Check out this article about the Amazing LEGO Art by Nathan Sawaya!
Nathan also has own gallery online at The Art of the Brick.
I must admit I am partial to the Jedi Statue of Liberty!
Thanks for the link Brandon and Joe!
2009/06/29
Amazing LEGO Art by Nathan Sawaya
Suburban Migration Shift to Cities?
I read an interesting article in The Atlantic (repeating a theme I’ve seen for the last couple years) theorizing that housing demand will shift from the suburbs to denser city housing due to the desire for walkable living areas.
2009/06/26
Chevy Volt Electric Car Hits the Road
GM’s in-development electric car, the Chevy Volt, has hit the road in its pre-production incarnation!
The Volt has 40 miles of all-electric driving per charge before using gasoline.
Check out the video on the GM-VOLT.com web site!
Video: Pre-Production Chevy Volts Hit the Road! | GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site.
2009/06/25
Get Fit in Less Time – Six Minutes a Week?
Can humans get fit in less time – such as six minutes a week?
An article on the NYTimes’ Well blog highlights some research that indicates this may be possible. To me, it seems similar to elements of interval training, CrossFit, and martial arts training.
Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week? – Well Blog – NYTimes.com.
Roadmap for Reducing Emissions Includes Building Efficiency, Wind Power
The roadmap for reducing emissions unveiled by the “Gigaton Throwdown Initiative†(established by Sunil Paul, founder of Spring Ventures) includes building efficiency and wind power as major components.
Metal roofing, which is being installed on our house right now, is one such improvement!
via Roadmap for Reducing Emissions Unveiled – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com.
Recent Media About Industrial Food
Two recent pieces of media about industrial food caught my eye:
1) Food, Inc., a documentary about food safety, industrialization, and regulation
2) How the Food Makers Captured Our Brains, an article in the New York Times
Wumple’s Fedora 10 Upgrade from Fedora 6
I finally upgraded Wumple.com from Fedora 6 to Fedora 10 several months ago. In case someone else runs into similar issues, here are the problems I encountered and solutions.
2009/06/14
Homeowners’ Associations Filing More Foreclosures
Homeowners’ associations can range from reasonable or (too often) overzealous (especially for those who don’t conform to wasteful, environmentally poor landscaping).
From the Austin-American Statesman:
The foreclosure actions have renewed long-standing stereotypes that homeowner associations are often made up of power-drunk residents who enjoy lording it over their neighbors and zealously enforce the rules regarding such things as the height of the grass, the color of the house, the flying of flags and the way the porch is furnished.
“You have a number of them being run like little totalitarian regimes,” said Texas Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, who has unsuccessfully tried passing association reforms for years in the Legislature. “Their argument is that if you don’t like it, move.”
…
Read the full article at the Austin-American Statesman. And also read about Lisa’s and my conflict with our HOA, MUD, and management company over landscaping.
2009/06/09
Nash Prairie Field Trip – June 20th
- When: Saturday, June 20th (Sat.) at 9:30 am
- Where: West Columbia (Brazoria County, south of Houston)
Come visit Nash Prairie, over 300 acres of very special coastal tallgrass prairie! Owned by the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and the West Columbia Hospital District, this prairie is a rare remnant of the coastal prairie that once covered over six million acres of Texas and Louisiana.
Field trip leaders Rev. Peter Conaty, his wife Susan, botanist Dr. David Rosen (who has conducted studies of the prairie), and Lisa and Jason Spangler (NPAT president) will tell us about the history of the prairie, the church’s stewardship of this special piece of Texas, and the native plants that call it home. Read more about Nash Prairie by clicking here.
We will meet at Nash Prairie at 9:30 am. From West Columbia, go on east on State Highway 35. Turn left onto CR 25 and proceed north. Nash Prairie is approximately 6.5 miles past front gate of Columbia Lakes on the left. Park along CR 255 which is to the right of the prairie. Click here for directions from Google Maps.
RSVP appreciated but not required. Wear appropriate clothing, and bring water, sunscreen, and a snack. Field trips are open to everyone.
Contact Lisa Spangler, lisa_spangler@texasprairie.org or 512-736-5553 (cell), for more information.
Tallgrass prairie is the most endangered large ecosystem in North America, with less than 1% of Texas’ original 20 million acres estimated remaining. In addition to beautiful prairie flowers and lush native grasses, our prairies are habitat for grassland birds, the most declining group of birds in North America, butterflies and other pollinators, and other prairie wildlife. We must protect these special places to save Texas’ prairie heritage.
Tallgrass prairies also sequester large amounts of carbon, so tallgrass prairie restorations could be used to help fight global warming. In addition, native grasslands increase water quality and quantity, a vital issue for our growing state. Tallgrass prairie plantings on marginal cropland have been identified as the best source of low-input cellulosic biofuel that would not impact our food supply.
Join the Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT) to help advocate and protect Texas’ prairie heritage, native plants, and wildlife.
2009/06/08
LEGO Goodness from Gizmodo
Gizmodo posted some awesome LEGO stories in the past, which I thought I would share in case you had not seen them:
- LEGO Timeline of Space Sets! I actually own lots of these now (bought the ones I missed on eBay many years ago).
- The LEGO Vault contains unopened boxes of every product ever made! Plus LEGO workers joke about Star Wars Cantina video!!! – “Death by tray it shall be!”