“You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis. You’re the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. ”

Ok, so maybe Tyler Durden’s soap box is a bit too tall for me to stand on, but what he’s getting at here truly resonates with me– as I’m sure it does for many of you. The notion is: Don’t let your social status or your possessions dictate who you are.
However, Tyler’s last sentence here implies we cannot do this because we are no better than anyone else. I beg to differ. I strive to do better and be better every day. And in many instances, I believe we can be better by possessing less.

A while back I was geeking out on Mashable(a website that covers digital culture, social media, and technology news) and ran across an article titled 4 Big Trends for the Future of Sustainable Tech. The whole article is awesome and I highly recommend the quick read, but #3 on the list really caught my attention. The concept is “Micro-Living,” and the idea behind it is that we can reduce, or do away with, much of the material goods we accumulate in our lives.

Think of a goldfish in a bowl. If you put a tiny goldfish in a big bowl, it will fatten up and grow to the size of it’s environment.
If you put a perfectly content human in a big space, they find themselves yearning for “things.” They will seek to fill that space– unnecessarily.

Simplicity is sometime the most difficult thing to accomplish. Living a simple life, or building a simple structure….can be a lifetime exercise, but sometimes everything seems to flow together into a perfectly simple idea or creation.  Tonight I stumbled upon this bridge built in The Netherlands. It exemplifies mankind’s ability to create a simple and efficient structure that blends into its surroundings, yet still serves a purpose.

People often attempt the improbable of walking on water. We have often walked underwater in a pool or ocean, but to walk below water without getting wet or wearing a diving suit was nearly impossible until now. Designed by RO&AD Architects of the Netherlands and Belgium, this pedestrian bridge is an access route to the Fort de Roovere, part of the 17th century defense structures. The concept and execution is so unique that from afar, it is really non-existent. All that you see is a marked line in the landscape but it appears flat and it doesn’t interrupt the views of the area.

Only when looking and standing parallel to it, can you experience the depth and unique experience of walking under water, all without a drop of water on your clothing. uilt with Accsys Technology, Accoya wood undergoes a nontoxic proprietary modification process called acetylation that prevents fungal decay from the exposure of water and moisture while increasing its structural stability. While this water walkway is simple in concept, it is quite complex in its execution.

“The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.”