Topic: Ideas

Watching TV used to put you in touch with pop culture. But these days pop culture bubbles up on the internet, a fluid, disparate, chaotic place that's impossible to fully explore without an army of interns scouring every corner of cyberspace. Luckily, Mr. Internet has just such an army. Join him on a tour of the web's latest and greatest. Turns out you CAN watch a little TV and stay up on pop culture.

Watching TV used to put you in touch with pop culture. But these days pop culture bubbles up on the internet, a fluid, disparate, chaotic place that's impossible to fully explore without an army of interns scouring every corner of cyberspace. Luckily, Mr. Internet has just such an army. Join him on a tour of the web's latest and greatest. Turns out you CAN watch a little TV and stay up on pop culture.

Architect Patrick Ahearn is spotlighted on this new addition of Plum Homes. Sue Hostetler and Patrick walk through Herring Creek Farm to look at one of the four homes Patrick Ahearn designed for the property.

Homeowner Allison Wear and Megan Gilman, President of Active Energies, take us through the construction of a LEED certified home in Edwards, CO. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified homes strive to reduce the consumption of man-made energy and are rated from basic through silver, gold and platinum. Allison Wear's gold-rated home will receive 75% of it's electricity and all of its domestic hot water heating from solar panels.

The Vail Symposium hosted its annual Mushroom Foray and Feast with Bill Windsor of the Colorado Mycological Society. Bill took a group of curious fungiphiles and newcomers into the woods to search for edible mushrooms and offered tips for discovering and identifying the delicious dirt dwelling treats. The trick seems to be looking for low areas, where water gathers.

Duncan Mackenzie discusses his art installations that offer a new perspective to imagine our planet, including a large Orbit Calendar and a prototype to see the rotation and sun coverage of the earth through hundreds of webcams around the world.

Jeb Barrier gets New York Times journalist to dismount his bicycle for a quick street interview.

John Sir Jesse and friends jump on the Galloping Goose and get whisked away to forge for mushrooms in the national forest. Learn how to pick mushrooms and even cook them.

Tom Harned takes us on a tour of his home, designed with the purpose of reducing his, and his family's, carbon footprint. To that end, Tom followed LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) guide lines in the construction of his home. Tom takes us on a tour of his solar panels, which provide his family with all their hot water and his constructed wetlands, which function as an earth-friendly septic unit. Tom also takes us on an extended tour of his garden, which provides his family with much of their diet and which utilizes native plants which require little water. The Harned Family are a living example of how little changes can make a big difference.

The 5th Annual Nantucket Race Week showcased sailboats of all sizes while raising funds for Nantucket Community Sailing.