My Z News

Austin Hay was fascinated with tiny houses. He loved the idea of people taking their destinies and financial lives into their own hands and literally building something up from almost nothing. Austin, like many other tiny home enthusiasts, was able to complete his project with very little money.  Oh, did we mention that Austin is a high school sophomore when he started? Austin had saved up the money he needed by working two summer jobs — as a camp counselor and a park snack bar attendant — between 9th and 10th grade.  Because these tiny homes need to be on wheels to avoid zoning regulations, Austin began by using the base of a used trailer. He purchased the trailer for $2,000. By lofting his bed, Austin was able to have a more spacious layout. He built a closet large enough to store his clothes and personal items. Many of the parts he needed he was able to scavenge from junk yards. Yes, even the kitchen sink. The stove was a Christmas gift, however. Austin was probably the only 15-year-old psyched to be getting a stove for Christmas. The bathroom runs hot and cold water and has a full shower. And a composting toilet. Austin furnished the living room space with a futon he built from wood and a foam pad. It doubles as a sleeping area for guests. Austin finished the home by his senior year of high school. He celebrated by having an open house party where he talked to his friends and family about how to embark on their own tiny homes. In the end, Austin’s tiny home cost about $12,000 to complete. He plans to bring the home to wherever he winds up attending college. Sure beats dorm life. Credit: Kirsten Dirksen Read more: http://www.wimp.com/sophomorehome/

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Johnsonville, Connecticut, once a thriving mill community turned Victorian Era tourist attraction, has now become a complete ghost town. The historic village has been abandoned three times, but this time, it’s been desolate for over 20 years. First inhabited in the 1830s, the area thrived until the 1950s when its first abandonment occurred. Quite frankly, if someone wanted to recreate their own town, this is the place to do it. All 62 acres of this village are up for sale, with the bidding starting at $800,000. The quaint area sits right along the Moodus River, complete with restaurant, general store, and plenty of colonial and Victorian homes. RM Bradley Chris Michael Rick Harris RM Bradley Rick Harris Eric Konon Knit.Wit. Colleen Fortier Ellen F Ellen F John Hart John Hart Eric Konon Eric Konon RM Bradley RM Bradley Auction.com Credit: Messy Nessy Chic Read more: http://www.wimp.com/housevillage/

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Embroidery patterns are a known and recognized form of art. But if someone were to translate that art into another form, the result would be wonderful. Zsanett Szirmay can do exactly this. Zsanett is a Hungarian design student who started the project called, “Soundweaving,” which turns patterns of embroidery into music. The thought seems like an impossible feat, but using laser-cut punch cards and a custom music box, Zsanett turns these patterns into beautiful music. Credit: Colossal | Sandor Fovenyi Read more: http://www.wimp.com/embroiderymusic/

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In his first creative release, artist Pyanek shares a video and photo project entitled “Amazing Worlds Within Our World.” Pyanek used macro photography to show everyday things in astonishing detail. Macro photography is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greatly enhanced. Macro lenses can achieve higher magnification than life size, enabling photography of the structure of small insect eyes, snowflakes, and other minuscule objects. To capture items in this detail, Pyanek used a Canon T3i. He also composed the etheral music that accompanies the video.  1. Book Pages 2. Apple Stalk 3. Grain of White Sugar 4. Incense Stick 5. Match 6. Beach Stone 7. Screw 8. Cornflake 9. Tea Bag 10. “X” key of a keyboard 11. Lipstick 12. Serrated Knife 13. Kitchen Sponge 14. Spaghetti Noodle 15. Soap Foam 16. Corrugated Fiberboard 17. Brass Key 18. Ballpoint Pen Photographs by PYANEK Credit: Twisted Sifter Read more: http://www.wimp.com/macroart/

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Paul Nicklen, a photographer for National Geographic, is known for producing stellar photography. Being assigned to wildlife in Antarctica, there’s no telling what he’ll come across. The perfect example came when he jumped into the water one day to get some shots of seals. Just as he lowered himself into the water, Paul was suddenly approached by a leopard seal. Completely unsure of what to do, he waited, terrified, for whatever would happen next. Surprisingly, the seal showed absolutely no threat to Paul and seemed to think he was in distress. So, she brought him penguins to eat, which he politely declined, seeing that penguins were not part of Paul’s usual diet. For four days straight, this leopard seal brought Paul food in a panic, not wanting him to starve. Even with the strong language barrier and no way of knowing each other’s lifestyle, these two showed genuine concern for each other. If this interspecies relationship can exist so suddenly, human-to-human interaction has the potential to be so much stronger. Credit: Upworthy Read more: http://www.wimp.com/photographerseal/

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James Robertson, a 56-year-old man, is dedicated to his job at Schain Mold and Engineering, a plastic parts manufacturer. He is so dedicated that he walks 21 of the 46 miles it takes to commute to and from his home. Living in Detroit, Robertson uses what little public transportation is available and walks the remainder of the distance to his job in Rochester Hills, Michigan. For ten years, this has been his routine, ever since his 1988 Honda Accord died out. Robertson leaves every morning at 8 AM in order to be on time for his 2 PM shift at the factory, which ends at 10 PM. Robertson doesn’t make it home from work until 4 AM each day. Buying a new car is simply not an option on his $10.55 hourly wage, and since his home was actually inherited by his girlfriend, he’s unable to move closer to his job. Even with all of these obstacles, Robertson’s attendance record is squeaky clean and he works without complaint. Robertson’s story was published in the Detroit Free Press, and thousands of Facebook members responded, determined to find ways to help him. Evan Leedy, a student at Detroit’s Wayne State University, had the brilliant idea to create a campaign on GoFundMe to raise money for Robertson to buy a car. Unsure if many would donate, Leedy set the goal at $5,000. But, in just one day, Leedy’s campaign had raised almost $50,000 and has grown to $140,000. With this amount, Robertson could go well beyond just buying a car. In fact, Chevy and Honda had both heard the story and wanted to donate a car to Robertson. This incredible act of kindness just granted Robertson not only with the car he needs, but anything else he may have his sights set on. Credit: Detroit Free Press Read more: http://www.wimp.com/manwalking/

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Ever wondered what another star might look like in place of the sun or the moon? Well, the scientists at Roscosmos did and they have created images and videos to demonstrate how different the skyline might look if another star was in the sun’s place. Roscosmos first created the moon video, replacing the moon with commonly known celestial bodies, like Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter. As they created the video of the sun, they used the Alpha Centauri system, then Polaris (better known as the “North Star”), and more to replace the sun. Roscosmos is the commonly used name of the Russian Federal Space Agency. Credit: Business Insider Read more: http://www.wimp.com/planetssun/

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The architects at Ensamble Studio had in mind a specific kind of vacation home in their Spanish location. They wanted something rustic but modern and completely in harmony with its surroundings. They decided to try an experiment: they covered hay bales in concrete. The mass was allowed to harden, buried in soil. Once the cast hardened, the shape was sliced open. Now how to get all the hay out? The architects enlisted the help of a cow named Paulina to eat away all the remaining hay. What was left is just the inside cast. It took her about a year and a half to clear out the hay. The vacation home is cozy and unique. It is the perfect blend of rustic and contemporary. Here’s a video of the initial process: Credit: Ensamble Studio  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/vacationbeauty/

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When Roadtrippers reported on the finding of psychedelic artist Peter Max’s 36 Peter Max VH1 Corvette collection, they thought they had the winner for this year’s “barn finds.” But then France’s Artcurial auction house found what it’s calling the “King Tut” of barn finds: 60 ultra-rare, exotic vintage cars. They were found in a barn in western France and contain one of the 37 known 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyders. There’s also several Delahayes, Talbots and a 1956 Maserati A6G Gran Sport. These cars once belonged to Roger Baillon, a shipping magnate who had dreams of one day opening a museum. He wound up selling half his cars in the 1970s and storing the rest for the next five decades. The condition of the cars varies: some were well-stored indoors but many are suffering corrosion from being left outside under carports. These cars will be presented at the auction on February 6th. Credit: Roadtrippers Read more: http://www.wimp.com/exoticcars/

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School can get pretty rough for some, being continuously bombarded with information and having little time to actually retain it before going home to do an hour or more of homework. One attentive principal took notice to this vicious cycle and decided to make a drastic change. After 12 years of being a principal at Clintondale High School, Greg Green was sure that his school was off in some way. Only 63% of graduates from Clintondale continued on to college, and 35% of students didn’t even make it to graduation. Clintondale was actually rated one of the worst schools in Michigan, and despite the staff utilizing every resource they had, nothing worked. Then, something finally clicked. Green, aside from being a principal, is also a baseball coach. For Green to best utilize the time he had with his players, he would make videos of their practices and have them watch them at home. This gave him more time to fix problems, rather than explain them.  Was there a way that classrooms could apply this same tactic? A change was long overdue. Green decided to flip his classrooms. Clintondale first used one flipped classroom to teach students that were struggling and compared it to a typical classroom teaching average students, with both classrooms using the same subject material. The results were shocking! Between both classrooms, the at-risk students actually out-performed the average students’ class. Green used this experiment to make a point to the school that it’s not all about the technology, but about the assistance that their students are given. In 2011, Clintondale became the first US high school to have all of its classrooms flipped.  With one small change, Clintondale’s failure rate dropped from 35% to 10% and college enrollment grew from 63% to 80% in only two years. Not only were their ratings improving, but their students also felt much better about their education. “Once I came over here, it was completely different. I absolutely loved that I could get the teacher’s help in the classroom,” said student Gisselle De La Cruz Diaz. “I honestly went from a D, F—those were my basic grades—to almost all A’s right now.” This was Clintondale’s true success. Watch the incredible success story here. Clintondale’s sudden progress has caught the attention of schools nationwide. 48% of these schools had flipped classrooms by 2012, and that grew to 78% by 2014. Sometimes, one small change is all it takes. Credit: Upworthy Read more: http://www.wimp.com/teacherflipping/

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