Design 21: Social Design Network

So here is something that caught my attention in the New York Times. Basically, who is considered fit to vote? If you have been convicted of a crime by reason of insanity, are you considered mentally astute enough to choose a city mayor or even a president? Enter Bush Joke Here

Some people feel the mentally ill should not be granted the right. The American Bar Association has said that "people be prevented from voting only if they cannot indicate, with or without help, 'a specific desire to participate in the voting process.'" Some people argue that insanity is a sort of disability and the disabled should have the same rights as anyone else. How does anyone else feel about this? I am especially interested in answers from people outside the U.S. I wonder how this sort of matter is addressed in other countries.

New York Times

I got the image from here

I agree that it isnt good to base someone's wellbeing on whether or not I buy a shirt. I don't know if Bono is naive or trying to promote himself or both. I remember a joke was going around that Bono was trying to become the new leader at the World Bank. Well anyone is better than Wolfowitz.

Oh and speaking of Bono and clothing, here was another shirt with a message he was promoting before the Red Campaign.

Coexist

I found this article in the NY Times to be pretty interesting. Researchers have " showed that point-of-sale advertising and other marketing significantly increase the likelihood that junior and senior high school students will try smoking or become habitual smokers." Now although smoking companies say their advertising is only aimed at adults, apparently even kids who see price reductions in cigarettes will be tempted to try smoking.

Here's the link, hope you enjoy

5 years? A few months ago I was talking to a taxi driver on route to the airport and he thought it would be one year until hybrids would come along. Oi vey. I guess that means pedi-cabs for me! Honk Honk!

Oh and has anyone noticed the buses that say they are "clean air hybrids?" Are they even hybrids?

Link to photo

It seems we are not alone out there, which is a good thing. It reminds me, has anyone seen Sam Potts' work for 826NYC? It 's also know as the Superhero Store in Brooklyn. The shop sells 'superhero' items like invisibility and such. All the proceeds go to 826NYC which is a non-profit to help kids with their writing skills. Good times, check out his website

I like this idea on recycling carpet tiles. I have never heard about it before but to know that this is happening is pretty cool. Both the environmental and economic impacts are awesome. I can only hope this information is reaching enough business executives so they can learn that they will save money by going green. Wait, Save Money by Going Green? I can see the advertisements already.

This article I spotted at TreeHugger .com makes a good case for why artificial foods are bad news. It seems that the workers who create the artificial flavoring in buttered popcorn are coming down with "bronchiolitis obliterans, a disease that causes the smaller bronchi to be filled up with masses of fibrous tissue." [TreeHugger.com]. Many people are blaming the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for not doing anything. Apparently this is the kind of disease that can kill quickly. But if this is what is happening to the people that make buttered popcorn, what is happening to the people who eat it?

TreeHugger Article http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/microwave_popco.php Angry Toxicologist http://angrytoxicologist.com/?p=28

Design for the Other 90% is a exhibition going on at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum. It focuses on how designers today are creating necessary products to help people rather than creating useless objects to be consumed by the wealthier ten percent. The exhibition focuses on everything such as shelter, water, energy and education with many overlapping projects. One of my favorite pieces of this exhibition is the Katrina Furniture Project which creates furniture from recycled wood debris found after Hurricane Katrina. This website is full of amazing information with many different projects. It is on view at the Cooper-Hewitt until September 23, 2007.

Design For the Other 90%

Katrina Furniture Project

I hate to constantly refer to the Design Observer but there is this awesome article by Adrian Shaughnessy about whether jpegs are going to replace album covers in the years to come. MP3s are becoming more and more popular with the Ipod and Microsoft's Zune. With this, cd's are becoming less necessary and thus album art is less needed. What is also interesting is the commentary for the article regarding the environment and new breakthroughs in the jpeg album art such as animated album covers.

Are JPEGs the New Album Covers?

oh and i got the picture from here

Here is a great article I found in the Design Observer about books and there place in society today. They are being published at such a rapid pace but who is actually reading them? This article looks at everything from economics to audience and I encourage everyone to check this article out.

bold[Design Observer- Book Article] (http://www.design21sdn.com/system/profile.php?mode=activate&u=1110&act_key=ed1b5b9e7)