PicoCool

"When Charlie Kratzer started on the basement art project in his south Lexington home, he was surrounded by walls painted a classic cream. Ten dollars of Magic Marker and Sharpie later, the place was black and cream and drawn all over...How did this Sharpie world start? With a single swipe of the marker. Kratzer started mid-wall, with the Salon by Picasso. Then he thought, well, taking a design out to the edge of the wall wouldn’t be overwhelming. Then the rest of the basement flared off that first wall.

Kratzer’s basement suggests that the great cultural influences wandered out of college humanities class—here a Churchill for eloquence during harsh times, a Joan Crawford for cinematic vampiness, Holmes and Poirot for great literary characterization—and set up shop together in the carefully hand-drawn markings of an educated imagination come to life.”

Kratzer might be a lawyer by day, but in his off hours he is a man who has taken the artistic influences and heroes of his life and imagined them onto his walls, that he might keep company with them while he uses the pool table.” Read the full story and see a 360 view of his basement…

[via marshallk on Twitter]

Network: twitter

”hopeREVO began one evening when I decided to hide encouraging notes around New York City. This simple act inspired other people who heard about it to do the same in their cities. Days later, my inbox was flooded with messages from people spreading hope in their communities, after reading about it on my blog, and as it propagated through the Internet on other blogs. So, I decided to develop this website to start a hope revolution.”

Network: twitter

Left photo copyright m.paoletti. Right photo by xxgigi.

I love seeing the contents of people’s bags. I never knew so many people carried hand cream and chapstick. Cameras, yes. And mints, me too! Join the Flickr group ”What’s In Your Bag?” and post your own.

Network: flickr

This fantastic low impact home was built by a family in Wales.  “It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and 3000 pounds put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly 60 pounds/sq m excluding labour)...The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.” Their story is inspirational and full of happiness.  Everyone should try this. (Thanks to Max Kiesler for the tip)

Network: blogs

In his post today, Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, describes his typical day living a zero impact lifestyle in New York City with his wife, Michelle, their 2 year old daughter, and their dog, Frankie.  That means no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning.  In spite of (or we like to think, because of) all the things they won’t/don’t do, their life is full and rich with experience. See A Day in Our Life.

Network: blogs