Good Thinking
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The tree-of-knowledge building
October 4, 2006 The Pierres Vives building for the French Department of Herault on the edge of Montpellier is unique in that it will be a combination of three civic institutions - the archives, the library and the sports department - within a single envelope. Given the contained programs, the spectacular design is inspired by the idea of a 'tree of knowledge' as an organizational diagram. The archive is located at the solid base of the trunk, followed by the slightly more porous library, with the sports department and its offices on top where the trunk bifurcates and becomes much lighter. Designed by Stephane Hof of Zaha Hadid Architects, work is due to start on site at the end of this year. The image library for this article is a must for those who appreciate the finest architectural design. (read more...)
The Wallet 2.0
October 2, 2006 We’ve seen several new ideas for carrying one’s valuables in the form of the Jimi wallet and the Tsaya Thigh Holster for gals who don’t like to carry handbags but both are designed for minimalists, not for those of us with busy lives and lots of paper and stuff to schlep around. So the arrival of the details of the Wallet 2.0 really got the brain cells working. The US$30 Wallet 2.0 has a soft silicone outer case, so it moulds to the shape of your hip or breast pocket more readily than a leather wallet. It's also water repellant, but the real trickery is inside where it uses specially designed folders like those in an organizer or planner. There are five different refill sheets designed to hold paper money, coins, ID and credit cards and there are more interesting and useful sheets on the way. There’s a flash demo here. (read more...)
HearHere enables users to find exactly what they want within a Podcast
October 2, 2006 One of the frustrations associated with audio and video compared to text is that you have to listen to or watch the entire thing. At least that was until Seattle start-up Pluggd debuted a significant new technology for the booming internet audio industry at the semi-annual DEMO conference this week. HearHere, search technology identifies topics within audio and allows users to search within audio Internet programming and quickly find the segments they want. The HearHere feature lets the user type in a keyword representing a topic he or she is looking for and displays a 'heat map' within the media player that visually indicates where in the content the topic is discussed. HearHere's patent-pending technology allows people to find where a conversation of interest starts instead of simply dropping them in the middle of the audiocast, and will identify related topics even if the keyword isn't explicitly used in the content. HearHere will be available along with support for video by the end of the year. With radio and television increasingly turning to the Internet for distribution, the technology also makes it uniquely possible to connect advertisers with new audiences. (read more...)
Instant dry cleaning spray
October 1, 2006 Japanese company Nissin Medico has already had a runaway hit product with its spray-on stockings (great photo gallery) becoming massive sellers in Asia and warmer climates in 2003 and is now available in over 2000 American stores. Now the company’s subsidiary C.C. Medico (HK) which specializes in marketing spray products could have another product which creates its own category – a dry cleaning spray hit the Japanese market earlier this month. The product is claimed to dry clean business suits in just 30 seconds. Apparently you put your clothes on a hanger and spray them with the “Spray Iron” product which will “penetrate quickly into the fabric, removing creases, stains and odours immediately.” It sounds too good to be true but so did sliced bread, non-stick frypans and pimple removal cream. The patent application for the Wool mark, from the International Wool Society (IWS), is currently in progress. (read more...)
Inventive heating design delivers instant hot water to every faucet
October 1, 2006 When we saw the technology behind this inventive line of hot water circulation pumps we just had to give it a mention. Having to wait for hot water at the faucet is inconvenient at best, but this system offers the convenience of having hot water at every faucet in the home instantly and is claimed to save up to 15,000 gallons of water annually for a typical family of four. Offered as both a retrofit and new installation, the system installs under the sink or faucet farthest from the water heater-where hot water has to travel for the longest time. (read more...)
TouchBook Touch User Interface (TUI) to be used by NASA
October 1, 2006 Somatic Digital announced today that it will provide NASA Goddard Flight Center with its TouchBook Touch User Interface (TUI) platform. The TUI is to the printed page what the Graphic User Interface (GUI) is to the computer screen. It is an open convergence technology that enables readers of normally printed materials to touch the page and retrieve digital content or launch communication applications on a computer. Currently, the TUI can retrieve digital content and launch communication applications via Windows XP or Mac OS X. The functions that can be driven from a web page can also be conducted from a printed page. (read more...)
The LoftCube – designed to be airlifted in to the free space on top of buildings
September 28, 2006 If there’s a vacant block without a building on it, people notice – valuable real estate doesn’t stand vacant for long. But there’s plenty of prime real estate sitting vacant out there and the owners in most cases are completely unaware of it – it’s called the free space on the roof of many city buildings and there’s an industry fast growing up to cater for it. The Aisslinger-designed and built Loftcube is a 39 square metre penthouse designed to be helicoptered to the location of your choice – as long as it’s on a rooftop. Once it is airlifted into place, it can be fully functional inside 2-4 days according to the architects. Inside it’s completely customisable, and prices range from EUR89,000 (US$ 112,830) to EUR 144,000 (US$182,570) - see inside for details. (read more...)
Reeingineering automotive toll processes for a cash-based economy
September 22, 2006 Every civilization on earth treats money slightly differently. When the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) set out to create the country’s AutoExpreso toll collection system, it was seen to have some unique cultural problems to overcome as a high percentage of Puerto Ricans do not maintain bank accounts or credit cards. With the country’s cash-based culture, the system had to be conceptually re-engineered to look beyond the traditional credit card-based ETC architecture and business rules, and allow users to pay cash to refill their account. The eGo radio frequency identification (RFID)-based cashless toll collection system launched in early 2004, and in just two years, 400,000eGo tags have been issued, well ahead of the five-year goal of 300,000. This represents a more rapid adoption curve of ETC than experienced in many earlier systems throughout the United States. (read more...)
The Programmable Liquid Container
September 22, 2006 Packaging that intelligently enhances its contents with increased consumer customisation and personalisation choices is on the way and Ipifini’s choice-enabled packaging could well change the way liquid products are manufactured and marketed across multiple segments. The Programmable Liquid Container employs buttons on the container's surface that release additives (flavours, colourants, fragrances) into the liquid. The additive buttons allow the consumer to choose variations of the liquid in the container at the point of consumption. For example, a programmable cola bottle with buttons for lemon, lime, vanilla, and cherry flavors as well as a caffeine button allows for 32 potential choices of soda. A programmable paint container with 20 pigment additive buttons allows the consumer to choose from one million paint colours. First cab off the rank in the Choice-Pack line of products under development is a prototype clear soda bottle available for US$250 plus shipping and handling for people interested in exploring licenses to its Programmable Liquid Container technology. After the soda bottle will come choice-enabled pouches, further developments of plastic and glass bottles, jars, boxes and cans promise the ability to mix your own perfume, flavoured coffee, juice, even paint. Prototypes even include perfume bottles where you can make your choice one dose at a time – A with a hint of B, C, D or E. Apart from allowing consumers to select their desired variation at the time of use, the technology simplifies manufacturing, distribution, promotion and sales by allowing a single container to replace a series of product varieties., and is relevant to many industries such as beverage, food, personal care, household, paint, perfume, pharmaceuticals, just to mention a few. Sensational image gallery with prototype pictures. (read more...)
Xerox develop MicroText font - 1/100th of an inch high
September 15, 2006 Xerox Corporation scientists have developed a digital printing font so tiny that you need a magnifying glass to read it. The new MicroText Specialty Imaging Font, just 1/100th of an inch high, is designed to help make valuable documents with personal information such as birth certificates, personal identification papers, and checks even harder to forge. Microscopic words are already hidden in the design of credit cards, checks and currency as a deterrent to counterfeiting. For instance, the "dots" in the border next to Andrew Jackson's right shoulder on current US$20 bills are really the tiny words "The United States of America 20 USA 20 USA." Now Xerox's innovation carries microprinting to the next level because it can make important documents more secure by individualizing the tiny letters and numbers. (read more...)
Incident Commander Simulation software for Emergency Personnel
September 7, 2006 Simulating one of the most demanding and mission critical roles available to a human being, Incident Commander is a PC-based simulation that provides a safe environment for first responders, emergency personnel and multi-agency personnel to train, plan, and prepare for emergency and crisis situations. Developed for the U.S. Department of Justice by BreakAway, Incident Commander can train up to 16 players simultaneously, with users assuming roles as either the commander or members of the operations team. The game simulates various crisis scenarios, including a natural disaster, a school hostage situation, and a terrorism incident and can be customised with the addition of new locations, buildings, structures, crisis events, and emergency agencies to more accurately portray local community situations. Screenshots of the software here. (read more...)
The tie - the sartorial equivalent of an appendix - an entirely redundant bit of kit left over from a much earlier phase of evolution
September 5, 2006 Apparently, the necktie that has played such a pivotal role in the male dress code for the last 400 years, is on the decline. Though it is not yet certain to become a museum piece, research shows the proportion of U.K. men in professional jobs who buy ties has dropped from 70% in 1996 to just 56% today. Having played many roles in society, the removal of ties is a modern trend accelerated by the dotcom boom of the nineties. Suits (sales people and those who interfaced with old businesses) wore ties, whereas t-shirts (AKA knowledge workers) did not. Along with a sentiment of independence and a new way of doing things was the recognition that the tie is “the sartorial equivalent of an appendix - an entirely redundant bit of kit left over from a much earlier phase of evolution. Just as it is several millennia since our digestive systems were required to deal with grass, it is at least a couple of centuries since men felt it necessary to protect their throats in the street from anyone making a lunge at the jugular with a sword.” Do yourself a favour and take five minutes to read Kathryn Hughes’ expertly crafted story on the decline of the tie. (read more...)
South Korea takes top rank in global E-Government Survey
September 4, 2006 The findings of Brown University's sixth annual survey of on-line government have been released and South Korea has leapt to the top of 198 country table, displacing traditional frontrunners Taiwan, Singapore and the United States with a significantly better score. Australia, Hong Kong and China all dropped out of the top ten, with Korea, Japan and Spain the biggest climbers. The researchers evaluated government websites based on two dozen criteria, including disability access, the existence of publications and databases, the presence of privacy policies, security policies, contact information, and the number of online services. (read more...)
ReadEzy takes the pain out of reading
August 28, 2006 More proof that successful new products don’t need software, a VC fund and a big business behind them. The ReadEzy, invented by Macquarie University (Australia) philosophy student David Wild is a bookholder that holds the book from behind, while the pages are loosely gripped at the front so they can be turned or flicked with one hand. The end result is a device that allows people to read without holding the book, or read multitask - take notes, eat, drink, knit or enjoy a bath without getting the pages wet. Wild produced 5,000 “ReadEzy” bookholding devices as a trial, and they were snapped up so quickly (primarily by students and the mobility impaired) that when he sold out within a month he’s now ramping up for mass distribution and seeking international distributors for the ReadEzy which retails for AUD$30 (USD$22.70 or EUR17.80) . (read more...)
The Medici Business Game - designed to unleash remarkable ideas
August 18, 2006 There is no better group of people to come up with new ideas and concepts for your company than your own people – they know the constraints, the opportunities, the customers and they understand the game but it’s often hard to get everyone into the space where the ideas flow. The Medici Game is a new business game that takes participants on a three-hour journey into "the intersection”, described by the game's co-creator Frans Johansson, as “a creative place where thinking from different cultures and fields collide to create an explosion of remarkable ideas." Based on the concepts explored in the best-selling book, The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts & Cultures (HBS Press, 2004) the game taps employee creativity and helps companies create the conditions for innovation, leading to new products and services, systems and procedures, and even new markets. The cost of the game is US$70 per person, which just might prove to be money well spent. During the game, participants are challenged to reverse their own assumptions, make unusual connections and reevaluate their daily habits. As a result, the experience helps break down the associative barriers and linear thinking that block creativity and innovation. (read more...)
Virtual Ancient Egypt curriculum introduced into the classroom
August 17, 2006 Business simulation programs teach skills and offer experiences and understanding that traditional education cannot. In the short history of the genre, it has become patently obvious that the experiential learning on offer via simulation programs brings the textbook to life and that students get very involved to get to higher levels in the simulation. Knowledge Matters has been selling educational business simulation programs for eight years and has had enormous success with programs such as VB Management (VBM), a simulated distribution business where players locate and build a business, hire and supervise employees, deal with unions and strikes and collective bargaining, industrial accidents and lawsuits, performance warnings and pay raises and all the other day-to-day business realities. The latest upgrade adds a multiplayer capacity to the original version allowing teams to steal each other’s customers and employees while motivating cooperative thinking and team strategy … just like in real life. Now the company is taking its experience in educational simulation software and applying it to middle school history … starting with Ancient Egypt, where students will learn about all aspects of ancient Egypt including government, basic human needs, daily work activities, agriculture, trade, religion and they'll even get the task of building a pyramid, allocating resources into the bargain. And expect to see another module surrounding the settling of America some time in 2007 where students will be immersed through simulation, in the daily life and history of the early American settlements. (read more...)
New machine provides power, water and refrigeration
August 6, 2006 When disasters happen, be they natural (hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes etc) or man-made (war), three essentials top the list of must-haves: water, electricity and refrigeration. Now two University of Florida engineers have created a single unit that can provide all three. With further development, it is expected that the unit will be made compact enough to fit onto a large truck. The system marries a gas turbine power plant to a heat-operated refrigeration system. The refrigeration makes the gas turbine more efficient, while also producing cool air and potable water. The turbine can run on conventional fossil fuels, biomass-produced fuels or hydrogen. (read more...)
The NEVERFLAT Basketball
August 4, 2006 Founded by Boston Red Stockings pitcher A.G. Spalding in 1876, the globally recognised Spalding brand name continues to grow in stature thanks to constant innovation. One that slipped our attention recently was the introduction of the NEVERFLAT basketball. Though Spalding created the first official basketball in 1894 and basketballs evolved from soccer balls which have been in existence for nearly a century prior, we’ve never had an inflatable sports ball that retains its pressure for one whole year before. The Spalding NEVERFLAT Basketball introduces several new pressure retention technologies and is guaranteed to stay fully inflated for a least one year … 10 times longer than traditional basketballs! The NEVERFLAT ensures you have consistent rebound height for at least one year and given the amount of time we spend maintaining sports balls, that’s a whole lot more fun time for everyone and a killer product differentiator. Now what we need to do, given the importance of tyre pressures in the global automotive fleet, is find a similar solution for car tyres. (read more...)
The Hover Creeper floats on thin air
July 31, 2006 It’s not often you can pinpoint the innovation point where a new product concept was formed, but for the Hover Creeper, it was at the point where 73-year-old former Westinghouse Electric engineer Ralph Kalkbrenner said, “Mechanics already have compressed air in their garage for tools, why not take advantage of it” that a better mechanics creeper was conceived – one that quite literally floats on thin air. Kalkbrenner works for Davison Design and Development, and was involved in a project to revitalize the Whiteside product-line and to reinvent the creeper. Rubber air bladders inside the 14-pound Hover Creeper plus 40 psi enable it to effortlessy glide over the hectic landscape of the garage floor, floating over cracks, bolts, washers and other debris that would have stopped a wheeled creeper in its tracks, all with a 300 pound payload on board. Just plug it in and glide under the car. Once underneath, the mechanic hits a lever, letting the creeper land and offering stable leverage to enable the mechanic to apply torque to spanners, something not possible with castor wheels. The mechanic can still use the compressed air; he just plugs the tools into one of the two air outlets on either side of the creeper. And there’s a tool caddy built into the creeper body. We think the Hover Creeper is destined to become a part of every garage. It’s waay cool, high-tech in a no-nonsense sort of way, very practical, looks like fun to use and it's cheaper to own as there are no replacement costs for damaged casters. Since it doesn't have wheels, it's less expensive to make with less waste and replacement. (read more...)
Interactive outdoor advertising employs mobile phone
July 10, 2006 With more than 2.5 billion mobile phones in use and saturation reached in most industrialised countries, there are myriad opportunities opening up for additional usage of existing mobile phone functionality, including the ability for advertising sites such as bus shelters, and poster panels interact directly with customers in their vicinity. One such technology platform is the UK-based Hypertag which works by allowing infra-red or Bluetooth mobile phones and PDAs (such as Palm Pilots or Pocket Pcs) to interact with a small electronic tag embedded in the billboard. When the consumer holds their mobile phone up to the Hypertag, they can download assets related to the promotional opportunity such as ringtones, audio and video clips, wallpapers, Java games, vouchers, tickets, instant win prizes, games, animations and … the possibilities are endless. One area that holds enormous promise is that of events and attractions, where for example, a museum could use the technology to offer additional text, audio or video information about each exhibit. Our favourite application so far was hatched in Australia when United International Pictures (UIP) and media agency Mediaedge:cia, partnered with AURA Interactive, The Global Game, and Adshel to launch an original new interactive game inspired by the highly anticipated film, Mission Impossible III. All players who registered on a dedicated website were required to race about their capital city, searching around various city locations for hidden answers to a series of Mission: Impossible themed clues. The clues were delivered using a combination of SMS messaging and Hypertag technology embedded into Adshel bus shelters and street signage, positioned at various sites across each capital city. Consumers accessing the Hypertags could download ringtones, wallpapers or a business card providing a phone number to SMS for the clue. (read more...)
The Cocoon reinterprets the coffin
July 5, 2006 Given that people pride themselves on being so individualistic in life, it’s interesting to note that the coffin remains substantially the same rectilinear shape for most people. So we thought the Cocoon deserved a mention as it’s a reinterpretation of the traditional coffin and steps into new territory in terms of its symbolism. The Cocoon shape is borrowed from nature to symbolise a feeling of security and the passage to something new. Nature’s theme of the “perfect shelter” is furthered by the use of renewable fast-growing primary resources (untreated jute and a natural resin) that bio-degrade within 10-15 years. At UE3000 plus shipping, the Cocoon can be delivered anywhere in Germany within 2-3 days and anywhere in Europe within a week. Clearly, there's an opportunity for international distributors of the product. (read more...)
The noble sport of scambaiting
July 4, 2006 If you are growing tired of your in-tray being crammed with email scams from third world nations, spare a thought for all those people who didn’t realise they were scams. ScamPatrol reports 15-20 victims a week, with an average victim paying out US$20,000 and some estimates put the global haul from 419 (advance fee fraud) scams at US$1.5 billion. While most of those scammed are the victims of their own greed, it’s interesting to see the rise of internet vigilantism and the evolution of the cyberspace equivalent of big game hunting - scambaiting. Scambaiting is the sport of scamming the would-be scammer and although the concept of vigilantism is a bit scarey, it’s hard to see scambaiting as anything but a noble pastime where a win does the world a good deed. The world’s best Scambaiting exponents display their trophies and teach other would-be-Robin-Hoods how to go about it at sites such as 419Eater, Scambaits, Scamorama and ScamBuster419. Should Scambaiting ever become an Olympic sport, Shiver Metimbers, the administrator of 419Eater, would be a Gold Medal contender. For some of his finest work, including how he got a scammer to carve him a Commodore 64 computer (pictured), read on. (read more...)
The Lotus Type 119c soapbox racer
The rise in popularity of gravity (aka soapbox) racing has been spectacular in recent years, and one of the most successful teams has been the Lotus team from the famous motorsport constructor and design studio. Now the team is heading for a showdown at the Brooklands Museum Soapbox Derby on 16 July, 2006. The Lotus Type 119c soapbox racer is the reigning Goodwood Festival of Speed Gravity Racing champion and record holder, beating Bentley and B.A.R in the final event held in 2004. Following the omission of the downhill event from the crowded Goodwood Festival of Speed line-up, attention has turned to the Extreme Gravity Racing (XGR) Series in the USA, and the UK-based Brooklands Soapbox Derby which ran for the first time last year, being won by the gravity racer of another famous motorsport group – Lola. Accordingly, two unbeaten cars will face off for the Brooklands title. The closed-cockpit Lotus Type 119c "streamliner" features an aerodynamically-efficient ultra-light carbon-fibre monocoque, remaining true to the "performance through light weight" philosophy of Lotus founder Colin Chapman. It will be lining up once again against familiar automotive constructors such as Lola, Vauxhall and Ford as well as entries from schools, colleges and privateers. Excellent image library with this story. We have previously covered several extreme gravity racing stories such as Motorsport without the motor, the design of the Volvo Extreme Gravity Car and The billycart goes (WAY) upmarket! (read more...)
Wire in Composite technology provides improved protection and packaging for harsh environment wiring installations
June 30, 2006 A new solution for the protection of vehicular wiring assemblies from damage, vibration and environmental impact was launched this week at the Defence Vehicle Dynamics Show in the U.K. Wire in Composite (WiC) completely encloses wiring looms in a bespoke composite sleeve, protecting them from damage and permitting designers to improve packaging by laying wires securely side-by-side as opposed to a traditional bundle. Conceived by BERU F1 Systems for motorsport applications in which wiring harnesses must be mounted as low and flat on a vehicle chassis as possible, WiC is equally suitable to aerospace, marine and other ground vehicle applications. WiC looms can be built to virtually any shape or form offering the ability to incorporate sharp bend radii without the risk of strain or chafing found in a conventional harness. (read more...)
Personal Biometric Device offers access to multiple facilities
Now this is an interesting key-fob-sized device designed to eliminate the need for employees to use multiple access cards and passwords. The plusID authenticates a user's identity with their fingerprint and enables secure access to buildings and other physical facilities, local and remote computers and networks, and online or onsite financial transactions. The plusID works with existing, installed security infrastructure, making deployment quick and affordable with just one secure wireless device. (read more...)
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