Thoreau: Cool your jets, man. “Simplify, simplify!” Today, more than ever, there’s wisdom in Henry David Thoreau’s well-known exho...

What’s the greenest way to build? Using natural, renewable resources? Using salvaged building materials? Or using the same old stuff you’v...

The "Psycho" house. (Courtesy thestudiotour.com) As Alfred Hitchcock well knew, nothing sets a mood of suspense better than ...

Nipple: Not so sexy. What do the words nipple, flashing, chase and butt have in common? That’s right--they’re all parts of a buildin...

Look familiar? The "new" dual-flush toilet has been common in China for almost two decades. The other day, a radio program...

The town I live in--Berkeley, California--is the capital of shaggy wooden houses. Around here, you could get stoned for saying you don’t lik...

In America, bigger is always better, right? Our cars, our accomplishments, even our personalities have always been outsized. But the fact i...