Archive for 2010

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Cool Cutting Edge Bikes

[ Comments Off ]Posted on November 24, 2010 by admin in Technology

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

There’s an amazing world of new hybrid-tech bikes to choose from. Let’s just hope the bikes don’t crash as often as their flash-driven websites.


Bike 2.0 Proves Less Is More

With winter descending on the godforsaken part of the US I live in, I thought this might be a good time to ponder replacing my now nearly antique Specialized Rockhopper before next spring. Although I love the fact that it’s as indestructible as a Russian tank, it also happens to weigh about as much as one, and is just as stylish. On top of its ancientness, I do almost entirely urban and light trail riding, so I always feel like I’m riding a small armored personnel carrier when I ride it through town. As I started doing research, I was open to the idea of an electric hybrid or something, partly because I was intrigued after riding a friend’s A2B Velociti last summer, but mostly because I’m buying a bike for transportation, not pure cycling. And that open-mindedness is where the trouble began. There are so many new and amazing approaches to the design and engineering of a bike these days that you almost need a team of researchers and consultants to fully explore the possibilities. DesignBoom, who also sponsored the competition, did a nice roundup from the Seoul Cycle Design Competition 2010, which is where I ran across the brilliant and elegant simplicity of the Bike 2.0, by Milan-based Danish designer Nils Sveje. It’s hybrid, chainless, has a continuously-variable transmission, a regenerative coaster brake, and instead of shifters, two wireless rings on the handlebar. The frame is also self-illuminating. If this bike ever goes into production, I want the first one off the line. Beautiful. Also pretty remarkable is the Audi BEIK, which possesses perhaps even more elegantly simple lines. What you may not notice right away is that as well as being foldable, the bike utilizes “frame steering”. I’d like to see that in action; there are no videos available, and you’ll notice none of the stills show the bike turning. On a slightly humorous note, the ECO FUV not only makes a nice play on the urban slang term, but if we could make these things mandatory transport in America, we’d solve the energy, pollution, parking, and obesity problems all in one shot. More bikes, images, and vids below. Read the rest of this entry »

Get Up Offa That Thing With A Stand Up Desk

[ 1 Comment ]Posted on November 22, 2010 by admin in Health & Wellness

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

What do James Brown, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Donald Rumsfeld have in common? They don’t believe in sitting down on the job


James Brown actually seemed to
prefer working above the desk.

I consider myself something of an expert in workplace ergonomics. Years ago – before I personally spent much time at a computer – I remember chuckling at the sight of people who had plunked down a bunch of extra dough for those weird ergonomic computer chairs with the shin rests. Much later, when I finally learned how to use a computer and set up a home office, I had been happily clacking away on the keyboard for months, often working fourteen hour days, before a friend sat in my chair and said “Oh. My. God! How can you WORK sitting this low?!?” It had never occurred to me that I sat – as my friend put it – like “a pimp cruising in his Cadillac”. The fact is, my low-slung, reclining posture let me work with my arm extended comfortably, and I never experienced the kind of elbow/shoulder repetitive motion discomfort many people complain about. Not long after that, while nonchalantly pacing the entire length of my house while on a business call, another friend who was visiting practically screamed “Jesus! Do you EVER sit down while you’re working???” While he had a point – I do seem to have some sort of restlessness disorder – I pointed out that I must be able to sit down to work once in a while, because I had learned long ago to blink intentionally while working, because I was routinely working for such long stretches that I would get vivid red stripes on my eyes from not moving my lids. All of which is why it doesn’t surprise me that stand up desks are suddenly all the rage. Amongst their many benefits, they seem to offer a solution for the eternal fidgety student problem, and the American Cancer Society says they may actually save your life. It’s not like the idea of a standing desk is anything new though; more recently Donald Rumsfeld was held up as an example of a sprightly old geezer who “thinks on his feet”. And in spite of the fact that maybe some of that thinking was flawed, we can hardly blame it on the desk. According to this 43 Folders Wiki entry, other notables who worked at a stand up desk include Vladimir Nabokov, Winston Churchill, Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Napoleon. Of course, it’s possible we’re all just being conditioned by the oligarchic media power elite to get used to not having a cushy desk job any more as we plunge into a Dickensian era of servitude in which the only job you can get in spite of your grad degree is as a cashier at Wal-Mart, but when I scan the herd in the average cube farm, I think maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Which is why we’re going to leave you with some James Brown. Read the rest of this entry »

10 Insanely Expensive Christmas Gifts For Rich Spoiled Brats

[ 3 Comments ]Posted on November 21, 2010 by admin in Holidays

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

Ever wonder where people like Paris Hilton got their overblown sense of entitlement? Their parents bought it at FAO Schwarz and Neiman Marcus when they were five.


The only Ferrari you’ll ever
be able to afford: $2,564

As you struggle with the rude and poverty-stricken masses at Wal-Mart, using the new credit card you won’t be able to pay off to buy your kids enough presents that they won’t confuse your life with the one the Cratchits are living in the Disney 3D movie they’re watching (in 2D) with no sitter while you shop, you’ll be glad to know that Wall Street bankers and DC politicians will have their own struggles. Like the annoying peon staff they have to endure when they buy their kids $15,000 gingerbread houses at Neiman Marcus or life-size stuffed ponies at FAO Schwarz. Below are just a few of the gifts bailed out bankers will be buying their kids with your tax dollars. (By the way, if you think we’re rushing this whole Christmas thing, maybe you should check out our weird and alternative thanksgiving ideas.
Read the rest of this entry »

TSA To Implement Cattle Prod Wielding Robots

[ Comments Off ]Posted on November 20, 2010 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

Okay. Maybe that’s a few years away.


This is a still from a video of a training
session with the new TSA robots.

I’m not at all ashamed to admit that I have a profound fear of flying. It’s not that I’m afraid of flying per sé; in fact, I’ve skydived, gone hang gliding, been in a hot air balloon, and actually love being in any kind of flying vehicle. If I could afford it, I’d love to get a pilot’s license. No, my fear of flying is a very recent development, and is restricted to a fear of flying on a major airline, especially in America. Mostly because I’m afraid of how I’d react to the latest advancements in TSA procedures. And so really I guess my fear is for the well-being of TSA personnel. I really, really do not understand people who accept the newly-instituted TSA pat-down policies. I mean, I can understand why President Obama says they’re frustrating but necessary, and why John Boehner brags he’ll be flying commercial airlines more than his predecessor. Obama gets to go straight from Air Force One to Cadillac One, and Boehner – like other politicians – is exempted from all the ass-grabbing going on. What I don’t understand is why apparently 4 out of 5 Americans support the new scanners. It’s hard to decide which recent incidents are most appalling. The woman who had her breasts exposed while agents laughed? The 4-year-old boy who was strip searched? Or in light of the UCSF scientists’ letter highlighting radiation risks, perhaps the recovering cancer patients like Thomas Sawyer, who had his urostomy bag knocked loose, leaving him covered in urine, or the former flight attendant and breast cancer survivor who was forced to remove her prosthetic breast. Or maybe the absurdity of patriotic soldiers returning from the wars that are supposed to be saving us from the terrorists having their nail clippers confiscated. Keep in mind this was one of 233 people toting assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns. For a much saner and complete roundup by an actual security expert, see this Bruce Schneier post from the other day. More images and video below. Read the rest of this entry »

The Nissan iV Replaces Production Lines With Production Vines

[ Comments Off ]Posted on November 19, 2010 by admin in Clean & Green

Friday, November 19th, 2010

You may grow tired of looking at the swooping contours of concept cars, but with the Nissan iV the only thing you’ll grow is the car itself. It’s green because it’s made of ivy.

I think I’ve found the perfect car to drive on that solar highway that I reference whenever I can because I can’t believe it doesn’t get more press. Even if you’re into auto design, your eyes eventually grow immune to the dazzling swoopy contours of the concept cars like the ones presented at this year’s LA Auto Show . Although one assumes the designs are driven by aerodynamics, you eventually begin to feel that they’re just seeing how many swoops they can include in a design and still have it look like a car. At first glance, the Nissan iV gives the same impression, but if you look into the reasons behind the iV’s design, you find a mind-blowing futuristic functionality. Even the most sophisticated cars in production right now are still based on the basic idea of wheels on rods, with a box sitting on top. One of the most unusual design elements of the iV – the ribbon of material weaving through the wheels – is in fact brilliant functionality. You see, there’s no “hood” on this car, because there’s no engine compartment. The motors are in the wheels, freeing the design of all the additional structures necessary to hold an engine in a box and link it with a transmission, driveshaft, and gearing. But that’s just the beginning. The “biopolymer” chassis material is synthetically grown and formed from fast-growing ivy, and re-enforced with spider silk composite. Because of the lightweight yet rugged material used in the chassis, the interior (which seats four) provides a panoramic passenger experience, because it’s constructed from photovoltaic material that weighs 99% less than traditional glass. The car’s incredible range is because most of the body is a solar collector, and regenerative “super-capacitor” technology recoups 60% of the kinetic energy spent while the car is in motion. If this is the future, I’m sticking around. More images below. Read the rest of this entry »

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