Thursday, July 02, 2009

Zen Audi

Zen Audi

When I first learned to ride a horse, I was told that I needed to move with the horse, as if of one mind. I was bucked off twice before I finally let go and learned to let go and move with “Davis” the horse, as opposed to trying to force her to bend to my will. That lesson seems to be apparent in Designer Andrea Mocellin’s latest “EXO- AUDI” concept. Andrea feels that the best way to drive is to be at one with your machine.

By “Taking advantage of the exoskeleton  and nanotechnology evolution, we can create a potential energy source and produce a new generation of human powered vehicles: faster and stronger.” Inspired by sports equipment, footwear design and human instinct, this design uses the owners own kinetic energy to power your way down the street. Though it is not quite clear if Andrea is talking about pedal power or full body motion, this design not only re-imagines power train options but also makes us look deeper into the obvious inefficiency of modern human conveyance systems. No wonder GM is having a hard time finding a buyer for HUMMER.

Designer: Andrea Mocellin

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You Sure You're 140? [Sears Tower]

You Sure You're 140? [Sears Tower]

"I don't know Mary. Even though this thing is supposed to hold 5 tons, you could still stand to lose a few pounds. You know, just for health's sake." [Getty Images via Gawker]

The Sears Tower Skydeck is four separate glass retractable "protrusions" that can each hold up to five tons, and is probably the best laxative to be found on the 103rd floor. What's holding you up is three layers of half-inch thick glass (plus whatever joints and connectors they have to connect the glass). The visit is included in the $15 admission. [Sun Times]




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DIY HD projector hits the right note, sub-รข¬500 price range

DIY HD projector hits the right note, sub-€500 price range

It's really hard to say how much of a value this DIY HD projector is, given we're missing some crucial specs like resolution (gotta be at least 720p, right?), contrast ratio, and luminosity. Still, at €500 (about $708 US) for the whole kit, it's not a bad deal if you planned on spending your weekend doing projects anyway. All the pieces come in four separate bundles -- HD optic, light, housing, and electronics -- and if you need some handholding (it's okay, so do we), there's a German-language instruction manual that's thankfully full of pictures and diagrams, and even more entertaining, we've got a video / picture slideshow of the process done to a playful techno ditty. Check it out after the break.

Update: Yup, it's 1280x768.

[Via Slashgear, thanks Gary K.]

Read - DIY HD projector kit
Read - Instruction manual

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DIY HD projector hits the right note, sub-€500 price range originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Advertising Does Not Create Demand, here's proof -- agree with me, or tell me I'm stupid -- http://ping.fm/2cUIV

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Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Gizmodo, Engadget Guys Launch GDGT (And Get Crushed By Traffic)

Gizmodo, Engadget Guys Launch GDGT (And Get Crushed By Traffic)

GDGT logoPeter Rojas and Ryan Block are back on the same website.

As a recap, Rojas helped found Nick Denton's Gizmodo, but then left to form Engadget, where he worked with Ryan Block. The fierce competition for scoops between the two sites is legendary. But now Peter and Ryan have launched their new baby, GDGT.

Don't bother clicking on the link right now: The site went down shortly after its launch. The site's Twitter feed is fine though, and currently reads, "So the amount of traffic we're getting is roughly 3-5x our 'even-that-will-never-happen' estimates... doing the best we can!"

Brad Stone at the Times says GDGT, "differs from Engadget or Gizmodo by aspiring to be a gadget-oriented social network. Users of the site can create profiles and specify which consumer electronics devices they have, had or want to buy."

Block says the point of GDGT is to outlive the "lust phase," of users drooling over the latest toys, and instead building a community for users to ogle the gear they already have getting the most out of it until they decide to replace it.

The site is opting out of the review wars that the two founders helped create; they plan to link to the other sites for breaking gadget news and headlines, and instead let their users write most of the news and reviews that runs on their own site. The site will earn money from ads and affiliate programs with online gadget stores. Blackberry parent RIM will be the site's exclusive advertiser for the first month. Apparently RIM's ads look a lot like GDGT content, but are clearly marked as advertising.

Block modestly tells the Times: "This could possibly be the last great gadget site."

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