Roadkill Plush Toys

I'm sure he meant well. Perhaps it was a stab at realism. Perhaps it is some sort of new brand of Brit humour. Of course, Phunkidz, it got my attention. It's weird, it's wonderful, it's RoadkillToys!

Roadkill is a new designer toy boutique, creating original toy characters.

We make toys with a twist. Toys as dark as the inside of a heifer. And they all have one thing in common. They’ve been run over. We’re calling it Squash-Plush.

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Well, what do you think? Would you want one of these cuddly gut-busted tire-tattooed mammals? Shown at the right is Twitch the Raccoon. There's also Grind the Rabbit, Splodge the Hedgehog, Pop the Weasel, and Fender the Fox. What animal would you choose to see next? I'm thinking of a big one: Mush the Moose.

Science Fiction becomes science fact

I tend to read a variety of books: business (management, marketing, trends), historical fiction, biographies, and science fiction. Over the last few years, I've made sure that M and G (my phunkidz) get a taste of the latter. Many of the classics by Philip Dick, Larry Niven, David Brin, and newer ones by John Wright are exciting looks at the future. Often the author will take a premise (like making physical copies of yourself in Kiln People) and extrapolate the effects on society. The premises themselves are usually based on stretching some aspect of today's technology in some way. 

That fact alone is why I believe Phunkidz need to get a good grounding in first-class Science Fiction. We need to dream about what is possible, how we can stand on the shoulders of the giants that have come before, and leap over that next technology hurdle. Imagination is one of the greatest tools that we as humans have. Synthesizing: taking what is now and mixing, matching, and extending into new ideas is what science is all about. Discovery and invention are not processes done in a vacuum. Science fiction is a good example of that process that Phunkidz can learn from.

Many of the problems that we have (e.g. limited energy, limited real estate, limited food supply) will continue to become greater and greater problems as our overall world population grows and we become increasingly globalized. Technological progression is not the only solution to the issues we will face but it is a necessary part of the solution.

With that, I would like to pass on to you a recommended reading list of Science Fiction that I found particularly fascinating (something for you to do this summer):

• Ringworld series by Larry Niven--Engineering and space technology
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick--Can robots feel like people?
• The Golden Age series by John C Wright--Nano technology and virtual realities
• Kiln People by David Brin--What happens when you make copies of yourself?
  
• Uplift Saga by David Brin--Intelligent beings are cultivated by superior species not evolved
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson--Hacking the brain
• Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke--First contact with aliens
• Enders Game by Orson Scott Card--Video gamers save the human race
• Uglies by Simon Pulse--Bodyscaping as a right of passage

Feel free to drop a comment on the blog about other classics that you think are stimulating!

A note to any parents reading this blog. You should always have discretion when giving a book to your kidz. Read it beforehand and make sure you're fine with the content. 

Tastes Like Chicken

I've blogged about Savage Chickens before. Doug Savage writes out his cartoons on a Post-It note everyday. A single panel cartoon, usually with a chicken or two, is reminiscent of Gary Larson's cow fetish. Which makes Doug pretty much a genius in my book. He is also good at using the electronic medium he is posting to. Many of his cartoons are cross-referenced against older cartoons that are similar or part of a series or theme (e.g. robots). He's clever, he's funny, he's willing to throw stones at our collective stupidity: good role model for life, in my book.

If you find him as funny as I do, you can subscribe to his cartoons via your newsreader or by email.

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Once Upon a Time

Phunkidz, if you've been reading this blog for a while you know that I'm always intrigued when someone does something clever. A twist on an old idea or something old dressed up as something new always piques my interest. Penguin books has released six "books" in interesting formats that are based on older books: a Google maps mashup, a girl's and her parents blogs, an interactive fairy tale, a live chat session, a series of infographs, and an adventure game like book coming on April 22nd.

These are loosely based on the The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, The Haunted Doll's House by M R James, Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson, Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, Hard Times by Charles Dickens, and Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. No doubt Penguin would like to boost sales of their classics--if you find the unusual versions interesting consider purchasing a book from Penguin.

Biomimetics: Inspiration From Nature

Nature can provide the best inspiration! Did you know that velcro was developed by a Swiss engineer named George after he finished picking burrs off of his dog? How about bubbling blowfish, wet wicking lizards, wall climbing geckos, whale tales, and self-cleaning lotus plants as design patterns for new inventions? National Geographic has penned a great article on how nature can provide ideas for us as humans. Check out the article here and fabulous photo spread here.

Refitting the Space Shuttle

To many of you Phunkidz, the Space Shuttle has been around since you were born. Ho hum. Send a rocket into space. The special effects in movies and video games causes us to underestimate and, indeed under appreciate, how complicated space travel really is. To get the space shuttle up into orbit takes thousands of people and billions of dollars worth of equipment and months of preparation. Ya can't just hop in, turn the key, and go.

There's a great picture show that details the preparation of the shuttle for launch from the assembly of the liquid fuel and solid fuel boosters to the insertion of the payload to the actual travel to the launch pad. Note the scale of the operation: most photos have people in them if you look closely. These are big machines!

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Plastic Bag Art Meets the Subway

One of the things that always peaks my interest is when somebody does something clever with something ordinary. It's a McGyverish fascination that I think is shared with do-it-yourselfers that subscribe to magazines like Make. In this case, some unknown artist is fashioning "dogs" out of discarded plastic bags and attaching them to subway grates. When the subway passes by, the upsurge of air causes the dog to stand up. I have to imagine that there have been a number of people that have freaked out when this occurred!

Every time we start to think that street art is starting to get a bit tired and boring, along - out of nowhere - comes something that reconnects us with why we fell in love with street art in the first place.

The story we heard at dinner tonight is that there's an artist who's been making these animals out of discarded plastic bags. He (or she) ties the bags to the ventilation grates above the subway lines so that when the subway rushes through underneath, the animal jumps up and springs to life...

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