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seeking & creating : researching & discovering : applying & practicing

sustainability in design = changing mindsets + deeds

Friday, May 28, 2010

Spider-Goat, Spider-Goat, gotta milk the Spider-Goat...

Apparently, this research has been 10 years in the making...if you check the date in the BBC article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/889951.stm

Is there somehow more credibility if the R&D is made by an American university as compared to some private Canadian company? Can the information be packaged in a more 'fun and educational' way? Or is it good PR for the University?

Something in my mind is still grappling with this grumbling ball of uncertainty about this, but the goats in the video sure look happy...



http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/spidersilk.jsp

http://www.ecouterre.com/17988/transgenic-spider-goat-hybrids-produce-tougher-than-steel-silk/

Now, I wonder how I will decide if I am given a choice between this spider-goat-milk-protein silk and your typical/normal mulberry silkworm silk...but then again, the intended purpose of this spider-goat-milk-protein silk (lordy what a mouthful) was probably not to produce fabric for clothing, but it's an intriguing point of curiousity; how would such a fabric feel like against the skin?

If anyone out there has ever touched real milk-protein silk (which I believe is already in existence), please let me know how wonderful it was!

Now, back to singing "Spider-Goat" Homer Simpson-style...

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Film to Watch: Handmade Nation

This is one documentary on my personal "Hunt-Down-Soon" list.
It is also somewhat related to this book, which is very region specific:
http://www.handmadeinmelbourne.com.au/

Our teacher Mick Peel's featured in there too...http://busymanbicycles.blogspot.com/

I wonder when someone will do a similar doco here Down Under, and whether SG will ever get as crafty as I wish it would be...*sighs*

Overall, inspiring stuff...


http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/02/handmade-nation-special-edition-interview.html

http://indiecraftdocumentary.blogspot.com/