The Vine

For all of us who are weary of the doom and gloom, Walker Smith points out a website created to highlight what’s right in the world.

Reasons for Optimism is an aggregator of stories about individuals and organizations that are making a difference.

They describe it this way: “It’s easy to forget that in today’s not-so-optimistic world, real progress continues, beauty appears, brave new worlds are explored, and creativity flows. We keep seeking—and occasionally finding—our best selves. There are, in fact, reasons for optimism everywhere we look.”

Two examples from this week’s stories:

>>> In Learning From Tijuana, the creativity and individuality of Mexico’s shantytowns inspires a redevelopment plan in Hudson, New York. (If you attended the inaugural Vine conference in Santa Barbara, you’ll recall this very concept from Stewart Brand’s talk on squatter cities.)

>>> I Want You To Want Me is an interactive display that combs the world of online dating sites, scans each individual profile (“modern messages in a bottle”) and creates a composite of human yearning—who we are and what we’re searching for.

The site is co-edited by the architectural design firm Cooper Carry. Good on ya, we say.