Brain: "City bad, nature good"

A nifty article in the Boston Globe called "How the city hurts your brain" says:

"'The mind is a limited machine,' says Marc Berman, a psychologist at the University of Michigan and lead author of a new study that measured the cognitive deficits caused by a short urban walk. 'And we're beginning to understand the different ways that a city can exceed those limitations.'

One of the main forces at work is a stark lack of nature, which is surprisingly beneficial for the brain. Studies have demonstrated, for instance, that hospital patients recover more quickly when they can see trees from their windows, and that women living in public housing are better able to focus when their apartment overlooks a grassy courtyard. Even these fleeting glimpses of nature improve brain performance, it seems, because they provide a mental break from the urban roil.'...

"This research is also leading some scientists to dabble in urban design, as they look for ways to make the metropolis less damaging to the brain. The good news is that even slight alterations, such as planting more trees in greater variety of plants, can significantly reduce the negative side effects of city life. The mind needs nature, and even a little bit can be a big help."



I'm a city girl and I can attest that hustle and bustle, and expanses of concrete can be tiring. Maybe that's why moving to a city pumped up my love of green growing things.

Article found on Neatorama Pictures found in the Austin Street Art Pool on Flickr

Ping Mag link heaven

NNoooooooo! I just found out that Ping Mag my favorite Japanese culture resource is on hiatus. This is horrible news. They'll still be online and their articles will be accessible but no more articles will be published. Here are a few links to my favorites.

Guerrilla gardening in Tokyo. If plants were put out in public spaces here they would disappear due to sticky fingers/overzealous landscaping. Or they would die, because it never rains. Damn you Texas weather!



Japanese Packaging design#6: Imitating nature. Incredibly cool packaging both the real thing and artificial. The only things packaged in natural materials here in the US are tamales in corn husks, and even then they're usually wrapped in plastic.







Funny Vegetables, shapes and characters.








Super cool recycled and reused art work.







And lots of art that has plants and plants that are art.








And then there is all the cool architecture features, many about sustainable living and natural influences. The archives go back a few years and the browsing is fun. Check it out.

Green Man

I was doing a Google image search for an art project and I needed some pictures of the Green Man to tap my creative juices.

I found some great images. According to Wikipedia: "the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages."

It's a pre-Christian symbol that is used in many ancient cathedrals and churches in Europe. In Britain many pubs are called "The Green Man" or some variation. Way to hang in there pagan culture! If you do a Google image search of "Carved Green Man" you'll get some pictures of some beautiful carvings in stone and all kinds of cool materials.

Just some neato cultural inspiration for those interested in green and growing things.

coolest paper shredder ever

I found this on Cute Overload--my new addiction. I need a shredder, now I have an excuse to get a hamster too. This is part of Tom Ballhatchet's art work. Check this out.