SYMBIOSIS: THE GREENLANTERN by ROMOLO STANCO

I came across this story in a magazine I used to work for in Jordan called Trendesign. Apparently, scientists in Germany looking for a sustainable alternative to plastic stumbled upon lignin, a key ingredient in wood that can be converted into a plastic-like material when combined with natural fibers, resins, and flax. They called the new creation Arboform or liquid wood. It can be molded exactly like plastic, but is 100% recyclable and toxin free. Years later Italian designer Romolo Stanco took the idea a step further, creating a combination lamp/vase. What makes the design genius is that low-energy LED lights in the vase aid the plant's photosynthesis process, and the plant's surplus of electrochemical energy in turn feeds the batteries that power the LED lights, for a nearly perfect symbiotic relationship. My only issue is that Google searches for information on "Greenlantern" are difficult on account of the superhero by the same name.

INTERIOR DESIGN WITH UNLIMITED BUDGETS

As you might surmise from the title, I tend to be less than impressed with interior designers who work with unlimited budgets. Give anyone with half an aesthetic unlimited cash and they are sure to come up with something intereting. Case in point is the home of interior designer Sirin Masri in Amman, Jordan pictured above. I say "home" because it looks like a home, even though her family lives in another house across town. Sirin's father owns most of the 5 star hotels in Jordan, so needless to say the family is extremely wealthy. This home was an exercise in interior design for Sirin, and no expense was spared, from the leather floors in the bedroom, to the imported slate and copper in the family room. It is a very nice space that must have cost millions to design. I'm more impressed when designers work with strict budgets, and even more so when they make their abilities available to the common man. In the end, aesthetics are important, and people of all means should be able to live somewhere that feels good. I guess that makes me an aesthetic socialist.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CANON POWERSHOT S100

Canon has just released an update to their Powershot "S" series line of cameras. This line of cameras has ebbed and flowed over the years and eventually fell behind cameras like the Panasonic DMC-LX1 (then 2 and 3) in terms of innovation. The Canon s100 finally catches up, and possibly pulls ahead of Panasonic. I had an S90, which was just OK, and a DMC-LX2, which I really liked. When I talk about improvements below, I'm talking about over the s90 as I never bought the S95. As the camera is new, its RAW files are not yet recognized by Lightroom, so I've only been able to look at JPEG files. The pictures above were taken today at the Japanese Gardens here in Portland.

Pros:

1. Body feels much better, a bit heavier and made with a textured plastic that almost feels like metal. When it comes to pocket cameras, when will camera companies learn that a little extra weight is a good thing. It helps make the camera feel solid and not like a cheap toy. Buttons are sturdier and have much improved functionality over the s90. New front grip is nice as well as the dual lanyard loops on either side of the camera.

2. FINALLY Canon gives users the ability to switch between aspect ratios. 4:3 is still native, but changing to 3:2 is in the function menu.

3. Image stabilization is turned off when the s100 detects a tripod, a great idea that seems to work well in initial testing.

4. Camera has GPS and there is a link from the metadata in Lightroom directly to Google maps.

5. Lens opens to a fast F2 with a nice wide 24-120 mm equivalent.

6. Macro mode seems improved over the s90.

Cons:

1. Rear LCD isn't as big as it first may appear. 1/4 of an inch on the right side of the LCD is not actual LCD. It remains black when you turn the camera on. Intentionally misleading? Probably.

2. When lens is fully extended, the aperture decreases to F 5.9, therefore achieving good background blur or bokeh is difficult.

THANK GOD I ONLY BRUSHED MY TEETH WITH IT

These are real signs that are posted above every toilet and urinal at the gym I'm a member of. When I think of bureaucracy, I think of things like this sign, at least I hope so. I envision some committee somewhere telling my gym that the signs are necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of its members. I hope there was an objection that was overruled. I really hope the signs didn't come about as a result of a lawsuit where somebody got sick. "There wasn't one sign in that entire bathroom that alerted me to the fact that the toilet water wasn't safe to drink your honor."

A HOUSE FIT FOR AN ASSHOLE

You are looking at the world's most expensive house, named Antilla, and located in Mumbai, India. It is owned by the world's 5th richest person, Mukesh Ambani. Certainly if you have money, you can spend it how you like. But this house, or skyscraper, cost around a billion dollars to build in a country where most people make less than $2 a day. To build this monstrosity in a country with such poverty is insensitive to say the least. It appears that Ambani never thought about this point and was surprised when he was criticized after Antilla was completed. As a result, his family has yet to move in. He has a wife and three kids. The house is 27 stories tall and has a staff of 600 people. By contrast, the world's 3rd richest man, Warren Buffet, still lives in the same house he bought in 1958 for $31,500.

DEPRESSING HAIKUS THAT EFFECTED CHANGE

I came across the following haikus as I near the end of my midlife organizational crisis. They were all written in the winter of my discontent, the entire year of 2007. That painful year found me trying to return to my mind-numbingly futile job after returning from Semester at Sea. That trip, while incredible, made returning to any semblance of a "normal" life rather difficult. Thank God for that!

will 08' find me

struggling with entitlement

or nearing my God

Refuge For the Soul

Requires Compromises

Contrary to Art

Financial Turmoil

Fearful Nation Clutches Things

Medicated Daze

Ebay auction win

An infinite universe

The perfect hair gel

JORDANIAN ARTISTS

I thought I would post this to help direct people to Jordanian artists. One nice thing about the art scene in Jordan is that it's not yet overrun by pretentious galleries, so it is still possible to contact artists directly to acquire their art. The picture above is a collage of all the artists I had the pleasure of meeting in my time there. If you would like their contact info, shoot me an email.