Anthropomorphic Dance

The elusive anthropomorphic dance of Bruno Maisonnier's tiny robots on TED stage, is one of the rare things that makes me wish I had completed my masters degree on robotics:

ISO 8601:2004

Learned from the PSA from xkcd, today that ISO came up with a standard on how we should write the dates. Hopefully, this will be adapted by the entire world population soon, and there will be no more confusions:

Chihuly Inspires

I've always loved the work of Dale Chihuly, and had the privilege of meeting him in person at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix a few years back. Today he published several pictures on his Facebook page showing children's artwork inspired by his creations. Absolutely amazing!

A Long Way From Home

Also known as the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, Point Nemo is the farthest geographical location from all landmass, and is located in the South Pacific Ocean. It is named after the famous Captain Nemo in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Event Boundary

I learned today that something I had known for a very long time, something that is associated with old age most of the time, has been subject to scientific research, and actually has a name. It's what happens when you enter a room with a purpose, and promptly forget what you are there for as soon as you walk through the door.

According to a study conducted at University of Notre Dame in Indiana, entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an Event Boundary in mind, which separates episodes of activity and files them away.

So the good news is old age is not the reason for this phenomenon, and it can easily be remedied by moving into an apartment with a single room.

Oberon's Messenger

Oberon Design is an online fine leather and pewter store where they hand tool their uniquely beautiful products. I've purchased a Nook cover from them several years ago and proudly carried it around all the time, accepting envious compliments.
They just posted pictures of their new prototype messenger bags and are asking for user input to refine their design before they do their final launch. I'd encourage you to give your input and while there, to browse their enchanted line of goods.

* A Is A

I re-learned a very simple thing today. Even though Murphy's Law unfailingly works when there is a critical task at hand, everything falls into place, and good people always emerge to offer a helping hand. At the end of the day, patience and kindness always wins...

Right now, home is the best place to be...

Light Up My Head

It makes me wonder why some incredible designs that come with vital benefits are not immediately realized once the concept is proven to be a no-brainer.  DORA bicycle helmet is one such concept design by Balázs Filczer that has already won an award at IBDC 2013! Just make it already...

Grandness Of Sadness

Olga Ziemska's mixed-media creations carry a disturbing sadness in their grandeur....

Stillness In Motion: Matka Series #1:

Attachment:

Listen:

Samurai In A Bottle

The creative brilliance in Arthur Schriber's concept design for the Samurai rice vodka bottle is very unique, and to me one of his best! I am not a big vodka drinker but I would gladly put this bottle on display...

ETOS

ETOS is a 3D content creation tool created by Daniel Kussmaul. It uses lenticular lens technology  in combination with motion tracking that presents 3D images without the need for 3D glasses. 

Waking Pharaoh's Serpent

Being a Chemical Engineer's daughter, I am always intrigued by matter changing states when exposed to conditions that trigger the transformation. One of the most interesting inorganic chemical compounds that displays a very organic looking transformation is Mercury (II) Thiocyanate, although it produces extremely toxic gases in the process. Enjoy!

* On An Island

Today's day trip was to the beautiful Galveston Island in Texas. Even though the weather was sweet like lemonade, the downtown seemed almost deserted except for a few tourists from the giant cruise ship that was parked nearby. We enjoyed the beach, the food, and the chocolate truffles from the local store so much, I might just go back to get more. :)

* Wrestler's Kitchen

I arrived in Houston, TX today to spend the weekend with my cousin and his lovely wife. I was surprised how much cooler it was here and instantly started craving a bowl of hot soup. We decided to walk across the street to have dinner at Cyclone Anaya - a Mexican Restaurant where I've been told they have the best tortilla soup around. But once we made it to this family type restaurant and I opened up the rich menu, my love of guacamole won over the soup, and I ordered the Cyclone Fajita Salad with chicken. 

My advice to you would be to go there when you have not eaten anything for three days for it feels sinful to have to leave half of their food uneaten on your plate!

Hidden Empty Stations

Somewhere 

Under New York City

There is 

An enchanted subway station 

Almost no one 

Knows about... 

Must go.

Must go there

Someday.

Be A Tree In The Next Life

What a novel idea Gerard Moline came up with when he designed the Bios Urn to turn human remains into a plant of their choice. Bios Urn is made of biodegradable materials like coconut shells, and contains a seed that grows once planted in the ground. This is the ultimate way to introduce humans back into the cycle of nature.

I would much rather leave a tree behind than a tombstone.

Self Healing In Heat

This could've easily been a post about my adventures in one of my Bikram Yoga - a heated form of yoga - classes, but it is not.

This post is about an innovative form of asphalt developed by the Dutch scientist Erik Schlangen and his team that can be treated with heat to restore the binding material between the tiny rocks to extend the life of the asphalt, making it easier and cheaper to maintain.

Sharpen Your Pencils

The elegantly simple design of Twist Pencil Sharpener is so versatile, I am tempted to discard all my mechanical pencils. Its symmetric, and flexible shape allows any size pencil to be sharpened with a light squeeze on the sides, and the two blades on either side allow bi-directional sharpening of canonical implements.

Tomorrow Is Nearer Than You Think

A Masterpiece Contemporary, The Last Enemy is a BBC mini TV series set in London in which the plot revolves around the politics, and morals of TIA - Total Information Awareness - regarding illegal immigration, and a mystery disease. I just finished watching the first episode of this very absorbing story, and I would highly recommend.

Colorful Green Façade

The pressure-ring exterior of the Westarkade Tower in Frankfurt is covered with a network of sensors to regulate the building's power consumption. Another elegant example of green buildings...

Marsupial Mugs

I love tea, and I just fell in love with the Tea Drinker's Sidekick Cups Angela Ingram makes for the lazy people like myself who do not know what to do with the teabag after the recommended 3 minutes of steeping.

The Land Between Solar Systems

Icelandic experimental band Múm uses a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments to create lullabies for adults...

Music Animation Machine

Music Animation Machine: A simple yet beautiful way to visualize music. 

Isaia IS The Man

Isaia is an Italian brand of men's couture. Their lustrous clothing lines reflect the incense of their brand statement perfectly:

CONTEMPORARY TRADITION

THE ABILITY TO RE-INTERPRET

THE HERITAGE

AND EXCELLENCE OF

THE SARTORIAL TRADITION,

TO MAKE IT RELEVANT FOR

THE "NEW GENTLEMEN".

Faces Of Wikipedia

A couple of months ago, I made a small donation to Wikipedia for I believe in this non-profit source of information. Here's the wonderful gift I got in return for my miniscule contribution:

Starmap Of Tweets

Web designer Franck Ernewein created a twitter visualization app called Tweetping. As soon as you go to the webpage, it starts putting a dot of light on the world map for every tweet posted. Beautiful!

Fly Bubble Fly

It makes me happy to know that someone is working on designing an all-electric aircraft. Daphnis Fournier, a French concept designer, came up with the idea of an ecological plane equipped with flexible photovoltaic cells on top of its inflatable roof. During take off, the roof is deflated to conserve energy.

Lower Than The Angels

Made in 1973, the BBC series The Ascent of Man is the 13-episode eloquent monologue of science historian Jacob Bronowski. I just finished watching the first episode, and will continue to watch the entire series that comes with a wealth of information and imagery.