San Francisco: Greenlight Concepts has raised the bar on what it means to be brilliant: All over the US, cities are replacing traffic lights with super-efficient LED models. But what becomes of the old lights? Natually, they wind up in... [read on...]

Posted at 01:32 PM

Somewhere in Japan: If I could read Japanese, I'd know for sure if the wood used in this novel keyboard was actually sustainable or not. The point of this post is not to judge that - rather it illustrates... [read on...]

Posted at 12:57 PM

Chicago: Millenium Park in Chicago, with it's Frank Gehry designed amphitheatre as the prime attraction, is pretty darn cool. But the neatest thing I saw there is a fountain by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa that consists of two enormous towers... [read on...]

Posted at 12:05 PM

Montreal: Normally, I can't stand graffiti. It's usually crude, ugly and causes property damage. However, if done properly, even unsolicited markings can be interesting, artistic, and thought provoking. (Andre the Giant, for example). In the case of Roadsworth in Montreal,... [read on...]

Posted at 05:27 PM

Seattle: REI's flagship Seattle store is known for being inovatively designed. Among other things it features a highly visible climbing tower encased in glass. But in a particularily brilliant move, REI has transformed what would otherwise be a sterile parking... [read on...]

Posted at 04:38 PM

Victoria, BC: I've always found public maps to be of great benefit when you're navigating unfamiliar ground, but they can be fairly expensive to set up. A group known as "Rock Solid" has come up with a nifty and... [read on...]

Posted at 10:03 AM | Please feel free to comment (1)

Phoenix: Looking for ways to optimize water usage without setting up a costly greywater system? This fabulous toilet attachment not only flushes a super-low 1.5 gallon volume of water, but when it refills itself, it does so via a... [read on...]

Posted at 03:53 AM | Please feel free to comment (15)

London: Responding to the demand for more pedestrian crossings over the River Thames, and the presence of a rather decrepit existing railway crossing, the Hungerford Footbridges kill two birds with one stone: By straddling the sides of the existing bridge,... [read on...]

Posted at 12:49 PM | Please feel free to comment (1)

Near Luxembourg City: While in Luxembourg, we stopped at a huge German hardware store chain (forgot the name) and beheld this brilliant solution to the age old "screaming kids in the store" problem. Even though this made me laugh hysterically,... [read on...]

Posted at 06:07 PM | Please feel free to comment (2)

Paris: There is a huge perimeter freeway encircling Paris, and a huge Expo Center at Porte de Versailles right next to it. The designers of one of the halls didn't see the freeway as an obstacle, but rather built a... [read on...]

Posted at 04:44 PM | Please feel free to comment (2)