"Many, because orchids"

Half a century later, it is impressive how Reyner Banham's text "A Throw-away Aesthetic" is still one of the most important insights on design in our time.

there's something too perfect in the kingdom of denmark

Following on Yimei's post on Bruce Mau, it is adequate to check again the "Too perfect" project/exhibition he curated in 2004. This is described as a set of "pragmatic utopias" shaping possible futures for Denmark. With contributions by Mau's studio, and danish firms Arkitema, Kontrapunkt, NORD, SRL Arkitekter and (the irresistible) PLOT.

A bit of Pynchon

Regarding the previous post, some characters with a "Dr." prefix may come to mind (Frankestein, Octopus, the like), as well as distopian and technophobic themes and stories.
But things are never as simple as we would like them to be. Maybe this text (from 1984) by Thomas Pynchon is adequate for our meditations on these issues:
Is it O.K. to be a Luddite?

(file under obscure)

On nature and technique, part VII

Maybe it is just me, but it seems that the amount of news regarding experiments and research that blur the distinctions or frontiers between the organic and the technical is growing a lot lately.

Roland Piquepaille writes about the first "bionic woman"; researchers at Princeton and the University of Cambridge are developing a stretchable electronic skin; and researchers at Harvard are working on hybrid structures of neurons and nanowires.


(Quote from this article: "The neurons grew on the chip and made connections with the nanowires". And these are only a few examples.)

Bruce Mau

One hour interview about Massive Change on The Connection.

photovoltaic interlude, part III

"Solar Cells for Cheap" is a quite interesting interview with Michael Grätzel (from EPFL) on what might happen soon (next couple of years) in the realm of photovoltaic systems.

Algorithms at work

Some hands on algorithms for construction elements.
architectural finishes (column covers, walls and ceiling systemns) using AlgoRhythm technologies to efficiently bend sheets of metals into complex forms, by Haresh Lalvani (Pratt institute).

On dynamic arch

As always, just dropping the thing
here is an inspiring animation of the inner life of a cell

"Nuclei, proteins and lipids move with bug-like authority, slithering, gliding and twisting through 3D space"

On nature and technique, part VI

The theme of swarms deserves its own series around here (one of these days). But this project is too interesting to be left out of our current focus: Swarm-bots (pdf).
More info here.

(on a related note, I also like the shrimp)

NodeBox

No time really to post, sorry
I just found this site by chance and had no time to go thru
but it looks promising
http://research.nodebox.net/Index

Under 6,000,000 m3 of concrete

Pictured: Andrea Bassi, Fabian and some guy called Carlos.

All under this unique place.

Bliki

blog + wiki = bliki
I was thinking of the possible potential for a hybrid between these two apparently opposite approaches to web publishing when... I found it is well developed already.
Then I thought of PROTO.lab and the possibility of organising the class in a bliki format.

Belated thoughts on blogs and wikis by J. Tauber, the founder of Leonardo, a Python based bliki server

mapping some more

a new mapping tool, this time by recopilating global data to map through a wiki called MG dedicated to mapping globalization by Princeton University and University of Washington.

via WorldChanging, by Sarah Rich

On nature and technique, part V

Eugene Thacker is one of the few guides we may have when confronting the complex issues regarding what is usually called biotechnology, or, as he suggests, Biomedia.

His articles for C-Theory, such as "Biophilosophy for the 21st Century" are worth checking out, as well as the collective project "biotech hobbyist".

four letter words to shout in the tube

Nuno, don't get me started, I have so much to do!

following your link about the factbook, ... I think its worth of its own link
viz4all of University of Maryland
specially the works of Karsten Schmidt on 4 letter words in english and Tom Carden on london's tube traveling time.

kk's street use

Kevin Kelly has expanded his site with a new section: street use, in which are shown all kinds of unexpected of unintended modifications of machines, artifacts and technologies that occur a bit everywhere.

Pictured examples: an old school bus used for storing vegetables, and this airconditioner fan hack (we should have built a similar one in July).

talking about mapping

I hate to refer to the CIA in these pages but I found this document on world mapping to be quite surprising, if anything for being public (since 1975!!).
I have to see if they say where the nuclear weapons are hidden in irak.
It seems very useful information, I just can't bring myself to look at it as a inoffensive little book
CIA World Factbook

a large cabinet of curiosities

Many blogs are, to some extent, wunderkammers. But the closest I know to such a description is the Proceedings of the Athanasius Kircher Society. The kind of site worth checking by the end of the day. For example, take this series on Pentecost Island land divers.

On nature and technique, part IV

An interesting interview with Daniel Dennett, by Hari Kunzru .

(warning: it will get more and more indigestible from this point onward. i'm so sorry)

On nature and technique, part III

"Recycling Recycling" by Mark Wigley.

(oldie but tremendously goodie. pdf version here)