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August 31, 2006
KnitPro Pattern of the Day
Occasionally i download a random knitPro pattern from anonymous users, this is what i got from yesterday : ) you can stitch it (knit ratio) from this pattern.
Posted by cat at 02:52 PM
Open Source Embroidery
(Thanks Sabrina)
Posted by cat at 09:43 AM
August 30, 2006
Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and Ann Taylor: Garment Companies in Bangalore, India, FFI/JKPL, seek to Prevent Exchange of Information
We write to you to ask you to contact the brands sourcing from Fibres and Fabrics International Pvt. Ltd. (FFI) and its subsidiary Jeans Knit Pvt Ltd (JKPL) to demand that they take action to improve working conditions at the factory. Instead of seriously engaging with local stakeholders to improve working conditions, FFI and JKPL have sought to prevent exchange of information about company practices among international campaigners through a court order, based on allegations of reputation damage by FFI/JKPL. The order is in place from the 28th of July at least until the case will appear in court at the 28th of August 2006. The court order has been issued by the City Civil Court in Bangalore. FFI and JKPL produce for Dutch label G-Star and are reported to produce for US based brands Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and Ann Taylor amongst others.
Posted by cat at 06:23 PM
August 29, 2006
Bags made from recycled skateboads
Nat over at our siste blog CRAFT has a good write up on these bags made from busted skateboards - "Focused in the UK makes unique looking handbags out of broken old skateboards. You can purchase these cool bags or you can sell them bits of your broken skateboard. The philosophy behind Focused from their site, "It is this idea of finding beauty in the most unexpected places that has brought about the use of skateboards and other recycled products in what we consider to be a beautiful outcome."
Originally from MAKE Magazine, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 29, 2006 at 02:30 PM
FRAUDSTERS DUPE NAGIN, BLANCO, EXECUTIVES, CNN
TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2006
FRAUDSTERS DUPE NAGIN, BLANCO, EXECUTIVES, CNN;
GROSSLY MISREPRESENT HUD, DoE, WAL-MART, EXXON POSITIONS;
SPAWN FALSE HOPES AMONG BLACKS
Article (CNN)
False announcement in full
Video of false announcement
An irresponsible, unemployed, middle-class huckster posed as an
assistant to HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and insinuated himself
into a Gulf Coast Reconstruction Conference yesterday.
Speaking alongside New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Governor
Kathleen Blanco, the poorly-coiffed scofflaw announced that HUD was
reopening all public housing in New Orleans to former residents.
"It is terribly sad that someone would perpetrate such a cruel hoax
and play on the fears and anxieties of families who are desperate to
return to their homes," said HUD spokesperson Donna White.
gov news release
"We are destroying those homes for good reason," White continued. "It
is terribly sad that some people can't understand that. That lack of
understanding speaks for the low level of government education in
this country."
HUD would like to make the following points perfectly clear once and
for all:
* HUD will NOT refrain from demolishing 5000 units of undamaged
public housing simply because they are undamaged.
* HUD will NOT let people come home simply because they want to, are
part of the city, and constitute a much-needed workforce.
* HUD is NOT encouraging Wal-Mart to withdraw from low-income
neighborhoods in order to "stanch" the flow of money out of these
neighborhoods, nor does it prefer "local" businesses.
* There is NO partnership between HUD, health departments and the CDC
to provide adequate health care to low-income residents.
* A national tax base for public schools is NOT on the horizon of HUD
or the Department of Education. U.S. public schools will continue to
be funded from local taxes, which will continue to mean commensurate
and proportionate levels of funding for schools in rich and poor
neighborhoods. HUD does NOT believe equality of opportunity must
begin in grade one, but believes it is a far more flexible concept.
* Also, Exxon has asked HUD to make clear that it will NOT pay $8.6
billion from its $35 billion in profits this year to close down the
Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and otherwise repair the damage caused
by the oil industry to the natural protections surrounding New
Orleans.
These are all lies, monstrously cruel, generative of oceans of false
hopes and sadness.
The cruelty of fostering false hopes among a population long
victimized by U.S. government policies is unfathomable. Virginia L.,
a would-be resident of the St. Bernard housing project, expressed her
disappointment succinctly. "George W. Bush lives in public housing,"
she said. "Why don't they evict him?"
A contractor was equally critical. "I'm not angry at them for pulling
this joke, I'm angry that it's not for real." (See video.)
May God afflict the perpetrators of this cruel hoax with all the
varieties of damage they so amply deserve.
Continue reading "FRAUDSTERS DUPE NAGIN, BLANCO, EXECUTIVES, CNN"
Posted by cat at 05:07 AM
August 25, 2006
Soft communication
Stitchories, by Katherine Wakid from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, is a digital quilt - a cotton blanket with a built-in computer that can upload photos and record spoken narratives. The design combines technology and craft to encourage communication between teens and their elders.
Originally from we make money not art, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 25, 2006 at 09:24 PM
byCycle - Online Bike Maps
We're pro-bike here, but we do recognize that there are a myriad of challenges bikers face getting around their cities. One of those challenges is just figuring out the most bike-friendly route between where you are and where you want to be. As every biker knows, the difference between riding on street with bike lanes, sensible traffic calming and good safety measures and a sidewalk-less arterial full of speeding cars and road-raging drivers can be the difference between arriving relaxed and on time, or perhaps not arriving at all.
Originally posted by Sarah Rich from WorldChanging: Another World Is Here, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 25, 2006 at 09:09 PM
Iranian President blogger
02bunced writes "The BBC is reporting that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has started his own blog, the launch of which was announced on Iranian State TV. This is perhaps slightly ironic, given that the Iranian Government actively censors blogs on the Internet."
Posted by cat at 09:03 PM
August 23, 2006
Legal woes over robotic parking garage
Filed under: Robots, Transportation
Robotic parking garages, albeit very few and far between, aren't exactly new creations, but the original fully-automated deck in Hoboken, New Jersey has found itself the center of unwanted attention. For those unfamiliar with the process, bustling commuters follow computerized instructions to park (and exit) their vehicle on a steel slab, where the car is then hoisted upward and slid into an open bay until recalled. The robotic car shufflers can cram 324 vehicles into a 100- by 100-foot lot, which is more than double the amount traditional lots hold. But all has not been well for the automated car-lifters -- the city of Hoboken has been locked in a bitter dispute with Robotic Parking, which owns the software that operates the garage, over a contractual violation dealing with the intellectual property owned solely by the company. After the city decided to change the deck's management, they failed to stop using the proprietary software that was licensed to them, while succeeding in cutting off Robotic Parking's royalties. As expected, legal blows starting flying as Hoboken reportedly claimed there were "booby traps" in the company's software (but they kept using it?), while Robotic Parking demanded reparations for the unpaid use of their code. The dust has began to settle, at least somewhat, as both parties recently agreed to a deal in which the city shells out $5,500 / month for "licensure and support" of the software for the next three years, after which we assume Robotic Parking will promptly be kicked to the curb. This definitely isn't the first time lawsuits have caused headaches in consumer electronics, and it's presumably not the last, but it just goes to show that you should probably see if certain things are "reserved" before pulling on in.
Originally posted by Donald Melanson from Engadget, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 23, 2006 at 01:12 PM
August 17, 2006
Crochet Today Preview Pics
Robyn's posted some preview pics from the new Crochet Today mag. Wicked!
ETA: Here's a pic of what a couple of my critters looked like before I sent them to the mag:
Originally from Crochet me: The Blog, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 17, 2006 at 11:20 PM
glamarama.net free vintage knitting patterns
Posted by cat at 11:18 PM
August 14, 2006
Totally Inspired by Latchhook
sorry for the reblog haitius -- i was working on a film shoot in albuquerque. must start with my newest needlecraft obsession using knitPro -- i developed a prop (more pics later) in latchhook! at first i thought it'd be tricky but then i took inspiration from this girl, and this pictogram. do send pics if you've done any knitPro w/ latchhook.
Posted by cat at 10:21 PM
August 06, 2006
The Nano Cafe
Madison's Fair Trade Coffee house became a Nano Cafe last Tuesday evening, when we joined a group of about 40 to talk nanotech. We weren't luddites meeting in secret and did not whisper conspiracies. In fact, the only thing revolutionary about the meeting was its openness. We were there as citizens to talk democratically with the experts about the integration of nanotechnology into our society.
Science and technology are hugely important to people's lives, but the public participates little in their making. Clark Miller, head of the Nanotechnology and Society Initiative, led the discussion and stated that:
Most people don't always know how much science affects their lives, and scientists and policymakers rarely ask them what they think about it. The Nano Cafés will give people access to the normally somewhat mysterious realm of science research and bring them into a lively conversation about the impact of recent research.
The first Nano Café focused on the big picture of nanotechnology-what it is, who does it, and what its stakes are. Public participants will determine the topics of future Cafés, which will be more like a conversation than a lecture.
Nanotech will be everywhere. And while you know a nuclear power plant when you see one, nanotechnology will permeate the most mundane products. From tennis balls that don't lose their bounce to clear sunscreens, nanotechnology is already appearing on the store shelves. Unanswered questions, however, surround nanotech's health and environmental safety, making an open discussion a crucial part in its future.
Nano Cafés are one way to democratize nanotechnology in order to escape the rancor around nuclear power and genetic engineering. But unlike these technologies that opened to public discussion after their course was set, the public has a chance to steer nanotech in its earliest stages. Early discussions will be essential to accelerate the delivery of the most vital applications and duck the worst risks of a technology that may become as influential to the 21st century as automobiles were to the 20th...
Via WorldChanging: Another World Is Here
Originally posted by Jeremy Faludi from WorldChanging: Another World Is Here, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 6, 2006 at 10:59 AM
August 04, 2006
Rotterdam Car Yard
Oles,Boortorrie and P.Bloem playing around @ the Junk yard in Rotterdam (holland)
Originally from Wooster Collective, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 4, 2006 at 08:29 AM
August 02, 2006
Asphyxiation
This choker uses Venetian Crochet motifs taken from a vintage tablecloth pattern (Needlecraft, December 1916) and a rose from an Irish Crochet collar and cuffs set (Needlecraft, November 1914). Via Anti-Craft
Posted by cat at 01:34 PM
It's not journalists versus bloggers
I was going to write some thoughts about Columbia J-School dean Nicholas Lemann's New Yorker hatchet job on citizens media, but Jeff Jarvis has done such an excellent job that I'll simply point to him. MUST read stuff.
Originally from unmediated, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 2, 2006 at 01:01 PM
How to Become Invisible
mdm42 writes "Looks like a theoretical physicist at St. Andrews University in Scotland believes that invisibility may be possible. And its not going to be a potion or a cloak, but will come in the form of a device. " Let's just hope that when the invisible woman arrives, she's played more convincingly then Jessica Alba.Originally posted by CmdrTaco from Slashdot, ReBlogged by cat on Aug 2, 2006 at 12:59 PM