1. Disruptive by Design Telling the story of Oakley, from its humble beginnings to becoming one of the world’s leading eyewear innovators, the newly released “Disruptive by Design” is a brand film of rather impressive…
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For someone like me, who regularly uses half a dozen 3D and 2D software, remembering each one’s hot-key shortcuts are a nightmare. The ikeyboard might be able to bring back my kindred from the verge of hot-key induced mental breakdowns. This keyboard turns hot-keys into cool keys by displaying them right on the keyboard itself.
The E-ink displays on the keys can adapt themselves according to the software being used. The intelligent keyboard learns about the regularly used hot-keys for each software and automatically displays them while the software is on. When you open an internet browser, it switches into browser mode and displays the logos of regularly visited websites, enabling you to access them with the click of a single button. Cool!
Designers: Daishao Yun, Zhang Shuo, Liu Wei, Liang Yakun & Liupei Pei
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(Hot-Key Board was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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1. Tricycling to the South Pole Three wheels, 400 miles, ice crevasses and Antarctic weather (meaning 50 mph winds)—these are the conditions that 35-year-old Maria Leijerstam of Great Britain will face as she pedals with two other traditional cyclists from Ross Ice Shelf…
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Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby‘s creative consultancy MAP has designed a build-your-own computer kit (+ slideshow).
London studio MAP worked with computer company Kano to create parts for the machine, designed as kit for learning about how computers work.
The kit runs on the Raspberry Pi platform – a customisable single-board computer that allows the user to add components.
MAP created a transparent case for the Raspberry Pi board, comprising two C-shaped transparent shells that clip together to secure the cable connections but leave the top open for the user to experiment with adding additional parts.
“We knew that it was important to protect the Raspberry Pi board and we were frustrated to see that most of the cases on the market actually seal the board in a box,” said MAP director Jon Marshall. “Our two-part bumper case provides protection while encouraging Kano users to experiment and make.”
A clear cover can be added over the board to protect the components or a speaker and small amplifier powered directly from the Raspberry Pi can be clipped on the top.
The kit comes as a case full of colourful parts with an instruction manual containing assembly details.
It includes a wireless keyboard, the Raspberry Pi with its customisable case, a speaker module, packaging and accessories. These elements can be used with a generic computer screen or monitor.
The parts are packaged in a bright orange box, designed to fit through a standard letterbox for easier delivery and be used to store the kit when not in use. The inner box is printed to show how the coloured wires connect to the Raspberry Pi board.
“We wanted to create the first computer that anyone can make – simple, fun, and powerful,” said Kano co-founder and head of product Alex Klein.
A Kickstarter campaign to crowd fund the project launches today.
Keep reading for more text from MAP:
Creative consultancy MAP and computer company Kano have together created a hands-on computer kit that you can make yourself. Using the well-known Raspberry Pi as its platform, users can learn and have fun while making it.
The prototype is now complete and a Kickstarter campaign will launch on 19 November. The kit costs $99 or £69. You can buy one for yourself or sponsor kits for a student, school, or institution through Kano’s not-for-profit programme, Kano Academy.
MAP worked with Kano on designing the kit and all of the components as a complete experience. MAP’s design team set out to make the Kano kit as friendly and as fun to use as Lego. The kit includes a new wireless keyboard, Raspberry Pi and a new type of customisable case, a unique speaker module, packaging and accessories.
MAP designed the Kano kit to guide users quickly and intuitively through the set-up. The packaging was designed to be kept and used as storage for the kit and its components, rather than being thrown away. A colourful outer sleeve keeps the kit protected, with the overall size optimised to fit through most letterboxes (reducing costs and making delivery easy). The inner box has a printed diagram of the cable connections to ensure a fast and easy-to-follow set-up. The components are clearly laid out to ease understanding. Reminiscent of a traditional board game, the robust inner tray keeps the components organised when you have finished playing and pack them away.
MAP designed a protective plastic case for the Raspberry Pi computer board that consists of two C-shaped bumpers in clear plastic. These snap around the board making it easy to handle and stabilising the cable connections while leaving both the top and bottom open for experimentation. There are additional clip-in covers that can be added when you want to enclose the Pi, or connect more components. For a first “making” project based on the basic kit, MAP have developed a special cover with a speaker and small amplifier that is powered directly from the Raspberry Pi.
The post Kano computer kit
by MAP appeared first on Dezeen.
News: Apple has announced that its latest Mac Pro desktop computer will be available worldwide from December, after the sale of its predecessor was banned in the EU earlier this year due to safety regulations.
Apple announced the launch date of its black cylindrical Mac Pro desktop computer at an event in San Francisco yesterday.
Made in the US, the tube-shaped workstation is smaller and more difficult to customise than the previous model, which was released in 2006.
In March this year an EU health and safety amendment set out regulations dictating the amount of protection required around cooling fans and electrical ports, so the sale of the older machines was banned in most European countries.
The design of the latest Mac Pro was first unveiled in June at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in California, along with the iOS7 software interface.
Yesterday Apple also launched the iPad Air, a new thinner and lighter model in its range of tablets.
Following similar slim design principles to the company’s MacBook Air laptop, the latest tablet weighs just 450 grammes, measures 7.5 millimetres in thickness and has narrower borders around its screen.
Apple’s $5 billion Foster + Partners-designed campus in California was unanimously approved by Cupertino City Council last week. In a movie published by the council, Norman Foster has revealed that Steve Jobs called him “out of the blue” one day to ask him to design the ring-shaped building.
Via The Guardian.
The post Apple reveals latest Mac Pro
launch date appeared first on Dezeen.
My main computer is a MacBook Air. I love it dearly. The thin little thing has traveled with me, and I wrote my books on it. It’s a super little machine. It’s got 128 GB of internal flash storage, which sounds like a lot, yet I get that “your startup disk is almost full” warning all the time. The fact that I photograph my kids all the time doesn’t help. I also love music, movies, and trying new software. Those are all space-hogging activities. What can I do?
If you’re in the same boat — irrespective if you’re on a Mac or PC — this post is for you. I’ve collected several tips for freeing up disk space on your computer. Put them into practice and reclaim a little bit of that precious storage space.
First and foremost, take advantage of cloud storage. Flickr offers users one terabyte of storage for free. That’s huge. I use Everpix, which syncs photos taken with my iPhone and my wife’s iPhone automatically. Those shots aren’t stored on my Mac at all, saving me huge amounts of space.
Music is another opportunity to save space. For example, many people buy an external disk and move their music (like iTunes) library to it. That way your computer’s internal storage is free of your huge music library. Apple’s iCloud also lets you store music on their own servers which you can stream on demand, if you own a Mac.
Other stream-only services like Rdio, Spotify and Pandora let customers stream music to their devices for a monthly fee. I’ve been using Rdio for years and love it. I can listen to all the music I want without any of it living on my hard drive.
What about documents? Dropbox is great, but it stores local copies of all your flies. Actually, not all. In the app’s preferences, select “Selective Sync.” This lets you determine which of your Dropbox folders are copied to your computer.
While researching this article, I came across this post from MacRumors. It lists several great options for freeing up disk space, including:
It is also good to go through the files you have saved and trash all those you no longer need. The grocery list you made eight months ago can probably go, even if it’s not taking up a lot of room. All those little files are only cluttering up your computer’s hard drive.
It’s also a good idea to run software that’s designed to find and eliminate unnecessary files. I rely on Clean My Mac. It’s great at finding things like hidden iPhoto duplicates, language files that I don’t use, and a lot more. I’ve reclaimed several gigabytes of space thanks to Clean My Mac. Again, if you rely on a PC product, please share that in the comments. And, if you’re on a PC, don’t forget to defragment your drive after you delete programs to help it run more efficiently.
You might have an option to add more physical storage to your computer. For example, the cool StorEDGE from PNY is a little flash storage module that fits inside an SDXC slot (provided that it has one, my Air does not) and adds either 64 GB or 128 GB of storage.
There you have a few strategies for reclaiming a little precious disk space. Try them out and de-clutter your computer.
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The latest version of the affordable XO tablet, designed by Yves Behar for the One Laptop Per Child Association, goes on sale this week (+ movie).
The seven-inch touchscreen Android tablet will be available for $150 at Walmart stores across the USA this week, marking a move away from the product’s initial focus on the developing world.
The new version features a rubber exterior and a carrying hook, while the bilingual English/Spanish software comes with a suite of pre-loaded apps, games and books.
The XO tablet is the fourth iteration of the One Laptop Per Child concept, all of which have been designed by One Laptop Per Child’s chief designer, Yves Behar of San Francisco design studio fuseproject.
The first, nicknamed the “$100 laptop”, was a clamshell design with a keyboard that could be charged by hand-crank and was intended for children in remote villages without power.
The product was one of five winners of the Index Awards for sustainable design in 2007 and won the Design Museum’s inaugural Design of the Year award in 2008.
Its successor, the XOXO laptop, was unveiled in 2008 and featured two hinged touch-screens.
The third version, called the XO-3, was launched last year. This was a tablet with a removable rubber cover that could also house solar panels to recharge the battery.
“The new tablet is an evolution of all the things we have learned with the original XO Laptop,” says Yves Behar. “The new user interface is colourful and easy to use, while the protective rubber exterior features a carrying loop similar to the original XO finger hooks.”
See more stories about One Laptop Per Child »
See more design by Fuseproject »
Here’s some text from One Laptop Per Child:
FUSEPROJECT AND ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD ANNOUNCE NEW XO TABLET DESIGNED TO SPARK THE CHILD’S IMAGINATION
The fuseproject-designed XO Tablet arrives in Walmart stores across the country this week. Developed in collaboration with the One Laptop Per Child Association, the tablet harnesses the power of a touchscreen device to create new ways for children to learn. The powerful Android tablet has a new user interface and protective cover that delivers the continuity of the design language of the original One Laptop Per Child with a new learning experience.
Centered around the idea of aspirational “dreams”, the main screen is organized by topics rather than applications. A clear hierarchy of information makes tiers of learning within each dream easy to follow and access, a key element of the new child-centric XO Learning System Interface. A simple sentence “I want to be an…” is the opener to a myriad of software, games, and applications grouped around each of the subjects of interest.
“The new tablet is an evolution of all the things we have learned with the original XO Laptop,” says Yves Behar, fuseproject founder and Chief Designer of OLPC since 2006. “The new user interface is colorful and easy to use, while the protective rubber exterior features a carrying loop similar to the original XO finger hooks. What is unique about this version is how we crafted the user interface and the industrial design simultaneously. We wanted to make sure that together they would deliver a cohesive experience while stimulating discovery and offering a few surprises.”
The seven-inch tablet, made by Vivitar, is running Android OS, and is the only multilingual (English/Spanish) and Google-certified tablet for kids on the market. It includes content curated and selected for age-appropriateness by OLPC in collaboration with Common Sense Media, a leading non-profit organization dedicated to helping parents and teachers make informed decisions about media.
The pre-loaded software includes 100 free pre-loaded apps, games, and books. Special parental controls such as the XO Journal tool, allow parents to track how much time children spend on each app and can provide insight into where children’s interests lie.
The One Laptop Per Child Association has distributed 2.5 million of the original XO Laptop in 60 countries, and is now launching the new $150 tablet in the US starting at Walmart, as well as in developing countries such as Uruguay, Cambodia, and Barbados.
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for One Laptop Per Child appeared first on Dezeen.
News: inventor of the computer mouse Doug Engelbart has died at the age of 88.
Transforming the way we understand computers and interact with technology, the mouse is regarded as one of the greatest innovations of the twenty-first century. The point and click system remains largely unchanged since its inception, and over one billion mice have been sold since it was made commercially available in 1984.
“Doug’s legacy is immense,” said Curtis R. Carlson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Stanford Research Institute (SRI) where Engelbart worked for 20 years. “Anyone in the world who uses a mouse or enjoys the productive benefits of a personal computer is indebted to him.”
Engelbart developed the computer mouse technology in the early 1960s. Bill English, the then SRI chief engineer, went on to design the first prototype in 1964 and the patent was issued in 1970. SRI went on to license the mouse technology to companies including Apple.
Engelbart unveiled his wooden prototype mouse at the 1968 Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco in what’s widely referred to as “the mother of all demos“. He demonstrated breakthrough innovations such as hypertext linking, real-time text editing, the use of multiple windows and shared-screen teleconferencing.
Engelbart held a vision for computers augmenting human intellect and dedicated his research to increasing what he called the collective IQ. For Engelbart, “the mouse was one part of a larger technological system whose purpose was to facilitate organisational learning and global online collaboration,” says SRI.
“Doug leaves a rich legacy of past accomplishments and his novel thinking will inspire generations to come,” said the Doug Engelbart Institute in a short statement on its website this week.
Tributes and recognition continue to pour in to the institute’s Facebook page this week: “So much of what we use today is owed to this mans genius mind. The internet, the computer mouse, the hyperlink,” said Karl Brody. “Doug Engelbart was the greatest innovator of the 20th Century and I am deeply saddened by his passing,” said William Miller. “The mouse was only one of his many innovations.”
Engelbart studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University and served as a radar technician during World War II. He worked briefly at as an electrical engineer for Nasa’s predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Naca), before leaving to pursue a doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined SRI in 1957 and led its Augmentation Research Center (ARC) from 1959 to 1977.
He founded the Bootstrap Institute, now the Doug Engelbart Institute, which works closely with industry stakeholders to implement his work and helped develop the world’s first operational packet switching networks, Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANet), and the progenitor that led to the internet.
Engelbart received the National Medal of Technology in 2000 and in 1997 was awarded both the Lemelson-MIT Prize and the Turing Award.
Portrait of Doug Engelbart with his original mouse was taken in 2008, courtesy of SRI International.
The post Doug Engelbart
1925-2013 appeared first on Dezeen.
News: a transparent computer that allows users to reach “inside” the screen and manipulate content with their hands was unveiled at the TED conference in Los Angeles last week.
Introducing the SpaceTop 3D desktop computer at the TED conference, interaction researcher Jinha Lee explained that enabling humans to physically interact with machines could make computing more intuitive.
“The gap between what the designer thinks and what the computer can do is huge. If you can put your hands inside the computer and handle digital content you can express ideas more completely,” he told the BBC.
Working in collaboration with Microsoft and its Kinect technology, Lee developed a system that combines a transparent LCD display with built-in cameras that track gestures and eye movements.
Users place their hands behind the screen to scroll or type just as they would with a normal computer, but they can also raise their hands up to grab and manipulate the virtual 3D elements.
One camera is used to track fingers, recognising gestures like pinching and dragging, while the other camera faces the user and tracks the position of their head to display perspective-corrected 3D graphics.
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lee is currently carrying out his compulsory military service in South Korea at electronics firm Samsung, where he is developing television interfaces.
Last month Google released a movie preview of what it would be like to wear its voice-controlled Google Glass headset, while earlier this year we reported on an augmented reality iPad app that allows architects to look inside static architectural models – see all technology news.
Images and movie are by Jinha Lee.
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to “grab” digital content appeared first on Dezeen.
Services like Instapaper, Pocket and Readability are great for saving articles for later reading. But sometimes I want to read something right when I find it and, better yet, with a clutter-free layout like those services provide. This is when an in-browser reader like Apple’s Safari Reader, Instapaper’s Text Bookmarklet and Evernote’s Clearly come in handy.
Each has its own pros and cons, but which is the best? Everyone has their preferences, but I took a look at three options and picked my favorite. Here’s what I found while comparing Safari Reader, Instapaper Text, and Clearly:
Apple introduced Safari Reader with Safari 5. Like the others, it offers a distraction-free reading experience by presenting an article without ads, sidebar images, headers or footers. Instead, you get a center-aligned, black-on-white version of the article with any inline images intact. Plus, multi-page articles are displayed in one flow. That’s it.
It works by first detecting an article or post on a web page. Once it has, a grey “Reader” button appears in the URL field in place of the RSS button. Click it to view your article in the Reader interface (Command-Shift-R works, too).
The article appears on a white background in the center of Safari’s window. Also, the Reader button turns purple while the Reader view is active. Finally, a scrollbar on the right allows you to navigate the article.
There are several tools available while Reader is active. Move your cursor toward the bottom of Safari’s window and the toolbar appears. From left to right, you’ll find “-” and “+” re-sizing buttons, as well as options to email or print the article. Lastly, a big “X” closes the Reader UI and restores the original website (clicking outside of Reader does the same).
Pros
The best thing about Reader is that it works as advertised. The black text looks great and is highly legible. It loads quickly and lets you adjust the text size, print and share via email. Plus, it’s only available after a web page has fully loaded, so advertisers aren’t cheated out of impressions.
While Safari’s Reader for the Mac isn’t my favorite (more on that in a minute), it absolutely shines on mobile Safari. Especially on the iPhone. Typically I dislike long periods of reading on the iPhone because the screen and text is so small, but Reader fixes that. It commandeers the screen completely (unlike on the iPad, which still shows the toolbar and any open tabs), with big, legible text on a lightly textured background that just feels nice. An unobtrusive share button offers several options, like tweet, print, add to reading list and more.
Cons
My main gripe is that Reader doesn’t fill the browser window. Instead, the original web page is seen behind the Reader presentation. Even though it’s grayed out, I’m still aware of it, which defeats the “distraction-free” aspect. In fact, it’s a deal-breaker. Sorry, Apple.
Customization is also limited, though you can alter its look with a little work. It’s nice to re-size the type, but compared to others, it doesn’t do much. Finally, it’s restricted to Safari.
Reader is nice on the Mac, super on the iPad, and, hands-down, fan-flipping-tastic on the iPhone.
Instapaper offers a bookmarkelt that lets you read an article in the service’s text view without saving it to your collection of stories. It offers black text on white like with Apple’s Safari Reader, but with more options for customization.
By default, the Instapaper Text Bookmarklet centers your text on a field of white. The customization tools are hidden until you click the font icon at the top left. Options include re-sizing the type, and I clicked the button 22 times and was obliged each time.
You can also single- or double-space the text and adjust the column width. Again, it seems happy to stretch the text as wide as I like, easily filling my 24″ display. Finally, there are four fonts to choose from: Geneva, Times, Helvetica and Veranda. There’s no button to send to Instapaper, however. For that you’ll need a different bookmarkelt.
Pros
Right off the bat I’m happy because it fills the browser window. Instapaper Text also offers more customization options than Apple. It also loads quickly, and is quite legible. Since it’s a bookmarklet, it’ll work in any browser and, like Safari’s reader, it displays multi-page articles on a single page.
Cons
Can’t think of a one.
I found this one recently and have been test driving it. Like the others, Clearly (formerly Readable) presents your target article without ads, a sidebar, header or footer. It’s an extension, not a bookmarkelt, and is available for Firefox and Google Chrome. Once it’s up and running, a click sends the article to your Evernote account. But, the single click action isn’t what I love most about it.
Pros
If looks are everything, Clearly is a bombshell. The whole point of these things is to display an article so that it looks great and is pleasant to read. Clearly succeeds better than the rest.
A click on the themes button on the right sidebar reveals multiple thematic options. By default there are three themes to choose from: Newsprint, Notable and Night Owl (pictured above). A fourth option lets you create a custom theme, with control over almost every aspect of how Clearly presents your pages. Finally, there’s a button to print the article and another to send it to Instapaper.
Cons
It’s not available on Apple’s Safari browser.
Evernote’s Clearly is my new favorite way to read articles without distraction in my browser. Yes, Instapaper is backed by a tremendous service that I love, but so is Clearly. Like I said, this is a beauty contest more than anything else and the team at Evernote has done a stellar job with Clearly. I’ll still send articles I wish to save to Instapaper, but will enjoy stories I want to read as I find them with Clearly.
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