Football had been major part of life in the fishing village of Koh Panyee—but only on television. That all changed in 1986 when a group of children, undeterred by the town’s lack of dry land, built a floating pitch from scrap wood and old fishing rafts. This film, part of [...]
From the Makery is a weekly roundup of inspiring stories of making collected from around the web. Follow our Facebook page or our Twitter feed for daily updates. The World’s Oldest DJ Setup Party like it’s 1910 with the Gaumont Chronophone System, the world’s oldest mixer and crossfader. These Parisians [...]
From the Makery is a weekly roundup of inspiring stories of making collected from around the web. Follow our Facebook page or our Twitter feed for daily updates. Short Circuit Short Circuit is a range of kitchen appliances focusing on reusing the electronic components of products that would not normally [...]
Makeshift contributors What Took You So Long followed Mobius Motors on their quest to take on Mobility, Africa-style. The idea behind Mobius is simple: design a vehicle for and by Kenyans. But the implementation is far more complex. Watch Mobius’s founder and mechanics discuss their grand design challenge: devising a [...]
No signs marked the entrance to the Mad Max weapons factory on the outskirts of Misrata; it was just an old garage with bare concrete walls. A bookshelf full of manuals for farm equipment stood near the door of the cavernous hall, serving as dusty reminders of better days, when mechanics focused their energies on maintaining a well oiled agricultural [...]
Four years ago, Tom Cruise’s prominent role in the Church of Scientology brought the wrath of the hacking collective Anonymous squarely upon him. An in-house Scientology video—in which Cruise cackled and claimed superhuman powers in times of crisis—suddenly flooded YouTube, then quickly disappeared after a copyright violation claim from the Church of Scientology. Anonymous responded with the launch of Operation Chanology, its [...]
“Worker, build your machine!” So Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s proclaimed to Cuba’s industrial sector, shortly after the triumph of the evolutionary movement he helped lead. The year was 1961, and Cuba, increasingly isolated, was experiencing an exodus of foreign companies and investment due to the unfriendly market policies of Fidel Castro’s nascent government. The start [...]
Last year, mass demonstrations erupted throughout every inhabited continent. Each resisted a different power—corrupt governments, unethical corporations, or wealthy citizens. But they all represented a new kind of resistance that leveraged global networks and novel tools. At times, the protests seemed so connected that they were inseparable. Occupy organizers cited the Arab Spring as an inspiration, and on October 15, [...]
In back alleys, street markets, and hidden workshops around the world, micro-entrepreneurs churn out new ideas and products to help them get by or improve the world around them. We could philosophize on this all day. But here in Observed we ask our correspondents to say nothing. We invite you to take a long glimpse through the lenses of [...]
From the Makery is a weekly roundup of inspiring stories of making collected from around the web. Follow our Facebook page or our Twitter feed for daily updates. Robot Restaurant No gratuity necessary at this restaurant in China – all of the staff are robots! Bangkok’s Body Collectors A photo [...]