Thursday, July 31, 2008

Cardboarddesign furniture store in NYC!

Hey!

We've posted before about the cool Flexible Love Chair and now Cardboarddesigns is going to distribute it. They have a new store right in Soho (on West Broadway between Spring and Prince).

They have awesome furniture, all made out of recycled cardboard. Check it:




We've been wanting a teepee for E for a long time now. He would love their kid furniture:




They also have these really cute pics, to show the life of the carboard box:





I know where I'm headed tomorrow.....

Have a great day!

Niki

Emerson Taymor's Business Cards!



Saw this on notcot. So fabulous. Emerson, we're stealing your idea.
(Here's where notcot got the above: Kentblog)

Love!

Team SuperForest

P.S. notcot is awesome. We read it every day.

Fake Steve Ballmer Commented!

Wow, it's not every day that you get a comment from Fake Steve Ballmer.

FSB wrote in about our Spherical Surface Computing post.



Rad. We love Fake Steve Ballmer. And also Real Steve Ballmer. Both are excellent. It's hard to choose a favorite.

Here's Real Steve Ballmer doing what he does really, really well: yelling.



There you have it... The number one guy at Microsoft absolutely losing his marbles.

Awesome!

It's kind of a post-modern quandary when you're having a conversation about someone and the person you're talking to is like: "Wait, are we talking about the real Steve Ballmer, or the Fake Steve Ballmer? Because I really don't care for one of them."

And you're like: "Which one?"

And there all: "I'm not sure."

We wanna be the Fake Jay-Z. Can we call it? Dibs? Is there already a Fake Jay-Z? Let's check...

Nope, it's all ours!

Become a Fake Celebrity while there are still good ones left!

Love,

Real Team SuperForest

SuperForester Lauren Presents: Pet Adoption!



Hello All,

We just got an email from SuperForester Lauren, who is all the way out in the middle of the briny, blue Pacific on the island of Kauai.

Miss Lauren writes:

"Howzit SuperForesters :)

Writing from Hawai'i...and I've been meaning to pay a visit to the local humane society before I head out to my first year of college (to major in environmental studies!), but work and catching up on rest and relaxation on the weekends has prevented me from it. I have, however, been able to look at the humane society websites with the available pets for adoption. I want them all!! It just reinforced a belief I've had for awhile: why should we breed pet dogs and cats when we have a surplus of them without a loving home? Mixed breeds (or poi dogs as we call them here) are usually known to live longer lives, anyway. It's sad that many dogs and cats get euthanized because there aren't enough people who adopt, or (like me) have already adopted a humane society pet and has no room for another one. Which makes you think, "if all those people who buy $600 purebreds adopted instead, how many dogs and cats and the shelter would then have suitable homes?"

A couple facts about shelter animals from AmericanHumane.org:

-In 1997 roughly 64% of the total number of animals that entered shelters were euthanized -- approximately 2.7 million animals in just these 1,000 shelters.These animals may have been put down due to overcrowding, but may have been sick, aggressive, injured, or suffered something else.

-25% of dogs and 24% of cats that enter animal shelters are adopted.

This weekend I finally made the time to visit the Kaua'i Humane Society with my boyfriend. We went to play with the dogs and cats and there were so many up for adoption! One dog that we took out to play, Gertie, was extremely shy and timid around us, but immediately perked up when we brought another dog in to play with her. One of the workers there said she was probably abused with her former owner and confined in a small area.

It's a sad reality for many of them that they are either found as strays or given up by their owners, or taken away from abusive homes.

My family once had to give up a dog I was really fond of, Shadow. She was a stray that roamed to our home and became buddies with my pound dog, Malia. Unfortunately the two of them went to the neighbors and their little dog was killed. The neighbor thinks it was Malia, but either way we had to let go of one of them, so Shadow was brought to the humane society, and Malia is now not allowed to roam freely --although she still gets to go on walks in our front yard. It was my fault to not have better trained the two of them in the first place, and I feel badly about that.

I really am hoping that Shadow was adopted because she was a very, very friendly, loving, and harmless dog. The fortunate thing for animals like Shadow at the shelter, is that the workers and volunteers walk them everyday and do their best to get them out to good homes. I looked up the local websites of the humane societies here in Hawai'i, and found that the Honolulu, Kaua'i, and Maui websites are updated often with new pictures of dogs and cats available for adoption!

So for those who are ready for a new companion or an addition to thefamily, instead of looking up a local breeder or pet store, pay a visit to the humane society. They have so many eligible pets and you will definitely save a life. The cost to adopt at the humane society here on Kaua'i is only $50, and the fee pays for $300 worth of services! (Spaying or neutering, food, microchipping, collar and leash, and preventative health care).

I was hoping you guys could feature a blog on pets and visiting the local shelters to adopt one instead of buying one from the pet shop or breeder! Thanks for the fun blogs --I've been reading them on my job, and they've helped me survive the last 6 (mostly boring) weeks! Keep up the great work!

Aloha, Lauren"


Great stuff, Lauren!

We here at SuperForest are strong believers in recycling, and if that extends into the animal kingdom pet-wise, all the better. As a matter of fact, the incandescent SuperForest Mascot, Mr. Baloo, was a rescue for Beagles & Buddies in Pomona, CA.

Look how cute:



If you're looking for a pet, try to adopt. It's good for all parties involved.

Special thanks to SuperForester Lauren for the heads up!

Gravel & Gold: Granny Socks Just For You!



Yeah, we have original ideas, but when you find something as cool as the Net Granny post on the Gravel & Gold blog, all you can really do is quote, quote, quote.

Take it, Mama Cass!:

"When we were first preparing to open the shop, the Ladies and I compiled a big list of items that we had always imagined carrying in some shop we owned, sometime down the line, somewhere in the world. And, lo and behold, many items from that first brainstorm did indeed make their way to our shelves — Mimi bags from London, 5-Year Diaries like the one Lisa has been keeping for a while now, Medimix soap just like they have in all the hostels in India.

One fantastic item idea on that list that remains totally shop-worthy, but is unlikely to ever make the cut, is to carry hand-knit socks made to order by the Swiss granny of your choice. That’s right. You go on to NetGranny, select a granny from their stable of fierce granny knitters, select a color and size, and a few weeks later, your very own pair of custom sockies arrive in the mail. Brill!

For those of us bereft of grandmas, or those whose grandma was always way more into needlepoint than knitting, it’s a dream come true. Plus, you’re supporting a group of women who might otherwise have a tough time picking up some extra work and who, by the look of their photos, seem real stoked to spread the warm, wooly love far and wide. Good news for these chilly July nights in SF.

***Update***It seems the grannies are taking their well-deserved summer break, in a land where summer does mean fewer opportunities for wooly socks. Well then. Look for them this fall!"


Net Granny rules. What a great idea! We can't wait 'til they end their Summer break so we can haunt the sockenshop. Sockenshop. German is hilarious.

Sockenshop!

Love,

Team SuperForestsockenshop!

A Treat for Gravel & Gold: Gwen Verdon Walks it Out!



The following video is a special shout out to the amazing ladies of Gravel & Gold, San Francisco's finest bewonderment dispensary. Truly, a marvelous store.

If you find yourself in the Bay Area, why not drop in on G & G?

Here's Gravel & Gold's address:



And their site: Gravel & Gold
And definitely check out their amazing blog!

So, Mama Cass, Nilecat, and Miss Lisa, this is for you.


(wonderful video remix by youtuber FunWithStuttering)

P.S. For something really mind-blowing, check out the video with it's original music. Scary.

P.P.S. Special thanks to SuperForester Claire for hipping us to this video in the first place!

Kielder Observatory; observe the stars without doing harm

For my whole life I've been interested in the universe for a bit. Just a bit. But I've never been much into observatories and such. However, a few minutes ago I got a damn good reason to be.

It's named the Kielder Observatory and it's located in the UK. A few years ago some amateur astronomers wanted a new centre to watch their precious stars and a design competition was held. Charles Barclay and his fellow architects won
Above one of the early sketches. The building is almost entirely made up of Douglas-fir, so a woody structure.

More importantly it's claimed to be self-sustainable. The power need is fulfilled by a load of solar panels and a wind turbine which generates a rough 2.5 kW. Also there are placed composting toilets inside to forsee the astronomers in their sanitary needs. (To be completely honest, I visited wikipedia to learn what a composting toilet is. In fact it's a pretty simple application. Such a toilet manages to convert human waste into compost.) That's what I call self-sustainability!



Furthermore the Kielder observatory is the perfect example that an eco-friendly building can look good. (Damn good in my opinion).

Some more pictures through Dezeen.

-jdh

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Michael Salter's Styrobots!!!



Few times have we seen such a good re-use of styrofoam packaging as Michael Salter's Styrobots.











1978 Hydrogen Car (with Jack Nicholson at the Wheel!)



Just saw this over at treehugger.

Wow.

Thirty years ago they were talking about using solar cells to make hydrogen to power automobiles.

What we wonder is: What stopped that conversation?

No matter, for the idea has been revitalized and now stands at the precipice of, dare we say it? Widespread acceptance?

We love that Nicholson does the whole "breathing in the exhaust" bit. Good ol' non-toxic water vapor. Seriously, that's a smart bit of branding that's still every bit as effective now as it was then.

Solar Efficiency Chart



The above chart illustrates the efficiency of a solar energy systems over time.
As one can see, multijunction concentrators is currently (!) the tech to beat, boasting a 40.7 efficiency rate.

What this chart says to us is that solar power is still in its infancy, just beginning to chart in terms of exponential growth.

And that is a very exciting thing!

Imagine solar cells with 100 percent efficiency. This chart says to us that that goal is just around the corner.

Sweet.

This lovely chart is the work of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Tech Joke of the Week!


(photo via flickr user cyberdave)

One day, two antennas got married.

The wedding was terrible, but the reception was excellent.


Got that from powerstream.com

Have a great Wednesday.

Microsoft Surface Sphere!



Surface computing: sweet.
Spherical surface computing: sweet cubed

Get it? cubed?

We're terrible.

A sweet interactive globe running live Google Earth? Not so terrible.

Yay!

Dell goes green

For years computer manufacturers have been infamous for producing (environmentally) harmfull products containing all sorts of toxic materials. Some time ago Apple started collaborating with Greenpeace to become more eco-friendly.

Now one of the biggest Windows-running brands is starting to pick up that trend too. I'm talking Dell. Yesterday they started selling a new line of computers, which goes by the name of Studio Hybrid. Intended as a compact desktop PC the Studio Hybrid should be more friendly towards the environment.

In regard to the packaging, which often results in a lot of garbage, Dell claims:
  • Reduced packing materials about 30 percent by weight as compared to typical tower desktops.
  • Packing materials are also 95 percent recyclable.
  • Reduced printed documentation 75 percent by weight on average as compared to typical tower desktops.
  • System recycling kit is included.
So less packaging materials (a bit logical, not? Since the system is kinda compact), the box is recyclable, there's less paper used for the documentation (which few people read anyway), and wait there's more. A system recycling kit, that's rather new to come with a computer, not? So the end user gets the oppertunity to properly recycle all the toxins that come with a computer.
If the recycle kit makes sure that all the toxins get removed from the system and are stored away properly I'd strongly recommend every other electronics manufacturer to include such a kit.

So the packaging is not as bad for the environment as regularly, but how about the computer itself. Well, Dell promises that it uses 70% less energy then a regular PC. That's not just a huge win for the environment, but also for your wallet!

I can only say that Dell has chosen a good direction with the new system, and that I hope they'll soon be followed by others. (And besides, the design is pretty great).

-jdh

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Hypermiling Proves Fuel Can Be Efficient. But We Aren't.





I notice that many people take an all or nothing approach to their fuel usage. Clearly we aren't going to be making any immediate changes in our economy that allow us to be free from oil and burning fossil fuels, but what we can do is at least reduce how much we need them.




Cleanmpg.com is a cool forum where people can talk about how to get the most miles per gallon out of your car... no matter if it is a hybrid or a smart car or a scooter. I wouldn't mind owning any of these things, but like many people I am not in a position to get rid of my white 4 door '91 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (affectionately named "whitey), seen here:



Wayne Gerdes, the hypermiling term-coiner (I assume that's what you'd call the person who coins a term), has written an article about how to beat the expected miles per gallon of your vehicle. You can find the article here.


Hypermilers follow general driving rules such as:


1. Whenever possible, don't use your gas pedal or brake pedal. Coasting will still get you to the next stopsign.

2. Choose daily routes that minimize the number of stop and go situations.

3. Park on hills to start your car off downhill without using the gas pedal.

4. When driving on the highway stay at 55 mph. When you go over this speed, your fuel economy is not maximized.



These are just a few tips that hypermilers have that can get your car to get 100 miles per gallon. NO LIE!

Check out this video for more info!






HAPPY HYPERMILES!

MonkeyLectric: LED Light System for Bikes!



Yo!

boingboing has this great piece up right now about how to turn your bike into a super street safe psychedelic wonder-machine with the MonkeyLectric!.

"The MonkeyLectric m132s is a revolutionary bike light that keeps you visible - and in style. Its ruggedized all-weather design is perfect for daily commuters, urban cyclists, casual evening riders, BMX, festivals - anyone that wants to be visible after dark and not feel like a second class citizen.

The m132s creates full color graphics on your spinning bike wheel, and it provides outstanding visibility. The lighting effects and colors can be easily customized anytime to fit your style - mellow to extreme.

The m132s sets a new standard for bike lighting with brightness, visual quality, effects sophistication, user control and durability that far exceed what has previously been available. It installs in minutes on Road, City, Cruiser, Mountain and BMX bikes."










Rats! Out of Stock!
No matter, we'll just put our names on the list and wait patiently for awesomeness.

The MonkeyLectric system is $65.00 per wheel, but what cost total night visibility?
What cost supreme awesomeness really? Are they saying that supreme awesomeness can be yours for merely $130.00? That's it?

You heard it. $65 for one tire awesomeness, $130 to rule the school.

Bargain.

The Amazing Science Videos of WBeaty!

Hello All,

We're unsure how exactly we found wbeaty's youtube page, but are we ever glad we did!

This cat has some amazing science videos up.

Like this: Drawing Holograms By Hand


Incredible, no? We didn't know you could do that.

Here he shows how to make a working generator out of cardboard, magnets, and wire.



And best yet, he's got a personal playlist of his favorite science videos from across the youtube universe:



Enjoy! We certainly did.

Love to All,

Team SuperForest

Peace Games NYC



Afternoon All,

Jackson here.

Last week, SuperForesters Niki, Andrew, and I went to a fund-raising party for Peace Games, an organization that teaches schoolchildren non-violence and conflict resolution.

Peace Games is an amazing thing, and the numbers they boast of are extraordinary:

After a year of learning the Peace Games curriculum...
  • 96% of students reported that they now include peers in their recess and classroom groups and know how to work well together on cooperative teams
  • 95% of students reported that Peace Games improved their empathy
  • 94% of students reported that Peace Games helped improve their peacemaking skills (communication, cooperation, conflict resolution and engagement)
  • 94% of students reported that Peace Games helped them become positively engaged in civic engagement and service learning projects
  • 91% of students reported that Peace Games helped them improve their academics
  • 91% of students rated the Peace Games program as excellent or good
  • 84% reported that their involvement helped improve their school attendance.

Seriously? A ninety-one percent improvement in academics?

Staggering.

So we're at this fund-raiser, rubbing elbows and saying hello, and we had the good fortune to meet with the Peace Game's New York Regional Director, Mr. Richard Cardillo.


(That's him on the right.)

Someone handed Mr. Cardillo a microphone and he proceeded to tell the following story, which really stuck with me, and which I hope will resonate with you.

(Forgive me for paraphrasing, as I had no dictaphone.)



He said:

An American Indian boy was sitting with his Grandfather one night. Grandfather was reading by the light of an old lamp and the boy was playing with blocks, when suddenly the boy sat up.

"Grandfather?" he asked, "How can it be that there is so much suffering in the world? How can people be so cruel to one another, so uncaring?"

Grandfather set his book down and took a deep breath.

"Grandson." he said, "Inside every single human being there live two wolves. One is the Black Wolf, and he represents all that is sick and unhealthy. Jealousy, rage, bitterness. Competition and strife. These are the forces that drive the Black Wolf."

"Eternally struggling against the Black Wolf is the White Wolf. The White Wolf represents all that is good in the human race. Giving, sharing, generosity, peace, tranquility. Opportunity and discovery. These are the wonderful qualities which the White Wolf embodifies..."

The boy thought for a moment.

"But Grandfather, which Wolf will win in the end?"

And Grandfather looked at the boy with love in his heart and said,

"It all depends on which one you feed."

....


These words had a powerful effect on me. The story is so true. Just as you have to be taught to hate, you must also be taught to love. Just as you must learn destruction, so too can you learn the ways of peace.

Teach peace. Feed the White Wolf.

Peace Games is an extraordinary operation and if you have the time to check out their site, please do so.
If you are financially able, consider making a donation. And if you have time, but not a lot of money, consider donating that instead. Volunteers are the lifeblood of any outreach organization.

Special thanks to Peace Games, Mr. Richard Cardillo for his hard work and tireless dedication to peace, and to Mr. Jon Rubinstein, who serves as a guiding force for SuperForest and was instrumental in getting us invited to the shin-dig in the first place.

Love to all,

Jackson and Team SuperForest

Raf Simon's Zip Change Sneakers!

Good Morning!

Did you know Kanye West has a blog? It may be a bit racey, but he has some pretty exceptional taste. Really cool furniture, architecture and art. He definitely knows what is hip and stylish right now.

I came across these sneakers on his blog.







Very SuperForest--2 pairs in one! What a cool idea, why is this not done more often? It would save so much rubber for shoe soles if I could change the color or the style of the shoe with just a quick zip!

Available at Oki-ni, for just a mere $499.


(I also just found another pair of zip sneakers by YMC. They're much cheaper ($115)..at Blackbird)
Nice idea.


Check out Kanye's rad blog. It's different that the usual.

Happy Tuesday!
n

Radiohead, the coolest band ever?


Good Morning,

Unless you live in a bubble, you know that Radiohead is on tour this summer.

Now, touring and all the logistical aspects of going on tour, definitely takes a toll on the environment. From the electric needs, all the travel (buses, planes for ALL the equipment and 60+ crew), the venues etc...it can seem like if you are really worried about our carbon footprint, organizing a tour might be the worst thing you could do.

But did you know about their efforts to make this as "Eco-Friendly" as realistically possible?

Richard Young, the production manager has a blog where he explains all the different ways they have tried to tackle their carbon footprint.

They hired a woman named Katie, who is the Eco-Coordinator for the tour. Some efforts have failed (like their wish to be powered by the sun, due to their various restrictions of needing to be temporary and transportable), but they are still trying to push the envelope:

Here are some of the highlights:

1. Venue Sites:
They gave a hit list of ten items to the venue sites including:

"· Give car poolers preferential parking and promote this option through communications with concert goers
· Use low energy light bulbs in all areas
· Purchase green power or power from renewable sources from electricity provider
· Use reusable cups rather than disposable ones
· Use recycled paper for all office stationery, tickets, posters, flyers and napkins
· Use compostable recycled paper crockery and wooden cutlery not plastic
· Install recycling points for all cans and bottles"

They said that all of the sites have been very accommodating with their priority list. In fact, some backstage kitchens have collected the compostable food waste and given it to the local ground keepers and local gardening clubs.
They tried to push serving organic hamburgers and hotdogs, but they lost that battle.

2. The whole lighting system is run by LED lights.
I loved the exact explanation of why LED's actually use less power:

"The full system (including video) is exclusively LED and uses 140A 3phase (420A in total) when turned on fully. It's worth pointing out that LED lighting uses Red, Green and Blue LED's to make colours, with all 3 being on 100% to make white, therefore any colour effect only uses a percentage of the power. Traditional lighting uses a subtractive colour creation, with filters placed in front of a white source to remove the unwanted colour - therefore, in the case of red for example, using 100% of the power for a third of the light output."
LED has been used before for lighting shows, but never to this degree. This required a lot of research and new lighting technology that has never been seen before.

3. The Power Issue.
It is worth reading this part of the blog called "(n)eveready". He goes through a lengthy explanation of how they researched and researched ways to run the power off of solar panels, but due to the limitations of being on tour and moving from city to city, it just wasn't going to be feasible. I appreciate the honesty and explanation.

"Conceding that solar power was never going to work on this scale, a slightly different tack was taken. Could we build a battery that would power the show from load in to load out? It still has to be charged, but with nearly half the venues on the tour being supplied by grid electricity, we could charge in one city, then use the battery in the next, allowing one of the generators never to be turned on.
And that's what we did.....
Any alternative power source requires a storage medium for its electricity. The next step is to research charging methods that will provide enough electricity to complete a charge in a useful amount of time. I suspect it will result in a combination of wind, solar and even hydrogen."

Needless to say, Radiohead is always on the forefront of new technology and it's awesome to see them using their reach to encourage change in the way we treat our environment!

"None of what we are trying to do could have been possible with out the cooperation of the band, crew, venues, suppliers and fans. It's a joint effort. We can dream up new schemes and come up with the resources, but it requires each and every one of us to participate for the whole thing to work. Let's start a debate. Things will only change on a global scale if the customer demands it.

Some of the initiatives are very simple and obvious, but make a big difference, others are new and innovative. It's not a perfect model; there are always limitations as to what can be done when putting on such a level of show.

Ultimately, that's the point. None of what we are doing should impede your enjoyment of a Radiohead concert, in fact; maybe it will be a better show, through the discovery of new technologies and a fresh way of thinking."

Nicely said!

n

Dave Eggers @ TED: improve education yourself

"The future is our children, thus we should pump vast amounts of money into schooling."

This is basically the argument that's always used by people who want better education. Well you won't hear me deny it, but I think there are other ways to improve schooling systems.
My opinion totally aside, some time ago I came across this really inspirational speaker at TED. The speaker being Dave Eggers, his speech on how he improved a local school being below.



The essence of what the man did was open up a tutoring center where he offers one-on-one guidance after school. Children, especially the ones in primary schools, have to be motivated to do homework and to do something at school. (If they're not motivated they don't do it). That's where Eggers came in, he managed to motivate the children at his center. Which is pretty awesome.

Ultimately Eggers is saying that the education level would improve if everyone invested a bit of their spare time in a local school to help with tutoring. And that's probably very true.

-jdh

Monday, July 28, 2008

GreenPIX

With the Olympic Games coming up China almost reaches the headlines daily. Most of the time because of pollution and such things. However, thanks to a couple of bright New York architects this harmful trend can be put to a halt.


They designed a brilliant media appliance called GreenPIX (short for GreenPixel). The system stores solar energy while the sun is shining, and when darkness comes in there's illumination (like in the picture).
It's also called the zero energy media wall. Currently one of the first 'walls' is installed in Bejing, not far away from the site where the Games will be held (it's actually shown in the picture).
I hear you think, "what is the use of something like that?". For starters it's a nice piece of art, and furthermore it offers possibilities for the future. Imagine Times Square running on the sun, with not a single solar cell visible.
And at last, such an awesome piece of sustainable technology is inspiration for anyone brainstorming about being green.

-jdh

Saturday, July 26, 2008

SuperForester Julius Presents: The Cardboard Bicycle!



Hello All,

Happy happy Monday!
We've got another new contributor to SuperForest: Mr. Julius de Hond!
May we proudly present SuperForester Julius's first piece:


Hello dear readers of SuperForest,

My name is Julius de Hond and since a short while I can proudly call myself the newest member of the SF team. I found SuperForest through the official website of Jason Mraz. Yes that is indeed the Virginia located singer-songwriter (he inspires me a lot by the way, but I'll get to that later). Anyway, Mraz features SF in his links section accompanied with a little snippet of text saying "My favorite blog! So many great ideas and alternative art projects". Well I just had to check that out.
But who is that I actually? Well as said previously I'm Julius de Hond and I like Jason Mraz. I'm living in the Netherlands and going to - what I believe Americans call - highschool. Since I'm near done in there I plan on going to university and study Applied Physics. That basically wraps it up for my career at this point in time.

Furthermore I enjoy rowing in my spare time. It's good for your physical condition and when the weather is nice it also gives a great experience (you should try it). I also like music (listening to, not making it), photography (making it as well as looking at it), modern art, literature (that includes Shakespeare and A Clockwork Orange) and blogging. I've started blogging about a year ago for a Dutch blog. This really encouraged me to start for myself and I did, casuquo.org became mine. I like to write about anything that interests me. That includes science, politics, people, the environment, culture and art.
So what specific things inspire me to keep on going what I do and enjoy it? First of all there are a few teachers walking around my school who really get it on. They don't just teach stuff from books but they try to tell something. Then there are some musicians and artists who are inspirational. The earlier mentioned Jason Mraz is one of them, his music is great and the lyrics are spot on. Besides Mraz there's also Jack Johnson, the surfer who couldn't surf anymore after an accident and decided to start recording music. It's pretty good to see that a bad experience such as an accident can have considerably good consequences.



Cardboard Bike

Biking is good for you. It keeps your body in a healthy condition, it gets you in touch with the outdoors and it can give a relaxing experience. The only downside of purchasing a bike, is the risk of getting it stolen.



This must be a lot like what went on in Phil Bridge's head when coming up with his cardboard bike. Bridge is a product design graduate student who created this paper-wonder with the intention of reducing the number of people who use their cars a lot. Because the bike is constructed entirely out of cheap (but sturdy) cardboard it's not expensive. So the chances of it being stolen will drop (probably a lot), so people have less reasons not to buy a bike.
Furthermore it's designed in an ecologically OK way, the cardboard is recyclable, and the mechanical parts (such as the chain and some screws) are replaceable. To me the cardboard bike is an example of a great design that is environmentally and socially responsible.



Well I've been taking enough of your time now. Get out there, spread the SuperForest humanifesto and check back here once in a while to read about inspirational things.

--Julius de Hond

(Jackson again.
Great job, Julius!
Check back for more from the newest member of Team SuperForest.)

Ooooh, Treehugger had a nice piece up about cardboard bikes: Meet the Cardboard Bicycle

Friday, July 25, 2008

Randy Pausch (1960-2008)



Last Lecture professor Randy Pausch died yesterday at the age of 47.

For those of you saying: Who's Randy Pausch?



Thank you for the inspiration Dr. Pausch.

Love,

Team SuperForest