Open Source Ecology
The ultimate in agricultural nerding. Open Source Ecology is a network of farmers and engineers that has been creating an open source, low-cost, high performance technological platform that allows for the easy, DIY fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a sustainable civilization with modern comforts.
NASA Skytran
Skytran is a bad-ass personal rapid transit system that will hopefully make its ways to cities soon. It consists of two-person pods attached to guideways above streets and roads. The pods can stop every half mile or so for anyone who needs to get off.
Bud Caddell’s definition of a digital strategy.
Pivot: Jonathan Hoefler
This is a must watch for any design nerd. Type specialist Jonathan Hoefler of the type foundry Hoefler & Frere-Jones covers not only the complexities of designing beautiful typefaces, but more importantly the complexities of making those typefaces appear beautiful on a variety of platforms (newsprint, web, mobile devices, etc.)
Apple’s original “Think different” television spot celebrating pioneers of progress. Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.
A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica.
Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, El Salvador, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon. Also visible is the earths ionosphere (thin yellow line), a satellite (55sec) and the stars of our galaxy.
FULL SCREEN THIS BITCH!
I just noticed something on the back cover of the 2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack record—an astronaut holding what looks to be an iPad-like device. Pretty interesting considering the fact that this was released in 1968.
The illustration is by Robert McCall who died at 90 last year.
Everyone loves Rube Goldberg machines, and apparently this is the world’s most complicated one. It’s pretty damn good.
Rachel Botsman: The case for collaborative consumption
With the 21st Century’s convergence of the economic downturn, environmental limitations, new media technologies and a renewed sense of community, there is a radically different economy emerging. Rachel Botsman, author of What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption, has identified sharing services like Zipcar and Netflix as a crucial element in navigating this new economy.
