Archive for the ‘ Tech ’ Category
Hot Toys is most known for creating very detailed and amazing replications of characters from films and the property they’ve spent a lot of time on lately is Iron Man. Showing off some of their latest figures at a trade show in Hong Kong, the company put together this presentation of their Iron Man Mark VII armor from last summer’s The Avengers using some holograms like we would see in Tony Stark’s workshop.
Check out the 30 Years Anniversary – Special Edition New model GA-300. 3,000 exclusive watches were made with engraved number and Maison Martin Margiela logo across the back and will be sold worldwide. It has a removable mirrored silver leather wristband, New matt-shiny silver casing and bracelet, transparent liquid crystal skeleton, Shock resistant, and 200m water resistant. It can also be used as a stopwatch, alarm, has a world time function, and Super illuminator LED.
To mark its official launch in the US, the McLaren 12C Spider took to the notoriously dangerous Loveland Pass in Colorado to demonstrate its supercar credentials and to challenge X-Games professional snowboarder, Chanelle Sladics. In a specially made video to accompany the feat, Pikes Peak International overall record-holder and 2008 Drifting World Champion Rhys Millen races Sladics downhill in the convertible supercar, managing to keep its 3.8-litre V8 twin turbo engine in check through descending hairpin turns along roads caked in snow and ice. At 11,990 feet (3,655 m) above sea level, Loveland is the highest mountain pass in the world that stays open during the winter months and has a reputation as being one of the most treacherous stretches of road in the US. But, if the video is to be believed, somehow Millen not only keeps the car under control, he also manages to beat eight-time X-Games competitor Sladics to the bottom of the hill, despite her taking the most direct route.
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
There have been bits and pieces of this clip in many of the trailers and TV spots for Iron Man 3, but now you can see the full clip below.
With what seems like a constant need to chatter away on cellphones or listen to music with earbuds, a little quiet time may be in order. We’ve got the perfect place: the Guinness Book of World Records’s quietest room. It’s so quiet the longest anyone has been able to stand it before beginning to go a bit batty was 45 minutes — to be fair, part of that challenge was to remain in the dark too. The “anechoic chamber” at Orfield Laboratories in South Minneapolis is 99.9 percent sound absorbing. The Daily Mail reports the room is made with 3.3-foot-thick fiberglass acoustic wedges with walls made of insulated steel and a foot of concrete. An anechoic chamber in Minneapolis’s Orfield Laboratory holds the Guinness world record for the world’s quietest place at -9.4 decibels. As humans can only detect sounds above 0 decibels, the chamber is virtually soundless. Because the chamber is so soundless, NASA has conducted tests on its astronauts in there to simulate what it would sound like in space. Orfield said manufacturers, like Harley Davidson and Whirlpool, have also used the chamber to test how loud their products are or to evaluate sound quality.
Ross Lovegrove has designed the Biophilia Collection for Vondom. Biophilia Collection explores a new design language that forms a dialogue between time, form and space combining the pioneering organic design of Sagrada Famila by Antonio Gaudi, Vondom expertise in advanced roto-moulded technology and my studios ongoing research into the transference of digital process into contemporary design. Taken out of craft and into the 21st century progressive domain of polymerization and industry Biophilia is a collection, acknowledges this lineage but pushes the boundaries between material structure and form into a new modern territory as yet unseen, parametrically conceived and diametrically opposed to modernism in its expression.
With its high-powered lenses, the Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the spiral galaxy Messier 77, a large group of stars 45 million light-years from Earth. The colors of the spiral in this image released March 28 reveal that new stars were formed in the red and blue areas. The overall glow indicates that the entire system is rich with ionized gas.
After it docked with the International Space Station last month to deliver supplies, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully detached from the station to return to Earth, as pictured in this image taken March 26. SpaceX was the first private company to successfully link a spacecraft with the ISS, which is collectively run by a coalition of countries.
Gullies on the surface of Mars, likely formed by defrosting carbon dioxide, offer clues about its past and about the presence of water that may have once run over the red planet. NASA scientists use a high-resolution camera, called the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to capture detailed images.
As it passed over the Indian Ocean on March 11, NASA’s Aqua satellite snapped this photo of clouds moving from northwest to southeast. The Aqua satellite was launched in 2002 as part of an ambitious effort to study Earth’s water cycle. As it circles the planet, the satellite observes oceans, cloud layers, and ice, as well as soil moisture and atmospheric vapor.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image on March 16 as a solar prominence broke apart several thousand miles above the surface of the sun. The image, captured in ultraviolet light, shows a cloud of particles that hovered near the eruption before fading away into space. Guided by the sun’s magnetic field lines, solar prominences can hover over the surface of the sun for days or weeks before erupting. The eruptions can take minutes to hours.
One of the ongoing environmental disasters you may or may not be aware of is all the plastic floating in the oceans. There’s literally tons of it and, fun fact, it’s slowly poisoning us. Boyan Slat, though, a 19-year-old college student, has a fairly innovative idea to solve the problem. Essentially, he’ll use large booms and giant funnels to do the job. The device consists of an anchored network of floating booms and processing platforms that could be dispatched to garbage patches around the world. Instead of moving through the ocean, the array would span the radius of a garbage patch, acting as a giant funnel. The angle of the booms would force plastic in the direction of the platforms, where it would be separated from plankton, filtered and stored for recycling. Slat’s Ocean Cleanup Array would do a lot more than just keep organic pollutants out of your sushi. Millions of dollars in tourism could be collected and a lot of boat damage could be stopped by hauling all this plastic out of the water. Of course, this solution has to be built: Currently it’s just some clever engineering on paper and some computer models.
Lazerwood was created to inject a little more warmth to the critically acclaimed iphone and to fix the antenna problem of the All Web-wide criticized Iphone 4 reception without adding tones of material around it. Thin but durable, real wood veneer cover for the iPhone. Peel-and-stick backing make the covers easy to apply and remove without damage to the phone.
Someone might be disappointed that the engine power to the XKR-S has not changed. But the body has changed – it added carbon lollipops, splitter under the front bumper, deflectors around the fenders and rear delivers large wing. Maximum speed remains limited to 300 km/h. The acceleration takes it from 0 to 96 km/h in 3.9 seconds. Power transfer to the road to remain in charge and ZF six-speed automatic electronically controlled limited slip active differential. Another novelty is carbon-ceramic brakes, used by Jaguar for the first time. The front wheels have a diameter of 398 mm, rear 380 mm – thanks to them reduced unsprung masses by 21 kg. Jaguar offered only 25 pieces (five in Canada and rest in USA).
In the time of multifunctional furniture and other stuff the following example will surely come in handy. Designed by Seung Hyun Lee, il Woong Jwa, Bom Yi Lee & Jiwon Moon the Multifunctional Bathtub has an exclusive tilt function that allows you to save water when you take a soak. Depending upon how you tilt and use the tub, you could end up saving 80% of water for foot bath, 60% of water for half-body and 40% for full-body bath.
Swedish designer Vincent Sall proposed the concept of the camera, combining style and image of an old Leica and monocle. Leica X3 camera body consists of a lens, which contains all the buttons, and the cover of the lens itself. Every day people around the world take millions of pictures. The modern culture of sharing photos with your friends and loved ones has never been bigger. This project is about filling the gap between big cameras with great image quality and smartphone cameras with limited quality/control.
Fusing millimeter-thick slices of genuine slate with premium birch wood, portland-based Shwood Eyewear have developed their hand crafted limited edition hand-crafted ‘stone collection’. Hand-poured pewter inlays complete the look, creating the perfect balance between rugged and rugged, continuing to reflect on the companies experimental manufacturing approach with nature. The frames incorporate 100% UVA/UVB protection with carl zeiss lenses imported from Italy, and comes packaged with a custom felt pouch with an embroidered leather patch.
Click the pic to watch the video.
Ferrari at this year’s Geneva Auto Show unveiled LaFerrari concepts that were never shown before. Now these super cars have been set in Museo Ferrari in Maranello for public presentation. Two parked model shows the Ferrari’s traditional sleek designing. The exhibition features the 1984 GTO production model, the “Ferrari enzo” and the “Project F150”, the super car promising a formula one experience with Ferrari’s hybrid powertrain – a HY-KERS system that delivers 963 horsepower from its V12 engine and its two electric motors.
Check out this stunning underwater hotel Fiji’s Poseidon Resort. Set 40 feet below the water’s surface in a pristine Fijian lagoon is the Poseidon Undersea Resort, a real life submerged hotel accessible by lift and the first of its kind in the world. For a $15,000 per person you’ll get four nights in one of the above water suites, two nights in one of the undersea suites (%70 of the room is see through) and a bunch of other pretty awesome stuff like getting behind the wheel of a mini submarine and gourmet foods.
Pioneer is giving DJs and producers another level of choice and versatility, with the release of its groundbreaking RMX-1000 remix station in a striking new color: cool pearl white. The original RMX-1000 is already a must-have in the booth: a three-in-one system comprising editing software, innovative performance hardware, and a controller for the VST and AU plug-ins. And now the RMX-1000 range offers even more flexibility, with the addition of Pro Tools RTAS to the choice of compatible plug-ins. Check out the performance by Jordan Suckley on the RMX-1000 Pearl White.
Turn by Simona Sacchi is an incredibly smart and functional armchair design that offers three different configurations in a single complement. The armchair concept is very sleek and would be a great accessory addition to any contemporary interior design project.
Aston Martin over the years have created and crafted some of the Worlds most recognizable and iconic cars and this year the company celebrate 100 years in the industry. As part of this celebration commercial car photographer Tim Wallace has been commissioned by our client Aston to produce a major book looking through the 100 years to celebrate all the models in the Aston range from the very first model that David Brown created to the latest super cars from the Aston stable such as the DBS and new Vanquish. This week Tim spent time shooting with the iconic 2 Litre Sports created way back in the 40s for the book that is anticipated for release later this year Worldwide.
At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show Toyota has introduced the i-ROAD – an electric personal mobility vehicle. Offering greater flexibility in an urban environment, the i-ROAD provides seating in tandem for two users in a pod-like enclosed environment. Its all-electric power-train features a lithium-ion battery – which provides power to a pair of 2 kW electric motors mounted within the front wheels. The EV provides unique, “active lean” technology for a safe, intuitive and enjoyable, helmet-free driving experience for over a range of up to 50 km on a single charge. The system features a lean actuator motor and gearing mounted above the front suspension member, linked via a yoke to the right and left front wheels. An ECU calculates the required lean based on steering angle, gyro-sensor and vehicle speed information. The “active lean” automatically moves the wheels up and down in opposite directions, applying lean angle to counteract the centrifugal force of cornering. Measuring 2,350 mm long and 850 mm wide, the compact three-wheeled PMV’s dimension also makes it possible to park four units in a single car parking bay and allows it to manoeuvre freely through congested traffic.
The second generation luxury sedan based on Bentley Continental is imminent. Bentley Continental Flying Spur appeared in 2005 as a response to the need for a smaller, more modern luxury sedan, the brand that would make sure increase in sales and a wider clientele. As the name (and design) told, it was a sedan, modeled on the Continental GT coupe. The public response was lukewarm. However, those for whom the vehicle was designed, i.e. rich customers who do not spend time on the internet discussions, obviously liked, because the brand is doing well and the Flying Spur is preparing a successor. The fact is that the promo video shows that the car will have a new column shaped body and the line of the side windows and the bow can expect similar changes which accompanied the alternation of generations in the Continental GT. Flying Spur will be powered by a 6.0L W12 capable of producing 616 hp, 590 lb-ft of torque, taking it to from zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds. The inside amenities and modern gadgetry will be as always Bentley delivers. But the highlights for the 2014 Flying Spur we’ve received are built-in hotspot, two 10” rear screens with 64Gigs of storage and 1100 watt Naim sound system. Expect to see it on roads in coming summer.
Continental GT coupe
London-based Alessandro Isola & Supriya Mankad from I M Lab have designed the Torque Desk. A twisting take on a traditionally formal product. In this instance the desk has been transformed into a dynamic spatial object in tension with the straight walls of the space it occupies. The tensile stresses require the desk to be constructed in a malleable and ductile material. Bringing together clever engineering and hand craftsmanship, all the components of the metal body are structural as well as functional. The flat plane of the desk is folded to support itself at one end while seemingly resting on a stack of drawers at the other end. The rotating drawers are cantilevered around the spine which performs multiple functions of a support, a pivot and a cable management system connecting a floor point all the way up to the desk surface. An malachite letter and pen holder completes the design.
This is 1963 Buick Riviera with tuning by Fesler. The Scottsdsale, Arizona, dweller, co-owner and CEO of toymaker Ronin Syndicate, Tony Diaz, began his pursuit of the dark side a few years ago, combing the country for the perfect candidate for his evil mission. “I had been looking for a Riviera for a long time,” explains Tony. “I wanted it to look thug, but not modern-day thug—more like something from the ’30s,” proclaims Tony. “Like you would expect dudes with tommy guns to jump out of it.” Tony definitely had gangster goals, and thankfully his friend Chris Fesler was up for the task of making Tony’s dreams a reality. One of the most intriguing aspects of the rapacious Rivi is the exclusive yet abnormal rolling gear. With more than 3,000 watts of power going to the Kicker subwoofers and speakers, not only does it pound pavement, but it casts fear on anyone daring enough to peek inside.
Russian designer Vadim Kibardin bothered about carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve dysfunction / entrapment) that occurs with long-term use of computer mouse and developed the “BAT” – the levitating wireless computer mouse. It consists of a floating navigator and magnetic base ring. As any active computer users can be prone to this ailment, the system aims to eliminate numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle damage in the hand and fingers caused from over exposure to a mouse by elevating the controls to an ergonomic position.
A delicate, floating circle of light, the Nimba 90 LED Suspension Light combines simplicity with advanced technology and high-efficiency. A stainless steel ring is illuminated by a series of LEDs, softened by a white inner diffuser. Suspended from a satin nickel canopy by subtle, nearly invisible cable, the Nimba seems to levitate just below the ceiling.
