New Bacteria to find Land Mines

According to Edinburgh University scientists, a new strain of bacteria (produced using a technique called BioBricking) can be sprayed onto local affected areas or air dropped over entire fields of mines. Within a few hours the bacteria strain begins to glow green wherever traces of explosive chemicals are present.

Pretty amazing.

BBC via Inhabitat

New York map cut

Love these hand-cut maps by Charlotte, NC-based artist Karen O’Leary’s Studio K.

If you look closely you can see the person holding the map from behind – Wilsonbuilt’s studio is about where their right eyebrow is…

The Baus are back!

Yep. Bauhaus show at MOMA

got the nice image from but does it float, and I like their text:

We hated Bauhaus. It was a bad time in architecture. They just didn’t have any talent. All they had were rules. Even for knives and forks they created rules. Picasso would never have accepted rules. The house is like a machine? No! The mechanical is ugly. The rule is the worst thing. You just want to break it.

Beautiful Satellite

Really cool photos of the LDEF satellite exterior.

Here’s the story From The Nonist: “This cylindrical object is a roughly school-bus sized structure which was deployed into space in 1984. It orbited the Earth for five and a half years with nothing expected of it other than to float there, getting battered about by whatever the great black yonder saw fit to throw at it. The images … are each of individual sections of the LDEF’s exterior.”

I like

Drawings by Kim Sin Hye, a.k.a. SSIN

RFID + Wood =

Sure it looks like a bunch of cute Scandinavian wood blocks and maybe a Red Hot Fireball. But its actually a media triggering system developed by Jørn Knutsen, Einar Sneve Martinussen and Timo Arnall from Architecture-og designhøgskolen in Oslo. Put an object in the little bowl and it triggers an attached computer to do different stuff – play a movie, or start a kid’s game. Check it out here on belowtheclouds.com.

Achraf Kassioui drawings

Achraf Kassioui’s portfolio site is an exploration of concepts relating to animation and robotics. What I like is the gorgeous, low tech manner that he employs. The drawings, whimsical and groundless, are of imaginary systems that represent ideas important to any robot such as balance, speed, thrust, etc. Like it or not, robotic developments are quickly advancing.  It is awesome to see someone looking at them in such a personal, human way.

Wood Love from Maine

About six years ago a friend bought me my first japanese pullsaw from the Shelter Institute in Woolwich, Maine. I had forgotten the name of the place until recently but I have not lost my weakness for the lusty wood-love of this Timber Framing school. You can tell from their tool selection. This little item is a Starrett stair marking guage (ah Starrett…)

LED Necklace

A few months ago I put together a LED string for an award designed by Largent Studios. I liked the way the LEDs connected & thought they might look good just like that. This necklace is my first attempt. Neat thing is, the LEDs are powered by coin batteries that are just slipped in between the + and – LED terminals.

New Levels!

I love to get new tools, and wish I could do it more often. Last month though, I did my part for the economy & bought myself a beautiful new set of Stabila Levels. Not cheap but not having to worry about the accuracy of levels is priceless….