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What’s hot!

Home What’s hot!
tesla’s patents now belong to us.

tesla’s patents now belong to us.

Jun 16, 2014

above> elon musk presents model s in 2012

Yesterday Tesla released their patents. From Elon Musk: “Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal. Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.” [ tesla news ]

the wearables. new generation tech a life changer.

the wearables. new generation tech a life changer.

Dec 22, 2013

The smartphone industry has provided all the now-inexpensive tech that is needed to go to the next level. What’s needed now is an adaptation of function and aesthetics. Creating smart gadgets that are wearable (good looking) will change real-time life as we know it and it’s here now.

[ shine fitness tracker ]
Shine creator Sonny Vu has pushed the envelope in this category. Shine does aspire and inspires. If you can do this to one category, we don’t have to say much more than that. [ misfit wearables ]
wearable-shine1

[ galaxy gear ]
The Samsung Galaxy Gear is a watch. You can customize the way it looks and how it tells you the time with several face options and the choice of ten pre-loaded clock types. So far so good. But what makes it smart? It notifies users of incoming messages, such as calls, texts, emails and alerts, delivers a preview of those messages and creates the opportunity for users to accept or discreetly ignore those messages.

wearable-samsung-gear1

In the past, some have seen Samsung’s design as plasticky and cheap, the Samsung Galaxy Gear is not. With an aluminum face and a rubber wrist-strap, it feels much more premium than the Pebble. It’s not small, with a 1.63-inch screen, 11.1mm thickness and a width of 36.8mm, some would call it chunky, but we don’t mind that in a watch.

wearable-galaxy2-1galaxy 2 rumored to be released in spring 2014

[ recon snow2 ]
Recon Instruments, behind the world’s first consumer Heads-up Displays (HUD) for sports, has introduced the fourth generation of their heads up display for skiers and snowboarders, the Recon Snow2. As with previous versions of Recon’s snow HUD, Snow2 has been designed to work with goggles from the world’s leading manufacturers including Oakley, Smith, Scott, Uvex, Alpina, Briko and Zeal. The Snow2 is also available for sale as a stand-alone unit. You can go to the company website and at Apple.com and in Apple retail stores worldwide in partnership with Oakley and specialty ski and snowboard retailers in partnership with Smith, Oakley and Zeal.

wearable-recon2-1

wearable-recon-jet-1for bikers there’s also reconjet

[ recon instruments ]

Apple iphone 5S & 5C.

Sep 11, 2013

apple-iphone13-1

On 10 September, Apple for the first time announces two new iPhones, the 5S and 5C.

[ price ]
The iPhone 5C takes the place of a discounted iPhone 5 in Apple’s lineup and is nearly the same. The 5C comes in two sizes: 16GB at $99 and 32GB at $199 on-contract pricing and $549 off-contract. The iPhone 5S, meanwhile, ranges in price from $199 to $399, depending on your memory choice, and starts at $649 for an unlocked version.

[ specs ]
The 5C has an A6 chip and compares to the iPhone 5 and is made of plastic rather than glass and aluminum. I have an iPhone and a Galaxy S and have no problem with plastic.

The 5S has a 64-bit processor and can accommodate more sophisticated future apps. There’s an improved camera sensor and not exactly sure what that means yet. There’s also a fingerprint scanner in the home button for logging in and making purchases, as well as a new chip that tracks movement for health apps. Also not yet sure what these features really mean. Apple says that the fingerprint data will be stored only on your device and not uploaded to Apple’s servers.

[ privacy ]
Fingerprint scanning and biometric data gathering, collecting information about your movement, though the way of the future is something consumers should think about.

[ availability ]
In the U.S. — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon — are carrying the phones and will be available 20 September.

[ upgrade ]
The 5S is a significant upgrade for iphone 4 owners and the 5C it is said to be aimed abroad based on pricing though the phone will still be considered expensive.

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VIPP's trashion couture.

May 29, 2013

Trashion Bins_group2click > enlarge

Danish trash can design company Vipp is giving new meaning to the word bombastic.

LeverCouture_model01

The company best known for the 1939 design of the Vipp Pedal Bin, unveiled a series of eight “couture” designs for their iconic trash cans. The designs, by Berlin designer Lessja Verlingieri of Lever Couture, took around 400 hours to complete and utilized 1400 (!) meters of fabric. The company’s word for their creation? “Trashion.”

Each of the designs is based on an outfit that Lever Couture had previously created for one of her clients, which include Lady Gaga and Gwyneth Paltrow. Verlingieri said it was a creative challenge to alter her designs for trash bins.

“But,” she points out, “the Vipp pedal bins have a great shape and they are the stars among pedal bins.”

The Trashion Bins are available at the Vipp Flagship Store in Copenhagen and will retail for 3500-5000 euros. If you’re considering purchasing one, we’d recommend buying a second regular Pedal Bin for actual, you know, trash.

[ vipp ] [ lever couture ]

<a href="542-carrie4-100about carrie neill

Solar impulse. Second leg from phoenix to dallas.

May 22, 2013

solarimpulse-leg3-3hrs-122 may 2013 | 5am mst

Solar Impulse, the solar-powered airplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, will depart from Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday, 22 May for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to complete the second leg of its historic, cross-country journey.

After a successful first leg on 3 May, where Bertrand Piccard flew Solar Impulse from the San Francisco Bay Area to Phoenix, André Borschberg will attempt to set an absolute distance world record in solar aviation. The Phoenix-to-Dallas trip should be over 830 miles (~ 1’337 km). The previous distance record already belongs to Solar Impulse when André flew 693 miles (1’116 km) from Switzerland to Spain in May, 2012.

solarimpulse-leg3-3hrs222 may 2013 | 5am mst

By achieving historical firsts and setting new records, Solar Impulse hopes to inspire everyone to be pioneers and change-makers to bring solutions for today’s challenges. Clean Generation, Solar Impulse’s latest initiative to create a global movement to promote the use of clean technology, is already rallying thousands of people to support the adoption of sustainable energy solutions. The names of those who join this movement are carried on a USB key kept in the cockpit and transported across America as virtual passengers.

Five custom-designed flags displaying the Clean Generation slogan are carried by the pilots and handed over to civic leaders at each stop. The flags are as a symbol of inspiration for citizens, CEOs and policymakers to adopt Solar Impulse’s pioneering, clean-energy spirit. In Phoenix, the Clean Generation flag was handed over to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who visited Solar Impulse at Phoenix Sky Harbor during a dinner organized by the Swiss consulate in Phoenix.

solarimpulse-leg3-3hrs322 may 2013 | 5am mst

[ world record attempt ]
World Record Attempt for Absolute Distance in Solar-Powered Airplane

[ join us ]
All those interested in being part of this movement can [ sign up here ]
05:00 a.m. MST (02:00 p.m. Swiss Time): Take-off from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport USA
06:00 a.m. MST (03:00 p.m. Swiss Time): Heading east towards Roswell (NM) – ascending to an altitude of 14,000 ft
01:00 p.m. MST (10:00 p.m. Swiss Time): Passing Roswell continues direction Abilene – cruising altitude 27,000 ft
02:30 p.m. CDT (09:30 p.m. Swiss Time): Flying over Hobbs – border with Texas continues direction DFW
01:00 a.m. CDT (08:00 am Swiss Time): Estimated landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

The Solar Impulse Across America mission is made in partnership with Solvay, Schindler, Bayer Material Science, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Sunpower and the Swiss Confederation.

[ track the mission via computer / mobile device live ]
During the Across America mission, each flight will be streamed live as well as on Twitter and Facebook. The airplane’s position, altitude and speed will be shown in real time, while cockpit and mission control cameras allow viewers to experience the journey. The third leg of the Across America journey, from Dallas to St-Louis, will be flown by Bertrand Piccard.

above> first leg from san francisco to phoenix 3 may 2013

[ ‘across america’ at-a-glance ]

Early May 2013: First leg San Francisco/Moffett Airfield – Phoenix/Sky Harbor
Mid May 2013: Second leg Phoenix/Sky Harbor – Dallas/Fort Worth
End May – Early June 2013: Third leg Dallas/Fort Worth – St. Louis/Lambert Airport
Early to Mid-June 2013: Fourth leg St. Louis/Lambert Airport – Washington DC/Dulles
Early July 2013: Fifth and last leg Washington DC/Dulles – New York/JFK

2013 webby winners announced.

Apr 30, 2013

webby2013winners1

11,000 entries. good read! [ winners and honorees ]

Sneaker collection. Ruco line.

Feb 28, 2013

rucoline-ariel1click > enlarge

Not exactly high-heel sneaks but these shoes from Italian Ruco Line are full of vamp. For both the boys and the girls. The girls have many many to choose from. Very nice accessories too.

rucoline-ariel2

rucoline-nabuk2

rucoline-nabuk3

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rucoline-thelma1

rucoline-alice1

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rucoline-marge1

rucoline-thelma5

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below> men’s shoes below.

rucoline-charlie1

rucoline-charlie2

rucoline-eric2

rucoline-eric3

rucoline-nabuk1

85 years: the special edition oscars poster.

Feb 13, 2013

85oscars-poster1click > enlarge

A special edition poster of 85 Oscars statuettes, each inspired by the “Best Picture” winners from 1927 to 2012. [ details ] Designer Olly Moss, was made in collaboration with Gallery 1988.

American airlines: 1967 > 2013.

American airlines: 1967 > 2013.

Jan 24, 2013

above> rendering of new brand / might have liked to see a more dynamic, less mechanical solution.

an iconic identity that had a nice long run. if American was a women, she was a dame.

When American Airlines debuted its new brand identity on 17 January I was on a AA 767-300 red eye to Maison&Objet in Paris. I think that same plane on the return leg was one of the last to leave Charles De Gaulle Sunday afternoon as snow was falling. The plane was old with no smoking stickers in the galley. The week before I was in a very new United Airbus 320-200. The 16-hour roundtrips produced measurable differences. As for the news of the redesign, designers of my generation are very aware of the AA brand, its longevity and legendary designer, Massimo Vignelli. The rebranding will become a branding benchmark in graphic design history.



It so happens, 40 years later, in 2007, the well-viewed movie ‘Helvetica’ debuted, an entertaining history of the typeface interspersed with candid interviews with leading graphic and type designers, which consequently revisits the AA brand’s as a brand built around Helvetica. The movie also reveals a rift between modernists and postmodernists, with the latter expressing and explaining their criticisms of the famous typeface. A refrain by many of the designers in the movie — they wouldn’t know how to change or improve the Helvetica design. It’s fair to say, the design, the design elements, contributed to the longevity of American’s brand. It’s also fair to say time, i.e., technology, worked against it.

With some brands the passing of time works in your favor. For example if your business is dark ale or fine chocolate, where tradition and recipes go unchanged for generations, as time passes these industries become more revered. But not in the aerospace business. Boeing’s Dreamliner woes highlight the demands technology and processes aircraft design undergoes. Considering all the changes the airplane is going through I’m a bit surprised at the degree of vitriol directed at the redesign, when we consider the upcoming new planes. I don’t have issue with disappointment over aspects of the new messaging. I do have with an opinion that the long-standing identity, admittedly a classic icon, didn’t need tweaking. A new logo and paint job is more than a cosmetic makeover.

It’s a question that American and their brand consultant Futurebrand pondered for over two years as American was ordering 550 new planes, many with composite bodies that can’t have polished mirror-like finishes. During this time design elements and the name itself were scrutinized. We’re told the creative brief sought the proper blend of USA pride with a focus on flight, worldwide, technology, entertainment and progress. We’re told the abstracted symbol of the American flag will only appear on the tail of the aircraft. The new icon, formally an eagle loses the talons appears both to be a symbol of a bird and wings, the reminder of flight. We’re told American polled their employees and their customers and the message was the old identity felt tired. I believe all of that transpired. Whatever. My recent two-weekend experience wanted me flying at 35,000 feet in a new Panamera and not a 1967 Jaguar 420G — the mid-80s 767 felt older. The brand too either reassures or shakens the experience.

One more thought and it’s about presentation, not just the logotype and symbol but also the ‘packaging’ of the brands. By packaging in this case I mean how the logo is presented over a period of time. Let’s look at American founded 1934 and Coca-Cola in 1886.



Coca-Cola is a brand where time can work on their side. Coca-Cola introduced the powerful ‘stripe’ in the 60s which coincides with American’s previous brand debut. During this time, while the core Coca-Cola logotype underwent very mild tweaks the presentation of the logo varied greatly while retaining the stripe with its classic product. Noticeable change in the packaging while slight refinement with the logotype was enough to keep Coke fresh.



American’s packaging of the airplane on the other hand lasted a surprising long time with little discernable change, a tribute to the original design surely. But now comes the rub when considering the new planes, the new interiors. There are some out there who would be more than happy with the seats in business and first-class being Cassina LC2’s and LC4’s.



In order to write an opinion I needed to process a bit, the 1967 iteration fixed in my mind for so long. I searched and found the above concept designed by Anthony Harding. Harding created a thoughtful series in May 2012 when he heard American was buying more new planes. The comments on his post were interesting especially to see a pilot give his opinion. Harding’s layout is the top example and I did a quick cut-and-paste on 2nd and 3rd. Anthony, hope you don’t mind. This exercise examined losing the AA and putting a larger symbol on the tail. Massimo’s iconic eagle still makes an appropriate flight and USA statement and is more proprietary than the new abstract symbol though the new one works for me too. This study and the new identity does move it closer to what’s already in the marketplace. The messaging and vision statement play an important role.

The old logotype could lose the outlines. Maybe something close to Helvetica worth a look. But wait, we’re feeding a dead horse. The new identity is public, the old one laid to rest and I don’t think it will come back like Coca-Cola Classic. This dialog is a way of personal closure for me, for an identity that had a nice long run. If American was a women, she was a dame. And it’s ok to revisit those things that may not seem broken.

[ american airlines ] [ starbucks packaging ] [ massimo vignelli ] [ anthony harding ]

Light-emitting-diode. 1962-2012.

Nov 28, 2012

water light graffiti | antonin fourneau | 2012 | click > enlarge

No, the LED did not die in 2012, it turned 50* years old. It doesn’t seem that old, but neither does the LED wristwatch which became popular in the mid-70s. We can say the LED came of age at 45, a result of better, more consistent and reliable chips that power the lamp. We predict that by age 60 the LED will be identified with those things gone viral.



Panasonic’s latest LED light bulb (LDAHV4L27CG) won the 2011 Good Design Gold Award (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Prize) at this year’s Good Design Award show hosted by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion. This LED light bulb is notable for its use of clear glass, while its LED light source resembles a filament that can effectively disperse light in all directions. It offers both a rated lifespan of 40,000 hours and excellent energy-saving performance. The combination of such characteristics led to such recognition at the Good Design Awards. The photo > LDAHV6L27CGE



LED traffic lights in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. 2007.



LED grow lights.



Pulsar P4 Ladies’ (Oval, Stainless) is Pulsar’s first model for women. It was the first LED wristwatch with a movement miniaturized enough for a ladies model. 1975.

photo > vintage technology association

*Nick Holonyak invented the first ‘visible’ i.e., visibly practical LED, while working as a consulting scientist at General Electric and has been called ‘the father of the light-emitting-diode’. The first LED was invented in 1961, at Texas Instruments, by Bob Biard and Gary Pittman. Their device was infrared, not visible red. The first commercial LED was the TI SNX-100 infrared LED, introduced in 1962. We are not sure what color the first visible LED was. And we can’t seem to find the ‘visible’ LED’s birth certificate.

[ illumination ]

street light
airbus a380
led traffic light
indoor grow lights
mercedes-benz f800
bridge
neofab legion ii flashlight
pulsar p4 ladies
microsoft mouse
early red led
panasonic light of the year 2012

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