I recently read a post on Fastcompany.com winning proposal at the WPA 2.0 competition, to design a series of Algae Pontoon Parks in New York. The parks will connect Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governors Island and employ algae to capture carbon emissions along urban arteries.
Below is a brief description from Port Architects and their plans to capture these emissions, through their project, Carbon T.A.P.
1. ) Algae is one of the most robust classifications of life on earth. Thriving on every continent, it is highly adaptive to any physical environment where it is able to derive energy from photosynthesis and the uptake of organic carbon, particularly in the form of CO2.
2.) Unfortunately though, atmospheric CO2…
When I last blogged about webfonts back in March 2009 there was no clear-cut direction that type foundries or browser developers were headed with regards to using real fonts on the web. Designers were fed up with using the same short list of system fonts on their websites, and the only options at the time that allowed the use of non-system fonts were using images or Flash/JavaScript-based workarounds. In the last few months there have been many interesting developments, with two options currently leading the race.
@font-face and WOFF The @font-face rule has been around for over 10 years, first making an appearance with CSS2. It has remained largely under-used due to differences in each browser’s font…
“In __ , once you’ve got something, you’re already thinking about what’s next. Maybe it’s a little hysterical. Now, every day I’m thinking about change. It’s a constant anxiety that is probably a reflection of society’s anxiety in general. The big deal about __ is really very recent, this frantic pursuit of newness. It may be a good thing, or a bad thing, but it’s really defining this moment.”
What do you think fits in the blanks of this quote? Although they could be filled with many words (digital marketing, mobile devices, restaurants, mechanical engineering, packaged goods, etc.), the original word is “fashion,” and the author of the quote is Miuccia Prada, as she describes her design process for her namesake label. I was struck by the universality of…
Five years ago, if you wanted to rent a movie, you'd get in your car, drive to the nearest Blockbuster and spend 15 minutes browsing the movies on the walls, make your selection, and then proceed through the aisle of candy and popcorn to the next eager & available checkout clerk who would scan your membership card and take your money. Today, if you want to rent a movie, you probably add it to your Netflix queue and wait a day or two for it to arrive in your mailbox, or you visit a big giant vending machine robot called Redbox.
Redbox seems to be all the rage these days (from what I hear on the street). It's so easy. Pick your movie and swipe your card…
The gang over at SmallerIndiana, have posted all of the video content from the Bigger Ideas Conference. If you missed the event, head on over here, to catch-up on what you missed out on.
I recently listened to a lecture given by Architect Bjarke Ingels on TED.com, in which he talks about stories behind three projects that sought to act as physical and interactive environments.
I like his approach in storytelling, because it communicates that his work is more than just aesthetically compelling structures. In addition to being beautiful works of art, the buildings shown in his presentation are functionally conscious of space, resources, and culture. The last project he spoke of is, in my opinion, the most amazing. He and his team are focusing on the Island of Zira, using the seven neighboring mountain peaks of Azerbaijan as inspiration. They designed the land into an inhabitable urban eco-system, completely transforming it from…
At the recent TechpointInnovation Summit, held on September 29th, the attendants spent a lot of time talking about not only about what Indiana has done to be innovative, but how Indiana can continue to be innovative. The stars have aligned to create the right financial, structural and human capital environment that engenders innovation, so how can we use that to our benefit to push ahead?
As companies look to begin or continue to innovate in their industry, there are some important questions that they should be considering in their strategy.
What does innovation look like? The Summit’s Keynote Speaker, Clayton Christensen, Harvard professor and author of The Innovator’s Dilemma, delivered a rich presentation focused on disruptive innovation–improvements to…
I rarely swing off of Seth Godin. I get it – he's a smart, charismatic, little guy, who's figured out how to write a dozen 50 page books a year built around one catch phrase. He's made a mint and garnered legions of devoted fans in the process.
But today, I'm giving it up for Mr. Godin. Big ups for his chat on thrashing, shipping, and blowing up balloons.
While at college, I’ve had many opportunities to develop, and redevelop, my own understanding of what it means to be a leader. Through example, observation, exposure, defining, reading, questioning, exploring, researching, and listening, I’ve documented several key components that can help curate a person’s character for optimum lead-ability.
A very pivotal event happened during one semester that has helped shape my identity as well as my desire to lead. As the year began, our class was split into groups of 6. Our goal as a group was to efficiently work together to solve real-world problems with realistic solutions. Among my team were two very dominant and assertive individuals, two somewhat dominant and assertive individuals, and two not so dominant or assertive individuals. We started off well…
"Of the world’s total population of 6.5 billion, 5.8 billion people, or 90%, have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted; in fact, nearly half do not have regular access to food, clean water, or shelter.” – Design for the other 90%
These are startling statistics, despite the more socially aware we become each day. How then, can design become a dynamic force in saving and transforming lives, at home and around the world?
Recently I went to see my family in Ecuador. Even though I was excited and eager to get back to my country, I was already beginning to contemplate the design challenges that I would face when I…
