Slavoj Žižek: Don't Act. Just Think.

I usually try to exclude any political slants on here, but given the current climate of the American presidential debates, I thought Žižek's ideas on progress and capitalism as both an ethical and religious category to be relevant and thought provoking. Whether you're for or against, it's still worth taking in all the way to the end.

(I must thank/credit Matthew Hartney for bringing this to my attention)

Camper Bike by Kevin Cyr

Since I'm on a bicycle kick at the moment, here's one more amazing design that needs to hit an assembly line in the near future. "Camper Bike" is a tricycle/motor-home hybrid designed by New York artist Kevin Cyr.

 (I imagine he must be in pretty good shape now)

The Holstee Manifesto: Lifecycle Video

 

Bikamper Travel Tent

Introducing the Bikamper tent by Topeak. This personal travel tent utilizes the front wheel of your bike in place of tent poles, and folds up into a small, space-saving bag which can then be strapped to the handlebars/bike rack. The main body is constructed of water-resistant ripstop nylon and features three mesh panels for ventilation/stargazing, with a fly for extra water protection.

Stats: 3 seasons, 10" x 5,5", 1.6 m2 floor area, 3 windows/1 door, 2.98 lbs

Get yours: http://www.topeak.com/products/Bike-Tent/Bikamper

Drying Rack/Flower Pots

An interesting design utilizing runoff water from drying dishes to grow plants:

Duolingo: learning/translation exchange

This is such a worthwhile project it needed posting. Duolingo is a non-profit, interactive language learning program that has the double benefit of providing language translation services for the world wide web. Users of all levels can gradually build their knowledge base in their chosen language, and in return actively participate in the translation of our international online information bank. Although there is a bit of a learning curve, the active format is a great way to start applying language skills right away, while contributing to a worthy cause. Highly recommended. (...did I mention it's free?)

Check out their home page to register: Duolingo.com

We live in exponential times

Some fascinating mass-comm factoids worth watching... like how China is the world's biggest English-speaking nation? Or that India has more people with IQ's over 120 than the total population of the USA? Or that a home computer in 2049 will have more computing power than the total human species of 2008?
 Both inspiring and daunting; might leave you feeling a bit small and overwhelmed.