http://www.trackchanges.net a blog on design & business Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:28:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   I have found myself in some interesting research situations in my career, but none quite like my recent project. This time I was talking to people because they were HOMELESS. Along with Kristen Johnson, a fellow envisioner at Continuum, Chris Miller, a professor at the Savannah College of Art and ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/11/10/enacting-social-change-by-design/   I was recently on Broadway—not in the latest production of West Side Story—but at the Hudson Theatre for The Green Event.  The two-day conference brought together textile industry stakeholders—suppliers, buyers, designers, and regulators—to share ideas for developing eco-conscious practices across the board. I had an opportunity to participate on the “Creating ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/29/insights-from-the-green-event/   Our mission, when we launched Ecolect was simple, yet ambitious: to help designers find sustainable materials, to provide makers of new materials a space to showcase their innovations and create a forum for environmentally-minded designers to share their inspiration, occasional frustration, new information and everything in between It was an honor ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/27/ecolect-brings-materials-petting-zoo-to-continuum/   Lucky Break Gufflumpgufflumpgufflump. OMDG this can’t be happening, I thought.  I was on the uphill portion of a bridge to Cape Cod when my very new Mazda 3i started bucking.  Quick glances: plenty of gas, temp was fine, battery ok.   By the way,  I don’t have a house on Cape Cod.  ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/24/one-happy-customer-5/   On October 4th, 12 of us from Continuum joined the Rodman Ride for Kids, the country’s largest single-day biking event to benefit different organizations throughout Massachusetts that help at risk children. Continuum has a tradition of generously supporting the Italian Home for Children at this event.  It gives us the ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/21/rodman-ride-for-kids/   Targus recently launched their first-ever line of Mac accessories. I bet you are thinking, “Wait…Targus…I know them, don’t I? Laptop bags right?” Well, you’d be correct in this thinking and as it turns out, they have expanded their business into several other areas. Targus is a major global supplier of mobile ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/10/targus-for-mac-debuts/   During a recent trip to Chicago, I stopped by Oak Park to tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio. Built in 1889, this estate set the tone for Wright’s long and successful career. Wright started working as an independent architect here and it was here that he began developing his ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/09/frank-lloyd-wright-architectand-experience-designer/ Fellow Design Strategist Sean Brennan and I recently participated in an IDSA event entitled Next Up: Sustainability After the Trend. Hosted by the burgeoning Rhode Island chapter, it was an intimate gathering of the area’s design professionals, educators and students housed in the new atrium of the Peerless Building in ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/08/introducing-colorblind-at-the-idsa-rhode-island-chapter/ Marie from HMS is nice. Driving up the Garden State Parkway, enduring brutal summer beach traffic, we were forced to pull into a rest stop.  This is a rant-free blog column, so I won't get started on the condition of the bathrooms or the gall of able-bodied people galavanting out of ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/07/one-happy-customer-4/ Stunningly handsome, wickedly fast, and equipped with plug-in hybrid technology, Henrik Fisker’s newest creation, the Karma, is paving the way to a cleaner future for the performance-luxury market. Fisker, whose résumé includes the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage, is hoping to capitalize on what the company is calling the ... http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/10/03/fisker-karma-the-red-hot-hybrid/