UG MAIN

Urban Earth

"Through the eyes of the Urban Geographer."

We have introduced you to Daniel Raven-Ellison before.  This a man with a compelling story to tell, and many still to write .... and of course photograph. Welcome to URBAN EARTH, only now in his words and with his video compilation of images.

"Cities are awesome places. They are as much an ecosystem as any tropical rainforest or coral reef. Inhabited by one of the most successful animals on the planet, humans, these urban masses are our nests. At some point in 2008 someone was born or moved into a town or city and tipped the balance so that now, for the first time in history, more people are living in urban than rural places. The home of free running, government, businesses, over 3 billion people and probably you – how well do we really know and understand these places? I wanted to get a new take on the concrete jungle and so it became my mission to start walking across some of the largest cities on Earth.

Exploration is a state of mind. Anyone can explore, everyone is an explorer and anywhere can be explored. From kissing a mouth to peering into the limits of visible outer space we all search for answers and experiences. For me exploration is all about searching for answers to questions even if you don’t know what they are when you set out. While trekking to the heart of tropical jungle forests may be distant and exotic, exploring near and familiar places is just as important.

Despite most of us living in cities few of us explore them properly. If you live in a city you probably live as an island hopper, living in one (island) area and using a car, bus or train to hop to other islands for school, work and places to chill out. For most people the spaces between and around these islands are left unexplored and remain confused or blank on their mental map. The reasons why we don’t go places are numerous with time, interest and fear all playing their part.

I am fascinated by urban exploration. I’m not only interested in cities themselves, but why so many people want to go on adventures across countryside and not urbanside. And, why when people do explore cities so many people visit landmarks (does Big Ben represent London?) that fail to capture the feel of a city but leave feeling they can ‘done’ and can tick off visiting that place? What does the city feel like away from the bias of guide books and commercial adverts?

For all these reasons and more URBAN EARTH was born.

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Categories SUSO Tags Photography

By Sammy on 27/2/11

Soccket MAIN

Can You Kick It?

"... yes you can!"

According to a recent report from the UN, over 1.5 billion people—one quarter of the world’s population - live in areas with no access to electricity.

Introducing sOccket, the soccer ball that turns energy from a kick into electricity. This the product of the imagination and creativity of a group of Harvard students who have found a way to harness energy from the world's favourite sport and pastime.

"This portable energy-harvesting device captures the impact energy normally dissipated when the ball is kicked, storing it to charge lights, cell phones and batteries. It works with inductive coil technology, similar to that found in flashlights that power up when shaken. For each 15 minutes of play, it can store enough energy to power a small LED light for three hours."

Simply brilliant!

Currently in its prototyping stages, sOccket has been successfully piloted in Durban, South Africa, and the development team has plans to market a commercial version of the sOccket in Western countries as a high-end tech toy, possibly using a "buy one-give one" model, to subsidize the cost of distributing sOccket in developing nations. If ever you needed an excuse for a lunchtime kick around this is it!

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Categories SUSO Tags Sport

By Juan on 6/2/10

GUMMAIN

Even Better To Share

The people have spoken, but will it stick?

The Gum Election is a guerilla art project that started in New York last month. The result? A lot less gum on city streets, a campaign that can be emailed around the world in seconds and some prescient people that spoke with there slobber and got there wish. Genius.

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Categories Culture Design Politics SUSO Tags Politics Election

By on 5/11/08

URBAN EARTH: MEXICO CITY

Urban Earth: Mexico City

I FELT PHYSICALLY SICK WITH FEAR AS WE WALKED. Daniel Raven-Ellison

In 2008, the world reaches an invisible but momentous milestone. For the first time in history, more than half its human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. But does anyone, anywhere, really understand the truth of these cities?

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Categories Art Endeavour Politics SUSO Tags City Exploration London

By on 31/7/08

FIXED EXPRESSION

Fixed Expression

THE STORY OF A BEAUTIFUL REVOLUTION

They are stunning things. Elegant in their simplicity, purity and detail. They are lighter, faster and cheaper to maintain than normal road bikes. But it goes much deeper than that. Fixed Gear cycling is a way of life.

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Categories Art Design Sport SUSO Tags Cycling Sport

By on 3/7/08

SKY'S THE LIMIT

Sky's The Limit

It's been said that Motocross is to MotoGP what Go Karting is to Formula One - a breeding ground for the next generation of motorsport talent.

Just as Lewis Hamilton, David Coulthard and certain others have honed their driving skills on the kart circuit from the moment they could climb behind the wheel Jonny Rea At Cadwell.jpgyou need look no further than the young Irish bike riding sensation Jonny Rea, to see how motocross can shape the skills of the world class Supersport rider. Shape and add an extra dimension I would say, if you've ever seen the way Jonny rides Cadwell Park and lifts the racebike clear at the classic photo opportunity ... not exactly what the 50 thousand pound corner hugging superbike was made for but something truly spectacular to witness for the viewing public.

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Categories Sport SUSO Tags CARL NUNN LIVERPOOL SUPERCROSS Motocross suso SUSOLOGY

By on 27/1/08

POOLS OF DREAMS

Pools Of Dreams

For UK wakeboaders Tom Watson, Lewis Cornwall, James Young and Lee Debuse their daily philosophy is one of total positivity and a sense of whatever it takes, I can do it.

Each has a story that defines them – in some cases these are stories of pure imagination and creativity – in others the stories are of triumph over adversity – triumphs born of belief and single mindedness to stick at it even when it hurts. You've already heard Tom's incredible story, so time to introduce the rest of the crew.

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Categories Sport SUSO Tags Sport Wakeboarding

By on 14/12/07

NEVER TOO COLD

Never Too Cold

The Champions Award is presented by The Sunday Times each year to a sports person or team operating outside the spotlight of mainstream sports. Column inches are few and far between. These are the sports people who go unnoticed but who are no less remarkable than those routinely filling both back and front pages, and arguably more determined.

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Categories Sport SUSO Tags Nicole Arthur suso SUSOLOGY Water Ski

By on 3/12/07

ZACH

Zach

Have you ever been so determined to do something that you’re willing to risk actual bodily harm, if not the permanent use of your body, to get it done? Have you ever wondered what it might be like to try something that hadn’t been done before, to redefine the boundaries of your discipline, to rewrite certain rules, to seek change rather than settle for straight up passive acceptance? Have you ever dreamed of being at the forefront of the thing you love most? Have you ever set out to get there? Have you devoted your entire life to getting there? And did you get there?

Zach Shaw has done all the above. That’s why we’ve signed him up - because he’s retained that same attitude throughout his career as a rider, that imagination, that creativity and that determination to succeed, to be at the front not the back, to change the way people think about the things he does.

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Categories Sport SUSO Tags Sport

By on 23/11/07

INTRODUCING SUSO

Introducing Suso

SUSO is using creativity to make something of the things we imagine. It’s the will to succeed, to do what others say can’t be done. It’s the struggle for success, the challenge of the unknown and belief in the self. It’s now, right now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow. Now. It’s seeing the possible and never the impossible.

It’s Imagination, Creativity and Determination. And it’s the confidence to use all three.

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Categories SUSO Tags suso

By on 11/11/07

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