Thursday, October 09, 2008

Michael Schumacher Tower to Take Over the World [Architecture]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/414272138/michael-schumacher-tower-to-take-over-the-world

Another day, another spectacular tower in Dubai: The Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower, a curvy building "inspired by the geometrical order of a snowflake and the aerodynamics of a Formula 1", will not only appear in Dubai but in six other cities around the world. According to the architects—who worked in Beijing's Water Cube—the design will allow for an easy construction process and an efficient use of energy, all while making the building change its look through the day.

The building features an iconic silhouette and a facade characterised by vertical slots with private balconies. A series of reflective fins generates a vertical dynamic and gives the building a constantly changing appearance. The fins track the sun, control the solar shading and dissolve the rationality of the plan into a continuously evolving building volume. The facade's continuous surface enables curvature with a lot of repetition and the potential for standardisation in the building process. State-of-theart engineering and innovative materials will be used to achieve a fully sustainable performance.

[Deezeen]


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Three New Ways to Watch YouTube: Lights Out, Theater View and Super HD [YouTube]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/414291945/three-new-ways-to-watch-youtube-lights-out-theater-view-and-super-hd

Not just one, but three new ways to view YouTube today. The first two should be familiar to anyone who's used Hulu—lights out and theater mode. Lights out dims your whole screen except the video, while the latter also blows up the player and adds tacky/cool theater curtains on the side. Right now, they're only available for feature-length videos, but don't be surprised if they trickle down. The third, and definitely most exciting, is Super HD, which you should definitely check out, even though the selection is currently limited. [YouTube via Lifehacker, Mr Doob via core77]


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Super Talent caters to Eee PC with new 16/32/64GB SSDs

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/414745593/

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Though not the first SSDs we've seen looking for homes specifically in netbooks, Super Talent is hoping to make an even bigger splash with its latest trio and their bite-sized prices. Merely days after causing us all to drool with a sub-$300 128GB drive, the firm has revealed a trifecta of mini PCIe SSDs designed "explicitly for the ASUS Eee PC." The units are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors, each with 40MB/sec maximum read speeds and 15MB/sec maximum write rates. The trio is expected to hit mass production next month, and they'll only cost you $53, $79 and $149 in order of mention.

[Via jkOnTheRun]
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Exclusive HP / Toshiba laptops first in Best Buy's Blue Label lineup

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/414847070/

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Hey guys / gals, check this out. Best Buy is practically admitting that it is just now starting to "gather insights from customers and work with manufacturers to design products that address [consumers'] needs." In a rather odd release, the big box retailer is announcing two new laptops that'll be exclusive to its store: the 14.1-inch Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402 (we which already knew of) and the 13.3-inch HP Pavilion dv3510nr. As for the former, expect a 1.2-inch thin frame, WXGA (1,280 x 800) panel, backlit keyboard, DVD burner, 5.5-hours of battery life and an $1,199 price tag. The HP (shown after the break) will include a LED-backlit WXGA display, up to 4-hours of battery life, inbuilt webcam and precisely the same retail price. Eventually, Best Buy is hoping to expand the Blue Label series to other product lines, though there's no word on where to find these elusive input cards that it's supposedly using to pick and choose wares.

Continue reading Exclusive HP / Toshiba laptops first in Best Buy's Blue Label lineup

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Shuttle's Atom 230-packin' X2700N nettop now available

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/414928030/

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Surely you remember the Atom-based Shuttle X27 barebones kit -- you know, that cute little nettop case that was selling for $189 with its insides all hollow? For those with no time to fill it up, the full-fledged X2700N is now on tap. Boasting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive and a GMA950 integrated graphics set, this Linux-based box can be yours right now for $379.99. That'll also buy you a dual-layer DVD writer, gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11b/g WiFi, a handful of ports (six USB, VGA, DVI, audio in / out) and a 1-year warranty. 'Tis a shame it's not housing one of those dual-core Atom 330s, huh?

[Via ComputerMonger]
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