[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

Dispose of your empty plastic bottle in this little sidewalk kiosk, and it’ll dispense enough food to feed a stray cat or dog. Aiming to help both the environment and homeless animals, the vending machine by Turkish company Pugedon operates at no cost to the city since the value of the plastic pays for the food.

Referred to by the company as ‘ecological life support,’ the vending machine is an answer to a pressing problem in Istanbul: around 150,000 stray cats and dogs. Anyone passing by with a little bottled water can also choose to empty the rest of their water into the machine for the animals.

These animals generally rely on the kindness of local residents to survive, and while some love having them around, others believe they’re dangerous and a source of disease. The locals who host Facebook campaigns to gather supplies to care for the animals are countered by attempts to poison them.

While this vending machine isn’t an answer to the problem of homeless animals, it does offer an interesting compromise to care for them without putting a burden on Istanbul residents or the city.

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To commemorate Britain’s involvement in World War I, artist Paul Cummins has created “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,” a visually striking outdoor installation of 888,246 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London. The red poppies each represent a British or British Colonial military fatality from the war — over the course of the installation, the poppies will be gradually added until the final day, when the last poppy will be ceremonially placed. The installation opens on August 5, 2014, the 100 year anniversary of Britain’s first full day of involvement in World War I. It ends on November 11, the day that the Armistice was signed in 1918, marking the end of the war. The poppies will be available for purchase after the exhibition, with proceeds to benefit six UK charities.

photos via Historic Royal Palaces

via Colossal

It’s been a long week, but the closer we get to the weekend, the slower the workday goes! Why is that? Well, this might be true for some office folks, but those who can check in on Neatorama find the time goes pretty quickly when you’ve got the best of the internet to explore. This bit of commiseration is brought to you by Tom Fonder at Happy Jar.

Radio Shack is on its deathbed: $62 million in cash left which apparently isn't even enough to close the 1,100 stores it needs to shut down to stay on life support.

In an effort to make a memorable business card, New Zealand-based designer Anthony Cole created the Business Knife, a very clever folding business card that takes the form of a Swiss Army knife. The cardboard card folds open to reveal Cole’s qualifications and contact details on the various faux tools and blades.

photos via Anthony Cole

via DesignTAXI

Photo: Toni Ahvenainen

Boing Boing reader Toni Ahvenainen shared this wonderful photo in our Flickr Pool, "In the sun: Season of Summer Light, Week 31, Saturday." Read the rest

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

We see conceptual modular designs of this kind all of the time, but rarely such exquisite real-world proof of how fast construction can be in the age of prefabrication.

The recently-completed One9 building in Melbourne, Australia, using the Hickory Group’s Unitized Building system to install 34 units in less than 1 week around a prefab-paneled concrete core.

Created by architect Nonda Katsalidis, this approach allows each one-or-two-bedroom dwelling to be built almost entirely offsite then stacked like a puzzle piece onto the site, completed with decks and fenestration in place.

Utility connections are also built in, making it easy to hook up electrical and plumbing systems. In theory, the process can be used to build up to 70-story structures.

The building boasts a number of sustainable materials and strategies, making its speed of construction all the more impressive. Per JetsonGreen, “The units in the building are all fitted with double glazed windows that offer superior thermal protection and acoustic performance. The building is also equipped with a grey water recycling system. There is also a rainwater harvesting system in place.

As for green energy, “Rooftop mounted solar panels provide enough energy to heat the water used up by the residents, while the building is also equipped with a H.W.S system that provides highly efficient water circulation. Energy efficient lighting is installed throughout the building, to conserve energy expenditure. The One9 building also has a 6 Star energy rating.”

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Behind every good beard is a great woman.

At least if the beard belongs to Isaiah Webb, a San Francisco-based employee of Sony, who has earned a bit of Internet fame as "Incredibeard."

Every Monday via various social media channels, Webb posts a picture of himself with his beard in some bizarre shape or pattern.

His most famous photo shows him turning his beard into a ramen bowl.



He credits his wife, Angela, with turning him into a tonsorial superstar.

"My wife's into fashion and she likes beards," he told The Huffington Post.

Webb's wife's fashion sense is paying off for Webb in new ways. He's one of the characters featured in the newest Ripley's Believe It Or Not! book, "Reality Shock!" debuting Sept. 9.

Webb's had facial hair since he was 11. About four years ago, his beard was enough to "play with" so he and his wife started shaping it into fun shapes.

"We never knew we'd get the attention," he said. "It was just fun and we thought, 'Let's do this as often as we can.'"

Eventually they ran out of ideas of what to do with his beard, so they solicited suggestions from fans.



Webb is branching into the business of hair care. In August, he is coming out with a special comb he's invented for long beards.

"It has a special brush that untangles hair," he said. "You can brush your beard when it's wet."

That's not his only dream.

"I really want to bring more exposure to beard competitions in the U.S.," Webb said. "It's one thing to grow a long beard, but if you connect with like-minded individuals, it helps sustain your interest in the beard."