The true cost of food

Do read this article (almost Pollanesque) featured in the current issue of NG. Should provide some food for thought, figuratively speaking of course, the next time while reaching for whatever-it-is that you eat.

Open Source CEB Press

This is open source of a different kind (read...not software). The Liberator project aims to provide an open source compressed earth block press that, at a cost of $3-5k churns out 3-5 blocks per minute....enough to provide raw material that is both natural and which makes it easy to build a house from literally nothing but dirt (simplistically speaking). This method is not just more ecologically sound but apparently also scores high on durability, cost and building ergonomics. Read more about it here. (via:Boingboing)