onedegreecloser

“Opportunity is missed by many people because it is dressed in
overalls and looks like work.”
-Thomas Edison

LIFE

Public Kitchen Workshop Cooks & Builds Furniture with Donations, Recycled Materials

The convergence of growing crises in community, environment, technology and economy is laying the groundwork for practices such as car sharing, tool libraries and skill swaps. Echoing this encouraging move towards collaborative consumption (or sharing, for simplicity’s sake), designers Johanna Dehio & Dominik Hehl put together Construsine, a public kitchen workshop that allows participants to cook and build collaboratively using entirely donated and recycled materials.
Read more here.

HEALTH

The Physiological Consequences of Being Hyperconnected

When most people, myself included, discuss the negative effects of staying glued to our smartphones, computers, tablets, and social networking sites at all times, they often focus on everything we miss out on: meaningful interpersonal interactions, quality time spent with our significant others, a beautiful sunset/rise, good books, quality sleep, a great hike, the felt presence of immediate experience, that car barreling down the street toward us as we head into the crosswalk focused on who liked our Facebook post. And those are all important reasons to limit your screen time, but recent research is revealing a series of physiological, physical, and psychological ramifications to being hyperconnected all the time
Read more here.

TECHNOLOGY

BitLock: Next Generation Bike Lock Uses Your Smartphone as the Key

Instead of having to keep track of the key to your bike lock, and pass it to your friend in order to loan the bike out, a new kind of locking device for bicycles uses proximity sensing and shared access to make bike security much simpler.

Bitlock is billed as the “world’s first keyless bike lock”, and the system uses a Bluetooth connection with your smartphone to sense when you’re within three feet of it, which will then enable you to unlock it with a push of a button on the lock itself.
Read more here.

LIFE

10 Startups Making Travel More Affordable

Ask any seasoned traveler about the merits of globetrotting and you’re likely to hear a litany of enthusiastic responses: personal growth, cultural exploration, catharsis.

Ask about the obstacles, however, and one resounding theme emerges: Jetsetting can cost a pretty penny. If your bank account is holding you back from your dream vacation, or if you’re planning a trip and trying to adhere to a budget, these 10 startups can help turn your travel dreams into realities.Read more here.

TECHNOLOGY

Merry-Go-Round Turns Play Into Clean Power for Students in Ghana

A non-profit called Empower Playgrounds has developed a way to harness the energy of kids playing in order to provide electricity to poor rural villages in Africa. The organization is making merry-go-rounds that have a clean tech twist — onboard kinetic energy harvesters that store that energy in batteries for later use.

This idea is similar to the Soccket soccer ball by Uncharted Play that creates and stores electricity from being kicked around and played with. The stored electricity can then be used later for lighting, etc.Read more here.

ENVIRONMENT

Walmart Sells New Line of LED Light Bulbs

Things change slowly, until they change quickly.

A few years ago, LED bulbs were hard to find and many cost around $100 per bulb. Their light quality wasn’t always great either (though some were very good from the start). Fast-forward to the present and we’re seeing price cuts after price cuts, improvements in efficiency and color quality, one after the other until soon there won’t be any reason to not use LED lightbulbs except for more specialized uses (and even most of these can be converted to LEDs over time).
On the price front, the 800 lbs gorilla of the industry has just decided to throw its hat into the ring and start selling its own brand (‘Great Value’) of LED bulbs for under $10.
Read more here.

HEALTH

Chilled Double Chocolate Torte with Pecan Crust [Vegan, Raw]

Thick, smooth, and with a bit of crunch from the nutty crust, this double chocolate torte is something to swoon over. The raw, vegan dessert is filled with the most decadent, rich chocolate flavor — it features an avocado-chocolate mousse, and a pecan-chocolate crust. As if the amazing flavor and texture weren’t enough, you can make it in just a few minutes!
Read more here.