Burning in the new year?

Relaxing in front of a fire in Raleigh with my brother Godfrey.

Hot like fire, because it is.

Turns out you need a lot of kindling to get even a small fire going.

Natural Enemies?

HAAhhahahahahahahahaahahahah!

 

 

Sent to you by knoemoore via Google Reader:

 

 

You Mess With Nature, Nature Will Mess With You Right Back [Nature]

via Gizmodo by Adam Frucci on 12/22/09

Here is a photo of a videographer getting taken down by an eagle. This is basically the plot of Avatar completely summed up, made for considerably less than $250 million. [Reddit via The Daily What]

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Gizmodo using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

What a Hack!

How could we all have not known about this?! Oh, yeah.... National security. Oh well, I think it's cool anyways.

 

 

Sent to you by knoemoore via Google Reader:

 

 

Why Is This Hacker So Miserable Looking? [Image Cache]

via Gizmodo by Rosa Golijan on 12/21/09

I wonder what's going through Mitch "oorange3" Adair's head in this picture. Is he annoyed that someone made yet another joke about hacking the Gibson or did he just lose the US Cyber Challenge? Either way, that's one unhappy-looking hacker.

The US Cyber Challenge in which Adair participated is a huge competition with the goal of hacking your opponents' computers while defending your own from attacks. It's not just a silly game for the sake of showing off either: The competition is designed to find talented individuals and recruit them to defend our country, companies, and computers from evil-doers' cyberattacks.

Neat competition, but I still wonder if Adair's frustration was because he didn't win or because of a lame joke. [CNN]

Update: Adair has emailed me to set the record straight. He explains that this isn't frustration or annoyance we're seeing. It's the "21st century's version of Rodin's The Thinker."

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Gizmodo using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

Liu Bolin, Scene and Herd in China

I'm not only drawn to the unbelievable amount of skill that Liu Bolin's exhibits in his work, I'm educated and amazed by the political commentary that the subject matter suggests.

 

 

Sent to you by knoemoore via Google Reader:

 

 

Urban Camouflage: Liu Bolin, The Invisible Man

via WebUrbanist by Steph on 12/5/09

In a world of Photoshop and special effects, artistic craft wrought by hand is getting harder to come by. But Liu Bolin doesn't need any fancy technology to produce the jaw-dropping illusion of invisibility – his urban camouflage photography is all paint and pure talent.

The Beijing-based artist spends hours studying his chosen locations and painting himself and other subjects, while carefully taking perspective and texture into account for spectacular results that render them almost invisible.

But Liu's work is more than just a cool-looking feat of trompe l'oeil. In the past, works depicting anti-government imagery, including some in which his Chinese subjects are in the grips of police officers, have resulted in the Chinese government shutting down his art studio.

"In my photography, historical statues, costumes and architecture become symbols of that which confines us," Liu says. "I am expressing the desire to break through these structures. I portray subjects that seem to disappear into these structures and become transparent. The subject is released from social constructs and he is free."

"Living in the red hot China, I feel that I am not in control of my own life. However, I have an indescribable burning desire inside of me. Art is a weapon that helps us untangle the chaos in our lives. I hope that my artworks can calm people down during this period of constant change, but at the same time, inspire people to re-evaluate our environment and reconsider the problems arising in our society. In this transition period, I can hear the voice of Hamlet whispering, "for in the sleep of death, what dreams may come."

Urban Camouflage Clothing, Art and Design

Camouflage isn't just for natural environments - it can be used surprisingly effectively in urban surroundings as well. Click Here to See More

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to WebUrbanist using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

Kris Kuksi’s Recycled Toy Sculptures

Kris Kuksi is THE aesthetic truth for 2010, so say I.

 

 

Sent to you by knoemoore via Google Reader:

 

 

Kris Kuksi’s Recycled Toy Sculptures Will Scare the Kids

via INHABITAT by Ariel Schwartz on 11/19/09

The beautiful thing about upcycled materials is that the end results often bear no resemblance to the original items. Such is the case with sculptor Kris Kuksi's toy sculptures, which are constructed out of old toys, statues, and mechanical parts.

Read the rest of Kris Kuksi's Recycled Toy Sculptures Will Scare the Kids

---

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Art, Artist, eco-art, green design, kris kuksi, recycled toy sculptures, sustainable design, toys, upcycling

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to INHABITAT using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

Nathanael Holley has invited you to preview Google Wave

Google	wave
	preview

• Check out the videos and example waves
• Update your profile
• Start waving!

Nathanael Holley has invited you to preview Google Wave!

Google Wave is a new online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using text, photos, videos, maps, and more. Learn more at wave.google.com.

This is still an early preview of Google Wave, so you may run into some bumps along the way but we look forward to your feedback.

To accept your invitation, sign into Google Wave at the following link*:

https://wave.google.com/wave/invite?a=pre&wtok=bbab8e18ba1d3a47&wsig=ABk8uhSc-Ns47H8QznolrGTD54sTtxxV2Q

(If you do not have a Google account, you will be prompted to create one)

Once you've signed in:

Happy waving!

The Google Wave Team

For help, please visit http://www.google.com/support/wave

* This link will only work for one invitation to Google Wave, it cannot be shared!

Copyright 2009. Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043.

We're all Duned

A talented young architecture student named Magnus Larsson has come up with a wonderful plan to very literally solidify the efforts of the Green Wall Sahara initiative. In his ingenious plan, microorganisms would be used to teraform the dunes on the southern border of the Sahara into a porous wall that shelter Sub-Saharan Africa from the ever expanding desert. I found it hard to believe that this could be even remotely possible at first, but after listening to him explain the project in a TED conference presentation and visiting his detailed website, I think that this could quite possibly the first of many Sand cities that the international community could build in "third world" countries across the globe.

Rocking chair that powers your reading

I really enjoy these newfangled human-powered designs. It's good to start thinking about alternate energy sources within the framework of our everyday lives and how we want to live, and not necessarily how we are living right now.

William Kwamkamba and the Wind

Unbelievable ingenuity and intelligence.

Didn't Choo know?

While we're on the subject of H&M. They have had the unbelievably brilliant idea to finally feature a well-known fashion accessory designer/label in their stores for a limited time starting this November 14th. But that's not all. Not only will there be a line of the obligatory women's accessories (bags, etc.) there will also be items available for the discerning, yet wallet conscious gentlemen.

Fashion-able

I really like this new user interface that international retail giant H&M is using to present it's fall collection. Usually the photos in an online 'catalogue' are static and designed to move or transition from one photo to the next in fun little ways, but they have actually embedded little videos that allow each look to be gently blown by a breeze. Unique and actually useful in getting an idea of how the fabrics will behave in real life. Good job corporate giant, spend that money on artwork and programing!

Random party pics

Got till he's gone

I believe this media frenzy around Michael Jackson's death is a
response to the memories and emotions that his music evoked. People
are realizing that the source of all that unique and powerful talent
is gone.

The air up there

Click on the title to view a slideshow of NYC's new Highline park. Wonderful design, great location and grand purpose. Say hello to my new lunch hangout.

The relief rush

Every day, about an hour after lunch, everyone in the office gets the
same feeling. This feeling can only be described as the, OMG I have to
go right now feeling. Maybe it's the coffee from breakfast colliding
with the vitamin water from lunch, maybe it's just that we've all
reached maximum capacity. Who knows. What we do know is that no one
wants their coworkers to catch them doing their serious business. What
to do? I propose that we stagger our lunches so that the inevitable
intestinal pile-up happens in a way that keeps us from embarassing
bathroom revelations. Done.

Time to learn

Why is it that every summer, we declare a season of change and newness for our social lives? Only to fall back into comfortable ways of sloth and missed opportunities. Even though I have a big project to complete this summer, I don't have the energy to visit museums and parks and shows like I would want. But, I plan to do something about it. Instead of allowing the important educational stuff to lose in the lottery for time against the important work stuff, I'm going to combine them. Done.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am at western union.

Lisp'n Here!

Is it just me or do a lot of tv personalities have very noticeable lisps and speech impediments. I just need to know two things. Number one, did they get hired becuase of their unique consonant expressions or in spite of them and, number two, do they even recognize or realize that they are not producing certain letters from the correct and agreed upon places on the tongue, teeth, and lips? Kevin Pereira is one of my favorite aural offenders. I really enjoy his presentation of gadget news and digi-globe cultural memes. I'm just not sure how much of his ths in place of s I can stand.

Have we reached a point where, certain things like perfect diction/pronunciation don't matter anymore? Maybe I'm being too harsh and people like Kevin are aware of their difference and simply aren't able to do anything about it. If that is the case, then I am truly sorry. If it's not, then I'd like someone to explain this whole thing to me. I used to have a horrible stutter, and it drove me mad to listen to it, so I worked hard to slow things down and get them out of my mouth right or not at all. Perhaps that's why I'm a little sensitive.

Modern Speak

So. I've noticed that a new way of constructing meaning has come about in pop culture lately. People talk differently than they used to. My best guess as to the origins of this new lexicon is that it is a direct descendent of ubiquitous technology use. Although I myself have a hard time figuring out the code, I thought I'd try and begin a little dictionary to help acquaint the public with the subtle nuances of modern speak. Here we go.

So = Listen, you may enjoy this

like = reminds me of, you know, obviously or perceived to be

Here's the thing = I beleive, the core concept is, I've noticed

Acronyms = easy ways to confuse others and avoid details

worst ever/ best ever = too lazy to describe with elaborate adjectives

I'm swamped = drowning a dirty mess

hot mess = a bad situation thats been festering for a bit

very _____ = resembles, can be compared to

There will be much more to come. I'm going to keep an ear out for new sayings.