postscript URBAN FLORA

subtle subversive urban seeding. Have a look at: Bloom: Peddling Green

The Bloom device is meant to be a subversive and inspirational tool for our concrete jungles. Similar to the tuft of a dandelion as the wind carries the seedling, we propose a way of dispersing seedlings with bubbles and bicycling.

related: Urban Flora's High Speed Evolution, Urban Agriculture

URBAN FLORA'S HIGH SPEED EVOLUTION

recent studies show that weeds are able to adapt to urban conditions very rapidly. reason for this is the split-up of their habitat. but for them this is not a problem at all: instead of investing energy in complex flying divices to fan out (such as the so called Holy Pippau/crepis sancta does), they focus on creating seeds that are heavy enough to fall down from the plant directly and germinate at the same location. makes sense, since it is not very likely the flying seeds will fall down on a piece of fertile soil.
remarkably is that this process of adaptation from rural to urban only takes a few seasons!
so now we know. not only humans are capable to adjust to city life...

WHEN ARCHITECTS MEET AUTOCRATS

Republic Square Kazakhstan by E.O. Moss

...some architects argue that architecture is more important to them than politics. “I’m a guy who has on my wall a picture of the guy in front of the tank,” said Eric Owen Moss, a Los Angeles architect, referring to the famous photograph from the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. “But I’ve never turned down a project in Russia and China.”...
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link

excursus I

excursus will be a new irregular series of posts, collecting links of diverse interest with some sort of personal influence. Here comes number I:

Digital Kitchen.


a digital media firm responsible for Six Feet Under's great opening credits. An Artwork itself.
Also the opening sequence of Dexter is worth a look.

HYDROLOGICAL HEALING

These images appeared recently relating to a project in Los Angeles, related to the restoration of water reservoir levels of bromate. A new approach is the use of sun-block, in the form of plastic balls, that limit the mixing of bromide and chlorine which is causing elevated levels of bromate.

"Department of Water and Power workers are emptying out bales of plastic balls in the Ivanhoe reservoir in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2008. Department of Water and Power released about 400,000 black plastic 4-inch balls as the first installment of approximately 3 million to form a floating cover over 7 acres of the reservoir to protect the water from sunlight. When sunlight mixes with the bromide and chlorine in Ivanhoe's water, the carcinogen bromate can form."source Boston.com and Landscape+Urbanism blog

! MAP THIS ! #7 BIGGEST DRAWING IN THE WORLD

Erik Nordenankar about his huge drawing:

With the help of a GPS device and DHL, I have drawn a self portrait on our planet. My pen was a briefcase containing the GPS device, being sent around the world. The paths the briefcase took around the globe became the strokes of the drawing.

As the author notes on his website, this is fictional work. The GPS device was never sent. And any resemblences with the-world-is-my-canvas project (also worth a glimpse) are occasional.

WIND OF CHANGE

Sail ships are back.
A cargo ship with wind in its sails will take to the high seas, carrying the hopes of the shipping industry for a clean and green future free from the dependency on oil.

It's no ordinary clipper replete with rigging and tons of canvas. The MV Beluga, due to sail on its maiden voyage from the German port of Bremen across the Atlantic to Venezuela, is closer to a kite-surfer on steroids. Giant sails of 160 square meters complement the Beluga's existing power plant; the more wind, the less fuel is used.

Developed by SkySail, the propulsion technology is based on a similar concept to paragliding. It consists of a towing kite with a rope, a launch and recovery system and a control system for automatic operation. With future kite sails up to 600 square meters being proposed, it will cut fuel consumption in half in the right conditions. A significant advantage of the SkySail technology is it can be retrofitted to virtually all existing cargo ships and the force it exerts is similar to that of a tug.
:: via smart planet