Titanium

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Titanium deposits in sand in South Africa

Like needles in a haystack. Titanium deposits in sand, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Photo by Niel Overey.

Conceived beneath the skies of the ancient world, the Titans were the incestual god-lineage of Zeus: gigantic creatures who bore names like Oceanus, Themis, Hyperion. The metals then known to man were those purest of elements, and it was some two millenia before titanium would be discovered and used.

With an unmatched strength-to-weight ratio, low thermal conductivity and a tendency to be impervious to corrosion, titanium is indeed a metal of mythical proportions, even to the point of being mythically difficult to work with.

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The Clock of the Long Now

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In this ever-advancing modern era, where the mantra of the zeitgeist is “better, faster, cheaper,” Danny Hillis — inventor of the supercomputer that instigated our current fast-paced society — beseeches us to slow down, twiddle our thumbs and smell the roses. Hillis has been working since 1996 on a monument-sized clock to be sited on a limestone cliff in eastern Nevada, dubbed the Clock of the Long Now. This clock is nothing like your average wristwatch. The Clock of the Long Now will be large enough for visitors to walk around in and is designed to last 10,000 years — roughly the period in which humans enjoy a relatively constant climate and advancements in culture and technology. It will tick only once a year, bong once a century and cuckoo at the millennium, a pace Hillis hopes will inspire society to think in terms of decades, centuries and millennia, as opposed to the prevailing harried New York minute.

Danny Hillis a supercomputer engineer at a connections machine

A young Danny Hillis hard at work at his connections machine console.

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Pewter

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When I was a kid, our flatware was made of silver, that prince of metals that my parents insisted we use, but that always gave certain dishes a sharp, unpleasant taste. Before dinner I’d inspect each spoon, fork and knife, switching mine for a less tarnished one. When it was finally time to eat, I’d drag my teeth over the metal, hoping this would minimize the acrid flavor from the metal.  And when I stared into a delicious bowl of soup, the dreaded silver spoon in hand, I wanted to be a poor man.

Guild Crest of the Worshipful Company of Pewterers

Crest of the Worshipful Company of Pewterers in London, Livery Company, founded 1348

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Exotic Leather

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Python Escalades, electric blue crocodile pimp loafers, and ostrich jackets are the very embodiment of tackiness—luxury writ large and rendered tragically cheesy. Exotic skins, the tidy stripes of silky eel, the beautifully imperfect patterns of snake, and the smooth rectangular gradations of crocodile, were treasured for their uniqueness and rarity. Used sparingly on cigarette cases tucked into the inside pocket of a flannel suit jacket, or as a delicate clutch in a gloved hand, restraint itself underscored the preciousness of each skin.

Crocodile Hunting for Leather. A dead Crocodile lies on deck of a ship

Crocodile on Deck of a Steamer in Africa, Courtesy of Gordon Mumford (Click on Image to Enlarge)

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Reclaimed Wood, Part I

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When early American colonists begun penetrating the thick interior of the North American frontier, they discovered that the vast, untouched forests extended much deeper than previously imagined. About 1 billion acres of heavily wooded land stretched from the Atlantic to well past the Mississippi River and promised settlers a wealth of useful raw timber.

Forest worker standing in front of redwood

Lumber Worker in White Pines, Circa 1958, Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Logging Museum

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Teak Wood

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Scandinavian Modern furniture is often associated with teak, the ultra-durable hardwood from Southeast Asia. Before their discovery of teak, Scandinavian furniture designers used softer woods, like pine, which is native to the region. Teak is considered by many to be an ideal material for furniture because it’s one of the strongest woods, and at the same time relatively light. Its inherent color and oil gives it a soft, natural sheen, which mirrors the Modern emphasis on truth to materials and functionality.

Elephants Piling Teak, Burma, Courtesy of the University of Glasgow

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