Floating Cities: 15 Last-Hope Homes for a Watery World
September 6, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steph in Art & Design, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
With so many visions of humanity’s future involving the devastating effects of climate change, architects are looking toward a life without land: entire self-contained cities purposefully built on water complete with housing, schools, hospitals, restaurants and shops. These floating city concepts range from recycled oil rigs to what could be the largest structure ever built (if we ever discover a material strong enough to bear the weight, that is.)
Embassy of Drowned Nations
(images via: oculus)
As sea levels rise, it seems that some nations will inevitably sink beneath the depths, leaving behind thousands or perhaps millions of displaced residents. We may hope that the Embassy of Drowned Nations is never actually needed, but time will tell. The artificial island, conceived by Australian design firm Oculus, would temporarily house climate change refugees.
Drowned London, Rebuilt on Oil Rigs
(images via: io9)
If London, too, falls victim to climate change, where will everyone go? Perhaps they’d evacuate to abandoned oil rigs and recycled ship hulls, as in this concept by Anthony Lau. Says the designer, “By utilising the flooded landscape, a floating city of offshore communities, mobile infrastructure and aquatic transport will allow the city to reconfigure through fluid urban planning. Wave, tidal and wind energy will be ideal for this offshore city and the inhabitants will live alongside the natural cycles of nature and the rhythms of the river and tides.”
New Orleans Arcology Habitat
(images via: greener ideal)
Five years later, New Orleans is just beginning to feel like its old pre-Katrina self again – but that could change all too quickly if another major hurricane happened to hit the city. Perhaps residents should aim for a solution that works with rather than against the water they’re surrounded by – like this concept for a ‘New Orleans Arcology Habitat’, a floating metropolis in the Mississippi River. It’s not just a last-ditch emergency shelter: with housing, hotels, cultural facilities, a school system and even casinos, it’s a self-contained community for everyday living.
Boston Arcology
(images via: ahearn schopfer)
Boston may not be living under the constant threat of flooding like New Orleans, but rising seas could still be a problem for this bustling coastal city. Designer Kevin Schopfer would bring 15,000 Boston residents out into the harbor with the BOA development, a floating pedestrian-only city with all the amenities one would expect in any urban setting.
Seasteading San Francisco
(images via: seasteading.org)
For some libertarians, no government is good government – and that’s why they’d like to find a way to live in self-contained, self-sustainable floating cities located in international waters. The Seasteading Institute imagines “homesteading on the high seas” on mobile platforms. The group’s first project may be ‘ClubStead’, a 200-person resort seastead in the San Francisco Bay.
Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid
(image via: wikimedia commons)
If you’re interested in futuristic architecture concepts on the opposite end of the spectrum from the “tiny house movement”, look no further than Japanese firm Shimizu, which has come up with all manner of mega-projects ranging from electricity-collecting belts for the moon to this “Mega-City Pyramid”, which if built would be the largest building ever constructed. A self-contained city for one million people situated on a river delta, the 1.25-mile-high structure isn’t technically possible yet because no known material can support that kind of weight.
Green Float – Lilypad Skyscraper City
(images via: shimizu)
Another big idea from Shimizu is “Green Float”, which is just as much a sky city as a floating city, given that it places housing in tall skyscrapers perched on lilypad-like platforms. Each skyscraper is insanely tall at one mile high each, and would house 1 million residents, with the ‘stem’ of each tower containing vertical gardens.
Disney’s 1984 Sea City of the Future
(image via: paleofuture)
In 1984, Walt Disney had some interesting ideas of what agriculture would be like in farming areas near the sea by the year 2050. Published in a book called ‘The Future World of Agriculture’, this image was accompanied by the following text: “Robots tend crops that grow on floating platforms around a sea city of the future. Water from the ocean would evaporate, rise to the base of the platforms (leaving the salt behind), and feed the crops.”
1968 Sea City
(image via: darkroastedblend)
Dark Roasted Blend bemoaned the fact that, when it comes to visions of futuristic architecture, “the future’s gotten too damned small.” But that’s definitely not the case with those Shimizu projects, or with this mysterious concept, which the blog identifies as “Sea-City, 1968 – architect Hal Moggridge for Pilkington Glass Company.” The design is sadly bereft of further information but it’s certainly a striking image with its illuminated strip of buildings forming an artificial harbor.
Freedom Ship: City at Sea
(images via: freedomship.com)
Aesthetically speaking, the Freedom Ship isn’t quite on the level of most other floating city designs – but that may actually make it easier to achieve. An amazing mile long, this mega-stretched-out cruise ship could house over 50,000 people with living quarters, work space, retail, education and health care. It has its own full-size airstrip on the roof as well as a giant port for smaller leisure boats and visiting vessels.
Shanghai Expo’s Floating City
(images via: treehugger)
It never did materialize, but if this 2007 vision for a floating city had really been constructed, it certainly would have been the most innovative and eye-catching display at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Dutch designers envisioned an eco-friendly series of honeycomb semi-spheres floating on the Shanghai River, packed with a 3D cinema, pubs, a shopping mall and a restaurant.
Ark City from ‘Brink’
(images via: io9)
The stunning “seagoing eco-city gone wrong” that serves as the setting for the game Brink was inspired by the writings of Geoff Manaugh, founder of BLDGBlog, and by concepts like the Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid. “It was familiar enough to draw on zeitgeist-ish current concerns, but distant enough in time and space that players wouldn’t have seen it before,” wrote Brink developer Ed Stern.
Buckminster Fuller’s Triton City
(images via: a place to stand)
From WebUrbanist’s ‘Retro-Futurism: 13 Failed Urban Design Ideas‘ – “If not for a certain tell-tale 1960s aesthetic, Buckminster Fuller’s ‘Triton City’ could easily fit among today’s designs for floating eco-friendly cities. The futurist, architect and inventor was ahead of his time as usual when he imagined this tetrahedronal metropolis for Tokyo Bay, a seastead for up to 6,000 residents. Fuller wrote about the possibility of desalinating and recirculating seawater ‘in many useful and non-polluting ways’ and using materials from obsolete buildings on land, which were hardly popular ideas at the time.”
The Gyre: Floating Oceanic Skyscraper
(images via: zigloo.ca)
From WebEcoist’s ‘Underwater Cities: 12 Sci-Fi Visions & Real Design Ideas’ – “Technically, the Gyre isn’t a floating skyscraper – it’s more like a seafloor-scraper. Rather than reaching high into the air, the tip of the Gyre descends 400 meters under the ocean’s surface from a floating platform with four arms that buoy the building and create harbors for massive ships. The Gyre, powered by the solar, wind and wave energy, would house a research station and a resort complete with shops, restaurants, gardens, parks and entertainment.”
Sea City 2000
(image via: futuresavvy)
FutureSavvy.net scanned this unidentified article about ‘Sea City 2000′, a concept based on the ideas of both Buckminster Fuller and Paolo Soleri, which features a pyramid-shaped building covered in solar panels on a floating platform. The pyramid contains apartments, shops, gardens and schools while the equipment underneath it would support jobs like fish farming and “mining the sea bed for minerals – sure to be an important activity in the 21st century.”
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Paying it Forward at Trader Joe’s
September 3, 2010 by admin · View Comments
It all started with a trip to Trader Joe’s. Jenni Ware had just rung up her groceries, which came to a total of $207. But as she reached into her purse, she discovered that she’d left her wallet at home.
Ware was about to go home grocery-less when she received a kind offer from the stranger in line behind her, a woman named Carolee Hazard. Hazard offered to pay Ware’s entire bill, simply asking her to send her a check to cover the cost.
The next day, Hazard received a check for $300—$93 more than she’d lent to Ware.
“I didn’t know what to do with the money,” Hazard told USA Today. “I’d thought to mail a check back to Jenni, but in the day and age of Facebook, I turned to my friends to decide what to do with the money instead,”
A friend suggested donating the cash to charity. Hazard thought that was a great idea, and selected the Second Harvest Food Bank, matching the $93 with an additional $93 of her own.
Several of Hazard’s friends were so inspired by her actions that they decided to make their own $93 donations. Soon, their friends were following suit. The group of philanthropists created “the 93 Dollar Club,” and a Facebook page to go along with it. A year since that fateful day at Trader Joe’s, the club has raised more than $100,000 to fight hunger in America.
Now that their story is getting so much attention, Hazard has a bold new goal: doubling donations to $200,000. Want to help? Check out the Facebook page for more info.
Source: Gimundo
Beth
For the Birds: 15 Awesome Avian Home Designs
September 3, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, Art & Design, Home & Garden. ]
No garden is complete without a house or two for our feathered friends, but why stick to boring boxes when you could have sculptural works of art, modern flat-pack steel worthy of urban design enthusiasts, and even posh bird abodes complete with swimming pools? These 15 clever and creative bird house designs – many of which are recycled or even solar-powered – provide fashionable homes for birds year-round.
Heart for the Birds
(image via: mocoloco)
When the Toronto Botanical Garden called for entries in a birdhouse design competition, they received some incredible works of art – but none quite so unusual and sculptural as this piece by Josh Coulas. Entitled ‘Heart for the Birds’, the gallery-worthy design takes human love for our feathered friends to an almost gruesomely literal level.
Spontaneous Bird City
(image via: london field works)
Bird houses tend to be lonely little structures, located far from their neighbors. Why not build an entire bird metropolis? This ‘spontaneous city’ was created by London Fieldworks, a collaboration between artists Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson.
CCTV Bird House
(image via: gizmodo)
That’s not a camera watching your every move – it’s the beady little eyes of a bird. But from far away, this clever and creative birdhouse design might just fool a criminal scoping out your neighborhood.
Posh Bird House with a Pool
(image via: posh living)
Who’s to say that birds don’t love a little luxury every now and then? The lucky birds that find this home first will get a rooftop swimming pool in addition to their modern, vaguely Scandinavian cabana.
Solar-Powered Illuminated Bird House
(image via: oooms.nl)
Given that the need for an illuminated bird house is questionable at best, a solar-powered bird house may seem less than eco. But aside from how cool it looks when lit up at night, the little perch on this birdhouse attracts bugs, giving birds an easy snack.
Giving Birds the Boot
(image via: great green goods)
Luxurious? Hardly – but green? Definitely. It may seem cruel to ask your friendly backyard birds to roost in somebody’s stanky old work boot, but these tough and dependable castoffs could actually be quite cozy for small species like wrens and chickadees, and they save shoes from the dump.
Folding Modern Bird House
(image via: grass roots modern)
On the other end of the spectrum, for urbanists who won’t accept anything less than chic modern design, there are bird houses like this: ultra-modern, super-simple, flat-pack and made of steel.
Modern Bird House with a Green Roof
(image via: workshopped)
Vertical gardening and green roofs aren’t just for people. Artist Donald Corey incorporated the best green design practices into this commission, keeping the most important needs of his ‘clients’ in mind. “Using a natural green roof to protect the ‘clients’ from heat and rain, they get the extra benefit of having a good place to look for food that is very close. The house’s walls are created from salvaged wood and the front and back are made of recyclable stainless steel.”
Airstream Bird House
(image via: chrome dome studio)
For nomads, vagabonds and people who just like the look, Airstreams are a sleek and lovably retro alternative to sticks and bricks. So doesn’t it follow that migrating birds who love to be on the move might want a portable home, as well? Maybe this awesome Airstream birdhouse can’t migrate with its avian inhabitants, but it certainly captures the spirit of travel.
Bird Turf Hanging Bird House
(image via: design sponge)
Pairs of shoes hanging listlessly from power lines are a common sight in urban areas, but why not use that same concept to take back the space for wildlife? This design, with twin black and white cylindrical wooden houses hanging by a cord, creates a habitat in a place where birds often congregate.
Ephemeral Paper Bird House
(image via: design boom)
The remains of old auction catalogs fold up nicely into a sort of origami-like modern birdhouse, albeit one that won’t last long in the wind and rain. But designer Michael Young admittedly didn’t create this as a functional place for birds to nest; it’s a work of art.
CD Case Bird House
(image via: craftster)
It makes for a somewhat geeky, very cool looking birdhouse – but this DIY recycled creation, made with CD jewel cases, does have its downsides. “Now, as long as the plastic cases don’t focus the sunlight like a magnifying glass and fry any potential occupants, we will be doing OK,” writes the artist on Craftster.
Coffee Can Bird House
(image via: ignacio pilotto)
Industrial designer Ignacio Pilotto came up with an awesome and surprisingly nice-looking way to reuse coffee cans: turning them into avian abodes with a couple hooks and a modified lid, fitted with a little perch and a round entrance.
Cinder Block Bird House
(image via: design related)
Who knew that cinder blocks could be such fashionable modular bird houses? Sure, they’re a bit heavy – strong chains would be a must – but this design by Mathew Zurlinden makes great use of a common waste material and can easily stack into apartment buildings for birds.
Flowerpot Bird House
(image via: digsdigs)
So you’ve got one good branch in your yard from which to hang something pretty, but you can’t decide between a hanging pot of colorful flowers and a birdhouse. This unusual concept called ‘O_Nest_O’ by De Castelli gives you the best of both worlds with a hollow area under the plant’s soil in which birds can make a home.
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Underwater Cities: 12 Sci-Fi Visions & Real Design Ideas
August 30, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steph in Art & Design, Science & Research. ]
Whether it’s adventure or necessity that ultimately propels us to venture beyond our shores and build new communities in the sea, we’ve got plenty of space to work with: over 70% of the Earth is covered with water. The world’s oceans can provide a dreamy setting for all manner of submerged societies, from self-sustaining utopian cities to ultra-modern inverted ‘skyscrapers’ and museums. These 12 ideas range from science fiction to theoretically achievable projects, possibly leading to the world’s first permanent aquatic abode.
Sub Biosphere 2
(images via: phil pauley)
Imagine an entirely self-contained city that could go practically anywhere as the need arose – from floating on the surface of the ocean, to hidden in the depths. Sub Biosphere 2 is a concept for a submerged city featuring eight live/work/farm biomes surrounding a large central biome containing all necessary equipment to keep the city running. Theoretically, with enough notice and supplies, Sub Biosphere 2 – which is also a seed bank – could survive everything from a hurricane to a nuclear war.
The Gyre – A Floating Skyscraper
(images via: zigloo.ca)
Technically, the Gyre isn’t a floating skyscraper – it’s more like a seafloor-scraper. Rather than reaching high into the air, the tip of the Gyre descends 400 meters under the ocean’s surface from a floating platform with four arms that buoy the building and create harbors for massive ships. The Gyre, powered by the solar, wind and wave energy, would house a research station and a resort complete with shops, restaurants, gardens, parks and entertainment.
Jellyfish-Inspired Ocean City for Australia
(images via: design boom)
Some ocean cities aim not to look like a modern metropolis that has simply been submerged, but like part of the ecosystem of the sea. The beautiful ‘Syph’, a jellyfish-inspired Ocean City concept for Australia, proposes not buildings but ‘organisms’ that each have a specialized task like producing food or housing residents. Designed by Arup Biometrics for the ‘Now + When Australian Urbanism’ competition, this concept has a flowing elegance that’s fitting for its environment.
Trilobis 65 Underwater Home
(images via: sub-find.com)
Not everyone is eager to pack into densely populated underwater skyscrapers and housing complexes, whether more of us live under the sea as a novelty or by necessity. Some deep-pocketed lovers of luxury may choose partially submerged abodes that are a variation of modern-day yachts. The round Trilobis 65 features an ‘observation bulb’ that provides a 360-degree view at a cost of just $4-5 million.
Amsterdam’s Underwater Future
(images via: treehugger)
Amsterdam has been dealing with a multiplying population and a shortage of land, a problem that will only get worse if the seas rise with global warming. While many forward-thinking architects have proposed a floating future for Amsterdam, this proposal would take certain functions of the city beneath sea level. Moshé Zwarts believes that draining canals, building under them and then re-filling them could provide space for parking, shopping and leisure.
Water-Scraper Self-Sufficient Floating City
(images via: evolo.us)
Like a combination of the Gyre and Australia’s ‘Syph’, the Water-Scraper is an inverted underwater skyscraper but also employs some stunning biomimicry. Designer Sarly Adre Bin Sarkum of Malaysia says “Its bioluminescent tentacles provide sea fauna a place to live and congregate while collecting energy through its kinetic movements.”
Hydropolis Hotel
(images via: builder blog)
It was supposed to be the world’s first underwater hotel, a massive 220-suite structure with a submarine ‘leisure complex’, an above-water land station and a tunnel connecting the two. But the Hydropolis Hotel was just a bit to ambitious of a project for the worldwide economic troubles of 2008-2010, even for Dubai, and though construction was set to start anytime, the project has been shelved.
Poseidon Undersea Resort
(images via: one nation)
Now that Hydropolis is off the table, Fiji’s Poseidon Undersea Resort really will nab the title of ‘world’s first underwater hotel’ – maybe. The resort was first supposed to open in 2008, but got pushed back to early 2010, which didn’t happen either. It’s unclear whether construction has even begun. But if it does ever become a reality, the resort will offer 24 suites on the floor of a 5,000-acre lagoon with stunning views for a fee of $30,000 per couple per week.
Alexandria’s Underwater Museum
(image via: national geographic)
Few people ever get a glimpse of the remnants of ancient Alexandria, long since sunken into the Mediterranean Sea. But all the treasures discovered by divers in the 1990s, including 26 sphinxes, could be visible to the public if the world’s first underwater museum ever gets built. The partially above-water museum would feature four sail-shaped structures representing the points on a compass, and would keep the ruins underwater to follow the UNESCO convention of preservation of underwater heritage. A team is still trying to determine how to build around such priceless artifacts without disturbing them.
Minnesota’s Secret Underwater City
(images via: io9)
Since 1996, people have been mesmerized by online accounts of a “secret underwater city” not under the sea in some exotic location, but deep within the Minnesota River. The “official Mankato, MN web page” has even lured tourists in with stories about an ancient city dating back to about 4,000 B.C., confirmed by “world famous astrogeologist Seymour Bottoms.” Getting the drift yet? The page was created by a professor at Minnesota State University to show his students that you can’t believe everything you hear on the internet – and yes, it has definitely resulted in some very disappointed and confused tourists.
Bioshock’s Underwater City of Rapture
(images via: the next side)
It never was and never will be a reality, but one of the most stunning underwater cities ever imagined is actually from a video game. The city of ‘Rapture’, from the game Bioshock 2, is entirely submerged somewhere off the coast of Iceland. Initially built as a utopian refuge from the post-World-War-II world, it fell victim to unrest from within, and it is the abandoned Rapture that gamers get to explore. This image is one of several by concept artist Tim Warnock depicting Rapture in all of its initial Art Deco glory.
R’lyeh, Home of Cthulu
(images via: john coulthart)
Long before any of the other undersea cities and buildings on this list were ever dreamed up, H.P. Lovecraft’s vision of R’lyeh was the most fascinating submerged metropolis since Atlantis. Illustrator John Coulthart brought it to frightening life in this incredible work of art, reminding us that undersea living isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
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Pile it On: 20 Trash Types You Can Actually Compost
August 27, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steph in Home & Garden. ]
The summer gardening season may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean you should stop composting, especially when you could easily divert more than half of your trash into a free source of soil. And with all of the fun and seemingly crazy things you can actually compost – from condoms to masking tape – you’ll certainly have no shortage of things to throw in the pile.
Latex Gloves, Balloons & Condoms
(images via: pink moose, joost j. bakker, trec_lit)
It’s easy to forget that latex is a natural, biodegradable material. So if after a party you’ve got tons of droopy balloons, latex gloves and used condoms sitting around (we’re not asking any questions), just toss them in the compost pile – they’ll be gone within six months.
Wine Corks
(image via: dawgbyte77)
Many wineries may have switched to plastic corks, but natural is still better for a number of reasons – not the least of which is that by purchasing cork, we help protect cork forests in Portugal. But unlike plastic corks, natural corks are compostable – though they do need to be broken down into smaller pieces first, since they take a while to biodegrade.
Toothpicks & Matchsticks
(images via: backpack photography, nerissa’s ring)
It’s far too easy to just toss little things like toothpicks and cardboard or wood match sticks into the trash, but they do add up over time, and both are easily broken down in the compost bin. Just be sure to avoid the cocktail skewers with the little plastic frills on one end (unless it’s real cellophane, which is compostable too!)
Loofahs & Natural Sponges
(image via: vanessa yvonne, gregory moyne)
Loofahs – a type of vegetable – and sponges from the sea are both biodegradable, renewable natural resources that can be used until they’re utterly spent and then composted for a veritably zero-waste product.
Dryer Lint
(image via: accent on eclectic)
As long as you’re washing mostly natural fiber clothing and other textiles, composting dryer lint is no problem. But there’s something else you can do with it, too: it makes fantastic tinder! Keep it in little zip-lock baggies for camping and other outdoor fires. Or, you know, you could leave it out for a homeless opossum.
Natural Fabrics & Fibers
(image via: boliston)
Holey socks, t-shirts, baby booties – any clothing or textile item that’s made of natural fabric including cotton, wool, linen, flax, hemp and bamboo will break down in the compost pile. That even goes for sheets, throw rugs, tatami mats, baskets and rope.
Stale Chips, Crackers & Cereal
(image via: oskay)
Don’t you hate it when you leave a box of crackers unsealed, and it’s totally stale by the next morning? No need to throw it in the trash, however: while some people debate whether stuff like this should be composted, it’s typically okay as long as it’s well buried (it can attract rodents and other pests.)
White Glue & Used Masking Tape
(images via: debs, xcorex)
Masking tape is handy for all kinds of things – including creating rich garden soil. The paper type (without silicone) is fine to compost, as is white glue including Elmer’s brand. Papier-mache and wheat paste are usually compostable as well.
Feathers and Fur
(images via: lara604, davidgsteadman)
Anyone with dogs or cats in the house knows about the gigantic fur tumbleweeds that can develop on the floor if you don’t sweep often enough. Gather these up, along with excess fur from grooming, and compost them. Pet hair in the garden can actually repel unwanted visiting animals. And feathers, of course, are biodegradable too – so whether you have a pet bird or randomly find them strewn about your yard, toss them in.
Paperback Books
(image via: ron brinkman)
They might take a while to fully decompose if composted whole, but you can always rip paperback books that are no longer fit for reading apart first (removing any glossy covers or inserts).
Liquid from Canned Foods
(image via: zebrashatehail)
Whether it’s that weird slimy sludge from a can of beans or the sticky syrup from some preserved peaches, the liquids from canned foods can be a great addition to the compost pile, adding lots of nutrients.
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Positive Quote…Thursday?
August 26, 2010 by admin · View Comments
Okay, I had a contest yesterday. I didn’t have the chance to post our Positive Quote Wednesday. So here you have it: Positive Quote Thursday.
I didn’t win the contest…at all! So today, admittedly self-involved, I’m posting quotes on losing. We’ve all been there, right?
A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.
Billie Jean King
A good balance of winning and losing is important. If you just win all the time, you won’t get anything out of it; having some tough losses can be really important.
Andrew Shue
A losing trade, I assure you, sir: literature is a drug.
George Borrow
About the only time losing is more fun than winning is when you’re fighting temptation.
Tom Wilson
As I said, I began losing confidence in my instincts, which is tough and very bad for an instinctive person.
Kim Novak
Bambi has a profound effect on children because it’s about losing your mother.
Christine Baranski
Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he’s losing; nobody wants you to quit when you’re ahead.
Jackie Robinson
Being a decathlete is like having ten girlfriends. You have to love them all, and you can’t afford losing one.
Daley Thompson
Being an only child and losing both my parents at an early age, I have found that the friends I have made over the years are the people who help me get through life, good times and bad.
Fannie Flagg
Bjorn was a different breed, I threw my best material at him, but he would never smile, but that added to the charm when he played me and Mac. We were going nuts and losing our mind and he was sitting back like he was on a Sunday stroll.
Jimmy Connors
Extremely strong, effective, tenacious, and powerful political networks can be built when you fight losing battles as well as when you win.
Patricia Ireland
For myself, losing is not coming second. It’s getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I’ve been in.
Ian Thorpe
I also think stress is related to control. When you’re in charge of your life, you tend to not care about losing control of things that don’t really matter like traffic jams.
Marilu Henner
I don’t gamble, because winning a hundred dollars doesn’t give me great pleasure. But losing a hundred dollars pisses me off.
Alex Trebek
I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it.
Steve Irwin
Beth
Greek Artwork brought to Colorful Life!
August 24, 2010 by admin · View Comments
A recent touring exhibition is turning a long held common belief on its head. The common perception is that the great statues and buildings of ancient Greece and Rome were all pure unpainted stone or green tarnished bronze, but researchers have been arguing that this may not been what these classic monuments really looked like back in the era of their creation.
That, in fact, these statue’s were quite alive and vibrant, full of color.
Researchers believe, particalurly Vinzenz Brinkmann who has been doing this research for the past 25 years, that artists used mineral and organic based colors and after centuries of deterioration any trace of pigment leftover when discovered, would have been taken off during any cleaning processes done before being put on display, washing the historical art clear of its true colors.
Beth
The Brooklyn Free Store
August 23, 2010 by admin · View Comments
The Brooklyn Free Store is exactly what it sounds like. The large white tent on Walworth Street houses a huge variety of items, along with a sign that says, “Take what you want. Share what you think others may enjoy (not limited to material items).”
Don’t go looking for anything in particular there: you’ll never find the same thing twice. Merchandise can range from canned vegetables to flashlights; books to fur coats. Along with taking what they like, visitors are encouraged to drop off items they no longer want. Because there is no need to hire a cashier, and no risk of theft, the store is never locked, and is open at all hours.
The store opened in early July, and is proving to be a smashing success, with customers coming in at all hours to sort through the collection and drop off their own donations. And, even though the Brooklyn Free Store is the first of its kind, it’s not likely to be the last.
“New York is world renowned for having the best garbage,” Myles Emery, an organizer of the store, told the New York Times. “There could be free stores everywhere.”
First New York—next, the world?
Source: Gimundo
Beth
Animal Metallicism: 10 Amazing Golden Creatures
August 17, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series, Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Got the gold bug? Golden animals are both beautiful and rare, much like the precious metal itself. These colorful insects, arachnids, vertebrates – and even one very special lady – are linked by a common bond: the warm, golden glow that gives them the look of exquisite, living treasures.
Golden Beetles
(images via: MindCafe, BugGuide and TravelPod)
Certain types of beetles can appear so golden it’s hard to believe they haven’t somehow incorporated 24-carat gold into their gleaming shells! They haven’t – if they did, human treasure hunters would have long since driven them to extinction. Among the most golden of these “gold bugs” are the Golden Scarab Beetle and the Golden Tortoise Beetle.
(images via: Home Schooling Aspergers, Laurie and Matt and Extreme Science)
These insects get their golden appearance using some pretty sophisticated science. The Golden Tortoise Beetle can adjust the moisture content between two layers of its wing covers, resulting in varying levels or golden iridescence as seen by the human eye.
(image via: DK Images)
The Golden Scarab Beetle (Chrysina resplendens) goes even further: its chitinous cuticle reflects circularly polarized light which is “left-handed”. Sounds complicated; looks brilliant!
Golden Jumping Spiders
(images via: Johnbird30 and BugGuide)
Jumping spiders are hunters and ambush predators rather than web-weavers so one would think having a gleaming, metallic exoskeleton would not be in their best interest. Possibly these spiders’ golden appearance is something only human eyes – and not those of its prey – can appreciate.
(image via: Bug Guide)
Jumping spiders are one of the most intelligent spider species and this 1/4-inch long iridescent gold example is one of the most striking in appearance. The rose petal upon which this jewel-like arachnid has set up his or her hunting grounds makes a pleasing contrast with the shimmering iridescent gold of the spider’s exoskeleton.
Golden Monarch Butterfly Chrysalis
(images via: Micro Cosmos, Dave A. eh? and How Stuff Works)
Monarch butterflies are known for their bold orange wings bisected with black veins and contrasting white spots. Their caterpillars, often found grazing on Milkweed plants, are striped with black, white and yellow. It’s only in this majestic creature’s intermediate stage that it chooses to flash its gold: the chrysalis. Oh, uhh, the dude in the chrysalis suit? Gold, pure (comedy) gold.
(images via: Clayruth and About.com)
A Monarch butterfly chrysalis is mainly emerald or jade green in color highlighted by bright metallic gold trim – a horizontal line about 1/3 of the way down and raised golden bumps set apart symmetrically on its lower portion. About 24 hours before the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, the surface will darken and then turn transparent. Through this process and even after the butterfly has emerged, the golden stripe and spots remain.
Golden Fish
(images via: Smile-O-Smile)
To quote the website copy describing this “truly unbelievable” golden fish, “This is an amazing creation of the Creator. Gold Fish, which was found in the sea in Taiwan was put to display in Taiwan’s Natural Museum.” Okie dokie, I have an open mind and I’m sure you do too… but then: “Scientists have found that some of the parts of this beautiful fish are of 24 carat pure gold.” That noise you heard? That was my mind snapping shut.
(image via: Rojaks)
Seems this particular goldfish, er, gold fish is an animatronic device that may have a creator; just not THE Creator. One can be sure, however, that Koi breeders are actively engaged in producing a truly believable golden ornamental carp. Such a fish might not have 24-carat gold parts but eager buyers would likely pay as if they were.
Golden Poison-Dart Frog
(images via: Jassy World and Bukisa)
There are several different species of Golden Poison Frogs including Phyllobates terribilis, said to be the world’s most poisonous vertebrate. Just how deadly are the alkaloid toxins exuded by these frogs through their skin? Just milligram of the frog’s Batrachotoxin poison is enough to kill approximately 10,000 mice, or 10 to 20 humans, or two African bull elephants – from 1/1,000th of a gram of poison! Another way of stating its toxicity is roughly 15,000 humans killed per gram. “Look but don’t touch” was never so appropriate.
(images via: The Dog Walker, Harunyahya and Know Your Meme)
Golden Poison Frogs are not metallic gold in hue; in fact they can be pale green, various shades of yellow or even bright orange. Where you WILL see metallic gold on frogs (or toads) is in their eyes – the iris’ of many types of common frogs and toads displays a rich, brassy golden tone that contrasts with a midnight black background. Quite beautiful… some might even say, hypnotic.
Gold Tegu Lizard
(images via: Offbeat Pets and Richard Seaman)
The Gold Tegu lizard is a large South American lizard that exploits a similar ecologic niche to that of monitor lizards on other continents. The Gold Tegu’s glossy skin and ornate gold over black striping combine to make it visually very appealing.
(image via: Richard Seaman)
Gold Tegu lizards are popular pets though their feisty nature and hard-to-tame aggressiveness makes them a real handful. Speaking of which, a Gold Tegu can grow rather large – up to 44″ long from tip of the nose to the end of their tails – and unlike other Tegu species they are mainly carnivorous.
Golden Snakes
(images via: Arkive, Steffen und Christina, Eco Terrarium Supply and Polyvore.com)
Several different species of snakes have been graced with the prefix “golden”, including the Golden Tree Snake and the Golden Cat Snake. Most gold-toned snakes live in desert habitats where their coloration helps them blend in with the sandy ground and dry vegetation of arid climes.
(image via: Worth1000)
Now here’s one “rattler” that one wouldn’t mind having coiled close by – it’s one way to un-constrict your finances, at least. I’d say the gilded serpent above was both real and available but then… I’d be speaking with a forked tongue.
Golden Marmoset
(images via: Is America Burning and Purple Slinky)
The Golden Marmoset, or Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), is one of the smallest monkeys and also one of the most endangered. It’s estimated only about 1,000 of these primates survive in forested areas of Brazil’s Atlantic coast while another 490 are currently kept in captivity or on protected reserves. It’s estimated that 98 percent of the Golden Marmoset’s original lush rainforest habitat has been destroyed through logging and/or agriculture.
(image via: Uglorable)
The thick, golden fur covering the Golden Marmoset makes it appear larger and heaver than it really is. In actual fact, these New World monkeys only grow up to 13.2 inches (335mm) long and can weight up to 25 ounces (about 700 grams) when fully grown.
Golden Weaver Bird
(images via: Brian Callahan)
The African Golden Weaver (Ploceus subaureus) can be found in eastern and southern Africa roughly from Kenya down to South Africa. These birds can form flocks of many thousands and their teardrop-shaped nests may hang from leaf-stripped savannah trees by the dozens.
(images via: ScienceBlogs and Vijay Barve)
Golden Weaver Birds are not considered to be threatened and indeed, one of their relatives (the Red-billed Quelea) is considered to be the world’s most abundant bird with a population of approximately 1.5 billion. All Weavers are seed-eaters, and flocks sometimes cause African farmers problems when they settle en masse to gorge themselves on mature seed crops.
Golden Bond Girl
(images via: EHV Emmetts and Probert Encyclopaedia)
Our last (but not least) golden creature is of the species Homo Sapien, commonly known as Shirley Eaton, Bond Girl. Eaton played the role of Jill Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. Her claim to fame was her on-screen demise, considered by movie pundits to be one of the top ten film deaths. The crucial scene features Eaton sprawled nude on a bed, her body completely covered in gold. Betty White’s cool and all, but Shirley Eaton is one hot Golden Girl! Here’s a video clip of the notorious (for 1964) scene:
Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson in Goldfinger (part 3), via Sakieee7
(image via: Screenrush)
The Jill Masterson character supposedly died from “skin suffocation”, a questionable proposition that incidentally was investigated in a memorable episode of the Mythbusters television series. Shirley Eaton was said to suffer no ill effects from her movie makeup though the film’s producers kept a doctor on hand while filming “just in case”. As for Mythbuster’s Adam Savage, his head to toe gold painting also left him none the worse for wear though his pride was somewhat dented.
(image via: Gary L. Todd, Ph.D.)
All that glitters isn’t always gold and what appears to be gold may or may not glitter – then again, animals are animate objects and their golden garb has value much more than that of the metal that has enticed, entranced and blinded humans from time immemorial.
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7 New Bizarre & Amazing Animal News Stories
August 16, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, History & Trivia, Nature & Ecosystems, News & Politics. ]
It’s hard not to be totally captivated by the animal kingdom even when they’re just up to their normal activities. But when animals interact with the human world in unexpected ways, they have our full attention – whether by crashing a car in search of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, giving us clues to ancient history or even helping us evolve.
Sandwich-Seeking Bear Crashes Car
The Story family of Colorado got the surprise of their lives in July when the police called at 3:30am to inform them that a bear had taken their teenage son’s car on a joyride down the street before crashing it into some trees, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and proceeding to completely destroy the interior.
“So this bear opened the door on his own. Somehow the door closed behind him. He panicked and started thrashing around, hit the shifter and put the car, took it out of park,” Ralph Story told The Denver Channel. “It rolled back, down over the hill, and down into here, and stopped. The four way flashers were on. It’s like he knew what was going on, and kept hitting the horn.”
Sheriff’s deputies had to tie a rope around the car door handle and open it from afar. Eventually, the bear came out on its own and wandered off into the woods.
Oil Spill Turtles Get Disney Vacation
(image via: usfws/southeast)
For turtles, this year’s voyage to the Gulf of Mexico has been less than successful, with massive amounts of oil making it difficult to survive, let alone procreate. But 32 of the turtles rescued from the Gulf area are getting a treat that is decidedly rare among their kind: a trip to Disney World. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has taken in the turtles to treat and care for them while the spill is cleaned up.
“We actually swim test them, we will look at their general condition, we take body weights, and from there we will actually start a regiment to get them back into healthy condition to be released back into the wild,” Andy Daneault told WDBO Local News.
The turtles, which experienced ill health effects from the spill including abrasions and irritation, will be released back into the Gulf once the spill area is declared fully safe for wildlife.
Beer Bottled in Dead Animals
(image via: msnbc)
Some beer lovers will dish out a lot of dough for a bottle of high-gravity brew – but what makes BrewDog’s bottles clock in at $765 per bottle? Well, taxidermied squirrels and weasels don’t come cheap. The Scottish brewery has bottled its “The End of History” ale in the preserved carcasses of roadkill.
“We were making such a tiny amount that we wanted to do something epic,” BrewDog co-founder James Watt told msnbc.com. “We wanted to challenge people’s perceptions about how beer can be packaged; taxidermy helps open people’s eyes to the fact that beer doesn’t have to be made by a multi-national organization.”
Of course, animal activists aren’t thrilled about the decision, with some calling the packaging “terribly degrading” for the animals.
But bizarre and perhaps vomit-inducing packaging aside, the beer is special too – it’s 55% alcohol, with hints of cinnamon and juniper and the slightest tinge of musty fur.
Cat-Like Crocodile Hunted Dragonflies
(image via: the telegraph)
A newly-discovered ancient reptile seems to have more in common with today’s domesticated cats than with its own descendents, according to scientists studying remains of the “Paksuchus”. A precursor of crocodiles, this bizarre creature lived on land and had mammal-like teeth and a small, short skull.
“At first glance, this croc is trying very hard to be a mammal. Its head would fit in the palm of your hand,” Patrick O’Connor told The Telegraph.
“If you only looked at the teeth, you wouldn’t think this was a crocodile. You would wonder what kind of strange mammal or mammal-like reptile it is. This gives us a number of interesting evolutionary-developmental research questions to begin addressing using living crocodiles as models.”
Giant Jellyfish Attacks 150 People
How can one jellyfish sting 150 people almost simultaneously? By dying and decomposing into hundreds of tiny pieces. That’s exactly what happened in July at New Hampshire’s Wallis Sands State Park. So many people reported itching and burning that the fire department had to call in backup from five other nearby departments to pick up all the sticky, gelatinous pieces with pitchforks.
The responsible party was a lion’s mane jellyfish, known as one of the largest jellyfish in the world. With bodies that reach 3 feet across and 150 tentacles that can each be as long as 32 feet, this billowy creature wouldn’t have too much trouble harming a lot of people. This species was far outside its usual range in the cooler areas of the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea and North Sea.
“In terms of a large lion’s mane being able to sting so many people, I know from smaller ones say ones that are only 6 inches [15 centimeters] in diameter, those little ones the might have tentacles that are trailing 5 or 10 feet [1.5 to 3 meters] behind them. So if you’ve got one much larger than that you can imagine how long the tentacles could be trailing,” marine biologist Sean Colin told MSNBC.
Dogs, Cats & Cows Helped Humans Evolve
(image via: wikimedia commons)
It may not be too surprising to learn that early humans experienced a huge uptick in intelligence after our formerly vegetarian species began eating brain-enriching meat. But it’s the way in which we managed that – and the role that domesticated animals played – that is truly incredible. Paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman of Penn State University believes that taking in animals and giving them work to do made humans more adept at hunting prey for food.
“On the face of it, you are wasting your resources. So this is a very weird behavior,” Shipman told Discovery News.
But, Shipman says, managing all these animals forced humans to develop tools and technology that spurred growth in other areas as well – like compassion. Humans that were caring enough to keep dogs healthy might have prospered more than others, and passed this compassion down to their offspring.
Rodent Poop the Key to Discovering Ancient Climates
(image via: greencolander)
How much rain did Chile’s Atacama Desert get thousands of years ago? We might never have known, if it weren’t for big pits full of fossilized rodent feces. Paleoecologists at Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago believe they can tell just by the size of these poop pellets whether a particular period of history experienced lush rainfall or parched drought.
Ancient rodent latrines – made up of lots of these pellets, cemented together with crystallized urine – provide a trove of data, not just about the animals that excreted the waste, but about the climate of the region. The scientists studied chinchilla waste pits; radio carbon dating provided an approximate age. Other known gauges of approximate rainfall were used to back up the results.
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