Nendo: Textured Transparencies

Similar to the concrete. People are just making things be more translucent nowadays!

Nendo: Textured Transparencies

via Design Milk by Jaime on 4/12/11

Nendo has an exhibit going on this week during Salone called Textured Transparencies.
Descriptions below are from the designers.

Transparent-Table
We cast clear acrylic in a wooden form with a strong grain and assembled the resulting pieces to create a table made of 'transparent wood'. We reproduced the butt ends faithfully and beveled the edges like floorboards, and matched the grains ends and dimensions of the wood used for the table legs to the 'transparent wood' to create a unified piece. The two tables have specific and different optical effects: at first glance the black table is wood, but a closer look reveals its transparency, while the clear table is the transparent at first glance, and only later reveals its wooden form.



Transparent-Lamp
Today, we're blessed with a variety of sight-protective films for window glass and smart phone screens that prevent unwelcome peeks from neighbors. Our pendant lamp uses a type of protective film that is semi-transparent when viewed directly, and transparent when viewed at an angle. We placed the light source at the center of the ring of film, creating a lampshade that might be transparent, but mutes the light emitting from its center through the layer of half-transparency regardless of the angle from which it is viewed. The light hits the film at a right angle, creating the effect of soft light spilling into the space of the room as it passes through the transparent lampshade.




Transparent-Chair
A chair made with polyurethane film, a transparent film commonly used as a packing material for precision instruments and products susceptible to vibrations and shock, thanks to its high elasticity and ability to return to its original state. Looking at the chair, it seems to consist of nothing but a backrest and armrests. It wraps and supports the body like a hammock, providing a light, floating feeling for the sitter.


Transparent-Frame
A picture frame created with artificial ulexite, which has the ability, similar to fiber optics, to transmit light and images without attenuating them. Artificial ulexite is not only transparent, but makes objects seen through it appear to float on its surface, as though it is depthless. We took advantage of this property of the material to 'map' part of the image supposedly contained inside the frame onto its surface. This creates an ambiguous boundary between image and frame, canceling out the usual 'image-frame' relationship and changing the way that we see images.
Textured Transparencies is open today through April 17th at Galleria Antonia Jannone at 125 Corso Garibaldi, Milan 20121 Italy.
Photos by Masayuki Hayashi. 

Homemade Ginger Beer and the Dark 'n' Stormy

My libation blogging friend, you must do this, and share the results!


Homemade Ginger Beer and the Dark 'n' Stormy


File this one under projects that seem a lot harder than they actually are.
A week or two ago, my wife tore out a couple pages in the New York Times Style magazine about a shop in Melbourne, Australia that combines style, bespoke fashion, and great food under one roof called Captains of Industry (here it is as an interactive online feature).  Besides all the cool ideas and wavelengths that must bounce around in that shop, they apparently have delicious ginger beer.  And they offer an informal recipe in the spread: take ginger, cut it up, add some lemon juice and sugar, toss in hot water and yeast, and give it 24 hours.  Not that they had time or space to give any true exact quantities or anything.  But hey, that's the fun of fermentation and kitchen experimentation.
Well, it actually is that easy to make ginger beer, and I made a batch recently which was fizzy, super ginger-y and dry, and fantastic over ice.  Ginger beer is essentially ginger ale but with a much sharper, more upfront ginger taste, and it's far less sweet.  It isn't alcoholic, but because of its more assertive flavor it holds up beautifully in cocktails.

Indeed, I was most happy to see if fulfilling its true destiny in a Dark 'n' Stormy cocktail, mixed with dark rum and a little lime juice to taste.  The sweet undertones of the rum soften the spicy ginger to great effect—and when summer finally comes around for good in Chicago and it's sweltering again, the heat is made a little bit more bearable with one of these in your hand.

Homemade Ginger Beer

• 1/2 pound fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 quarts boiling hot water
• 2 cups sugar
• juice of two lemons
• 1 teaspoon champagne or other yeast

A couple tips for making ginger beer: first, don't do like I did and stuff all the ginger into the jug you'll be storing it in. Obviously, once it's done fermenting I needed to separate the ginger from the liquid or it would get spicier and spicier, and so I had a real time getting all the solids out of the bottle.  Instead, let it steep in a large bowl or pitcher, then pour it into a jug and add the yeast
Also, the kind of yeast you use matters when it comes to flavor.  Champagne yeast is cheap and pretty good for this purpose -- check for a local brewing shop or order online.  That said, it'll work with regular bread yeast and it will still taste pretty good.
After making this batch, I found many recipes that opt to grate fresh ginger and simmer it with sugar and water in a pan, then use the resulting syrup mixed with more water and sugar and yeast to create the ginger beer.  This does seem like a good solution, though the ginger-y taste might be less upfront (which could be a good thing or bad thing, depending on your perspective).  Anyone want to weigh in on that method?

Chop the ginger (no need to peel) and add to a large pitcher.

Cover with sugar and lemon juice and add the boiling water.

Stir well and allow to sit as the water temperature cools.  When the water feels just lukewarm to touch, add the yeast and cover the pitcher (plastic wrap would work well).  Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours or so.
Pour the mixture through a strainer, cheesecloth, or a clean kitchen towel into a sealable jug (leftover beer growlers work particularly well).  Taste the mixture and add more sugar if desired (adding more sugar will also give the yeast still living in the beer something to eat, which will carbonate the drink if you seal it).  If you want carbonation, let it sit out for another day, then refrigerate to keep it from fermenting further.  Every few days, open the cap to release gas buildup, or it might burst in your fridge -- though it's unlikely.

Dark 'n' Stormy

• 2 ounces dark rum
• 3 ounces ginger beer
• lime juice to taste (try 1/2 ounce)
• simple syrup to taste

In a tall glass, stir together rum, ginger beer, and lime juice (though citrus cocktails are often shaken, you don't want to shake this one because of the bubbles in the ginger beer). Add plenty of ice.  Because this ginger beer is pretty upfront, you may want to add simple syrup to soften it out a little bit -- just mix half water and half sugar and shake until dissolved, then add to taste.  Though if you use a good full-flavored dark rum (Gosling's is the standard-bearer), it may not be necessary. 

"If a programming language was a boat… ...

I believe my friends in the world of computing will find this amusing.

"If a programming language was a boat… ..."

via mendel's soup on 6/14/11

By Tony ⋅ April 4, 2008 ⋅ Post a comment

This one is inspired by a recent forum post, that still leaves me in amazement.

Hi, Im wondering how i can create a boat in turing and if someone can post a example.

This makes no sense, since one doesn't normally make water vehicles in Turing, the programming language. Though this got me thinking — if a programming language was a boat, what would it be?

Turing

Turing would definitely be a kayak (thank you for comments). It's small. It's human powered. It's often used as a beginner "boat". And it's also very Canadian.

Original photo by naokomc

Java

Java is a cargo ship. It's very bulky. It's very enterprise~y. Though it can also carry a lot of weight. Will carry a project, but not very fun to drive.

Original photo by cfarivar

Perl

Perl is a tugboat. Powerful enough to tug Java around, in 80 characters or less.

Original photo by xeeliz

Ruby

Ruby is difficult to describe. It's sleek, sexy, and very fun to drive. Here's a picture. Very trendy.

Original photo by Tony Falcon

PHP

PHP is a bamboo raft. A series of hacks held together by string. Still keeps afloat though.

Original photo by permanently scatterbrained

C

C is a nuclear submarine. The instructions are probably in a foreign language, but all of the hardware itself is optimized for performance.

Original photo by Ryan C. McGinley

HTML

HTML isn't really a
programming language
boat.

Original photo by ascendeddaniel
There's a lot more to this, and it's all up for discussion. How would your favourite programming language fare in open waters?
"

If a programming language was a boat… | CompSci.ca/blog
[Reposted from FreXxX]

See-Through Concrete: 5 Real-Life, Light-Transmitting Walls

Gotta admit, sometimes new building materials make me totally geek out!

See-Through Concrete: 5 Real-Life, Light-Transmitting Walls

via Dornob by dornob on 6/13/11

[ Filed under Surfaces & Walls & in the Fixtures category ]

You might remember this wonderful innovation from Litracon® – translucent concrete – from its days as a prototype with small (paid) samples available to interested architects. Now, however, it has begun to be deployed in real-life buildings.

Small optical fibers transmit light from one end of each block to the other, effectively acting as aggregate alongside small stones and crushed glass.

Prefabricated into a single suspended panel, the individual blocks for this particular wall were rotated into place. The result is a semi-transparent facade that lets in limited light and shadow but also provides some privacy for this prominent street-front location during the day (as light trickles inside, and visual interest outside on the sidewalk at night (when the light primarily passes back out).

But this is just the beginning – from little table lamps with Litracon shades to pavers and sidewalk squares that transmit light down into (or up from) tunnels below your feet, well, the options are a bit mind boggling. For now, the delicate process required to create each unit is somewhat time- and cost-prohibitive, but as the technology evolves, anything could be possible.

On the Street...Rivington St., New York

This is a lovely style photo. Makes me think of River Song!

On the Street...Rivington St., New York

via The Sartorialist by The Sartorialist on 6/10/11

19 Pots by Nir Meiri

This is gorgeous - I really want to do this... someday... in my forever home.

via Design Milk by Jaime on 6/9/11

Nir Meiri's 19 Pots project was inspired by an examination of the rural landscape. Using disposable plant pots painted gold inside, 19 flower pots become radiant lampshades.



The 19 Pots lamps are currently on display at the Paradigma Design Gallery in Tel Aviv as part of the Gold Mine exhibition through July 8th 2011.

---

Set of Musical Glasses

Add this to the list of "things I would have if I had more money than I knew what to do with."  Now, of course, I'm wondering if different liquids have different resonances.  Is there a set of glasses that come with silverware so you can get notes by tapping them?  Some enterprising beer (or root beer) company should make a bottle that they mark in a similar fashion so you can have an instant band by blowing over the mouth.

Set of Musical Glasses

via Better Living Through Design by Katie on 6/7/11

These glasses would be excellent to have at your next dinner party, wouldn't they? The graphics are musical notations for the correct level of liquid to produce the perfect pitch when a user runs their finger along the rim of the glass. As the price is for a set of 2, you'll need to shell out a fair amount of dough to get a complete octave.


Comes as a set of two.
Also available directly from Luna & Curious for £23.50.

Apple Has Finally Stuck A Dagger Into SMS. I Love It.

...someone should tell this person about Google Voice. And someone should tell Google Voice about iMessages. I want picture texts already!

Apple Has Finally Stuck A Dagger Into SMS. I Love It.

via TechCrunch by MG Siegler on 6/6/11

Now that the WWDC keynote is over and I've had a little bit of time to reflect, I've been thinking about what excited me the most from today's announcements. The list is long, no doubt. But I think I'm going to have to go with something that surprised me — while at the same time making me look smarter than perhaps I really am. (Again, just perhaps.) iMessages.
As one of the core new features highlighted today in iOS 5, iMessages has one purpose: to kill SMS. That is, traditional carrier-controlled text messages. iMessages will do this by replacing SMS with a service that Apple is in control of across all of their iOS devices. And here's the real death blow: iMessages will be completely free.

Sure, you can argue that iMessages is limited due to the iOS requirement. But as Apple announced today, there are over 200 million iOS devices out there now. That's a lot. Like Blackberry Messenger before it, Apple now has the strength to create their own device-to-device messaging application. And that's exactly what they've done. And considering what a colossal rip-off SMS is, I can't help but love this move.  It's exactly what I've been waiting for.
Five days ago, on my personal blog, I responded to a post Anil Dash wrote wondering if Apple had all the tools in place to build their own Twitter. (As we've seen today, they've chosen to partner with them instead.) That was an interesting idea, but more interesting to me was the higher level concept of Apple creating their own messaging platform — again, like RIM did with BBM.

"There's a reason why BBM took off. Apple could make it work device-to-device as well. I'm thinking we need a FaceTime without the 'Face'," I wrote noting that while there are no shortage of third-party attempting to do this, it may take a true Apple integrated solution to fully take off. And that's exactly what iMessages is.

But SMS, with its billion percent margins (roughly), is a huge profit center for carriers. So why would they let Apple do this? (After all, this isn't just a WiFi feature, it will work over 3G as well.) That's easy. What choice do they have? Are Verizon and AT&T (or international carriers) going to boot Apple at this point for destroying their precious SMS services? No. And Apple will probably argue that SMS remains a great medium for cross-device message pollination (which is true).

But it's not just that iMessages kills SMS because it's free. It kills it because it's better. While the sending of photos, videos, and text matches SMS (and MMS), it's better with iMessage because it's streamlined and simplified. Plus you can now send contacts and locations. And you can see in real time when someone is typing, responding to your message. And there are delivery receipts. And optional read receipts (so you know if someone has actually read your message). There's group messaging. Encryption. Etc.
It's sort of like SMS 2.0. And again, free.

And my favorite part of all of this is that Apple is baking it into the same Messages app that SMS goes into. People will use this. A lot.

And again, while this may be iOS-only, guess who else is going to have to match this feature now? Android. SMS is about to become a cross-platform messaging platform only. As a person who has paid hundreds if not thousands of dollars in bullshit SMS fees in my life, I happily say to the carriers: eat it.

CrunchBase Information

Apple

Information provided by CrunchBase

Tooting my own horn... not sure about the sound it makes.

Relevant bit starts around 5 minutes, 37 seconds. I'm actually pretty pleased with the voiceover, but shall work on figuring out how to stand in front of camera for the next time. Interesting stuff also shows up briefly ~9:42. I'm not TECHNICALLY on camera, but if you were there, you know where I was.

The new facility by City Hall is where Penfold's late summer/fall show is going to be - you can look for me in the backstage area there, too, if you like. Yay Penfold!

The Hip Hop Librarians of RRISD @ TLA 2010

Okay... this is just... there are no words. I mean, really... this is just amazing. Watch and wonder.

Math Monday: Mathematical Coffee Table

It's a giant puzzle! Now, where did I put my giant Jenga set?
(and yes, I know I'm posting a Math Monday on a Tuesday.  Live with it.)

Mathematical Coffee Table

via Make: Online by Gareth Branwyn on 4/11/11

By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics

Continuing last week's theme of mathematical coffee tables, here is one designed by Michael Serra, inspired by the work of Piet Hein.

The base consists of six pieces from a set of Hein's SOMA puzzle, so the remaining two pieces are available as end tables. The glass top is a superellipse, a shape which Hein used for many design purposes, because it interpolates between a circle and a square.
More:
See all of George Hart's Math Monday columns

Artistic Integrity

Sometimes, it's all about HOW you don't swear. Thank you, P!nk, for proving that when you make art, you don't have to prove you were swearing on your radio version.



Here's the "Over 13" version, for comparison. (Please note, as should be obvious by this post, this version has swearing in it. Additionally, the first 10 seconds of the video implies that a husband and wife have sex. If this kind of thing is not what you want to watch, then I suggest you stick with the above version.)



My point here is that BOTH of these versions are official versions by the artist - both of the video and the song. Most people would think that, given her punk-rocker image, P!nk would not only litter her song with swear words, she'd also be sure you knew, in the radio version, exactly what she was saying. (You've heard those songs, the ones where the minimum milliseconds are bleeped out and you can hear the beginning and the end of the word, leaving no doubt, not only that swearing went on, but what was said.) It's good to see artists taking artistic pride in not only their original version, but also the censored version. How's that for a response to censorship.

This song is one of my favorites - I truly identify with the protagonist of the video, having grown up being looked down on as a "Homeschool Girl" - I'm happy to report that I've reached the confident end, with success, joy and an identity I challenge anyone to diss. One day, I'll show this video to my teenage daughter.

I may be schizophrenic

This made me giggle. May end up on the wall at work.

via Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? by Cheezburger Network on 4/7/11


I may be schizophrenic …but at least I have each other.
u mus b absolootlee cuckoo, kitteh.

MemeCats: The Revolution’s Underbelly

I am the cat that arranges the blocks that descend upon me from up above!

via Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? by TehGrateCheez on 4/8/11


Moar Lenin Cat over heer!
Submitted By: McCFred

Now, if someone could please edit this video to replace all images of Lenin with images of LeninCat, we'll be good.

Japanese Gravity Marimba Plays Bach In An Ancient Forest

Very pretty!  I especially love how it appears it all slots together - no nails, just everything in it's place!  Also, song selection is everything - and this song is one of my favorites.


from Make: Online by Sean Michael Ragan


Japanese Gravity Marimba Plays Bach In An Ancient Forest





This remarkably beautiful video, uploaded to YouTube one day before the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, turns out to be an ad for Sharp's SH-08C handset. It is, nonetheless, something you shouldn't miss: in a tranquil forest, a single wooden ball rolls down a stepped wooden ramp, continuously, for two minutes. At each step, it falls and strikes a wooden bar tuned to play a single note of the 10th movement of Bach's Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147, commonly known by its English title, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Wait 'till you see how they handle the sustained notes. [Thanks, Rachel!]

Now, if only I lived anywhere within a 5 hour drive of Oakland, CA

I would be there. Reveling in Pirate-y awesomeness. One of these days I'll get another chance to see Abney Park. One of these days.

via Captain Robert by robert@abneypark.com on 3/24/11

 


The 21 and Over San Fran show has been moved to May 7th, so it can be an awesome ALL AGES Pirate extravaganza!

GET TICKETS HERE

more details: 
Abney Park in A Pirate Ball - May 7th
Oakland Metro Opera House, Oakland, CA

Abney Park and Swing Goth are at it again! This time the two have teamed up for a Pirate themed Ball with TWO ROOMS of entertainment.

Dock House (Main Stage) - Abney Park will be playing TWO FULL SETS with cirque performances and DJed dancing throughout the night!

Boat Yards (Vendor Area) - Vendors galore and Sea Shanties along with other performances!

PLUS, dance lessons offered from 8:30-9:30 and an area reserved for dancing during the show.

This concert has been recently rescheduled from April 2nd and more information, including a list of vendors and performers will be available shortly.

Doors at 8pm
Dance lessons from 8:30-9:30
Show from 9:30-2am
$20 Early Bird, $22 regular pre-sale, $25 at the door

Kid Friendly: Yes!
Dog Friendly: No
Non-Smoking: Yes!
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes!

Geeky Picture... wonder what he's whistling...

perhaps "Dark Side of the Moon"?

via Bio Break by Syp on 4/5/11

Gaze Upon Me, Minions!

This made me giggle for a full 30 seconds straight. I think it's the combination of the absurdly large tower with the random, odd half-building. Nonetheless, I would love to have this in my backyard. I would look down on the world from above... somehow, though, I don't see my neighbors appreciating it as much as I would...

via Lovely Listing - Odd Finds in Real Estate Listings by Cheezburger Network on 3/29/11

By: Not Sara, Sorry

The cats of the neighborhood need to know full well who is in charge here. They'll see me seeing them and they'll understand.


Found by: Dusa

Via: www.almerebeeld.nl

Practical Benefits of Working at a Fire Department

Anyone who has been near me for longer than 50 minutes in the last month has probably heard me talk about why I love my new job.  Working for the City of Round Rock - and specifically for the Round Rock Fire Department has more perks than a coffee shop.

It is my hope that many of the more obvious practical benefits of working with a group of highly trained life-savers will never be something I actually need.  However, today I experienced one of the highly valuable, extremely practical benefits of working at a fire station.  Today I got a flat tire.

I called my boss, who reminds me of my father more and more with each coming day.  (Seriously, when you visit me next, Dad, you need to meet my boss, ya'll would see eye to eye.)  He asked me if I wanted one of the guys to come down and change my flat for me.  At first, I thought I'd just use USAA (which is an awesome service I love having, when I'm not in the Round Rock city limits).  But then, I realized - it was still rush hour.  It would take USAA at least 45 minutes to just get a guy out to me.  I called him back.  Within 10 minutes, I had three guys from Engine 2 changing my tire, Nascar style.  I arrived at the office by 30 minutes after eight.  

So thanks guys, thanks Mr. Six (boss's nickname) and thank you God - I work at the Round Rock Fire Department (Training Division) and I couldn't be gladder!

Awesome Augmented Reality App Could Save Librarians Hours

See... this is the kind of thing that librarians need - time saving devices that let them spend more focus working with their patrons!

Awesome Augmented Reality App Could Save Librarians Hours

via ReadWriteWeb by Audrey Watters on 3/27/11

If you've ever worked in a library, you're familiar with the drudgery of shelf reading. That's the process of verifying that all the books on a shelf are in the right order, based on their call numbers. Books get out of order fairly easily, when they're taken off the shelf and examined, for example, or when they're just stuck in the wrong place.
Miami University's Augmented Reality Research Group (MU ARRG! - that exclamation point, I confess, is my addition), led by Professor Bo Brinkman, has developed an Android app that could save librarians a lot of time and hassle. Using the Android's camera, the app "reads" a bookshelf, and with an AR overlay, quickly flags those books that are misplaced. It will also point to the correct place on the bookshelf so the book can easily be re-shelved correctly.

The app can also aid with inventory, generating a report of what a library really has on its shelves.
There are a few drawbacks. Thin books, such as those found in the children's section, would be difficult to tag. Also, this prototype only uses 16 bits on the tag, but Brinkman says the group is working on a version that would allow them to put around 72 bits on a tag, allowing the system to scale up to work with any library collection.
The app was developed by undergraduate research assistant Matt Hodges, and it will be demoed next month at the Association of College and Research Libraries 2011 conference.
via Reddit; photo credits: Flickr user Stewart Butterfield