Shocking Evidence

After finishing up my grocery shopping in the Los Angeles area I was walking back to my SUV, which was parked in the back of the garage. Reason being because most parking garages have the new NO SUV parking spots. Passing the front row of spots i noticed something different that was not your typical handicap front row convenience. There was a sign for electric car parking and next to the sign were two generators. This is the first time I have seen parking that was in favor for electric hybrid cars. I find this idea to be somewhat revolutionary for pushing consumers to purchase hybrid cars through the idea of small luxuries. This idea is also applied to hybrid cars having the perk to drive in carpool lanes, which proves to be very luxurious during heavy traffic. Although the idea is innovative and green, its application is a little nonsense at this current moment. The bulk of hybrid cars that are in production as of today, run on a gas electric platform, where the batteries get charged by the gasoline engine powering the car, which does not need to be plugged in. Therefore the idea of these spots is mostly for the perk. The truth of the matter is that although hybrid cars at this present moment give you more miles per gallon, they do not necessarily give you more miles per dollar. Do to hybrid cars being limited in supply and the newest technology, the hybrid car market has a very high premium that could take the average driver up to 14 years to break even. On the other hand, the luxury of less time at the pump, quicker highway commutes, and now front row parking spots, seems to be desirable as I drag along to the back of the garage.

Making a Mountain Out of a Mole Hill

The California Academy of Sciences, has decided to redesign their museum after the quakes in 1999. They choose Renzo Piano to be the architect to carry out the new project that is being constructed in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Piano along with the California Academy of Sciences, had big goals for the new museum with two tasks in mind, keeping the historic (restoring old facades, pillars, and vaulted ceilings) while also being innovative and technological. The new museum houses some crazy, new elements including a brand new digital planetarium, a living penguin display in the African Hall, and even a mock rainforest. Unlike most museums, The new California Academy of Sciences uses glass to open up the spaces providing ambient lighting and even open courtyards.The new museum also is a leader in green technologies including photovoltaic systems that alone provide 5% of the building’s energy, Many of the building components coming from recycled materials (90% of all demolition materials were recycled, 50% of lumber was harvested from sustainable yield forests, 68% of insulation comes from recycled blue jeans), and finally the most important element is one of the largest living roofs. The roof covers over 2.5 acres, which houses 1.7 million native pant. The living roof provides insulation along
with absorbing over 3.6 million gallons of rainwater, which would typically just end up in storm drains. The roof within its self is an engineering phenomenon (322 engineers where on duty) due to its complex roof structure of suspended glass ceilings, and “hill” structures that house the planetarium and mock rainforest. The 488 million dollar museum opens its doors on september 22nd 2008, and it seems to be anything but extraordinary. The California Academy of Sciences took their once typical museum, and have really created an innovative establishment on the cutting edge of sustainable and green technologies.

Exotic 4-Door Sedans

What is one thing Aston Martin and Porsche have in common? This is easy, their desire for speed, beauty, and exhilaration, which is displayed in their pulse pounding sports cars. The two companies compete in the exotic tier of sports cars with price tags as high as some mortgages, but I do have to say they both make one hell of a sports car. Aston Martin and Porsche have decided to mix up the exotic tier by making their 2 door rocket cars grow, literally. Both companies are planning to launch 4 door super sedans that share the same blood lines as their coupes. Aston Martin is launching their new concept named the Rapide, that has been in the works for the last couple of years. The main idea is to make a practical, beautiful, and superlative performer. The sedan's architecture is derived from Aston Martin's flagship DB9. The Rapide resembles a longer DB9, and is powered by a similar V12 engine boasting 480 brake horsepower.These new sedans are demonstrating a new era in sports car with the main objective being "practicality". These two new concepts will be battling it out with other luxury sedans, but in the end hoping to have the edge being backed by legendary sports car's names.

Greening Chicago's Magnificent Mile

The city of Chicago is a city that cares about its appearance and providing spaces for residents and the public to escape towards. Ever since the Burnham Plan (if you would like to know more check out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsR6dQUh_qs) Chicago has built numerous parks and green spaces to keep a clean image. Now the green movement is spreading to the Magnificent Mile in bits and pieces. I had the opportunity to capture some Green gadgets and inspiration that are slowly taking over the city. The first most noticeable pieces where the Illinois Institute of Art has on display several dress designs with green being the overall theme. The Dresses are funky and pretty out there, but like the saying goes, its the idea that counts. With names such as Recycled Rococo and Rain Catcher the dresses demonstrate how clothing can be made out of any sustainable or recyclable material. Another very interesting gadget I found was a hand dryer in the restrooms of Water Tower Place. The hand dryer named the Air Blade designed by Dyson is another interesting way to reduce our paper towel consumption. The Air Blade is revolutionary for its use of two jets that dry your palms and the top of your hands at the same time to decrease the time it takes for one to dry their hands. Not only does it look weird it feels weird too. I overheard a women saying how she kept playing with machine, which is why it took her so long to come out of the bathroom. My final discovery was a garbage can, but this was no ordinary garbage can. It was a solar powered trash compactor, which uses solar energy to run the compressor. All of these little ideas are great steps forward in the effort to green our planet. So the next time you happen to be on the Magnificent Mile be sure to check out all of these gadgets.

Its a Bird, Its a Plane, No its an Office Building??

Architecture through out the course of time has seen some serious changes in styles, building techniques, and even scale. Coming into the 21st century, architecture is evolving at incredible rates, due to the advancement of computers and software programs. Architects have really started to push the limits, and in return have created some outrageous buildings. One of the most notable architects that has pushed design is Frank Gehry, with his chaotic organizations of titanium, and his buildings could only be designed with computer aid. Now there is a new architecture firm in town, and they have started to use technology in a different manner. James Law Cybertecture International Ltd., a firm based in Hong Kong, has created a new language and this is called cybertecture, which is the idea of blending technology into our rigid building structures, giving them the chance to evolve with its inhabitants. In order to do this, the firm looks to blend tangible materials (concrete, steel, and glass) with intangible materials (technology, multimedia, intelligence, and interactivity). This new principal is demonstrated in their newest creation The Cybertecture Egg, which is under construction in Mumbai, India. The concept is planet earth working as an ecosystem that allows life to evolve. The egg uses cybertecture allowing the building to evolve providing its inhabitants the most optimal work space (did I mention this amazing structure is an office building). The building is meant to look like a planet that has been stretched and skewed, which gives the building its egg shape.
The complex shape allows the building to reduce surface area by 10 to 20 percent, which cuts down the buildings solar gain. The Egg's unique structure relies on the complicated skin, which allows the building's floors to span up to 30 meters with no interior supports. The most important element of cybertecture design is going to be how the building's built in systems allow the building to morph over time, using technology to provide interaction and evolution. The Egg is a completely unique building for its complicated shape and structure, which gives us a glimpse of 21st century architecture. Its not a bird, nor a plane it is cybertecture, a term that may soon become an element in future buildings to come.

Salad Design

Summer is here, and there is no better time for back yard barbecues with family and friends. The grill is covered with hotdogs and hamburgers, but now what about the salad. Try this deliciously simple Caprese salad. To prepare and serve takes about twenty minutes, so its quick and really easy. There are four main ingredients mixed into the salad: grape tomatoes (1 container), fresh basil (5 leaves), mozzarella slices (10 slices), and shallots (2) (all ingredients can be arbitrary it all depends on your taste).To cut up the tomatoes just simply cut them in half, which will give the salad character by not making it to mushy, but to also allow the juices to mix in with the salad. The basil should be cut up into strips and also is mixed into the bowl. Finally dice up some Shallots for flavor. Mix the tomatoes, shallots, and basil in a bowl and top off with olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, salt, and pepper. After the ingredients are mixed, put in the fridge to chill. On separate plates put the slices of mozzarella and a little bit of olive oil, when the mixture is cold scoop out and serve on a plate, and to top it off add a little bit of fresh basil. There you have it a simple salad by design to accompany any backyard barbeque.

Designer Bags for Your Groceries

Paper or Plastic? The question that everyone receives at the end of the check out line at your local grocery store. Many people have started to give a different answer. "I brought my own". The truth is plastic bags are one of the largest contributors to waste in our landfills, and there is anywhere between 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags produced each year. Many think that the plastic bags are recycled, but the truth is only 1% actually make it through the process. So where do the bags go? Plastic bags end up in our land fills and pollute our planet. A study done in 1975 by the U.S. Academy of Natural Sciences verified that 8 million pounds of plastic has been dumped into our oceans, which has had a huge impact on wildlife and natural ecosystems. So many people have been taking action to eliminate their consumption of plastic bags. Their answer is canvas, or sustainable bags that are reusable. This new idea, has created a market for for reusable bags, in which some specialty brands have appeared. One company, Baggu, has created a line of nylon bags, which appear to be more stylish than your normal grocery bag. They target on foot shoppers in urban areas, along with suburban shoppers, with their universal light weight design. Each bag costs about 8 dollars, and they are offered in an array of vibrant colors. Now why spend 8 dollars on a colorful bag, if the boring ones are free? There are a couple reasons. First many retailers and grocery stores offer a 10 cent refunds for using your own bags, which will pay back for the bag in a couple months. Another reason is by not using plastic bags, the average person will save 6 bags a week. This number may not sound extreme, but if one out of every five Americans used a sustainable bag they would save 1,330,560,000,000 plastic bags in their lifetime. One person might not make a drastic impact, but together we can make our planet a cleaner, and more eco-friendly place, one bag at a time.

To learn more about Baggu
Vist at: http://baggubag.com/index.html

The New Face of Hybrid

With global warming and gas prices on the rise, the auto industry has begun to take action through the production of hybrid cars. The concept is simple; the less oil the car uses the more eco-friendly the car. Typically, hybrid cars are designed to display their green disposition with dumb founded smiles, and even radioactive green colors. Well Fisker has decided to create a car that looks at eco-friendly from a more aggressive standpoint. With the launch of the new Karma, Fisker has created one of the first, true hybrid sports car. The idea is simple, many Americans do not drive over 50 miles on their daily commute, and the Karma addresses this statement by providing an electric engine that can cover up to 50 miles. This engine would therefore allow many individuals to go about their day with 0 emissions. The car is a plug in hybrid, meaning that in order to get full charge, one has to plug in the car every night. For longer commutes there is also a smaller gas engine that works like a normal engine, but also charges the battery. The Karma also uses solar panels that are built into the roof to help power the climate control and charge the battery. The Karma demonstrates true sports car power and style, with a 0 to 60 acceleration of 6 seconds, top track speed of 125 mph, dramatic curves, crisp edges, and an aggressive stance. The Karma competes in the luxury market, and is priced at $80,000. The Fisker Karma has started to take hybrid more aggressively showing us how hybrid can lead the new revolution. Its time to think of hybrid in terms of performance rather than eco friendly, and the Karma has been one of the pioneers of this new hybrid era.

Green Media

Going green has become a gimmick in which everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. Now the television has gone green with a new network devoted to bringing the public green news. Planet Green, takes a look at the color green and makes it the new pink by demonstrating green in a more trendy way. Personally, I think it is great to see people trying to make their statement about living better and a more conscious lifestyle, but it also bugs me when a mission statement is poorly followed. After doing some research about Planet Green, I have seen some awesome demonstrations of going green, and I have also seen very pathetic attempts. Their market is trying to appeal to the younger generations, using celebrities to create the stir. For example, one of their new series called Battle Ground Earth has Ludacris battling Tommy Lee Jones on who can be "greener". The mission is for two artists to raise awareness about our environment and promote a green lifestyle. The concept is strong, but it will be interesting to see how well it holds up. There are other parts of Planet Green, which are not so motivational, for example: Who's Greener: Paris Hilton, or an Umbrella? I wonder how inspirational this article has been in the public eye. The other downside is that Planet Green only operates on select channels, which limits a huge population from viewing the new station. It will be interesting to see the impact of Planet Green on American's lifestyles, but any way to promote a green lifestyle is a positive effort. I am just hoping that Planet Green stays true to its name, and does not stray to far off the green trail.


To visit: Planetgreen.com

Flying in fashion

Lets face it, air travel has become the most UN-luxurious form of travel possible, but many of us cannot live without it. With airlines charging you 15 dollars to check one bag, having to wait in long security lines, and, oh yeah, they took away your one free meal, they have taken away any feeling of importance! Well my friends it is time to take matter into your own hands! The idea is simple, "picnic on the plane" of course the food is expensive, but there is no way out of paying it! When I was at O'Hare airport in Chicago, I noticed this little stand, called CIBO express. The little market carried gourmet food items including: fancy chocolates, fresh fruit, sandwiches, unique chip brands, high end water, and world sweets. Instead of purchasing the mass items on the plane for a light lunch, I bought a couple of items from this gourmet stand. I had a tomato mozzarella wrap, bagel chips, and to top it off a mini Toberlone bar. The key is to also take advantage of your one free drink. So when the beverage cart passed by, I pulled out my items, and had myself a nice little picnic that I knew I would enjoy. Not only was it enjoyable, but it also passes some time on the plane, and makes you feel just as good as anyone up in first class (except for the cramped legroom and the children screaming behind you). So take the power back when it comes to dining on the plane, and don't be nickeled and dimed out of a good meal!