Building the Harbor

Most of us are familiar with the puzzle-shaped floor mats, but have you ever considered where they come from or what they can do besides just make your feet feel awesome? SoftTiles, the company that invented the foam mat, really pushes the boundaries of imagination with their products and the services. For a fee, they offer custom configurations, all you have to do is call or chat online with them to discuss your idea.

They created this map of the New York Harbor entirely out of foam mats. They water-jet cut the entire coastline and then reassembled it to build out the map. This particular project is much larger than their usual, 30 foot x 30 foot, but it created the ultimate educational play area.

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A Tale of Two Coastlines

Reports from the National Research Council and the U.S. Geological Survey say that sea levels on both coasts of the United States are rising at an accelerating rate. Oceanographer Peter Howd talks about what’s pushing up the oceans, and which coastal hotspots may drown first.

Click here to listen to the radio broadcast about the future of ocean levels.

Story courtesy of NPR’s Science Friday.

We’re going SUPERSIZED for Summer! That means, we’re cutting back on the frequency of our posts, but each SUPERSIZED post has TWICE the content. Enjoy & have a great summer!