The tale of SeymourPowell’s Hydrogen Airship.

As I sit listening to the Biography Channels piece on H.G. Wells I came upon a fun article about the rebirth of hydrogen powered airships.  Samsung Corporation and London architectural design firm SeymourPowell created a video to share the vision of a floating hotel concept.

To Dare

This was picked up by many including CNN.  What is sad about the whole story is how many are concerned with the reality of the concept video or if CNN didn’t do their homework.  CNN is clear that the video is a concept proposal not an actual project.

While the Aircruise is only a conceptual proposal, designers have developed a detailed and achievable technical plan for the craft that could allow it to be built in the future. (via CNN )

That misses the point of the whole exercise which is to dream.

To Dream

I’m overjoyed that so many would allow themselves to share in the dream.  To consider what life would be like if we could have floating structures in the sky.  “Castles in the sky may soon be real” is a great article playing in the possibilities and implications.

It is also important to be aware of the concerns in dreaming to help guard from harm.  Asking constructive questions are important.  Like exploring the FAA restrictions on using Hydrogen as a lifting gas in air travel and the obvious aerodynamic complications in the design plus the docking difficulties.  These things are mere points for discussion to possibly come up with a better design.

Being contrary to the tech or position is fine.  To attack or dismiss the conversation is not.  The most important thing is the dream and the conversation about the dream.  That is how we evolve and move forward.

Like H.G. Wells we need to dare to dream to challenge our current existence and to dream of a better future.

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For awhile now, Second Life has amazed me with its very realistic settings and endless options. There are writers, poets, artists, and voice actors there that astonish me with their level of talent. Recently, my friend Dream teleported me to a place I thought could never be recreated. The Magic of Oz SIM is a themed build based on the books and movie “The Wizard of Oz”. I was fortunate enough to be able to chat with one of the creators Candy Cerveau.

Emz: Candy, thank you for taking time out of your busy launch weekend to speak with me. This place is awesome. How many people did it take to build this place?

Candy: A great deal of the SIM’s incredible look is due to the builder, Jenne Dibou. She took our ideas and thoughts and turned them into something more magical than we ever dreamed possible. Yet she never sacrificed utility for beauty or performance for flash. The buildings are all fantastical, but they are not mere decoration. Each area was carefully planned to be a useful space. She is really incredibly talented.

Emz: Very talented indeed. What inspired you to build this SIM?

Candy: Malkavyn Eldritch and I were looking to create a SIM for our main store locations and we wanted a theme build. I have always loved the Oz books and the movie as well, so it seemed a perfect match. We found Jenne and we worked with her to get the concept of what we wanted. Our goal with the SIM was to interpret the world of Oz differently than had been done before, while still keeping to the spirit of the books. We also wanted to put our own unique spin on the parts of the build that would be the main stores for the two of us. The Witch’s Castle was given a Steampunk/Tim Burtonesque feel, while the Emerald City drew more upon natural and elven themes. Our overriding dream for Magic of Oz was to create a place where people could go and be taken out of the realm of the ordinary in Second Life. A place to explore and to experience, to shop and to relax, to dream and to love. A place that is magic. We think we achieved that and hope visitors think so as well.

Emz: Well I for one, definitely admire your vision. For those who don’t know what your Second Life stores are about, can you tell me the name and what you specialize in?

Candy: Eye Candy and Treasured Visions. Malkavyn does hand drawn eyes and textures. He is graphic artist, so he works only from scratch. No photosourcing. I make jewelry and accessories. I tend to specialize more in the “elegantly casual” style of jewelry, but I do have some more whimsical type of work as well.

Emz: Your stuff is really crafted well. I just found a free box with “Halloween Eyes” that I can’t wait to try on. Magic Of Oz is amazing. How long did it take you guys from concept to finish date to do this?

Candy: Jenne is a super fast builder and we did it in 3 phases. Basically we got the SIM the first of August 2008 and began plans. So the entire thing only took two months start to finish.

Emz: That is fast for a build of this magnitude.

Candy: Yes indeed. Jenne is in Europe and so each morning we would wake up and a huge portion would magically appear!

Emz: Sounds very exciting.

Candy: It really was so much fun. The story of Oz is such a rich one and there are so many wonderful parts to it that it was hard to choose what to feature.

Emz: I like all the dark features you have here with the flying monkeys and the large skull on the hill. Is there any little secret or feature that you find particularly interesting?

Candy: The secret lab in the Witch’s Castle is fantastic! Very “mad scientist”. It’s hidden in the right side of the Witch’s Castle

Emz: Congratulations on completing this. It’s really awesome. Thank you so much for your time.

Candy: My pleasure, Emz. Thank you.

I was able to explore the area for some time and found many hidden gems here. If the pictures don’t amaze you, the features will. Right now there are tons of little shoes around the SIM that when clicked, give you free things. There are also a number of boxes, pumpkins etc… Keep an eye open and click things.

The Witch’s Castle Features: Steampunk architecture, hammock to lie in, perches to see the whole valley, skeleton fountain, elevator, flying monkeys ride.

Scary Tree / Graveyard Features: laying dead pose and sinking in lava pose.

Munchkin Land Features: Shops, park benches, a nice promenade.

Emerald City Features: Emerald throne, many little meeting or discussion areas, Oz’s curtain, 3 levels of fun activity, beautiful emerald gems.

Center of town Features: Watch The Wizard Of Oz by clicking the sign on the giant tree, follow the yellow brick road to Munchkin land, tree attack, stairs to Witches Castle.

Cool things to buy:  Jewelry, specialty eyes, clothes, bodies, hair, and these gear tattoos inspired by the designs of Da Vinci.

These are the various ways I risked my life to bring you these pictures:
I was trapped under a house Wicked Witch Of The East style.
I was attacked by trees.

I got to be Oz for a little bit.

And, I was attacked by monkeys.  I am really scared of monkeys people!

Magic of Oz launched on October 3rd, 2008.  If you would like to visit Magic Of Oz, click here:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Magic%20of%20Oz/130/152/0

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I can not believe what I found the other day in my big beautiful city! I’ve walked by this alley a ba-zillion times and never noticed it. Proves that you can live in SF and never know everything about it! These keys are so cool.

If you want to see them in person, they are on Stevenston Street (more like an alley) see map above.

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Tuesday, July 8th we went down to Harpers Ferry, WV.  It was not our first trip down there and I won’t be our last.

As Brian and his parents walked throughout the city, I split myself off from the group to go down to the tip where the Shenandoah and the Potomac meet.

While I am scared to be out on the water, I am drawn to watching rivers bubble and curve over the rocks and ruins where such the valiant John Brown led his noble raid on the armory.

I met so many wonderful people from all over the country.  Those conversations were priceless.  To see young children so fired up about the legacy of a great Abolitionist.

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After am interesting cook out at Brian’s parent’s house on Sunday July 6th, we when down to the National Cathedral on Monday.  Every year I make the trek down to the Cathedral which is my absolute favorite place on earth.

The architecture, history and spirit of the Cathedral is uplifting.  Every year I see something I have never seen before.  Just this year, Brian found the Martin Luther King Jr statue within the Cathedral.

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Brian’s mother sent me pictures from Columcille a couple years ago, and I knew I had to go.

When we left on the trip to Maryland, we made Columcille our first stop on the trip.

We had spent the 4th of July in a car on a 15 hour drive from Missouri to Maryland, so I wasn’t really looking forward to the long drive up to the Bangor, PA.  Honestly, I slept most of the way up there and my knees were killing me from the confinement in the car.

My sister and her family met us for lunch at one of the slowest restaurants that I have ever been to.  The food was good, but I always believe everything happens for a reason.  While we were waiting for the check, a thunderstorm hit.  It rained fiercely until after we finally paid the bill.

With the sun out, we headed out to the most wander around the magical stones for hours.  I forgot all of my aches and pains and roamed through the paths exploring every nook and cranny.  I counted the stones and the arrangements falling deeper and deeper into the geometry and beauty of the place.

Around every corner, we found something new.  The place has a presence and power that is hard to explain.  It was more than just a recreation of the megalith of Europe.  The love and care put into each stone and placement.

The drive back was filled with meditation and reflection about the renewed connection to nature that I found growing within me.  If you are ever in the area, you have to visit.

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This is not a concept design for an upcoming SF picture, it is the mockup for a new building to be constructed in Moscow.

The $4 billion “city in a building” will cover a whopping 2.5 million square meters of floor space… There’ll be hotels, apartments, museums, cinemas, and more, with enough space to house 30,000 residents. In fact, it’ll have 3000 hotel rooms, 900 serviced apartments, offices and shops, and an international school for 500 pupils (DVICE).

While the design is gorgeous, the upkeep on the facility will dictate whether or not Crystal Island becomes a tourist attraction. With this many windows, I cannot imagine how many people it will take to keep it clean. I would also love to see it illuminated by night as the lights alternate through the spectrum. This could be really beautiful.

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