Archive for the ‘Design’ Category
Ah, there's that sweet summer smell of latex.
Did you know that when Edgar Ellington invented water balloons he was trying to solve ‘trench foot’, a disability that many soldiers acquired during WWI and WWII? And here’s what today’s people did with that invention.
Photo credit: KnittaPlease
The knit graffiti group credited with the birth of the international yarn bombing movement. What else is there?
Photo Credit: BurdaStyle
It’s never to early to scope out a Halloween costume. Or an outfit for next Thursday.
Photo Credit: National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel and a team of scientists, engineers, and two world-class balloon pilots successfully launched a 16′ X 16′ house 18′ tall with 300 8′ colored weather balloons from a private airfield east of Los Angeles, and set a new world record for the largest balloon cluster flight ever attempted. The entire experimental aircraft was more than 10 stories high, reached an altitude of over 10,000 feet, and flew for approximately one hour.
Pretty cool.
Photo by Heather Zinger
We’ve moved on from transportable cupcake bakeries to more serious tasks, like mobile boutiques. Talk about a movable feast. (Sorry, Hemingway.)
Entrepreneurialism at its finest.
Ecclesiastes: ”That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.”
Austin Kleon gives some great creativity advice here.
Entrepreneurs and artists submit an idea. If it’s accepted, it goes up on the site with a target amount to be raised and a timeline. It can be a movie, a project, an album, a prototype, you name it. Investors — angels — contribute funds.
Out of Print celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion. Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451...too many to choose from!
In what parallel universe are bowling shoes not toxic, the food menu includes more than nachos and Pabst Blue Ribbon and the entire experience is not bathed in smoke? Such a place really exists! Maybe you already know about such a world, but the closest I’d come to a bowling alley was watching The Big Lebowski, idolizing The Dude. Wait a minute, if you didn’t click that link, you’ve already missed out on the fact that there is an event called Lebowski Fest. Truth.
Fast-forward through movie talk, we discovered this bowling nirvana at Splitsville Luxury Lanes and Dinner Lounge at the Village of Fairview. Don’t get me wrong – these types of haunts usually freak me out with their perfectly ironed pants and fancy martini flavors. Maybe this is the suburbia talking, but it was fun.
The way it’s designed with bright reds and blacks and oversized bowling pins and 1950s-esque lighting satisfied the aesthetics-hound in me. I guess they were trying to reach the ‘everyone’ demographic, because the music selections were bizarre: it ranged from Biz Markie to Hank Williams. I cannot figure their rhyme or reason, but it’s okay. Who goes bowling for the music experience?
The culinary choices have veered far away from cheese fries and nachos, while those do still make an appearance on the menu. Our table sampled edamame, sliders, pizza and fries, so we remained pretty true to the blue-collar roots. (Minus the edamame) Other choices include thai shrimp quesadillas, spicy ahi-tuna sushi, mahi mahi fish tacos and three-pepper calamari.
I’m no bowling master, but I enjoyed sampling a different colored ball (I mean weight) on each turn. I got lucky a few times and managed two strikes. Which didn’t mix well with the other gutter balls. And the shoes! The staff does not require you to exchange your shows for a pair of sparkling new bowling shoes. Is that a bygone tradition? (Probably one better left in the past, actually.)
Apparently, after 8pm Splitsville is working to keep the gangstas out. Their dress code reads: No sunglasses/hats/beanies(?)/bandanas/cut-off shorts/baggy or oversized clothing/long shorts/shorts below the knee or athletic wear. Whew. Okay, that just answered my question. The Dude would not be allowed inside sporting his usual outfit. “Man, that’s just like, your opinion.”
Much fun was had at Splitsville, mocking each others’ brilliant bowling abilities and dancing to the oddball music. You should check it out sometime. Just don’t wear your beanie.
The Adventurist Series: Japan Exhilarates Interior Designer Kasey McCarty
Award-Winning Interior Designer, Kasey McCarty,
owner of Kasey McCarty Design Studio
1. Tell us about a recent experience that qualifies as an adventure. (Maybe something photography/book writing-related?)
For me travel is an adventure, whether it’s abroad or domestic. Seeing new countries, cities, people and culture is an amazing adventure, and I do my best to immerse myself completely. I am not a thrill-seeking adventurist, I am a simple observer of life and that to me is a great adventure.
This spring I participated in a six-week Group Study Exchange (GSE) through Rotary International that visited Osaka, Japan. The GSE program invites individuals under 40 who are not Rotarians to join the exchange with both a strong vocational and cultural component.
There are a few reasons I qualify this trip as an adventure.
1. The obvious: I travelled to a part of the world I had never visited.
2. There were six people in our group, and none of us really knew each other. Host families offered us their homes.
3. I didn’t speak or read Japanese, and stayed with families that didn’t speak English.
4. I left my interior design business for six weeks during a recession. As a designer, the vocational visits exposed me to some incredible traditional and modern architecture. There is such an amazing aesthetic to everything in Japan, including the people, the food (and its presentation), the traditions, the landscape and the history. It was so inspiring, and I now see some of that inspiration influencing my current designs.
One of my purposes for going to Japan was to consider the next step for my career. But the beauty of the trip and how it was organized left no time to ponder my life. It was one of the few times in my life that I lived purely in the moment. I let life take me rather than try to control it and it was so freeing and just what I needed.
2. How do adventurous experiences affect your perspective on everyday life?
An adventurous experience can really take you out of your head and make you aware of how you’re connected to the bigger world. I have travelled abroad quite a bit and I lived in South America when I was in the Peace Corps. I value those experiences, how they help me interact and understand the differences and not so “differences” in people. I like to say that the travel adventures that I have had have helped me “see.”
3. Name one way that people can make their normal lives more interesting?
Participate in your community. I live in Austin, and really enjoy exploring the city. I have lived here for 10 years and there are still so many things that I haven’t done or seen so I am constantly checking off my “to-see/to-do” list. I try to explore new restaurants, hike in different areas of the city and just drive around in new neighborhoods. (It’s helpful that my job makes this really easy since I have to be in all parts of the city.)
4. Can you tell us about an adventure that sounded great on paper but somehow went wrong?
Nothing comes to mind, but one thing that I would never do is bungee jump – doesn’t sound or look good on paper and I am positive my feet would be ripped from my body!
5. When you’re 80 years old (or if you’re already there, add few years) what adventure memory will you tell repeatedly?
I am half way to 80 and so far my experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in my early 20s holds the number one spot for an adventure memory. I can still wring out a story, and I have a few great romance stories from my earlier travels that I save for special audiences. I hope the next 40 years continues a combination of adventure and romance……My next travel adventure will be a trip to China.