A Different Timescale

Most of us measure time with the standard 12 or 24 hour clock. We've been doing it this way for thousands of years. Every device created to indicate that measurement has by and far been the same at the core. Is it "time" to offer another way? Product Designers Pierre Haulot and William Boullier seem to think so. Their Elio Linea Scale watch measures time on a personal level, customized to each person's goals. Modern life is made up of short term goals strung together to form long term goals. Current timepieces can only tell us how far in the day we've progressed but not how far into completing each task. The Elio Linea reads like a computer progress bar; telling you your position within a predetermined period vs. the time spent and the time remaining. Always know how much time you have left to get to work vs. how much of a work day is left. Always know when it's time for a nap vs. how much time is left before bedtime. The watch personalizes itself to your schedule.

What do you guys think?

Jeff Deboer Armor

I've recently been obsessed with the work of Canadian artist Jeff Deboer. He excels in metal craft and his work is just stunning. Instead of the plain old suit of armor we're all used to seeing, he applies a comical twist to it. His Cat & Mice exhibition plays up that old rivalry between feline and rodent in an honorable and medieval way. It may be armor for cats and mice but make no mistake about it, this is real stuff all meticulously crafted by Jeff's expert hands and looks decidedly dangerous. Now if there was only a way for me to get my hands on one of these beautiful creations. Any ideas Jeff?

The Power Between My Legs

Looking like a cross between a crotch rocket and Confederate, the Ecosse Heretic Ti opens up a whole bunch of whoop ass to any challengers. With its titanium chassis, 120ci 135-hp engine (that's almost 1 horsepower per pound of body weight), carbon-fiber body work and six-speed transmission, this thing is FAST. . . or so I was told. I'm no bike-head so I had to rely on an associate to give me the skinny on this beast.

This particular class of motorcycle is called naked street bikes which is pretty self explanatory. It looks like a street bike but without its side panels, hence the "naked" part. I think it's cool.

Would be nice to have it parked in the front. Well anyways it costs $140,000 so I'm back in reality now. For that kind of money, I rather have a Confederate Hellcat or Renovatio.

Check out this cool bikes :)

http://www.confederate.com/machines.php

The Queen Mamma

Japan's Media Arts Festival just ended and it's amazing to see the many retrospectives from the nation's varied designers. My favorite is called the Queen Mamma, an exhibition about the past, present and future of media arts in Japan. In this one piece alone, you can clearly see how distinctly Japanese it is.

Japan’s Snow-Digesting Picachu Bot

Our Japanese technologic-overlords are at it again! This experimental robot roams parking lots and sidewalks in search of a certain white powdery substance (no, not THAT substance). Using GPS sensors, built-in video cameras, tank-like treading, and no human supervision, the Yuki-taro bot seeks out and gorges on snow; scooping it into its hungry mouth. That's where things get weird. Instead of simply blowing or melting the snow down, the Pokemon-inspired automaton's guts compress it into tightly packed blocks of ice; which are then pooped out the bot's backside(!!!) and later collected and stored for Summertime refrigeration needs. The inspiration for 800 pound Yuki-taro seems to come from mankind's increasing fear of any sort of manual labor. Afterall, no one hates shoveling snow more than a Japanese scientist.

Wear A Raptor

When I first saw the tv mini-series "Walking With Dinosaurs", I immediately wanted to know how they made all the CGI and animatronics. If you haven't seen it, I implore you to netflix it. A behind the scenes documentary followed and one particular scene amazed me - the raptors weren't robots at all. They were masterfully crafted costumes worn by people! A series of servos and hydraulics controlled the tail but the classic stalking gait came from very talented stunt people.

Smart Fortwo USA

Well there he is kiddies. The Smart Fortwo designed specifically for American shores will be showing up on American roads January of next year. The new Fortwo has slightly more aggressive lines to suit American tastes with a huge upgrade in safety features like four airbags, ABS and stability control. The American Fortwo grows slightly larger in size for increased cabin and trunk space and will come with an all new 1.0 liter 3-cylinder engine good enough for 84 bhp. That may sound like very little power but remember this car is very small. It doesn't take much to move it but don't worry. I'm sure the tuner market will release all sorts of goodies to make this baby go faster while still maintaining its 40 mpg rating. The base model rings in at $11,000 with the top of the line convertible asking for $15,000. Smartusa plans on taking pre-orders this April so start saving now!

Neonode N2 Optical Touchscreen Phone

Those funny Swedes are at it again with the brand new, just unveiled Neonode N2. Still maintaining somewhat of a similar form factor to the N1 but this time looking less mobile phone and more like something they would use on Star Trek to scan for life forms. The N2 runs on the Open Platform which is a fancy-schmancy UI designed for easy file navigation. The other interesting tidbit is the touchscreen which isn't really a touchscreen at all. Neonode calls it an optical screen because it's overlaid with a network of invisible beams that detect your finger's position. Hmm, COOL! Oh and one last bit of coolness is their WRR client which is sort of like a Tivo for radio stations. A desktop client records from any of 100+ radio channels that can sync with your phone, commercial free. The specs are run of the mill for 2007 phones; 2" screen, 2MP camera, bluetooth, music, video and miniSD card slot. So there you have it. Not sure what to think of the design yet but I am interested in the Open Platform OS/UI and this optical screen thing they've patented. Neonode, SEND ME ONE!

Motorola Z8

Proving that they still have some design chops left after the success and now copied RAZR, Motorola unveiled the Z8. The phone runs on the latest Symbian mobile OS with a super sharp QVGA screen, 2MP camera, VGA camera for 2-way video calls, music, video, microSD slot, messaging and full POP/IMAP email access. However the real juicy bit here is the Z8 will be HSDPA which means 3.6Mbps of fast mobile broadband speeds. Still not as fast as Japan's recent 5+ Mbps tests but fast enough for now dammit. Wait wait, that's not all. The final feature worth mentioning is the unique sliding mechanism and form factor. If you look closely at its profile, the phone curves to hug the face making it more ergonomic. Motorola hopes this new design will grace them with another RAZR-like runaway hit. Time will tell, just please do me a favor and get rid of any neon green accents from production units before the April 2007 release date.

Issey Miyake TRAPEZOID Watch

I like this retro-futuristic watch. The TRAPEZOID by famed designer Naoto Fukasawa for Issey Miyake is finally showing up in shops and it's cool! Manufactured by Seiko, stainless steel, water resistant, standard calendar and chronograph with four different dial colors to choose from. From it's profile and lateral view you can see the face itself is quite thick rising at an angle, sure to set off any wrist and cuff nicely. Look for them at your Issey Miyake stores in New York, Paris and London.

HIV Attacked for Massive Damage

Scientists have discovered a weak spot in the AIDS virus that is susceptible to antibodies which could lead to a vaccine.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health issued a report yesterday Feb. 14th, about a specific protein in HIV that provides the initial "handshake" when making contact with immune cells. The cells are tricked thus giving the virus the opportunity to take over.

This specific protein can be neutralized by a protein we all make but immune cells have yet to identify it as a resource to use against HIV. When the virus is positively identified, the correct antibody is applied easily neutralizing the virus.

Although the journal is careful to point out it's not a cure yet, they remain positive about future research which would ultimately lead to a vaccine. I think it's an amazing prospect that our bodies may already have the weapon to defeat the virus, it just never knew to use it.

There are currently 2 other HIV vaccines in human trial so if anything, this new research is another beacon of hope to hold on to.

It Passes Tissues

In 2218 Japan will be overrun with elderly people with snotty noses. Leave it to a Japanese robotics company to take the lead and develop the Mospeng-kun, a tissue dispensing robot.

For now, you'll find Mospeng-kun at high-profile social gatherings, conventions and expos. The forever smiling bot knows when you approach and in act of friendship, offers you a free pack of tissue.

You can't help but smile as you hear it thank you in its high pitched voice secretly counting every person that comes by. Sure it's obedient now but just wait, you'll see. . . You can rent one for $835 for 5 days.

I wonder how they came to that figure. I digress, if that's a bit too pricey for your parties then just watch this video and pretend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBBCcmw2nnA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebornrich%2Eorg%2Fentry%2Ftissue%2Ddispensing%2Drobot%2Dfor%2Dplush%2Dsocial%2Dgatherings%2F

I'm Talkin' But I'm So Sleepy

That's because I've never had it so easy. Look, it's the perCushion bluetooth enabled pillow by Urban Tool. How many of you have stayed up late yappin' away only to be stopped by the ache in your hand holding the phone or the awkwardness of laying down with a headset wrapped around your ear? The perCushion makes it easier for us bedtime yappers to conversate (I know it's not a word, so sue me) totally handsfree. Inside this tempurpedic-like (oh my god, trademark!) foam cushion are a bevy of electronics that take pillow-talk into the 21st century. You've got your bluetooth module for pairing to your bluetooth enabled phone. You've got your lithium ion battery for easy recharging. You've got your integrated talk/answer buttons and status LEDs sewn in. Most important you've got a built-in speaker/microphone for a real handsfree experience - be it friendly, loving or dirty. Of course I must remind you people it's quite rude to fall asleep on the phone and the perCushion looks like it'll be easier than ever to do so. Here comes the bad news, it's concept only. I know some manufacturers that read this blog so get in contact with these people and get-ta-mass producin' dammit. I expect to see perCushions of all color persuasion at Sharper Image, Discovery stores and Brookstone by year's end.

Jeff Han at TED2007

Okay the more I see this man demo his multi-touch interface and software, the more I believe he will go down in history as one of the most important people of the early 21st century. When you listen to him speak about his passion, you understand he is genius at its most humbled. "Multi-touch interfaces aren't new, I'm not the first to do it. I'm an engineer with a background in design. I saw that interfaces weren't advancing with graphics and wanted to change that." watch: http://portal.vpod.tv/loiclemeur/135867

Butterfly Concept By A 15 Year Old

A 15 year old name Andrew Kim recently posted a mobile phone concept he calls the Butterfly in a design forum soliciting critique and advice. To his surprise many of the senior forum members commented on how his concept is better thought out than some designers twice his age. So what's so hot about the Butterfly? It's a slick horizontal slider with dual AMOLED touch screens. At first glance it looks like any other slider with screen on one side, camera on the other. Unlike other sliders, the second screen slides up away from you and clicks into position at an angle - a design feature he calls "slide & tilt". The first screen then becomes your keypad. Cool huh? On the rear of the phone, you'll find a SVGA camera (megapixels?) and replaceable lithium ion battery. He's even included an SD-micro slot for memory expansion, Wi-Fi and music/video playback. On the side is a hold switch to deactivate the touch screens. Even the UI on this thing is unique. It's a mash up of the iPhone, PSP and Helio interfaces. Menus are accessed thru a wheel of icons. Drilling down each menu item gives you a crossbar experience similar to the PSP. The entire interface is manipulated by your finger via tapping and dragging motions similar to the iPhone. In terms of industrial design, the Butterfly is quite nice. I do have a few gripes with it tho. First, in order to dial a number you have to slide it open, dial, then close it to initiate the call. It would make more sense to be able to access your address book or bring up a keypad on the main touch display. My other gripe is the screen. They are incredibly narrow making web browsing, reading, viewing pictures and watching videos an awkward experience. If the screens were redesigned to fit a true 16:9 aspect ratio - we'd have a winner. One thing I do love is the Nintendo DS-like form factor. In fact if this weren't a phone, it could easily pass as the Nintendo DS Lite Version 2.

Martian Global Warming But Not Our Fault

Mars is experiencing global warming and one might think it's some kindred spirit thing with Earth but for once, this isn't our fault. Mars is gradually warming because of wind storms sweeping the brightly colored dust away revealing a darker layer underneath. The darker surface absorbs more heat from the sun warming the air above which creates more wind storms. The process repeats and scientists are noticing average temperatures rising steadily. So maybe Mars will warm up enough to melt its massive ice caps, to create oceans which create atmosphere, which create weather, which makes it habitable for us. Of course that might take about 5000 years so don't hold your breath. Oh wait it's Mars - do hold your breath.

If A Dog Were Microwavable

He'd be warm and cuddly. Cue Sammy Snoozle, a microwave safe stuffed toy designed to give you 3 hours of warm fun after only 2 minutes of nuking. He's filled with a relaxing blend of flax seeds, herbs and lavender perfect for that aroma therapy session we all need before snoozing off to bed. Just like a real dog, Sammy is versatile. Pop him in the freezer to ease that spain ankle or bruise. Best of all, he's only $20. This would be an awesome gift for anyone. Somebody buy me one!

I'm Joosting

I just want to thank the boys over at Fresh Creation for the Joost invite. Because of them, I am now enjoying Saturday morning cartoons right on my desktop. For those not in the know; "Joost is a new way of watching TV on the internet. With Joost you get all the things you love about TV, including high quality full screen pictures, hundreds of full length shows and easy channel flipping." There's actually a ton of other things too like chatting with people watching the same programs. Anywho, once I start getting some invites to send, I'll let you faithful readers know.

DIESELWALL.COM

Clever Diesel ad in Milan reads;

Left: "Maybe one day we'll be on that wall"

Right: "Impossible"

Nike Japan Has Better Ads

Now I'm not saying North American Nike ads suck. They're quite good but the Japanese ads seem to take more artistic liberty and risk. Commissioned as an animated viral short to promote the Nike Meta7 shoe, illustrator Paul Huang teamed up with animators Chris Riehl and Sean Starkweather to deliver a surrealist cell shaded fantasy. The story revolves around an anthropomorphized circle, square and triangle who escape their oppressive lives to be transformed into something better thru an encounter with the Meta7 shoe. The animated short is accompanied by a print and sculpture campaign touring Asia. I wish I were able to see it in person. The art style looks fantastic - almost good enough to make me wanna run out and buy a pair of Nike Meta7's. check out the video: http://www.neublack.com/wp-content/uploads/video/nanospore-meta7.html

Daft Punk's Pyramid

If you were one of the lucky people to see Daft Punk perform in their seizure inducing light pyramid this year, then I'm sure you wondered what exactly was in the cube - that is once you recovered from the frenzied light show.
It's a gaggle of technomatronamatry with gidgets and gadgets galore. You know, synth, light boards, computers, moogs, and freakin' laser beams. I have no idea what most of the stuff is but if you're interested, head on over to Kitsune Noir for the dirty deets.

If you never heard of Daft Punk before, shame on you!

Download from here and just listen.

Ultimate Kylie

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A Laptop Case for the Stylish Urban Warrior

Looking for a laptop case that's durable, sleek and gives you storage without the extra bulk? Maybe you should take a look at the Laptop Portfolio Case by Built NY. Made from strong-rib, a fabric designed for coral reef divers, the Laptop Portfolio Case is sturdy despite its felt-like appearance. Inside you'll find a neoprene core that'll hold any range of 15" laptops. The double layered shell hides a slot perfect for holding documents, external peripherals and power cables. The unique bone shaped body ensures an accidental drop will protect your precious inside. Available in green, lime and brown for $69.99.

Nike Be True City Collection

The folks responsible for starting the whole limited-edition trend are at it again with the Nike Be True City Collection. Continuing to torture their customers with skinny releases, only be 86 pairs of each color will be available in seven select cities—New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Rio de Janiero. After that you're gonna have to comb eBay.

I haven't been a big fan of some previous Dunk releases, but I like this black-on-black version, because it puts more emphasis on the texture and materials . If you look closely, they also feature coordinated accents, matching laces to the trim. Price and store locations have yet to be released, but prepare to spend top dollar if you want to put these on your feet.

Shepard Fairey: Obama Posters

Though the name may not hold as much clout as Kennedy, Shepard Fairey has apparently made his choice for the next President of the United States.
Throwing his weight and talent behind the junior senator from Illinois, the illustrator has produced two striking posters with the man's likeness and main slogans. He's offering the 24" x 36" silkscreens for $50 a pop on his website with an aim to get its iconic image across the nation in time for Super Tuesday (5 February) and beyond. Proceeds will go to a larger, statewide (California) poster campaign. To purchase, email info [at] obeygiant [dot] com with "OBAMA" as the subject title for instructions. Limited to an edition of 350, they'll be available this Wednesday, 30 January 2008

Donkelvoort Cars 30th Anniversary

Anyone serious about race cars knows Donkelvoort is synonymous with high-performance roadsters. This Lelystad-based Dutch automaker uses Audi engines in its custom racers—one of which holds the lap record for a street-legal car in Germany. Bottom line: You can't get a faster street legal car.

Melissa Winter '08

Brazil's plastic footwear company Melissa, whose latest new collaboration was with none other than the Grande Dame of British fashion, Vivienne Westwood, is keeping it coming with some other exciting models in its upcoming Winter 2008 collection that deserve spotlights. It's proof in the plastic that the mania for their candy-scented shoes—much of them done in partnership with major designers—will once again go unrivaled.

Melissa Joy + Alexandre Herchcovitch

Alexandre Herchcovitch's Melissa shoes last season were super feminine, with pointy toes and elevated soles. This time around he reverts to his tendency to turn his women androgynous with a sexy wing-tip in brilliant colors and a slight shimmer—must-haves.

Melissa Characters

Taking cues from popular characters from childhood, this fun line includes Le Petit Prince who gets a pointy flat for winter. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the first-ever Disney character, stars on a special Ultragirl model that will first be sold at Colette in Paris before hitting Brazil.

Melissa Ultragirl + J. Maskrey

This crystal-studded shoe proved to be so popular that it's been brought back in a darker color called "smoke."
You can find Melissa throughout Brazil, and internationally at Colette and Le Bon Marche in France, Harvey Nichols and Dover Street Market in London, Beams in Japan, and Opening Ceremony in New York and Noodle Stories in Los Angeles.

Pollen Robots

Japanese scientists created these spherical robots to measure pollen content as an advance warning system for allergy sufferers. Their eye color changes to reflect what kind of pollen is in the air.

Watercube

Organizers unveiled the "Watercube" swimming venue Monday, one of the more stunning structures built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Known officially as the National Aquatics Center, the Watercube has been dubbed the "cool" building of the Games. The building's design and its translucent, blue-toned outside skin make it look like a cube of bubbles -- like "bubble wrap."

Forty-two gold medals will be handed out at the Watercube during the Olympics, which start Aug. 8.
After a little more than three years of construction, the facility was officially handed over to the Beijing organizing committee, with President Liu Qi on hand.

Liu and Beijing mayor Guo Jin Long both dipped their hands into the competition pool and seemed satisfied at Monday's brief unveiling ceremony. Guo even put the pool water to his lips.
The venue has 6,000 permanent and 11,000 temporary seats. Like the 91,000-seat National Stadium -- the "Bird's Nest," which will be completed in March -- both are seen as works of art and will anchor the Olympic Green area.
While some argue the gargantuan "Bird's Nest" could become a white elephant, the Watercube has been built to be converted to a shopping area and leisure center with tennis courts, retail outlets, nightclubs and restaurants.
"This building was designed for use after the games," said John Pauline of PTW Architects, one of the lead architects on the Watercube. "We were looking at 30 or 40 years from now."

The outside skin is made of the Teflon-like material known as ETFE, or ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene. Composed of two layers, it's separated by an interior passage that allows the building to breathe like a greenhouse.

The Watercube will host a test event this week. Though it hasn't drawn a top field, at least one swimmer can't wait to test the water.
"It's an important meet for me," said Swedish sprinter Stefan Nystrand. "I think it's great to be here since it's the same pool as the Olympics. I don't know why more top guys aren't showing up."

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Hello, Anybody There?

I'm sure that's the first thing somebody says when they come across one these interactive bus shelters ads for Canadian mobile provider Solo. The ads promote their new walkie talkie phone which annoy the hell out of me, but these ads are pretty cool nonetheless. They're spread across Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. They invite people to "push here" to talk to someone at another bus shelter in another city in real time! I'm personally recruiting reader A.J. to find one of these bus shelters and ask, "what is the meaning of life?"

Intruders Concept Phone

Looking like an alien spacecraft or a high tech powder compact, Dennis Hopkin's (no relation) Intruders concept makes UFOs a chic muse for mobile phone design. The compact, errrr I mean the phone is only 1/3 of an inch thick when closed and opens up to reveal a 220 x 176 pixel display. The numerics and softkeys are arranged in a circular pattern because we all know how well that works in real life (insert smirk). The cool thing is it glows blue when it rings. Throw in a tractor beam, transporter and digital frisbee functionality and I'll be the first buyer.