Society, culture, cities, planning, education, games and play
Members of the Hunkpapa Lakota tribe and their supporters have been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline since April of 2016. At times up to 4000 protesters have been occupying land at the Sacred Stone Camp, a remote place with very little habitable shelter. Recently supporters have been equipping protesters to continue…
Even if you’ve never had the urge to make something with your hands, glancing through one of W. Ben Hunt’s beautifully illustrated tutorials will have you itching to chop down a tree and carve out a dugout canoe, tan a bear hide, make your own “mock” eagle feathers and so much more. Hunt, born in 1888…
It doesn’t take a lot to create a sense of place and purpose. Think about how children will string a clothesline between two chairs, throw a blanket over it and immediately have a magical “tent-fort” that is somehow better and more purposeful than the room it inhabits. That’s the idea behind “lighter, quicker, cheaper”…
Answer a couple of questions about the things that are important to you and the free app Teleport will cough out a ranked list of cities that best fit your needs. It doesn’t end there – Teleport gives you a sidebar with adjustable settings so you can fine-tune the selection. Once you’ve settled on a…
A collective of urban designers and an economist based in Brazil have assembled an amazing collection of before and after photos showing improvements to urban landscapes. One thing that is immediately clear when you start browsing the gallery is that it doesn’t take massive construction – or demolition – to make a city…
Working with a new Word Press theme called TruePixel by MyThemeShop. But until I get things squared away things are bound to get a little ugly.
So it seems that people tend to believe that foul language is a signal that a person may be intellectually challenged. But that’s not what research shows. In fact, if a person can deftly wield the f-bomb (yes, I’m looking at you, Adrian McKinty) it probably means that they have generally superior verbal skills overall. You see it’s…
I was talking with a friend yesterday who said that he was impressed by the Christmas lights he saw flying into Burbank Bob Hope Airport. But on some of the houses the displays weren’t just bright, they were blinding. Turns out that laser Christmas lights, all the rage this season, may be creating a public nuisance.…
If you spend any time on the 101 freeway through Los Angeles you know that “situational awareness” is your key to survival. And your sideview mirrors are the key to knowing what is going on around you at all times as you drive. But most people don’t have their sideview mirrors adjusted correctly. The technique I learned…
What does it take to become a huge success? Apparently it takes a whole lot of work – and not just any kind of work, but the tough work of self-examination. To put a finer point on it, it takes something called Double Loop Learning. Most of us probably think of the path to success…
Road trips need music. Some songs are better for the long open road than others and if you can string together a playlist that harmonizes with the emotional tenor of your adventure then you’ve got a winner. To this day I can’t think of Mendocino without hearing Van Morrison’s No Guru, No Master. Amanda Arnold…
This kid plays like a machine. Awesome. More Jonny Mizzone here. And check out the brothers’ Facebook Page, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys. Via BoingBoing
The Boy Scouts of America has joined with NASA to introduce a Robotics Merit Badge, part of the BSA’s emphasis on science and technology. The Robotics merit badge is part of the BSA’s new curriculum emphasis on STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math. The BSA focus on STEM takes a fun, adventurous approach to helping…
The irony here is that Hasselblad cameras are known for their amazing Carl Zeiss lenses, coupled with precision leaf shutters. But now for considerably less money you can craft your own Hasselblad that has neither. Treehugger has links to the downloadable PDF plus an instructional video. The creator of this project, Kelly Angood, also has…
The first time I had sashimi, on our honeymoon, I was afraid I would commit some terrible culinary faux pas. Turns out I was right…I’ve been a sushi blunderer all my life. Via Swiss Miss (view their comments for more etiquette tips!)
