Miniature Cattle

As feed prices drive up the cost of keeping cows, farmers like Sally and Warren Coad say they've found a cost-efficient way to raise cattle: raise miniature cattle. Plus, they say, smaller breeds lend themselves to smaller cow handlers.

Indeed, standing three feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds, miniature cattle truly are the future of farming--perfect for the farmer under four feet tall.




Via the Wall Street Journal Digital Network.

Collapsible Bathroom

Well, the Australians have done it again! And by "it" I mean saving us precious bathroom space.

Not long after the Australian sanitary ware and plumbing firm Caroma brought us the sink/toilet, Australian designer Michael Trudgeon brings us the collapsible bathroom. Not only is it completely enclosed and portable, the Cirrus MVR has its own recycling system that keeps it running longer on less water.

A two-thirds-scale versions will be perfect for the future.


Via DVICE.

We Love Jay Shafer

Jay Shafer is a Live-Small visionary and founder of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company (check out their blog also). Since 1997 he has been living in houses that measure under 100 square feet.

Mr. Shafer is exactly the type of person we need leading the Live Small movement. He even took his tiny home on a cross-country tour this past summer (pictured above).

Please watch the video below to see him giving a tour of his 89 sq. ft. home.

Vern Troyer: Model Citizen

Vern Troyer's ex-wife Genevieve Gallen recently spilled the beans about her brief marriage to the former Austin Powers star.

Though Ms. Gallen alleges that her 2ft 8in ex has a sex addiction and a drinking problem, but--a 36-year-old former Playboy model who seems to have had few qualms about role-playing and having sex up to ten times per day--also claims that Mr. Troyer was only the second man she had ever slept with. Nevertheless, that is hardly the most intriguing part of the article. It turns out that Mr. Troyer not only is small, but he lives small too.

The first time Mr. Troyer brought his future wife back to his place, she was surprised to learn that his house was actually a shed in the back of his manager's garden. Inside, everything was miniature. "There was a miniature futon and a miniature refrigerator and bed," Ms. Gallen recalled. "The light switches were all down at the level of my knee, and the toilet was no bigger than a child’s potty."

We would love to know where Mr. Troyer purchased his home furnishings and appliances. He was truly prepared for the future.


Full Article

Pocket Projectors

The hottest new gadget this year seems to be the pocket projector. 3M, Optoma, and Toshiba have each released one, and engadget speculates that we'll be absolutely bombarded with them come CES 2009.

According to several reviewers (listed below), the miniature projectors shine--no pun intended--when connected to other miniature devices such as digital cameras, smart phones, and iPods. In other words, they will be perfect for anyone less than four feet tall. We might as well dub the pocket projector the home theater of the future.


3M MPro110 (pictured above; 7 lumens, $359; popsci review)

Optoma Pico Pocket Projector (9 lumens, $430; nytimes review)

Toshiba LED Pico Projector (10 lumens, price unknown; computerworld review)

America Finally Following in Japan's Footsteps

Project Live Small supporters will be surprised to learn what came in at number ten on Popular Mechanics' Top 10 Gadgets of 2008: a sink/toilet!

As one sharp reader commented on the Popular Mechanics website, "The Caroma [Profile Smart Dual Flush] toilet is not a new gadget. Similar designs have existed for years, just not in the US." 

Indeed. More than a month ago, we listed the sink/toilet as one of the ten ways the Japanese are already living small, and the sink/toilet existed in Japan long before 2008. It is, however, finally making its way to America thanks to Caroma, an Australian sanitary ware and plumbing firm. And for that we should all be grateful.

Six Small Stocking Stuffers

For those of you now--or not yet--engaged in last minute holiday shopping, allow us to provide you with several stocking stuffer ideas, all from fredflare.com.



Clockwise from top left: fashion origami ($12); yesterday's news colored pencils ($10), made from recycled Chinese newspapers; 3-D doodle kit ($10); diy pinhole camera ($22); tattoo bandages ($9); and mini robo vaccuum ($20).

Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

As it's about the time of year when people across America bring home a tree for the holidays, we thought we should offer our recommendations on what sort of tree to purchase.

The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) reports that Americans buy between 25 and 30 million live trees each year. Clearly, many people still prefer to buy a live tree. While the fresh pine smell is undeniably pleasing, the mess caused by falling needles is not. And though the NCTA makes a good argument for the benefits of live trees over artificial trees, they're hardly an unbiased source.

We at Project Live Small recommend purchasing an artificial tree, preferably something in the four-to-five-foot range. Artificial trees are neither biodegradable nor recyclable (NCTA's main criticism), so you won't want to throw it out. Ever. Just think of it as an investment for the future. The small artificial tree you purchase this year might be the very same tree that your under-four-feet-tall descendants crowd around, delighting in Christmas cheer for years to come.

Mini Home Office

From Vienna-based design studio Creative Industrial Objects comes the CI desk--the perfect all-in-one home office for the person under four feet tall. Read the full description below.

A multi-functional home office on wheels, in its handy size and elegant shape, adapting to the flexible working habits of the individual at home or in the office. Through a 180-degree turn of its top, it unfolds into a small workstation for laptop users. The smooth contours of the desk cube in fact reveal the delicately inbuilt wooden drawers that open to the front and sides. CI desk provides mobility and a practical working space for any busy individual.


Creative Industrial Objects, via Impact Lab.

Young Man Living in Little Tikes Playhouse

In an implicit endorsement of Project Live Small, twenty-year-old Aaron McLeod spent thirty days and nights living in a Little Tikes playhouse this past summer.

Though the playhouse was equipped with two computers, two webcams, and a microwave, among other things, McLeod issued several complaints during his stay: that he began to smell after a few days; that rain managed to permeate the playhouse; that he didn't sleep very well; and that he suffered occasional leg and stomach cramps. It is also worth mentioning that McLeod relieved himself in a bucket, which his mother had to clean everyday.

These complaints might seem to demonstrate flaws in the Live-Small lifestyle, but we can assure you that McLeod would have had far fewer complaints if he had asked Project Live Small to provide more suitable--but still plenty small--living accommodations. In fact, if McLeod were less than four feet tall and his tiny living space were equipped with a small shower and sink/toilet, he might have decided to extend his stay indefinitely!

Full Article

News Video

A Closer Look at Capsule Hotels

Several weeks ago, we listed capsule hotel rooms as one of the ten ways the Japanese are already living small. Thanks to one intrepid traveler, we are now able to take a much closer look at these tiny living accommodations. While you enjoy the video, don't forget to consider how much larger a capsule hotel room will seem in the future, when the human population tops out at four feet.

Remote Control Car Out-Performs Mini-Cooper

Some small living skeptics believe switching to an energy efficient car means sacrificing performance and power behind the wheel. Recently, however, a young fellow named Andy Moore effectively laid to rest such claims when he pit his remote control car against a BMW Mini Cooper. Despite its exponentially smaller size and its electric (as opposed to gas) power source, the tiny HBI-Nitro3 left the full-sized Mini Cooper in the dust:



With the economy in turmoil, electric and hybrid-electric vehicles are finally getting the attention they deserve, but we still have a long way to go. The automobile of the future will, of course, still be much larger than the HBI-Nitro3, but it will also be much smaller than the Mini Cooper, since it will be designed for people who are less than four feet tall. 

With smaller size comes greater fuel economy, and we at CSL are eagerly anticipating what the major automakers have in store for us.

Duckpin Bowling

Looking for an enjoyable weekend activity? Give duckpin bowling a try! Before you hit the miniature lanes, however, you ought to know how duckpin bowling differs from traditional ten-pin bowling.

Whereas a ten-pin bowling ball can weigh up to sixteen pounds and must be held by its three finger holes, a duckpin bowling ball weighs only two to four pounds and has no finger holes at all. On account of the smaller balls, duckpin bowling pins are more squat than traditional pins. And finally, because duckpin bowling is more difficult than ten-pin bowling, bowlers get three balls per frame instead of two. (Even with the extra ball per frame, professional duckpin bowlers typically score in the mid 100s [out of 300], while professional ten-pin bowlers score in the high 200s [also out of 300].)

We at CSL endorse duckpin bowling as a most delightful recreational activity that will stand the test of time. After all, the great Babe Ruth (pictured left) was an avid duckpin bowler nearly one hundred years ago; and in the future, when all people measure less than four feet tall, they will surely turn to the more reasonably sized duckpin bowling. Ten-pin, with its unmanageable sixteen pound balls, will be reduced to a mere relic.

The World's Narrowest Home

In a house that measures only one meter wide at its narrowest point, Helenita Queiroz Grave Minho of Madre de Deus, Brazil, lives comfortably with her husband, their three children, their dog, and her husband's sister and mother.

Living narrow is an important part of living small, and we at CSL commend Mrs. Minho for her ingenuity and her initiative. Now just imagine how much narrower and smaller our homes could be if we were all two feet smaller.

Full Article (Portuguese)

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989): A Live-Small Manifesto

The 80s were good to Rick Moranis. He was happily married, and had hits with such films as Ghost Busters (1984), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Space Balls (1987), Ghost Busters 2 (1989), and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). The 1990s, however, were a different story. In 1991 Moranis' wife succumbed to liver cancer, and in 1992 he decided to reprise his role as Wayne Szalinski in the box-office flop Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. From there things didn't get any better. In 1997 Moranis again reprised his role as Wayne Szalinski--this time in the straight-to-video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. The final nail in the coffin? Perhaps.

Although the second and third installments of the Honey trilogy certainly mark the violent downward trajectory of Moranis' film career, the first deserves more careful attention. If there's a lesson to be learned from such a delightful family film as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids--and we at CSL believe there is--it's that living small, though sometimes alienating, is the most economically responsible way of life. For proof, one must look no further than the scene in which the kids stumble upon a cookie in the yard, or the scene in which Nick Szalinski finds himself floating in his father's bowl of Cheerios. Their reduced height makes the food appear immense, more than a single tiny person could eat in a lifetime.

To be sure, the height reduction featured in the film is extreme and entirely unrealistic, but the central message is clear: reduced height means less food, which in turn means less money and less waste.

World's Smallest Clamshell Cellular Telephone

Living small means small gadgets, and the Pantech C300 is an excellent example:



The C300 has all the features you could ever need (instant messaging, MMS and text messaging, a camera with 4x digital zoom, etc.), and it costs well under $100. But the best part? It weighs in at just over 70 grams and measures only 3.4 x 1.7 x 0.8 inches!

The Right Angle, An Excellent Space Saver

Anyone who owns a refrigerator understands how much space goes to waste with cylindrical and otherwise rounded containers consuming precious shelf space. We at CSL are happy to present two practical solutions to this age-old dilemma.

First: square watermelons. Even in the company of such space wasters as cylindrical bottles and bowl-shaped containers, the oval watermelon stands out as the refrigerator's most vicious offender. Thankfully, the Citrullus lanatus no longer poses a problem: the square watermelon is now a reality. Pioneered by forward-thinking Japanese scientists and grown in glass containers, square watermelons are quickly replacing their inconveniently rotund brethren as the most delicious and refreshing summertime treat. Make sure to check your local produce vendor, or visit this site to learn how to grow your own.

Second: square milk jugs. Though traditional one-gallon milk jugs were never as bad as oval watermelons in regards to refrigerator space, storing milk just became easier with Sam's Club's introduction of the square, case-less milk jug. So pay a visit to your local Sam's Club and pick up a couple jugs today.