang Ave and Nanyang Drive, the new iconic School of Art, Design and Media is situated in a wooded valley, right in the heart of the campus.

The design was conceived as 3 intertwining blocks that are apparent natural extensions of the ground. These blocks interweave to enclose a picturesque plaza and landscape. Major spaces such as the Auditorium, Media Studios, library and art galleries surround this outdoor activity node."
(from NTU.edu)

We need more buildings that look like this.

Don't you just want to roll around on it? I don't often think that about buildings.

Outdoor Activity Node? Sign me up!

Yet another good reason to visit Singapore.

Here's A Pretty Thing.

This is the Magenn Air Rotor, from LiftportEnergy.com.
It is essentially a power generating balloon.
The Air Rotor spins in the breeze, generating friction. That friction rotates a generator within the Rotor, which produces energy, which is in turn sent down the tether to a battery below, or directly onto the power grid.
Works day and night, low wind and high, and is bird and bug friendly. It is also completely silent.

Every house should have one.

Fossil fuels are so yesterday.

High Torque Air Rotors are so now.

Hip hop hooray!

-Jackson



Magenn.com
LiftportEnergy.com

Smarter Solar Panels

Nanosolar in Palo Alto, CA has invented a method of printing thin, flexible, solar panels!

Instead of thick, bulky panels, these panels are as thin as a supermodel, and produce far more electricity!

Check out this short!
kqed.org

nanosolar.com
Nanosolar, Inc.
5521 Hellyer Avenue
San Jose, CA 95138
Fax: 408.365.5965
Email: info@nanosolar.com

You're Stepping On My Ads!

Hello All!

I was just at the Metreon in San Francisco and saw something that made me smile.

A company called Reactrix has created an ingenious thing: an advertising carpet!
Well, not really a carpet, but a reflective mat on the ground, with images projected from above, so that when you walk across it, the images underfoot react to your presence. The best part? You can interact with everything!
There's a space game where you control a little spaceship with your foot, firing lasers by tapping your toes!
There's a ninja game where you flick throwing stars with your feet.
There's a Skittles ad where you walk around and piles of Skittles accumulate at your feet.

I must have spent twenty minutes looking at this thing.

Reactrix has done something very special, they've found a fabulous and engaging new way to advertise.
This is very much the new way. Don't just show me the product, let me engage with it. Let me kick it. Let me fling ninja stars at it with my feet. Let me walk through piles of it. Treat me like a thinking human being, and I won't resent being advertised to.

There is no limit to the great things one could do with the Reactrix System. As a teaching tool, it could be immensely useful. As a method of getting people to play together, as an ice-breaker, this system's use is unparalleled.




And the best part: Look at the way kids engage with it. Kids completely understand the tech, while most adults seemed content to stand at the edges and watch.



Don't watch, play.

Love,

J

UK Smartness

All the outlets in Jolly Old have incorporated this very smart, energy saving feature: an On/Off switch!

Plug your chargers, computers, or anything else that steadily drains power, and when you're done using them, simply turn the entire outlet off.

No hassle.

Huzzah!

The Incomparable Ramona Otto

There is an artist in Los Angeles whose work I adore.

Her name is Ramona Otto, and for many years she's been making the most wondrous things, all out of found and recycled objects!

check her site out:

ramonaotto.com

Smart SmartCar!

Hello!

I am in Los Angeles today. Yesterday, a friend and I drove out to Venice and saw something really amazing.

SmartCar has built a showhouse for its North American launch that is truly something to behold.
Located on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice, the SmartHouse is a fabulous new approach to selling cars.

You see, what they've done is design this amazing space, a sort of Danish-Modern, Dwell magazine, sustaino-fab hybrid, and integrated the cars into the structure. They built an image of the perfect hipster house/life and are showing you how this car is an integral part of it. Everywhere I looked I saw something that impressed me. The whole thing was just so darned SMART.

Let's look at some of the highlights!


Here's the exterior. Not too in your face, just sort of letting you know.

You walk inside, and right by the front door is a FRIENDLY LADY behind a clean, white booth, who can tell you all about the SmartCar. They've got one parked in the front room, but I forgot to pic it.
She dropped some creamy numbers on me, like the SmartCar gets 40 mpg, is 80% recyclable, and has a starting cost of $12,000. Diesel and all-electric come out next year. I got into the SmartCar and was amazed at its interior space. The roof of the car is tinted glass, which lets you see the sky, and clouds, and birds.

I sort of had to use the bathroom, which was no problem here, as they seemed to have at least two on every level. And in the bathroom was a funny little graphic which I thought very smart. Isn't the station wagon the one from National Lampoon's Vacation? Methinks it is.

On the second floor was another nice lady who offered me a cappuccino and a cookie. There were maybe five people working there, but they didn't stick out at all, they weren't wearing SmartCar gear or nametags. The whole vibe was extremely welcoming and unobtrusive.

They had the Roomba running around, cleaning the floors, and generally being clean and tech-y. I think they had one every level. I was down on my knees, scooting all over, trying to take this picture, but no one seemed to mind.

Everywhere you looked were little areas for sitting and hanging. Lovely furniture throughout, like this delightful shelving unit which reminded me of a bee-hive.

I kept thinking: "I could happily live here. This could be MY life." Which is exactly what they were going for.


All the art was pretty decent. They had worked the SmartCar into some of the paintings, but never in a way that made you cringe.

In the garage they had a SmartCar body, with all the safety features highlighted. The flatscreen behind the body ran a movie loop showing SmartCar crash tests from multiple directions. Genius. The crash test dummies seemed safe and sound.

See? Throw your boards on the roof-rack and you can be out shredding some waves in no time! And you get some darn fine mileage on your way to the beach.

Door color options. I believe these are easy to switch out, so you can change your car day to day.

Here's a pic of the test drive area from an upstairs room.

One of the many SmartCars to interact with. This one had a great orange interior.


All in all, I really liked the care and attention that SmartCar has put into the SmartHouse Venice. They've created a perfect setting for their little jewel of a car.

They've also tapped into a very clever method to advertise, which is: Make me feel like a partner and a guest, not like a CONSUMER. I came away knowing a great deal more about the SmartCar, and more importantly, feeling very good about the people in charge of the SmartCar brand.

These cats are being very Smart.*

If you find yourself in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend having a gander at the SmartHouse Venice.
It is open until January.

SmartHouse Venice, CA
1319 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
google.com/maps


*except for the fact that they HAVE NO WEBSITE! C'mon yo, it's twenty-oh-seven! Gimme a url.