Monthly Archive for December, 2008

MMIX – 2009

Good morning SuperForesters,

When I tumbled out of my bed this morning I walked downstairs, squeezed some juice out of two oranges, baked an egg and put some bread on a plate. Breakfast, nothing out of the ordinary. But when I opened my newspaper (it’s Dutch) there was a two page long story concerning 2008 and 2009. To paraphrase, it said that it was only a matter of a few hours before the worst year in human history was about to begin, but apparently no one realized this. The writer even compared today with 12-31-1938, in ’39 the Second World War began, but on the last day of ’38 no one realized that the next year was going to be horrible.
The argument that was used to defend the thesis of 2009 being the worst is that there’s a credit crunch going on and that the world economy is running straight into a recession.I don’t think that a big part of the SuperForest readers read the story, simply because our analytics page says that the vast majority of our readers speaks English. But I can imagine a few people walking around with negative thoughts about tomorrow, about the coming year, about what the future holds.
One of the only reasons to be afraid of duemilanove (Italian for twothousandandnine) is that you have less money to spend. Everyone must reckon that a decrease in budget isn’t something you wish for, but in my humble opinion there are worse things that can occur to you. War, viral pandemic, natural disaster or nationwide corruption, all worse in my eyes.
And by the way, it’s a fact that the economic growth goes according to a wave movement. Seven years of increasing growth, seven years of declining growth; that’s probably Economics 101. So here are four rules concerning positivity, think about them when it’s not going that well with your bank account.

  1. Hope for the best outcome
  2. Go for the best outcome
  3. Expect the best outcome
  4. Be happy with whatever the outcome is

In other words, do whatever you can in order to reach something. So that when you achieve your goal and it isn’t fully satisfactionary you can say: “I’ve done everything I can”.That’s how I would try to cope with financial trouble, anyway.

But lets focus on something other than money, money isn’t the thing that keeps the world together, is it? (Though it is the impression the media gave me for the past half year, every newspaper contained at least one article on the stock markets). I’m not saying that money isn’t important, in the Western World living without money gets very difficult but it can also be very interesting, have you seen the excellent movie Into The Wild for example. It’s about a brilliant student that gives up all he has and then starts to travel to Alaska. Where he plans to live in the wilderness.
The film delivers a very good job at showing the things that are important in life (excluding possesions of course). Love, family, nature, relationships, passion, friends, dreams and ideals are sometimes forgotten in a world that spins around quotes and interest rates. But fortunately that’s where SuperForest comes in. For the time I’ve worked here I felt nothing but positivity, love, passion and dreams coming true. Whenever I get a bit gloomy about the things happening around me, about things that happen in the world I live in, I visit this page on the internet. A page that makes me realize that if you look hard enough, you’ll find more good than bad stuff.
All this wouldn’t be possible in the first place without ten excellent authors, of which I’m a proud part. SuperForest wouldn’t be possible without Jackson, the creator and driving force behind all our productions. You’re all awesome and I figured that the end of the year would be a good time to drop a digital ‘thank you’ note.
And then there’s you, the reader. Thank you for such an awesome year packed full with comments, positive critique, awesome letters and radical tips.

While the successor of 2008 is almost knocking on our front-door the only thing that lasts me to do is wish you an extremely happy, bright, healthy, sustainable, beautiful, loveable and SuperForesty 2009.

SuperForester Julius

Transformer Owl!

Ladies and Gentlemen, you’ve waited patiently. At long last your prayers have been answered:

A Living Legend

SuperForester Maya and I just did a bit of research and have discovered the profound significance of the image displayed on the T-Shirt Julius posted earlier today. According to Islamic tradition, a “Buraq” is a miraculous steed that descends from the heavens to transport prophets. It is said that the biblical patriarch Abraham was carried from Syria to Mecca to visit his concubine Hagar and his son Ishmael. Later on, the Buraq also appeared to take Muhammad on his legendary night journey. During this journey, he traveled from Mecca to the “farthest mosque” in Jerusalem to pray. After this, he was carried up to the heavens where he met Allah and was given instructions on how to follow the Islamic faith. Today, the Buraq is seen as a mythological creature of great significance. So much so, that in countries such as Turkey, the name “Burak” or “Barack” is a common name given to male children.

Initially, we interpreted the T-Shirt Julius shared as a fantastical symbol of the mythological proportions that society has idealized Obama to be. He is depicted as a knight in a shining suit with a snazzy tie leading the country toward a brighter future.


Yes, Barack Obama may be the embodiment of a heroic knight, but we can propose that he is also the carrier (or the Buraq) of the legend itself. President-Elect Barack Obama has always made sure to give credit to his supporters for helping him achieve what some people believed would never happen in their lifetimes. He has even referred to them as “the wind beneath [his] wings”…how fitting!

Dale Chihuly: Glass Artist Extraordinaire!

Lately I’ve been very interested in glass artists and their process. The delicacy that must be given to such a medium is intimidating and inspiring.  The artist must be patient and confident. It is such intricate and potentially harmful work, I cannot help but have profound respect for someone that can create this beautiful stuff from those conditions.

Dale Chihuly is one of these artists. He has work in museums all over the world. His sculptures reflect colorful scenes in nature. They interact with their surroundings by bringing life to any room they’re in and and harmony to any natural setting. I would love to see one of these works in person.
The following is one installment at the Victoria and Albert Museum:

You can also check out a video about his work HERE (sorry, I can’t embed this one)
Are there any SuperForester glass artists out there?  We’d love to be linked to your work!

Awesome Streetart

Today I came across two awesome pieces of street art that aren’t related in anyway. I just wanted to share them with you. Here’s number one.

It was found in Newcastle (that’s in England folks) and it shows to people watering a rose. And that’s it. Pieces like those raise certain questions in my head, such as: “What was there first? The flower, the people or the garden hoses?” It’s a bit vague to see, but if you imagine that the hoses aren’t there for a second the figures could be holding guns (especially the right one). And if that would be true this would be an excellent way to remove violence from a piece of graffiti.

Street art is awesome when it gets you thinking about it’s origination. By the way, this piece was created (or altered) by the obscure street artist Mobster.

And here is number two, a phone box.

This one was created by Washington D.C. based Mark Jenkins. (Washington is indeed very far away from Newcastle).
I have a fascination for turning (almost) redundant objects into a piece of street art. A few months ago I shared another phone box where the phone was replaced by a paper cup, but that’s another story.
Here the phone is replaced by an enormous aliminium-like phone. The message almost is: “I’m here too! Use me!” (Phone boxes aren’t used anymore because everyone has his or her own cellphone, but you already knew that of course).

There you have it. Two nice pieces of street art to liven up your Tuesday.

(Thanks to wooster collective for the awesome pieces of art.)

Obama And The Unicorn

When I read Carla’s post yesterday on Abe being the coolest president ever I just had to agree with her. A boombox in his era? Awesome! Or “Abe in Escape From LA”: awrrsome!

For one second I started to wonder if Obama could exceed Lincoln’s coolness. Fortunately enough the doubt was taken away in a few seconds when I saw this t-shirt.

Exactly. Obama and the Unicorn. I wonder if there will be a unicorn walking on the grass in front of the White House after the inaugration. Or would it get it’s own stable? They would have to hire staff that worked solely for the unicorn. Too bad unicorns don’t exist.

Anyway, as long as they exist in the mind of Christ Bishop, the bright designer behind the t-shirt we can buy cool garments. The shirts are available for both men and women through his website.

SuperForest Comics: “Youtuber”

This is what I turn into when I go on vacation.

Love.

-Jackson

Abraham Lincoln: Coolest President Ever?

The days before inauguration day are winding down (22 days!) and as the anticipation grows, people are increasingly talking about what President-Elect Obama will bring to the White House. Yes, we expect him to bring his wisdom, visions and plans for a better tomorrow, and his practical leadership skills, but we also expect him to bring that deep sense of “coolness” that we saw throughout the campaign season; a pervading sense of calmness that has deemed him the title of being a smooth operator.

Which brings up a simple question, surely President Obama cannot be the only cool president we’ve ever had…can he?

I went back a few years scoping the 43 presidents we’ve had so far and then I saw him…Abraham Lincoln! I’ve always considered Abraham Lincoln to be one of my favorite Presidents for many reasons but I never exactly thought of him as a cool person…that is, until I saw these…

As you can see, throughout his younger years, Abe rocked edgy long hair and a leather jacket before donning the top hat and a suit.

Also, Abraham Lincoln loved to crank some tunes.

President-Elect Obama, it looks like you’ve got some big shoes to fill. I can’t wait to see how your candidacy will “out-cool” Lincoln’s.

Have a Happy Monday!

(If anyone knows the original geniuses that conjured up these images, let us know because those people deserve mad props.)

Nina Simone – “Ne Me Quitte Pas”

This is my favorite song for this time of year.
And Nina Simone is absolutely the best.

Much love to everybody.

-Jackson

Willard Wigan – Micro Sculptor

“You have to control the whole nervous system,
you have to work between the heartbeat -
the pulse of your finger can destroy the work.”

Here is Mr. Wigan’s site.

DIY: Magic Rose Cube

In spirit of preparing to improve my SuperForest-ness in 2009, I decided to hand craft my mom’s birthday gifts this year. And a part of those gifts included one of these…

A Magic Rose Cube
Now I know what you’re thinking, “What’s so magical about it?” It’s a fair question, at a glance, this may look like an ordinary flower created out of paper but what makes this rose box special is the fact that it transforms!


Here are a couple videos that will help you make on of your own!

Gotta love that accent. Here are two friendly suggestions that will make your lives much easier if you decide to try this out.
1.) Make sure your folds and creases are perfect. I guess this is a given with any sort of origami art but for any beginners out there, it will definitely save you from possible problems.
2.) Don’t use construction paper like I did. The thick paper makes it difficult to fold toward the end.
And there you have it, a magical rose cube. Now, it took me a while and a whole lot of patience (being my first origami creation ever) but I was finally able to complete mine and if I can do it, you can definitely make one too.
(Here’s where you can find the videos and other how to guides that can kick start your own SuperForesty 2009)
Love to All,
Carla

Passive Solar Homes Go SuperNova!


(via treehugger)

Folks is talking about Passive houses!

Using a mix of excellent insulation, high efficiency appliances, and an ingenious heat exchange system, passive solar homes use a fraction of the energy their normal counterparts use, and there is no sacrifice made in the looks department.


Thermogram of a Passivhaus building, with traditional building in background.

Here’s a marvelously dry video tour of the Sustain-O-Casa of David and Harriet Borton.
The Borton’s charming Troy, New York abode has been built with a number of design elements that keep its energy use in the ultra-low category.

Firstly, their house has huge windows on the southern facing side, allowing sunlight to heat the interior, while the northern side has very few tiny windows and is more heavily insulated.

As Mr. Borton helpfully explains, the 250 square feet of windows on the south side of his house generate approximately 60 million btus of heat, which is the equivalent of 500 gallons of heating oil. All for free, from the sun, just because he pointed his house in one direction. Amazing.

The Borton house is so efficient that the morning sunlight that comes through a window turns dishes on a rack into a radiator for the kitchen.

The video also includes a quick rundown of the Borton’s three solar arrays, including a tiny little 25 year old chip of a panel that kept the family with a working fridge, telephones, and lights/t.v. at night when a snowstorm in the mid 1980′s knocked out power for a week.

Here’s the Passive house wiki.
Here’s a US Passive house site.
A Passive house post from greenlineblog.
A wonderful piece in the Times about Passive houses around the world.

Thank you to David and Harriet Borton for allowing us the informative peek into their situation. The Grieco Brothers Christian and Christian for shooting the viddy, and to the Green Buildings Open House, for hiring the Grieco Brothers to shoot the viddy of the Bortons.

Here’s the Green Buildings Open House affiliate site.

Sustainability can be fun!

Pacific Island Beach Walk

A few years back my family decided to stop exchanging gifts. That’s not to say that we don’t give each other presents when we get together for the holidays, it simply means that there is no expectation, and the items that are given are usually quite small and useful.

So, instead of presents, what we do is meet up with a group of friends and walk the beach, handing out candy canes to everyone who has been nice that year. Which is everyone.

Here are a few snaps from this years walk.

Love to All,

Jackson