If you've ever wonder if a tree could make music, it can and it sounds beautiful yet haunting. In the video below a
record player was modified to play slices of wood. The year rings on the wood were analyzed and then translated into music.
A tree’s year rings are analyzed for their strength, thickness and rate of growth. This data serves as basis for a generative process that outputs piano music based on the year ring data. Those are analyzed for their thickness and growth rate and are then mapped to a scale which is again defined by the overall appearance of the wood (ranging from dark to light and from strong texture to light texture). The foundation for the music is certainly found in the defined ruleset of programming and hardware setup, but the data acquired from every tree interprets this rule set very differently.
It's intriguing that each note is a season passed in the life of the tree. The smaller intervals on the wood were harder years for the tree and the longer silences filled with seasons of growth. So really when you listen to the wood record you're listening to the whole life of the tree.
Bang & Olufsen have just announced a new brand, a follow up from the company's previous release, the
BeoSound 8 sound system. The
B&O Play Beolit 12 Portable Music System ($800) was designed by Danish designer Cecile Manz, the Beolit 12 has a stylish sleek look that's topped off with an Italian leather carrying strap, and is equipped with Apple's AirPlay. It has a built-in power supply and a rechargeable battery which can charge an iPhone or any other connected device and play back music for about 8 hours. It currently comes in the gray style but the company is releasing later this month the yellow, blue and light gray versions of this music system. It will also be available as well in the Apple Stores as the company's authorized outlets.
Source: ecoolgadgetss
This home is located in a residential neighborhood of central Tokyo, Japan and its called House S., a single family residence for Tokyo-based studio
Keji Ashizawa. The home use to be the site of an old samurai residence and is filled with beautiful pines and
zelkova trees which gives this home a connection with nature and combines both nature and urban living. Each floor in this home has planting and the interior wood floors on the first level open up to a lushly vegetated garden, allowing the greenery to permeate the wood interior. The planting and the openness as well as the staircase are just a few things in this home that give it a open calming feeling to it.
Images by:
Daici Ano
These screen print airport runway posters were created by
Jerome Daksiewicz, which feature runway patterns of airports around the world. I actually like this series due to the minimal design but also for the structures and layouts of each airport. If you're interested in buying any of these prints they are available on Jerome
website. He currently has editions for Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles International, and Minneapolis St-Paul, but will soon be adding five additional cities. Two dollars from every purchase goes to the
Challenge Air Program that introduces children with specials needs to aviation.
Source: Colossal
The team at
Teenage Engineering has created a stylish looking portable synthesizer but it will cost you. It has a hefty price of $1,100 and it's such in high demand that they're currently sold out. The
OP-1 synthesizer was created to be the world's preeminent, portable synthesizer. It merges the best of classic, analogue soul with the latest in digital technology. It's more like a hybrid of sorts with a digital synthesizer and MIDI controller with tons of features.
It has 8 synthesizer models (FM, Virtual Analog, String, +), 8 samplers, on board effects, OLED display, battery powered, built in microphone, FM radio, built in speaker, mp3 export, and some really unique sequencer to explore.
More info here:
http://aiaiai.dk/store/things/op-1
See Youtube videos on the OP-1 here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/teenageengineering
Samsung Series 9 Monitor 27" Quad hi-def ($1,199) is nothing but a cutting-edge, sophisticated design that blends with any decor. It has a brushed aluminum finish and screen that almost seems like it's floating in mid-air. The connections on the monitor are integrated into the base allowing for a streamlined appearance. It even has anti-glare edge-to-edge tempered glass display and a slim profile. The
Series 9 monitor also has the ability to produce over one billion colors with an amazing resolution of 2560 x 1440 (WQHD), which is four times more detail than a traditional HD panel. One of the coolest features on this monitor is the
Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) for MHL-enabled smart phones and tablets.
By linking their Android MHL-compatible smartphone, users can enjoy content from their mobile devices directly on the much larger screen and with the benefit of rich, built-in stereo audio. They can also keep an eye on their smartphone, seamlessly browse to it and even charge the device for added convenience.
Source: Samsung, Gizmodo
