Monthly Archives: February 2014

The End of the World as We Know It

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In the vision of the future held by artist Evan Holm, ‘there will be a time when all tracings of human culture will dissolve back into the soil under the slow crush of the unfolding universe’.  In essence, he believes all traces of human culture and creation will slowly be worn away and covered by dust of the future.

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In order to express this slow, inexorable decline and burial, Holm created a technological masterpiece, a record player submerged beneath the surface of a still pool that produces near-flawless playback. Laid in the center of an installation combining natural and man-made elements, Holm has given form to his darker thoughts, as the video below demonstrates.

What Sparks Our Fire: Artistic and technological creativity used to express the submersion of all human creation beneath the waves of time.

What do you interpret from this installation?

The Hanging Gardens of Milan

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In the historic and cultural city of Milan, Italy, a construction project has begun on two towers that will not only reshape the skyline of the city, but also refresh the air that they breathe. Bosco Verticale is a vertical forest project at 110 and 76 meters in height, and is part of the initiative to revitalize the Porta Nuova section of the city. The towers are part of a green initiative, and it is hoped that these revolutionary designs will become a successful platform and prototype for new buildings across the globe, created to reduce waste and blend man-made creations with natural beauty and benefits.

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For a more in-depth look, here is the promotional video for the project.

What Sparks Our Fire: Conceptualizing buildings that might change the concrete jungle to a green city forest.

How much would you pay to live in one of these buildings?

 

Swiss Army Case

Here on How to Start a Fire, we try to bring you posts about game-changing topics and things that really spark our interest. Sometimes, though, we find things we just think are cool. The In1 Multi-Tool is just that. We can’t post pictures because of silly copywrite law things, but envision a phone case with all the accouterments of a Swiss Army Knife, an impressive array of screwdrivers, and a Kickstand for your phone, all in an elegant, slim case for your iPhone.

Or instead of envisioning, you can just check out the website. I’d say that’s pretty cool.

What Sparks Our Fire: Cool things don’t make the world go round, but they do make it an interesting place to be.

Do you think a tool like this is useful?

 

Smart Headphones

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Just when you thought everything in your life was smart – Smartphone, Smart Car, Smart thermostat, Smart fridge, Smart mirror (patent pending) – your headphones are now getting more intelligent.

Not only does the Dash blast music in your ears, it also checks your heart rate, oxygen saturation, and energy spent, making it a great gym headset, especially since it’s cordless. It also has a built in ear-bone microphone, 4 gigabytes of storage, and the ability to play music without an attached smartphone. As well, through exhaustive research, the developers have defined three sizes of earphone, which will fit snugly with three points of contact in any ear. The obvious passive noise cancellation inherent in earphones can be attenuated via a “transparent sound” feature, activated by a swipe on the surface of the earphone.

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With a Kickstarter campaign that’s already doubled its asking price, it’s no surprise the people want their headphones to be as smart as their phones.

What Sparks Our Fire: The Internet of Things claims its newest convert.

Would you want the Dash?

On Starting Fires

In this vintage edition of How To Start A Fire, we start fires. It’s been a snowy mess out here lately, and any scientist will tell you the opposite of snow is fire. Look it up. Actually don’t. Just take the word of this 1925 advertisement for it.

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This brilliant scientific invention appeared on the cover of Science and Invention magazine. Inventor Harry E. Hale put forth the idea of spreading calcium carbide on snow and just setting it on fire. For an idea of what that looks like, here’s a YouTube clip:

Somehow seems unsafe. However, Harry also suggested a machine to spread the chemical, reminiscent of a lawn fertilizer spreader, which just seems like it would toss stuff everywhere. Even the magazine recognizes this:

“Great care must be exercised in sprinkling calcium carbide upon snow, so that when the gas is evolved and ignited, it will not set fire to shrubbery, trees or the house itself. Under no conditions should such a snow remover be used when a gale is blowing, and the individual drawing the mechanism over the road should always see to it that he heads into any slight breeze which may be blowing, so that his own clothes will not be ignited.”

You know what, we think we’ll stick with shoveling.

What Sparks Our Fire: Not sparking ourselves on fire.

How scared are you that someone is going to try this now?