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  • 4 months later...

ArtPrize featured in a New Urbanist publication as a model for how arts can help create a sense of place and spur economic development. Unfortunately, the whole article does not appear to be available for free.

http://bettercities.net/article/artists-energize-places-how-and-how-long-18834

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  • 6 months later...

On an urban planning forum (Cyburbia) I facetiously suggested us hosting the natl assn conference. (Usually it's in places like San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, DC, New Orleans.)

 

Another planner nibbled, and he uncovered this great resource: Experience GR meeting planning tool

 

This gave me the opportunity to brag about upcoming developments. Wonder where the 21,000 quilters stayed?

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. . . This gave me the opportunity to brag about upcoming developments. Wonder where the 21,000 quilters stayed?

 

Well if they brought their quilts with them, they could just camp out.  I think I saw some of them under the S curve last time.  (Before tearing down the S curve, think how it might affect the convention business.) 

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Well if they brought their quilts with them, they could just camp out.  I think I saw some of them under the S curve last time.  (Before tearing down the S curve, think how it might affect the convention business.) 

??? Presumably someone motoring here could still locate DT.

It's a royal pain to get to the Rosemont expo hall in Chicago-land, in part due to the dearth of non-private car access.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Nice quick article on Cranbrook's exhibit of Michigan's contribution to modern design. The best part may be that it talks about the state as a whole rather than East v. West (auto v. furniture) rivalries. And a nice pic of the Calder and City Hall to lead off (CH looks a little nicer from the weird angle they took - minus the boarded up window . . . )

 

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2013/05/visual-history-michigans-outsize-influence-american-modernism/5632/

 

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Well this is pretty minor and maybe even pathetic and I wasn't going to mention it and it is not in the same league as mhelm’s fine post today but mhelm’s post sort of primed the pump for me.  It is pretty rare to see a reference to Grand Rapids in the New Yorker magazine ever but yesterday I was reading the May 20th issue and two consecutive stories mentioned Steelcase of Grand Rapids.  Sorry, only subscribers can see the stories on-line so I can’t post links.

 

The first was a somewhat silly article by Susan Orlean about treadmill work stations (so you can exercise and work at the same time.)  Apparently Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic partnered with Steelcase to come up with the first official treadmill desk.  Levine was interested in getting the Steelcase imprimatur so as to make the whole idea seem professional.  Susan Orlean in passing also mentions her Herman Miller Aeron chair.

 

The second story sounds silly but wasn't.  It was by Ian Frazier about a company that is manufacturing an all natural substitute for plastic that is grown from the tissue of mushrooms.  Their most successful product to date is packaging material that replaces mycelinm based (foam) packaging materials.  Steelcase was their first customer and came to them to have them produce V-shaped blocks to protect table corners in shipping.

 

I told you this wasn't so great.  Somewhere in some obscure parallel universe, someone in New York gets excited when Grand Rapids magazine mentions New York twice in the same issue.        

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I watched the Red Wings vs Black hawks playoff game last night on NBC Sports.  The announcers mentioned Grand Rapids so much you could turn it into a drinking game.  :alc:  

 

Of course they were referring to the Griffins.

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The first was a somewhat silly article by Susan Orlean about treadmill work stations (so you can exercise and work at the same time.)  Apparently Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic partnered with Steelcase to come up with the first official treadmill desk.  Levine was interested in getting the Steelcase imprimatur so as to make the whole idea seem professional.  Susan Orlean in passing also mentions her Herman Miller Aeron chair.

 

The second story sounds silly but wasn't.  It was by Ian Frazier about a company that is manufacturing an all natural substitute for plastic that is grown from the tissue of mushrooms.  Their most successful product to date is packaging material that replaces mycelinm based (foam) packaging materials.  Steelcase was their first customer and came to them to have them produce V-shaped blocks to protect table corners in shipping.

 

Just in case anyone else is as curious as I was, here is a Steelcase Walkstation.  And it's under $4000.00!

 

Evocative Design's website is here.  And here's a TED talk on Mushroom Packaging by one of its founders.  Interesting stuff.

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Just in case anyone else is as curious as I was, here is a Steelcase Walkstation.  And it's under $4000.00!

 

Evocative Design's website is here.  And here's a TED talk on Mushroom Packaging by one of its founders.  Interesting stuff.

 

Those walkstations are pretty cool actually. They had a contest a couple of years ago where you could create a video of why your workplace should get one, and then they chose the winning company who got a free one.

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Personally I'd fear the walking would distract me some from what I should be focusing on or decrease my productivity slightly, but I can only guess as I haven't actually used one.

 

It's probably the opposite, that it's hard to get any kind of workout when you're working on something on your laptop. But I guess some movement is better than being sedentary.

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The maximum speed is 2.0 mph, which is about half of a healthy adult's normal pace.  The intent is that you go as slow a pace as you need to, not get a workout.  All that matters is that you're not sitting.

 

Regardless, I'm sure working with it takes getting used to.

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  • 6 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Why would assume they are correct? Have you ever heard of them?

 

Why yes, yes I have heard of them.  I assume they're in the ballpark based on their disclosed methodology.  Why would you assume they aren't correct and conclude that since you haven't heard of them they must be wrong?

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It would make sense. MI has no-fault which makes it automatically higher, factor in possibly higher winter related accidents and look at the other cities, all large and know for car thefts and brake-ins. Although I would think this hardly has people talking about Grand Rapids, its along the same lines as cities with the most snowfall, cloudiest, most car-deer accidents, ect. 

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