THurdler – Crasstalk

Is the Bandra Ohm the Worst Idea in the History of Architectural Design?

A very unusual building came to my attention a few days ago. Shaped like the Greek symbol Ohm, the proposed 140 meter Bandra Ohm residential tower (named the Parinee Ism by the architects), currently under construction in Mumbai, India, is designed to evoke the ripple effect generated by water droplets, also known as capillary waves. According to designers James Law Cybertecture, the outline of the tower demonstrates the fluidity and dynamic nature of the ripple. The design features a central void containing an orb-shaped clubhouse. Even more striking, however, are the glass-walled swimming pools on the balconies. Continue reading →

Meet Christian-Libertarian-Environmentalist-Capitalist-Lunatic Farmer Joel Salatin

Salatin8inline_1 — Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms

You wouldn’t expect a farmer from Virginia to draw such a huge crowd, but when Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms spoke at the University of Northern Colorado in March of 2010, the audience of thousands was absolutely enraptured. “Consider this; he who feeds you, owns you.” The thousands of students, farmers, and thinkers collectively drew in our breaths as we heard this. “Every paradigm can exceed its efficiency. Our twentieth century model of the industrial food system is cracking and on the verge of collapse!” Continue reading →

Meet Worm Wrangler John Anderson

A frequent sighting in central Colorado’s festivals, farmers’ markets, and Earth Day events is John Anderson, “the worm man.” Happy to teach both children and adults the benefits of vermicomposting(worm composting) his mantra is “starve a landfill, feed a worm.”

I had the honor of meeting Anderson in person at a permaculture certification course at the Lyons Farmette in the spring of 2010. He showed up in his refurbished 1975 Dodge ambulance, now called the “wormbulance,” to teach us the finer points of vermicomposting. Continue reading →

Meet Urban Food Justice Eco-Warrior Will Allen

Will Allen, chief executive officer of Growing Power, a 40-acre fleet of urban farms outside of Milwaukee, believes in building ecology, minds and community through farming. “If people can grow safe, healthy, affordable food, if they have access to land and clean water, this is transformative on every level in a community. I believe we cannot have healthy communities without a healthy food system.”

What started as a small business venture evolved into a small nonprofit through which Allen taught youth where their food came from by having them participate in his farm activities. This eventually transformed into a major multifaceted organization with a $6-million budget that teaches people all over the world about urban and sustainable farming. Continue reading →

Frozen Dead Guy Days is the Weirdest Colorado Tradition You’ve Never Heard Of

Hearse Parade — Celebrating Frozen Dead Guys Days with a hearse parade

The great state of Colorado is known for a number of things: the Rocky Mountains, great skiing, beautiful vistas, the mile-high city of Denver. Every state has its own unique culture and flavor, and many people have a general sense of what Colorado has to offer.

However, there are a number of lesser-known destinations and events of which the average tourist may be unaware. A visitor may enjoy any number of music, art, or cultural festivals throughout the year, but could easily miss out on a weekend festival centered around a cryogenically-frozen Norwegian grandpa in a Tuff Shed. Continue reading →

Tacky Coops and the Best of Hillbilly Engineering

In the great American pastime of keeping chickens, one must first procure housing for said fowl. Chickens are not particular in their tastes in lodging, but do need protection from predators and the elements. Prefabricated coops can be purchased, but substantial savings can be had by constructing a coop oneself. A sensible person might ask himself/herself what one needs to build said coop: lumber, nails, chicken wire, etc. However, in the true spirit of American ingenuity that embodies the best of hillbilly engineering, one instead asks “What do I have laying around the house and yard?” It might be an old piece of exercise equipment, a diaper-changing table, a broken appliance, even an old sewing machine can be put to good use as ballast. The possibilities are limited only by the engineer’s imagination. Continue reading →

How Satellites Help us See the Un-Seeable in Deep Space

Fig 1. Hubble True-Color Image of the Cigar Galaxy (M82)

When we gaze into the night sky, we typically see only the tiny white dots of stars surrounded by the vast blackness of an apparently-empty space, but in truth space has far more color and interest than our naked eye can reveal. One of the primary questions that students would ask me when I worked at Summers-Bausch Observatory in Boulder, Colorado, was “What is the magnification power of this telescope?” The answer was between a factor of 10 and 100, depending on which eyepiece was in use. What people need to understand is that a telescope is not a giant microscope turned upside down. The problem is not that the objects of interest in space are so small, but that they are so faint. Many of the nebulae and galaxies that we observe are nearly the same angular size as the Moon, but the telescope’s advantage is that it can gather a large quantity of light and funnel it right into your eye or onto film. Continue reading →

Bounty in your Backyard: A Brief Guide to Edible Weeds

When most people look at the rangy, tenacious invaders in their lawns, gardens, and cracks in the pavement, they see a problem to be handled by digging, pulling, cursing, and spraying with herbicides. Weeds seem to follow us and insinuate themselves into every bit of disturbed soil and manicured garden imaginable. They are the bane of the perfectionist’s outdoor experience. But what if these invaders are, in fact, a vast, untapped nutritional resource?
Continue reading →