PC Tech World: These

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Monday, April 8, 2013

Get an early look at Facebook Home with these leaked pre-release APKs

Facebook Home's making its official debut on the HTC First and a handful of big-hitting Android handsets this Friday, but MoDaCo has come across a trio of APKs which offer an early taste. The leaked APKs have been stripped from a pre-release HTC First ROM, with MoDaCo noting they're "rather buggy" and not fully functional -- Chat Heads doesn't work, for example. You'll need a handset with a max screen res of 1,280 x 768 and must be able to remove the current Android Facebook app, as the newer APKs won't install otherwise. MoDaCo lists a workaround for phones that have Facebook baked into the ROM, but it'll still need to be rooted. Hit up the source link if you've got the side-loading skills and feel like giving Facebook Home a preliminary poking.

Source: MoDaCo

These crazy, gorgeous seats are an 'allegorical interpretation' of the BMWi line

BMW i in partnership with Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec present the installation QUIET MOTION during the Salone del Mobile. A contemporary interpretation of a new mobility concept.

08.04.2013 BMW i. Salone del Mobile 2013. Quiet Motion (04/2013) Munich/Milan. In partnership with the internationally renowned designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, BMW i presents an installation entitled QUIET MOTION on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile 2013. Against the backdrop of the world's biggest design furniture fair, the BMW Group marks the anniversary of its creative collaboration with designers spanning a wide range of industries.

For this project, the Bouroullecs found their inspiration in the focus of BMW i on lightweight construction, transparency, environmentally friendly materials and the new, quiet driving experience of the sustainably designed vehicles by BMW i. The upshot is an installation that rotates slowly and silently, reminiscent of a carousel. It is an allegorical interpretation of movement and contemplation as well as of the forward-looking vehicle design of BMW i in aesthetic and pared-down form, using sustainable BMW i materials. Visitors to the Salone del Mobile are invited to experience QUIET MOTION from 9 to 14 April 2013 in a place of tranquillity – the cloister of the monastery that houses the Facoltà Teologica dell'Italia Settentrionale.

Visionary design based on sustainable materials and generous space.

BMW i develops vehicles with an unwavering focus on sustainability and forward-looking technology. By distancing themselves from the complexity of the vehicles as such, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have evolved the underlying values of this holistic approach of BMW i and the new car design it ushers in. They draw on a typically BMW i eco-friendly, select mix of materials. The carbon for the revolutionary lightweight design of the BMW i bodywork was created using renewable energy sources and is a key material along with the interior leather that has been treated using vegetable tannins. Without any further chemical application, it is nevertheless very hardwearing and boasts a unique look. The designers also used fabrics made of the sustainable wool yarn that will feature in the BMW i seat upholstery. QUIET MOTION proposes to interpret the question of the interior environment of a car with a more domestic approach.

The installation comprises different levels of slowly turning platforms partially made of cork; this renewable material is sourced from one of the world's largest cork manufacturers, Grupo Amorim in Portugal. A column of rigid yet extremely lightweight carbon connects the platforms and the fibreglass roofs above them. On the upper side the roofs are coated with weather-resistant BMW i bodywork paint, while the lining on the underside is made from the fabric of the future BMW i roof liner. Seating areas covered in the same soft leather as the
BMW i car seats invite visitors to sit and linger for a while. Electric motors beneath the floor of the installation are responsible for the gentle rotation of the harmoniously configured platforms.

Thanks to its sheer spaciousness (the installation measures 17 x 14 metres) and the sense of wellbeing it generates, QUIET MOTION is a place of contemplation. Around the platforms are curtains of fabric strips that materialize a transparent frontier between the interior of platforms and the surrounding environment. The textile used for this originates from the vehicle design while the technology of the fabric strips was first used by the designers in their "Clouds" modular room divider system for Kvadrat.

Cutting-edge mobility and architecture define the moment of calm.

The Salone del Mobile is the world's biggest furniture fair of its kind. Over the course of a few days, leading designers come to Milan to display their latest creations. The Facoltà Teologica dell'Italia Settentrionale will open its doors to the international public for six days, the installation set up in its cloister being designed to spark a dialogue on a newly conceived and developed driving experience by BMW i.
"We have created a poetic abstraction of modern nomadism by bringing motion into harmony with its surroundings and rendering visible the kind of view you could get through a car window," says Erwan Bouroullec. His brother Ronan looks forward to the discussion that QUIET MOTION will generate: "We will have achieved a great deal if visitors to the Salone del Mobile talk about how silent and respectful of the environment mobility could be in the future. In a way, we tried to associate more contemplative values to the automotive industry."
Benoit Jacob, Head of BMW i Design, is captivated by the French designer duo's approach: "With their ability to reduce a form to its essence and through their choice of materials and the elegance of their objects, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have earned global recognition. They have also applied this reductive approach to their interpretation of BMW i values. QUIET MOTION is about a timely discourse on a new concept of mobility and a focus on sustainability. At its core are innovative solutions such as alternative drive systems tailored to the urban environment. Our aim is to offer consumers an opportunity to rethink by presenting them with new concepts from the automotive industry."

Clean and clever. The holistic concept of BMW i.

BMW i aspires to bring together modern design and environmentally friendly technology and materials to elicit a new understanding of premium. At BMW i, the holistic eco-friendly approach comprises the entire value added chain: starting with a sustainable development process, production and sourcing,
BMW i vehicles offer intelligent electric drive, the use of carbon for revolutionary lightweight construction – so-called LifeDrive architecture – and materials from renewable resources in the interior. The response of BMW i to the social, ecological and economic challenges of our day is to offer more efficient, agile and comfortable driving fun. QUIET MOTION renders visible its forward-looking, clear and open design and highlights the visionary approach of electric mobility.

Adress
Facoltà Teologica dell'Italia Settentrionale
Via dei Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro 3, Milan
Opening hours
09.04 – 16.04 / 10.00 – 20.00 hrs

Source

By: Unknown On 10:54 PM

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

These boots were made for talkin': O2 teams up with artist for 'walkie talkie' footwear

These boots were made for talkin' O2 teams up with artist for 'walkie talkie' mobile footwear

Sorry, Ms. Sinatra, but the headline parody was all too obvious to ignore. As part of its mobile device Recycle program, which allows users to trade in old handsets for cash, British telco O2 has commissioned local designer Sean Miles to give discarded featurephones a new lease on life. The end result? Four footwear designs - made from the likes of Christian Louboutins, Nike Airs, Hunter Wellingtons and a classic Brogue men's shoe -- replete with a fully functional phone embedded in the sole. We know exactly what you're thinking: Why would anyone want to hold a shoe to their face? Whether it's for the love of the arts, a penchant for public ridicule or a closer whiff of the ground below, we can't say for sure. What we do know is that this truly "mobile" kit(sch) will be up for auction later in March at a planned exhibition. But that won't be the last you'll see of Miles' unholy meshing of tech and apparel -- the artist also plans to branch out into gloves and handbags as part of the fuller O2 Recycle Collection. You paying attention, Weird Al? This one's for you!

Via: The Sun

Source: PSFK

Saturday, December 29, 2012

If I Ever Get Rich, I'm Gonna Buy One of These Grills

This story will display in ...Dec 28, 2012 3:59 PM

If I Ever Get Rich, I'm Gonna Buy One of These Grills My friend Russ designs grills for Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, where the starting price is around ~~$14,000~~ $10,000. He just sent me this video, a glimpse at their manufacturing process. Man, these are sweet pieces of kit—all hand-made in an adorable town in Michigan, able to burn wood, gas, or charcoal. *drool*

Well, I am not rich, so I will just have to settle for my Frankengrill. But a boy can dream.

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 6:56 PM

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

These Astounding Satellite Images Were the Best Bird's-Eye-Views of 2012

This story will display in ...Dec 25, 2012 3:00 PM

These Astounding Satellite Images Were the Best Bird's-Eye-Views of 2012 Our daily does of satellite imagery through services like Google Maps have made looking down at Earth seem rather hum-drum at times. But there are still magical and majestic sites to be hold, as seen in this selection from 2012.

DigitalGlobe recently announced their Best of 2012 picks out of their vast archive of images. Phenomena both natural and man-made make appearances, and are equally striking. We happen to love the one of Mt. Fuji gushing steam.

These Astounding Satellite Images Were the Best Bird's-Eye-Views of 2012

A winner must be chosen, and if you venture over to DigitalGlobe's Facebook page, you can vote on your favorite with a Like! [DigitalGlobe via TwistedSifter]

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By: Dilusha On 9:11 PM

Sunday, December 23, 2012

These Weird Cartoon Faces Are All Drawn By an Algorithm

This story will display in ...Dec 22, 2012 9:00 AM

These Weird Cartoon Faces Are All Drawn By an Algorithm There's a certain aspect of human creation, a quaint sort inconsistent imperfection, that most of us tend to think is exclusive to us meatbags. Turns out it's not; computers can emulate that too, and these weird-looking cartoon faces you could swear were drawn by a five-year-old prove it.

The faces are the product of code written by Matthias Dörfelt which generates them randomly and procedurally to create an army of the things—all distinctly different—in an instant. Dörfelt describes the project this way:

Computer generated images have a certain aesthetics to them that make them immediately recognizable as such by the trained eye. Weird Faces Study is an attempt to combine my old interest in illustration with programing, to create something procedural that has a truly individual artistic touch to it and is not instantly recognizable as a generative art piece.

It's definitely stealth generative art. You'd be hard-pressed to guess it wasn't the work of a human unless someone told you. And somehow it's still way better than any of my drawing. [Creative Applications via Boing Boing]

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By: Dilusha On 10:11 PM

Friday, December 21, 2012

You Can't Replicate These Ultra-Rare Blade Runner Storyboards

Dec 20, 2012 5:20 PM

Even after three decades, Ridley Scott's dystopian saga remains a hallmark of science-fiction cinema, retaining a fervent and loyal fan base. But even among dedicated memorabilia collectors, Geoff Hutchins' exhaustive archive of Blade Runner-related items is simply stunning.

Over the past ten years, Hutchins' catalog has grown from a single Big Box VHS tape to include untold hundreds of pieces—from the chair Harrison Ford sat in between takes to screen-used props to these incredible FX stills detailing the film's opening flyby sequence. "I have to be honest and say that I do not have an accurate item count," Hutchins told Gizmodo, but among all of his collection, these storyboards, "are one of my favourite items." You can check out the rest of his most-prized examples on his website, Ridleyville.com.

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By: Dilusha On 10:03 AM

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Did You Know that These Strange Fields of Ice Flowers Exist At Sea?

Dec 15, 2012 4:55 PM

This beautiful alien landscape is right here on Earth: a never-ending sea of ice flowers quietly floating over a thinly frozen sea. These strange ice structures are very rich in salt and bacteria—and very hard to pick, according to oceanography doctoral candidate Jeff Bowman.

Bowman explains how they grow:

When sea ice forms during the polar winter it is often possible to observe the growth of frost flowers, intricate structures that are composed from frozen atmospheric moisture and from brine wicked from the sea ice surface. The transport of brine into these structures means that they are unusually salty, up to 5 times the salinity of the ocean. By this same mechanism other things in seawater concentrate in frost flowers, including bacteria.
Although frost flowers are very abundant in the Arctic and Antarctic getting to them isn't easy. The ice underneath them is often too thin to walk across and prone to drifting with the wind. The basic sampling strategy is to find a place where the water is kept open by winds or currents (called a lead if smaller and short lived, polynya if larger and more permanent).

According to Dr. Martini at Deep Sea News, you need these conditions for them to grow:

1) Calm winds. We can't have these beauties blown away can we?
2) Cold, cold air. It has to be about 20C less than the water and since seawater freezes around -2C, that means the air must be about -22C or -7.6F. BRRR.

I hope I see these one day with my own eyes. [Jeff S. Bowman and Deep Sea News]

Image by Matthias Wietz.

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 8:34 PM

These Are The Last Words That Were Said On The Moon

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These Are The Last Words That Were Said On The Moon Everyone knows the first words that were said on the moon, but what about the last? 40 years ago yesterday we left the moon for the last time, so now's as good a time as any to ask. The answer? Well there are a few, and you can pick which one you like better.

As Commander Eugene Cernan stood on the moon's surface before climbing back into the Apollo 17 module and blasting off towards home, he recited a little speech, fitting to be the last words on the body. It went like this:

"I'm on the surface; and, as I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come - but we believe not too long into the future - I'd like to just [say] what I believe history will record. That America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return: with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17."

But then there was the matter of launch, and that's where things get a little cloudy. According to the book The All-American Boys by Walter Cunningham, the last thing said before blast-off was "Let's get this mutha outta here," as uttered by Cernan. After some digging through transcripts however, The Atlantic found a more likely and less awesome version of the line: "Okay. Now, let's get off. Forget the camera. [Garbled]..." to be followed by a mundane countdown and, of course, "ignition."

Whatever the case may be, we don't count any pre-walking quotes as the first, so any post-walking quotes are likely disqualified for the last, on a technicality if nothing else. Still, the last words on the moon stand as their own little mystery that sits between those two brackets and it'll probably stay that way unless we get up there and make some new ones. [The Atlantic]

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By: Dilusha On 8:07 PM

Will Wild OLED Installations Like These Be The Light Fixtures Of Tomorrow?

This story will display in ...Dec 15, 2012 7:00 PM

Will Wild OLED Installations Like These Be The Light Fixtures Of Tomorrow? OLEDs have a lot of potential for awesomeness, like putting a flexible screen on your holiday sweaters. Well, maybe that's a bad example. These prototype light fixtures developed by Philips, on the other hand, are significantly better ones.

As Dietmar Thomas of Philips Lumiblade explains:

OLED is the first light source that is a surface light source. All other lights sources are point light sources, starting with the flame, the candle and going up to the light bulb and the LED. For the first time you don't need a system to spread the light. The system is built-in.

And that fact, along with the thin form factor allows for all kinds of weird installations you couldn't (or wouldn't want to) make with strandard light bulbs. Everything from pulsating light walls to fixtures that actually are your ceiling.

For the moment, OLED lights tend to be prohibitively expensive, especially if all they're doing is acting like a light bulb and looking cool, but Thomas is confidant the prices will fall quite a bit in the next five years, making these kinds of setups far more affordable. The sooner we can all get trippy, flashing light displays for living room raves, the better. [Dezeen]

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By: Dilusha On 7:05 PM

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

These iPod Touches and Android Alternative Are Your Casual-Gaming-Nirvana Deal of the Day

These iPod Touches and Android Alternative Are Your Casual-Gaming-Nirvana Deal of the Day Sorry Nintendo! Apple's iPod Touch is now the best casual gaming platform in existence. Sam pointed it out in his gift guide for hardcore gamers, but the iPod Touch appeals to pretty much everyone (except those with an iPhone.) Lots of kids are going to freak out when they get one this holiday, and I can't blame them.

Remember when we promised to tell you when we saw any discount on any Apple products? You've got three deal options today on portable music players today, based on your level of frugality.

• We've found a discount on the newest, 5th-generation iPod touch that came out this fall. From Amazon (and Best Buy), you can take $20 off both the 32GB and the 64GB version in any of the five colors it comes in. That's probably the lowest price we're going to see this holiday season, so if you're giving some away this month, today's the best day to buy it. [Amazon]
• If you're too frugal to buy a brand-new Apple gadget, Apple itself is selling refurbished 8GB 4th-generations (complete with Retina screen) for $130. The 32GB version goes for $179. [Apple]
• If you could never forgive yourself for touching an Apple product, Daily Steals is clearing out Galaxy Players (think Galaxy SII minus the phone, like an Android iPod Touch) for $119. Pair your Xbox controller, stick an MicroSD card in there, and laugh at your Apple toting friends. [Daily Steals}

Hey, did you know Dealzmodo has a Twitter? Follow us here: Follow @dealzmodo

If you're lucky enough to live near a Micro Center, you can save $40 on an iPad 4. In-store pickup only
— dealzmodo (@dealzmodo) December 11, 2012

• Metro 2033 ($0) | THQ via Reddit | Originally $10 | Like 'em on Facebook, gives you a Steam key

• Snoop Lion Endorsed Sunglasses BOGO ($20) | Knockarounds via Reddit | Originally $50

• Netgear 1080p Wireless Media Streamer ($60) | Dell via Logicbuy | Originally $80
• Sony WiFi Blu-Ray Player ($90) | Amazon via Reddit | Originally $110

Not today.

Nope.

If you're lucky enough to live near a Micro Center, you can save $40 on an iPad 4. In-store pickup only
— dealzmodo (@dealzmodo) December 11, 2012

Nope.

• 256GB OCZ Agility 4 SSD ($130) | Tiger Direct via Logicbuy | Originally $200 | MIR on page

• Warlords Classic HD ($0) | iTunes via Best App Sales | Originally $1

Surprisingly, nothing.

Not today.

Do you make or sell cool gadgets and you have a hot deal you want to share with Gizmodo readers? Email me!

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 11:40 AM

Monday, November 26, 2012

These Polaroids Might Be the Oldest Pictures of an Apple Computer

This story will display in ...Nov 24, 2012 12:02 PM

These Polaroids Might Be the Oldest Pictures of an Apple Computer In 1976, Apple products were far from the thin, glossy blades they are today. Apple's humble beginnings started with the Apple I, hand-built by Steve Wozniak himself, and sold for $666.66. When Paul Terrell, owner of the Byte Shop, purchased 50 of the machines for sale way back then, he took a few pictures with his Polaroid camera. Now, those pictures are quite possibly the oldest pictures ever taken of an Apple product.

Terrell recently posted some of the pictures to Facebook, and they about as chock full of tech nostalgia as pictures can be. Featuring shots of the computer's innards as well as shots of it in working order, the pictures are a sight to see, and must be even more of a joy to actual hold. You can see all of them over on the Technologizer. [TIME]

These Polaroids Might Be the Oldest Pictures of an Apple Computer

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By: Dilusha On 5:25 PM