I just stumbled upon this project (thanks to my dear friend Sean Woolsey). The Plastiki is a project that was started in 2006 by David De Rothschild in response to a UN report of the ’8th Continent’ which exists as a floating pile of human waste that is the size of Texas. The project has been almost four years in the making, but David and his crew have built a catamaran completely out of plastic bottles to sail to this land of waste, and then onto Sydney to raise awareness and showcase how we can think differently about turning waste into resources. Check out their website: ThePlastiki.com and track them as they leave for Sydney in the next few days.

“We hopefully will highlight the fact that maybe plastic isn’t to blame; but really, it is our inability to understand the material, how we use it, what we are using it for and more importantly, how we dispose of it, so that it doesn’t end up in our oceans. As a species, we are totally dependent on the vitality of our natural environment and without that, we cannot live on this planet.”

I’m hugely inspired… best of luck Plastiki!

What is the Plastiki? is a post from: Olin A. Patterson

My beloved sister Molli Patterson shared this on her facebook wall the other day, and I felt compelled to share. I love this and think it is so important (especially in our current economic times) to remember how important our teachers are to us. Recently I was fired from a job (will not state any names here but no shock value intended… it has happened quite a number of times…) for a dispute with a client of the company I was working for… Her “teacher” remarks were very similar to the mocking references in this video, my rebuttal was similar to Taylor’s, and my conviction was a bit much for the company… oh well, the big bad client got what they deserved, the company lost a great employee. Thank you teachers and thank you Molli for sharing this.

Thanks for the inspiring work: Taylor Mali.

What Teacher’s Make is a post from: Olin A. Patterson

Rob Bryanton’s popular animation about “a new way of thinking about time and space.” If you have not seen this, prepare to have your brain explode by about 6:48. Bryanton shows off a very thought provoking argument about string theory. I had this one for a couple years now, but felt I had to share. Do learn more at tenthdimension.com. Buy the book and let me know your thoughts (then I recommend going and buying “Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness ” by Itzhak Bentov) ..DISCLAIMER, your brain may enter into content overload and implode on itself… I’m still recovering.

(and thank you to Mr. Bryanton and the late Mr. Bentov for being amazingly inquisitive into understanding our brilliant universe.)

The Tenth Dimension is a post from: Olin A. Patterson

This video has been out a couple years but I had to throw it up here. I know it is a little long, but I assure you Annie Leonard does an amazing job getting an incredibly important point across. Check out the website StoryofStuff.com to learn more information. There is quite a heated debated about this topic, so I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by…

The Story of Stuff is a post from: Olin A. Patterson

‘Where the Hell is Matt?’ has become quite world famous by now, but I had to get it up here. Every time I watch this I still get super excited. Please watch it for yourself; and if you have seen it 546 times like I have, then watch it again. You know the feeling. Check out his site for more videos and information.

Where the Hell is Matt? is a post from: Olin A. Patterson

I think often about mirrors… Everything we do is a mirror image or act of something that makes up our environment. We go to work, hang out with friends, go to school; and when we come home we give a mirrored reflection to someone of the details of our day. We hang out with a certain crowd and we begin to dress and talk like them unknowingly. Studies show from our weight, our attitudes, to our ideologies; we become what we are surrounded by. I awoke this morning in need of a fresh perspective- half asleep I flipped open the newest National Geographic and a quote jumped out at me: ‘We Humans Are the Sum of Our Encounters With Others.’ It was exactly what I needed to hear. Our lives are the perfect sum (or perfect mirror) of all the fragments of everyone we have ever met, whether their presence had great affect or small. It even transcends to every environment and every experience we have ever had. Everything is a mirror: The planets that spin around the Sun do so in the same mathematical (mass to distance to velocity) ratios as electrons around a nucleus. The Earth (made of 72% water) gives your body (made of 72% water) life. You are the perfect Sum (mirrored reflection) of everything you have ever seen or done, and every day- every new experience makes you more powerful and more great. Sometimes we may think we are weak, but really we’re just failing to see how powerful we really are… I don’t know, it helped me get through my day…

The earth expanding right hand and left hand,

The picture alive, every part in its best light. -whitman

The Sum of All Encounters. is a post from: Olin A. Patterson

My elder sister of superior intellect has joined forces with a group of distinguished and outstanding members of the community to form friendsforwestgrove.org. This organization is dedicated to assisting the locals school in the area. Do support her! …and a very special thank you to Realtor Kathy Ladd for her generous donation of $1000 this afternoon! Do support her! …Not to get all cheesy and such but “Success is achieved when everyone participates!” -or something like that. xxop

Please Welcome Friends For West Grove is a post from: Olin A. Patterson