Spontaneous Sand Paintings by Joe Mangrum

More HERE.

Gidget Retro Teardrop Pull-Out Camper

Time Lapse of Mt. Hood in Spring

from Tyler Hulett

Fun Time! The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga!

As a youngster, I loved animated cartoons (still do!) and Astro Boy was a real favorite. Kimba the White Lion and Speed Racer were also high on my list of "foreign films" that I watched every day.

My daughter-in-law is also a big fan, but more so of the comics. Recently I came across this on Kevin Kelly's Wink Books website (thanks, Kevin!) and thought it would make a nice present for her, so I purchased it through Amazon.

Osamu Tezuka was a Japanese cartoonist, animator, film producer, and washe creator of the comics series Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion.  Black Jack. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him the honor of being "the god of manga". He is considered to be the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney.

This gorgeous, sumptuous coffee table is just stunning, packed with examples of Tezuka's life work. When I received the first copy, I knew I had to have one for my own library, so I immediately ordered a second copy.

I don't often hawk products here, but if you enjoy animation and Japanese animation in particular, this wonderful book is a must-have.

Bonus Fun!: The book includes a DVD 45-minute DVD documentary covering Tezuka’s career, from his early manga characters to his later animation work!

Recycling is Dying

From the Washington Post...

"Once a profitable business for cities and private employers alike, recycling in recent years has become a money-sucking enterprise. The District, Baltimore and many counties in between are contributing millions annually to prop up one of the nation’s busiest facilities here in Elkridge, Md. — but it is still losing money. In fact, almost every facility like it in the country is running in the red. And Waste Management and other recyclers say that more than 2,000 municipalities are paying to dispose of their recyclables instead of the other way around."

Lower oil prices, lower demand for recycled materials, poor recycling habits (wrong items, unclean items) driving up the cost of the programs, all have contributed to huge economic losses in the recycling industry.

Read the article. It's time for us to figure this out before we are buried in out own detritus.

Lexus Creates a Hoverboard

It looks like companies are racing to create a hoverboard before Marty McFly arrives in the future on October 21 of this year. First, it was the Hendo Hoverboard. Now Lexus wants in the game.

From USA Today...

"Toyota's luxury brand Lexus said Wednesday it has created a hoverboard. Yes, a hoverboard -- as in something that looks like a skateboard without wheels that can hover above the ground like the character Marty McFly rode in the Back to the Future movie trilogy. 'It works. It's not a hoax,' says spokesman Moe Durand. Lexus says it won't be sold. It's for demonstration purposes. It operates using magnetic levitation, with liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors and permanent magnets that 'combine to allow Lexus to create the impossible.' It says it is working with the world's leading experts in super-conductive technology."

I ask you, when was the last time a company created a technology that it didn't eventually sell?

Travel Photo of the Week

Adam's Peak, Sri Lanka

The Science of Incivility

Christine Porath has been studying the costs of incivility in the workplace for the last 20 years and the news isn't good. Her recent article in the New York Times posits that "how we treat one another at work matters. Insensitive interactions have a way of whittling away at people’s health, performance and souls."

She believes that mean bosses could have killed her father.

Robert M. Sapolsky, a Stanford professor and the author of “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers,” argues that when people experience intermittent stressors like incivility for too long or too often, their immune systems pay the price. We also may experience major health problems, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and ulcers.

This also hurts productivity and the bottom line. Employees subjected to this kind of behavior are much less productive and the turnover rates for businesses run by tyrants are much higher.

But it is also just possible that the rush of abusing others is just too great for the perpetrator to stop doing it.

Timelapse of Earth from International Space Station

ISS Symphony - Timelapse of Earth from International Space Station

Are We Really 99% Chimpanzee?

Fun Time! Making a Twin Lens Cardboard Camera!

Kiel Johnson's Cardboard Twin Lens Reflex Camera Time Lapse

A Spaghetti Western on Lean Urbanism

As always, thanks Lloyd.

This $10,000 Car Runs On Air

Runs on compressed air, costs about $1 for 100 miles. More info HERE.

Travel Photo of the Week

Longboat Key, FL

Merchants of Doubt

Why we will destroy ourselves. All for a buck.

X-Carve

Here's a nifty device. The X-Carve is a subtractive "printer" designed to allow the home-based 3D printing enthusiast to work in more than just extruded plastic. It is capable of creating precision parts from plastic, wood, metal and other materials. Created for a workshop setting, the X-Carve is both customizable and expandable. So if a maker already has one of Inventables previous machines, they can upgrade and expand their existing device by adding new X-Carve components.

Starting price is $799, up to $1279.

HACKberry, An Open-Source, 3D-Printed Electric Hand

Found on Laughing Squid....

"HACKberry is an open-source, 3D-printed electric hand created by the Japanese company exiii. The company has also made code for software and data on hardware designs available on GitHub. According to designboom, the hand functions using a smartphone for computing power.

Fun Time! 1960's Violent Gun Toy Ad!

I had one of these.

An Interactive Visualization of Over 100,000 Nearby Stars

Explore on your own HERE.

Colossus by Pat Vale

Found on Laughing Squid...

Travel Photo of the Week

Bilbao, Spain

Interesting Treehouse Article in New York Times

HERE's a very interesting article from the New York Times about Foster Huntington and the treehouses he built on a plot of land he owns on a grassy hilltop in southwest Washington state.

He built the treehouses because he was having trouble working in his previous home, a custom camper he drove around the West. “I lived on the road for three years,” he said. “And it’s awesome. It’s an amazing way to live. But it’s hard to get things done.”

“I could’ve bought a house,” Mr. Huntington said. “But this is so much better. For me, it’s realizing a childhood dream.”

Toybox Tiny Home

The Tiny Toybox Home is a modern, colorful 140 square feet tiny house on wheels in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also for sale. for $48,000. A bit pricey, but inside you'll find a well organized, attractive and slightly Japanese inspired living space that seem bigger than it is. With a bath and loft.

If you're interested, click HERE.

Africa’s Oldest Trees Photographed Against Starry Night Skies by Beth Moon

From Colossal...

See more HERE.

Fun Time! Mouse Heaven!

World First: Rat Forelimb Grown in the Lab

From New Scientist...


"We're focusing on the forearm and hand to use it as a model system and proof of principle," says Harald Ott of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who grew the limb. "But the techniques would apply equally to legs, arms and other extremities."

2015 Fine Home Building Awards - Best Small Home

For more information on the house go to Fine Home Building.

Travel Photo of the Week

Marina Bay, Singapore, Malaysia

David Torn - Guitarist Extraodinaire

Last night I had the great pleasure of attending a David Torn concert at this wonderfully funky and exciting new venue, Union Arts, here in DC.

While I won't be able to post any of the video I shot until David gives me the "okay," I will leave you with this from David's TED X presentation.

The Most Impressive Balloon Animals Ever

Found on Laughing Squid...

"Japanese balloon artist Masayoshi Matsumoto has created amazingly detailed colored balloon animals that appear as lifelike as a balloon animal can possibly get. According to Matsumoto, balloons are the only materials that he uses to create these rubber masterpieces."

I didn't want to put up more than a couple of images. There are just too many and they are all magnificent.

You can see more HERE.