Hasta La Ideas

There’s a great profile of Core–fave Tiffany Threadgould in tomorrow’s Consumed column by Rob Walker in The New York Times Magazine. Here’s a little scrap:

At some point there would seem to be tension between all this information about how to be a good garbage reuser and the business of, you know, having a business. Then again, Threadgould’s educating can be thought of as a form of marketing, much as Martha Stewart and other so-called lifestyle icons offer free projects and advice that sync up with the suite of products and services they happen to sell. Threadgould has appeared on the television show “It’s Easy Being Green” and has a book of garbage-themed D.I.Y. projects (“ReMake It!”) due out in 2011.

In Threadgould’s case, however, she’s advancing not just her specific company but also a larger garbage-loving agenda. And as she points out, that agenda flies in the face of the way most of us think about the material goods we’re done with–not to mention the overwhelming message of most marketing, which has to do with obtaining the new, not pondering the potential usefulness of the old.

Can’t wait for that book! Check out all her stuff at RePlayGround.

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In 1996, Dutch engineer Jan Peeters of FibreCore had a problem: They
were designing a footbridge made of composite materials, “But the mould itself was more expensive than the bridge would have been in steel!”

The obvious solution is to get your money’s worth out of the mold by using it over and over again–in other words, mass production. Thirteen long years later, FibreCore has managed to do that, using a fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) for their new Delft Design Bridge (rendered above):

The Delft Bridge, a joint venture between Royal Haskoning and FiberCore Europe, makes use of the fact that composite bridges are ideally suited to serial production. The length and width of the bridge deck can be varied to fit each location thanks to the inclusion of a prismatic mid-section in the moulds. Where aesthetics are important, the colour schemes are also customisable, giving a harmonised finish that will blend into different settings.

Jan Peeters explained the bridge material has a stiffness much greater than steel, which means the units are extremely lightweight, can be swiftly manufactured and are very easy to install. No excavations are needed because the bridge doesn’t require much in the way of foundations, so installation causes little disruption of the surroundings. This also means that bridges can be easily relocated.

via maritime journal

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Making the rounds is this video from March–a very nice example of informationalization. “Sending the recipe instead of the dish” as Nathan Shedroff would say, in this case, clothing patterns. “You’re still making the same 10 dollars.”

via SMAC

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Make sure to check out all the process pics.

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And to set you on your way for the weekend…The Rubix Cubewich.
via Make, who call this the “Rubik’s Coronary”

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