From the monthly archives: July 2010
New technology takes the turbulence out of driving with the top down
When Mercedes-Benz unveiled their brand-new Aircap technology in their 2011 E-Class Cabriolet at last February's NYC Fashion Week, I knew I wanted to check it out for myself. As someone who always saw the appeal of convertibles as spoiled by hair whipping in my face, I was curious to see if it actually worked. I had the perfect opportunity when Mercedes lent me the E-Cab for a day trip to the Barnes Foundation (a spot I highly recommend visiting) outside of Philadelphia, PA.
Activated with just a push of a button in the center console, the Aircap technology makes the smooth and luxurious ride that you'd expect from the luxury car all the more so for all of its passengers. While the experience isn't completely wind-free, the small windshield spoiler and rear screen creates a pleasantly breezy and more quiet interior for chatting, listening to music, talking on the phone over the built-in Bluetooth, or just communing with the open road.
The feeling of joy and freedom that comes with driving is what the device is really all about—cruising down the highway, with the wind licking at your hair (not blowing it in your face) and sunlight pouring in the car. For lead-foots like me, Aircap automatically adjusts according to speed, significantly decreasing the wind flowing through the cabin, even at speeds over 60 mph.
With the new technology, you might be inclined to keep the top down all year long. Fortunately, Mercedes thought of that too. In cooler weather, Aircap also works to keep cold air out of the cabin, and combined with Airscarf, a heating system at the often-ignored neck level, you can still keep warm while getting all the benefits of owning a convertible.
Available only from Mercedes-Benz, Aircap can be found in the new E-Class Cabriolet, with a sticker price of a little over $56,000 (give or take a few thousand for various customizations). Airscarf is also available in the E-Class as well as other models.
The Diet Butcher Slim Skin ($1050) 100% cow hide messenger bag with rain flap with open angled front patch pocket behind parallel front angled zippered pocket, open back pocket with single snap closure, main compartment with single internal pocket, and adjustable leather shoulder strap with easy on-off Velcro fastener held by two large gunmetal loops in black.
Front side of leather is black and smooth, underside has a rough feel and is a natural tan color. Made in Japan.
© Copyright 2008 Kineda (74.208.122.66)
Our video with Ford's voice recognition engineer reveals sweeping improvements to their MyFord interface
The latest news from Ford furthers the impressive progress they're making both outside and inside of their cars. We wrote in-depth about the clever MyTouch in-car interface when it was unveiled in January 2010. But when Ford recently announced a major evolution to the way the MyTouch system handles voice recognition, we were fortunate enough to get a hands-on demo with Brigitte Richardson, Ford's lead engineer for voice control technology and speech systems, and Vlad Sejnoha, the chief scientist at Nuance, whose voice technology powers the SYNC-powered MyTouch system.
The system's benefit remains the same—it easily controls the car's climate, entertainment, navigation and phone systems without having to take your hands off of the steering wheel or eyes off of the road. This evolution achieves two important goals that improve how voice recognition works. Though the system's voice still sounds like a computer, it makes a huge leap towards more natural speech and tone. Secondly, the system's vocabulary has grown exponentially from 100 to 10,000 first level commands, which makes talking to the interface more natural too. Changing the temperature, for example, can now be achieved by any number of phrases, such as "increase temperature," "temp warmer" or "make hotter."
Learn more in our video above with Brigitte as she demonstrates some of the features in a production model of the 2011 Ford Edge.
A master plan for the city of Beirut is guiding the rehabilitation of the coastal city, and Herzog & de Meuron just unveiled an open and airy apartment development located in the central district. Beirut Terraces, seen over at Dezeen, is a composed of a series of terraces with various sized apartments and large open outdoor living areas. The apartment complex is rich with lush vegetation at the ground floor entrance and features hanging gardens integrated throughout the building. Solar passive design, daylighting and energy efficiency also play a strong roll in the design of the apartments.
Read the rest of Herzog & de Meuron’s Beirut Terraces With Hanging Gardenshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "sustainable architecture", apartment building, beirut, beirut terraces, Daylighting, eco design, gardens, green architecture, Green Building, green design, hanging gardens, herzog and de meuron, solar passive design, Sustainable Building
Explore Brooklyn creativity in the borough's homegrown photo contest
The New York Photo Festival celebrated its third year this past May, but that wasn't enough for the event's cofounder Daniel Power (who's also the PowerHouse Books CEO and a former VII Photo director). Today the NYPH announced a contest called Capture Brooklyn.
Photographers can submit their work for a chance to show at The powerHouse Arena in Dumbo, Brooklyn during the Dumbo Arts Festival 24-26 September 2010. The event attracts 150,000 over the three days, but the images will stay up until 15 October 2010. The goal is to aggregate images that capture Brooklyn as the new place for literature, music, art and photography in New York.
You can submit up to three images for $25 or up to six for $50. Winners will be asked to bring in their work in early September.
Read the rest of PHOTOS: The Khan Shatyr World’s Biggest Tent in Astana!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: Astana Architecture, Astana Entertainment Center, Astana kazakstan, Foster + Partners, Kazakhstan architecture, Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center
Creative Commons, unlimited HD plays, and a full-on film festival from Vimeo
Ever wondered how you could get your film in front of David Lynch, Roman Coppola or Vincent Laforet? Bridging online and offline, on 8 October 2010 Vimeo will launch its first video festival with two days of events in New York City. We're submitting our Cool Hunting Videos under the "Original Series" category, and any Vimeo member can submit original works in one of nine categories before 31 July 2010 to be reviewed by 24 judges. Winners will be announced on 9 October 2010, with the overall winner taking home a $25,000 grant to produce more content.
In addition to the fest, Vimeo users will soon notice some new features on the site. The two highlighted updates, Global Settings and the removal of limited embedded HD plays for Plus+ members, helps users control where their content goes and how it's viewed.
Formerly a Plus+ membership allowed for an extra allotment of 25,000 HD embedded video plays on other sites per month, requiring payment for more after maxing out. Going forward, these HD limitations will no longer exist and Vimeo will even reimburse users who purchased extra plays in the last 60 days.
The Global Settings feature comes hand-in-hand with the added ability to attach Creative Commons licenses to videos. When uploading videos, users have the option of setting all to private, and Plus+ members can additionally customize where there videos can play, limiting embeds and even hiding the video from Vimeo itself.
We appreciate any support in the Vimeo Festival—be sure to check out our channel where we're in the process of adding all of our Cool Hunting Videos—and while you're at it, nominate us for an award!
Here’s the ideal cure for iPhone 4 “death grip” that we’ve all been waiting for. This custom-sized sticker was designed especially with your iPhone 4 antenna gap in mind. Say hello to Antenn-Aid. Simply place this miniature miracle over the lower left corner of your iPhone’s sensitive antenna area to improve signal performance!
(source iPhoneSavior)
© Copyright 2008 Kineda (74.208.122.66)
Ørestad is an emerging neighborhood in Copenhagen that is redefining 21st century living. At the heart of the development is 8 Tallet (or 8 House), a progressive apartment complex that is a small neighborhood in itself. The idea is that localizing services for residences — something large, dense cities take for granted — can be incorporated in new developments from the start. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the complex features a gorgeous green roof, is oriented to make the most of available daylight, and is still just a 12 min train ride to downtown.
Read the rest of 8 Tallet: Green-Roofed Eco Village Opens in Denmarkhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: Copenhagen apartment, Danish design, danish green, green roof, mixed use building, Urban design
Two eco-houses in Taastrup, Denmark have been built by the Danish Technological Institute in cooperation with Henning Larsen Architects to serve as a high-tech laboratory intended to guide the future of green building. EnergyFlex House features two 2,100 square foot structures packed with the latest in green design technology and materials. One structure serves as a laboratory to study and document green systems and materials, while the other houses a family full time.
Read the rest of EnergyFlex House: Green Building Eco-Laboratory Rises in Denmarkhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: "solar energy", "sustainable architecture", danish technological institute, Denmark, eco design, energyflex house, Green Building, green design, henning larsen architects, solar, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable design
While it looks a bit like something that Queen Amidala might wear on her head, this incredible tower is actually a concept for a multi-use skyscraper for the city of Yerevan in Armenia. Designed by Vahan Misakyan, the insect-like building consists of “structural geodesics” that link up via habitable bridges. Another interesting feature is that the tower will be clad in an “intelligent” skin equipped with rain water collection systems, photovoltaic cells, and wind turbines.
Read the rest of Futuristic Eco-Skyscraper is a Self-Sufficient Solar Spirehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: "eVolo", "wind power", armenia, Crazy Insect-Like Tower Has an Intelligent Skin that Controls Ventilation, Eco Architecture, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, intelligent skin, skyscraper, Solar Power, structural geodesics, sustainable design, Vahan Misakyan, yerevan
“There Goes My Baby” is the fourth single off Usher’s break-up-themed album, Raymond v. Raymond. Music video directed by Anthony Mandler
© Copyright 2008 Kineda (74.208.122.66)
A Viennese chef shows us how to make a creamy summer coffee treat
Recently, we've been taking well-deserved midday breaks from the heat with a Viennese treat that joins two classic summer coolers—ice cream and iced coffee. When we asked Austrian chef Eduard Frauneder (owner of NYC's Seasonal restaurant) to tell us more about Eiskaffes, he showed us his slightly more petite version of the traditional summer beverage. Straightforward and simple enough for anyone to make, check out the video and recipe below to learn how to whip up your own "more refined milkshake."
Eiskaffe
Four Servings
-1 Scoops of vanilla ice cream (preferably homemade!)
-2 Shots of espresso (or a similar amount of strong filtered coffee), cooled to room temperature
-2 Tablespoons of whipped cream
Starting with the ice cream in a bowl, slowly fold the coffee and a tablespoon of the whipped cream into the ice cream until smooth. The mixture should be a light brown color, but not too strong.
Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and, as Eduard recommends, some seasonal fresh fruit like strawberry slices.
Even with over 1700 competitors from nations around the world, Daigo defends his title as best the Super Street Fighter IV player and wins Evo 2010! It was a close battle in the finals against the Unites States finest Rufus player EG Ricky Ortiz, but Daigo was able to stay calm throughout the series to pull a 3-1 defeat in the grand finals. For complete details, head over to Shoryuken.com and Evo2k.com.
Evo 2010 Super Street Fighter IV Top 8 Finalists
1. Daigo Umehara (Ryu)
2. EG Ricky Ortiz (Rufus, Chun-Li)
3. Infiltration (Akuma)
4. Mike Ross (E. Honda)
5. Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang (Adon)
5. Vance “Vangief” Wu (Zangief)
7. Henry Cen (E. Honda, Dhalsim)
7. Shizza (Chun-Li)
The biggest upset thus far at Evo 2010 are the two semi-final losses incurred by U.S. Street Fighter National Champion Justin Wong who just recently signed with Evil Genuises. Justin was beaten by upcoming Northern California player Vangief (Vance Wu) and Taiwanese player Gamer Bee.
Both matches went to the third round of the last match, but Justin wasn’t able to clutch through.
Evo 2010 Top 8 Finalists
Winners
Mike Ross vs. Daigo
Vangief vs. Ricky Ortiz
Losers
Infiltration vs. Shizza
Gamer Bee vs. Henry Cen
More photos to come tonight!
© Copyright 2008 Kineda (74.208.122.66)
The biggest upset thus far at Evo 2010 are the two semi-final losses incurred by U.S. Street Fighter National Champion Justin Wong who just recently signed with Evil Genuises. Justin was beaten by upcoming Northern California player Vangief (Vance Wu) and Taiwanese player Gamer Bee.
Both matches went to the third round of the last match, but Justin wasn’t able to clutch through.
Evo 2010 Top 8 Finalists
Winners
Mike Ross vs. Daigo
Vangief vs. Ricky Ortiz
Losers
Infiltration vs. Shizza
Gamer Bee vs. Henry Cen
More photos to come tonight!
© Copyright 2008 Kineda (74.208.122.66)
1. Kjaer Weis Makeup
Recently debuted, the high-end organic makeup line Kjaer Weis bills itself as the first fully refillable makeup system. The gorgeous Marc Atlan-designed packaging and natural ingredients has us looking forward to its U.S. launch later this year .
2. A.P.C. x Aesop Fine Fabric Care
Following the news of A.P.C.'s online journal (a nice selection of news and behind-the-scenes stories), Hypebeast highlights the collaboration between the cult French label and Australian skin care line Aesop, who teamed up on new fabric wash designed for delicates.
3. Auditorium Toy Company
With only a single toy so far in its collection, the Auditorium Toy Company already has drawn a lot of attention for the handcrafted design and high-quality appeal of its first limited-edition toy—Boattail Racer. Images of The Committee look just as appealing, if not more.
4. Ball Man
A 3-D image of a soccer player blown up 21 meters tall, Nike's "Ball Man" sculpture is an impressive mass of 5,500 yellow mini soccer balls suspended from the atrium of the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. Check out Notcot to get the whole story and see plenty of images, if you're not in South Africa.
5. Tree Hotel
Channeling the salad days spent in the backyard, the new Tree Hotel in Harads, Sweden offers guests an upscale respite, complete with eco-friendly floor heating—an alternative heating source for coping with the country's harsh winter weather.
6. Inspiration Pad
Recently featured on Swiss Miss, the Inspiration Pad by Brussels-based designer Marc Thomasset puts a new twist on the regular journal or notepad. Warping the lines of the otherwise traditional piece of ruled paper probably more aptly represents most student's minds anyway.
7. IdentiGene DNA Paternity Test
Mothers, children and potential baby daddies out there with questions no longer need to go on Maury to get some answers. The IdentiGene kit, available at several pharmacy chains (including CVS and Walgreens), offers paternity test results in 3-5 business days. Privacy and convenience come at a price, though—$150 to be exact.
8. Auto-Defense by Stéphane Malka
BldgBlog spotlights a study of architectural hijacking at the Arche de la Défense in Paris, envisioned by architect Stéphane Malka.
9. Shadb "Aurora" Hand-Dyed T-shirt
Via Selectism, a t-shirt by Shabd embraces the tie-dye moment, taking the hippie-dippie craft to a new level of beautiful sophistication—again, a $150 level to be exact.
10. Ultimate Flash Flash
Ultimate Flash Face allows users to recreate police-style composite sketches with none of the drawing skills and all of the creep factor.
11. Live-Image Augmented Reality Trick for iPhones
Cult of Mac shares how the image-detection feature of the latest iPhone OS can produce a real-time trick through augmented reality with the Junaio app.
12. Lekar iPhone app
Ikea creates an iPhone app for kids and adults alike, inspiring playtime and creativity. Called Lekar, the app entices children with games like musical chairs, hide-and-seek and more.
13. Tony Stark Innovation Challenge
Winning Audi's innovation challenge, Natan Linder presents LuminAR—a projector-based medium for viewing the Internet.
14. Richardson
After a seven-year hiatus, Richardson magazine returns. Dazed Digital interviews founder Andrew Richardson, who reveals his early influences and current interests in the world of art porn, as well as his experiences with famed photographer Richard Avedon.
15. Radical Cartography
The Very Short List points out the strategically overlaid maps on Radical Cartography, which plot everything from "the physical expansion of Boston since 1630" to "what the world needs now."
16. A Year at War
With their non-fiction multimedia feature the The New York Times proves they've still got it, combining Grey Lady-calibre reporting with video updates from the front lines. The subject it documents, the First Batallion in the 87th infantry, is part of the new surge in Afghanistan that will be deployed for a year to fulfill a new mission—training local police and strengthening the government.
1. Kjaer Weis Makeup
Recently debuted, the high-end organic makeup line Kjaer Weis bills itself as the first fully refillable makeup system. The gorgeous Marc Atlan-designed packaging and natural ingredients has us looking forward to its U.S. launch later this year .
2. A.P.C. x Aesop Fine Fabric Care
Following the news of A.P.C.'s online journal (a nice selection of news and behind-the-scenes stories), Hypebeast highlights the collaboration between the cult French label and Australian skin care line Aesop, who teamed up on new fabric wash designed for delicates.
3. Auditorium Toy Company
With only a single toy so far in its collection, the Auditorium Toy Company already has drawn a lot of attention for the handcrafted design and high-quality appeal of its first limited-edition toy—Boattail Racer. Images of The Committee look just as appealing, if not more.
4. Ball Man
A 3-D image of a soccer player blown up 21 meters tall, Nike's "Ball Man" sculpture is an impressive mass of 5,500 yellow mini soccer balls suspended from the atrium of the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. Check out Notcot to get the whole story and see plenty of images, if you're not in South Africa.
5. Tree Hotel
Channeling the salad days spent in the backyard, the new Tree Hotel in Harads, Sweden offers guests an upscale respite, complete with eco-friendly floor heating—an alternative heating source for coping with the country's harsh winter weather.
6. Inspiration Pad
Recently featured on Swiss Miss, the Inspiration Pad by Brussels-based designer Marc Thomasset puts a new twist on the regular journal or notepad. Warping the lines of the otherwise traditional piece of ruled paper probably more aptly represents most student's minds anyway.
7. IdentiGene DNA Paternity Test
Mothers, children and potential baby daddies out there with questions no longer need to go on Maury to get some answers. The IdentiGene kit, available at several pharmacy chains (including CVS and Walgreens), offers paternity test results in 3-5 business days. Privacy and convenience come at a price, though—$150 to be exact.
8. Auto-Defense by Stéphane Malka
BldgBlog spotlights a study of architectural hijacking at the Arche de la Défense in Paris, envisioned by architect Stéphane Malka.
9. Shadb "Aurora" Hand-Dyed T-shirt
Via Selectism, a t-shirt by Shabd embraces the tie-dye moment, taking the hippie-dippie craft to a new level of beautiful sophistication—again, a $150 level to be exact.
10. Ultimate Flash Flash
Ultimate Flash Face allows users to recreate police-style composite sketches with none of the drawing skills and all of the creep factor.
11. Live-Image Augmented Reality Trick for iPhones
Cult of Mac shares how the image-detection feature of the latest iPhone OS can produce a real-time trick through augmented reality with the Junaio app.
12. Lekar iPhone app
Ikea creates an iPhone app for kids and adults alike, inspiring playtime and creativity. Called Lekar, the app entices children with games like musical chairs, hide-and-seek and more.
13. Tony Stark Innovation Challenge
Winning Audi's innovation challenge, Natan Linder presents LuminAR—a projector-based medium for viewing the Internet.
14. Richardson
After a seven-year hiatus, Richardson magazine returns. Dazed Digital interviews founder Andrew Richardson, who reveals his early influences and current interests in the world of art porn, as well as his experiences with famed photographer Richard Avedon.
15. Radical Cartography
The Very Short List points out the strategically overlaid maps on Radical Cartography, which plot everything from "the physical expansion of Boston since 1630" to "what the world needs now."
16. A Year at War
With their non-fiction multimedia feature the The New York Times proves they've still got it, combining Grey Lady-calibre reporting with video updates from the front lines. The subject it documents, the First Batallion in the 87th infantry, is part of the new surge in Afghanistan that will be deployed for a year to fulfill a new mission—training local police and strengthening the government.
Ariane Daguin, daughter of famed French foie gras specialist André Daguin, continues the family's culinary legacy (they introduced the U.S. foie gras 25 years ago) as the first to import Mangalica ham stateside. Her company, D'Artagnan sells the cured meat from the long-haired Hungarian pig to the New York region for about $80 a pound.
A fatty ham, wooly Mangalica pigs were bred to withstand harsh winters. Their long hair allows them to adapt to cold-weather climates, but has also led to their confusing nickname, "sheep pig." With a global trend toward low-fat hams, Mangalica's numbers were dwindling—until recently.
The upshot of pigs raised in open pastures, fed a particular diet of wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, sunflower and grass, and cured in Spain for two to four years by fourth generation masters, D'Artagnan's Mangalica ham is comparable to the highly-coveted Iberico ham (which is raised on chestnuts). An ultra tender and low-cholesterol protein, Mangalica ham sells online for $500 for seven pounds, or visit NYC restaurants such as Bar Boulud, Colicchio and Sons and Gotham Bar & Grill to sample it.
Putting opinions on reunion tours (and the entire fate of rock) aside, a good reissue makes the perfect excuse to revisit an old favorite or get into it for the first time—and gives die-hard fans something new to obsess about. "Fables of the Reconstruction," digitally remasters the original 1985 R.E.M. release, pairing it with 14 previously-unreleased demos (including the debut of "Throw Those Trolls Away") and lots of extras to encourage purchasing of the physical set.
In addition to four postcards and a poster, the edition includes liner notes by guitarist Paul Buck, adding insight to the seminal band's early years and what it was like to record the album with producer Joe Boyd, known for his work with Nick Drake, Pink Floyd and other Brit artists. "Nobody but R.E.M. could have made that record. It took our four twisted personalities and the legendary Joe Boyd to make an album that character-filled and vibey," Buck concludes.
That "vibey" sound marked a departure for the young band hailing from Athens, GA. Recorded in London during a harsh winter in 1985, the album was their third (this reissue follows recent re-releases of the first two) and as the title suggests the concept takes on R.E.M.'s Southern heritage, with a more narrative lyrical approach.
While "Fables" did well on the charts (especially in the U.K.) when it was released, only more recently have fans and frontman Michael Stipe had more positive reviews of the album. Listening to the layered post-punk-meets-acoustic instrumentation today not only feels particularly relevant at a moment with an abundance of similarly neo-psychedelic bands, but also speaks to a transition in the bands history that made them a mainstream success.
For music nerds who care about these things, the bonus tracks, recorded in Athens shortly before departing for London, make that point too—with many of them stemming from soundchecks during R.E.M.'s 1984 tour and a few going on to form the basis of future releases.
The two-CD set and a 180-gram vinyl edition drop in the U.S. on 13 July 2010 and 12 July 2010 everywhere else. Pre-order the CDs from Amazon.
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