Sky Factory’s new programmable “SkyCeilings” is just what introverts need to raise their Sims “room” stat. In an effort to make surroundings either at home or at the work place aesthetically pleasing, Sky Factory’s ceiling creates an illusion of nature by introducing changes of light and color; all in real-time as if it actually were to simulate the local rising and setting of the sun.

I live in a room with no windows. I haven’t seen the sun in seven years.  This is exactly the healing tool I need to enhance my physiology and well-being.  Ah fuck it, I love looking like Liz Taylor.

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How often do city dwellers get the chance to see a wonder of nature such as the waterfall? Not often enough. I live about 45 minutes from NYC, and I can tell you first hand that the city is magical. It has mostly everything someone could want, and then some. While Central Park provides tourists with a dose of greenery, there is something missing in the water department that can’t be solved by the surrounding Hudson River.

New York’s Public Art Fund has launched a product which will change the landscape of the city from July to October this year. They’ll be installing man-made waterfalls in three locations around the city; lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and on the north shore of Governors Island. These installations will include 90 to 120-feet tall cascading falls and will operate from 7 AM to 10 PM, seven days a week, lit after sunset for an even more impressive and beautiful effect. (more…)

There have been some interesting attempts in the past to replicate RPG’s to push a certain idea. WolfQuest, a PC game designed by the good people at Minnesota Zoo, allows you to act out the part of a wolf, roaming Yellowstone Park for meat and other wolf needs. Perhaps a mate?

The first episode, called “Amethyst Mountain” is aimed at grabbing the minds of 10-15 year olds back to nature. “We’re hoping to capture some of those kids back with this game,” says a spokesman from Minnesota Zoo, who claims that many members of the younger generation have stopped interacting with nature because of, well, video games. So, if you can’t beat them, join them? The game is available free from the WolfQuest site. — Andrew Dobrow

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