It's a Google, global science fair

Google, in collaboration with Lego, National Geographic, Scientific American and CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is calling for entries for the world's first, global science fair.

The Google Global Science Fair is open to students aged 13 through 18. Kids can enter on their own or in teams of two or three and the deadline for entries is April 4th.

The prizes are incredible and feature real, meaningful scholarships as well as hands-on, educational trips to the Galapagos and CERN.

You can learn about the Google Global Science Fair on its dedicated website. If you have a budding scientist in your life, please encourage him or her to enter this science fair. If your budding scientist isn't interested in the contest, encourage that young Marie Curie or young Albert Einstein to keep doing what they're doing.

The solutions to the world's myriad problems are in the minds of scientifically-inclined young people. Those young minds need all of the support and encouragement they can get. There was a time in the United States when investing in science education and science research was a civic virtue. Now it seems that the very expression civic virtue is passé.

I hope that something like the Google Global Science Fair can begin to change that. As the end title of this video says, Science connects the world.

More cool bath ideas from Spain

The Spanish tile industry is better described as the Spanish ceramics industry. Many of the major Spanish tile producers also make sinks, toilets, bathtubs and vanity counters.

While I was in Spain with Tile of Spain last month, I had the chance to see some bath designs from Tau Cerámica. I think they're noteworthy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that they integrate tile onto cabinet doors and counters. Here's what I'm talking about.

That vanity is faced in white tile. But it gets even more interesting if you look at it more closely.

The accent tile on the wall is called Point. Tau recreated Point's pattern on a laminate and used the laminate for accents on the vanity cabinet. It's subtle and pretty clever effect.

Here's another one that integrates the wall tile onto the vanity itself.

I love how graphic this last one is. Again, it's playing off the tile on the wall by integrated that tile onto itself.

I'm also growing obsessed with the idea of vitreous china vanity tops that have integrated sinks. Talk about easy to clean.

I'll see Tau and a couple of hundred other tile manufacturers next week in Las Vegas for Coverings. I'll be reporting about the things I see there, you can count on it. In the meantime, take a look at Tau's website where you can look through their catalogs and find out where you can buy their products. In addition to their website, Tau keeps up a pretty lively presence on Facebook. Go like them. If that weren't enough, Tau also has a large number of photographs they've uploaded to Flickr. Give them a look.

My trip to Spain with Tile of Spain impacted me pretty profoundly. Being in Spain was incredible enough but I notice that since I've been back I'm having an increasingly difficult time seeing the virtue of American-style bath design. I'll get over it eventually, but I sort of hope I don't.

Would you? Could you?

This is an embossed leather sofa from Bizzotto Mobili.

I'm on the fence with this one. It's supposed to invoke the golden age of Hollywood.

Does it?

A lot of Italian furniture designs are hit or miss (it pains me to admit that). There doesn't seem to be an off switch.

What do you think? Is this a hit or a miss?

A little more Italy

I've been on an Italian kick lately. I'm putting together a trip for myself and a couple of friends (are you reading this Saxon Henry and my beloved brother Steve?) for the fall. Houzz.com had me interview Milan-based architect Marco Dellatorre and seeing the modern face of Italy through his projects is making me ache for a return to the bel paese all the more.

Here's the piece I wrote for Houzz on Marco's loft in Milan. As much as I love southern Italy, Marco's loft makes me want to shift my attention north.

Houzz Tour: Warm and Seductive Loft in Milan

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

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New stuff from Swiss faucet manufacturer KWC

The Swiss manufacturer KWC just released the ONO Touch Light Pro faucet and it's pretty slick.

Most noticeable is the separation of the mixer from the fixture. It's a trend I'm seeing more and more in high end kitchen brands. The mixer can be placed just about anywhere with this faucet and that adds to the design possibilities exponentially.

Less noticeable is the microprocessor inside of that mixer. This is an all-in-one mixer, a single touch turns it off and on. There's nothing revolutionary about that. Where it gets interesting is that this one's programmable. You can program the temperature and pressure and you can call up that program every time you touch the mixer. Of course you can dispense with the programming all together and use the mixer as a manual control.

Faucet technology is evolving at a really fast pace and firms like KWC are on the leading edge of it.