an old garage renovation in Sweden

A former military garage located on the small island of Furillen on the east coast of Gotland, Sweden, wasn’t exactly dream house material. However, a Swedish family living in Stockholm that were looking for a holiday home to spend their summers recognized the potential. Especially the proximity to the Baltic sea was a decisive factor. They extensively renovated the abandoned building using raw materials and left-over furniture that they had found at the site. When they were finished they had created the perfect holiday home. Nothing too fancy but a laid back place that is suitable for family life. [1] The project was carried out by Imberg Arkitekter, a Stockholm based architecture and design studio run by Lotta & Henrik Imberg, a progressive practice with a lot of pro bono work performed. Check out the project pages here.

[1] Ref. http://style-files.com/2013/10/23/an-old-army-garage-turned-into-a-summer-home/

[Ref.] http://www.piaulin.com/

Zen Pencils : the Lucky ones

Gavin Aung Than is a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. He has spent a number of years as corporate graphic designer before quitting to pursue his passion for illustration and cartooning. Since then he has been illustrating famous quotes, creating as he calls them "cartoon quotes from inspirational folks". His work is trully outstanding. View this sample here, and visit his website for more.

Original Post by the artist was on 28 Aug.2012 here.

Legend :

Richard Dawkins (1941-) is the world’s most famous atheist, thanks to his best-selling book The God Delusion and his tireless work to promote secularism through media and public appearances. Though he is probably more well-known today for his views on religion, Dawkins is first and foremost an evolutionary biologist. He has dedicated his life to studying evolution and to him it must be so bleeding obvious, and so much more awe-inspiring and beautiful, that the complexity of life on Earth is thanks to Natural Selection rather than Intelligent Design.

working with Mozilla's PopCorn Maker

Popcorn Maker helps you easily remix web video, audio and images into cool mashups that you can embed on other websites. Drag and drop content from the web, then add your own comments and links ; all within your browser. Popcorn Maker videos are dynamic, full of links and unique with every view. Popcorn lets users link social media, news feeds, data visualizations and other content directly to moving images. The result is a new form of multimedia storytelling that lives and breathes more like the web itself: interactive, social, and unique each time.

Mozilla's Popcorn Maker is an initiative by the Mozilla Foundation to create a software that uses the Popcorn.js API to add web-rich features to videos, without having to learn programming. The software can be used by video creators and editors in so many ways ranging from creating an instructional video almost from scratch, to editing an existing video to add text, hyperlinks, annotations and so many other features. This, in turn, can be used to clarify the video, to add more information, to add nice effects, etc. Popcorn adds interactivity and context to online video, pulling the rest of the web right into the action in real time.

On the down side, it doesn’t have an option to create videos from scratch, and hence you cannot upload videos from your computer. There is no option to customize the workspace or at least resize the panels. You also cannot group elements and hence have to apply effects to individual elements. However, connect a video in the web with the content around it, and you get a video that behaves like the web itself, constantly changing and evolving, interactive, and sharable. That is what Mozilla has managed to achieve with the Popcorn Maker. [1]

A quick explanation of the Popcorn Maker Interface Components can be found on WikiHow here (last section) and here. In addition, “Using Mozilla Popcorn Maker to Create an Interactive Video” Tutorial by Miriam Posner, available here, and as a pdf download here.

[1] Ref. http://web.appstorm.net/reviews/media-reviews/mozilla-popcorn-maker-the-future-of-media/

Further reading / viewing :

Introduction to Popcorn.js on Vimeo, available here.

Documentation on Popcorn.js, available here.

Mozilla’s Webmaker Tools page here. Links to X-Ray Goggles (allow you to see the building blocks that make up websites on the internet) and Thimble (which makes it ridiculously simple to create and share your own web pages).

Want to get started, but don't know what to make yet ? Here are some projects you can remix now.

Pixel Press : draw your own video game

To describe it in short : the Pixel Press platform offers engaging, interactive storytelling tools that enables users of all ages to turn drawings into video games. Follwing a succesful Kickstarter campaign, with the upcoming release of Pixel Press on iOS & Android, you can create your own video game levels in just four easy steps ; draw a level, take a picture, design it, play & share. In the past, video games like Super Mario Brothers and Metroid were groundbreaking. Today, Pixel Press recreates the run and jump gaming experience, but in a completely new way. With Pixel Press, you don't just play a video game ; you create your own, making video game creation accessible to everyone, with no coding required. If you're not in the mood to create, or just don't have the time, you can play levels designed by your friends or other members of the Pixel Press community.

With the Pixel Press video game level creator you are designing five floors of a video game level (Think Mario level 1-1, level 1-2, etc). Your hero will start at the bottom floor and attempt to overcome the obstacles you create to reach the elevator at the end of each floor to advance up to the next floor. Your objective is to create a level that is progressively more challenging from bottom to top. Creating a level is a simple four step process - draw, upload & test, design, play & share.

And, don’t forget. Pac-Man was created on paper. Check out the info and photographs from Control Magazine here.

the DIWire wire-bending desktop machine

The 3D printing revolution is in full swing and is providing inspiration for a number of similar ways of creating new objects. If you have already seen how successful the 3Doodler pen — which enables users to draw physical pieces into existence — has been, now the DIWire hopes to follow suit by bringing wirebending capabilities to designers’ desktops for easy wireframe prototyping. [1] The DIWire is the first desktop wire bender, a new archetype for rapid prototyping, that transforms drawn curves into bent wire that can be assembled to make just about anything. Check out their Kickstarter campaign here.

Created by Pensa Labs, the device is around the same size as a typical office printer and can be connected to any computer. Users first digitally sketch out the shape they want their wire to be and then send the design to the DIWire. After loading the wire — which can be made of any bendable metal, even steel — the machine feeds it through and bends it according to the digital file. Users can make simple 2D designs or connect multiple wires together through soldering or clips to build up a 3D object. [1] The video below shows the machine in action:

[Ref.] http://www.springwise.com/machine-bends-wire/

handy tools & extras for cycles

Meet the “Nutter”, the next generation bicycle multitool. Featuring all the essentials for fixing your most common bike headaches. The Nutter combines all the tools you need when out riding into one simple unit. Its unique design and distinctive form turns the tool into a handle, giving you more leverage than other multi tools on the market. The tool weighs just 110g or 3.9oz. Housed beautifully in your choice of a burnt brown or jet black leather and recycled inner tube pouch, the Nutter features : a nylon tyre lever, 15mm box head spanner, spoke key, 3,4,5,6,8mm hex tool bits, philips head screw driver, flat head screw driver, T25 torx bit, magnetic tool bit extender, and (the most essential of all) a bottle opener.

“Sphyke” on the other hand, allows you to get the best quality, long lasting bicycle components without worrying about theft or having to carry a key. The innovative Sphyke C3N system replaces your bikes existing nuts and bolts with ones that incorporate a tiny combination lock. The combination lock simply encases the fastener with stainless steel shielding. There is a Sphyke lock that suits any skewer wheel. If it is a solid axle wheel there are 4 thread variations that suit all modern wheels. The nut and cap screw used in the Sphyke device are exactly the same as the one you currently use, and that bike shops are familiar with. So if you get a flat tyre or need to take your wheel off anyone has a spanner or cap screw. And most importantly, because the Sphyke system uses these normal nut or cap screws you can tightened your wheels and components as much as is possible.

SAHN Helmets is a new company by Matt Kelly and Sen-Huy Tan, and is based in Vancouver, B. Matt has been creating helmets for the skateboarding and water sports markets for over ten years as owner of Predator Designs. Sen is an industrial designer with notable cycling industry experience, and the two cofounders share a vision to provide better cycling helmet alternatives for the discerning buyer. SAHN Helmets is about riding. Not racing. The SAHN Classic is a helmet for those who may or may not define themselves as cyclists, but have a desire to look better while moving in and around the urban landscape, both on and off the bicycle.

Revolights ensure maximum safety by providing both lighting and sighting in one fully-integrated, revolutionary design. The patented Revolights Bike Lighting System consists of four narrow rings of LEDs—two white and two red—which mount directly to the front and rear wheels of your bicycle. Lithium-ion batteries, bracket-mounted to the front and rear hub, supply power to the LEDs. The batteries are lightweight and rechargeable via USB. A fork-mounted magnet and an integrated accelerometer provide speed and orientation data to the rings, allowing the LEDs to illuminate only when oriented at the front or rear of the bicycle.

Spurcycle is a new bike accessory company. Their first product is a set of grips made from individual colorful rings. The product allows you to personalize your bike grips with an endless number of color patterns. GripRings are made of silicone and are plush and flexible. They are easy to install and can fit nearly any style of handlebar. Each set includes 16 rings of your choice, eight for each bike grip. GripRings work best when they have a smooth surface to grab—heavily textured (i.e. bead-blasted) bar surfaces can be wrapped with glossy tape for improved ring security.

Revolv : the smart home integration hub

To put it in a few words, Revolv unifies your different smart home automation systems on one integrated platform, controlled via your smartphone and tablet. The Revolv Hub, unlike other home automation solutions, doesn’t require an Ethernet cable. Simply plug it into a central location in your home to get the best wireless range. Then magically connect it to your Wi-Fi network in less than a minute. The Revolv Hub sports an unprecedented 7 wireless radios speaking 10 different wireless languages. Starting with Z-Wave, Insteon and Wi-Fi compatibility, and with future software updates adding support for ZigBee and other languages, Revolv is on track to support hundreds of devices in the next year.

The Revolv Hub acts as the brains to wirelessly control all your smart home connected devices, regardless of their protocol. Out of the gate, it will work with dozens of today’s best-selling smart home devices, including Sonos, Philips hue, Yale locks, Insteon and GE lighting products. Thanks to automatic firmware updates, Revolv will get smarter and more capable every month. Whether on vacation, planning a date night, or just hanging out on the couch, the 'Home' dashboard gives you a birds-eye view of all the devices in your home. With a quick glance, see your home's current status, recent device activity, and access all your favorite On-Demand Actions. Tailoring Revolv to fit your lifestyle couldn't be easier with 'Actions'. No programming required. Choose an Action from Sensors, Time, Location or On-Demand triggers, and then add the devices you want to automate.

DJI Phantom 2 Vision Quadcopter

DJI Innovations is a global leader in developing and manufacturing high performance, reliable, and easy-to- use small unmanned aerial systems (UAS), for commercial and recreational use. The company of over 500 employees, among the largest in the UAS market, is dedicated to making aerial photography and videography accessible to professional photographers, cinematographers and hobbyists anytime, anywhere, with operations spanning North America, Europe and Asia. The Phantom 2 Vision from DJI is a complete aerial camera system that's ready to fly within minutes.

With a flight time of 25 minutes along with a camera that shoots full HD 1080p30/60i video and 14 megapixel stills, this is the ultimate ready-to-fly Photography/Videography multi-rotor. With the added benefit of FPV (First Person View) transmitted via a smart phone, you can frame your shot because you can see exactly what the camera is seeing. From the VISION App, you have full camera control. After transferring the content from the SD card, share to your favorite social media sites. Experience a new horizon of possibilities laid before you as you rise above the clouds. Capture the world around you and share these moments like never before. The system retails around 1.200 USD.

models in the morning by Asher Moss

Models in the Morning, a series of sensual photographs of women in their bare essentials, has made quite a splash in a very short time. Photographer Asher Moss (a.k.a. Basement Fox) has built a fan base of over 15k followers on Instagram in less than nine months, all with his posts of beautiful models in their most intimate moments and the hashtag #modelsinthemorning. Now the original titled work is featured on a dedicated website Models in the Morning by Basement Fox, with updates posted also on Tumblr here. He has given an extensive interview on Live Fast mag ; read the rest of it here.

The success of the series has inspired Basement Fox to take it on the road in a sixties camper to capture America’s finest women for a coffee table book, and we love the idea and the spontaneity of meeting and photographing diverse models from all over. For more videography go here.

now you can become a Whiskey Blender

Whisky Blender is an online store based in Scotland, operated by Drew Nicolson and Andy Davidson with the aid of Master of Malt John Lamond. The company has stocks of seven whiskys (some single malts, others blended), which you mix and match to develop your own customized blend, 10 ml at a time. The catch is that you only have Lamond’s tasting notes to go on, and these are all both fanciful and delicious-sounding. [1]

“Pick one of the seven whiskys and go heavy on that,” using it for up to half the bottle. “Trust your instincts and don’t overthink it. And don’t be afraid of making something bad.” If you’re not thrilled with your whisky at first, drink a bit, then put it back on the shelf for a few weeks. A bit of air in the bottle plus some time will help the different spirits to marry, and Whisky Blender says your first dram from the bottle will likely be significantly different than the last. Whether they use two whiskys or seven, “Most people are so amazed,” says Nicolson, with what they end up creating. It’s all a question of approach. “Some people want to make a budget version of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, but we try to convince them to create something of their own.” [1]

[1] Ref. http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/03/whisky-blender/