Author: costas

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O’Reilly Media Recycling Pens for the Pen Guy

O’Reilly Media Tarsier Sculpture by Patrick Amiot

Photo by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

O’Reilly Media just agreed to collect old pens for me the Pen Guy for my million pen project that I will be working on in the next 5-10 years. My plan is to collect millions of pens to create works of art that will then go on display at various locations around the country, and that’s just to start with. My other big goal is to begin exploring other pen possibilities in solving future problems such as affordable energy efficient housing. Would it be possible to build an entire house from recycled pens and markers or at least a big part of it??? Who knows what is possible right now, but we will never know unless someone starts asking questions.

Having O’Reilly Media on board with such big project is a big deal to me and an example to other business who might want to join in the Green Pen Revolution and help keep a few million pens out of the dump in the coming years. They collect old batteries and have a Goodwill donation drop off, why not pens? My contact within O’Reilly told me that she sent out a company wide email letting everyone know that old pens are now a wanted commodity by yours truly. I can’t wait to pickup my first batch of recycled pens. To all of you at O’Reilly Media thank you for dreaming big with me, because without dreamers the world would be a boring place.

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Jason Winshell – “Creating Sanctuary” with the Mercedes Pens

This is what joy look likes to me
Pen Guy taking a breather on a sunny Saturday afternoon
The Inside of the Pen Car on the Road Again.
The Inside of the Pen Car on the Road Again.
Last weekend at Maker Faire I had the pleasure of meeting some really interesting folks and one of them happened to be Jason Winshell, an amazing Photographer from San Francisco. During the event Jason approached me about letting him photograph the Mercedes Pens and me as part of his latest photo essay project called “Creating Sanctuary“. Jason is on a journey to explore the things that we do in order to create sanctuaries around us as we deal with the day to day stress, demands and routines of everyday life. Basically a world in which we rejuvenate and recharge our batteries, by looking into our passions, interests, and vices.

Jason came up last Saturday and he spent about four hours driving around with me in my Mercedes Pens Art Car and taking photos in different settings in order to capture what it is that I do. He managed to capture my every day sanctuary on wheels on a sunny Saturday afternoon in my front yard, Walmart, the gas station and on the road. I love the picture of the inside while I am driving, because It’s a perspective I have never seen before.

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Frame of Mind Pen from Forestville

Frame of Mind Pen from Forestville on the trunk of the Mercedes Pens
Frame of Mind Pen from Forestville on the trunk of the Mercedes Pens
I run into Leslie Zumwalt owner of Frame of Mind in Forestville Ca Today. She is this years Forestville Parade organizer and asked me if I was going to be in the parade tomorrow. I don’t think I can make it since last week was Maker and next weekend I am going the Harmony Festival 2009 in Santa Rosa Ca. Anyways Frame of Mind is local frame shop and art gallery right down town and features some of the most interesting local art you can imagine. Actually one year they entered a motorized couch with a frame around it to promote their business, and that same year the parade was so small they went around twice.

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Maker Faire Bay Area 2009 Video Montage

Maker Faire Bay Area 2009 Video Montage

Here is the best video montage I found of Maker Faire 2009 so far, that gives a good flavor of what the event was all about. The guy playing the snow shovel guitar is Isaac Frankle the ‘Shovel Man’ a Guitarist, Singer, Lyricist, Percussionist, Harmonica Player Instrument Inventor Artist/Scientist & Sound Sculptor. In the video you can also see the Hennepin Crawler, Whirlygig Emoto, Neverwas Haul a three story Victorian house on wheels, and the famous Radio Flyer Art Car. There is also the giant metal wings and of course the Mercedes Pens makes a brief appearance.