OpenBuildings.

OpenBuildings is a community-driven directory of buildings from across the globe and enables users to share building informations. If you do not mind commercial social services where you give away information for free it is certainly a valuable services. The building database is accessible through multiple platforms like iOS, Android and the web. OpenBuildings competes against services like Mimoa.  Finally, architecture conquers the web.

Where is Ai Weiwei?

On April 3, internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was detained at the Beijing airport while en route to Hong Kong.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has launched an online petition to their collective millions of Facebook fans and Twitter followers. By using Ai Weiwei’s favored medium of "social sculpture," we hope to hasten the release of our visionary friend. Sign this petition here.

Info:
Museums Press for the Release of Ai Weiwei - New York Times
Lasst uns über was anderes reden - Süddeutsche Zeitung
EU and US urge China to free Ai Weiwei Guardian
Ai Weiwei, an artist whose work is freedom - CNN
Facebook Group - Where is Ai Weiwei?

Ai Weiwei on anarchitecture:
Ai Weiwei - Sunflower Seeds
Soft Ground. By Ai Weiwei

A Tribute to the Monobloc.

“Plastic Mountain”, by Dana Maiden

"Since 2004 functionalfate.org is examining the most successful and most unloved piece of furniture of all human creation: the Monobloc plastic chair. [..] It has been a mass-produced article since the 1970s, and is just as likely to be found in living rooms in India, in the offices of young Internet start-ups in Silicon Valley, at African wedding ceremonies, in cafés in Istanbul, garden plots in Hamburg, and Antarctic stations."

The exhibition - Monobloc - is premiering in 2011 at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.

Bierpinsel - Turmkunst.

The Bierpinsel (google maps) is a 46m high Berlin building in futuristic-looking "poparchitecture" from the 70ies, designed (1972) by Ralf Schüler und Ursulina Schüler-Witte. The building is now in use (and painted) by "Turmkunst" - a collective devoted to streetart.

It's a Boy - It's a Girl.

During her business trips, managing director Kirsten Dietz of the design firm "Strichpunkt" shot photos of companies from around the world whose names include their oweners first names - sorted for A to Z for both girls' and boy's names. A book for fans of typography - but also maybe a book for parents who looking for a name for their child (and the child's future job?). The book is published at "Taschen - Verlag".