Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome has already shown the world that their creations need attention. The latest from the house is the “Moon Dust-DNA” collection, which includes watches made from moon dust, parts of the Apollo 11 rocket and bits of spacesuits.
"This gives value to the product and the brand. But the material must also be well known and it must be luxurious," Romain Jerome Chief Executive Yvan Arpa said in an interview at the group's headquarters. The watches, which start at $US15,000 and can cost as much as $US500,000, will be launched in Geneva on Wednesday and presented to customers at next year's Baselworld, the largest annual fair for the watch and jewelry industry.
The watches' dials, which feature tiny craters, will have dust in them from the moon rock that was taken from the first visit to the Earth's satellite.
Steel from the Apollo 11 space shuttle will be used for the case and the strap will be made up of fibers from a spacesuit worn during the ISS mission, Arpa said.
Living in a luxury treehouse certainly brings out the child in you again. Now, the New Zealand Yellow Pages are building a restaurant that is 10 meters up on a redwood tree. A dinner at this tree-restaurant will be a totally fascinating experience. Presently under construction on a site north of Auckland, the design of the restaurant is taken care of by Pacific Environments Architects. A 60m tree-top walkway helps you reach the restaurant. The restaurant has ample space for 18 seating people and staff and it comes complete with a bar. Kitchen facilities and toilets are at the ground level.
Scartel (brand Yota), Russian provider of Mobile WiMAX, and HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today announced the HTC MAX 4G, the world’s first integrated GSM/WiMAX handset. Supported by a broad range of services based on Yota’s Mobile WiMAX network, the HTC MAX 4G delivers a rich multimedia and high quality telephony experience in a sleek and powerful touch screen handset.
“Yota was established to provide a unique set of mobile communication services to millions of people in Russia and today we have launched the first device and services to realise its full potential,” said Denis Sverdlov, General Director of Yota’s parent company, Scartel LLC (brand Yota). “We really believe that these innovative services, high-speed Internet and stylish HTC MAX 4G will completely change the communications industry, just as the introduction of cellular communications did many years ago.”
The Yota Mobile WiMAX network offers high-speed wireless Internet access that opens a new realm of entertainment and communication possibilities. The basic Yota Home package will provide subscribers with instant access to online games, maps, messaging and file exchange applications while on the move. In addition, the high-capacity Mobile WiMAX network with traffic prioritisation algorithms, allows online films, video and TV programmes to be viewed on the large WVGA screen. Broadcasting 14 free channels at launch and 23 channels by the end of 2008, Yota TV introduces a powerful mobile television experience. The vibrant, 3.8 inch 800x480 screen of the HTC MAX 4G can display up to nine TV channels simultaneously, allowing quick and easy channel surfing and programme selection. Thanks to the device’s TV-out capability, users can also watch content on the big screen, putting the HTC MAX 4G at the very heart of the mobile entertainment experience.
For music-lovers, Yota Music offers an extensive online music catalogue of more than 50,000 titles, including a wide range of music from both international and independent music labels. Users can choose to either play the tracks direct from the online catalogue, or download them to the HTC MAX 4G’s 8GB of onboard flash memory.
Key HTC MAX 4G specifications:
Processor: Qualcomm® ESM7206A™ 528 MHz
Platform: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Memory: ROM: 256MB / RAM: 288MB / Flash: 8 GB
Dimensions: 113.5mm X 63.1mm X 13.9mm
Weight: 151 grams (with battery)
Display: 3.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 480 x 800 WVGA resolution
Network:
Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:900/1800/1900 MHz
Yota Mobile WiMAX 2,5-2.7 GHz
Device Control: TouchFLO™ 3D
GPS: Inbuilt GPS
Connections:
VoIP
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth® 2.0 with EDR
HTC ExtUSB™
Main camera: High-resolution with autofocus
Second: VGA-camera
Additional:
Motion G-sensor (automatically rotating picture)
Proximity sensor (saving energy while talking due to the switching the display off)
Video-Processing Technology Enabling World's First Wraparound View of Vehicles in Real Time
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. announced today the development of a new video-processing technology that enables a complete wraparound view of a vehicle's perimeter in real time, to enhance the driver's field of view. The new driver assistance technology adapts to different driving situations, enabling the driver to peripherally view the entire surroundings of a vehicle, from the point of view and field of view that is most appropriate for each driving situation. The technology improves driving safety by assisting the driver in a variety of situations, such as parking, passing on a narrow street, and seeing around corners at intersections with poor sightlines.
Details of this new technology will be presented at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems & ITS America's 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition, being held from November 16 to 20 in New York.
Fujitsu Laboratories developed the world's first video-processing technology that enables the supplement of a field of view that can show any perspective and any sightline on the vehicle's periphery, and which can instantaneously smoothly transition from one view to another.
Four cameras were installed around the vehicle's perimeter, and their video images of the vehicle's surroundings were synthesized by a "3-D virtual projection/point of view conversion technology" developed by Fujitsu Laboratories, comprised of the following: projection of the video images onto a virtual 3-D curved plane as a virtual 3-D video, and conversion of the the video images into views from any desired perspective of the vehicle's surroundings ("omni-view"). This technology enables drivers to easily check views from any direction or from any perspective desired, thereby alleviating the cognitive burden involved in recognizing the view that is being displayed. Additionally, when switching between different views as the driving situation changes, this new technology makes a smooth transition from one view to another by continuously interpolating points of view, fields of view, and sightlines. This helps to quickly orient the driver to the new view currently being shown, when the driver makes periphery checks.
First Ever Green Energy bill board to be installed in Times Square. The billboard owned by Ricoh Americas Corporation will weigh 35,000 pounds and will be equipped with 64 solar panels and 16 wind turbines. The billboard costs $3 million and is lit by 16 300-watt floodlights.
Most of the energy to power the billboard (around 90 percent) is expected to come from the turbines, with the solar panels acting as a supplementary power source. A spokesperson from Ricoh, however, said that if ever it happens, "it's just fine." Nevertheless, the blades of the turbine are perfectly streamlined that even a breeze as mild as a normal electric fan's could move in. According to New York Times, generating electricity on its own saves $12,000 to $15,000 per month in energy or 18 tons of carbon per annum.
Roofus Job is to collect and dump the snow via remote or autonomously. When there’s no snow to move, Roofus can be fitted out with a variety of attachments for more mundane tasks such as mowing and cleaning. It features two electric motors, caterpillar tracks, and sensors on each side of its body for navigation, tips the scales at a touch over 100kg it’s and can take 250kg per load.
The idea is based on a common and natural behavior of putting your hand on the forehead to measure internal heat of their body. Checking the temperature by scanning the forehead with this device is easier and faster, since it eliminates the need to insert an external tool while holding them in a still position. The intuitive shape of the device allows the user to easily understand how to hold and use the device. The organic and ergonomic shape provides a secure grasp in the users hand.
After simply placing the device on the forehead, a beeping sound followed by a flashing LED alerts the user when it is done. In addition, the user can clearly see the temperature on the LCD screen, while holding the device to their baby.
Commission 2006 / construction start 2008 / completed 2008
Navigation: Mesarska cesta, Ljubljana
The existing site is listed as industrial historical area with buildings of an old butchery complex, which included the water-tower and old butcher hall.
Demand of National heritage was to rebuild the tower as it was in original and to integrate the main façade portal of old hall in front of the planned new shopping mall. The client permission and expected plan was prefabricated concrete hall of 46×42x7 meters. Interior and all internal finishing is done as “Mercator standard” – the standard which is prescribed by shopping company’s chain for all their standard malls.
Construction Company budget was extremely limited; the part of their contract with Mercator was a reference project – simple mall, built in village in northern part of Slovenia. (This mall had only front façade with final façade finishing; the rest 3 facades were basic concrete). Exactly the same budget had to be respected in this project and the same amount was listed in our contract. The new shopping mall has customer approach and parking facilities on 3 sides of the building. Therefore it was important to cover 3 sides with final decorative finishing with the budget of 1 side only.
After detailed calculation the budget for covering all elevations was at 60.000 EUR. The pattern was based on different stepped elevations in order to soften basic cube shell. We took and calculated the surface that would be needed for one side. The surface was divided into three elevated surfaces. The surface which could fit into the budget for the facade was use of basic metal sheets which were painted in bronze structured color. After cost evaluation only 20% of the concrete shell could be covered with the metal sheets. So the sheets were perforated with holes in different sizes. Furthermore the cut metal circles from the sheets were used and arranged on the rest of the façade surface. The use of the holes and circle ornamental patterns were justified with the commercial merchant’s company “Mercator pika* (*pika in slovene - dot)” (campaign for faithful customers).
For the rest of the budget which remained; the metal chain rope was created around the metal dots. In time the surface will be covered with green climbing plants. Sustainable Issues: Climbing plants (evergreen) are placed around the building which will slowly cover the elevations and will become eco-green.
The Alpine Capsule has been created by the Studio Lovegrove in London, and it will take place in Piz la ILA (Alta Badia-Corvara) within the beautiful frame of the Dolomites at an altitude of 2100 meters.
The Capsule will be a compact shelter where one may spend the evening admiring the stars and the beautiful surrounding mountain range. It would offer the opportunity of overnight stays within a spectacular 360 degree view. The Alpine Capsule has an approximate diameter of 8 meters with a double glass structural skin, covered with a special reflecting coating. Therefore the external surface of the capsule will reflects the surrounding environment, de-materializing its appearance. At the same time the guests will be able to appreciate the panorama in any weather condition.
The Capsule will be completely autonomous in terms of the energy needs; the necessary power will be provided by external “power plants” through the use of solar panels integrated to vertical wind power turbines.
The interior design will create a smooth and organic environment where one may relax and find new possibilities of relations with the nature.The project realization will start in the beginning of 2010.
Alexander Asadov. Asadov is famed for his deconstructed architectural design style, which is counterintuitive to typical Russian opulence. His design can be installed on any body of water, from a lake to an ocean. The structure consists of a main body that is supported by three arms that look like bicycle spokes. Access to the Aerohotel is via landing strips or gangways. Designed by Alexander Asadov, this incredible floating Aerohotel features a lighter-than-air aesthetic that sits serenely atop an elegant system of supports.
Conceived as an elevated aquatic structure replete with hanging gardens, the space-age floating island preserves the entire extent of the ecosystem beneath it, contrasting with man-made islands that disrupt their immediate environment with tons of gravel fill. Asadov’s Aerohotel concept takes the ecological idea of typical manmade islands to an even more environmentally sound proposition, as the impact of these structures would be minimal to the water beneath them.
Asadov’s Aerohotel consists of a 200 meter wide circular hub lofted by an interlacing network of supports anchored by three arms that stretch to the bottom of its site. The structure’s body will contain cafés, restaurants, and winter gardens in addition to a hotel.
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