Links

Interesting Stuff on the Internet

Interesting stuff on the internet is an article sharing my favourite recent online inspiration and distractions.

If a picture tells 1000 words, then is a metaphor is worth 1000 pictures? How to design a metaphor takes a look at how to see the world through words. Michael Erard writes that someone who designs a metaphor isn’t trying to make something beautiful. They seek to change the way you view things, including yourself.

Lots of things have happened in my personal business recently. We now stock at Small Space Gallery in Northcote. We will be appearing at the Bend and Snap Markets on Sunday 26th July and also the Melbourne Mystery Market on Sunday 28th June. We now sell concrete and skateboard rings, bracelets and homewares. We are also currently working on some necklaces which will be on our website in a few weeks!

Looking back through personal experiences and connotations in order to look forward – This article takes a look at the results from a set of experiments published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology on how nostalgia fuels creativity. 

What the future looks like: Another article looking forward into the future of wearables, solar cooking, flying cars and electronic handshakes.

The architecture of violence: Eyal Weizman explains architecture’s key role in the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the evolution of urban warfare. “Architecture and the built environment is a kind of a slow violence. The occupation is an environment that was conceived to strangulate Palestinian communities, villages and towns, to create an environment that would be unliveable for the people there,” says Weizman.

From demountable steel structures to prefabrication and tiny construction robots this article takes a look at the future of the construction industry. 

10 solutions from around the globe that could respond to Melbourne’s housing crisis. Some solutions include modular living, floating apartments, community living and duel key housing.

In 2012, output from the prefabricated building industry globally is estimated to be more than US$90 billion, up from $60 billion in 2011. This article takes a look at building a housing industry from the relics of the dying car industry.

In his 1933 essay ” The Last Messiah,” Zapffe describes depression as the over-evolution of the mind. He compares the mind of the anxious or depressed person to a particular type of deer from paleontological times, who were thought to have died off after acquiring overly-heavy horns. Does the truth really set you free, or does it only fuck you up? This is one of the interesting short articles I have read on depression.

A chat between Tim Ferriss and Noah Kagan: Kagan (#30 at Facebook) has created 4 separate products that have generated more than 7 figures. In this conversation he talks about what to focus on when starting up a new business, including the need to clearly define, focus and invest in a single project goal that will make you profitable.

The clone that wasn’t: Can two designers come up with the exact same idea, entirely by accident? The answer according to this article is an absolute yes.

When will we find aliens? For the first time in human history, we have the means to answer the question. Chris McKay also say it’s 50/50 chance as to whether there is currently life on Mars. From stargazing to winning big on stargames.

I recently came across a wonderful blog: The Jealous Curator | Damn. I wish I thought of that. About TJC: “There is one moment, in the first few seconds, when you look at a piece of art and know that you love it. It’s the moment when, if you’re an artist yourself, you look at it and feel a rush of uplifting inspiration… and total soul-crushing jealousy all at the same time.” Another legendary website that I recently came across is This Advertising Life – which perfectly translates into ‘this architecture life.’ Quite simply a legendary collection of gifs. You can checkout their top 10 here. 

Architecture office Visiondivision are surprising as always, I am loving their Chop Stick home which gives a whole new definition of the phrase “Tree House.” The home is inspired by an ethos of “gentleness” with nature.

Why biophilic architecture works: five reasons and case studies. Another article which more specifically looks at green facades. 

Oculus Touch Teases The Motion-Controlled Future Of Gaming: After three years of speculation, anticipation, and experimentation, we now know what Oculus’s first consumer-focused virtual reality headset is going to look (and feel) like.

100 Homes In 100 Days: How A Startup Plans To Rebuild Haiti Where The Red Cross Failed. One by one, New Story is crowdfunding the construction of new homes—and being completely open about how each dollar is spent.

I hope you found inspiration from my distractions. I’d love you to share your own interesting distractions in the comment section below.