Grobal makes growing easy with their self-watering planters. Grobal is a “simple, design-conscious hydro-gardening unit for the masses” (From Grobalworld.com). Treg Bradley, Grobal’s founder, has long since had the dream of every household having a garden. With Grobal, this dream is becoming a reality.
Acclaimed designer, Karim Rashid, designed the Grobal to be an innovative design which takes the mess and stress out of indoor gardening:
“The Grobal originated from an ambition to create a techno-organic base for nurturing life and cultivating growth. The digital age we live in no longer accepts the semantics of ancient craft and demands multi-sensorial experiences – any object we bring in our house should be an expression of our modern being and development. The iconic egg-like object functions as the foundation for new life – it is a material visualization of digital and sensual technology and nature synthesizing.” – Karim Rashid (bghydro.com)
Grobal is targeted to help the working professional keep in touch with his or her “green” side. A Grobal planter is a great alternative for those people who are considering getting plastic plants for aesthetics. Grobal offers all the same natural beauty of a plant, and the self-watering feature allows for carefree upkeep.
What will you do when we make first contact with the extra terrestrials? Russian Scientist are preparing for our first encounter, which they estimate to be within the next 20 years. Alien encounters have been the subject of conspiracy and dramatic fiction throughout all of human history. Now, Andrei Finkelstien is marketing the worlds “first contact” as a scientific certainty. The question being formulated by many astrologists is not “if?” we will make contact, but “when?”. One thing is for certain; humans have always had a great interest in what lies beyond the blue skies.
When George Orwell read War of the Worlds on the radio in 1938 many listeners were unaware that what they were listening to was fiction. There was a resulting mass panic that swept the East coast, people believed they were under attack of Martians from Mars. For those of you who have not read Orwell’s book I have included the first paragraph of War of the Worlds, Book I The Coming of the Martians:
“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria under the microscope do the same. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days. At most terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise. Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. And early in the twentieth century came the great disillusionment.”
A depiction of George Orwells War of the Worlds Aliens, above.
Humans have always gazed up at the stars with curiosity, wonder, and fear. George Orwell was able to tap into a very peculiar human emotion, if emotion is even the right word to use for the feeling that “We are not alone.” And that “We are being watched.”
Science is beginning to support the claims of those who say that aliens exist.
“The genesis of life is as inevitable as the formation of atoms… Life exist on other planets and we will find it within 20 years,” Said Finkelstein, who is the director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Applied Astronomy Institute. And Finkelstien is not envisioning contact with single celled un-intelligent life, but rather beings that resemble ourselves with two arms, two legs and a head, which would be of comparable intelligence to us. Finkelstein goes on to say that “They may have different color skin, but even we have that”.
Theories run off in every direction from the word “Alien”. Some people would argue that we have already made first contact and that the government is covering it up, others say that they have seen aliens themselves or even have been abducted by them. Still, others claim that human life is based off our ancient alien heritage.
If your interested in alien conspiracy then you need look no father than typing Area 51 into your Google search bar. Area 51 is a top secret military facility shrouded in mystery for its “alien leaks” a few former employees of the compound have come fourth in the past testifying to the alien nature of the compound, however, all of these claims have been dubbed conspiratorial. While I will not go into the conspiracies themselves for the simple fact that there are too many, I will give you the names (with links) to some of the well-known Area 51 whistle blowers:
A giant anthill is excavated so that we (humans) can see the marvelous architecture that is an ant colony’s home. The excavators used cement to fill the hill’s hole so that the passages carved out by ants would be made into a sculpture-like cast that was then dug out by the excavation crew.
Another, smaller, excavated ant hill is pictured above.
If you’re a wildlife enthusiast and photographer then take these videos as a warning. These two videos show you how up-close some camera-aficionados are getting to their subjects; close enough to have their equipment stolen. Whether you’re underwater or on the ground you have to constantly be on the lookout for these attention-loving critters.
YouTube description for the Seagull theft:
Seagull stole my video camera in Cannes France. I found it on the castle wall, where I had to climb.
Youtube description for Octopus theft:
while trying to get video of a wild octopus, it suddenly dashed towards me and rips my shiny new camera from out of my hands, then swims off, all while the camera is recording! he swam away very quickly like a naughty shoplifter. after a 5 minute chase, I placed my speargun underneath him and he quickly and curiously grabbed hold of the gun as well, giving me enough time to reach in and grab the camera from out of his mouth. I didn’t feel threatened at all during the whole ordeal. he seemed to be fixated on the shiny metallic blue digital camera. the only confusing behavior was how he dashed off with it like a thief haha. cheeky octopus.
Vervet monkeys in the Caribbean have a fun time hanging out with the tourist there, and are picking up on a few of their habits. These Vervet monkeys have a drinking problem, and are forced to steal to get their nightly fix. Watch the video below to see these crafty monkeys getting their five-finger discounts:
Disney World and Disneyland are notorious for their use of pyrotechnics in extravagant firework shows. There are over 230 firework shows a year in Disneyland. With rising health and environmental concerns Disney did what Disney does best, got creative, creating a greener, cleaner, quieter line of fireworks to use at their daily shows. Instead of using gunpowder to propel their mortar shells, they now use compressed air. A majority of consumer fireworks are powered by gunpowder.
Disney saves 30,000 pounds of explosive material a year, by having switched to compressed air propulsion. However, Disney is still using 60,000 pounds of explosive material to make their fireworks go boom. Disney switched from gunpowder to compressed air in 2004, in 2003 Disney used 90,000 pounds of explosives. The theme parks use roughly 350 shells per show, all of which are now launched by compressed air.
Disney plans to donate their patented technology to other theme parks in an effort to reduce air pollution all around.
People who live in the residential neighborhoods surrounding Disneyland complain about the nightly ruckus caused by the fireworks shows. People living in the area say that their dogs go up in a howling frenzy every night, and some have double-paned their windows and added more insulation in order to help drown out the sound, a few neighbors have even filed lawsuits against the park. However, on the upside, residents get a free lightshow most nights. (Latimes)
Disney also receives non-noise related complaints:
“Since 1991, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) has received 73 complaints citing smoke, ash, odor and minor property damage from falling debris resulting from fireworks shows at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. While not a large problem when compared to the amount of fireworks shows given at the park each year” (All Business)
Fireworks are composed of toxic combustible chemicals, they will never be truly “environmentally friendly”. Newer technology can make the use of fireworks obsolete. Technology such as laser light shows, illuminated night kite shows, and holographic fireworks. Next time you hear the boom, bang, and awe of a firework watching crowd, take a second to consider the risk and reward of the toxic bang by asking: is the boom worth the environmental and health bust?
Direct Sources:
Barboza, Tony. “Disneyland | For Residents near Disneyland, Nightly Fireworks Shows Have Lost Their Spark – Los Angeles Times.” Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 July 2010. Web. 27 June 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/03/local/la-me-anaheim-fireworks-20100704>.
O’Rourke, Morgan. “Disney Fireworks Go Green | North America United States from AllBusiness.com.” AllBusiness.com | Business Solutions from AllBusiness.com. Risk Management. Web. 27 June 2011. <http://www.allbusiness.com/operations/business-insurance-risk-management/1171639-1.html>.
Where's your car? Oh I see it, it's the one with fireworks over it.
This product basically speaks, or shows, for itself. Have you ever had vertigo in the parking lot, looking anxiously around trying to find your car and it is seemingly nowhere to be found? What if your car could show you where it was? And do it with a spectacular mini fireworks show?
The Fireworks Locator creates a holographic firework display to project or “launch” into the air. Designer Mac Funamizu has come up with this spectacular innovation to spare short-term memory loss sufferers the stress of temporarily believing they have lost their car. Nobody likes to be the one who reports their car stolen to the mall police only to have it found parked in the lot where “someone” (surely not I) parked it.
A remote control could be in the key or clipped to the keychain and used to activate the Fireworks Locator either for entertainment or S.O.S.
Would the Fireworks Locator be beneficial to you and your vehicle parking trials?
Isn’t it ironic that one of our nations most prized holidays is celebrated by systematic violations of federal regulations? This coming forth of July’s sky will undoubtedly be illuminated with showers of colored sparks and explosions. This beautiful display of pyrotechnics masks the toxic smoke that hovers above the ground. Anyone who inhales near celebratory launch sites will smell the rotten-egg smell of sulfur entering into their nostrils and lungs. The toxicity of the Fourth has not and probably will not stiffen the excitement to those Americans who remember their forefathers proclaiming freedom by blasting rockets into the sky. The day that Americans ceased paying British taxes is denoted by an annual environmental toll, in the form of streaming sparks.
It seems that the Federal Clean Air Act’s standards are put to the wayside on the 4th in order to make way for many colossal and toxic celebrations all over the country. The Clean Air Act was developed to reduce air pollution all over the country by specifying the levels of toxicity allowed in the air, and what toxins can or can not be released into the air. While fireworks may seem harmless, the explosion of color is a toxic bang that can debunk what the Clean Air Act works to offset- pollution.
Barium is the chemical that is used to create the green sparks of a firework; Barium is also poisonous and radioactive. Toxins like sulfur and coal are used in the creation of fireworks, and are released after detonation. Copper compounds containing dioxin are also packed inside of these minor explosions. Dioxin is a carcinogenic compound. Other toxins and heavy metals used include: cadmium, lithium, antimony, rubidium, strontium, lead, and potassium nitrate, these ingredients pose serious health concerns to humans and animals alike, not to mention environmental hazards. Cadmium and lead exposure can lead to developmental learning disabilities in children. Fireworks are a visual delight, but what goes out of sight in plumes of smoke is out of mind as well, and while the colors only last for a few seconds the pollutants have a longer-lasting negative impact.
“What goes up, must come down” – Isaac Newton.
Fireworks exploding in the air release toxins that can then land in lakes, ponds, and forest adding a substantial amount of pollution to the fallout area. The fallout will either be directly dropped into the surrounding area, or will come down later in the form of acid rain. Acid rain is the dissipation of acid forming chemicals in the form of rain, sleet, or snow caused by chemicals like sulfur and nitrate.
In addition to toxicity, fireworks are also responsible for starting thousands of fires every year. And the Fourth of July holiday boasts more fire related accidents reported than any other day of the year. Between 2002-2004 fireworks were blamed for 32,300 fires each year. (backcountryattidute.com)
Fireworks are a rather primitive practice of which the cost on health and the environment outweighs the exciting “toxic bang”. Unfortunately it is hard for many Americans to see the downside of fireworks because all they actually see is the beautiful bright lights. This Fourth of July you should strive to keep your celebrations on the ground.
