Bioconcrete and Sponge Tires

I "usually" write about movies, moments, and other such things in this part of the blog, but today I'm writing about two awesome ideas. 

the first idea combines this: 

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plus this:

AND this:

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to get self-healing bioconcrete. For the details check out Henk Jonkers' project here.

The octupus provided the inspiration for a concrete that self-heals with the help of limestone generating bacteria mixed in. While it has its limits in terms of how large a crack it can heal, the potential here is extraordinary. Good luck to Jonkers and hopefully we see it out there soon. 

The second idea came from Goodyear. 

They combined what looks like this:

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(but may actually be this): 

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with this: 

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AND this: 

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to get spherical tires that adapt to conditions and provide greater maneuverability. Check out the video here.

First thought - this is a concept tire, so if it's anything like a concept car, this is the first and the last time we see it...yeah for marketing, boo for consumers. 

I'm not a biomimicry expert, but recently fell in love with the idea as it married several passions. Where am I going with this? 

Biomimicry-inspired is a made up phrase and a qualifier for what comes next.

If you were to ask a biomimic what biomimicry is, chances are high it would involve these words, "innovation inspired by nature." I'll address the full extent of my understanding of what biomimicry is in a future post soon, but life-friendly (not just human lives) sustainability is at its core. Synthetic rubber appears to be the main material as usual and synthetic rubber is neither life-friendly nor sustainable. 

While I am inspired by all the tech (magnetic levitation and 3D printing, whaah!?) in the video, perhaps the more important task at hand is finding a sustainable material for tires or foregoing the use of tires in general...where are our flying cars damn it?! Oh, here they are. Mark you calendars for 2025. 

But, you still have to give them kudos for the idea.

As someone who has recently latched onto the idea of sustainability, I can certainly empathize with where, when, and how to start, plus I don't have shareholders. I can't just buy rain barrels and start composting, farming, and more in just one go. It's going to take steps and hopefully each step comes quicker and the progress accelerates. 

Passing through!

I've been meaning to post about this for a long time. We watched the movie Home a while ago and this particular scene just sticks in my mind for some reason. 

The imagination here just resonates with me, who who would have thought, "hey let's ignore those giant rock, ice, or whatever they are steer straight through it." Maybe this has been done before, but it's the first time I've seen it anywhere and it rocks, terrible pun intended. 

The dramatic hip-hop music drives the point home. 

The movie itself was a little disappointing, but that's mostly because I had very high hopes for it based on the trailers I had seen last year. Still worth a view in my book. Lots of other creative ideas happening throughout the film. 

More playgrounds should be like this

Today's inspiration comes from a playground in Beachwood, Ohio, called Preston's HOPE. 

More playgrounds need to be like this. I don't mean just features. When my son started walking through the playground, his excitement was palpable. 

Made me wonder the last time I felt like that. 

Forget buying items for your nursery, pick a theme and make it yourself

From the geeksomething blog. This has already made the rounds on social media, but I wanted to give credit where credit is due.

For the parents looking for a unique nursery theme or for the adult who wants to up the imagination and creativity of their home's decor, but hit a wall in execution. Check out this Mario Kart themed nursery. Much of it was made since the theme isn't exactly commonplace. 

I know I was inspired by this. It's just so well done.

Whether it's for the next kid or simply to pump some life into our guest room, I'll definitely be looking back at this. Now, I just need a theme that the wife and I can both agree on!

This has actually inspired something on a much larger scale...

Another kid inspires thousands and a salt-water powered lamp

Sometimes social media gets it right. Donations came rolling and various local figures have offered scholarships. It's really a great story, but makes me wonder about the kids and others who don't have their picture taken. 

I remember wanting to post something about the boy studying in the light at mcdonald's, but never got the chance. It was something that definitely got me thinking and about a month later I came across the Salt light. Check it out here.

The Salt light is a salt-water powered lamp, an amazing product that was inspired by local needs. Reminds me of the phrase "necessity is the mother of invention. "

This is not something that someone in the US would be working on, but we have our own problems such as feeding the hungry in a country that wastes about a third of the food it produces (well over $100 billion every year). Some startups are trying to address it, but will enough people care?

40 fruit on 1 tree - why not?

Can't wait till these trees peak! In roughly 3-4 years. I would definitely be one of the people who would be amazed to stumble upon such a tree, whether it's nature or nature + human creativity. It would just be awesome to stumble upon a tree with different fruit. 

There seem to be 2 types of people when it comes to this tree, are you a grower or a dreamer?

• Growers: why would you want to have a tree with that many fruit on it?
• Dreamers: WHY NOT?

Van Aken makes it clear this has always been an art project. He calls it a hoax, but not for the reason you'd think. In his mind a hoax transforms reality and I think it's safe to say that his tree fits the bill. 

Talk about patience, it's a 8-9 year process. Check out this article and video from Colossal. 

Why did I find this inspring?

"Every year it's something new." -Sam Van Aken

I love that. There are endless combinations and so much to be learned. Wonder if this inspired anyone else or got the wheels turning.