Yoshiro Nakamatsu is a pretty unusual cat. Known to the world as Dr. NakaMats, the 81-year old Japanese inventor holds the world record, with over 3000 inventions. Included on his long list are the floppy disk, CD technology, the digital watch and the karaoke machine, some of which is confirmed by his longstanding relationship as a consultant to IBM. Of course, more than a few of his claims are hard to prove, but at the least, NakaMats knows how to entertain. Some of this shit you just have to see to believe.
As somebody who’s spent extensive time getting blown and watching Planet Earth, I can say that this definitely looks like the movement. Coming to Discovery March 23rd, BBC’s original 11-part series, Life will give viewers a chance to see nature at it’s most extraordinary. The video above highlights the numerous “firsts”, or never-before captured natural phenomena that the makers of Life were able to get on film. I’m juiced already.
My first question with this one is why. I think the architects answer would be, “Why not?” I suppose there are multiple uses for the “house”. Whether you want to make it an office, or a kick it spot, the Egg House will hold it down. Equipped with a bathroom, kitchen, bed and storage space, the Egg House, known to the architects as the blob VB3 is a one of a kind space aimed to spark the imagination while providing a functional living space. Imagine if you hot boxed this. You could come back and tell your friends you hot boxed an egg. Now that’s a story.
Let’s not toot our own horn too loud, but I found this quite relevant and informative. I recommend everyone start a blog. Mom, you too. The power of this medium is unparalleled, and it’s reach is unmatched. It’s all about taking that leap, and choosing to do what you love rather than what you think is right. But we’ve digressed. In this short, Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune shares her thoughts on the importance of fashion blogs, while providing insight on how blogging and the internet at large are reshaping the concept of fashion. The game is changing right before our eyes and things will never be the same.
Something about massive urban centers at night is just so damn beautiful. Tokyo, in particular is one of those places you never get tired of looking at. Tokyo/Glow is the collaborative work of director Jonathan Bensimon and footwear brand The Generic Man, showing the journey of an illuminated man through the city streets of Tokyo. For those thinking this is digital manipulation at work, the creators of Tokyo/Glow insist that the light-up man is in fact a dude in a suit, constructed from hundreds of feet of high-voltage LED rope lights, and a translucent outer shell. All technical talk aside though, this is just a dope piece of art. Take a look for yourself.
I’ll keep it 100 with you. Climate change is not my area of expertise. For those of you for whom it is, please let me know what’s really good, and what I can do to help. From everything I’ve been told, and what little research I’ve done, I can at least say that I understand how big of a challenge we’re really facing in the coming decades. Analysis from the top experts in the field suggests that the way we’ve been living and consuming just isn’t gonna fly from here on out. The real challenge then, is formulating concrete solutions. Enter TED, whose annual conference hosts talks from the best and the brightest in almost any field you can imagine. Being that Bill Gates has been responsible for some of the most crucial advances in both technology and philanthropy in the last half century, I’d say his thoughts on the subject are worth listening to. Take it away Bill.
In the modern, globalized economy, it seems like things are pulling in two directions. On one hand, the spread of information and commerce has been radically democratized by the internet, allowing a lot of folks to find opportunities that just didn’t exist even a few years ago. On the other hand though, the corporate powers already in place are caking even more than they used to, and the money and means of production are concentrated into the hands of less and less people. A veritable renaissance might be brewing in terms of art, information and even social and political attitudes, but shit like this should be a reality check for all of us. According to Brand Finance, the world’s top 500 brands grew by 26% last year, with the banking sector growing by $127 billion, the largest percent of growth.
The Superbowl commercial game has always been an interest of mine. Who’s gonna drop the most bread for the 30 second spot? Usually the big brands come with some weak to ok ads that might catch on for a couple months before becoming irrelevant. Honestly, the grassroots is the 2010 and beyond. Trust me on that one. We’re becoming immune to the television rhetoric, if we aren’t already. Messages falling upon deafer and deafer ears. Presented above is a commercial break from ‘87 promoting hamburgers, milk and financial management. Boy have times changed.
Nestled underneath the Alpine slopes of Vals, Switzerland sits Villa Vals. An aesthetically eco-friendly home designed by architectural firm SEARCH. Currently up for rent, the home is an excellent example of thoughtful design and execution. With a central patio at it’s base, Villa Vals is actually carved into the side of the mountain, utilizing the land to create a functional living space. There needs to be more shit like this.
Seems as though renewable energy will be the 2010 and beyond. Still learning the basics of the renewable energy game, Ben or my pops are probably the experts you should go to to learn more. While I’ve heard lots about solar energy, and my pops’ fascination with wind turbines, this article from National Geographic was my first introduction to volcano power stations. A new source of power for entire neighborhoods? Perhaps. I’ll let Christine take it from here.
You have to give Bill some credit for this one. Not that he can’t afford it, but ten billion is a lot of bread to drop. Over the next decade, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will pledge $10 billion to research and distribute new vaccines to the poorest countries of the world. The foundation estimates that more than 7 million children’s lives could be saved as a result of the donation. Given that so much of the wealth in our country is concentrated into the hands of so few people, we can only hope more of the world’s corporate giants start feeling generous and follow suit. This is definitely a big step in the right direction though. Full story below.
Like most major press conferences held by Apple, the one Mr. Jobs held today was pretty important. With this morning’s debut of the iPad, Apple unveiled one of their most talked about products, with a surprisingly low starting price of $499. With a 9.7″ inch display, the gadget falls some into what Jobs calls the “third category” between your laptop and your iPhone, with many of the same functions as both. Joel over at Gizmodo made a great point about how Steve and the folks at Apple handle these things though. Other companies hold press conferences and show you a geeked-up, fancy prototype, only to have the real product let you down. Apple, on the other hand, gets it right the first time, and shows off the actual product you’ll be spending your money on. Most of the time, we’re still blown away anyway. Check below for all the specs, courtesy of Techcrunch, as well as videos of the press conference, and the iPad at work.
More gold from Nick. Much appreciated as always. I don’t know if we can stress this point enough though. The medium you choose isn’t crucial. It’s all about finding an outlet for your creativity. Take Julian Smith and his friends for example, who miked up different parts of his early ’90s-model Jeep, and made a slap, composed strictly with the sound effects. Not a bad way to spend a day I suppose.
Here’s one for Tom. I have to admit I was lightweight skeptical going into Avatar. As far as movies go, I generally fuck with the ones with small budgets more than the ones that cost $400 million to make. Doubting James Cameron won’t get you too far though. Not only is Avatar a record-breaking box office smash, but it’s also just a dope story, and a well-made film. And as promised, Cameron unveiled some of the most impressive and pioneering technology in movie history. The video above gives a detailed look into the movie, helping to break down some of the tech wizardry that went into the world of Pandora. Some of this is just ridiculous.
Alright friends, this one’s important. The world is changing, and it’s changing faster than ever. Technology has altered the way we communicate, and in many instances communications deteriorating. (More on that later.) We must remain conscious about the way technology is affecting our lives as to not succumb to the “benefits” of convenience. The Did You Know campaign is a great way of sharing overarching trends about our society to get an idea of where we are, but more importantly where we’re going. In short, shit is crazy already, and this video gives us an idea of how crazy it really is. 1:12 is insane. 1:35 is jokes. And 2:30 is just frightening. Knowing shit is cool, but understanding shit is essential. Share this one with a friend. I think we’ll all be better for it.
