Cate – Page 55 – everydaysparks

Ticket to Mars

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Cate

I first heard about this ambitious plan on werd.com. The short post was accompanied by this picture. So I did some more research for us, because I knew that you would want to know about it too. Behold, the Mars One mission. What’s it all about, I hear you cry? Oh, nothing much – only a plan to establish THE FIRST HUMAN SETTLEMENT ON MARS IN 2023. Yes, that’s right – according to the website, a habitable settlement will be waiting for the settlers when they land. The settlement will support them while they live and work on Mars the rest of their lives. Every two years after 2023 an additional crew will arrive, such that there is a real living, growing community on Mars.

Apparently, the good people at Mars One have a “technical plan” for the mission and have “identified at least one supplier” for every part of the process between now (empty Mars, as far as we know) and 2023 (thriving metropolis Mars). There is even a section on the website for anyone who might be sceptical – it’s called: Is this really possible? (The answer is basically ‘yes, sure, why not’ in case you don’t want to read it yourself.) Another FAQ is, understandably: Is this for real? To which the answer is: Yes it is! Mars One has been working on this project in secret since January of 2011. It has taken us ’til now to expose it publically because we are now certain of its feasibility and means of finance.

Alrighty then, friends, let’s start packing! Oh, hang on, I have now read the FAQ entitled: Can I apply to become an astronaut? Sadly, the answer seems to be NO. Or at least, NOT YET. Apparently the team at Mars One have received lots of emails from people asking to be part of the mission, but they’re not yet in a position to start selecting the first astronauts. I guess they’ll have to be pretty picky, since these people will be the founders of the settlement up there. You don’t want people who are going to give dumb names to the towns and streets and national parks.

I include this image from NASA/Wikipedia to help inform your decision on emigrating to Mars, when that option becomes available. It’s clearly a lot smaller than good ol’ Earth, but according to Wikipedia, Mars has surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth. So, you know, great if you like hiking, nature, extreme adventure and that sort of thing. Oh, and Mars can be seen from Earth without a telescope, so your old friends and neighbours will still be able to keep an eye on you.

Anyways, now you know a little more, you are probably keen to read more of the fine print and perhaps even sign up for the Mars One Monthly Newsmail. You can do so on the Mars One website here.

Jedward and the Olympic Torch

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Cate

So, I don’t normally post on the weekends, but this week I saw some big news that needed sharing. Jedward (the real winners of Eurovision in my eyes) carried the Olympic Torch through Dublin. How they got so close without the product in their hair catching fire is a modern day miracle. Here’s a pic and a quote to get the weekend off to a great start.

“Thank you, guys, so much for all coming out and being so Jepic and so Jedicated to the Olympics. Last year we had Barack Obama and this year we have the Olympic torch.”

Totally Jepic, boys. This pic is from the UK MTV website, which featured the story here. But you can read about it pretty much anywhere that covers big news stories. If only these two could actually compete in the Olympics…that would be even better…Keepin’ the dream alive, Jedward!

Arty sparks, Home sparks

Treasures from Italy

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Cate

Ah, Italy. It’s easy to love everything about it – the language, the food, the beautiful country, the fashion, the people, the history. Not to mention the design, which is world-famous for good reason. And thanks to Fab.com, I’ve discovered Antartidee – an Italian company designing and making zany homewares that are both practical and quirky. And brightly coloured. What’s not to love?

Here’s The Rock Coat-Stand, part of a series of coat stands featuring different coloured hands making different kinds of gestures. I think this would look very cool just affixed to a plain wall in your home (especially if you added some of the other hands to create a slightly creepy gallery), but I understand if you want to use it as an actual hook on which you hang coats or hats or bags. Their coat stand range also features a banana, gelato in a cone, gun, tap or fairly lifelike human ear. Uh huh.

If you find yourself reaching for the lolly jar a little too often and want something to scare you away, this might be just the thing: Chameleon-Glutton sits on top of the jar as a sign of where you’re headed if you over-indulge. Genius.

Or if you’re looking for some innovative lighting solutions, then be sure to check out their lamps. The Frame Hand Lamp Clouds is part light, part artwork and part fortune teller. Love it.

And this Fall Lamp looks almost magical and is sure to keep you calm. Unless you live in a country that is prone to drought, in which case it might just make you feel guilty all the time.

Speaking of time, here’s a cute clock – Valentina – from their extensive range of wall and table clocks. I’m sure it’s an insightful commentary on how we all want time to slow down, or something like that. But really, I just like the snail.

And I’ll finish with this vase – Pablo – because I could honestly find another 30 pieces on the site that I would like to show you. But instead, you might want to check out the Antartidee magic for yourself here.

Home sparks, WWWhat?

Pop goes the weasel

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Cate

Hello, I’m Cate and I am globophobic. No, I am not afraid of the globe – I’m afraid of…balloons. It’s not a glamorous fear, I know – and I am thankful that it has an actual name, rather than being tucked away in the ‘weirdo’ section of the psychology handbook. Granted, it’s known to psychologists as an ‘uncommon phobia’, but I say why settle for a boring old fear of heights or flying, when I can have an uncommon phobia? Even if it is mocked by small children and adults alike.

According to Dr Google, I should be able to trace my fear to a traumatic event. But since balloons are mostly associated with happy parties in my memory, I am not sure where it started. I do remember hating those games where you had to pop the balloons to get a prize, but I don’t think they messed with my head any more than an egg & spoon race or pinning the tail on that poor donkey.

After childhood, there was a blissful mostly-balloon-free decade or so, then my beloved nieces and nephew came along and the balloons reappeared. At parties, from shopping centres, with showbags. Pop! Pop! Pop! But my family knows that I am a balloon hater, so they try not to use them very often. And my nieces – bless ’em – usually shepherd any stray balloons out of the room when I come in. So now I mostly just have to dodge the balloons in shopping centres (why oh why can’t stores just give out pens or ipads or gold bars as promotional tools these days?). You might have seen me, ducking and weaving to get away from a balloon in a shopping trolley, or a balloon being held too close to the ground by a little kid, or a balloon coming into contact with something sharp. I know, I know.

One day last year, I went to work in the city office of the insurance company I was with at the time. I was just expecting an ordinary day in the HR bearpit. But when the security door opened and I walked on to the floor, across the wide span of a football field of open-plan workstations, there was a sight to be seen. Hell had come to the office overnight – in the form of hundreds of helium balloons tied to ribbons, hovering over every desk. Before the first pop, I reminded my team mate of my fear and he kindly moved the closest balloons, but they lurked not too far away and kept bobbing about, getting closer and closer as the day wore on, like a pack of hyenas. I am not sure how I survived, but the psychologists in our team (it’s HR, so there were a few) said that I had participated in ‘exposure therapy’ and that I should actually thank the balloon deliverers for helping me to overcome my fear. Not only for the balloons, but I do not work there anymore.

So, when I saw this piece of furniture on the fabulous Umbra site recently, I thought that perhaps I should buy it and continue my ‘exposure therapy’ via this cool stool. Designed by young Canadian designer Natalie Kruch, the Balloona stool features over 500 brightly coloured balloons tied onto solid wood. It looks funky and not too intimidating, so I will think about it…(You can check it out here.)

Or there’s this beautiful balloon necklace, made by Nokike in Florence. These balloons look too cute to be scary – and if new jewellery can help conquer my fears, then I reckon this ‘exposure therapy’ might be a good idea after all. (Necklace is here.)

Of course, another option is to move into an inflatable house, like this one. Now, that would be confronting my fears.

Arty sparks, Fashion Sparks

Picture perfect jewellery

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Cate

Sometimes, you need to write something down, but you don’t have a pen handy. Or you really want to draw a picture to explain what you’re saying, but you don’t have any coloured pencils with you. This post could be for you. Or maybe you like jewellery that is pretty and practical – funk-tional – and you’re looking for a new ring. Or you’ve always wanted to be the artistic equivalent of Edward Scissorhands – Jonathon Pencilhands or Albert Paintbrushhands. Whatever, this post is for you too.

For these, my friends, are Crayon Rings. Such a simple, yet clever, idea by Timothy Liles. For sale on the cool design website Generate, these brightly coloured rings, cast in washable crayon come in a set of 8. That’s right, for less than $50 US, you can add eight new rings to your jewellery box and eight new crayons to your pencil case. And, you know, draw colourful stuff with your accessories.

But what if you accidentally draw in the wrong place? Or colour something that should have been black & white? Fear not, this Eraser+ing by ahead creative will solve your problems. Featuring bright colours and a ‘mild fruity scent’, a set of five costs less than $40 US.

If you’d like to check out these rings, or a whole heap of other kooky stuff, you can find the Generate online store here.