On Mozilla Labs website they launched a Concept Series with an open call for participation. They have received thousand of people who have participated and shared their ideas and concepts. One in particular that caught the attention was Billy May and his Open Web Concept Phone. The input for the phones idea came from users in the spirit of Mozilla's open source. The Mozilla Seabird, part of the Mozilla Labs’ Concept Series, is an experiment in how users might interact with their mobile content as devices and technology advances. Drawing on insights culled from the Mozilla community through the project’s blog, a focus quickly developed around frustrating physical interactions. This phone is full of new options and ways to utilize your potential for this concept phone. Check out the video below to see some of the features of this concept phone.
Playlist-18 has arrived and is ready for you to press play. This an upbeat kinda of playlist which I quite enjoy. One of my top favorites is from the band Kinisi and their song Beach Frogs. It has that pseudo-rhythmic feel with it's soothing electric guitar. This is a band to watch for. If you want to hear more from Kinisi then head on over to their bandcamp site and download three of their tracks for FREE. It's also good to see that Abandoned Pools has released a new track called Legionnaire. It has been a hot minute since they have put anything out but this new track doesn't leave you hanging. So time to get those eardrums working.
If you want to check out any of the other Playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog.
Cover art by: Damion Schweizer
Tracklist
1. Golden Age by Beach Fossils
2. Boy by Ra Ra Riot
3. Beach Frogs by Kinisi
4. Almost There with Lauren Hillman by Opus Orange
5. Rill Rill by Sleigh Belss
6. Wood Block by Joe Gil
7. Wide Eyed Legless by Laura Veirs
8. Beach by Mew
9. Nobodys In Love (Xaphoon Jones Remix) by 2AM Club
10. If I Ever Feel Better (Original) by Phoenix
11. Legionnaire by Abandoned Pools
12. Should Have Taken Acid With You (Breakfast Of Champions Remix) by Neon Indian
13. Static on The Wire by Holy Ghost!
14. Flot On Modest Mouse Cover by Blackbird Blackbird
15. All to All (Spirit If Remix by Kevin Drew & Ohad Benchetrit) by Broken Social Scene
A company called Looxcie just came out with a new way of recording your memories. They have built this tiny camera that shoots HVGA footage any time it's on. Letting you record those memories that you wish you would have. This ear wearing camera not only lets you film but it also doubles as a Bluetooth headset which from what I hear you can still record while using it as a Bluetooth headset. It also lets you use your Android handset as a viewfinder and editor. It also gives you access to share these memories on the fly. This little ear wearing camera will run you about $200 bucks. So if your looking for a Bluetooth headset to also have the power to record then this Looxcie is for you.
They have returned to release their seventh full-length studio albumInvented. Jimmy Eat World's new album is due to be released on September 28th but they have been generous enough to allow you to stream the whole album before its release. For the production of the new album they returned to Mark Trobino who produced their earlier albums Static Prevails, Clarity and Bleed American. Jimmy Eat World who has been a testament to the fact that this band has stood the test of time as a band. They are still making great albums more than 15 years later. So click on over to Myspace or their official website to listen to their new album. Tell me what you think?
Since I have been on a 3D art kick I thought I would pick another one that I thought was interesting. This commercial below was made in 2008 for Royal Bank of Canada. The concept was very simple, a man wakes up one morning with endless legs and decides to take advantage of the situation by easily traveling the world with his kids. This video caught my attention due to the style and design of the 3D characters and the textures and color patterns used in the video. Plus it has the Shins "New Slang" song playing in the background. You can't go wrong with the Shins. If your interested in checking out more video's by fxandmatt then check them out on Vimeo.
Director: Fx&Mat Production: Mr Hyde Agency: BBDO Toronto
Aiko Studio is a company that specializes in 3D modeling, texturing, animation, rendering, and effects. In their latest video they generated a 3D computer model of a simple classroom. They did a flythrough of the classroom to get you focused on some details you might not usually focus on in a classroom. What caught my attention to this video is the realism that this video shows. The detail of this video is also spot on with its close up's and its use of different lighting. Aiko studio also has a making of the video that shows the different lighting patterns and the sequences in which the video was designed. It took Aiko Studio about 6 months to complete this video but they stated that this was an in between project and was not a full time job. They used 3D Max + V-Ray to complete this project. So go ahead and have a look at the video and check out more of their works on Vimeo.
I haven't written about bikes in a while so today is your lucky day. Let me introduce the Derringer Cycles, a line of hybrid bikes that were modeled after 1920's racing motorcycles. These stylish bikes are a throwback to the classic that your grandparents might have had. They even feature the Brooks leather saddles and polished copper rivets and the design is reimagined for the modern world. The Derringer cycle allows the rider to either use his own bike pedaling powers or use the Honda overhead valve 4-stroke engine. This little bad boy can get you speeding along the road at a cruise speed of 35 MPH. It also has a 1.8 gallon tank that gives you enough power to go up to 300 miles on one tank of gas.
So I take it by this point in the post your asking yourself I want one but how much does it cost? Well since these are custom made and it's a vintage item that will standout on its own. Your looking to spend somewhere around 3,500 for one of these to go around town and brag about your sweet vintage throwback bike.
Formodesign a Polish architect firm shared their project with Arch Daily called the Doublesingle Storey House. It is located in Grabowa, Poland. This home is currently still under construction and will not be completed till 2011. I do however want to mention that I like the idea of this home. It was shaped and formed to follow the sun's path and site's panorama to deliver a clear interior view opening on the forest, meadows and the stream. It was also the idea of creating a doublesingle storey layout to enable the resident to enter and exit the home no matter where they were. The land which it was built on gives this house style with its sloped hills and view of the nature around it. It also blends nicely with natural looking material used to build this home.
When it comes to going to an event we sometimes are a little cautious on bringing our nice camera for fear of damage or it's just to big and bulky. Well Samsung has come up with the Samsung NX100. It's the latest addition to the NX series of mirrorless compact system cameras and it comes with some innovative new features.
It features a 14.6Mp sensor, a 3.0" AMOLED screen, an ISO range of 100 to 3200, 720p movie recording (H.264) and SD / SDHC card slot. Its new i-Function button on the lens that allows users to to cycle manual through settings like white-balance, ISO, shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation. It is however lacking in the built-in flash department but it does have an option to add a hot shoe mounted flash gun. It also has a GPS unit and EVF that slots into the back of the camera. It was also advised that this camera will offer a wide variety of lenses to complete your NX100 series.
The NX100 price well that is (TBA) as well as the release date but I do know that it will include the 20-50mm lens and will be available in black, white and brown.
