COMMENT –Jared Diamond’s work, Guns Germs and Steel is a pivotal work in the understanding of past phase change within societies. Jared is unique in his cross-disciplinary approach combining many fields — biology, anthropology, history, medicine and others.
I haven’t finished Collapse yet but in this talk from TED, Diamond outlines the key principles of societal collapse.
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Diamond’s observations & books have been extraordinarily influential to my thinking and writing.
Especially my work on 2thinknow nascent trend analysis, allowing for the prediction of trends & events.
I started reading …

TRAVEL, Shanghai — This video shows the marvel of the Shanghai skyline.
A modern international city, there are ‘China issues’, but Shanghai is an amazing international city, a star on the rise. Also shown is the famous ‘the Bund’.
Shanghai is being watched by 2thinknow, as an emerging innovation city.
Another video here shows the great wonder of Shanghai’s skyline, but also greyness of the sky and the cost of that modernity.
China, we watch you with interest and awe.

TRAVEL, Boston — Boston is ranked 2nd in the world as an Innovation City, after Vienna, in the Global Innovation Review 2007.
The contribution of Harvard university and MIT to world knowledge and learning is barely measurable across the broad scope of all professions.
In addition Boston in New England, is one of the few cities in the USA where the food supply is adequate. Most US cities have a food supply that is below world best practice.
In truth, Boston, like San Francisco or New York is one of the American cities …

From London, to Singapore to Berlin and Melbourne a Ferris Wheel was the city ‘must-have’ in 2008. and yet, no city has ever branded itself by copying others so intensely – read why in this piece from the vault.

COMMENT, Paris – Paris is divided into: Old Paris, where all the buildings have consistent height, and often consistent or at least fitting facades.
Standing on level 5 of Georges Pompidou, you can see the whole of Old Paris, laid out before you. I did this last in April 2007, and was mesmerized.

And New Paris: Office district on the other side of Paris; La Défense. This modern office block tower district, is really an additional side to the old Paris not a central part of Paris.
The new 300 metre tower by …

TRAVEL, GERMANY — This April, Christopher Hire from 2thinknow was assessing Düsseldorfas an innovation city, in the 2thinknow World Innovation City rankings for 2008, scheduled to be released in the last quarter of 2008.
A largely industrial city, on the Rhine, Dusseldorf is over 800 years old. The city is known as a fashion and advertising capital, with a major fashion fair annually.
The video contains many of Düsseldorf, ’s more impressive sites, the Rhine and buildings.
Königsallee, is a world-class shopping street, and the city contains various museums and galleries, such as …

TRAVEL, Rome — Rome is a marvelous, eternal city of beauty without end.
These slides show some of Rome’s most inspirational areas and beautiful landmarks. The lovely backing song is Roma Capoccia by Antonello Venditti, a famous Roman singer.
Rome was ranked equal 5th Innovation Cities in the world largely due to its inspiration, and position as Italian capital. The rankings were part of the Global Innovation Review 2007, authored by Christopher Hire and published by 2thinknow.
Rome is undoubtedly one of the worlds, most cultured and beautiful cities.
And on previous trips …

VIDEOS, Youtube — Another beautiful world city Torino, or Turin, in the very North–west of Italy, near the Swiss and French borders. Embodying the rich layers of border cities, the images of this video, capture the beauty of Torino.
Most famously in a global sense, Torino hosted the Winter Olympics, and was able to use that to build awareness of the city internationally, outside Europe.
Once largely industrial, Torino is home to Fiat. The main newspaper is La Stampa. And now Torino, has become increasingly diversified in other areas of arts and …

VIDEOS, Youtube — For picturesque images of Bulgarian cities, including Sofia, watch this video.
Includes a musical backing soundtrack, in Bulgarian.
Bulgaria, notably, has changed a lot since the 90s.

COMMENT, Melbourne — Yesterday, April 2nd 2008, the Eddington plan for Melbourne & Victoria was released. Like many before it, he calls for more freeways and roads and more money.
$18 Billion Australian dollars, (about USD $16 billion) before the inevitable incompetence, corruption and budget overruns at the implementation stage.

And like so many large projects, political jockeying may lead to a White Elephant. Yet we do have a choice…
Eddington ran airline BA, and is a respected business figure, but perhaps the questions he was asked do not reflect the questions he …

ANALYSIS, Germany — Train travel, after an unfashionable period in the 1970s-80s, is emerging again as an environmentally-friendlier, and practical way to travel to and from work.
Well, this is true, in Germany, and much of Europe.

The ease of implementation of the Deutsche Bahn (D-Bahn) system, allows for the enquiry into, and booking of complex train routes.
Whilst no mechanical system is perfect, those with some human knowledge of conditions on the ground in Germany, can plan and map routes across Europe using the German website for D-Bahn.
German Trains Worldwide Benchmark
In public …

ANALYSIS, Sydney — Property prices in Sydney (and other Australian capitals) are more expensive than almost any city in the world.

New York? Paris? Boston? Vienna?
In general, better value than Sydney, as has been reported in numerous media stories today. Property prices are at 7.5 average median earnings.
And we’re not talking Park Avenue property here, more like Queens.
Sydney suburban Bondi is a sleazy second rate suburb, not comparable to Park Avenue. Yet property is priced in the millions of dollars.
There seems little doubt that Australian capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and …

COMMENT, Melbourne — Let’s face it privatized public transport has failed.
It’s not the same elsewhere in the world — where Public Transport is clean, reliable and safe.

Public transport succeeds in similar towns in Germany.
But not in Australia. Public transport can work, but does not now work in Melbourne & Victoria. There are issues in the approach of the State Government, private contractors and the various ideologically-driven desperadoes on this issue.
The biggest issue is the ideological gunfight set-up by far-Right gunslingers like Alan Moran, of the disingenuously-titled ‘Institute for Public Affairs’.
And …

VIDEOS, Youtube — These are just insane. Actually my last article about the BMW videos led me to find this.
Incredibly offbeat and unusual art & design from this Dutch artist, Theo Jansen.
The machines are almost animal like, yet man-made. Machines that crawl across the land as if they are insects, or prowl as if they are a hybrid between war machines and leopards.
These are original, unusual, and this video is well worth watching.
This is avant-garde.

VIDEOS, Youtube — This one’s been attracting quite a lot of attention on Youtube.
OK it’s an advert, and they’re not saving the world, but it’s worth a look from a design viewpoint.
And corporations like BMW should be encouraged to improve automobiles and other products by engaging with designers.
Besides, BMW are one of the world’s best crawling, no … driving, machines…. Watch. You’ll see what I mean.

COMMENT, Albania — Korça është njëri nga qytetet kryesore të Shqipërisë. Ajo shtrihet në jug-perëndim të vendit, në lartësinë 869 m mbi nivelin e detit.

Nga gjetjet arkeologjike rezulton si vendbanim i fisit ilir të Enkelejve. Duke pasur një pozicion të favorshëm, ajo u shndërrua në një qendër qytetare me një kishë të përmendur në shek. IX. Qyteti filloi të zhvillohej me shpejtësi dhe pas pushtimit turk,(në shek. XV), u kthye në një qendër të përmendur zejtare e tregtare.
Në gjysmën e dytë të shek. XIX, Korça u bë njëra nga qendrat …

REVIEWS, Global – The T-Shirt Collectors scene is potent globally. And yes, it now has a magazine. T-World.
Like sneaker-collector and custom sneaker decoration scene in Melbourne, another scene. With a local, but soon to be even more international, vertical-niche magazine.
The magazine, created by and crafted for T-shirts enthusiasts, T-world highlights global T-shirt culture.
T-world is a new niche publications with a cult status already, after only the 3rd edition.
It can be ordered online, or via MagNation in Melbourne or New Zealand. Try this link to have a look and order.
What’s the …

REVIEW, Mag Nation, Melbourne & New Zealand — One of my favorite magazine shops, in late 2007, won a prestigious retail award in Melbourne.

You can often find me browsing the magazines, and occasionally spending more than I planned on European or US magazine titles. I like to support small or independent businesses so I also often grab a coffee here and browse.
Chief Magazineologist (sounds like a 2thinknow title!) for Mag Nation, Sahil Merchant commented:
“There is something about magazines that makes them worthwhile and approachable for all.
“Most of the …

COMMENT, Korea –A design agency in South Korea exploring new materials have arrived at a new design incorporating green ideas into the design of a shop.

The basis is a French botanist using a light material on the skin of a building, on which various plants can be grown.
From the site:
“Mass Studies was founded in 2003 by Minsuk Cho in Seoul, Korea, as an investigation of architecture in the context of market-privileged culture of mass production and intensely over-populated urban condition. Mass Studies explore building materials/techniques, space matrixes and building typologies …

The Big Question: Do you have a blog that is art or design based?
You can be a painter, designer, critic or follower of art… or a student.

This is a list of interesting, different art and design blogs.
I am hoping to get over 1000 here, so I will be adding them to get us started,…