Archives For environment

This is actually a really great idea… especially the caps for the giant Coca Cola markers, the soap dispensers, the water atomizer, and the light caps. I dunno about the Den-den daiko [1]… but, oh well…

Everything that you could use at a kindergarten is awesome.

Solar Roadways

May 21, 2014 — Leave a comment

Well, this is an exciting project~

solar-roadways

Solar panels on the road!

My first reaction to it was, of course, to wonder whether that would be sustainable and durable. Cars (and trucks!) driving by solar panels every single time? That’s apparently the first thing in people’s minds, so they’ve assured us “Solar Roadways is a modular paving system of solar panels that can withstand the heaviest of trucks (250,000 pounds).

And things get even more exciting~

They have many other features as well, including: heating elements to stay snow/ice free, LEDs to make road lines and signage, and attached Cable Corridor to store and treat stormwater and provide a “home” for power and data cables. EVs will be able to charge with energy from the sun (instead of fossil fuels) from parking lots and driveways and after a roadway system is in place, mutual induction technology will allow for charging while driving.

It’s basically a giant led screen -that charges itself- on the floor for signage (no more painting and paving!) and heating for snow and ice! I wonder how it does with floods and scorching heat, though. Imagine the system going down after a massive rain or overflowing of a nearby river… tropical storm or tsunami. Or the overheating of the floor, ending up in flames or melted shoes (or tires).

Did I ever tell you about the time that my sneakers melted when I was doing sandboard?

Still… imagine the possibilities if done right.

What’s more awesome than just animation? And origami? How about origami-animation? Japanese tissue manufacturer Nepia has a short commercial/PSA/short showcasing origami animals and some stop-motion.

Creative director: Jin Sato (佐藤仁)
Copyrighter: Ochi Kazuyoshi (越智一仁)
Producer: Takuo Ozawa (小澤卓男), Yasuhiro Kawasaki (川崎泰広)
Director: Arai Fuyu (新井風愉)
Production manager: Takasugi Makoto (高杉誠)
Stop-motion animation: Ohno Motoki (おーのもとき)
Camera: Chiyoe Sugita (杉田知洋江)
Camera assistant: Mahiro Shintani (新谷真博)
Lights: HIGASIX
Lights assistant: Tomoya Yoshimura (吉村知弥)
Art: Kiyomi Tokita (鴇田清美), Takanori Saito (斉藤貴教), Shizuka Masaki (正木静香)
Editor: Maho Inamoto (稲本真帆)
Music: Mituru Samejima (鮫島充)
Sound effects: Yoshiaki Tokunaga (徳永義明)

No effing WAY.

And the most important thing:

The Cardboard Bicycle can withstand water and humidity, coated with a strong layer of brown and white material, making the finished product look like it is made of hard lightweight plastic and can carry riders weighing up to 220 kilograms. The cost to make the bicycle is around $9-$12 and the manufacturer expects that the cost to the consumer would be around $60-$90 depending on what parts they choose to add on. – source

Water-resistant, light, and cheap? O_O

I’ll pay $90 for that bike. xD

What will become of America in five, 25, or even 50 years from today? FUTURESTATES is a series of 11 fictional mini-features exploring possible future scenarios through the lens of today’s global realities. Immerse yourself in the visions of these independent prognosticators as they project a future of their own imagining.

That sounded like a pretty cool idea, so I’m currently on episode 2, though I couldn’t really made myself watch all of episode 1. Episode 2 titled Mister Green is pretty good though.

And it looks oh so pretty.

In the disturbingly near future, Venice is submerged, Canal Street in New York City has become a real canal again, and it’s 87 degrees in December in Boston. Catastrophic global warming has moved from theory to fact. At the Biosphere Climate Change Expo, undersecretary for the Department of Global Warming Mason Park (Tim Kang) informs the crowd of scientists and activists that the tipping point has passed, and that they are all at fault.

You can watch it for free over at the Mister Green Futurestates website.