Thanks Thomas! And thanks to Rob, who also sent in an example ridiculous packaging today:

Kalkin’s prefab homes use anywhere from one to six, or sometimes even 12 shipping containers as the frame for the home. Kalkin’s homes tend to range in price from $US150-$US400 per square foot, with the cheapest container house costing $US50,000. Some are very simple, merely containing a room in in a single container, where as others have whole other structures built inside them.

But despite all the architectural eye candy, I think my favourite part of the piece was an anecdote about how Kalkin once decided to shave while delivering a lecture at the Whitney museum. But I digress. Fast Company has plenty more photos, so check them out. [Fast Company]

According to a PC contractor that builds for Acer, HP and others PC manufacturers, the software should be available in either late September or early October. Microsoft still maintains that Windows 7 will be available three years from when Vista was shipped, but evidence would suggest it’s nothing more than a safeguard against expectations and any faux paux in releasing the OS. [Electronista]

Let’s put it this way. If our reader had ordered two packs of photo paper, the world’s rainforests would be but a pile of sawdust, plus enough air would be trapped within plastic polyair bubbles to make a simple walk around the block into a death-defying Everest summit.

Instead, the Earth chooses to kill us slowly, having deemed the prospect of a swift, global-scale execution too painless. [Thanks Jeromy!]

Well done, sir. [LiveLeak via Neatorama]

UPDATE: Received an official comment from Madman about this.And if that wasn’t bad enough, the packaging included a scrunched up ball of paper to “pad” the DVD, and the invoice was, in Kieran’s own words, “scrunched up in a ball along with the packing paper to form part of the ‘insulation’”.

Fail, Madman Entertainment. Fail.

UPDATE: So here’s the official comment from Madman:

To whom it may concern,

Appreciate your feedback regarding the packaging of your recently purchased Madman product. We welcome feedback of this sort and are committed to continual improvement in all areas of our business, most particularly in the manner in which we package and dispatch our product.

Just wanted to offer the following response which may assuage some of the comments.

All of the packaging we use is recyclable and is made from recycled materials. The box in question is actually the most efficient and environmentally friendly packaging we have that still ensures security of product in transit and is much more environmentally efficient than utilising bubble wrap or padded plastic to securely transport product to our customers.

Madman is committed to using sustainable packaging and we are constantly reviewing our dispatch and packaging procedures to ensure they are compliant with business and environmental requirements. Our carbon footprint is something Madman takes extremely seriously and as a business we regularly engage in activities that support the environment, such as company tree planting days, a company wide recycling policy on all paper, plastic and associated products including ink cartridges etc. We also enlisted an environmental consultant throughout the first half of 2008 who worked with the company for 6 months to put in place a series of procedures that have allowed us to run a more sustainable and environmentally sound business (I am happy to specify if required).

Again, we thank you for your feedback as it aids and informs our commitment to continual improvement.

If you’ve got an entry for our Shipping Hall of Shame, let us know at tips@gizmodo.com.au.

[Thanks Kieran!]

As Kevin notes, it might seem nitpicky, but when you compare this to how much Apple boasts on the MacBook’s green packaging, it is kind of jarring:

“The new MacBook packaging is up to 41 percent smaller than the previous generation. And smaller boxes are much better for the planet. Because smaller boxes mean we can fit more boxes on each shipping pallet — up to 25 percent more. Which means more products will fit on each boat and plane. Which means fewer boats and planes are used, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions. It’s just one seemingly minor change. But it has a major positive impact on our environment.”

Surely they’ve got a smaller box lying around somewhere. If not, we hope they transition all of their shipping boxes to a greener variation—not just to align them with Apple’s own standards and goals, but to set an example for the rest of the industry. [jkOnTheRun]

It replaces a whole bunch of larger, less green gear—a giant thermal printer, PC, monitor and scanner. UPS says it’ll save 92,456 hours, 1,338 tons of paper and 3,807 tons of carbon emissions a year. Who ever said going green had to cost green? Next please: Package teleporters. [Treehugger]