Mickey Zeppelin is no stranger to praise regarding his progressive and innovative Denver developments, but the expansion of his TAXI project in River North is leaving Colorado’s creative types battling through fresh pools of drool, desperate to get their hands on Zeppelin’s latest work/living space. TAXI has been developed around the concept of an affordable “new economy,” workplace center, which, in theory, allows non-conventional businesses and artistic residents to fuse in an energetically and mentally stimulating manner, thereby positively influencing the creative output of the community. Phase 1 of TAXI has been fully occupied since it’s introduction a few years ago, and was chosen as the Best Creative Workspace in Colorado by the Colorado Business Coalition for the Arts last year. Phase 2 is just under four times the size of Phase 1, and plans for further expansion include a full five buildings of commercial and retail development, all based around the same concept of luring creative entrepreneurs into a high-passion environment. The all-around mindfulness of the green and wired approaches to TAXI are to be admired, but my real inspiration comes from the unique focus on the creativity expected to come out of TAXI in response to the creativity put into it– what a beautiful approach to development.

Love to picnic, hate the logistics? Thank goodness for design innovation. Simplicitas design firm located in Stockholm has the perfect solution for your picnic cravings. The new Urbana design encompasses the ideals for a modern picnic and an on-the-go lifestyle. Urbana is “table-less eating” with stackable, expandable and multi-use components. Plates have handles to accommodate the cutlery. The cutlery is more than a spork or a knork, it is a three-in-one design. All the Urbana components pack up into a nice little package when you're done. You'll find that this travel-light futuristic design is no-muss, no-fuss. Urbana comes in sets for anywhere from 2 to 5 people and will be available in select locations beginning in May.

A few weeks ago I wrote about The Buried Life, an in the works, feel-good documentary that focuses on the importance of getting the most out of our short years on earth. The four boys behind The Buried Life (and the “do before we die” checklist that directs their mission) have just released this new trailer that rather expertly packs their whole theory into just under three minutes. I’ll just say, one more time, that what they’re doing is remarkable, and let the video do the rest of the talking.

An article on the Snowboard Mag website is indicating that there may be riding/skiing (and a lot more) in Las Vegas in the not so distant future. According to one of the founders of Las Vegas WET, they’ve been exchanging offers and counteroffers with an undisclosed landowner to acquire 200 acres of land along the Strip to build a mega sports facility, that will include an over 350,000 square foot indoor water park (to be the largest in North America), and a ton of other attractions that have yet to be disclosed officially, but may include in indoor ski area (according to the photos on their website– included here). If built, this facility would be larger than the entire Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. But don’t worry, the development group has decided to “expand the environmental angle” of the project to be more “conservation conscious and environmentally friendly.” (chuckle chuckle). Do we really need another water-sucking, electricity-devouring monstrosity in Vegas? I’ll stick to the roulette wheel.