Ok, this is going to make your mind AND your fingers dance with excitement! A new use of technology that seems like it could drastically change how we interact with our environments: the Mogee. Simply a microphone connected to a computer, by affixing the devise to nearly any surface you can turn it into a gesture based touch interface! Here a tree, a glass window, even an inflated balloon are used to play some pretty catchy electronic rhythms using simple hand gestures. Amazing. [Read more...]
You remember Wonkavision from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, right? Well that portal like ability to reach in and manipulate things inside your television has just become reality… or pretty close. Media student Jayne Vidheecharoen from the Art Center College of Design in California has designed a prototype TV that converts physical hands into virtual ones when users put them in the back of the television, allowing them to manipulate what’s on the screen. Fun stuff! [Read more...]
I thought I’d seen every type of book carving imaginable, until I ran across these jaw dropping creations by Guy Laramee. His works are so sculptural, so movingly natural in their form, they’ve really touched me. His works are inspired by a fascination with so-called progress in society: a thinking which says the book is dead, libraries are obsolete and technology is the only way of the future. [Read more...]
There are suddenly a lot of green, fuel efficient car options on the market. From the iconic Toyota Prius Hybrid to the new Chevy Volt Plug-in Hybrid and Nissan Leaf Electric, different technologies are being used to get the same job done. But how do these cars work and compare to each other? This graphic by 1 Block Off the Grid, a cool company that facilitates community solar purchases, looks at 4 popular green vehicle types and what makes them shine or fall short on the road to a cleaner future [Read more...]
Yesterday, August 24th, Steve Jobs stepped down from his post as CEO of Apple Inc. in what some have said was ‘perfect timing’ following the company’s meteoric rise to the status of world’s most valuable company. Although unstated in his resignation letter to the Apple board of directors and “the Apple community”, Jobs poor health due to a rare case of pancreatic cancer was clearly a large factor in the decision:
“I have always said that if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s C.E.O., I would be the first to let you know,” Jobs said in his letter. “Unfortunately, that day has come.”
Today we bring you a selection of magazine covers through the years, spanning the storied ups and downs of Steve Jobs’ career with and sometimes without Apple. Through these images we also see a young hip Jobs transition from his early long-haired years to the black shirt and blue-jeans clad icon of today. [Read more...]
It’s as classically French as the Eiffel Tower or a black beret: the baguette is a daily staple of the delicious French diet. The countries ravenous appetite for the long loaves was previously supplied by over 30,000 bakeries all over the nation. Now with more of the population adopting the American/British habit of grabbing a quick lunchtime meal, along with cases of poor working conditions for bakers, many of those traditional bakeries are closing. [Read more...]
Have you ever been filming an event, trying to capture all the amazing moments, only to find all of the magic happening outside the frame? Well, thankfully that problem will soon be part of the past. iPhone 4 users will soon be able to snap a small, pocket sized device called “Dot” onto their phone and take full 360 degree video. Immediately afterward that video can be viewed and navigated via an iPhone based app or computer based software. Kõgeto, a New York based company, recently launched a Kickstarter campaign aimed at producing the device which has already been enthusiastically funded by over 200 percent (obviously people want a Dot!). By “donating” $98 dollars to launch the new product, contributers get to be one of the first people to receive the very sweet device… and never miss a moment again. [Read more...]
3D printers have been retailing at around $24,000, making them far too expensive for smaller architecture companies and design firms to purchase. Now, UK-based Bits from Bytes hopes to change all that with the development of their desktop sized 3D printer: the BFB 3000. With the advent of the BFB 3000, 3D printing has now become an affordable option — around $3,000!— for architects, designers, and inventors to showcase their prototypes and design concepts to clients in 3D.
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Res Sapiens is a project authored by Pieke Bergmans and the Dutch design group LUSTlab. The Res Sapiens project merges the digital world with the physical, connecting them seamlessly and treating both as equals. It not only asks questions of us, but of itself as well. Res Sapiens refers to thinking physical objects (e.g. products and architecture) that surpass their visual representation and display their meaning, role and status in society. [Read more...]
Trees are not just a simple part of nature, they’re a immensely complex structure that requires an vast amount of knowledge to understand. Leafsnap is first in a series of recently launched apps designed to turn mobile app users into citizen dendrologists. [Read more...]
