What do these two bikes have in common? Two wheels? We can feel the love.
Designer Roland Kaufmann has gone and built a bicycle out of wood. He calls this cycle Jano, and says it’s a dual bike, equally at home trekking cross-country or taking its rider to and from work every day. This project has gone beyond some vaporware CAD drawing—he’s actually built a great-looking prototype, riding this bike around and impressing everyone in sight. Although Kaufmann never reveals the exact weight of his wooden bike, he extols the virtues of using wood which is pretty innovative. Why wood?
“Did you know that wood is up to 10 times stiffer than fiberglass and nearly 6 times stiffer than a kevlar/epoxy composite? Using wood and epoxy industry created some of the world’s best multi-hulled sailboats, sprint kayaks and rowing shells. lightweights. Quicker in acceleration. Easier in maneuvering. More convenient to carry. Straightforward to maintain and visually divine. A swan among ducks. So why not also using this material for a bike?”
He uses wood veneers glued together into a unique configuration, which he says gives the resulting frame more stability while still reducing its thickness. Cyclists, will this work? Sure looks great, an example of superb craftsmanship.
via GP Designpartners, Treehugger, and gizmodo
about ron kovach
Much like a canteen for campers, this simple design is a compact carrier for your pet’s food and water. Made of two halves, the Charlybox includes a two-liter canteen for fresh water, and two bowls for water and kibble.
Great gift for a pet owner. Or treat yourself if you are an outdoors type person.
Via Design Within Reach (DWR) and petmonologues
Italdesign Ggiugiao Quaranta concept powered by Toyota Hybrid Synergy drive
Uncompromising innovation in Giugiaro tradition
An ‘extreme’, clean-technology project embodying 40 years of styling research and engineering celebrated by Italdesign Giugiaro in Geneva
The ‘Quaranta’ project is a concept car designed to celebrate Italdesign Giugiaro’s forty years of business in styling and technological research at the service of the automotive sector. The Quaranta, world-premiered at the 2008 Geneva International Motor Show, is a synthesis of Italdesign Giugiaro’s unmatched experience of automotive design: from city cars to super sports-cars, from MPVs to medium-engined saloons up to and including luxury flagships and environment-friendly SUV, not to mention light/heavy duty commercial vehicles, in complete cooperation with leading manufacturers all over the world. (more…)
The entire Yahoo Design Innovation Team, aka yHaus, has been axed en masse, Portfolio.com has confirmed with one of the team’s former members.
“Yahoo Design Innovation team has been shut down completely,” wrote Doug Fritz, a former full-time staffer for the team, in an email.
The team had been working on next generation design projects. This week, more than 1,000 Yahoo employees have been let go as the troubled Web portal struggles to cope with operating costs that are rising much faster than revenue is growing.
The layoffs mean the end of a font of design innovation at the beleaguered web giant, which is currently trying to fend off a hostile takeover bid by Microsoft. (more…)
Apparently, the Macbook Air is selling well enough to be unavailable in many stores and require a 5-7 day wait for online orders. Despite the high price, the super-thin laptop is often selling out the day a shipment arrives at an Apple Store according to research done by Ars Technica. Of course, without knowing just how many Macbook Airs Apple is manufacturing, this could just as easily be a case of Apple not making all too many in the first place, making demand seem higher than it really is. What do you guys think, have you seen lots of them out in the wild or is this just a case of distorted perceptions? (more…)
Simplehuman’s handsome new Steel Frame Dishrack makes years of mildew-prone materials and leaky drip trays a thing of the past: It features a bamboo knife block, an under-the-drip-tray spout that pivots to drain excess water into the sink, and a fingerprint-proof coating that will keep the thing as pristine as the stainless-steel appliances it’s meant to mimic; $70.
via: i.d. magazine
The 78th International Motor Show will be held from the 6th to 16th of March. Over 130 worldwide and European premieres have been announced, coming from every sector of the industry. The trend towards new technologies and alternative fuels is continuing. Visitors will discover three new manufacturers and many attractions both inside and outside the halls of GENEVA PALEXPO.
Close to 1,000 brands from some thirty countries will be presented by around 260 exhibitors. (more…)
