StyleHero Blog

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Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal'

"We've been dying to know more about Microsoft's Courier tablet / e-book device ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We're told Courier will function as a "digital journal," and it's designed to be seriously portable: it's under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn't much bigger than a 5x7 photo when closed. That's a lot smaller than we expected -- this new picture really puts it into perspective -- and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7, we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6.

As we've heard, the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We're also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there's a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft's e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading. It all sounds spectacular, but all we have for a launch date is "Q3 / Q4", and we have no idea how much it's going to cost, so we're trying to maintain a healthy skepticism until any of this gets official -- call us any time, Microsoft."

OMG! Awesome! I can't wait to get my hands on one of these, this is what Apple should have come up with, hopefully Microsoft go through with it and all the proposed features. Cost is no issue, I want one!

source: engadget.com

'Alone' - Dan Black

This is some creative vid, and one of many great songs off his latest album 'Un'.

Sydney Tower Skin - Laboratory for Visionary Architecture

"An interesting concept for retrofitting buildings in Sydney has been shared with us thanks to Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA). This innovative plan, which is sustainable and cost effective, is known as “re-skinning”, and can easily be applied to other aging icons around the world. LAVA developed a simple skin for the University of Technology [UTS] Broadway Tower that promises to transform it into a sustainable and stunning building. “The speculative project, ‘Tower Skin’, offers a unique opportunity to transform the identity, sustainability and interior comfort of the once state-of-the-art building,” said Chris Bosse, Australian director of LAVA.

The three-dimensional lightweight, high performance composite mesh textile acts as a high performance ‘micro climate’. The skin generates energy with photo-voltaic cells, collects rain water, improves day lighting and uses available convective energy to power the towers’ ventilation requirements. Surface tension allows the membrane to freely stretch around walls and roof elements achieving maximum visual impact with minimal material effort. In the evening time, the Tower Skin becomes a dynamic sculpture on Sydney’s skyline, an intelligent media surface, communicating information such as performances and campus events in real time."

Copenhagen Wheel: the Swiss Army Knife of Bike Wheels

"The Copenhagen Wheel, unveiled by MIT students at the COP15 Climate Change Conference, may not look like anything special. But in reality, it’s a treasure trove of bicycle wheel technology, complete with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS), sensors, a smart lock, and a Bluetooth connection to the rider’s iPhone.

The KERS system is activated when the user brakes. Energy from the braking action is stored in the wheel, where it can be recovered by an electric motor for later use. The wheel’s onboard sensors monitor bike speed, distance traveled, direction, pollution levels, and proximity of friends on the road. All info collected by the sensors is sent via Bluetooth to the rider’s iPhone, which can be mounted on the handlebars for easy access.

Worried about using such a high-tech wheel in theft-prone cities? The Copenhagen Wheel’s smart lock sends a text message to users if someone tries to steal the bike, greatly decreasing the likelihood of a successful theft.

The wheel is expected to go into production next year at a price comparable to that of standard electric bikes. The city of Copenhagen might even use bikes retrofitted with the wheel as a substitute for city employee cars — a lofty goal, but one that could help Copenhagen become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital city by 2025."

NewActon Apartments Aim to Be the Greenest in Australia

"NewActon Nishi is a new apartment complex in the middle of Canberra that is aiming to be Australia’s greenest residential development. But don’t go thinking that this will be a boring ‘green building’. NewActon Nishi will feature a sexy minimalist aesthetic in addition to some exciting eco-conscious features.

NewActon Nishi is currently being developed by the Molonglo Group and was designed by Fender Katsalidis Architects in association with Suppose Design Office, Oculus, and Arup. When it is completed it will be the third in a series of buildings that form part of the very green NewActon Precinct.

The project is a mixed-use development with 280 units and 20,000 square meters in office space, as well as galleries, shops, cafes and, wait for it, wait for it – a sake bar! The building will be a showcase of sustainability and is attempting to achieve an 8.6 NatHERS rating out of 10 (trust me, this is hard), relying heavily on passive design. As part of their sustainability goals, they plan to involve artists, craftspeople and designers in creating the look and feel of an ‘über-cool’ village."

Eternal Ice Drop - 5.5 Designers for Hennessy

"Encapsulated in a glass drop, the imprisoned water freezes after a few hours in the freezer then spreads its coolness through the glass by finding its liquid state. Beyond its sustainable and reusable aspect, this object has a not unimportant consequence over the moment of the tasting of a good Cognac. Certain consumers, if they like the effect cooling some ice cube on their drink, do not like that by melting ice cubes alter the taste of this one, by dilution. Furthermore, the action of the cold tends to break certain aromas of the Cognac. This mode of cooling, lighter than a traditional ice cube, represents then an ideal solution to lead the cognac to the good temperature of tasting."

The Bund Restaurant - Melbourne

© Photos by CM

Plaza del Torico - b720 arquitectos

"This projects is the remodeling of a square of 1,798.76 sqm surface and arcades that surround it of 1,047.01 sqm, with the renewal of its pavement with basaltic stone pavers. Under gradient, a gallery of connection between the two tanks, Somero and Fondero, and museum area with a total of 409.56 sqm has been projected. This campaign has sought to improve the flow and public participation through the connection between the two tanks that allows the display Albellón and reuse cistern Somero as space for future exhibitions.

The intervention focuses on the complete renovation of the appearance of the square, its pavement, their porches and facades, following a carefully designed lighting. And assumed, in addition, the recovery for the public of the tanks that are placed under the square, elements of great value and artistic heritage."

Architectural Fashion: Frank Gehry for Gaga

"Gehry designed a hat for Lady Gaga to wear to a benefit at LA's Museum of Contemporary Art. It sounds like the move from buildings to headgear was a little challenging for our favorite Canadian-born starchitect, who drew the initial design for the hat on his iPhone: "Since I've never designed a hat before, I was afraid she wouldn't be able to walk....I did have an idea that involved people with sticks holding it up, walking behind her. I didn't know how far I could go with this thing."

The Guggenheim’s Wright Restaurant

"It would have been easy to design the Guggenheim Museum’s new Wright Restaurant, which opens to the public Friday, exactly as Frank Lloyd Wright himself would have wanted it: among the 400 drawings he made for the 1959 building, a few were devoted to a ground-floor dining space, though not one particularly suited to a contemporary audience. “The layout was very simple, almost monastic, with clusters of tables aligned with the portholes,” said the architect Andre Kikoski, who designed the restaurant. But, as he explained, “it wasn’t conducive to social interaction, and it certainly wasn’t about the integration of art.” Rather than executing Wright’s original sketches, Kikoski turned the space — most recently a generic cafeteria with brown carpeting — into a modern homage to the legendary architect, who designed the museum to harmonize with the artwork within.

The Guggenheim commissioned one of Kikoski’s friends and neighbors, the artist Liam Gillick, to develop a site-specific piece that runs around the walls and up the ceiling. Made of extruded aluminum in shades of yellow and orange, it helps museumgoers make a connection between the restaurant and what goes on in the adjacent rotunda.

But most of Kikoski’s efforts were spent attempting to evoke the movement of the building’s signature ramp — short of making diners seasick, of course — by exaggerating the arced perspective of the room and filling it with highly tactile materials. “The same way you view the art differently from different points in the spiral, what you see from across the space isn’t the same as what you see when you get closer,” he said. The wall behind the Corian bar is lined in fiber-optic wood; the metal bar front has a textured patina; and mesh stretched behind the blue leather banquettes is patterned with a tiny version of Wright’s “primitive initial,” the football-like shape of the rotunda’s columns and fountain, which formed the basis for Kikoski’s floor plan. Wright, whose many utopian fantasies were on view in the Guggenheim’s recent 50th anniversary retrospective, was never shy about embracing the future. It’s nice to see the museum thinks along the same lines."

Kanye West Foundation X Karmaloop Auction

"The Kanye West Foundation provides opportunities for young people to engage in the creative and performing arts, and to develop the tools to remain in school and graduate. As a permanent tribute to Dr. Donda West’s extraordinary legacy and passion for education and children, the foundation partners with schools and community organizations to provide underserved youth access to music production and academic support programs that will enable them to unleash their creative ability and reach their full potential. “Loop Dreams”, our music education program, will directly impact the lives of young people. ALL PROFITS FROM THIS AUCTION WILL BENEFIT THE KANYE WEST FOUNDATION."

Check out what's up for auction at http://www.karmaloop.com/klswap/kanyescloset.aspx

'1901' + 'Lizstomania ' - Phoenix (Live Street Performances in Paris)

'Pursuit of Happiness' - Kid Cudi feat. MGMT

'Alive' Where the Wild Things Are Version - Kid Cudi feat. Ratatat

'Crawl' - Chris Brown

Best song off Chris Brown's new album 'Graffiti', awesome vid directed by Joseph Kahn.

World's tallest living wall takes root in Sydney

"Renowned French botanist, Patrick Blanc, has created the world’s tallest vertical garden at a residential development in Sydney’s inner west. However, the 33-storey north-facing green wall is merely a “practice run” for Blanc’s even bigger installation planned as part of the $2 billion Central Park development at the former Carlton Brewery site on Broadway.

The living artwork, currently installed at Frasers Property’s Trio development in Camperdown, uses 4,528 native Australian plants from 69 different species that are fed by a grey-water, dripper-irrigation system. “You can observe many of these species growing wild on maritime cliffs or along the cliffs and rocky slopes in mountainous areas, making this project a kind of ‘Botanical Vertical Garden’,” Blanc said.

In collaboration with Pritzker prize-winning French architect Jean Nouvel, Blanc will also add vegetal wall panels to two residential towers as part of the Frasers Broadway development. These living walls are set to reach up to 150 metres in height and cover up to 10 times the area of the Trio prototype. Blanc, who is credited with inventing the concept of a vertical garden, told Architecture & Design that he is experimenting with the use of tubes and pyramids that can be entirely clad in plants as part of his work on the Frasers Broadway project.

As well as providing a green aesthetic, vertical gardens can also offer a reduction in energy consumption through thermal insulation, Frasers Property managing director, Dr Stanley Quek, said. “Not only are Patrick’s vertical garden installations captivating, but also by putting these sustainable pieces in cities we are able to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and have them act as a natural air purification system,” Quek said.

The Trio development, which was designed by Fender Katsalidis, gives every apartment a balcony edged with louvered screens that acts as passive sustainable design and gives the building a “dynamic”, ever changing aesthetic, Karl Fender said."

Tim & Jean - The Next Big Thing

"What is it that makes Australian electro duo Tim & Jean so special? That's not meant as a corny opening line for this feature, that's a genuine question. We really want to know what kind of magic potion is running through the water in their hometown of Perth or how many virgins one needs to sacrifice in order to have what they have. With just one song circulating around at the moment, the blissful synth-pop jam Come Around, Tim & Jean have already blown bloggers and industry types away. Indeed, after wowing Australian audiences as part of Triple J radio’s Unearthed competition, the duo has found itself in the middle of a major label bidding war in the US, cementing its buzz as the next big thing set to go supernova in 2010. On Come Around the kids, and yes I do mean kids as the two are just 15 and 18 respectively, show off a surprisingly masterful knack for melding mirror-ball electronics with stomping choruses and irresistible hooks. With more gold like this on the way now's the ideal time to fall for Tim & Jean as you can bet you'll be hearing a lot of them very soon."

source: http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/

check them out @ http://www.myspace.com/wearetimandjean

Paint-Free Coke Can Saves Energy, Reduces Pollution

"Designer Harc Lee has created a “naked” Coca Cola can that forfeits Coke’s typical bold red and white stripes in favor of au naturale silver. The aluminum can is created without using any paints or dyes, and stands to greatly reduce pollution and energy use associated with producing and recycling soda cans.

Instead of coloring the can with toxic dyes and paints used on traditional Coca-Cola Classic cans, Harc Lee’s monochrome coke can would use a pressing machine to make the brand stand out from its background. The result is a sleek, updated look fitting for a 21st-century beverage.

Though the can may be silver, its design is decidedly green. By giving up its bold colors, the can reduces air and water pollution that occurs during the coloring process and eliminating the energy and toxic dyes required to give the can its color. Plus, the naked can streamlines the recycling process: before any aluminum can can be recycled, it must first be stripped of its paint. Ditching color during production saves a ton of energy and effort at the recycling plant.

Sure, this is just one type of can in America’s ever-growing lineup of tasty, single-serving beverages. But let’s put things into perspective: according to Gizmodo, Coca Cola produced 67.8 million cans of Coca Cola Classic in 2007. That’s about 24.7 billion cans a year! And if Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero also adopted the naked look, the tally would total about 75.3 billion cans every year.

It’s unclear whether Coca-Cola will pick up the new look, but we should definitely give props to Harc Lee for coming up with such an innovative design. It’s up to consumers to convince advertisers and beverage producers that brands can still retain their own identities even without bright, bold colors on the labels."

source: www.inhabitat.com

Empire of the Sun - Album of the Year @ ARIA's

"For years, Luke Steele has been hailed as the Next Big Thing in Australian music. Last night, the eccentric Perth performer climbed to the pinnacle of Australian music when his band, Empire of the Sun, dominated the 23rd ARIA Awards in Sydney.

Steele and his collaborator Nick Littlemore were the toast of the town when their electro pop duo collected four gongs including Album of the Year, Best Group, Single of the Year and Best Pop Release for its critically acclaimed debut album Walking on a Dream.

These accolades came after the band's success at the recent ARIA Artisan Awards, where it was awarded Best Video, Best Cover Art and Best Producer.

The awards consolidated a big year for the band, which counts Barack Obama and Jay-Z as fans and whose upbeat, sci-fi themed songs have been on high rotation on radio stations."

source: theage.com.au