Protestors in Hong Kong are using cordless leaf blowers to direct tear gas away until they can cover the fuming canisters with woks.
Neil Gaiman - Writer
Oceans at The End of the Lane is a favorite of all of Gaiman’s books. He transports the reader effortlessly. This book has nothing to do with Halloween but I would highly recommend it this time of year.
A Tribe Called Quest - Musicians
Pioneers in HipHop since the 80’s - members of the band have shifted over the years but their music is still just as charged. Listen.
The Benzonia 1919
This 100yr old ship was lifted on top of another WW2 ship during hurricane Isabel in 2003. Read more here about these ghost ships.
Patagonia - clothing repair truck
Patagonia has over 45 people that repair their clothing - that’s more than any other clothing company in the U.S. Their WornWear truck drives around the country and does on-the-spot repairs. Read more about it here.
xkcd - Randall Munroe (cartoonist, author, engineer, scientific theorist...)
Munroe merges all of his interests through cartoon illustrations. Check out his work here.
BBC Studio - Giles Miller Studio
Interesting shingles/light control. See more about this project here.
Florence Knoll - Architect/Entrepreneur (May 24, 1917 - Jan 25, 2019)
Knoll not only helped define 50s modern furniture and systems, but championed that designers be credited for their work. Read more here. Always Be Knolling
Rick Baker - MakeUp/Special Effects Artist
Baker worked on numerous films: Videodrome (image below), American Werewolf in London, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Star Wars, etc.) and raised the bar on what was possible with makeup/special effects in films and music videos.
Cool School in Tanzania - Asante Architecture
This project was worked on by Swedish Architects/Engineers Without Borders. The off-grid buildings are powered with solar energy and harvest rainwater in a system inspired by the African baobab tree. Read more about this here.
Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)
Listen to this acoustic demo version of “I Feel For You”.
Representing Information Differently by Karim Douieb (Data Scientist)
Here’s an interesting graphic showing how people (urban vs rural) voted in 2016 across the US. See more here.
Finnish Cabins - Aleksi Hautamaki & Milla Selkimaki
These sustainable spaces use the same Finnish sauna stove to heat both the running water and radiant floors. Solar PV takes care of their electrical needs. With the cold weather coming in, I’m a bit distracted by the idea of a wood stove. See more about this project here.
Sead Pod - Bryan Meadow (Industrial Designer)
This simple idea allows a standard fence to be turned into a vertical garden. See more here.
Mobius
Interesting design, convincing rendering from Warsaw, Poland based designers. See more by this firm here.
Thatch
Here’s an interesting Croatian project combining traditional thatching with modern design. Check out more about this project here.
Vincent Van Duyse - Belgian Architect
I love the crisp roofline and edge detailing on this barn. See more about this project here.
Stefano Boeri - Architect/Urban Planner
Boeri designed this elevated pathway that is to be constructed under Renzo Piano’s bridge in Geneo, Italy. The tower is a wind turbine for generating power to nearby buildings. See more about this project here.
Vertical Farming
Technology and science have been merging with farming, well, for centuries. However, at this point in time, the art of growing food has taken a leap. Here’s a company that uses 95% less water, no soil or pesticides and LEDs in a repurposed building with high yields of produce.
Wim Wenders - filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer
Wenders’ documentaries and feature films explore movement in space as well as isolation or maybe longing for human connection. The beauty, sadness and humor of Paris Texas (film still below) has stuck with me for years. Watch this 3min. compilation of various Wenders’ scenes here.
