This post was written by aly 
August 6, 2008
Snow machine + soapy stuff + helium = flogos.
Sure we design a lot of logos but none of us believe that they could be good enough to float in front of celestial bodies. I mean is this branding’s final frontier?
More importantly, would this lead to our kids laying in the grass saying, “hey if you squint real hard, that logo looks like a cloud”…
In case you think it’s bunk, this technical drawing should convince you…
Tags: , Branding, bubbles, clouds, hoax, logos, soap 
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This post was written by beth August 2, 2008
Well, at least they’re popping up in print form. And if you can’t travel the world to see them in person, maybe this is the next best thing. And make it even more fun by referencing the Tallest Buildings website we mentioned in an earlier post!
Anton Radevsky is responsible for the engineering of the pop-ups themselves. He also designed pop-ups for the The History of Architecture Pop-Up book (currently out of print). David Sokol is the writer, contributing interesting facts and history about each of these innovative buildings which, in many ways, shaped the direction of architecture and technology after they were built.
This book isn’t easy to find quite yet. You can purchase right from Rizzoli, the publisher, or you can pre-order from Amazon.
(via coolhunting)
Tags: , Anton Radevsky, architecture, book, book design, David Sokol, graphic design, modern architecture, pop-up, shopping, skyscrapers, tallest buildings No Comments »
This post was written by beth July 30, 2008
Asheboro, the town I grew up in, was the largest dry city in the state of North Carolina — until yesterday. Yes, after years and years of the alcohol referendums failing at the polls, people can now actually order a drink at a restaurant instead of literally brown-baggin it.
There were some who were not so happy, however. Dr. John Rogers, opposed to the referendum, said, “This outcome illustrates our war with our culture that is so saturated, particularly with alcohol.”
As for me, I say, “Cheers!”
Tags: , Culture, food and drink, nightlife 5 Comments »
This post was written by beth July 28, 2008
church in the Lower Ninth Ward, July 26, 2008
Almost 3 years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still a major renovation zone, and many places have barely been able to begin, even though the trailers are supposedly no longer a living option.
Many areas of New Orleans sustained minor damage due to being on higher ground (like the French Quarter), and some neighborhoods which had only 2-3 feet of standing water (only??) have finally come into the completion phases of their reconstruction. And according to the numbers we heard from locals, close to 70% of the total population is back in one way or another.
The lower ground areas, however, are still struggling for their very survival, especially the neighborhoods of the Lower Ninth Ward. What was once a large and dense series of neighborhoods is now desolate fields.
This is a street in the Upper Ninth Ward, still under major reconstruction efforts. This picture is also an example of what the streets of the Lower Ninth used to look like.
This is what the Lower Ninth Ward looks like as of July 26, 2008.
There is hope! We DID see some new construction.
According to all the locals we talked to, churches, neighborhood groups and other non-profits soliciting volunteer help have been the key to any successful reconstruction efforts. People have come from all over the country to help, and volunteers from within New Orleans have organized, housed, fed and worked alongside these volunteers.
If you wish to help, there are many worthy efforts to donate time or money to. From our research (a few days in New Orleans and talking to lots of locals), we will name 2 we feel confident in recommending:
• Common Ground Relief - They’re not just taking money to help, they are literally stationed right there in the Lower Ninth. They are organizing rebuilding efforts, as well as providing short term relief for victims. Of course, I don’t know this, but my guess is that the moneys donated are actually used immediately to fund reconstruction, rather than sitting in a fund somewhere all wrapped up in red tape.
• Church of the Annunciation Mission - I’m sure there are many churches and missions to work with. We heard about this church in particular as being well organized, providing accommodations, food and volunteer team organizers for those who wish to join the rebuilding effort of New Orleans.
Tags: , Common Ground Relief, community, donate, Hurricane Katrina, Lower Ninth Ward, mission, nature, New Orleans, outside, post Katrina, reconstruction, Travel, volunteer 1 Comment »
This post was written by aly July 27, 2008
Organized by CEOs for Cities and NOLA YURP (The New Orleans Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals Initiative). The Urban Next Summit was a gathering of emerging urban leaders along with established leaders to discuss a number of questions around cities including: “What creates a culture of opportunity? How do you draw ambitious people to a city? And how do you engage them on the issues that matter most?”
Leading a discussion with Carol Coletta and Diana Lind, Aly Khalifa of Gamil presented the theoretical and technical basis for SparkCon as a catalyst for energizing local talent within a city. A great discussion ensued with leaders from around the country including Portland, OR, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans.
More impressive was to hear the first hand experiences of New Orleans leaders Nolan Marshall III of Common Good and Young Leadership Council, Robbie Vitrano of Trumpet, Vera Triplett of UNO and Capital One Charter Schools, and Mai Tang of Mary Queen of VietNam Church CDC. These four community leaders presented the struggles of post Katrina NOLA, but were all optimistic of the future. In particular they seemed to say that Katrina did make long-established “cultural silos” disappear, and that the new cooperaion across these cultural divides has made the improvement of New Orleans much more doable. Vitrano called these opportunities “gems within the tragedy” and thought these lessons could apply to other cities as well.
Here is an article on that discussion.
Tags: , Aly Khalifa, Carol Coletta, CEOs for Cities, creative class, Diana Lind, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, NOLA YURP, rebuilding, sparkcon No Comments »
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