Calling All Geeks to GOOD's Design Hackathon

Geeks unite! For one whole weekend in March, designers, developers and makers of all kinds are being summoned to participate in the Design Hackathon sponsored by GOOD and hosted by Parsons in NYC. The challenge is to combine technology and social innovation to "design the ideal tool that empowers the average New Yorker every hour of the day. From the moment we wake to the minute we fall asleep, how can people practice and maximize good citizenship in 24 hours?" 

Sound puzzling? GOOD gives you some ideas to get the wheels turning. They're looking for ideas that promote meaningful connections, efficient transportation, clever consumption, educational reform, cleaner environments and smart economies. Groups will check in Friday and "chill with GOOD" at City Tavern that night, work all day Saturday and then present their ideas to a panel of judges on the third day. Winners will be selected in three categories, Most innovative, Best use of social and Best use of location. 

Meanwhile: Looking to take an idea from paper to production? Check out 3rd Ward's latest class on learning Rhino 2, a cutting edge software program provides all the commands and power to accurately model and document your designs, ready to integrate into CAD drawings, renderings, laser cutting, 3D printing, prototyping, CNC milling and other manufacturing processes.

Design Hackathon takes place from Friday, March 2 - Sunday, March 4.

-- Perrin Drumm

Watch This Now // Parsons' DESIS Lab Amplifies Social Innovation in North Brooklyn

 

People in our neighborhood are always up to amazing things, so it's not surprising that last year the DESIS Lab at Parsons The New School for Design focused its lens on North Brooklyn to highlight local examples of sustainable living and innovation.

As part of its two-year Amplifying Creative Communities project, which looked at the Lower East Side in 2010, DESIS (short for Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability) explored different organizations and initiatives in Greenpoint and Williamsburg to learn how they work, help them improve through design service, and share information that will allow others to create their own alternatives to standard commercial and government services.

In addition to an exhibition and a series of workshops about local sustainable change, Amplify Brooklyn also produced some inspiring videos featuring examples of local food, sharing, biking and more, including interviews with the people behind the Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA, the North Brooklyn Compost Project, Not An Alternative, Times Up!, the Pa-La Loma Bicycle Club and the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative.

Check out a few of those videos after the jump and head over to the Amplifying Creative Communities website for more insight and inspiration.

-- John Ruscher