“Taking Bamboo to New Heights,” with Jonas Hauptman
When most of us think of bamboo construction, we might picture a palm-thatched hut on a tropical beach somewhere—not a modern, urban environment of multi-story buildings. But Jonas Hauptman, a craftsperson and designer/inventor who co-leads the Bio Design Research Group at Virginia Tech, thinks differently. A winner of the prestigious University of Michigan Oberdick Fellowship…
“Humility and Hustle” with Nest’s Rebecca van Bergen
Rebecca van Bergen, founder and executive director of Nest, talks about her passion for supporting craft-based businesses, what it takes for artisans to succeed—and why their success matters on a global scale. Nest is a not-for-profit organization that provides training, resources, and sales opportunities to artisans around the world, while helping to preserve their unique cultural…
The Moral Lessons of a Fountain Pen
Back in the day—in this case, from the early 1900s to around 1950—if someone wanted to write anything down with permanence, they reached for a pen of the kind one rarely sees anymore. These were called fountain pens, and their highly refined nibs (that inch-long piece at the pen’s business end, which delivers ink in…
Watch: “The Future of Building with Bamboo”
From simple rural homes to some of the world’s busiest airports, bamboo construction has come a long way. What else is possible with this renewable, sustainable, underutilized material? Dr. Bhavna Sharma, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture, guides us through the architectural possibilities of one of the world’s most…
The Intricate World of Mechanical Watches: a Resource List
As with most pursuits that draw devoted hobbyists (including plenty of obsessive ones), fine mechanical watches have spawned a large and passionate subculture. A little Googling will lead you to myriad websites, magazines, conferences, and other gathering grounds for those who want to follow—and, when they can afford it, purchase—timepieces that represent the height of…
“The Chemicals in our Clothes,” with Alden Wicker of EcoCult
Have you ever opened a brand-new package of clothing and been hit with a strong whiff of petroleum? Journalist Alden Wicker took a deep dive into the chemicals commonly used by the fashion industry in her recent book, “To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick—and How We Can Fight Back.” Craftsmanship Magazine…
An Abbreviated Timeline of a Problematic Standard: the GDP
1937: Simon Kuznets, an economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research, formulates a new way to calculate the economic output of individuals, companies, and the government in a single measure: Gross Domestic Product, which is the value of all the goods that a country produces each year. 1944: The newly formed World Bank and…
Listen to “Keeping the Beat: Custom-Made Conducting Batons”
A good conductor can lead an orchestra with almost anything — even a chopstick. Leonard Bernstein was known to conduct a full symphony with just his eyebrows. Why, then, in this age of cheap manufacturing, are handmade, customized batons still in demand? Written by JEFF GREENWALD Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD Produced…
Listen to “The Play Gap”
In the inner city neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island, Janice O’Donnell set up playgrounds where kids could build anything they want, and break anything they want. She has been stunned by what everyone has learned in the process.
