This is part of an ongoing series in which we highlight particularly fascinating talks from some of the world’s most innovative thinkers. These videos are featured courtesy of a Creative Commons license; for more on the TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, and Design), click here.
I’ve been at times transfixed, horrified, depressed, inspired, and astounded by the information streaming out of Iran. Following the active cloud of conversation regarding the Iranian election via Twitter, I’ve been reminded once again of how powerfully the web changes the ways in which we as communities experience events in real time. Only now can a group of physically scattered people experience history together, blending real time reports from ground zero of a revolution with distant analysis and global reactions. These recent events reminded me of a TED video that I wanted to share. The projects Jonathan Harris demonstrates in this video are not comparable in urgency to the situation overseas. But Harris’ work evokes the same unique emotional connection we feel with far-flung individuals through the modern miracle of the modem. I hope you find his projects interesting and inspiring:
You can also download this video to iTunes (MP4 file) by clicking here (”Save Link As” on Windows).
I’ve spent the past few weeks studying for my upcoming LEED Accredited Professional exam. As a result, I’ve been ruminating on sustainable development generally and LEED in particular.
This is a very effective video argument for New Urbanism (HT: The Daily Dish):
I find this vision compelling: walkable communities, condensed necessities like grocery stores, schools, workplaces, and churches, large public parks and recreation spaces, and conserved natural areas. But it’s silly to have a conversation about New Urbanism or neighborhood revitalization as if it’s an intrinsically and universally beneficial trend. The fact is, I’m drawn to this vision because I’m exactly the demographic that stands to benefit from it: white, middle/upper-middle class, well educated. Part of the creative economy and able to work essentially anywhere there’s a wireless connection. Lover of overpriced “artisan” sandwiches and ratios of coffee products and steamed milk. I own a Kindle for crying out loud.
The uncomfortable assumption underlying so many of these New Urban dream-scapes is that what would make for a REALLY great community would be an exclusive bunch of people like…well…me. And that’s crap.
As much as I like to think otherwise, I’m a boring cliche. I’m a product of privilege (more of the “great public schools” variety than the “trust fund” variety, but I digress) and will have the luxury to find parks for my hypothetical future children to play in, take bike rides on greenways, and work from various coffee shops whenever I need a change of scenery. New Urbanism seems well-equipped to satisfy that lifestyle but, frankly, I’m not worried about people like me.
Because walking to work can’t just be the accepted ideal for those of us who set out daily to work in a brightly-lit office or take our laptop to the village green. The checkout clerks at the grocery store, the teachers in those great public schools, and the folks waiting tables at the neighborhood restaurant all must be a part of this vision. But thinking about those folks (not to mention the factory workers and farmers who are presumably at the margins of this type of scenario…theoretically manufacturing wind turbines and growing organic spinach) brings up all sorts of difficult questions about affordable housing and the costs of living in trendy, clean, sustainable communities.
So here’s my challenge to New Urbanists: prove that your ideal communities can be inclusive of all people. Show me a plan that includes affordable housing between the coffee shop and the grocery store. Factor in the carbon footprint (not to mention actual costs) of low wage earning commuters who can’t afford to live in newly-remodeled trendy lofts.
Some of this admirable, inclusive work is taking place, but I think it merits a larger role in the conversation about green building, sustainable communities, and New Urbanism.
Hey folks–after a few down weeks, I’m getting back to regular blogging. These items brought to you by the free stream of the new Wilco album, available on the band’s site (highly recommended…though the stream seems to have gotten choppy since i first listened).
I’m intrigued by KeyRingThing, a service that allows you to combine frequent shopper/loyalty program cards (currently in my wallet: Harris Teeter VIC card, CVS ExtraCare card, and Barnes and Noble Member card) into a single credit card-sized page. My current system is less than ideal: cutting cards down into just the essentials (barcodes) and stuffing the shards of cards in my wallet. I might try KeyRingThing instead. Do you carry loyalty cards? Which do you use regularly? Would combining them be worth $2.97? (HT: LifeHacker)
Sean at Tactical Philanthropy drew my attention to a new magazine for social enterprise. It’s called Beyond Profit, and you can flip through the inaugural issue online here.
I’m a sucker for anything with a headline like “In Defense of Liberal Arts,” and this post by Lane Wallace (guest blogging in Andrew Sullivan’s absence) is no exception. I love this thought in particular:
Yes, the U.S. needs technical expertise to keep pace, economically and technologically. But we also need innovators and entrepreneurs creating break-through concepts and businesses. And while knowledge in an area is important, I’d argue that the most important trait a pioneering entrepreneur needs is the confidence to buck convention; to believe he or she is right, despite what all the experts say.
I like the instinct behind these ideas for transforming the 1,900+ auto dealerships set to close into greener spaces for business, community, or even nature. As always, the dream vision for many of these spaces is likely prohibitively expensive; nevertheless, it’s neat to think about how these soon-to-be empty lots could be more than abandoned blights on the edge of a cities and towns. I’d like to see other creative ideas for how to use the existing (albeit hastily-constructed) structures.
Astronauts have performed minor miracles all week repairing the Hubble space telescope for the last time. Unsurprisingly, some incredible images have emerged:
Image courtesy of NASA. On a related note, it makes me really happy to imagine the astronauts floating around their living area watching the new Star Trek movie.
This is part of an ongoing series in which we highlight particularly fascinating talks from some of the world’s most innovative thinkers. These videos are featured courtesy of a Creative Commons license; for more on the TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, and Design), click here.
What I find most interesting about Eggers is how his commitment to the written word extends beyond his own works, or the magazine he publishes, to include a heartfelt and effective social enterprise geared toward helping young people find their voices and receive one-on-one tutelage in writing. His nonprofits (the first of which was 826 Valencia in San Francisco) serve as a fun and unintimidating setting for after school tutoring and creative inspiration. His deceptiely simple idea–that a network of writers and freelancers with flexible schedules could engage young students in an authentic and helpful way after school hours–is making a huge difference in the lives of kids in cities across the country. I encourage you to watch the inspiring video below in which Eggers describes his philosophy and the quirky model of 826 Valencia. It involves pirates and superheroes, but I won’t give any more away:
You can also download this video to iTunes (MP4 file) by clicking here (”Save Link As” on Windows).
Friend and reader Gagan writes (posting here in an attempt to convince him to guest blog in the future):
Heard an interview on NPR this afternoon with the guy who created Legacy Locker. Basically, he was trying to secure the on-line identity of his deceased grandmother, but it was essentially impossible. Which begs the question: what happens to your on-line identity once you die?
So this guy developed a small business where they basically keep all of your on-line information (log-ins, passwords, etc.), and your instructions for how to deal with your on-line identity once you’re gone (give it to a specific person/specific people, destroy it, etc.). According to the interview, they currently have 1,000 customers, and they’ve only been operating for about a month. I could see this thing taking off.
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