Bamboo on the Internet for January 2014 – my picks

Cult of Mac reviews the bamboo AirDesk – A laptop tray/portable laptop desk with a mouse pad, and slot for your iPhone or iPad mini.  Why only Macs?

The AirDesk would match the very stylish Chisel iPhone dock. Reviewed by Into Mobile and available for iPhone 4 and 5. Sigh (why only Macs?).

No such thing as organic bamboo fabric? This reminds me to further investigate bamboo textiles.

Did you like the Gucci bags with bamboo handles featured in the September version of this post? Now you can get bamboo heels to match. At A$650 a pair, much less expensive than the bag. Fashion Foie Gras described them as ” rather conservative and definitely have a party going on there from the back.”

The ever-increasing demand for PVC plastic kites is sounding a death knell for the craft of handmade kites in Hyderabad, India, according to the The Hindu.

2,500 bamboo strips dating from 305 BC, unearthed from an illegal tomb excavation in China, were donated to, and restored by, the Tsinghua University in Beijing. 21 of the strips are an elaborate multiplication matrix.

More innovative architecture from Designboom: bamboo sleeping units for an orphanage near the Thai-Burmese border. For more images and details, click on the image.

Still more from Designboom: Tranquillity in the heart of a metropolis. No, it’s not made of bamboo, rather, bamboo provides shade and shadow-play in an otherwise linear building.

More tranquillity (secular). (And more Designboom) What particular architectural elements achieve serenity for this cafe in Vietnam? Water? Bamboo? The curves? 

Bamboo on the Internet for October – my picks

Art

Photo credit: WoodTV.com

This stunning sculpture kicks off the October bamboo on the Internet list. It’s made from bamboo and string. More photos at the artists Facebook page.

Personal

Bamboo gets very personal with these products:

• Washable handmade bamboo tampons on Etsy
  
• Underwear for space
• Bamboo toilet paper – same price as the regular stuff, and softer

Furniture (or art?)

Photo credit: http://www.designboom.com

This beautiful bamboo chair is named flow. It was created at Scope design studio in Taiwan. I’m glad I don’t have to clean it though. Follow the link to see the more practical set of nesting stools, (not made from bamboo) and more.

Mac accessories

Photo credit: Grovemade.com

I’m almost tempted to ditch Android for Mac just to make use of the range of bamboo accessories available. Two came to my attention this month: a roll-top iPad cover and a wonderfully minimalist docking station for an iPhone. These would go well with Bamboola’s bamboo iPhone cover.

Art installation

Wang Wen-Chih’s “The Light of Shodoshima”

If you’re lucky enough to get to the Woodford Folk Festival this year, you’ll be able to enter the amphitheatre through a 300 metre woven bamboo tunnel. The tunnel is this years special project. In collaboration with Cave Urban, it will be created by Taiwanese sculptor Wang Wen–Chih and team of volunteers. See more of Wang Wen-Chih’s work here. His installation, The Light of Shodoshima, pictured, is one of the many outdoor installations for this years Setouchi Triennale.

Sustainable outdoor cooking fuel

Bamboo charcoal for your barbecue? A start-up in the US is nearly ready to tap into the more than 80 percent of US households that own a barbecue grill. Hot Bambu is one of many Kickstarter projects. Have a look at the table below to see why you should be using bamboo charcoal.

COMPARE THE COALS

	HOT Bambú Lump Charcoal		Wood Lump Charcoal		Briquette Charcoal
	∞ Contains 100% natural bamboo charcoal ∞ Sustainable grilling from a rapidly renewable resource ∞ Does not contribute to deforestation ∞ Processed in a respectful and environmentally friendly way ∞ Burns clean with little smoke		• Contains trees cut from primary forest, plywood, pine (soft wood), and treated flooring scraps • Contributes to illegal logging and green house gas emissions • Creates mass soil erosion and devastation of natural habitat		x Contains ignite coal and sulfur, sodium nitrate (gun powder), limestone, starch, borax (fertilizer), charred sawdust, and toxic solvents that are confirmed to cause kidney and brain damage x Gives food the taste of fossil fuel

Bamboo on the Internet for October 2017 – my picks

Photo credit: WoodTV.com

This stunning sculpture kicks off the October bamboo on the Internet list. It’s made from bamboo and string. More photos at the artists Facebook page.

Personal

Bamboo gets very personal with these products:

• Washable handmade bamboo tampons on Etsy
  
• Underwear for space
• Bamboo toilet paper – same price as the regular stuff, and softer

Furniture (or art?)

Photo credit: http://www.designboom.com

This beautiful bamboo chair is named flow. It was created at Scope design studio in Taiwan. I’m glad I don’t have to clean it though. Follow the link to see the more practical set of nesting stools, (not made from bamboo) and more.

Mac accessories

Photo credit: Grovemade.com

I’m almost tempted to ditch Android for Mac just to make use of the range of bamboo accessories available. Two came to my attention this month: a roll-top iPad cover and a wonderfully minimalist docking station for an iPhone. These would go well with Bamboola’s bamboo iPhone cover (or any bamboo iPhone cover).

Art installation

Wang Wen-Chih’s “The Light of Shodoshima”

If you’re lucky enough to get to the Woodford Folk Festival this year, you’ll be able to enter the amphitheatre through a 300 metre woven bamboo tunnel. The tunnel is this years special project. In collaboration with Cave Urban, it will be created by Taiwanese sculptor Wang Wen–Chih and team of volunteers. See more of Wang Wen-Chih’s work here. His installation, The Light of Shodoshima, pictured, is one of the many outdoor installations for this years Setouchi Triennale.

Sustainable outdoor cooking fuel

Bamboo charcoal for your barbecue? A start-up in the US is nearly ready to tap into the more than 80 percent of US households that own a barbecue grill. Hot Bambu is one of many Kickstarter projects. Have a look at the table below to see why you should be using bamboo charcoal.

COMPARE THE COALS

	HOT Bambú Lump Charcoal		Wood Lump Charcoal		Briquette Charcoal
	∞ Contains 100% natural bamboo charcoal ∞ Sustainable grilling from a rapidly renewable resource ∞ Does not contribute to deforestation ∞ Processed in a respectful and environmentally friendly way ∞ Burns clean with little smoke		• Contains trees cut from primary forest, plywood, pine (soft wood), and treated flooring scraps • Contributes to illegal logging and green house gas emissions • Creates mass soil erosion and devastation of natural habitat		x Contains ignite coal and sulfur, sodium nitrate (gun powder), limestone, starch, borax (fertilizer), charred sawdust, and toxic solvents that are confirmed to cause kidney and brain damage x Gives food the taste of fossil fuel