Senza Bike Lock Renders Handlebars Useless to Bike Thieves
by: Inhabitat , 2011-05-03 19:28:05 UTC
The only thing better than deterring a bike thief altogether is watching him wobble away on a bike without the benefit of handlebars to steer his escape. That’s what Jaryn Miller‘s Senza Bicycle promises — the lock is an integrated part of the bike that also serves as the handlebars, so when it is broken the function of the bike itself is compromised.
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Post tags: alternative transportation, green bike, green transportation, Jaryn Miller, Senza bike lock
Corporate Green IT Awards from InfoWorld
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-05-03 14:18:02 UTC
InfoWorld has released its annual Green 15 list, a badge of recognition for sustainability initiatives within the IT sector since 2008. This year’s winners have saved money, time and energy while in the process pushing innovation and user engagement. The list includes a school district, local governments, small businesses as well as corporate giants. Some [...]
sebastian herkner: bask
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-05-03 10:52:00 UTC
using a special technique, paper plays its role as yarn, woven by a basket maker in bavaria to produce this collection of containers and tables.
read more
benjamin hubert: pod chair for de vorm
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-05-03 14:55:00 UTC
composed of an encircling seat of PET felt, the chair is designed to provide privacy and comfort in an ecologically sustainable alternative to large upholstered furniture.
read more
Pine Cone Pendant Lamp
by: Yanko Design, 2011-05-03 07:01:03 UTC
The semitransparent veneer of this beautiful pendant lamp by designer Pavel Eekra mimics the shape of the pine cone and creates a soft and inviting glow. Each of the 56 thin overlapping scales made of natural maple are held together with a single screw hidden beneath the preceding scale, adding to it’s organic and clean form without the need for an internal skeleton. From the log cabin to the minimal studio, this design is perfect for warming up any room. Even better is that it’s flat-pack ready and you can put it together yourself! Get it here.
Designer: Pavel Eekra
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Alpha Bike concept - A bike with a chain-less drivetrain and a 'green' heart
by: Ecofriend, 2011-05-03 00:59:32 UTC
Dattatreya:
Take a closer look at the picture above, and you will observe that the ordinary seeming bike actually doesn’t have the ubiquitous chain mechanism. Ingeniously contrived by some students of the University of Pennsylvania, this fascinating prototype features an entirely chainless drive system that can be electronically switched between fixed gear drive and freewheel maneuvering.
Christened as the Alpha Bike, the contraption incorporates an advanced Switchable Integrated Free-Fixed Transmission (SWIFT) Drive system. This transmission mechanism was specifically designed by University of Pennsylvania Mechanical Engineering seniors Geoff Johnson, Lucas Hartman, Katie Savarise, Evan Dvorak, Katie Rohacz, with Dr. Jonathan Fiene as advisor. Basically the mechanism allows for the above mentioned electronic switch between fixed gear drive and freewheel.
The mechanism also manages to fuse some elements of an electric bike, like the front section consisting of a drum brake and dynamo. The dynamo provides the main power for the electronics, charging two super capacitors which in turn juices up a system of sensors and a micro-controller. Coming to the rear, there is a three-speed gear set which can be operated by a push-pull cable.
The custom made frame also exhibits a LCD display on the light weight (458 g) handlebars, which gives important information concerning time, distance, gears and even wheel speed. Though there is very little information on how the bike will itself perform in on-road conditions. But this remarkable conception was indeed declared the winner of Gemmil Award in the University’s 2011 Senior Design Competition, and as the designers mentioned that the intention for their concept was to:
...create a bicycle to push the boundaries of integrated systems.
Source: GizMag
Pocket Light: Eco friendly, portable light to illuminate your immediate surroundings
by: The Design blog, 2011-05-03 14:01:10 UTC
Jaazhh:
Look at the above picture. What looks like a handkerchief or a piece of paper is a light source actually. Illuminating surroundings can unfurl an altogether different experience, and as the source from where it comes is different, it adds to the magical charm. Conceived by Da Deng, the Pocket Light is something you might not have seen anywhere.
The designer bought the inspiration from the pockets that come attached with clothes. The pocket light has been designed in an environment friendly manner and saves space as well. The portable like can be carried from one place to the other by folding it like a handkerchief and placing it inside your pocket. Using it is simple as well. Open it and see the Pocket light illuminate and stand immediately. If you want to turn it off, simply close it again and place it back in your pocket.
The light has been intelligently crafted using LED lights and felt cover. The Pocket Light will generate an altogether vivid and graceful environment, and that too the eco friendly way.
Via: dadastuff
A New Kissing Device Lets You Make Out Over The Internet
by: fast company, 2011-05-02 22:56:00 UTC
The information age was supposed to usher in a world where we could connect to anyone around the world instantly. But the sour promise of the electronic future is that it's still very nice to be in the same room with someone--with business contacts, sure, but especially with a loved one. Maybe it's time technology solved that problem, too. Welcome to the age of the Internet kiss.
Researchers at the Kajimoto Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications in Japan (of course) are working on a machine that can replicate a kiss from the Internet. Just approach the box, move the straw with your tongue, and your partner gets a straw moving in their mouth the same way. True bliss. Here's a video:
[youtube PspagsTFvlg]
One of the researchers, Nobuhiru Takahashi, notes that "the elements of a kiss include the sense of taste, the manner of breathing, and the moistness of the tongue." Now that they've got tongue movement down, they're working on those. They project that a famous musician or movie star could record kisses, and then fans could kiss their own boxes: Imagine young girls (or boys!) everywhere staying up late making out with a program of Justin Bieber's kisses. It's a million-dollar idea.
But aside from the pop-culture implications, there is something bigger; a deeper moral quandary about our assumptions about a global world and how we can move around in it. George Monibot invented a term called "love miles"; the miles we must travel out of obligations to people we care about:
If your sister-in-law is getting married in Buenos Aires, it is both
immoral to travel there, because of climate change, and immoral not to,
because of the offence it causes. In that decision we find two valid
moral codes in irreconcilable antagonism.
There is a paradox in a world in which the Internet allows us to form relationships thousands of miles away, and in which flying is increasingly something we should avoid, even as we become closer to people from farther away. This device could actually reduce the miles we travel to be with people we want to kiss. But then: Do we want to live in a world where kissing can be replicated by a box with a straw attached? If that's how we're interacting, have we not lost something essential about being human? Can we truly accept living in a world where we kiss with boxes?
One thing we do know: Takahashi, for all his technical brilliance, appears to be a truly horrible kisser.
Read more: Timberland can't reduce its emissions because its employees fly too much.
Hat tip: Dvice
Follow Fast Company on Twitter. Morgan Clendaniel can be reached by email or on Twitter.
Solar-powered plane ready for first international flight
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-05-02 08:11:56 UTC
Solar Impulse is on standby for its first international flight this week. Brussels has been chosen as the destination for the first venture outside Swiss borders, which follows the solar powered aircraft's
maiden flight and
first overnight flight last year and will mark another important step towards the goal of flying around the world in 2012...
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Solar-powered plane ready for first international flightTags: Aircraft,
Electric Aircraft,
Electric Vehicles,
Solar Impulse
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Loowatt creates energy and fertilizer from human waste
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-05-02 20:49:57 UTC
Of all the things that people traditionally discard, one that most of us likely think the least about repurposing is human feces and urine. Sure, we recycle our plastic and paper, and compost our fruits and veggies, but ...
that stuff? Actually, there are various worldwide projects aimed at using municipal raw sewage for things such as
fertilizer or a
power source. While those projects only come into play once the waste has been flushed, however, the UK’s Loowatt system gets users involved from the bottom up (sorry), collecting waste directly from the toilet and using it to create biogas and fertilizer...
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Loowatt creates energy and fertilizer from human wasteTags: Biogas,
Pollution,
Sewage,
Toilet
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