what will they think of next?

Such a cute little guest house over at Helen Thompson's blog, made out of a shipping container.

no, it's not 'star wars'

BNKR Arquitectura has proposed a design for an underground "earthscraper" at the Zocalo in Mexico City. You can see a slide show on their website (click "ongoing" from the top menu, then "earthscraper" on the right side).

I'm not sure what I think of this yet, but it's a truly innovative idea.

unsolicited testimonial

Got sciatica? Try this Ikea chair. It's the best fifty bucks I ever spent.

found cat

This feline has been showing up the past month or so to my backyard feral feeder (North Loop neighborhood). Recently s/he's been coming every day, and today I noticed that s/he's limping (front left foot appears to be injured). Do you recognize this cat? S/he is timid but not feral, and pretty chubby, so I'm hoping s/he has an owner somewhere. If not, I'm going to trap and neuter him/her and get that foot looked at.

website update

I'm doing a little housekeeping around the site over the coming weeks -- please check back in a day or two, if things aren't where they should be. Also, if you find any broken links, I'd appreciate knowing!

the retirement home

Papercrete construction with 15K gallons of rainwater storage, solar toilet, outdoor cooking area, screened porch, and many other fine old-hippie features. Now we just have to find a place -- and the money -- to build it.

southwest view, 12:30 pm, August 15th

northeast view, 12:30 pm, August 15th

beautiful thing of the day

Earthbag house at the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture. I want one.