Xmas Day

Fab Book: Fab - The Coming Revolution on Your Desk from Personal computers to Personal Fabrication

FAB book by Neil Gershenfeld (2005) is genuinely fab & full of innovative ideas and how communities have been empowered with the MIT's FAB LAB.

Fab Lab is an MIT project. They have set up projects all around the world from rural India, to Costa Rica to Northern Norway to Ghana.  They are not just any old projects, they are very exciting projects that liberate local people, for instance, the project in Bithoor on the banks of the Ganges in India.  Local women funded via a micro credit loan able to use a 3-D printer to develop their designs for chikan - a local type of embroidery.  It sounds amazing.

Another theme is mass customisation becoming personal customisation due to the development of technology. The same too applies to Globalization being replaced by Localization...

Websites:Sustainability, Recycling and Beauty

These sites are worth looking at - they cover sustainability, recycling and just things that are beautiful.

• Wendy Plomp's printed cardboard as sustainable floor art at 
• Print design at http://www.printpattern.com
  
• Squint re-upholster sofas - really fun and beautiful colours...she trained as a fine artist and you can tell.
  
• Justine Smith 
  
• Ndeur shoes for painted shoes

Xmas footprints

Wish You Were Where

This is a fantastic exhibit in the Interactive Gallery in Manchester City Art Gallery called Wish You Were Where.  Everyone can add a luggage label and say where they would like to be.

Quentin Blake talk

At an inspiring Quentin Blake talk today he discussed his illustration work and how he started his career. He was very modest and amusing.  I'm a big fan of his work and like the humour in his work.

50 years ago drawing was almost a subversive activity.

He gave some advice during his talk, such as:-

• Do what you are told to do but in your own way.  
  
• Making up your mind and committing to what you want to do.
  
• Time constraints make you do things you wouldn't otherwise do.
  
• Don't be timid...
  

"if I'd known I'd be any good I would have tried harder" 

(I don't think this is his original quote but it's true, I suppose that's what makes it funny).

Xmas Lights