Spider webs are stronger (and spookier) than kevlar. Photo by Russell Watkins via the UK Department of International Development.
1. “Animals and plants build structures of incredible complexity without the energy-hungry high temperatures, pressures and toxic chemicals with which we process raw materials in this fossil fuel age, and without generating useless waste.” From Inspired, Naturally, Financial Times.
2. A spider’s web is “made with an input of only dead flies and sunlight, and yet is 5 times stronger than kevlar.” Edible Architechture, Design Observer and Spider’s Dragline, Biomimicry.
3. Sharklet Technologies is inhibiting bacteria through pattern alone. Hospitals are using it on medical surfaces to slow the spread of illnesses, and the revolutionary idea all comes from the skin of the Galapagos Shark. Technology, Sharklet.
4. A waxy Namibian bug who drinks water from fog, inspires a British architecture firm to try and build waxy buildings that gather water from fog. King fisher birds solve the sound boom issues of hyper-futuristic bullet trains. A cement company is harvesting carbon dioxide for building materials, just like their heroes, coral reefs. Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in Action, TED.com (video)
5. If we’re using nature as inspiration for the future, then: Is the real fountain of youth delicious with clarified butter? Science Says Lobsters can Live Forever, but are Still Delicious, Planet Green, Discovery.
Other Voices and Readings
Not ready to be made into a coonskin cap. Image via Old Chum.
1. Carry it around every day. A lot of people who are invested in what little space there is in their pockets make room for a pocket knife. Pocket Dumps, Everyday Carry.
2. Be wholesome. Mumbelty peg is a game of knife feats. It’s competitive and skill-driven, and the loser is punished heartily by having to pull a peg out of the ground with his teeth. The American Boy’s Book of Sport has diagrams of the knife-flipping tricks one must accomplish in order to be crowned winner.
There are other variations of mumbelty peg, including an ill-advised one that requires a pair of duelers with more stupidity than skill. The one who throws a knife closest to his own foot wins. Stick your own foot and you win automatically.
3. Skin a raccoon. If you come across a furry friend that’s given up the ghost, this guide teaches you how to turn that fresh road kill into a pair of fur socks (or cap, or pouch), using only nature’s tools. Which means the animal’s own brains.
4. Whittle. Art of Manliness’ guide to whittling takes you from knowing nothing to knowing something about how to fill up your time with little more than a tree branch and a pocket knife.
5. One thing you can’t do with a pocket knife is use it as a weapon. If you think through defending yourself while getting ambushed in a back alley, you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that you will have to get very, very close to an attacker before you can scratch the surface of the person’s skin with a pocket knife. If you’re thinking of attacking someone, you better hope that person is already in a coma, because you’re likely to get a knee to the balls before you can set your pocket knife in action. Here’s a run-down by an expert on why knife fighting is a crazy myth that, if executed, will end in tears and/or prison: “Knife Fighting Lies,” No Nonsense Self Defense.