The Future is Biomorphic

...s his “Biomorphic Biosphere Megastructure (BBM):” This union of nature and technology is what I am trying to achieve in my work. People say that the structures I draw look “alive.” They are alive–not in the sense that nature produced them independently of human control, but because they carry out all the different functions of living systems, respond to their environment, and grow. Certainly they are not “dead” as are many of today’s buildings whi...

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I made shoes!

...ff our feet, both tracing our soles and using duct tape (a common medieval technology) to make casts of our feet. Then we cut open and flattened those 3D casts to form the pattern for the uppers. The uppers were made of buffalo hide, which is strong and buttery soft, and the soles of latigo, a thick leather which is a traditional soling material. We stitched the leather together with strong waxed thread. The shoes are meant to fit like gloves–and...

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Shoemaking workshop in Los Angeles, Oct. 16-19

...this kind of class in the greater LA area. This is deep North Coast hippie technology, imported guerrilla style to the land of tottering platform heels. The shoes are made from custom patterns modeled on your own feet, so the shoe will fit you like no other. It’s a pricey class-but keep in mind how many hours of instruction you’re getting–and you’ll walk away with a pair of custom shoes and the know-how to make more. In the end, it’s actually a gr...

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Saturday Linkages: Basil Downy Mildew, Bees and Grow Lights

...turbine design–it’s shaped like a nautilus: http://www.treehugger.com/wind-technology/silent-wind-turbines-could-generate-half-household-energy.html … A bacteria that helps produce stay fresh AND saves the bats AND saves the bees??? http://magazine.gsu.edu/article/future-food/ … Fascinating food history–the historical colors of vanilla and chocolate: http://www.ediblegeography.com/vanilla-is-the-old-black/ … Colorado Ham Tracks Down, Resolves Inte...

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Josey Baker Bread: One Bread Book to Rule Them All

...ng bread baking for a few years now through both the Institute of Domestic Technology and the Los Angeles Bread Bakers. When students ask what book they should get I have to hold up half a dozen. Not any more. Now I can send students to just one book: Josey Baker Bread. The appropriately named Josey Baker (who used to work with another baker named Dave Miller–who mills his own flour, naturally) has written a perfect bread baking course in book for...

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